Ethan M - The Assembly of Legio IX (210 points)

Hello again everyone. This week brings about the end of painting for my Sertorian Romans, and am now able to finally begin work on the Spanish troops. To begin, I've added to Quintus Sertorius' retinue: his trusty steed.

Here, the noble Spanish warhorse is pictured next to his rider.

Additionally, the fifth and final cohort for Legio IX has been completed. This final cohort was also from the much lamented Wargames Factory box.

And a shot from an angle. Misery does love company, I suppose, and I'm glad to some extent I'm not the -only- one out there who has found them somewhat lacking. Still, I did appreciate the variety grab bag that could be assembled with their adaptability.

With the final cohort finished, I have Legio IX pictured in its entirety.

I can't really describe how glad I am to be finished with the Roman side of things. To express that, I decided to paint some Spanish cavalry to add to the big red blob. First up, a unit of six Spanish heavy cavalry.

I believe that these figures are also Old Glory, and from the Punic Wars line. Carthage made extensive use of a huge grab-bag of troops, something Sertorius himself emulated, and the Spanish didn't experience too much change prior to Imperial administration. I like these figures, as the sculpt still offers a very Romanized look to everything. I particularly enjoyed painting the large, rounded shields that give off something of a mounted hoplite vibe.

More shots of the heavy cav.

With those out of the way, I painted a similarly-sized unit of light cavalry.

These too are Old Glory figs, described as small-shield Spanish light cavalry.

I wanted something of an irregular feel to these, but wanted to avoid bland, earthy colours like those occupying most of my basing. They are a little brighter than I'd like, though when out of the light my poor photography work creates I think they look much grungier and more to my liking.

A wide-angle shot of Sertorius' army so far.

And a shot that leaves everything less blotted out by the light. Again, apologies for the photography work.

That'll be it for this week. Additions to Legio IX include 16 infantry, 12 cavalry, and Sertorius' steed. With any luck, next week will see the introduction of the first of the Scutarii. Until next time!

I am still impressed with the look you brought out of the wargames factory romans, Ethan. They really do look impressive and the graffiti on the shields just adds to the elan! They are hard pressed t match the old glory cavalry though. I really like the Spanish heavy cavalry. The darker uniforms provide an excellent punch to the force. The light cavalry is also well done, the variety of tunics does make them seem adhoc, but the armor ties them in well to each other and the rest of the force.

Very well done, Ethan!

I considered Setorius's mount to be a completed cav trooper, but the extra points are for the excellent use of the wargames factory Romans, I really like those shields! ;)