Marians Romans ready to go

Marian Romans ready for a campaign in the east.

I’m very pleased to get a Marian Roman army finished in under a week. It was one that I bought painted in the middle of this year. However, I had to rebase it and reorganize the foot, as there were too many command figures for my liking. I suspect it was the start of an army for a larger set of rules that didn’t get finished and was turned into a fairly rough and ready DBA army. I had to get some more figures for it and some standards. I decided to use some Gladiator Hellenistics for the auxiliary troops. When I first got these I was really unimpressed with the mounted figures, but on closer inspection and after painting them, I really like them, and I think they go with the Freikorp figures very well. In fact, I want to get some of their unshielded Hellenistic cavalry for my Early Successor armies.

The foot commander flanked by two of his centurions.

To finish off the legionaries, I had to paint four more figures. Only one of these was a legionary, the others were a commander and two centurions. I was able to space out the excess command figures by using two musicians on the command element and then having a standard bearer on three of the other elements. There were also four centurions spread amongst the legions, so only one element didn’t have a command figure of some sort!

From the rear.

The legionaries have two shield patterns. I only had to paint two more to bring the army up to the right number.

The four elements of the first pattern. Spot the two shields I painted!

The other four elements.

The auxiliaries are all recruited from the same area. The foot are Hellenistic slingers, archers and thureophoroi. They seem appropriate for an army off to face Mithridates!

The auxilary foot, slingers, archers and thureophoroi.

The mounted are Illyrians and Macedonians; the command element are more Roman looking; and I think that general is the personality figure Julius Caesar. I guess he can have a go at my Gauls some time!

Mounted options, Illyrians, command and Macedonians.

I painted the shield designs by hand to match the rest of the army; they’re fairly rough, but look OK from a distance. I particularly like the Illyrian shields, as they are salvaged from other figures; one is an Essex hoplon, the other was a Gallic shield, I think, but I cut it down.

Another angle.

I used a variant on the wreath pattern of the legionary shields for the command element. I figured attempts to tidy them would only make them worse, so they were done fairly fast.

From the rear.

I’m quite pleased with colours for the cloaks, though I’m not sure how accurately the correction for contrast by Picasa renders them.

There is also an Army Page for this army now.

I almost forgot! I did a camp for this army! It’s a OG15 tent; once I hacksawed off the base it’s rather good.

Roman camp with space for a garrison. No evidence of guards or a palisade!

The figures and equipment are OG15s, while the mule is Essex. This has got me started on doing a few more camps (leaving three elements of Imitation Legionaries and six of pike waiting longer!).

From the rear.

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