When you only do eight poses in a set you can't afford to have half of them as officers, flag/standard-bearers, musicians etc. The HaT philosophy is to produce several sets which between them cover all aspects of the subject, and it was logical therefore to produce a command set, which provides all these 'extras'.

The set has four poses on foot and two mounted. There are two officers - one mounted and one dismounted - who wear 'muscle' cuirasses and cloaks. There was no uniform as such for officers, who wore whatever they wanted, and as they were always from the wealthy classes they could afford considerable finery. Apart from their distinctive appearance, these figures also have a sash around the waist as a symbol of their rank.

One of the poses is of a centurion. Often referred to as the backbone of the army, this man has the characteristic side-to-side helmet feathers and wears greaves on both legs. His inclusion is particularly worthwhile.

The remaining three poses are of more generic troops. They are dressed in a variety of ways and all have cupped hands into which an item must be glued. There is a good range of such items, namely swords, spears, two types of standard and a horn. By using the different components these men can be made to perform a number of roles, giving the set great flexibility. The standards are a vexillum and an aquila, the latter having both an eagle on top and a tuft of straw on the pole so one or the other can be carved off to create the finished standard.

All the figures apart from the dismounted officer have pegs for a separate shield. Both the standard infantry shield and the smaller circular pattern are provided, and both these fit onto the peg extremely well, such that glue is not necessary. The peg passes through the hole in the shield to form the boss on the finished figure, a good method that we would like to see all manufacturers adopt.

The detail on these figures is good and they have been well sculpted. Producing command sets like this allows customers to choose the balance between officers and men, particularly important for wargames, and the ability to choose weapons, standards etc. makes the figures very flexible. This is a very useful set for all Roman armies.