Hey gents,
The belt is a kit-bashed MRL one. However, this wasn't meant to simulate the early 13th c. look, but the more chunky one we see on c.1290-1320ish English effigies, where it looks more substantial, and sometimes has some fittings attached. See the John de Creke and John d'Abernon effigies to see what I was looking for here - they're really quite chunky. That said, the MRL leather is pretty darned bulky, which makes the overlap look rather stiff. Really, this belt was much stiffer than I thought it'd be...but I needed an earlier style belt for a possible photo shoot, and this was expedient. Just to be clear - Bill - this is a later belt than the c.1210 one you have on your McHugh one - I really doubt all the later gee-gaws would be supported on that very early style of belt. Now, I don't have the complex attachment shown here to the scabbard, but this is one of the inspirations (and not the rosette details):
I'm hoping to do a mail gauntlet, a la what Dave Teague has done as sort of a pre-Wisby variant. He's making up a set like that - mail fingers, reinforced cuff. There are some German effigies, I believe that are suggestive of such a beast. I like the idea of the integrated mail mittens, but that would be difficult to add to this piece, plus the separate ones would work better for the Wisby-ish look too. But, we'll see...
At some point, I'll add mail legs that go up to the cuisses - there's little sense in adding the full thing up to the top of the leg under the cuisse (especially as we don't really know that's how they always did that). I'm hoping to find decent mail leggings in the near future.
The coat of plates is an option, but wouldn't fit under this surcoat. I have a good coat of plates - in fact, it's the exact same one shown under construction in Brian Price's book. At some point, I'll add more photos with the haubergeon in lieu of the hauberk, with the CoP and the full Wisby gauntlets I have. Here's the CoP, albeit from the back (I'm at far right):
Indeed, these are the cuisses from GDFB, modified to fit me. They only go down to size Large, so, as I told Ed earlier, I took the lacing panels off, and stitched them closed to make for both better sizing and aesthetics.
The sword: there are great swords of war in the late 13th c. It's the Battle of Benevento (1266) that Oakeshott cites regarding the "great swords of Germany". I was looking for a larger specimen as well here (and Type XIIIA's reach 40" in the blade...this is 38", I believe) because this rig is for a proposed William Wallace shoot (whose arms happen to match my Selohaar arms!). It's possible the blade of the sword attributed to Wallace is original (though the hilt cannot be), and it's a beast. Here's a similar one, dated 1300-50, sporting a 39.5" blade:
Thanks for the nit-picking guys - I really enjoy it. I am quite aware that there's some shortcomings here, and I love discussing them!
And thanks for the compliments as well. BTW - the gambeson is a two of a kind from Historic Enterprises that I bought off the rack at Pennsic a few years ago - all linen. The hauberk reaches just past its hem.
Now, wait'll you see the quartered Branagh-esque surcoat that Jessica made me...90 hours of hand embroidered heraldry over linen-lined black and red wool!
Best,
CHT
