about the figure

The Romans called Gaul; all the territories between the Rhine, the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea, the Pyrenees and the Atlantic Ocean. During the VIIth century Celtic populations, the Gauls, settled in the said territories and after having occupied the Po Valley and having driven away the Ligurians they also spread into Italy. The Gauls were semi-barbarians, tall, blond, light-eyed, and they usually grew long hair and beards. They lived in hut villages, they were shepherds, hunters, warriors and formidable horsemen. They were not united in a single state but were grouped into tribes. Their religion, which was practised in the woods and whose priests were called Druids, imposed human sacrifices. In the year 390 some Gallic tribes under the guidance of Brenno, after having invaded the Etruscan territory, headed South towards Rome. The Roman army could not stop the advance of the Gauls and on the 19th July it was exterminated along the banks of the River Allia (a tributary of the Tiber). The Roman population and the surviving soldiers, panic – stricken, deserted the town, abandoning it in the hands of the victors. For the Romans, the defeat represented a lesson learned the hard way. One can confirm that it is in this period that the Roman army went through a process of renovation that established the basis for the birth of the unbeatable Roman Army of the future. Gaul was conquered and subdued (58-51 B.C.) by the military and diplomatic genius of Julius Caesar.
The figure RM-54-096 represents a Gallic warrior heavily armed and playing a Carynx.

box

The figure comes in 125 x 85 x 30 mm.standard Romeo Models light blue cardboard box. The front cover shows a photo of the painted figure from 2 different angles - front and back- to show all the painting details of the figure and personal gear. The boxart photos can serve a simple painting guide.

Inside the box; there is a small quality control certificate with the product number that you can contact to the company for the missing or damaged parts.

Parts are well protected between two slabs of thick white polyfoam and figure base is placed under the polyfoam not to damage the figure parts.

parts

The figure is sculpted by Gianni La Rocca and made up of 12 white metal parts.All parts are cast clean and crisp in very good details. There is not much need for a serious clean up, filling or sanding. A fast clean of slightly visible vertical seamlines on the legs and brushing using a metal brush and washing will make it ready for priming.

The main part is Body with head and legs. Facial details, moustache and beard are well defined. He wears a conical Gallic type helmet also used by Roman legions. The helmet has a short neckguard and wide cheekguards. The sides of the helmet and cheekguards show nice decorations. He has a pelt vest over his knee length tunic and a short waist length chainmail armor is worn over the pelt. Right half of his cloak is sculpted on this part and a weapon belt is worn crossed on his left shoulder to attach his second sword. He wears baggy breeches and short leather boots. Clothing details on this part are crisp and well defined.

Other parts are;

Cloak : It makes a nice fit to the back of the figure and shows nice cloth folds.

Carynx : Carnyx is a Celtic, wind instrument whose sound was used to scare enemies. The player blew into the lower end of the instrument and the air would come out the upper end through an opening that was often shaped like an animal’s mouth. The size of the instrument was such as to allow the sound to diffuse from an height of approximately three metres from ground level. It is well known that the Gauls used to play the Carnix in battle against Caesar’s troops. The carnyx is sculpted in great details and hands of the figure are cast on the instrument. As a painting tip; note that this instrument is made of bronze.

Right arm and Left arm are posed to carry the carynx in blowing position and show nice cloth folds.

Sword : He carries a long Celtic sword on the right side. The sword is a long sword with short slightly outer curved handguards. Celtic swords were designed to mirror the owner’s bravery, bloodlust, and ferocity. They were heavy by design, razor-sharp, and purposely crafted to intimidate any foe. They had stylised anthropomorphic hilts made from organic material, such as wood, bone, or horn. These swords also usually had an iron plate in front of the guard that was shaped to match the scabbard mouth. The scabbard is bronze and richly decorated with round and curved symbols.

Roman sword : As a secondary sword, he carries a captured Roman sword on his back. It looks like looks a Mainz pattern short sword called Gladius Hispaniensis, since it was supposedly copied from a Spanish sword. Both edges are sharp for cutting and triangular tip is for stabbing. It has a wooden hilt with a round pommel.

Axe : He carries a single edged battle axe on the left side.

Dagger : Next to his long sword, he carries a dagger on the right side. Scabbard of the dagger shows same symbols as on the sword’s scabbard.

Spear head

Spear pole : A copper rod is given as spear pole.

Shield : Gallic shields were big ,oval shaped , wooden, 4 to 5 feet tall shields as Celtics used.. It was covered in leather to protect the wood from warping. Riveted to the center of the shield face there appeared an iron or bronze hemisphere, or curved plate to protect the shield hand. This metal boss could also be used offensively when punched. The wooden texture and animal hide secured with studs on the edges are well defined.

Figure base : Nice ground texture with different sized rocks. Holes for the feet of the figure make the assembly easier.

Nameplate : Nice nameplate with calligraphy and symbols is given in the kit as a bonus.

References

The following books can be useful when painting this figure;

Osprey Publishing – Men at Arms 158 – Rome’s Enemies 2 Gallic and British Celts by Peter Wilcox and Angus McBride

Conclusion

A very nice figure sculpted and cast in high quality. Lots of weapons for the figure and also to display in figure base. Carynx shows very nice details.

Very highly recommended