Swiss Infantry - Uri and Bern

Two sets this time..
Both sets are made by Ultima Ratio and are supposed to represent the Cantons of Uri and Bern
The Reviews on the sets are up at PSR (Uri HERE and Bern  HERE) so you can stop reading here and look at the pics or read my consideration on them.
Basically, a lot of conversions. Flags removed, in one or two cases, the embossed crosses removed and some have had halberds swopped for pikes.
Some have also decided to join the ranks of a (in Progress) Burgundian Pikeblock (Mk2)

Uri
Hornblower. Originally the pose has the bod carrying the flag, which is just wrong. Either he´s the horn blower or the Standard bearer, not both!! It´s not too  too difficult to remove but a pain nonetheless.


"Mancatcher". A great idea, especially as seeing there´s (as far as I know) never been one represented in 1/72nd but the pose is,  IMHO, as disaster. He´s Holding the Catcher the wrong way around, ie; Left handed! While  this isn´t impossible it seems highly unlikely and with  three  in the set, more than highly unlikely.

The fowl hanging from the bod on the right  is an Addition since the set came out in metal

The Crossbowman. Basically a poor pose as he Looks like he´s sneaking about trying not to get noticed,  so I haven´t bothered to paint him 
The rest are nice poses and the Halberds can be swopped quite easily for pikes, which means, after the flag has been removed, you end up with a possible 11 usefull poses.

Bern
The better of the two sets as every pose can be used . Three of the halbardiers can have the halberds swopped for pikes which gives a possible 11 usefull poses, the same as the set from Uri but a lot less work to get the numbers up.

 

The Standard bearer. Basically the lack of armour makes him not 100%  in his role but removing the flag and downgrading him to a pike man is a pain, but not  too difficult.

A total of 16 bods in both sets, with conversions you end up with 22. Not a bad Basis for a block of halbardiers and as the size and style fit well alongside the halbardier bods from the  RedBox sets,   the Continental Mercenaries,  or Hussite Infantry for example.

Interesting is that some of the poses turned up a few years back, around 2012, in metal.
The set originally contained a mix of the poses from both the new plastic sets.

Back then I painted them up as members of the Medieval Pike Block which,  embarrassingly, after nearly 4 years, still isn´t finished but now some of the above can join the ranks.

Both the Standard bearers, Left Bern, Right Uri, with the big lumps of plastic removed.

Basically, a plea too all bod manufacturers;

"Please Don´t add  flags, plain or otherwise, to the Standard bearers. Both Versions are pain to paint and if part of the bod, a pain to remove! Just give us the Standard bearer without the flag..at best with just the pole, we can add our own flags!!!!"

Some of the halbardiers converted to pikemen

The bod front left. Originally half his helmet and face were covered in plastic from the Halberd shaft. It was way easier to simply remove and replace his head along with the Halbard.