Elite Brigade 1:6 scale Medieval Knight by Cotswold

A Knight to call my own. This 1:6 scale 12-inch miniaturized version of a Medieval Knight in his full armor is hand-made entirely of steel (where it should be) with leather fittings. Produced by Cotswold Collectibles, Inc. for their Elite Brigade line of figures more than ten years ago, this knight was part of their vision to realize the medieval knights of old in 1:6 scale, including their full armor and they actually approached the descendants of the original knight armor makers to cast these to scale.

The Medieval Knight was one of three types of fighting men during the middle ages: Knights, Foot Soldiers, and Archers. The medieval knight was the equivalent of the modern tank. He was covered in multiple layers of armor, and could plow through foot soldiers standing in his way.


Knights were also generally the wealthiest of the three types of soldiers. This was for a good reason. It was terribly expensive to be a knight. I'm sure you can understand why. Armor, shields, and weapons were also very expensive. The war horse alone could cost the equivalent of a small airplane.

Full plate armor came into use in the 15th century. While heavy and time consuming to put on, a well-made suit distributed the weight evenly around the body, allowing reasonable mobility.

A knight was armed and armored to the teeth. He had so much armor and weapons that he depended on his squire to keep his armor and weapons clean and in good working condition.

The back of his legs were not protected as he would be seated on horseback and rode into battle.


The helmet was curved to deflect blows and had a moveable visor for better airflow. In the movie "The Last Castle (2001)", Lieutenant General Eugene Irwin (Robert Redford) attributed the origin of the salute to the raising of the visors between knights. "You know where saluting comes from? It comes from medieval times. Two knights would approach each other on horseback. They would raise their visors and show their faces. It's like they're saying, "This is who I am. I'm not the enemy and I'm not afraid." A salute's about respect, son. Respect for yourself, the service and the flag."

A knight's weapon was his sword, which was about 43 inches long and weighed around thirty-two pounds. It was worn on his left side in a case fastened around his waist.

The pieces of a knights suit of armor covering the body were as follows:
The Chest Armor was referred to as the Breast Plate. The Back Armor protecting the back was called the Backplate. Faulds were rings of armour which were attached to the breast plate and protected the hips, abdomen and lower back.



The pieces of a knight's suit of armor covering the legs and the feet were as follows:
The Sabatons were the first parts of a knights suit of armor to be put on. Sabatons were armor for the feet and consisted of riveted iron plates on the boots. Greaves were Plate armor which protected the calf and ankles. Poleyns were Plate armor which protected the knee cap. Cuisses were Plate armor which protected the thigh. Spurs - The Spurs were attached to the heel of the foot by straps and used to 'spur' the Knights horse on in battle.

The pieces of a knight's suit of armor covering the arms and hands were as follows:
The Besagues which were small round 'shields' laced to the mail at the shoulder to defend the armpit. The Rerebrace for the defence of the upper arm. The Vambrace for the defence of the lower arm. Hand Armor - The Knights gloves were called Gauntlets and had ringed metal plates over the fingers.