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Re: My Perfect Pre-1783 AD Set

Ideal goal? Why not. Platonic? Maybe.....

Here's the simplest conversion 'trick' I can offer for any units that are without means of communicating...

Take a suitable figure, say a swordsman/spearman not actually in combat but standing. Carefully remove their sword/spear. Then, take a length of round, hard sprue and heat gently over a flame - a candle is ideal. Stretch a little and the result is a piece of sprue which is thinner in the centre than at the ends. You have 'made' two straight horns/trumpets....simply take the sprue length and cut the two cone shapes the stretching has formed to the lengths that you want. You have the option of straight trumpets or, with a little bending, curved horns. Glue to the empty hand of the ex-swordsman/spearman and give him some trumpet lessons. Done.

This expedient takes very little time and gives you two trumpets or horns, enough for two units in your game system to 'talk' to each other. Communication was never simpler.

Re: My Perfect Pre-1783 AD Set

Sounds like a decent expedient when needed. Thanks for the info! :sunglasses:

Re: My Perfect Pre-1783 AD Set

"... the old Italeri Persian Infantry and Cavalry (+ chariot) sets."

Originally, these were Zvezda sets

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=384
http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=517

Honour to whom honour is due.


"This thing about musicians ??: Have you ever tried making music when in full Cataphract armour? All that rattling metal is surely a substitute."

Well, the Parthians (and Sasanians) used to beat large drums during battle. Probably not the cataphracts (nor the archers) themselves (they had other things to do), but professional musicians who most likely were only slightly armoured or unarmoured and positioned at a secure place during the fight. They just delivered the sound to spur their own and intimidate the enemy. Parthians and Sasanians also used horns and trumpets. As a matter of fact, I remember a photocopy showing an ancient (and I mean ancient - 1st c. BC, or AD, or so) figurine of a Parthian cataphract blowing a horn (ram horn, or so), I've got it somewhere. Will scan and post it when I find it ...

:relaxed:

Re: My Perfect Pre-1783 AD Set

Handlewithcare
"... the old Italeri Persian Infantry and Cavalry (+ chariot) sets."

Originally, these were Zvezda sets

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=384
http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=517

Honour to whom honour is due.


"This thing about musicians ??: Have you ever tried making music when in full Cataphract armour? All that rattling metal is surely a substitute."

Well, the Parthians (and Sasanians) used to beat large drums during battle. Probably not the cataphracts (nor the archers) themselves (they had other things to do), but professional musicians who most likely were only slightly armoured or unarmoured and positioned at a secure place during the fight. They just delivered the sound to spur their own and intimidate the enemy. Parthians and Sasanians also used horns and trumpets. As a matter of fact, I remember a photocopy showing an ancient (and I mean ancient - 1st c. BC, or AD, or so) figurine of a Parthian cataphract blowing a horn (ram horn, or so), I've got it somewhere. Will scan and post it when I find it ...

:relaxed:
Thank you!

Yes, I'm afraid that the reference to 'rattling metal' was not entirely serious. But the reality of facing heavily armoured cavalry carrying long spears and backed by the sound of drums, horns and trumpets must have been daunting indeed.:relaxed:

Re: My Perfect Pre-1783 AD Set

Yea I remember those HaT sets! You would know better than me, but those sets seemed very well organized for me. To be honest if I went for Nappys those would still be high on my list for acquisition, although the new ones standing at attention from Strelets are super nice too.

Just as an edit, STRM049 Praetorian Cohort is actually pretty much a perfect Before Battle set. 44 before battle legionaries with command. So 1 of 663, which is better than none!