Accuracy of Dark Age Miniatures (15mm)

[Eques]

I am currently looking into painting up some miniatures from the early dark ages (400 -700 AD) and have noticed that a lot of the figures have noseguards on their helmets.

Does anyone know if that is accurate? I always associated noseguards with the Battle of Hastings era!

More generally, if having accurate miniatures matters to you, what differentiation is there between different eras of the Dark Ages? For example can you use 5th Century Saxon nobles as AngloDanish HusCarls or were there in reality noteable differences between the two?

Thanks

[Delbruck]

8th centory Anglo-Saxon helmet.

Helmets with noseguards were used by the Late Romans, and throughout the dark ages. I can't say how popular they were though. They certainly weren't universal in Europe. Perhaps they were more popular in certain regions. For example, it doesn't appear that the Carolingian helmets usually had nose guards. By the end of the dark ages the helmets became more conical, kite shields became popular, and mail shirts appear to have gotten longer (at least for the richer warriors).

In 15mm most people have no problem using proxy figures, but an 11th century Saxon Huscarl is quite different than a 6th century Saxon noble. Unarmored lower class warriors might have more in common.

For example, I am thinking of using these Baueda spearmen as universal dark age unarmored warriors:

[Eques]

Thanks, useful.

Some of the Essex early Saxon Nobles look distinctly huscarlish - one of them would do very well as King Harold I thought - but good point about armour length. Any other big differences?