Pike and Shot Era(1450-1700)

From the Renaissance to the 18th Century

This period is marked by tremendous changes in weapons and tactics due to the generalization of gunpowder weapons. One sees the gradual disappearance of swordsmen and pikemen. Cavalry tactics experiment with firepower but settle on shock as the principal weapon. Artillery settles in as the third arm of any army. By the end of the the period, tactics and weapons will stabilize for almost 150 years.

Year	Model	Make	Photos	Comments
1520	Landsknecht Arquebusier	Orion		Landsknechts were German mercenaries raised by the Emperor to counter the famed Swiss mercenaries which were wreaking havoc on his knights. They fought on both sides of the Italian wars. Their wild "girlie men" appearance was belied by their savagery. Their ranks comprised swordsmen in the frontline and arquebusiers for fire support. Their double-handed swords were huge, being designed to bring down horsemen and cut off pike heads.
1648	Musketeer	ACTA		Generic musketeer of the mid 1600s, probably representative of any of the European conflicts of the 1630-1650 period (30 year war, French-Spanish war, English civil war. Tortenson war). This guy wears civilian clothes and is equipped with a matchlock musket and a sword. The 1660s would see the adoption of uniforms and substantially longer coats. The figure comes from the ACTA ECW sets. His paunch actually reinforces his realism, a welcome change from the plastic supermen, elves and dwarves too commonly seen. I started down the path of painting the sword belt but figured it must be worn under the coat.