Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of Myths, Gods and Empires => Topic started by: Mad Doc Morris on 18 January 2012, 09:41:05 PM
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Kind of a follow up to last year's centurion series I've painted and reviewed two models for the Middle Imperial Romans.
First is one of Aventine's recently released 160 to 190 AD legionaries:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y178/Poliorketes/Tabletop/DSCF0831.jpg)
Closely followed by a comrade of A&A Miniatures from the slightly later period of about 200 to 280 AD:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y178/Poliorketes/Tabletop/DSCF0826.jpg)
See the full review and story on my blog (http://lead-mountain.blogspot.com/2012/01/middle-imperial-romans-review.html). Of course, questions, comments & critique are welcome here as well. Thanks for watching anyway. :)
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You have made an excellent job of those. Really gritty looking individuals, just as you would imagine them to be.
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Fabulous paintwork on both of those Doc :)
There's something not quite right about the anatomy on the first one though :?
I like the second figure much better.
But as i say, wonderful, atmospheric painting. And the shields are superb.
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Yes, the arm is quite out of proportion and odd on the first figure, unless it's some trick of foreshortening in the photography.
But the painting is absolutely superb.
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Those are crazy good. LOVE the first one. :-* :-* :-*
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:-* :o
Cracking paintjob! Very inspiring. I am just about to get 15mm romans and this motivated me even more to paint them :) (though... not that high standard :) )
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Lovely mucky look to them.
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Splendid paint job, congrats !
And I second what you say in your blog, those are indeed some of the best minis I've seen of that period.
Cheers,
A.
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Cracking paint work :-*
There's something not quite right about the anatomy on the first one though :?
I like the second figure much better.
I'll agree, is it the pilum arm that's not quite right?
cheers
James
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I'll agree, is it the pilum arm that's not quite right?
James
Yes, I think it is too long, and attached to the body below where the shoulder should be. A shame that the figure doesn't live up to the lovely paintwork.
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Gorgeous paintjob you got there, too bad about that arm.
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Many, many thanks for your comments! :)
Regarding the arm pose: It's maybe a combination of distressing factors that makes it look awkward. First, it's the photos angle which distorts the proportions a bit. Second, the model's neck is too long (a problem already conceded by Aventine-Keith). This adds to the impression that the joint of arm and shoulder is wrong. Third, this particular figure has an exaggerated paw, the more when you compare it to its slim arms.
You may also rest assured that miniatures from the same range but other packs look better. I used this pose here, because it was the only one matching my A&A figures. A bit unfortunate since other than that it's a very fine range of the highest quality. And, not the least, being something different it deserves support. :)
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I wish figure sculptors would look more carefully at actual humans in throwing poses. This would help prevent obvious lapses in anatomical correctness. See for example this Texas re-enactment group's photo:
(http://www.legionten.org/PhotoPages/ACFandRenFest/smallWoman1Jav.jpg)
Clearly her neck is too long, her hands are very awkwardly modeled, and she has odd protuberances on her chest that would be very difficult to find in contemporary representations of Roman legionaries.
I think Adam has done a great job on both ranges, but I really like the new Aventine sculpts.
Allen
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Cracking paint Doc,fantastic :-* :-* :-*
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Very nice paint jobs.
The weathering looks great but you also have some very nice details on them.
:-*
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Lovely painting, Aventine are lovely figures and the A&A look mighty good too. Are A&A still going and has anyone a link to them?
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Lovely painting, Aventine are lovely figures and the A&A look mighty good too. Are A&A still going and has anyone a link to them?
http://www.aandaminiatures.co.uk/
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Thanks Prof, some nice ranges there.
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Interesting to see, how people discuss the subject arm lenght.
May be we should also discuss about legs, feets, arms and anatomy correct figures, to all the other avaible ranges?
Perrys foundry range..... 25 mm, to bulky, to big heads, not anotomy correct
Salesh foundry romans.... 28 mm, to few variants, incomplete, anatomy ok
Newline design romans ..... 26 mm, not the best sculpts, few variants, helmets to big
Andrea miniatures 30mm romans: the best anatomy, few variants, to slim for tabletop figures
A&A romans.... for the time some years ago, good sculpts, to bulky, not correct anatomy
Warlord romans....25 mm, to big heads, arms as big as legs, not correct anatomy
Old glory:....26 mm, not the best sculpts, not the best poses, cheap...
Gripping beast:..... 26 mm, big heads, not correct anatomy
Crusader miniatures:..27mm good sculpts, but really few variants....
and so one.
I like the old style tabletop miniatures, with bigger hands, bigger heads and well fed anatomy very much.
They much easier to paint, look in my opinion much better on the tabletop and so one.
For me, the aventine RR and the EIR are the best in 28 mm.
Adams sculpt are a good mix in style from copplestone, front rank and calpe miniatures styles.
Adam uniform research is first class and the details of the sculpting is great.
Personally I like the walking/ advancing poses of the praetorians more, than the agressive attacking poses, but Adam told me, that for the normal legionaries there will be also standing and advancing poses.
When the range will be complete, you will see also mail and scale clad legionaries, artillery and cavalry, legion and auxiliary.
Like with the republic romans, also the imperial romans would be the most complete range in the market.
Like the Perry foundry early imperial 25 mm range.
I know opinions are much different, but like I say it before, also the perrys style are anatomy more correct, I would always prefer front rank or calpe style figures.
Regards
VonMoltke
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Nice painting.
This might seem a button-counting question, but never the less:
I like the look of the off-white tunic, I even used it on my own polybians, but does anyone here know of any real evidence to the colours used for legionaire tunics at all, except from a few pieces of fabric from a limited area/timespan?
I have seen some sources claim that the tunic was always red/dark red/brownish red, while a lot of artwork depict various colours used - most often, though, the white/off-white (which seems an obvious choice because of th elower price involved in producing it), and the red ones (another obvious choice if you don't want blood to show on the 'uniform').
Another possiblity is, of course, that legionaires weren't really not that uniform, and variations might occur - between units and perhaps even within units, based on the cloth available, especially when on campaign.
I've never been able to find any really convincing fact-based arguments for any of the above.
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@Arogonor
Have discussed that many times in different historical forums.
You are absolutly correct.
No one knows the reality.
The problem with the few wall apintings, mosaics, etc is the fact, that it could be also artistic freedom, or the will of the client.
As for many many details of the uniform, armour etc, we dont know very little.
For example the armour.
Until the kalkriese finds, the historicans historians were convinced that was the first Lorica segmentata only around 40 AD in use.
Now we know that it was used even before Christ,
But how many variations it actually task?
The few archaeological finds give no information. Also no one knows the regional variations.
In Manica and graves, it is the same.
How often they were used?
What are they actually were?
Questions, questions.
Once something new is discovered, all insights are gone.
I think that the illustrations should be part of Trajan's Column critically, as well as it is very likely that the representations were still very much influenced by the taste of the client.
For uniformity, I agree with you absolutely.
As in any army, probably many pieces of equipment will be replaced only when they were worn out and irreperabel.
Back to colors.
I know most historians argue over the color tones, beige, light gray or brown / red.
The figure, the Praetorians from the time of Nero's shows in green is also very meaningful.
Moreover, one can assume that at least certain in the case of the Praetorians, the respective Emperor's appearance.
So we come to the conclusion that anyone can choose the color that suits him best, the uniforms, unlike many of the modern era, such as the Napoleonic era, almost everything is based on conjecture.
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Nice painting.
This might seem a button-counting question, but never the less:
I like the look of the off-white tunic, I even used it on my own polybians, but does anyone here know of any real evidence to the colours used for legionaire tunics at all, except from a few pieces of fabric from a limited area/timespan?
Colour of the tunics, another can of worms :) No chance, there are too many sources, opinions, interpretations. I would go an easy way (how Moltke said) making tunics off white, light grey, beige, light brown and all that "natural" colours. We're talking about Ancient Times not Napoleonics, I would never believe they all would wear only red or only white.
Apart from that I would find too boring to paint dozens of figures using only one colour.
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Thanks for the answers, and yes, I would not like to paint an entire Roman army in 28 mm using the same colours all over, either - I have just seen so many statements of this and that and yet different colour examples shown in illustrations, that I wondered if anybody knew about any new 'evidence' to this or that.
Am a bit of a history geek, thats why... :)
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I've read somewhere on internet (no idea where, you'll have to google) that some archeologists did make a few tests on some findings triying to find out anything about possible colours of the tunics. And they came to the close the tunics were all of different colours.
Also I've read in a Roman Legionary Osprey the very important part for military identify were the military belt and the boots, not the tunics which were almost the same as of the civilians.
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Painted mine natural colours as discussed on here but my Centurion in a red tunic. The only matching items are they all wear the same colour neck scarves and shields. Looks okay anyway.