CAESARIAN ROMANS: My Cohors II Legio XI

I ripped into these figures quick smart once I decided to break the seal - or should that be once the ram touched the wall? I've seen the HBO series Rome too many times to be able to resist leaping into a second Roman army so here is the first of many cohorts to come. Contrary to my usual practice, all figures are from the same manufacturer - Warlord Games Caesar's Legions.

I've never created a plastic infantry unit before and I have to report that these gents were easy to assemble and great to paint. I truly enjoyed myself creating a speculative Legio XI and being able to put my invented shield design into practice.

 I used two different skin tones (only subtle) and two different off-white tunic colour schemes. It's obvious from this overhead shot that I went with a scattering of iron helmets in the mix also. I've not used any filters when Photoshoping so what you see is what I got. I am very keen to take on the first cohort (double strength) next.

I included three replacement shields in the group as I wanted to represent what an unpainted field replacement might have looked like - quickly stenciled black over rawhide. The horse symbols representing Neptune are Veni Vidi Vici 28mm decals, fixed and then settled with Microsol, matte coated then the shields were lightly black- washed before matte varnishing.

I will paint alternate green shields with the same design for other cohorts and even mix a few green shields in largely blue units and some greens in with blue shielded cohorts. I want as much of the legion represented to depict something of a transition stage. I also happen to be having difficulty choosing between the two so I can have both - can't I? Standing back it should look relatively congruous.

I'm not sure why the packs come with a trumpet and not a cornicern. Also, the standard has no awards on it so it's just a plain shaft. I'll be mucking about with the next one. They have a bull so let's say these chaps are from northern Italy.

My next unit will have gladius in the front ranks with pilum in the rear I think. The pilum armed figures require significant depth so they are occupying a six figure base end-on which I had measured for a front-on formation in two ranks. I have used the same bases I had cut but have used six instead of four to base the 24 figures. Anyway, it's back to the Crimea before Christmas.