A little add on to my previous post; I've been out making the most of the Spring sunshine this morning and snapped a few more shots of my latest Auxiliary cohort. While I was there, I dusted off my earlier attempts and started to get an idea of how they are going to look on the battlefield.
This is the first time I've had all three cohorts out of the box at the same time. Given that there are only four basic figures in the box, I'm quite pleased that each cohort looks a little different from the others. The Wargames Factory cavalry don't look too out of place along side the Warlords as well.
A slightly better shot of the IX Cohort command...
And a wider shot with, what looks like, a pantomime horse in the mist in the background! Behind you...
The blokes on the end of the line keeping an eye on unfolding events to secure that vulnerable right flank...
Cushy number down the other end of the line with shields to protect that flank...
Not sure the wailing women will ever find themselves out in front of the line once the army take the field for real.
That's it for Batavian Auxiliaries for the time being, as I'm going to be applying the brushes to some Warlord cavalry, a camp and more Roman legionaries. I've said it before, but this definitely is an army that keeps you interested, with lots of different troop types to paint.
It seems an awfully long time since I finished painting the last of my Suebi warriors but, at long last, my third cohort of Batavian Auxiliaries have finally put in an appearance! I've found it really difficult to motivate myself to go out into the garage and paint this winter, with gaps of two or three weeks at a time passing by between very brief painting sessions. Perhaps some kind of heating device might be in order to ensure more time spent with the brushes next winter.
Having said that, I've grown very fond of the IX Cohort over these long and trying months. As my final scheduled Auxiliary unit for the time being, I've had to cobble them together somewhat as all my previous messing about had left me short of various parts from the box of Warlords I bought all those years ago. The command figures particularly, are constructed from a variety of sources, including bits snipped off some previously constructed figures I found in my bits and bobs draw and intended for some long lost skirmishing project from so long ago, I don't even remember what it was! As I had no available musician figure, I fiddled around trying to attach a buccina to a standard auxiliary figure and ended up with someone who looks as though he is desperately trying to free himself of the encumbrance so that he can defend himself against the approaching foe!
The IX Batavian Cohort are a bit of an enigma, as all the sources seem to suggest that only eight Batavian Cohorts were raised in the service of Rome. It is possible that the cohorts weren't numbered sequentially, but I think it more likely that I just put the wrong number on the vexillium when I made it. Whatever, I like the IX Cohort so the IX Cohort it will remain!
So far, I've only managed one decentish shot of the IX Cohort, having lost my free copy of PhotoShop! I'm obviously going to have to massively improve my photography skills unless I can find out what happened to the software. I did, however, find this shot of the musician in the preparation stage...
And this slightly blurred attempt of the Cohort command...
I'll try to get some better shots at the weekend, when the U.K. will be bathed in glorious sunshine!
Having said that, I've grown very fond of the IX Cohort over these long and trying months. As my final scheduled Auxiliary unit for the time being, I've had to cobble them together somewhat as all my previous messing about had left me short of various parts from the box of Warlords I bought all those years ago. The command figures particularly, are constructed from a variety of sources, including bits snipped off some previously constructed figures I found in my bits and bobs draw and intended for some long lost skirmishing project from so long ago, I don't even remember what it was! As I had no available musician figure, I fiddled around trying to attach a buccina to a standard auxiliary figure and ended up with someone who looks as though he is desperately trying to free himself of the encumbrance so that he can defend himself against the approaching foe!
