Hail Caesar Epic Battles first pass

[Mikai]

Thanks for your short preview. I was also surprised that it is so huge. Do you have by chance a 28mm figure for a scale comparision?

[Kelly_]

Hi SteveBurt and Mikai, I took a comparison image and the ballista is 50 mm high, roughly 3 times the height of the average Epic Battles soldier, and twice the height of an Epic Battles cavalry model…



…yes it is giant, roughly the same size as other 1/72 or 28mm ballistae available from Hat or Warlord, but I am not terribly concerned with that for several reasons.

1.  This design was meant to be large, at the high end of what would be possible for two men to load since by judging from the stones at scale they were definitely over 100 pound shot, and would have been site-built for a siege.  The base for the 18 foot track on this one does not incorporate any mechanisms to easily swivel like smaller ballistae for other ranges, so it definitely a strategic asset, and I will be using it / them as an objective.

2.  Since this is a strategic version of a ballista, there is plenty of room for Warlord to bring out smaller, tactical engines, just like the ballista or onager from their original Hail Caesar range.  I am looking forward to that potential release, but I doubt we will see one this year with the Epic Battles focus being on Revolution, and even then the better bet would be on something smaller, like units of scorpions.

3.  Also, the large size should be a good sign that Warlord is open to bringing out even larger engines, and I am looking forward to getting multi-storied siege towers at some point in the hopefully not to distant future.  (The range does have an even bigger piece in resin, the temple ruins, but I have not picked that one up yet.)

In conclusion, I think everyone should consider getting a ballista, or if not, more other Epic Battles units, so Warlord continues to bring out more options for this scale.*


*The more I compare the units between Warlord’s ranges, the more I am convinced that the whole of 28mm exists as a trial run for model poses to see what would work best when translated to the appropriate Epic Battles period.

[Mikai]

Thanks for the insight. I am not concerned about it not fitting to your setting (and you explained well why one shouldn't). I just wondered because if it has roughly the same size as the other ballista for 28mm it is obviously a cheaper alternative to their own product. And one even gets some little free give-away crew for friends playing at Epic size 

[Kelly_]

I made it through another large block of Epic sprues and am now taking a well-deserved elephant break.  For anyone who is considering Epic Hail Caesar, the best way I have found to paint Carthaginian elephants is in subassemblies with the head and body separate.  The heads are solid, but the bodies come in two halves, with a large hollow within…



…in order to allow easy painting of the lower parts of the elephant I take a piece of cardstock folded over several times for a tight fit and place it into the neck socket.  That cardstock can either be held or put into a clip to allow turns while painting, and has the added benefit of blocking that socket so nothing can fall into the inside of the body until the head is sealed in place.