PlaymoFriends
Creative => Customs Gallery => Topic started by: tanotrooper on September 01, 2010, 23:38:20
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Hello everyone,
it's been quite a while since I posted here, but I got a bit back into Playmobil and have some customs to show. This is my humble Roman army so far, I really ought to get me some more legionaries. :lol:
They may look like the ordinary figures at first sight, but small changes have been made to make them portray 1st-2nd century AD Roman legionaries.
First up, a general view in battle formation. The first row is armed with pila, and are about to throw them towards the enemy. The second row is armed with a thrusting spear, to provide cover for the first row. I don't quite know to what extent the thrusting spears were used by legionaries (auxilia used these all the time) but they did appear. The centurio, in command of this 'century', stands in the front line as his rank demanded. The life span of a centurio was shortened considerely by this fact.
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/romans1.jpg)
Inferte signa!
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/romans2.jpg)
top view of the battle formation
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/romans3.jpg)
Now we get a look at the figures themselves.
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/romans4.jpg)
We have the centurio, the optio and the signifer. The centurio's colours have been copied from a Papo figurine. The torso is from the Praetorian special and the arms are from the official signifer. The armourment on the right arm of most of the troops identifies them as extra heavy legionaries. This armourment, which was layered like the lorica segmentata, gave an additional protection to the right arm, which was exposed during fighting since the rest was protected by the large scutum. Initially this was seen as Rome's response to the Dacian falx (a sickle-sword type of weapon) but historical evidence has shown it was used earlier already. It isn't known though weither it was made from metal or leather. (I suppose iron is more likely.)
The optio could be identified by the comb on his helmet. He stood at the back of the formation, keeping his men in line with his stick. (I don't know the correct term, but it's supposed to portray this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Optio.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Optio.jpg))
The signifer has the lion's fur replaced with a wolf skin. (Lion's fur was reserved for Praetorians.) The wolf's head isn't attached to the helmet but doesn't fall off easily either.
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/romans5.jpg)
Here he have a look at the different armour types I used. Legionaries rarily looked uniform and all types of armour were used around this period. Both the lorica segmentata (left figure) and the lorica hamata (chainmail, third figure) appear to have been used in the same numbers. When a subharness was worn, the lorica hamata would have given better protection the the segmentata. The third armour is the lorica squamata, a scale-armour. (second figure) This armour was less used than the other's though.
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/romans6.jpg)
Close-up of the armour. I used the sculpted plate armour arms for this.
here is a picture of the real armour:
(http://ssau.net/shop/images/SSHAT8064.jpg)
And finally, my representation of Iulius Caesar:
(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Tanotrooper/playmobil/iuliuscaesar.jpg)
More or less inspired by Caesar in the Asterix comics. :) ;) This uniform is historically possible though. (This could also be a standard Roman officer.)
Comments are appreciated ;D :D
Gaetano
Tanotrooper
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Very cool! :o Your Opito looks very much like my own, :)
But I use a different staff.
I think the only known term for the stick was the Opito's staff. ???
I learned quite a bit, which I always enjoy. ;D
Nice to see you, I also saw a few of your posts over at GardenWargaming.
Hope to see you here more often. :wave:
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Wow!!! Awesome customs and so histoically correct!!! Very well done :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow:!!! I especially like the signifier with the dark colour wolf hide!!! How did you make it stand on the helmet tanotrooper?
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I LOVE them!!! they're really great!! as someone who has studied history and latin for more than 12 years, I'm really enthusiastic about them and your explanations...
the pics in battle formation are super cool, they seem ready to move :)
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Wow!!! Awesome customs and so historically correct!!! Very well done :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow:!!! I especially like the signifier with the dark colour wolf hide!!! How did you make it stand on the helmet tanotrooper?
You just put it on top of the helmet and don't move the clicky! Since those were made to fit on a clicky's hair, they don't fit on the helmets, but you can still glue them.
See the decurio on this picture:
(http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx266/cowabounga/Sarrasins_et_romains/P1080205.jpg)
:wave:
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Thanks for the comments everyone :) ;D
As for the signifer's wolfskin, I used a Roman helmet that can fit a crest on top of it. The wolf's head is almost the same diameter as the original lion's head and is able to sit on top of the crest base. Indeed, moving it might result in it being thrown off although not always. (And of course you can glue it if you want too.)
Cheers,
Gaetano
Tanotrooper
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More or less inspired by Caesar in the Asterix comics. :) ;) This uniform is historically possible though. (This could also be a standard Roman officer.)
Will this Caesar ever get a chance to conquer Gaul with that modern equiped German Wehrmacht troopers just behind him (on your picture), having the same goal?!? :lol:
But, all joking aside, - great work! I really like your roman formations and the small customized details. :love:
- Colonel Klicky
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You just put it on top of the helmet and don't move the clicky! Since those were made to fit on a clicky's hair, they don't fit on the helmets, but you can still glue them.
See the decurio on this picture:
(http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx266/cowabounga/Sarrasins_et_romains/P1080205.jpg)
:wave:
Fantastic!!! Brilliant!!! Superb!!!
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You just put it on top of the helmet and don't move the clicky! Since those were made to fit on a clicky's hair, they don't fit on the helmets, but you can still glue them.
See the decurio on this picture:
(http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx266/cowabounga/Sarrasins_et_romains/P1080205.jpg)
:wave:
Wow awesome Romans!
B-W :wave:
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Fantastic customs TT! Very cool! ;D
Baden :wave:
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Thank you, TT, for that comprehensive guide to your customs and the Roman army. For people like me who aren't Roman collectors or customisers, your guide as to what you had done was especially helpful - thank you again for it. :wave:
The pictures of the troops in battle order are very realistic. In fact, I spent some time looking closely at that because it appeared that you had customised some klickies to bend their heads, but finally I decided it was the way you had posed them.
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I really like your Roman customs, tanotrooper! :) They're very realistic looking and extremely historically accurate. :)9 I would, however, suggest using the following for the optio's staff: http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showpart.pl?partnum=30-26-3100
Also, those green Romans look fierce!
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Very nice customs Tanotrooper!
I had no idea these heavily armored Romans existed, but now I think I'll have to have my own unit.
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Very nice customs Tanotrooper!
I had no idea these heavily armored Romans existed, but now I think I'll have to have my own unit.
I would be tempted...
But they are after my period. *Phew!* ;D
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As for the signifer's wolfskin, I used a Roman helmet that can fit a crest on top of it. The wolf's head is almost the same diameter as the original lion's head and is able to sit on top of the crest base. Indeed, moving it might result in it being thrown off although not always. (And of course you can glue it if you want too.)
Thanks!! I'll try it!!
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I really like your Roman customs, tanotrooper! :) They're very realistic looking and extremely historically accurate. :)9 I would, however, suggest using the following for the optio's staff: http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showpart.pl?partnum=30-26-3100
Also, those green Romans look fierce!
Thanks for the idea. I hope the part won't be too long.
Although chin guards weren't always the case, I do think I'll have to add chin guards to these troops like in the reference picture. (I'm planning on using the old Playmobil space leg pieces for this.)
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I would be tempted...
But they are after my period. *Phew!* ;D
Aah, it is so liberating not to feel the desire to tie oneself down to one period of History at a time ;D
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Thanks for the idea. I hope the part won't be too long.
The length will be perfect. ;)
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Well done Tanotrooper :clap:
I don't know much about the Roman soldiers available so looked back at PlaymoDB to see how they originally started out, and was very impressed with how you have customised them. :wow:
Elaine (http://www.anchoredbygrace.com/smileys/mgqueen.gif)
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Aah, it is so liberating not to feel the desire to tie oneself down to one period of History at a time ;D
Maybe...
But I wont try to reproduce every great custom I see,
Which saves me money to buy more Playmobil. ;D
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Very instructive. Thank you for showing.
H_M
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Thank you for sharing these wonderful customs Tanarooper!
It's great to hear all the explenation and reasoning as well. Makes them come to live a lot more!