Caesar Roman Legions are getting a real work out at the "Old Glory" factory. They've been working overtime to release the latest batch of Legionnaires and enemies of the Roman Empire. The first two batches reviewed include Roman Heavy Cavalry (CWG 21) and Roman Medium Cavalry (CWG 22). The heavy cavalry is the pride of the pack. The sculpting and animation are excellent.

The figures are dressed in armor and are set to hold a spear, (not provided). Maybe I'm partial to armored figures but these seemed well proportioned with a good range of poses. The figures in the medium cavalry were good also but the heads seemed a lime large. Bernie says it's because they have lots of hair, you take a close look.

The third batch of cavalry reviewed were CWG26, Numidian Horsemen. You remember the Numidians, those guys in NW Africa (now Algeria) who before the Second Punic War were part of the Carthaginian empire. Yeah those guys with their natty dread locks who wanted a piece of the Roman Army. Well Old Glory has them also. And they look good too. They also are without spears. The standard price for Old Glory mounted figures seems to be $21.00 for 10 horses and riders.

Only Complaint

The only complaint we have with these figures is the horses. When you look at Old Glory horses head on all the hooves seem to be in a straight line. This gives a horse and rider a very tapered look. I may not be a horse breeder but I know horses do not run with one foot behind the other.

This casting posture makes it very difficult to position the horse correctly. If you bend the legs you now have a bow legged horse. The purist may wish to cut one set of hooves and re-position them. Most of us will just live with it.

Even though Old Glory requires you to scratch build the spears for their released cavalry packs they make it easy to outfit the riders by clever casting. Anybody who has replaced a Flagstaff or sword blade knows that drilling a dead center hole through a closed fist is a pain.

Old Glory has cast a depression, a fist dimple, into the middle of the hand on each figure. This allows you to align your drill bit and twist away.

Making your own spears is much easier then you might think, especially for this period. Go to the hobby store and get some 14 gauge brass wire. Take a figure with you to the store and eyeball it. You'll need about two feet. Cut the wire into two and one half inch lengths, one at a time. They won't end up this long but we are leaving extra for mistakes.

Use a railroad track cutter for snipping the wire. One side of the cutter is dead flat and gives you an even end of the spear and save you a lot of filing time. On a tiny anvil pound the other end into a small oval. Don't get crazy, the brass flattens easily. Again with the track cutters cut the flattened oval into a sharp points with two angle cuts. Make sure you hold the flat side of the cutters against the spear point.

When the spear point is to your satisfaction trim the spear to the proper length. Check your references. If you made a mistake, that's what the extra wire is for.

The last batch reviewed were Creatin Archers. Again well sculpted but somewhat stilted in appearance. How many poses can archers have? These boys come with a tiny shield which looks like a hubcap. This offers the distinct possibility of a conversion figure of a Juvenile Delinquent stealing car parts. At a price of 30 figures for $21.00 discount these figures remain some of the best deals around.