MiniArt 1/72 Roman 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 an additional note to things, the Romans did not know about the stirrup. As such, their saddles were designed differently from what we would normally expect. Roman horses were also not as large as those of the modern era, despite how they may appear on the box art! But then, I doubt if there were many 6 foot tall Romans.

As one might expect from a 1/72 figure set, there are four identical sprues to what you see here. each consists of five horses and riders, all in various poses. The plastic is a semi-vinyl type that can withstand a lot of abuse in the hands of children and war gamers alike. In fact, most who will buy this will probably be interested in using them in war games. The detailing on each of the figures is actually quite good and after cleaning up the single mold seam on the figures and a coat of primer, should hold colors without any difficulty.

There are no instructions aside from a sheet that shows the arrangement of the pieces on the sprue. The back of the box is a painting guide that provides color references for a half dozen paints, so there is sure to be a brand available where you live.

Overall, a fine set of figures that will be very useful for the gamer, provide hours of fun for kids and may even inspire some to do a nice diorama using them.