Vizantinac (osmi po redu) - gotov

[Raw_Shooter]

Good afternoon my friends 
allow me few words about byzantine empire....Byzantine empire was divided into 3 periods...early-byzantine / mid-byzantine or byzantine / and late-byzantine.....During the early-byzantine period many influences "arrived" from west (ex-roman empire) such as helmets and spears and sometimes armors. In byzantine empire the most important army was the farmers close to the frontiers. Those people when there was an enemy joined the royal army and fight together the enemy. So many rich farmers spend a lot of money for new armors & shields & spears e.t.c.  The most famous and elaborated were from France or Germany (the names are the modern ones).  It's natural that there were many many topic influences to those weapons....for example the "armored hat" seems like Norman ones or the shield seems like Norman ones.....Don't forget that Normand were a mix of French and Vikings. The same thing with the chain armors....So it's normal that many byzantine warriors had Vikings or Normans armors or/and weapons.
Varyangs (Varaggi) were a Vikings' tribe who lives in middle Europe (today Czech Republic or  Hungary) and Variazi (Varazzi) were an other same tribe (today Switzerland) .....(all these are Ostrogoth's and Visigoth's races). Of course many fighters of those tribes arrived in Byzantine empire like mercenaries and fight for the empire.
Milten's figure seems to me like "normal" byzantine warrior due the "petsoto" (was wearied only by warriors born in Byzantine emperior - mercenaries wearied mainly chain armors), the helmet (not like cone shape Vikings' helmets) and the "pala" (the wide curved sword original by Arabs - Vikings had double axes or straight swords)
......sorry if bore you with my big message 

[milten]

Heheheh you figured out what we talked about. Thank you, I didnt know some of this information regarding origins of Varangian guard.
You are not boring at all. This is my favorite subject.
"Lion" on the shield is puzzling me. I did not know that Byzantines had "Lion" symbol, but I know that Bulgarians had.
Is this Byzantine in fact Bulgarian mercenary or something similar

[Raw_Shooter]

Hmmmm about the lion on the shield   
first of all the shield is pure western type similar to those Normans'. Maybe a little more modern for figure's era but certainly it isn't early byzantine type who seems like ex east roman shields (circle type with "pugnum" -- sometimes Saint Demetrio seems to have one). Second, the lion....this type of escutcheon appears usually at west part of Europe and it was part of a royal family coat of arms. You can easily see it on German / British tribes' escutcheons (Modern Germany + Czech Republic + Austria e.t.c.) but not in Arabic or Turkish emblems.
Maybe you know that when a man was married a woman then their new family made a new coat of arms including signs from both their parents families...for example many families in German empire had the "Ile de France" on their coat of arms which is a typical French made emblem.  So this way the lion emblem arrived in byzantine's empire north frontiers (Bulgaria + ex-Yugoslavia + Albania).
"Is this Byzantine in fact Bulgarian mercenary or something similar"  Milten my friend this is very difficult to say....100% it's a byzantine warrior. Modern meanings like Bulgarian / Serbian / Albanian / Greek aren't right when we are talking about byzantines. In byzantine empire people was talking greek language but there were many different tribes in Balkans and other empire's areas. Meanings like Bulgarians / Serbians become a little later when the local tribes (I mean in modern states frontiers) were mixed by others tribes (who were coming from North after Jennings Hun invasion). So at those areas become the tribe of Slavs who made wars with byzantines....and after some years 2 monks Kyrillos & Methodios arrived at these tribes and try to make them Christians and made a new vocabulary including greek and Slavs words....So Slavs and Byzantines become friends and fight together for many years (that's why Greek people feel brothers Serbians, Bulgarians and Russians). As you understand byzantine people married Slavs people and new families arrived to the frontiers. Do you remember about the most important part of byzantine army Was the farmers at the frontiers....Personally I believe that this type of byzantine warrior is your figure Milten

[milten]

Thank you for all these typing and info. The reason I like byzantine figures so much is that our army of the period was very much alike byzantin. I come on that concusion by stadind frescos in our churces long before Osprey books. There are no Serbian figures on the market (exept one) so byzants are the next best thing. My life ambition is to colect and paint all Byzantine figures in existance. So far I have 15 of them and I identify 25 in the world.
Do you know someone in Greece that colect byzantine figures?

[Raw_Shooter]

Hmmm collect byzantine figures...no unfortunately    But I like very much Athens Miniatures' figures 

[milten]

Hmmm collect byzantine figures...no unfortunately    But I like very much Athens Miniatures' figures 

hehehe I have all 3 Byzantines from Athens Miniatures!+ Greek rebel 1821 + Evzoni soldier...
I saw one Byzantine figure on Thessaloniki which I do not have.
I had a temptation to still it, decolour it and than repaint it myself.
I am joking, of course ...
It is from one Greek company that do not exist any more... I have their "Konstantinos Paleologos"...
Do you know modelers in Thessaloniki that paint only figures ?

[Raw_Shooter]

"Milten" if you are looking for any byzantine figure and you can't find it just send me a p.m. and I'll try to find   
Hmmm Kostantinos Paleologos.....I'll try to find something about     Here at Thessaloniki there aren't many figure modelers...there is a "master" about figures Mr Kalamatas but I don't know him personally. But at Kilkis's town there is a friend of me who is very very good about figures' painting (He won silver medal at Pegasos's last show with a D.A.K. bust).
I also paint figures but only for relax and only female figures (Pegaso + Andrea) 200mm + 80mm. I don't know if it's allowed to post them here 

[milten]

HAHHAAHHA only female!??
Good way to relax.
About Konstantinos... I have 2 different Konstantinos. One from Athens miniatures one from company I forgot the name.

It is this figure I am looking for.
This is out of production, someone told me so I am pessimistic about finding one.
I you could find one ...well... I will be very grateful...

[Raw_Shooter]

Hmmmm if I am not wrong I think it's a Doyreios Ippos's figure 54mm    It's a greek model company based in Athens and many model shops have a min stock of this company's figures....I'll search it 

[milten]

JEEEEee
Yes, it is. Its Doyreios Ippos. I have found the box of emperor Konstantinos I have.
If you find it I will pay for it. We will find the way. But I am pessimistic...

[milten]

One fotke na predhodnoj strani su grozne.
Sada sam se malo vise potrudio.
Malo sam mu prljao stit.