HaT 8051 |
||||||||||||||||||||
The web master for HaT very kindly sent me this test sprue of their [now in production] Roman Command and Cavalry Figures. Mark Ottley kindly painted up the cav for me, and I was sposed to be doing the infantry, but...needless to say, they haven't been completed yet! So, we have four of these sprues in each box...
|
 CnC (the villianous Davidicus himself!), painted by Mark Ottley  Showing the flag, painted by Mark Ottley |
Now for some close-ups...
The Cavalry
DBA Army #II/33 Polybian Roman General's element, painted by Mark Ottley
(close-up - aprox. 400% of actual size)
Unlike the Cart Command Cav, you only get two mounted on these sprues. Nice figures, though I guess some might want to try turning the head of the standard bearer to face the front. But then again, I kinda like the way he's looking admiringly at his glorious leader, along with one of the standard Roman Cav figures on the other side of my General's element above!
The two horses only come in the one pose (the same horse, interestingly, that is used for one of the Cart horses...).
The Standards
 |
 |
| Back of Vexillum, front of Eagle/Straw Standard | Front of Vexillum, back of Eagle/Straw Standard |
(close-up - aprox. 400% of actual size) |
|
[note: two swords in production sprues, not just the one shown here - check here for shots of the production sprue (bottom of page)]
The Infantry
DBA Army #II/33 Polybian Roman Triari (Spear) element, not even half painted by Nick Grant
Here we have the infantry. 6 infantry, 4 poses, like the Carts. Again (I did the Cart Command review first!), notice the small feet!
 |
 |
|
| Dismounted CnC (?) | ||
(close-up - aprox. 400% of actual size) |
||
 |
 |
|
Umm, yes, and about my painting effort...well, at least you can see how I paint my figures. I place an element's worth on a strip of card (in the same positions that I want on the finished element), undercoat them black, and then start with the painting - dark shade, a lighter shade of the same colour on top, with the undercoat showing through between colours (and for deep creases).
I had got as far as putting the darker flesh colour on most of these fellows before I brung the camera home from work. They haven't actually progressed at all from here, 'cept back onto a base so's I could use them in a game - as a Triari/Spear element. The richest ones always stood at the back!
Overall Comments
I like these guys. I especially like the mounted and dismounted CnC's, and thier stone faced faces!
The shields on this test sprue are noticable bigger than those in HaT's other Punic Roman Infantry sets, but apparently that's what happened in the dim dark recesses of time. Some people did really have bigger shields than others. (Evidence of HaT's comprehensive research into these sets way before production starts).
This has been altered for the production runs - now you get 2 big and 3 smaller shields.
Thanks HaT for your stirling work!