Just came across your channel through Holy Diver and am really liking your videos. I have a lot of Aventine and A&A (same sculptor) but if you get A&A know they are older and are a lot closer to 25mm than 28mm. The size difference doesn't bother me but it does some people.
One thing to consider with victrix is that if you order the Italian allied legionaries and a sprue of Greek shields, you effectively have Campanian hoplites. Might need to add your own spears by drilling out javelin arms if you took this route.
Interesting chat. I’ve got a few Samnites in with my Carthaginians and I went with Victrix. I actually kit-bashed the cavalry by chopping Samnite armoured infantry in half and sticking the torsos, heads and weapons on the horses and legs of their Republican Roman cavalry. Worked pretty well. 🙂
I'm half way through a Samnite/Etruscan army project. Other companies to look at for Samnites: Newline has an OK line of Samnites with a limited number of sculpts. The figures mix well with Crusader to the point of mixing them in the same units. Lancer Miniatures has a line of metal Samnites sculpted to match the Victrix plastics. Apparently its a one off line - would love to see some Romans from the same sculptor. I have a ton of Gripping Beast Italian Allies - well sculpted but very small. They will need to be in their own units. Agema Etruscans, would like to hear your thoughts. While the kickstarter has a wide variety of very cool sculpts, the casting is soft and some of the figures lack good attachment points for spears and shields.
I will have to look up Lancer miniatures, I have about 200 of the agema metal etruscans, they are nice, but are of the ammotonical proportion style. If you like the footsore mortal God range you will like the agema, as they used the same sculptor.
Good overview! FYI if you put an order into A&A you may want to ask for better shipping. Their standard is surface shipping which is cheap, but I ordered a 10 pack army deal in December and so far no sign of it.
That is fair, but there is evidence (From coins, early 4th cen BCE) of Greek cavalry using smaller round shields in the manner of tarrentine Calvary. We know from Xenophon that cavalry was using special heavy curriases from at least 400 BCE, so I do not think a reduced sized aspis is unreasonable.
@@rangerminiaturesandgaming3647 interesting… from what I gather, shield use didn’t become common until after Alexander, but there are always exceptions. Maybe I’m just jaded with WAB players using any excuse to stick shields on everything for that all important +1 to save…
@@maxxon99 I agree with you to a point that most Greek and even Italian cavalry should be shieldless prior to the 330’s but nothing ever appears from a vacuum, things evolve over time. I also believe their are campanian and Samnite frescos depicting warriors on horseback with clipieus/aspis. I want to say those frescos were from earlier in the 4th century but my memory might be wrong on that. It is unclear if these were warriors using horses as a battlefield taxis or fought on horses with said equipment.
Just came across your channel through Holy Diver and am really liking your videos. I have a lot of Aventine and A&A (same sculptor) but if you get A&A know they are older and are a lot closer to 25mm than 28mm. The size difference doesn't bother me but it does some people.
Good to know, I have yet to get any A and A but they are on my short list, I like that they do army deals. Thanks.
One thing to consider with victrix is that if you order the Italian allied legionaries and a sprue of Greek shields, you effectively have Campanian hoplites. Might need to add your own spears by drilling out javelin arms if you took this route.
Great point, I own that box set and that would be very easy conversion.
Interesting chat. I’ve got a few Samnites in with my Carthaginians and I went with Victrix. I actually kit-bashed the cavalry by chopping Samnite armoured infantry in half and sticking the torsos, heads and weapons on the horses and legs of their Republican Roman cavalry. Worked pretty well. 🙂
Another great idea for Calvary
I'm half way through a Samnite/Etruscan army project. Other companies to look at for Samnites: Newline has an OK line of Samnites with a limited number of sculpts. The figures mix well with Crusader to the point of mixing them in the same units. Lancer Miniatures has a line of metal Samnites sculpted to match the Victrix plastics. Apparently its a one off line - would love to see some Romans from the same sculptor. I have a ton of Gripping Beast Italian Allies - well sculpted but very small. They will need to be in their own units.
Agema Etruscans, would like to hear your thoughts. While the kickstarter has a wide variety of very cool sculpts, the casting is soft and some of the figures lack good attachment points for spears and shields.
I will have to look up Lancer miniatures, I have about 200 of the agema metal etruscans, they are nice, but are of the ammotonical proportion style. If you like the footsore mortal God range you will like the agema, as they used the same sculptor.
Good overview! FYI if you put an order into A&A you may want to ask for better shipping. Their standard is surface shipping which is cheap, but I ordered a 10 pack army deal in December and so far no sign of it.
Thanks for the heads up, I will prolly be making my order in March.
I'm highly sceptical of Greek cavalry using shields pre-Alexander...
That is fair, but there is evidence (From coins, early 4th cen BCE) of Greek cavalry using smaller round shields in the manner of tarrentine Calvary. We know from Xenophon that cavalry was using special heavy curriases from at least 400 BCE, so I do not think a reduced sized aspis is unreasonable.
@@rangerminiaturesandgaming3647 interesting… from what I gather, shield use didn’t become common until after Alexander, but there are always exceptions.
Maybe I’m just jaded with WAB players using any excuse to stick shields on everything for that all important +1 to save…
@@maxxon99 I agree with you to a point that most Greek and even Italian cavalry should be shieldless prior to the 330’s but nothing ever appears from a vacuum, things evolve over time. I also believe their are campanian and Samnite frescos depicting warriors on horseback with clipieus/aspis. I want to say those frescos were from earlier in the 4th century but my memory might be wrong on that. It is unclear if these were warriors using horses as a battlefield taxis or fought on horses with said equipment.