"How's the Republican Roman cavalry from 1st Corps?" Topic

Well, I'm in the process of finally getting around to that Hail Caesar army, and I've put together most of the Agema foot. Now I want to pick up some cavalry – 1st Corps is certainly the cheapest I could find, but what are they like? The pictures on the website are pretty good, but how do they look compared to other ranges? Do they come with cast weapons/ring hands/open hands? I'm starting to get sick of assembly, so less is more in my books at the moment.

Aventine is the other option I'm considering – which by all accounts are very good, but Hail Caesar being what it is the extra price does add up, and I don't want to bother with pinning separate heads, in any case.

I like them very much, looking good with Foundry and similiar ranges. You have to glue on spears and shields, so quick to assemble and minimal flash.

First Corps definitely have good-looking models, and I don't have their cav but I bought some few infantry to supplement my Aventine and the two scales are way off… to the point that I never used the figs. First Corps is on the smaller scale of the spectrum and would do well with Crusader, Foundry; whereas Aventine works well with quite a few other companies' Romans (Renegade, Agema, Victrix, of whom the latter two don't have Republican cav out). Those are the ones I have experience with.

I wouldn't mix First Corps and Aventine in the same unit. Using the Aventine on the other flank to represent the Allied cav would work fine.

My whole Roman army is 1st Corps, can't recommend them enough. Simon and Michael are great to deal with as well.

Really lovely, but then I'm one of their retailers, so perhaps I am biased

Mark "Extra Crispy" Severin
ScaleCreep.com

Another option – perhaps have a look at Relic Miniatures – have compared Agema's Carthaginian veterans with Relic's Italians, very similar in size. Mike has Roman, Spanish, Gallic, Numidian and Tarentine cavalry.

Relic makes very good Roman Command figures, both mounted and on foot. Roman allies are also provided for – Italians, Spanish and Gauls.

Yeah, Relic had been recommended to me, but I'm always worried about import duties when ordering from overseas to the UK, I've been dinged for a lot this past year.

If Aventine and 1st Corps will be at Salute I may just carry along an Agema fig and see if I can tolerate the size difference with the latter, and if not just suck it up and go for the former.

1st Corp paint up surprisingly well. My favourite is Aventine. Beautiful figures.

As to different sized minis, my own experience over the past half-century of playing with wargames minis, is that as long as they are in units of their own, then no one will really notice the difference(s).

I have a variety of different manufacturer's minis in my armies. I buy them because I like the pose, they strike my fancy, no one else makes that unit type, etc. But I rarely mix minis from different makers within the same unit. The only exception is that I find most Old Glory mix well with Essex minis.

But as long as you keep them in separate units, you'll do fine.