15mm Ottoman Turks, 15th-17th Centuries

Janissaries in early hat

It was the Ottoman Turkish army that was the military superpower of the late 15th to late 17th centuries in Europe. Their relentless advance was superbly planned and organized, and their armies used practical and proven strategy and tactics, and more often than not prevailed on the battlefield. Some notes of the Ottoman cavalry: Despite the allure of the Janissary corps as elite semi-regular infantry, the mighty striking force of the army was its formidable mass of cavalry, Akinji raiders and Sipahi feudal horse. These would mostly have been very similar in appearance, their primary difference being in function, the Akinjis riding with great speed in open order and often relying on archery, whereas the Sipahis fought in larger mass and in closer order. That said, the Akinjis were not a "horse archer force" like, say, the Parthian horse archers, standing off and showering the enemy with arrows. Our Ottoman cavalry set can be used as either Feudal Sipahis or as Akinjis, with Sipahis mounted three to a base, Akinjis two. The main difference was that the flamboyant Akinjis lived a life of wreckless adventure, living off their loot, and some dressed in wild or unusual costumes. Accordingly we have made a code of Akinji Characters which can be sprinkled into your Akinji force, or these can be used as separate picked forces of Akinjis called "Djanbazan." Gamers may wish to mix some elite cavalry in with the Feudal Sipahis to represent high-ranking Feudal horsemen. The Sipahis Set 2 are in late 14th to 15th century gear, and were made to represent armies of that earlier period, but can also be used in later armies to represent Timariots in Anatolia, or European Timariots with old fashioned equipment -- which many of them would have continued to use, even in the Europe-raised squadrons well into the 17th century. The later cavalry with firearms set had eight of twelve models with pistols or carbines (the other four are either commanders or attacking with sabers) -- the set includes optional bows and quivers, as it's not certain whether they abandoned archery equipment when they adopted firearms. The bow was the symbolic weapon of the warrior, so it may still have been carried, but it's up to the gamer to decide. .

Code	Contents	Price (US$)	Order/Progress
ottoman-high-command	15mm Ottoman high command -- the Sublime Porte (the sultan, a provincial governor, a standardbearer, and the Sultan's Ik-Oglan weapons bearer) and a sub-general with a standardbearer	$6.99
ottoman-high-command	15mm Ottoman cavalry command command (or subgenerals) (x4)	$5.99
ottoman-guard-cavalry	15mm Ottoman guard cavalry-- Sipahis of the Porte or other elite cavalry on armoured horses (x3)	$4.99
ottoman-cavalry	15mm Ottoman cavalry with mixed weapons as Sipahi Feudal Cavalry or Akinji Raiders (x12 in nine poses, three with lance, three with scimitar, and six shooting bows)	$15.99
ottoman-sipahis-set2	15mm Ottoman Sipahis Set 2: for late 14th century to 15th century armies, or, in later armies, Anatolian Timariots, or more conservative European Timariots (x12), or as Akinji raiders	$15.99
ottoman-firearm-cavalry	15mm Ottoman cavalry with firearms, as later Sipahi or similar (x12: commander, standardbearer, two with saber, four with carbine, and four with pistol, archery equipment (bows and quivers) included as optional separate parts)	$16.99
ottoman-akinji-characters	15mm Ottoman Akinji Characters to mix into raider units, or as Djanbazan (x4)	$5.99
ottoman-delis	15mm Ottoman Deli Cavalry (x3, with separate shields, lances, and one wing per set)	$5.49
ottoman-janissary-command	15mm Ottoman Janissary Command (x6)	$3.99
ottoman-early-janissaries	15mm Ottoman Early Janissaries with bow (x12)	$6.99
ottoman-janissary-archers	15mm Ottoman Janissary Archers (x12)	$6.99
ottoman-janissary-musketeers	15mm Ottoman Janissary Musketeers (x12)	$6.99
ottoman-voynuks	15mm Ottoman Voynuks, Armoured Balkan Infantry with Polearms (x12, with Separate Shields)	$7.99
ottoman-tufenkji-command	15mm Ottoman Tufenkji Command (x4)	$2.49
ottoman-tufenkjis	15mm Ottoman Tufenkjis (x12)	$6.99
ottoman-azab-command	15mm 15mm Ottoman Azab Command (x4)	$2.49
ottoman-azab-javelins	15mm Ottoman Azabs with Javelins (x12, with Separate Shields)	$7.99
ottoman-azab-archers	15mm Ottoman Azab archers (x12)	$6.99
ottoman-artillery	15mm Ottoman Topji Artillery Set 1: 16th to 17th century medium field gun with five crew	$4.99
ottoman-bombard	15mm Ottoman Topji Artillery Set 2: 14th to 15th century heavy bombard with five crew	$4.99
ottoman-tent1	15mm Ottoman Tent for Cavalry or Janissaries (includes four tent stakes with rope)	$3.99