The Old Norse word is skjaldborg — shield fort, not shield wall — and the difference is worth having. What the sources describe is men closing up with their shields outward and probably interlocked, spears thrust out through the gaps: a thing built rather than a line drawn. The round shield suited the job. That iron boss at the centre was not merely a cover for the hand but a weapon in itself, used to punch an opponent or shove him off balance, so the front rank could hit back without opening up. The difficulty such a formation presents is simple and unpleasant. You cannot easily get through it from the front. What you can do is go over it — which is precisely what William ordered at Hastings, telling his archers to shoot high so the arrows came down on the heads of the men crouched behind their shields. A shield fort is proof against the enemy you can see.

Which is why this figure is down on one knee with the shield brought right up and his head tucked in behind it — look at him from the front and there is almost nothing showing but board and boss. Note the device, too: a plain cross is among the commonest designs on shields recovered from the period, so this one is closer to the finds than most painted shields you will see. He is the anchor of any line you build — put "Edgard" at his shoulder and "Algar" beside him with the spears out, then set "Osfirth" away to one side so the arrows have somewhere to come from. And for the man who was on the other end of it, King & Country's The Fighting Bishop is Odo of Bayeux, who rode at Hastings against exactly this.

Model: 62124 / W. Britain / 1/30 scale / matte finish / 1 piece set