Wargames Atlantic 28mm Late Romans in Lorica Squamata

 

 

excellent artwork and beautifully painted mins, this should be industry standard 

       A counter-point to the Late Romans in Lorica Hamata Wargames Atlantic has provided us with Late Roman Legionaries in Lorica Squamata. These will be another distraction but at least I can pair them with the earlier set and have a host of Late Roman infantry. The upside is there is nearly a limitless supply of opponents (including other Romans) in this period. 

        The minis are beautifully cast in gray plastic with no flash and only the barest of mold-lines visible. With six different body poses you can build a unit with twenty-four unique individuals. Not to worry however; there aren't any crouching or balancing on one foot poses, just nice grounded poses. A good supply of weapons are provided including spears, swords and the dreaded weighted throwing dart, the plumbata. The shields provided have the plumbata cast onto the inside, a nice touch that Wargames Atlantic could have skipped as they will be nearly invisible once the mini is assembled. I for one do appreciate such attentions to detail.

 

more pretty pictures and a bit of potted history on the back of the box 

 

the box with contents; four sprues of bodies and two sprues of shields  

 

 

sprue 1, side A

the minis are actively but realistically posed, detail is excellent

and, of course, there is a lavish selection of heads 

 

sprue 1, side B

the hardest part of assembling these will be deciding which set of arms to use 

and then researching which type of helmet was used where 

 

the scales of the armor are sharply defined

 and the clothing drapes very convincingly over the body first-class work by the sculpting crew

 

and then there are the heads, so many choices! 

 

this was a period of rapid flux for the Roman army,  

the wholesale incorporation of barbarian "allies" brought new styles of fighting

 and armor under the Roman banners

 

the switch to spears , longer swords and larger shields is thought by many to indicate a change

 in the role of the infantry from primary strike force to a largely passive support for the cavalry 

 

whichever the truth is these are some nicely detailed bits of kit 

 

       These are a welcome addition to the Wargames Atlantic stable and they will pair well with the Gripping Beast and Victrix plastics as they are on the largish side of 28mm. The forthcoming decals from Wargames Atlantic with deprive me of an excuse for not assembling and painting these (honestly I'm looking forward to it). A truly superior product, if you are interested in the later years of the Roman empire these should be a happy addition to your collection.

 

       Very Highly Recommended !