Author Topic: Quickie Medieval Customs  (Read 2501 times)

Offline Timotheos

  • Visitor
  • Playmo Addict
  • ****
  • Posts: 958
  • Gender: Male
Quickie Medieval Customs
« on: October 25, 2007, 09:40:33 »
Martin mentioned he was designing some medievals based on existing playmobil parts.  I've attached pictures of a few I pieced together over the last few months.  In this case, my focus is augmenting a lack of "officially" medieval accessories with parts from other themes that fit not-bad into medieval.

1) The peasant woman with the blue hat is the add-on pack viking wife with ponytail black hair and the pirate special head-kerchief (and a sickle).

2) The peasant man with the blue turban borrows the blue turban from the modern train station African woman traveler (ordered via DS)(turbans were common in medieval times, being just a strip of cloth wrapped around the head for warmth).  He otherwise was the viking king from the viking king with young prince set. 

3) The peasant girl with the laurel garland is the "magnificent lady" with the Roman senator's legs, the pirate special's vest, and the roman senator's laurel wreath.  According to my book on 15th century fashions, head garlands were a common accessory for women. 

4) The blonde hatless man is the pirate special stripped of his stuff with the blonde hair and ponytail from the viking wife of item 1).

5) The peasant in the red hat is wearing the old style Santa Clause / Sinter Klaas hat, which doubles fine as the ubiquitous long hat ("smurf hat") worn by medieval peasants.

6) Inspired by Martin's comments in Playmoboard, my Roman cavalryman is one of those chain-mail legionaires from the add-on set wearing a gallic helm instead of the spangenhelm and wielding a broadsword like the longer sword used by the Roman cavalry.  (*Which incidentally doesn't fit well in his scabbard)
« Last Edit: October 25, 2007, 09:47:11 by Timotheos »

Offline Martin Milner

  • Eugene, Oregon, USA
  • Playmo Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 2754
  • Gender: Male
    • An Englishman in Eugene
Re: Quickie Medieval Customs
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2007, 15:24:25 »
Excellent - I think #3 is my favourite.

One reason we're all sad to see the Viking line vanishing is that the figures were so good for customising. The pirates aren't bad too, unless they have eyepatches and wooden legs.

Tim, can you tell me the title of the book you've been referring to for medieval clothing? I might get a copy myself.

Of course there could be an Abbey full of monks near my English castle, if I could obtain enough monk figures, but they're rare as hen's teeth.

 

Offline Timotheos

  • Visitor
  • Playmo Addict
  • ****
  • Posts: 958
  • Gender: Male
Re: Quickie Medieval Customs
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2007, 02:01:45 »
The book is: 

Medieval Costume in England and France
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Centuries

Author: Mary G. Houston
With 350 illustrations adapted from medieval art

The publisher is Dover, 1996 (New York) but reprints a 1939 book, originally published in London under a different title (Vol III of "A Technical History of Costume").  I don't know whether Dover is available in England.  You may want to search by author name in case a British publisher carries the work under a different title.

I like this one because its drawings were extracted from original medieval paintings and art.  The accompanying text is interesting to read because it describes the trends, the culture behind them, and how one trend bled into the next.

-Tim



Offline Martin Milner

  • Eugene, Oregon, USA
  • Playmo Master
  • *****
  • Posts: 2754
  • Gender: Male
    • An Englishman in Eugene
Re: Quickie Medieval Customs
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2007, 13:16:07 »
The book is: 

Medieval Costume in England and France
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Centuries

Author: Mary G. Houston
With 350 illustrations adapted from medieval art

Excellent, got that on order through Amazon, and also

Medieval Military Costume (Europa Militaria) [Paperback] by Embleton, Gerry

and

Medieval Costume and How to Recreate It [Paperback] by Hartley, Dorothy.

Not sure if any of this will help me create better Medieval klickies, but I do like to read around the subject.   ;D

Offline Timotheos

  • Visitor
  • Playmo Addict
  • ****
  • Posts: 958
  • Gender: Male
Re: Quickie Medieval Customs
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2007, 21:28:16 »
Not sure if any of this will help me create better Medieval klickies, but I do like to read around the subject.   ;D

You'll walk away a richer person.  :lol:

Yeah, to be honest, all my picture books haven't helped me make the klickie I want.  :hmm:

But, since getting back into Playmobil, all the research has given me a better sense of the different periods and the military equipment.

Something Dungeons and Dragons never did for me....  one big hodge-podge of metal...