I painted these two Roman Legionaries the day after I got back from Salute, that's how keen I was! They are both made of hard plastic rather than metal and some of the first of their kind. We've got used to plastic models from Games Workshop, but this is the first time that it's been possible to buy historical miniatures in hard plastic (as opposed to the annoying soft plastic used by Revell, Zvezda, Airfix, etc.). This is truly a momentous day for wargaming!

Both models are from identical sprues. The one on the left is armed with Pilum (Roman javelin) and the other with Gladius (Roman sword). The weapon arms, shields and heads are separate, hence the finished models look different. One model was given away free on the cover of Wargames Illustrated (hooray - we love freebies) and the other was picked up from the Warlord Games stand at Salute 2008.

I think they've painted up very well, I enjoyed painting them and I think they look really good. I basically followed the painting guide in Wargames Illustrated, except that I started with a black undercoat instead of a white undercoat and I glued the shields on before painting (yes I know I'm wierd).

I'm so chuffed with them that I went on the Warlord Games website and pre-ordered a box, due for release in May. This is despite saying that I wasn't going to start any new wargaming periods! But this is what I've been waiting for - something to get excited about. And most of my historical armies are re-hashes of old armies using old figures from years ago. I get a bit fed up with the poor quality historical wargamers have to deal with compared to the fantasy hobby, but now at last it's spilling over (as Games Workshop lose staff and they all go and start up wargaming companies!). Historical wargaming is the new Games Workshop! I mean, historical is where the growth is. The king is dead - long live the king! (ok, calm down Mike)

Painting Summary

Quick painting summary, in case anyone is interested (using Citadel paints, unless specified otherwise):

1. undercoated black using spray paint
2. painted skin in Dwarf Flesh (two coats)
3. painted cloth in Red Gore (two coats)
4. undercoated shield face in white (two coats)
5. painted shield face in Blood Red (two coats) and highlighted cloth in Blood Red
6. painted armour in Boltgun Metal
7. painted Pilum shaft, sword hilt and pommel, shoulder straps, and back of shield in Bestial Brown
8. painted sandals in ... hmm, I'm not sure, did I just use Flesh Wash?
9. painted metal features in Shining Gold
10. painted Flesh Wash (diluted slightly with water) over metalwork, wood and leather work, face and selectively on arms and legs
11. painted shield design in Bubonic Brown
12. highlighted shield design in Sunburst Yellow
13. highlighted metalwork in Mithril Silver
14. mixed a lighter shade of flesh tone and highlighted face (nose, cheeks, lips) and parts of arms and legs (esp. fingers)
15. gently drybrushed Bleached Bone over sandals
16. any "touching up", i.e. painting small areas to cover mistakes (very few actually)
17. when dry, models were spray varnished with satin varnish

Wow, when you write it down you realise how many painting stages there are! Of course some of these are very quick, because there are only two models. The technique would be more efficient on a larger batch.