Official Osprey thread

Another great military artist is Mark Churms...

http://www.markchurms.com/Merchant2/...cs/eagle-l.jpg

He tried the Roman landings in Brittanica too..

http://www.markchurms.com/Merchant2/...nockburn-l.jpg

Battle of Bannockburn...

http://www.markchurms.com/Merchant2/...s/single-l.jpg

Robert the Bruce versus Sir Henry de Bohun... that's gotta hurt http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg.../gc-jester.gif

http://www.markchurms.com/Merchant2/...cs/joust-l.jpg

The Black Prince in a joust... LOVE the light in this one.

http://www.markchurms.com/Merchant2/...s/charge-l.jpg

Napoleon's 2nd and 3rd cuirassiers charge at Waterloo...

Now this is OT, but who cares? It's worth it http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif



~Wiz

Yeah mate saw some of his stuff last night, very nice http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/bigthumb.gif

More pics


http://www.mcbridecollectors.com/mcbrid1.jpg




http://www.mcbridecollectors.com/mcbrid4.jpg

sorry if this makes me look like a prat but how much do these books cost and where can i find them, without needing a credit card? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/gc-help.gif

Best places to buy them are waterstones or ottakars. There good palces to get them http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...-2thumbsup.gif

http://www.fringe-benefits.co.uk/pix/clontarf.jpg

Like thsi pic death of Brian Boru at the hands of Brodar of man, this is not Mcbride but i still like it


http://www.doyle.com.au/images/viking1.jpg


This is mcbride i believe, normans clashing with irish warriors


http://members.aol.com/scothist/images/graupius.jpg

Another good artist wayne reynolds, not sure of the battle

Brodar of Man? Who's that?



~Wiz

He led the viking army with sigurd of the Orkenys and Sigtryd of Dublin(sp) at Clontarf. After the viking rout, he with a few companions crashed into the shield wall of Brian and sliced the top part of head off killing the king. He was taken by Brians bodyguard and executed with his men.

My collection's taken about 10 years to build.

Armies of the pharaohs
The warrior pharaoh
The ancient Assyrians
Greek hoplite 480-323BC
Warriors of Ancient Greece
The Spartans
The Persian army 560-330BC
The Greek and Persian wars
The army of Alexander the great
Alexander the Great
The battle of Cannae
Early Roman armies
Armies of the Carthaginian wars 265-146BC
Republican Roman army 2---104BC
The Roman army from Caesar to Trajan
Legions of the North
Guardians of the Roman empire
Late Roman cavalryman 236-565AD
Late Roman infantryman 236-565AD
Roman military clothing 1
Roman military clothing 2
Rome's enemies 1-5
Celtic warrior 300BC-100AD
Germanic warrior 236-568AD
Arthur and the Anglo Saxon wars
Anglo-Saxon thegn 449-1066AD
The Vikings
Viking hersir 793-1066AD
The Normans
Norman stone castles 1
Norman knight 950-1204AD
English medieval knight 1200-1300
English medieval knight 1300-1400
English medieval knight 1400-1500
Armies of the crusades
Saracen faris 1050-1250AD
Knight Hospitaller 1
Knight Hospitaller 2
The crusades
The first crusade
Knights of Christ
Crusader knight
The Scottish and welsh wars 1250-1400AD
English longbowman 1330-1515AD
The armies of Crecy and Poitiers
The armies of Agincourt
Crecy 1346
The wars of the roses
Tewkesbury 1471
Knights at tournament
Medieval heraldry
The Spanish armada
Matchlock musketeer 1588-1688
The English civil war
Soldiers of the English civil war 1 infantry
Soldiers of the English civil war 2 cavalry
New model army 1645-60
Ancient Chinese armies
Imperial Chinese armies 1
Imperial Chinese armies 2
War in Japan
The Samurai
Japanese warrior monks
Ashigaru 1467-1649
Samurai armies 1550-1615
Ninja 1460-1650
Samurai heraldry
Japanese castles 1540-1640
Kawanakajima 1553-64
Nagashino 1575

Phew That covers every single period I find interesting, notice the bias to medieval England and Romans? The small series made up of the Norman and English medieval knights is probably my favourite set; well illustrated and interesting as light reading. Norman knight was also the first book I got, I pestered my parents for it at the grand old age of 10, seduced by the pictures of knights and the promise of a decent read.

I don't like McBride much; I like Graham Turner, Richard Hook, Christina Hook (unless she's in blurry mode), and Gerry Embleton. I just McBride's work very aesthetically unpleasant; his people always seem so short and squat, his colours muted, his detail lacking, his textures missing...he does have his better pictures though, where he's not too bad.

:draws hairpin for self defence: http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg..._hairpin_2.gif

I have to be honest, apart from malta 1565, christa hook is really bad. I guess we will have to agree to disagree about Mcbride, who is 73 by the way and puts everyone else in the osprey series to shame in my view. But each to his own i guess.

As for his detail lacking? Minute detail can be found in the majority of his pics I defy anyone to look at his viking last stand picture in the vikings, hastings in the Normans and the Shaka Zulu battle in the Zulu's and then say he is bad. I'm gobsmacked geezers( and lasses) don't feel the same way http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/wacko.gif

Detail liked frayed clothing hems, it seems no matter what McBride work I look at everyone's clothing is immaculate except for the *very* occasional spot of blood on the sleeve.

Christina Hook is either quite good or very bad; she swaps between them seemingly randomly. Crusader knight and Norman knight are some of her better works, but plate J in Knight Hospitaller 1 is the other end of her scale, it's all blurry feeling and not very interesting.

Agree to disagree, good idea - art is subjective, even when historical accuracy is at stake.

A really good book is some of Tim newarks books with Mcbride from concord publishing. The barbarians and Warlords books really show blood and guts. Its his best work truely.


We can't all have the same tastes. Sorry if i'm annoying anyone but mcbride is one of my heroes http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...evalcheers.gif

Last of the pics:





http://www.zinnfigur.com/Books/Pictures/Osprey.jpg



http://www.angelfire.com/scifi/geekd...urycavalry.jpg

http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~dbi9m/fa...pMcBride14.jpg

Mines of moria pic

Quote:

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (The Blind King of Bohemia @ June 19 2004,17:07)]Best places to buy them are waterstones or ottakars. There good palces to get them http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...-2thumbsup.gif

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thx will go to get one hopefully tommorow. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...-2thumbsup.gif

by the way BKB how much hosting space do you HAVE you've posted loads of pics

I found out about the Osprey books only recently. My humble collection.

Men-at-Arms
255 Armies of the Muslim Conquest

Essential Histories
62 The Ottoman Empire 1326-1699

I will like to suggest books on the armies of pre20th century south east asia. Anyone knows any books on this?

Try to lay your hands queen victoria's enemies. Asia, america's and australasia. Good pics but the artists old rick schollins is dead now. He was damn fine artist.

I added two more yesterday to my list....

My collection grows quite rapidly as a store that tries to have the all Osprey books in stock at all times is right on the route between university and the station... 80% of the collection has been acquired within the last 12 months...

On a seperate note, can we make this a sticky thread ? And/or make a sticky for book references ? As that is one of the more frequently asked questions...

Good idea about pinning the thread. I recieved Hussite Wars and French Medieval Armies from Osprey today. The latter is great but I was a bit disappointed with the former - a couple of the plates are great but I've a feeling old Angus was working to a tight deadline.

I might pick up Ancient Greeks Elite title on Friday if my local bookshop still has it. 12 plates of McBride goodness. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/gc-smile.gif

I found it interesting that Cossacks fought at Tannenberg, they didn't exist at that time - check Osprey's Tannenber 1410 - disaster...

Regards Hetman http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

I think the author was putting the tartars in that bracket who were repulsed with the Lithuanians at the start of the fight but made the decisive strike near the end of the battle. I'm not that fond of the artist but his pic of the fall of the grandmaster is good though.

Hmm... how long does it take before books arrive when you order from Osprey directly?

It takes about a week when they have it instock, if not then a about 2 weeks.

Take heed though, sometimes when they say they have it in stock they don't http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/angry.gif

I have only ordered from them once though, i prefer to order of amazon http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

Yeah, it's taking 2 weeks now, and they said they had it in stock http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/rolleyes.gif

I think I'm going to order it from bol.com from now on, like my first (and until now only) one, Parthians and Sassanid Persians, which arrived after 4 days.



~Wiz

Grr. My Parthian/Sassinaid Persians and Sarmatians are taking forever Amazon may be cheap, but slow

From amazon.uk I get books quite quickly on the whole, generally only 24 hours after the stated 'usually available in' time. There have been some which have taken longer, but they were always on the 3+ weeks dispatch. These times are usually with the free postage and packing, I wiat until there are enough interesting books to qualify for that. I get most of my books from amazon these days, far cheaper and unlike the bookshops in town they actually have good books.

I ordered from Osprey once; I got one book free becasue of some offer or other. It took about 2 weeks for the books to arrive, they came in two batches aand if I remember correctly one book took about 3 weeks.

I'm going to buy my first Osprey books. I think the two polish books will be my first choices, but I'm interested in the plates - are these reliable and generally is it worth buying. I can buy only two in next 3-4 months time so I really want to choose something good and from XVI-XVII period.

Regards Hetman http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

I want to pick up those two as well. I hear they're great, and of course they're McBride. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

Also picked up the Ancient Greeks Elite title today - very good

Quote:

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (The Blind King of Bohemia @ June 25 2004,14:56)]I want to pick up those two as well. I hear they're great, and of course they're McBride. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

Also picked up the Ancient Greeks Elite title today - very good

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'The Fall of Eastern Europe' - I know You own the book is it reliable enough ?
I need more units for Hungary in XVI_XVI mod and I thought it could be quite useful.

Regards Hetman http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif

Its a very good book