| grambo | 15 Oct 2020 1:57 a.m. PST |
Hello, I have been very tempted to make a first foray into the world of ancients (being mainly a Napoleonic man). As a side project I would like to build small Roman & Sassanid armies using the above range as I love Tony Bartons sculpts.My question is- being new to the period but ready to begin research -can anyone tell me if the figures in these ranges are suitable historical opponents, and are the ranges sufficient to create a pair of forces please? I note that the roman range has no light infantry for example. Could you chaps please take a look at the AB Legionary and tell me what you think as I'm just itching to paint some. Many thanks.
Lee.
link |
| Huscarle | 15 Oct 2020 2:15 a.m. PST |
The Roman legionary looks to be Caesarian (1st Century BC), or possibly 1st Century AD when your opponents would mainly be Parthians, Celts, Germans, etc. I wish that there was a profile shot so I could see that helmet & plume properly.
The Sassanids came along a bit later & replaced Parthia in the 3rd Century AD. |
| GurKhan | 15 Oct 2020 2:50 a.m. PST |
As Huscarle suggests, they're not contemporaries at all. The Romans are very early Imperial, 1st century AD, and I have a vague memory – which may be totally unreliable – that they were designed with the German disaster of AD 9 in mind. The Sassanids are 3rd-6th centuries AD. It occurs to me, though, that you could partly make up for the Roman range's lack of light infantry by using the Sassanid archers and slingers as Near Eastern client kingdoms' troops – with no period-specific armour they are generic enough to pass for much earlier types. But you are still left without Roman auxiliary spear-and-shield infantry. |
| nsolomon99 | 15 Oct 2020 3:12 a.m. PST |
The Roman range was indeed commissioned by a German Museum. |
Dave Jackson  | 15 Oct 2020 4:36 a.m. PST |
They are not comtemporary at all. Tony Barton did the Romans for a German museum's display of the legions marching thru the Teutoberger forest. So….early imperial… |
| Dave Jackson | 15 Oct 2020 4:38 a.m. PST |
Nsolomon99…LOL…your response wasn't there when I wrote mine! |
| grambo | 15 Oct 2020 6:39 a.m. PST |
Thank you folks, and I apologise for my ignorance! I will do some research and look at other manufacturers because I'm keen to start an ancients project.
Lee. |
| Steamingdave2 | 15 Oct 2020 10:41 a.m. PST |
I have some of the AB Romans. Really nice figures, but, if I remember correctly, they are for around 7AD, so a few hundred years early for Sassanid opponents. Doesn't stop me playing them against each other though! |
| genew49 | 16 Oct 2020 8:08 a.m. PST |
You may want to take a look at Newline Designs 20mm Early Roman Empire, Celts and German.
link |
| Emperorbaz | 17 Jan 2021 5:57 a.m. PST |
The Romans are contemporary with the Parthians, the fore-runners of the Sassanids. So I say what the heck, go for it! |
