Plastic Soldier Review - HaT Imperial Roman Praetorian Cavalry

Text Search

Home > Manufacturers > HaT > Imperial Roman Praetorian Cavalry

HaT

Set 8067

Imperial Roman Praetorian Cavalry

All figures are supplied unpainted (Numbers of each pose in brackets)

Stats

Date Released	2005
Contents	12 figures and 12 horses
Poses	4 poses, 2 horse poses
Material	Plastic (Medium Consistency)
Colours	Grey

Average Height

23 mm (= 1.66 m)

Review

The bulk of the cavalry arm in any imperial Roman army was made up of auxiliaries, despite what innumerable Hollywood films would have us believe, but there was still a small amount of regular legionary cavalry, including those supporting the Praetorian Guard, and these were normally brigaded together when on the battlefield. It is these men that are the subject of this set.

The four poses include one with a ring hand into which a separate spatha sword fits well. The first pose in our scan looks very odd to us as he is holding his sword by his shoulder. This would not seem a natural posture, and if it is some form of salute or parade movement then we have not found any evidence for it. The remaining poses are fairly standard but all perfectly reasonable.

The men wear mail armour and appropriately styled helmets with small crests. During the earlier imperial period these crests were not always worn in the field, so can be trimmed off if not required. The shape of the shield is well documented and suggests a possible Germanic origin to these troops, although shields from other sets such as the auxiliary cavalry could also be utilised here. The shield fits on a peg on the man's hand, and the fit is very secure. Overall the figures are entirely accurate.

The horses are the same as those in set 8066 and are correctly done in terms of harness and saddles, although we would have liked to have seen a saddlecloth under the saddle. However even elite units of Roman cavalry rode horses that are quite small by modern standards, and we felt the animals here were too large as they conform to the proportions of modern race horses.

Detail is excellent with good texture on the mail and all items of clothing correctly done. Flash is minimal and these are good quality sculptures. The different ways in which the mail is trimmed at the hem suggest an attempt to make the figures usable for the longest possible time period, and indeed these are suitable for much of the Imperial period. While not representing the bulk of the cavalry, these figures are nonetheless an element in many imperial armies and their release fills a serious gap in the market.

Ratings

Historical Accuracy	8
Pose Quality	7
Pose Number	6
Sculpting	9
Mould	9