Pressing on with the auxilia

I think I have fallen out of love with my Warlord Games’ Early Imperial Romans … looking longingly at the Victrix offerings, while really enjoying the experience of painting the latter’s Numidian infantry.

While I sort myself out over this I have decided to finish all the auxilia figures that I have. These comprise a centuria of Warlord Games auxiliary infantry, a centuria of Victrix auxiliary Numidian infantry, and a turma of 1st Corps auxiliary cavalry.

The standard of Victrix’s sculpting is excellent, with fabric folds cut in well and reasonably well undercut. The crisp mouldings make the figures pretty easy to paint.

I want to have the infantry finished and the cavalry started by New Year.

Work in progress: Auxiliary infantry and auxiliary Numidian infantry about half way to being finished.

Cohors I Numidarum: composition

I have been making slow progress with the auxilia, while being distracted by recent Victrix EIR releases … and seduced by their forthcoming African war elephant.

I am considering making my Numidian cohors an historically quirky combination of dromedarri, equestrians, skirmishers on foot, and … well … an elephant.

I think I need to have a look at the Victrix EIR legionaries. If the size of the Numidian’s is anything to go by the forthcoming cavalry should be a reasonable match. So I imagine ordering these, a box of legionaries, and the elephant when they are all available.
 

Work in progress: This is how I plan to base the Numidian infantry.

Work in progress: Primed and spoiling for a fight …

Work in progress: In an effort to address my low productivity, I bought some more nails …

Auxilia infantry and minor surgery

Spurred on by my uncharacteristically rapid progress with the Numidian cavalry, I decided to make the most of my mood and move on straight away to the second centuria of auxiliary infantry.

I want these to be a bit different to the earlier centuria, with the front rank armed with the gladius and the rear rank armed with javelins.

I substituted Gripping Beast’s metal gladius for the javalin as required, and removed the hilt and pommel where moulded to the figures.

Work in progress: Gripping Beast gladius replaces Warlord Games’ javelin.

Work in progress: The metal Centurio had his rather thin looking javelin (by comparison) replaced with a plastic one.

Cohors I Numidarum

I have decided! My latest auxilia are Numidian.

A very quick internet search revealed discussion of a fragment of a third century Roman document from Egypt (Cohors I Numidarum and a Roman military document from Egypt). It is suggested that around 88AD Cohort I Numidarum Equitata was stationed in Syria. The third century unit discussed in the document included dromedarii. I don’t think it’s implausible that dromedarii were attached to the unit at the earlier date.

It seems likely (due to the low number of centurions) that the unit was a cohors quingenaria. Therefore I might organise these spirited equestrians with my dromedarii, and add a couple of centuries of Numidian infantry.

Equites Numidarum.

Numidians or Moors?

A couple of coats of Testors Dullcote and the figures were ready to fix to their bases.

I’m quite pleased with the way these fellows have turned out and I am looking forward to finishing the bases.

I thought to photograph them properly alongside a 1st Corps turma of Roman auxiliary cavalry. I like the difference in poses, and overall I think they look fine.

Now I have to decide whether these chaps are actually Numidians or Moors … Equites Numidarum or Equites Maurorum. There’s a fascinating article discussing their ethnicity here.

I’m thinking Moors …
 

Work in progress: auxilia turma …

Work in progress: Numidians or Moors?

Work in progress: auxilia turmae … Victrix and 1st Corps for comparison.

A pleasant surprise …

I spent a bit of time on my new auxiliary cavalry over the bank holiday weekend.

I have applied the Little Big Men transfers to the shields and shaded the assembled figures and horses. I thought to have another look at the size of the figures, and was pleasantly surprised (and relieved, if I’m honest) to discover that the Victrix figures are visually compatible with my 1st Corps figures.

The shields caught me out: I completely failed to notice that they are three different sizes … must be my age. Anyhow, the results are quite acceptable, but I will bear this in mind when it comes to preparing the infantry.
 

Work in progress: a couple of figures from my 1st Corps Roman auxilia turma and a Victrix Numidian.

Work in progress: ready for touching-up (once the chap on the left has had some missing shading added).

Work in progress: the shields look the part.

Progress worthy of the subject

I have to observe that I haven’t enjoyed painting horses this much before. A combination of lovely, spirited mouldings, and varied coats for the animals, has proven involving.

I did a bit of research about pinto markings, including a fruitful enquiry over at The Miniatures Page (here).The tricky part was finding references for both sides of the animal.

As I mentioned below, I base coated the riders’ skin with matt ochre, hoping that it would give the right tone when washed with flesh. I’m pleased with the appearance so far; shading with The Army Painter strong tone ink, followed by a couple of coats of Duillcote laquer should finish them off nicely.
 

Work in progress: Victrix Numidian cavalry mounts.

Work in progress: Victrix Numidian cavalry riders.

Work in progress: Liquitex gesso primed shields.

Size comparison

I have been thinking about preparing some size comparisons for a while, especially since I have often found them useful.

Here’s the first, a quickie in respnse to a comment on one of my earlier posts: a comparison of 1st Corps Early Imperial Roman auxiliary cavalry with Victrix Numidian cavalry. The 1st Corps figure is actually quite small.

Sizing up, left-to-right: 1st Corps and Victrix horses; 1st Corps and Victrix riders.

Just what I needed!

The Numidian cavalry really do seem to have galvanised me – I haven’t felt this enthusiastic for my project for quite some time.

Here’s the progress so far for this ten miniature turma. I have given the figures a matt ochre base in an attemt to give them a Mediterranean skin tone. The white horses will be finished as black, grey and bay pintos.

Work in progress: pintos next …

Victrix Numidians … and a conundrum

I thought to finish a couple of my new Victrix Numidian cavalry figures, but once I had primed them and blocked-in the main colours I had an urge to keep going.

So I assembled the remaining eight figures for the turma.

These are lovely sculpts: excellent detail and athletic poses; the additional left hands carrying individual and pairs of javalins require minor surgery to add but are worth the effort. I ran out of these, but a quick survey of the Numidian infantry sprue confirmed that some of the parts are common; these also yielded an unbearded head with a helmet for the decurio.

I am looking forward to working on these spirited figures.

I have been looking longingly at Victrix’s recent releases of Early Imperial Romans … they are lovely sculpts too, with lots of detail and imaginitive but realistic poses. The command figures look great. These figures appear to be taller than Warlord Games’ Roman legionary figures, but about the same height as the latter’s auxiliaries; the Numidian infantry I have scale in much the same way. I am considering buying the advancing legionaries and finishing them as Praetorians … then I can make an assessment of size.

At this stage I am considering replacing my Warlord Romans with Victrix figures … that’s four centuriae, just under a hundred figures, so I have decided to shelve the veterans for the moment and finish everything else I have. On the bench or in boxes and bags I have Victrix Numidian cavalry (10 figures) and infantry (24 figures), Warlord Games auxiliary infantry (24 figures), and a turma of 1st Corps cavalry (10 figures). The Roman travelling coach (carpentum) will become a camp vignette, parked with a Praetorian guarding it. Then I shall have another think about the Victrix offering.

Victrix’s first vexillum transfer set looks promising too … if the next one includes Legio VI Ferrata that would solve my various vexilum and signum needs.

Work in progress: Victrix’s rather lovely Numidian cavalry.

Impetus …

It’s been a long time since I made any progress with this project, but the release of the Victrix Numidian infantry and cavalry have given me reasons to get back into the groove.

The sculpts are very fine – finer than my Warlord Games’ figures. These chaps are very athletic though, so the contrast in physique is acceptable.

The Roman travelling coach is now primed and the veteran Roman century that I began late in 2014 is half done.

I hope to have my Roman army finished by the end of this year.

Work in progress: Victrix Numidian infantry.

Work in progress: Victrix Numidian cavalry.

Work in progress: enough shield transfers for the infantry and cavalry.

Hiatus …

After a long period where life just seemed to take over, I am ready to overcome months of inertia.

Spurred on by the coincidence of reading Mary Beard’s SPQR: a History of Ancient Rome, watching her BBC Two series Ultimate Rome: Empire without limits, and a visit to the British Museum, a vignette seemed to be the ideal project to get my juices flowing again. An incentive from Warlord Games prompted me to buy their Roman travelling coach, or carpentum.

I would unreservedly recommend Beard’s book. It’s beautifully written and very accessible without dumbing down.

In the blister: Warlord Games’ Roman traveling coach … my next vignette.

The veterans take shape

Finally, I have made some progress with my veteran centuria.

All the figures have greaves, manicae with the addition of mail hand armour, and focalia. I have furnished the variously reinforced helmets from Warlord Games’ veteran set with crests from their Praetorian set. They have a pretty imposing look and I am really looking forward to painting these fellows … just need to wait on the gesso.

Work in progress: All the veterans sport focalia and mail hand armour to augment their manicae. I added manica to the metal optio. All fashioned from ProCreate.

The first of the veterans …

I have decided to model a veteran century. The addition of helmet crests from the Warlord Games’ Praetorian Guard sprues and some ProCreate detailing will give this unit an individual appearance.

I have enough of Warlord’s metal attic helmets to give the Praetorians a different appearance too … but this is a project for another day.

Work in progress: Focale and mail hand armour fashioned from ProCreate. 

The lonely Praetorian …

I had a couple of hours over the last day or so to finish Titus Antonius Secundus’s centuria, my fourth to-date.

I am quite pleased with how they turned out – the overall impression to the naked eye always surprises me … but that’s how it is when one lives with one’s ‘mind’s eye’ hopes and the reality of the miniature under magnification.

So … an empty ‘bench’ … what next? As mentioned I have the camels to add to the baggage train, and I want to begin enhancing Warlord Games’ Praetorian Guardsmen … these will take a while, so might be a good project to have on the go while painting something else … maybe my last turma of cavalry. (Note to self: never say ‘last’.)

Titus Antonius Secundus’s centuria. Not too shabby..

Work in progress: Who or what shall join the loan Praetorian?.

Waiting for the PVA to dry …

… then I shall dry brush the base and add the tufts. Annoyingly, I managed to get some Sandy Paste onto some of the figures. If caught while wet it brushes off using a wet brush. Once dry it’s a careful procedure using a new cocktail stick, taking care not to damage the varnish beneath.

I am wondering which unit to do next. I think I may paint another turma of cavalry, while beginning to prepare the Praetorians. These will need a bit of sculpting to add focalia and some cloaks. I have a couple of camels to convert for the baggage train too.

Work in progress: I am quite pleased with how these fellows turned out. Just the finishing touches to add.

Kneeling legionaries and a watchtower

I have made a bit of progress with the next centuria, and resurrected a project I started a couple of years ago.

I hope to have the centuria finished by the end of the Easter weekend … but wait to see, as I have a tonne of other (domestic) things to do too.

Work in progress: The front rank. I have based these figures first since applying the Sandy Paste is going to be tricky.

Work in progress: The rear rank waits patiently.

Work in progress: The beginnings of a little watch tower. This will be a scenic piece, perhaps with a signalling beacon.

Box files

I store my figures in box files. Lined with magnetic sheet, they have shown to provide an immovable platform for an army in repose.

The foolscap box files contain most of the units. Only the dromedarii need an aircraft hanger-proportioned box. They may be joined by cataphracts in future though …

Turranius Priscus and kneeling legionaries

I have finished a couple of command pieces and made some progress with the next centuria.

In the midst of a busy April I hope to have the centuria finished by month’s end. Also, I really must start to make some much better photographs. I don’t mind the immediacy of the mobile camera images for the work in progress shots, but I think I need to make a better effort for the record of finished items.

Legio VI Ferrata vexellation commander Turranius Priscus (Wargames Foundry), and a Tribune (Warlord Games).

Auxiliary cavalry commander Tiberius Claudius Maximus’ vexillarius (1st Corps).

Work in progress: The front rank of my next centuria is finished. These Warlord Games’ castings were disappointing … I think the plastic kneeling figures in the scorpion battery boxed set are superior. Nevertheless, the overall impression is pretty good. The Warlord Games’ Primus Pilus figure (on the left) is a fabulous piece though.

A commander at last …

The next six weeks promise to be very busy, work-wise, so I am trying to make some progress with my miniatures. I am on a mission to clear my polystyrene work bench before beginning my next units. This will be good for my soul …

The kneeling legionaries will form the front rank for my next centuria … I have blocked in the main colours for all 24 figures, but decided to finish the first 12 … I have just glued the scuta on. The castings were a bit disappointing, but the worst is now hidden behind said scuta. The overall impression will be fine, I think.

As I mentioned in my last post, I discovered that Turranius Priscus, a prefects castorum (Camp Prefect), commanded a vexellation of Legio VI Ferrata during the siege of Jerusalem. He is now based with a mounted tribune.

Work in progress: Warlord Games’ kneeling legionaries with their primus pilus on the left – a spirited little chap soon to be named Titus Antonius Secundus.

Work in progress: Hail Turranius Priscus … the fellow on the right.