Hobby Update: 4x Roman Spear Phalanx

As I've said before, my hobbying doesn't exist in a vacuum. It is heavily influenced by the games for which I use these minis. I haven't had a Kings of War game since April, and despite some nice days here and there... my KoW-related hobby has really slowed down.

I dove into the Roman infantry projects with gusto in June, only to have progress grind to essentially a halt, and my hobbying shift over to some minis to use for Dungeons and Dragons... which I am playing (DMing) these days. 

For nearly two weeks, the 3 remaining Spear Phalanx Regiments have stood on a shelf... needing only their bannermen finished up. I finally rectified their situation today. Hopefully they will see the game table sometime soon.

Ready... aim....

All my spears are really pila/pilum; actual Roman weapons. However, pila were more javelin-like than spear-like, and were chucked at opposing lines before entering close-quarters combat. This unit was essentially a homage to that tactic, and most all of these guys are in the process of getting ready to throw them. When these guys do eventually see the field, they will be getting Kaba's Holy Hand Grenades as an item, to keep things fluffy and interesting.

This unit was also the most frustrating to paint. I had tried three 40x60 mm bases, with to 20mm squares at the front. The group of 6, with the banner, was really frustrating to paint up. Even without shields and weapons, there were just too few good brush angles to get things right. If it was a group of 5, it would have been better. The group of 6 is just too densely packed.

Pretty normal. The damaged shields up front though make for a nice effect. The Veterans kit has some good bits!

This unit is a little more "relaxed," with most of the soldiers having their weapons at their sides. The second row has 3 go-getters, whose arms may be replaced down the line. I'm not sure how many Regiments of Spears I really want on the table yet. This unit and the test unit are pretty similar, and would look good on the table together I think. They will likely be the first to be added to a list.

I think the bannerman might be trying to get in on the action. If swung/dropped like a club... I bet that thing could do some damage.

The last unit ended up being more ready for close-combat, with pointy things sticking out in nearly every direction... including the banner.

Which brings me to my only real gripe about these models so far: the banners/bannermen. 

The arms on the bannerman model are separate, so when you go to glue everything, you're fumbling around with everything. And the banner bits, which are based on real banners, are nice, but just a bit unwieldy in conjunction with the arms. You either end up grabbing it in weird spots and not getting a good glue (1st pic) or you get good glues, but the banner ends up leaning way forward.

I'll be trying to figure out a remedy for the other 6 regiments coming eventually down the pipeline. I'd like to get the banners a little more upright and secure on the future models.

We're starting to look like an army!

Overall though, I do still like these models, and I think they look pretty good all ranked up. Hopefully, I'll get them out onto a gaming table soon, and we can see how they play!