News Update July 15th, 2024 - Ancient Rome (1 Viewer)

[Julie]

JJDESIGNS NEWS UPDATE 15th JULY 2024
ARMIES AND ENEMIES OF ANCIENT ROME
ROMAN AUXILLIARY CAVALRY

As Romans were never considered exceptionally good horsemen, and the role of the cavalry not as important in the Roman thought process, the Equitatus was generally made up of non-Roman horsemen. While they would play an important part of Legionary tactics, the Roman Cavalry was considered secondary and would remain the weakest part of the Roman Army until the very late Imperial period.

Generally, the cavalry was used as light skirmishing troops, and mounted archers whose job was to patrol, act as scouts and messengers and to provide a mobile defensive screen while the legion was massing in battle array. As in all armies throughout history, the mounted trooper was also very effective in chasing down and harassing a fleeing and panicked enemy force.



As part of the military reforms of Augustus around AD 14, the Auxilia were re-organized. They would be trained to the same standards of discipline as the legions. They were mainly drawn from a wide range of warlike peoples throughout the provinces, and would receive Roman citizenship on completion of their 25 year service. Senior officers in contrast were Roman citizens.

The Auxilia filled the tasks of patrolling, containing raids, tax collecting, and the multitude of duties of the frontier troops.

They were especially suited to garrison and local policing activities, and could also hold their own in small scale warfare.

Roman Auxilia cavalry were usually heavily armored in mail and armed with a short lance, javelins, the Spatha long sword, and sometimes bows for specialist Horse archer units. These men primarily served as Medium missile cavalry for flanking, scouting, skirmish, and pursuit.

Cavalry units were known as Alae, and were made up of 16 Turmae.

A Turmae consisted of 30 troopers, and was commanded by a Decurio, and a second in command called the Duplicarius.

Cavalrymen carried Clipeus, a flat oval or hexagonal shield. These were extremely light, constructed of double or triple thickness plywood, made up of thin strips of birch.

These five new Roman auxiliary cavalry figures can be added to the previously released ROMCAV sets.

The new ROMCAV sets should be available early next year.

Please note there should also be the new Germanic cavalry and Warriors available around the same time!

Best wishes,
john jenkins

 

[Horus]

These look like being great additions to the already released Roman Auxiliary Cavalry, It's going to seem like a long wait !

 

[NZGary]

This will help make a larger diorama for all those with a passion for collecting ancient Rome figures. Me included!

 

[Dragoon]

I like the little fraulein. Was starting to wonder if those Germanics were ever going to be produced...looks a little more promising now.

 

[Barkmann]

Great new cavalry. Work on my Hadrians wall diorama

 

[Horus]

Wonder if these will keep the same shield design indicating same unit, as they look going by the lack of Javelin cases being carried on the horse and those Javelin being wielded by these mounted Auxiliaries appearing to be longer than the cases could of held in any case and so presumably a different unit, or since there isn't enough known for sure whether different types of throwing missles would be mixed within a unit.
only thing I've read, but would be grateful if anyone can point me in the right direction as to information otherwise, is that mounted archers seem to be separate units, perhaps mixed in, as foot archers appear to gave been as Romans seem to have been quite keen on ethnic specialities, such as with Slingers, which one imagines would of been mixed with heavier armed troops away from the battle field, though I don't suppose this was something that lasted through out the Republican into early Imperial, where as by the late Imperial, things seem to have changed with Infantry at least, being expected to master a multitude of weapons.

 

[jason foote]

Ooh lala. I cannot wait. I bought doubles and even triples of the first ekeases trying to make a few turmae of 16…. Sorry my spelling is probably wrong. Cant wait to build my cavalry and also the Germanic figures will be great.
Slso have to say happy to see no soearslings on these guys. I do love all the figures i collected but would have preferred the first releases without the spear slings/ holders

 

[Horus]

Ooh lala. I cannot wait. I bought doubles and even triples of the first ekeases trying to make a few turmae of 16…. Sorry my spelling is probably wrong. Cant wait to build my cavalry and also the Germanic figures will be great.
Slso have to say happy to see no soearslings on these guys. I do love all the figures i collected but would have preferred the first releases without the spear slings/ holders

Jason,
Since you're keen on ancients, thought you might be interested in these newly available 3D print Roman tents, that might useful, no doubt Paul Bell, could do them in 1.30th !

 

[BHogan]

Does anyone know if John intends on doing Imperial legionnaires? I really like his work, but I'm partial to the later Roman uniforms and armour than the earlier ones.

Brendan

 

[Horus]

Does anyone know if John intends on doing Imperial legionnaires? I really like his work, but I'm partial to the later Roman uniforms and armour

Since John has done Iceni, Roman figures wearing Lorica Segmentata would fit into the timeline, but whether John will do them is another thing entirely.

 

[jason foote]

I am with Brendan, would love some Jenkins Imperial Romans

 

[jason foote]

Jason,
Since you're keen on ancients, thought you might be interested in these newly available 3D print Roman tents, that might useful, no doubt Paul Bell, could do them in 1.30th !

The tents look great. Ihavea few TG but need a few more

 

[Barkmann]

The tents look great. Ihavea few TG but need a few more

 

[Barkmann]

I have the T Gunn Officer/command tent, but went with the Eagle Design tent, have 12,

 

[Horus]

I have the T Gunn Officer/command tent, but went with the Eagle Design tent, have 12,
View attachment 340205

Yes the Eagle Design ones are quite good, I like the extra details of the Tent pegs and Guy ropes.

Gadgetworks have a lot of other 3D print buildings and accessories covering many ancient civilisations, their Hadrian's wall under construction is very good and I may well order, when I've sold off a few bits to make room.

 

[Horus]

I quite like their Roman Marching Camp too :

 

[Barkmann]

Cheers, have had a look at the Gadgetworks website a few times. I think you have to be careful when ordering 3D stuff, recently ordered a WW2 Italian truck, as the 12SS and other German units used them in Normandy. Got it, 3D person did a great job, no fault with them. However, the details was awful, no interior detail and just smooth plastic underneath, no exhaust no shocks, no petrol tank, issue is most of the 3D stuff is designed for 15mm gaming and just changing the scale to 1/30 might work in theory, but sometimes not in practice.

 

[Horus]

Yep, if you're wanting to order something with a lot of detail such a tank then you do need to look at what you are ordering, as assuming something will be there is only going to lead to disappointment because as you say, these are really being designed for wargamers. But of course on the plus side it does give you the opportunity to have a vehicle not otherwise available and at a much cheaper price.
However, if you're wanting a building, then generally you aren't going to be expecting a lot of detail.
Woodgraining can either occasionally be too deep. Or non existent, but that can be overcome with filler or painting.

 

[Barkmann]

I find Paul Bell and the stuff he does excellent, he did not do the truck. I have Roman Barracks, an RAF Control Tower and a number of beach defenses from him. For buildings the 3D stuff is geberally excellent, couple of building i have seen are not fully accurate, same with bunkers, but as you say, you need to check on them and be sure that is what you want. Stuff just with exterior detail is fine, many Tanks etc, but have noticed the tracks tend to be pretty poor and you need to know that there are few with open hatches. I like the Roman wall in the picture, but the stone work just looked a bit too neat for me, but have enquired about a Roman marching fort from a 3D modellier, based on Lunt Fort near Coventry, want the double gate and the gate to be bigger than the JJD one, which is great.

 

[Horus]

I find Paul Bell and the stuff he does excellent, he did not do the truck. I have Roman Barracks, an RAF Control Tower and a number of beach defenses from him. For buildings the 3D stuff is geberally excellent, couple of building i have seen are not fully accurate, same with bunkers, but as you say, you need to check on them and be sure that is what you want. Stuff just with exterior detail is fine, many Tanks etc, but have noticed the tracks tend to be pretty poor and you need to know that there are few with open hatches. I like the Roman wall in the picture, but the stone work just looked a bit too neat for me, but have enquired about a Roman marching fort from a 3D modellier, based on Lunt Fort near Coventry, want the double gate and the gate to be bigger than the JJD one, which is great.

Paul, generally isn't the designer of say for example a building. But rather, just buying the license to print it and if the customer wants paint it, which of course adds to the delivery time and cost.
But he does adapt where possible to the customers specifications.
I had him print me a Roman Watchtower but shortened the height to fit a shelf.
Also I had him adapt and print the wooden Roman Barracks, that I wanted based on the reconstructed Wooden granary building at Lunt to blend in with the JJD Roman wooden Fort, since there isn't a reconstructed barracks block there and I wanted one that gave the impression of a shiplap design with wood shingles as being something that the Romans wood of been capable of building as a temporary structure quickly and since no Barracks block remains exists much above ground in UK anything is conjecture.
Using wattle and plastering over tk uive the impression of stonework is something I felt would of come later as the invasion and just after phase settled down into occupation.