Work in Progress

Late roman army in Gaul

Posted by Michael Robert on 23 Jun 2016, 21:16

Bonsoir Chariobaude,
très intéressant tout ça!
Keep up good work. I am sure you will learn a lot from fellow forumers. I did for sure.

Salutations Michaël Robert
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Michael Robert  France

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Posted by Chariobaude on 01 Jul 2016, 20:37

Thank you Michael ! Actually, i've already learn a lot here, seeing the amazing work of forumers. And i've to say i don't feel anymore lonely, i'm not the only one to marry two passions : history and figurines ! ;-)


Meanwhile, the project slowly continues, with an another unit coming.... Made with the great Italeri set, top quality (except for the poses, some are really silly)
Image
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Ben90 on 01 Jul 2016, 22:11

I see a great progress in your painting-skills! I like the two figures very much!
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Ben90  Germany
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Posted by Peter on 02 Jul 2016, 08:00

Ben90 wrote:I see a great progress in your painting-skills! I like the two figures very much!

As I do! :thumbup:
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Peter  Belgium

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Posted by Chariobaude on 20 Aug 2016, 14:32

Hello guys, i'm very lucky having such a support, really ! :yeah:

Unfortunately, i don't know why but the editor seems to not want my pictures, so for now i will just post some links...

The last unit, the beautiful (imho off course !!!) : Cortoriacenses
I have been asked many time for some pics with all my army. But with two (very) young kids, i just can't display my miniatures without a big risk of beeing crashed by lovely but terrifying Godzillas ! Anyways, i've had a couple of hours when a took quickly some pictures of my late roman army/ (less than 50% of the units actually). One day, i will find time and calm for a large and complete display ! :-)

last but not least, somes pictures of Honoriani Marcomanni seniores a revamp of old cornuti, made years ago... Not great but better than nothing !

Almost an half dozen units are coming in the next weeks/months, i'll keep you posted !
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Cryns on 30 Aug 2016, 12:06

I agree with Ben. You are making very great progress. Looking forward to see where this leads to.
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Cryns  Netherlands

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Posted by Chariobaude on 12 Sep 2016, 17:06

Hello guys, just a quick update with (finally...) pictures !

So, an image of a part of the roman army displayed (less than 700 miniatures) :
Image

others pics there : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/08/14/late-roman-army-in-miniatures/

my last heavy cavalry unit : 24 equites primi gallicani
https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/equites-primi-gallicani-premier-de-cavalerie-gauloise/
Image

an old unit revamped for the last time : honoriani marcomanni seniores (40 milites, still ugly, anyway they will be usefull for mass effect)
https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/08/16/honoriani-marcomanni-seniores-marcomans-honoriens-seniors/
Image

and there will be soon a new unit to show : 66 legionnaires of the most senior legion of the Empire : Ioviani seniores ! stay tuned ;-)
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Peter on 13 Sep 2016, 20:59

Great colorfull pictures! Fantastic work! :thumbup:
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Peter  Belgium

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Posted by Chariobaude on 14 Sep 2016, 09:28

thank you Peter !
i forgot to post a picture of the Cortoriacenses (painted by a very talented companion)
Image

other pics of this unit can be seen here : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/ ... riacenses/
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Chariobaude on 01 Oct 2016, 20:37

In that kind of project, sometimes you're not fully happy with your choices... I've made a mistake, using Hät heavy late romans for the ioviani seniores.
As you can see on the photo, their symbol is quite hard to paint (on 80 figs !!), when the shield has no engraved pattern on it :
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so the first attempt was this one : Image

and the second, just finished, with an italeri set (and engraved shields !!!):
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56 milites, who now joined the numerus intra gallias !

And yes, the white eagle is historically accurate too ! :-)

More pics of the ioviani here : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/ ... s-seniors/
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Cryns on 02 Oct 2016, 10:30

Bonjour.

You show us some images of well painted Romans.
And I love to see how serious you are taking the historical context.

Now let me give you some advice, I know you are welcoming that.
About the shields: The Italeri ones look great (though relief patterns in stead of painted ones are not historical correct I think).
So you have 3 options for your shields:
1) Paint them all by hand.
2) Size those painted example images down in your computer to the desired size and print them on thin paper using a PERFECT working photo printer. Remove centre shield buckle with a hollow punch. With thin paper it will even be possible to shape it like a cup using glue but your late Roman shields are flat I think.
3) Another option is to copy the Italeri relief shields 3-dimensional. Using thermoplastic or silicone kit to make a very flat, simple mold and use Green Stuff or Magic Sculpt as the castingmaterial. In this case you have to remove the Hat shields first. You can even try to sculpt your own shield pattern and copy as many of them as you wish.
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Cryns  Netherlands

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Posted by Chariobaude on 07 Oct 2016, 22:36

Dear Mr Cryns,

your comments and advices are more than welcome, off course. I'm here to learn, or more modestly to copy what i can.

1. hand painting shields is out of my range. In reality, i'll be probably able to paint a couple of shields (after dozen of attemps !!) properly, but not hundreds, and not the complicated pattern like those :
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2. this is my next step. A german forumer of Benno's has been kind enough to send me amazing pattern to print, i'll try it soon (this week-end if possible)!

3. i'm very interested in green stuff, i'm currently working on Bucellarii ( personnal retinue of late roman generals, formed by barbarians -mostly goths and huns, sometimes Alans- and roman veterans) : irregulars i want to depict with single poses made with huge conversions. But head/body/legs/gear swapping is not enough, especially using(very old) leftovers not in very good condition.

In the following picture, tests of silhouettes. For instance the archer should be a sarmatian bodyguard, made with hat medium roman infantry body, arms from robin hood set (Atlantic?), Esci barbarian head, Italeri Persian gear. As you can see, i need green stuff to suggest the neck, or realize a coat covering the shoulders and my shoulder-arms junctions.
Image
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Chariobaude on 19 Oct 2016, 10:11

My project do not only involve large unit, but single charachters too !
I was very influenced by the bodstonia project of Paul, who created a full universe with named figurines. In my fake/real roman empire of 399, i will do the same...

It is a way to work on conversions, creating unique miniatures, especially fit when you want to depict irregulars. In this case i wanted to create bucellarii, personnal retinue of late roman generals, formed by barbarians and roman veterans, and payed by there masters, not by the State. It is easy to guess to who their loyalty goes...

With the disintegration of the Roman army, their importance as military force became considerably, anticipating the medieval armies. In 399, the first bucellarii where bodyguards of roman generals of foreign origins (the Goths Sarus, the half Vandal Stilico...), but in less than half a century the bucellarii where units or even armies ! Even if the figure is overestimated, Belisarius attacked vandal africa with the regular byzantine army and... 7000 bucellarii !

It is hard to depict a bucellarius, but we do know some informations :
he was mainly a cavalryman, fully equipped (his pay was way better than regular soldiers!), with a lance, a sword and a bow. You can find many illustrations, i will just upload this beautifull one :
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And this is Marius, a armenian-roman, made with a roman head (Hât 8100), and Parthian body (Hät 8145), his horse comes from the roman cataphact set Hät 8086 and his gear and shield from various leftovers.
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with a dalmatian scout :
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with a roman patrol :
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i wrote an article on how bucellarii come from roman and barbarina culture here (in french) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/bucellarii-bucellaires/
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Chariobaude on 25 Oct 2016, 19:35

I've made new bucellarii, irregulars serving as private bodyguards for late roman warlords.

I've mainly used parthian light archers and parthian cataphracts from Hät, with some germanic heads from several manufacturers and roman heads from Hät and MiniArt set. If i remember you can find parts of Revell Anglo-saxon, or Redbox Picts as well.
heavy ones
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Officer (biarchus)
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horse archer scythian
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sarmatian lancers
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the guys
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Chariobaude on 29 Oct 2016, 14:07

I don't know how you "use" this WIP part of the forum, but i see it as a logbook. :-)
I want to share, not only what i've done, but what i think, the way i lead my project.
Some friends of mine asked me if it was a bit boring, painting thousands of miniatures of the same era coming from the same dozen of sets.
Always, i have the same answer : NO !!! :-D

this project mixes my two main passions : figurines and Histoire Militaire (in French please ! :xd: ) of fourth and fifth century.
the few hours saved by work, family life and friends, I dedicate in reading books on the subject. For those interested, i've made a review (in French, one day i will find the courage of translating it in English) of the greatest books on the matter : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/06/08/livres-sur-larmee-romaine-du-bas-empire/
Discovering this website has been a chance, and a pain. I find a place of people like me, but way more talented.
So, i decided to revamp all my old painted figurines, with what i've learned here, and ashamed by my previous work.

here is an example :
i took an old unit, the https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/les-martiaux-martenses/, (very bad) painted years ago very quickly with figurines from MiniArt sets. Yes, they are historically accurate (except for some helmets...), but so hugly !
I've made a couple of head swaps, and here is my WIP :
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The miniArt germanic warriors, don't need conversion, but a brand new painting. I'm obviously very far from the standards here, by i hope you will see the progress ! ;-)
Obviously, a close-up picture reveals all the defauts !
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Image

i've already made a brand new unit revamping a old one you can see here ; https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/milites-dalmati-soldats-dalmates/
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Chariobaude on 26 Nov 2016, 20:55

My late roman army project is still alive, with three new units made last couple of months...
Two are limitanei, aka border troops, not very considerd units at the end of the Empire by the roman, but i do want to show all the diversity of the roman army of this era.

The two units are located on the Hadrian Wall, not exactly in Gaul, as claimed by my project's name, but the inflation of units already made pushed me to slightly modify my first objective: it will be the armies in Gaul AND Brittany that I will realize, in order to see them confronting during a terrible civil war :-)

the first is a dalmatian cohort of light troops, mainly scouts :
Image
the second is a cohort of Batavian, german warriors in roman service. Funny thing, the Romans were so fond of this military manpower that they almost ended up exterminating this people demographically. During the Principate, the Batavians revolted, arguing that more than half of their adult men served under the eagle!
first cohort of batavian :Image

in a couple of days an another unit will be finished, who will recognize it ? :-)
Image
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Peter on 26 Nov 2016, 21:25

Good to see this army growing! Go on you're doing fine! :thumbup:
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Peter  Belgium

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Posted by Chariobaude on 10 Dec 2016, 14:11

Thank you Peter !
I'm close to my thirtieth unit, without including irregulars, barbarians in roman service as foederati, etc etc...
if I make a first report of stage, I realized until now:

Two units of bodyguards:

one regular, of protectores domestici (8 cavalrymen) :https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2015/11/28/protecteurs-domestiques-protectores-domestici/
one irregular, of bucellarii (9 cavalrymen), personnal retinue of late roman generals : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/bucellarii-bucellaires/

three legio palatina (super crack units)
Ioviani (56 infantrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/01/15/ioviani-seniores-joviens-seniors/
Herculiani (48 infantrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/herculiens-seniors-herculiani-seniores/
Lanciarii Sabarienses (80 infantrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/06/21/lanciarii-sabarienses-lanciers-legionnaires-de-sabaria/

Six auxilia palatina (crack units)
Mattiaci seniores (41 infantrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/mattiaci-seniores-mattiaques-seniors/
Mattiaci gallicani iuniores (41 infantrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/03/20/mattiaci-iuniores-gallicani-mattiaques-juniors-gaulois/
Honoriani Marcomanni iuniores ( 24 infantrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/marcomans-juniors-honoriens-honoriani-marcomanni-iuniores/
Honoriani marcomanni seniores (40 infantrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/08/16/honoriani-marcomanni-seniores-marcomans-honoriens-seniors/
Brachiati seniores (36 infantrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2015/12/12/brachiates-seniors-brachiati-seniores/
Cornuti seniores (34 infantrymen) : on the table right now, the old unit has been revamped

two legiones comitatenses (regular units):
Cortoriacenses ( 44 infantrymen): https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/cortoriacenses/
Menapii seniores (48 infantrymen): https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/menapii-seniores-menapes-seniors/

three Legiones pseudocomitatenses (border units promoted in field armies
)
Defensores seniores : i'm painting them right now
Superventores (90 infantrymen): one of my first unit, painted many years ago. Now i use its figurines for conversions, they don't belong anymore to the gallic army, because of painting standards ! :-) https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/superventores-iuniores-commandos-juniors/
Martenses (40 infantrymen) : same as superventores. https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/les-martiaux-martenses/

three legiones/auxilia limitanei (border units)

cohors batavorum (24 infantrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/11/08/cohors-primae-batavorum-premiere-cohorte-batave/
cohors dalmati ( 22 infantrymen, three cavalrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/milites-dalmati-soldats-dalmates/

one irregular garrison unit :
Burgarii ( 40 infatrymen, 4 cavalrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/01/09/burgarii-gardes-frontieres/

three vexillationes palatina (super crack cavlary units) :
Comites alani (24 cavalrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/comites-alani-compagnons-alains/
cataphractarii (24 cavalrymen): https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/cataphractes-catafractarii/
Taifali iuniores (18 cavalrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/11/25/equites-honoriani-taifali-iuniores-cavaliers-taifales-honoriens-juniors/

four vexillationes comitatenses (regular cav crack units)

Equites primi gallicani (24 cavalrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/equites-primi-gallicani-premier-de-cavalerie-gauloise/
Honoriani seniores (18 cavalrymen): https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/11/30/equites-honoriani-seniores-cavaliers-honoriens-seniors/
equites secundo sagittarii (12 cavalrymen) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/equites-secundo-sagittarii-deuxieme-darchers-montes/
Equites octavo dalmatae : WIP

Equites limitanei (border cav units)
ala equites dalmati (40 cavalrymen, painted years ago and now stock for conversions) : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/equites-dalmatae-cavaliers-dalmates/

i haven't found time to write article on my website on foederati units, but i have already made almost 200 foederati saxonici and a cuneus sarmatorum of 27 cavarlymen, and i've planned to make 40 pictii foederati.

at least four other legiones are already planned, as well as two cavalry units, some logistic units (transport...) and high rank officers and staff.

the last two units are my taifali cavalry units :
Image

Image
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Chariobaude on 28 Dec 2016, 11:48

Obviously my army is far from beeing completed, but i decided last week to start seriously the fortifications part.
I've already made a little burgus in wood (you can see here : https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/2016/02/28/fort-romain-burgus/ ), but now i want to build an another one, bigger with stone walls.
But, in order to be historically accurate and compliant with my (very) little storage capacity, it is not a fortress i want to build.

Years ago, Airfix released a roman fort wich was pretty what i want to make :
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with mini additions and custom features, it could be a good base. But infortunately it seems that there is no longer any of that fort available... Maybe i will find it on ebay, but what will be the price ?

late roman border forts were really small, and of any kinds, even if historians tried to categorised them (quadriburgium...), wich seems now pretty useless : romans, as always, were pragmatic, and used different stones, location, manpower, and adapt their fortifications to local constraints.

i found very inspiring works online, like those (i guess they use the same airfix fort...):

Image
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but, as a perfect newbie for dioramas, i've no idea in how starting : what should i use as base material for my walls ? Any tips or tutorials guys ?
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Chariobaude  France
 
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Posted by Chariobaude on 29 Dec 2016, 23:58

little update on the fortifications topic.
As you understood reading my thread, I do not have much time to devote in painting miniatures, and worse still, no dedicated space. So I do "blitzkrieg" sessions, with the exception of some school holidays periodes when wife and children leave alone :-)
This evening I had a little time, so after having browsed online I took an old cardboard, a cutter and a pencil ...
The first results after less than an hour are not so ridiculous, although I have a real battlement problem to manage. For the painting, given the quantity needed, Im' thinking about ... pastels of my children! :-)
Image
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Chariobaude  France
 
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