Few medieval battles are as famous as Agincourt. On October 25, 1415, an exhausted English army under King Henry V faced a larger French force in a narrow, muddy battlefield in northern France. Against considerable odds, the English emerged victorious in one of the most celebrated engagements of the Hundred Years' War.

Now, Wargames Atlantic brings this legendary battle to the tabletop with its Grand Battle Scale Azincourt English and French Army kits. Each hard-plastic army box contains more than 700 figures, allowing historical wargamers to recreate massive formations of longbowmen, knights, men-at-arms and crossbowmen.

Released at the end of 2025, these 10mm miniature armies provide an accessible way to collect and paint the large medieval forces that would be difficult to reproduce at traditional 28mm scale.

In this guide, we'll explore the history of Agincourt, examine the contents of both Wargames Atlantic kits, explain how the armies fought and share practical modelling tips for painting heraldry, arranging formations and recreating the muddy battlefield of 1415.

The History of the Battle of Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt, also spelled Azincourt, took place on October 25, 1415, during the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

The conflict had begun in 1337 and involved competing dynastic claims, territorial disputes and political struggles between the English and French crowns.

By the early 15th century, France was weakened by internal political divisions and the illness of King Charles VI. England's young king, Henry V, saw an opportunity to renew his kingdom's claims in France.

Henry V's Invasion of France

In August 1415, Henry V landed in Normandy with an army of English soldiers and Welsh archers.

His first major objective was the fortified port of Harfleur.

The siege succeeded, but it came at a significant cost. Disease, casualties and exhaustion reduced the English army's strength, leaving Henry with a much smaller force than he had originally brought to France.

Rather than retreat immediately by sea, Henry decided to march across northern France toward the English-held port of Calais.

The French assembled a large army to intercept him.

After weeks of difficult marching, the English found themselves facing a powerful French force near the village of Azincourt.

How Many Soldiers Fought at Agincourt?

The exact size of the armies remains a subject of historical debate.

Traditional accounts often describe the English as heavily outnumbered, with approximately 6,000–9,000 soldiers facing a French army of perhaps 12,000–25,000.

Modern historians have proposed different estimates based on surviving records, chronicles and campaign logistics.

Although the precise numbers are uncertain, most interpretations agree that the French had a significant numerical advantage.

The English army was dominated by longbowmen, supported by a much smaller contingent of armoured men-at-arms.

The French fielded substantial numbers of heavily armoured men-at-arms, including noble commanders, alongside mounted troops and supporting missile units.

Why Did the English Win at Agincourt?

The English victory resulted from several interacting factors rather than one weapon or tactical decision.

1. The Narrow Battlefield

The battlefield was bordered by woodland, restricting the ability of the French army to deploy its superior numbers effectively.

The English selected a defensive position that made it difficult for the French to surround them.

2. Muddy Ground

Heavy rain had made the freshly ploughed fields extremely difficult to cross.

French men-at-arms advancing in heavy armour faced exhausting conditions, particularly when formations became crowded.

3. English Longbowmen

English and Welsh longbowmen provided sustained missile fire against advancing French formations.

Although the ability of arrows to penetrate high-quality plate armour remains debated, longbow fire disrupted formations, threatened horses and less-protected soldiers, and placed additional pressure on the French advance.

4. Defensive Stakes

English archers used sharpened wooden stakes to help protect themselves against mounted attacks.

These obstacles restricted cavalry movement and supported the English defensive position.

5. French Command and Coordination

The French army struggled with congestion, difficult terrain and problems coordinating different formations.

As men-at-arms pressed forward, the battlefield became increasingly crowded.

Exhaustion, restricted movement and close-quarters fighting contributed to the collapse of the French assault.

Wargames Atlantic Grand Battle Scale Azincourt Range

Wargames Atlantic's Azincourt range is part of its Grand Battle Scale collection.

Unlike conventional 28mm historical miniatures, these figures are approximately 10mm tall.

This smaller scale allows collectors to field hundreds of soldiers in compact formations, creating the visual appearance of a large medieval army.

The range was sculpted by Rob Macfarlane and uses hard-plastic components manufactured for the North American and international markets.

Both army boxes contain substantial numbers of miniatures, along with plastic bases designed for large formations.

Wargames Atlantic Azincourt English Army: What's Included?

The Azincourt English Army box is designed to represent Henry V's forces during the 1415 campaign.

Its contents emphasize the English reliance on longbowmen, supported by a smaller body of armoured men-at-arms.

English Army Box Contents

The box contains 708 fighting figures, excluding stakes and casualties.

This makes it possible to recreate the distinctive English battle line, with large numbers of archers positioned around compact formations of men-at-arms.

Shop the Wargames Atlantic Azincourt English Army at TistaMinis.

English Longbowmen: The Iconic Troops of Agincourt

Perhaps no medieval weapon is more closely associated with Agincourt than the English longbow.

The longbow was a powerful wooden bow requiring considerable strength and training to use effectively.

English military organization had increasingly emphasized archery during the 14th century, creating a large pool of experienced bowmen.

By Henry V's reign, longbowmen formed the majority of the English army's fighting strength.

Longbowmen Miniature Variations

The Wargames Atlantic kit includes longbowmen in different poses, including figures using their bows and others equipped for close combat.

This is an important detail because English archers did not simply stand behind the battle line throughout the engagement.

When French formations became disorganized, archers could enter close combat using swords, axes, mallets and other weapons.

For modelling, this allows players to create both firing formations and more dynamic units representing the later stages of the battle.

Modelling Tip: Build Two Types of Archer Bases

Divide your longbowmen into two visual groups:

• Firing formations: archers with bows raised or ready, positioned behind defensive stakes.
• Close-combat formations: archers carrying melee weapons, advancing or fighting among French men-at-arms.

This creates variety across the army and helps represent different stages of the historical engagement.

English Knights and Men-at-Arms

The English army also included professional men-at-arms equipped with armour and close-combat weapons.

These troops included knights, noble retainers and experienced soldiers who could afford or were provided with substantial armour.

At Agincourt, many English men-at-arms fought on foot rather than mounted.

Fighting dismounted allowed them to maintain a stable defensive formation and operate alongside the archers.

The Wargames Atlantic kit provides 246 armoured foot figures, enough to create multiple compact formations.

Modelling Tip: Mix Armour and Heraldry

Not every man-at-arms should look identical.

Late medieval armour included different combinations of plate, mail and fabric garments.

Use metallic tones, muted cloth colours and occasional heraldic details to distinguish important figures.

For a historically inspired army, add banners representing Henry V and prominent English noble contingents.

Wargames Atlantic Azincourt French Army: What's Included?

The Azincourt French Army box represents the powerful French force assembled to stop Henry V's march toward Calais.

It contains large numbers of armoured men-at-arms, mounted knights and supporting crossbowmen.

French Army Box Contents

The French box contains 705 fighting figures, excluding casualties.

It provides an impressive foundation for a French army and is particularly attractive for collectors who enjoy painting knights, banners and medieval heraldry.

Shop the Wargames Atlantic Azincourt French Army at TistaMinis.

French Knights and Men-at-Arms: The Power of Medieval Chivalry

The French army at Agincourt included many experienced nobles and professional men-at-arms.

These soldiers represented the military elite of medieval France, often equipped with expensive armour and supported by household retainers.

Their battlefield role emphasized close combat, whether fighting on horseback or on foot.

Although popular accounts sometimes describe the French as relying entirely on reckless cavalry charges, the actual army was more complex.

Many French men-at-arms fought dismounted, while mounted troops attempted to attack the English archers.

Wargames Atlantic reflects this distinction by including both foot and mounted knights.

Modelling Tip: Create Distinct Noble Retinues

One of the best ways to make a French army visually interesting is to organize it into noble contingents.

Paint small groups of knights using related heraldic colours and banners.

For example:

• Blue and gold for a royal-themed contingent.
• Red and white for another noble household.
• Black and silver for a contrasting group.
• Individual heraldic shields for prominent knights.

These are suggested colour combinations rather than verified historical heraldry. For specific noble families, consult a heraldic reference before painting their coats of arms.

Even at 10mm scale, a few brightly coloured banners can make an entire formation stand out.

Genoese Crossbowmen: A Different Type of Missile Troop

The French army box includes 246 Genoese crossbowmen.

Genoese mercenary crossbowmen were important participants in several campaigns of the Hundred Years' War, and their inclusion provides a useful way to represent French supporting missile troops.

However, historians differ over the precise presence and role of Genoese crossbowmen at Agincourt itself. The kit should therefore also be viewed as a flexible resource for broader Hundred Years' War scenarios.

Unlike longbows, crossbows used a mechanical system to hold the bowstring under tension before firing.

Crossbows could deliver powerful shots, but their loading process and battlefield employment differed from those of the English longbow.

Modelling Tip: Separate Crossbowmen from Knights

To make your French army visually readable, paint crossbowmen in simpler clothing colours and place them in looser formations than the heavily armoured men-at-arms.

Earthy browns, muted reds, blues and greens work well for medieval civilian-style clothing.

Use the same basing colours as the rest of the army to maintain a consistent appearance.

English vs French Army Boxes: Which Should You Buy?

Both boxes offer substantial value for collectors because each contains more than 700 miniatures.

The English army is particularly appealing for recreating the defensive line at Agincourt.

The French army offers more visual variety through its combination of foot knights, mounted cavalry and crossbowmen.

For a complete historical project, purchasing one of each provides enough figures to create a dramatic two-army battlefield, although the exact historical army ratios will depend on the scenario and chosen rules.

How to Base 10mm Agincourt Miniatures

Both Wargames Atlantic army boxes include 40mm x 20mm hard-plastic bases.

These are convenient for representing units in mass-battle games, but they also provide flexibility for other rule systems.

Before gluing your miniatures to their bases, decide which game you intend to play.

Some rules use fixed base sizes, while others allow flexible basing provided both players use consistent conventions.

Recommended Basing Approaches

Unit	Suggested Appearance
English Longbowmen	Moderately spaced figures with defensive stakes
English Men-at-Arms	Compact defensive formations
French Foot Knights	Dense ranks of armoured soldiers
French Mounted Knights	Organized cavalry formations
Genoese Crossbowmen	Looser supporting missile formations

For a display-oriented Agincourt project, slightly varying the spacing of figures can create a more natural appearance.

For competitive or rules-focused gaming, prioritize the required base dimensions and unit frontage.

Modelling Tip: Recreate the Mud of Agincourt

The muddy battlefield is one of the most recognizable aspects of Agincourt.

Creating realistic mud at 10mm scale is relatively simple and can dramatically improve the appearance of the army.

Step-by-Step Muddy Basing

1. Apply a thin layer of fine texture paste or suitable basing material.
2. Paint the base with a dark brown foundation colour.
3. Drybrush raised areas using a lighter earth tone.
4. Add small patches of muted grass or static grass.
5. Use gloss effects selectively to represent wet mud.
6. Finish the base edges in a consistent neutral colour.

Avoid using oversized stones or very coarse texture, which can look unnatural beside 10mm figures.

Fine-grained materials create a more convincing miniature landscape.

Modelling Tip: Painting Medieval Heraldry at 10mm

Heraldry is one of the most enjoyable parts of painting medieval armies.

However, detailed coats of arms can be challenging at 10mm scale.

The solution is to simplify complex designs while retaining recognizable colours and shapes.

Simple Heraldry Techniques

• Use strong colour contrast between the shield and its main symbol.
• Paint simple divisions such as halves, quarters and diagonal bands.
• Use banners to identify important commanders.
• Reserve intricate symbols for a small number of prominent figures.
• Keep most ordinary soldiers in simpler clothing and equipment colours.

At this scale, a clear red-and-white shield can be more effective than an extremely detailed design that becomes difficult to see from across the tabletop.

Modelling Tip: Painting Hundreds of Figures Efficiently

With more than 700 miniatures in each box, efficient painting techniques are essential.

Fortunately, 10mm miniatures are particularly well suited to batch painting.

Recommended Painting Workflow

1. Organize the army: separate longbowmen, knights, crossbowmen and cavalry.
2. Prime in batches: use black, brown or metallic primer depending on the troop type.
3. Paint dominant colours first: complete armour, cloth and skin tones across several units.
4. Apply washes: emphasize sculpted details without painting every tiny recess individually.
5. Highlight selectively: focus on helmets, weapons, shields and banners.
6. Base consistently: use matching ground colours across the entire army.

Painting 20–40 figures at a time can make the project feel much more manageable.

Building an Agincourt Battlefield

Recreating Agincourt requires more than placing two armies on an empty table.

The terrain played a major role in determining the outcome of the battle.

A convincing battlefield should include:

• Two areas of woodland restricting the battlefield width.
• Open agricultural fields between the opposing armies.
• Muddy ground and ploughed fields.
• English defensive stakes.
• Scattered casualties and abandoned equipment.
• Low hills and subtle changes in elevation.

Large medieval castles are not necessary for an Agincourt scenario because the battle occurred in open countryside.

A few distant rural buildings can provide atmosphere without dominating the battlefield.

Historical Scenario: Recreate the Battle of Agincourt

For a simple historical scenario, deploy the English army in a defensive position between two wooded areas.

Place English men-at-arms near the centre, with longbowmen supporting the formation from the flanks.

Use defensive stakes to represent prepared positions protecting the archers.

The French army begins opposite the English, with substantial formations of foot men-at-arms supported by mounted troops and missile units.

Suggested Scenario Objectives

• English objective: maintain the defensive line and prevent a breakthrough.
• French objective: break the English centre or destroy enough formations to force a retreat.
• Terrain rule: muddy ground reduces movement or creates fatigue penalties, depending on the ruleset.
• Woodland: restricts movement and limits the ability of large formations to manoeuvre.

These are suggested scenario adaptations rather than official Wargames Atlantic rules.

They can be adjusted for whichever historical wargaming system your group prefers.

What Games Can You Play with the Azincourt Miniatures?

The Wargames Atlantic Azincourt sets are miniature collections rather than a complete boxed game with a dedicated rulebook.

Players can use them with a variety of medieval and mass-battle wargaming systems.

Possible options include:

• Hail Caesar: suitable for large historical battles with appropriate medieval army lists or adaptations.
• To the Strongest!: a grid-based mass-battle system that can accommodate medieval armies.
• Impetus: suitable for larger historical formations.
• Warmaster-style adaptations: useful for players who enjoy 10mm mass-battle mechanics.
• Custom historical scenarios: particularly useful for recreating Agincourt with agreed unit profiles and terrain rules.

Not every system uses the same base dimensions or army organization, so check the rules before assembling your formations.

Can These Kits Be Used for Other Medieval Battles?

Yes. Although designed around Agincourt, many of the miniatures can represent soldiers from other campaigns during the Hundred Years' War.

The English longbowmen and men-at-arms can be used in other late medieval English armies.

The French knights and crossbowmen provide similarly useful troops for broader medieval scenarios.

However, armour styles, clothing and military organization changed throughout the period.

For battles significantly earlier or later than 1415, historical purists may want to research whether the models' equipment is appropriate.

The range can also provide a foundation for fantasy armies, particularly for games that use 10mm medieval-style miniatures.

Are the Wargames Atlantic Azincourt Kits Worth Buying?

For historical wargamers interested in large medieval battles, the Azincourt range offers several advantages.

First, both boxes contain more than 700 figures, providing an impressive army in a single purchase.

Second, the 10mm scale makes it possible to recreate large formations without requiring an enormous gaming table.

Third, the hard-plastic material provides detailed sculpts suitable for batch painting and long-term collecting.

Finally, the variety of troop types makes the range useful for more than one historical scenario.

The main consideration is the scale. Players who prefer individually based 28mm miniatures may find the smaller figures less suitable for their preferred games.

However, for collectors who enjoy the spectacle of large formations, the Grand Battle Scale range is particularly appealing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts: Recreating One of Medieval History's Greatest Battles

The Battle of Agincourt remains one of the most fascinating military engagements of the Middle Ages.

Its combination of political ambition, difficult terrain, disciplined archers and heavily armoured soldiers provides an exceptional subject for historical miniature wargaming.

Wargames Atlantic's new Grand Battle Scale Azincourt range makes it possible to recreate the conflict with hundreds of miniatures, giving collectors the visual impact of a large medieval army without requiring the space associated with 28mm figures.

The English Army offers a distinctive force built around longbowmen and dismounted men-at-arms, while the French Army provides impressive formations of knights, cavalry and crossbowmen.

For painters, the range offers opportunities to explore heraldry, weathered armour, medieval clothing and realistic muddy basing.

For wargamers, the kits provide a flexible foundation for Agincourt, other Hundred Years' War battles and broader medieval scenarios.

Whether you're recreating Henry V's famous victory or attempting to rewrite history with a successful French assault, these miniature armies offer an impressive way to bring 1415 to the tabletop.

Explore the English Army and French Army at TistaMinis and begin your own Hundred Years' War project.