15mm Museum Z-range hoplites

[madaxeman]

With most of the world in lockdown, everyone's minds turn away from gaming and towards... painting and mail order!

For these chaps the mail order bit had been done during January in the Museum sale, making these figures pretty much the cheapest metal (or plastic - yes, I did the maths!) on the market right now, which is remarkable given they are the new digitally sculpted Museum Hoplites from their new "Z" range.



The Museum figures can be bought with LBMS shield transfers - which you can only buy from Museum themselves. There are only 3 basic poses, but you can get (I think) 4 different states of undress for the men as well, which means there is more variety apparent from the back than the front.



Museum also do a range of helmet crests - all of the helmets are the same across the figures (at the moment..) but you do hardly notice that - at least with my painting. I have given some of the shields a coloured edge to add a little bit more variety to the figures - once they are finished I might do a few more with bands of alternating light and dark for more interest too.



The figures - and especially their shields - as pretty big, probably at the 16-17mm end of the scale without quite reaching "giant Xyston ranges" levels. That allows a 40x30 base to be pretty well filled with 7 figures (4+3), so I eked out 5 bases-worth from 4 packs, adding in this ex-Warmodelling brand mounted officer picked up at the PAW show in January to one of the bases to represent a unit with an embedded general.

A load more pictures on my blog at: https://madaxemandotcom.blogspot.com/2020/03/museum-hoplites-part-ii.html

[rumacara]

Very nice.

[Shahbahraz]

Nice work, the new Z range are certainly nice looking figures. If only I didn't have about 5 armies awaiting paint, and no opportunity to play. Even before the lockdown, I'm in a 15mm ancients desert.

[OB]

I rather fancied getting some of their Indians but was unsure how they would scale with what I've got.  Are you going to do your usual comparison pics?

[madaxeman]

Thats some next to Essex and Chariot

[madaxeman]

Xyston

[OB]

That's smashing thank you very much.

[rumacara]

Great stuff.
Trying myself to paint some xyston hoplites.

[mc_deli]

I rather fancied getting some of their Indians but was unsure how they would scale with what I've got.  Are you going to do your usual comparison pics?

I got a load of Museum Z indians and Xyston indians recently, including chariots, elephants, Xyston's Porus etc. The Xyston are a shade bigger but I would happily mix the bowmen. It's not enough to notice with different poses and the look is quite similar. Elephants are the same size. The Xyston Porus character is a little large but that's "personality" - it's also a brilliant sculpt.

On the downside the Xystons have needed more prep and the Museum Z Greek peltasts (BAS02) - at least the ones I got  - are poor casts lacking detail and to be avoided. I got something from every Z Indian except the cataphracts and they've all been fine.

[D. Brownie]

Just arrived Museum hoplites so I'm going to post some comparisons.
General considerations: good quality in details even if not so vivid as in xyston, very hard metal alloy, spears and shields integrated, only a little bit smaller than xyston.
So, even considering the price, I'm more than satisfied.
here commanders. From left 2 xyston, 2 dwarfy hellenistic officers by Essex and the 5 from Museum.

Then musicians: the same 2 xyston commanders, 1 Essex, the 3 from Museum.

[D. Brownie]

Here peltasts from 2 packs (8 different minis - 4 with pelta, 4 with round shield).
Quite smaller than xyston peltasts (the 2 at the right and left). Some little face details are lost, but not a big problem when painted.

Then archers: xyston, 4 kinds of Museum with no shield and Magister Militum.


Then slingers: xyston, 4 kinds of Museum with no shield and Magister Militum.


Then camp followers and a Xyston commander.

[D. Brownie]

In the end hoplites. There are many types with different Armour and helmet, all in 3 positions (standing, attacking and kneeling).

From left: xyston commander, “300 style spartan", body cuirass transverse crest, body armour normal crest, skirt and high crest, linen cuirass, other 2 poses of body armour and 2 Magister Militum hoplites.

[DivisMal]

Thank you for these very useful comparisons!

[mc_deli]

Brilliant photos, very useful, thanks

[wmyers]

As someone who is only starting to explore 15mm (okay, getting into the scale - like I need another but I’m starting to see the great advantages of the scale!), what is the measurement to the eyes? 

I know it’s SUPPOSED to be 15mm but they are clearly all different sizes ...