Tuesday, 3 November 2015

Republican Roman Principes

I've finished my first batch of 6mm Republican Romans. These are Principes with gladius figures from Baccus and I have to say the quality of the castings is amazing. These are a little more chunky than the slender 6mm WWII infantry figures I normally buy from GHQ but the results are much more robust models with good clean detail. Other than a few vent strings there was virtually no excess metal to be cleaned up before the base coat was applied. 

This first batch are a bit of a test for me. I've never painted ranks of 6mm figures before and I wanted to 'learn' the best way to tackle them for a quick clean and consistent finish. Several YouTube tutorials later and I think I have a clear idea how to get the production line going. Its not until you start a completely new project like this that you realise how many important decisions need to be made right from the start. I think I'm happy with these, but I'm open to suggestions for improvements!


I had a slight scare towards the end, with my Satin varnish going opaque minutes after application. It was my own fault, I didn't shake the can well enough before use and because it was raining outside is sprayed them inside but didn't factor in the high humidity in the house. Result - I damn near had a heart attack! Fortunately I was able to reverse the process (mostly) with some rapid drying and a couple of layers of Dullcoat varnish brushed over the top.

I've ordered more Republican Romans from Baccus but in the meantime I have a few units of Carthaginian Spearmen and a couple of War Elephants to test my brush skills on.
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15 comments:

  1. Neil Scott3 November 2015 at 22:05

    excellent work

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  2. AJ (Allan) Wright4 November 2015 at 00:43

    They look spot on. Red shields are just what they needed.

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  3. Clint4 November 2015 at 05:31

    They do look good. I am interested in what rules you will be using and what base sizes as I think I am about to follow in your footsteps (but late medieval)

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    1. BigLee4 November 2015 at 07:11

      I'm going to use the To The Strongest rules by Simon Miller (aka BigRedBat). The basing system is very flexible as movement is based on a grid system. I have opted here for 20x60mm bases. This is a small unit so technically should have a smaller frontage (only eight figures wide) but I didn't like the way this looked. So instead I have opted for a standard width for all my units but basing this small unit in two ranks. Regular units will be three ranks and Deep units four ranks.

      Delete
  4. Ray Rousell4 November 2015 at 07:11

    Nice job Lee, Baccus are, really nice figures!

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    1. BigLee4 November 2015 at 07:12

      Loverly figures. I'm amazed at the detail and quality.

      Delete
  5. Subedai4 November 2015 at 10:56

    Very nice Lee. 6mm are the easiest figures to paint...ever... and en masse they look great, I would recommend them to anyone. Up until recently they have been the poor relations of the wargaming world but now, after seeing some of the displays at the Joy of Six show, people are coming to realise the potential.

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    1. BigLee4 November 2015 at 13:13

      Have to agree with both statements. They were a doddle to paint and many people seem to mock 6mm but seem to overlook the potential for some truly epic looking games. And as someone with very limited storage space and without a games room or a man-cave in which to play I must say 6mm is ideal

      I'm hoping to get to the Joy of Six show next year. A lot depends on my work schedule but its definitely in my calendar for 2016.

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    2. BigLee4 November 2015 at 14:32

      ...actually that begs the question, what date is the show next year? I can't find the date online. I have a vague 'July' in my diary but no specific date as yet. Lots of potential clashes in July so the earlier I know when it is the more likely it is I can make it.

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    3. Subedai4 November 2015 at 15:40

      There is a report of this years Joy of Six show and at the bottom it says:

      'Plans are already being made for the Joy of Six 2016, so keep the weekend clear in your diary. If you’ve read this and are thinking, ‘I wish I’d been there.’, then make your plans now!

      See you all in July 2016!'

      https://www.baccus6mm.com/news/23-07-2015/JoyofSix2015-TheReport/

      Delete
  6. Mike Strefford7 December 2015 at 19:06

    Lee, I would love to see a step by step for your ancient 6mm figures.

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  7. Anonymous11 December 2015 at 22:21

    I've been thinking of branching out from WWII and picking up some ancients. I've got an old copy of the DBA ruleset, which is appealing because the armies are all rather small and it should be quick and cheap to set up a selection of forces, but I'm now curious to hear about TtS.

    And more about where you get your minis. I go with GHQ for WWII, but know nothing about ancients...
    ~Adam

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    1. BigLee12 December 2015 at 14:06

      For more info on TtS! check out http://bigredbatshop.co.uk/pages/about-to-the-strongest

      I have been buying my 6mm Punic forces from https://www.baccus6mm.com

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14 December 2015 at 11:12

      Thanks for the leads!

      Delete

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