The Swiss, 15mm DBA

Twenty eight years ago Liz and I went on honeymoon to Murren in the Berner Oberland. One day we went on a steamer trip to Thun where we visited the castle, therein was a lovely display featuring medieval Swiss armies (there was also a floor dedicated to Swiss methods of punishing unruly women, but that's another story).  I was also struck by the large number of colourful flags flying all around the region. Swiss national flags, but also lots of Berner Oberlander flags, and flags of each town and village. I was in a bit of a DBA phase at the time so when I got home I wrote to Essex and got myself a 15mm DBA Swiss army. Then we moved house, the unpainted army went into a box and stayed there for nearly 28 years....

Fast forward to 2018 and I'm clearing out stuff to sell at the Lincombe Barn tabletop sale, and I find an old bag full of 15mm figures. They go into the box of odds and ends to sell, but then as I'm at the show I think back to the happy summer days in the mountains, and before long the bag of figures is off the table.....

It still took 2 months to get them on to the painting table, but last week the Swiss finally made it out of the bag and onto the worktop. And here they are, kitted out in the red and yellow of the Berner Oberland, with contingents of pikemen from Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen and Murren (if the army ever expands then Grindelwald and Wengen will get contingents too, but thats for later).

I'm quite pleased with how they have turned out, especially as this is the first DBA army I've painted for ages. Of course between getting them and now DBA 3 has arrived and the army lists are completely different, but I'm not fussed and my Swiss will take to the table with what they've got for now.

Figures are mainly Essex, with a few old TTG and Minifigs (which similarly have sat in a box for nearly 30 years).

Something I'd like to add would be a vignette with a dancing bear and handler (these are the Swss, after all). I know there are suitable figures in 25/28mm but I've not seen anything suitable in 15mm. Anyone got any ideas?

I alsofound this rather nice bombard in a siege emplacement, with some rather nice crew, which I thought I'd paint up as well. Not sure which company makes them - I also have a trebuchet from the same company. Again - any clues?