Gaius Julius Caesar’s rise to power included many gambles, but one of the biggest faced him on the morning of 9 August 48 BCE in central Greece when his army faced the much larger one of the Roman Republic lead by the celebrated general Pompey. He knew Pompey was a great general, but he trusted to his own talents, and to the quality of his infantry, which was made up mostly of battle-hardened veterans, while much of Pompey’s was composed of relatively raw recruits. Both men felt they had to give battle that day, but by nightfall it was Caesar who was triumphant, with the forces of the Republic either dead, scattered, or surrendered. There would be more battles to fight, but effectively the Battle of Pharsalus would make Caesar master of the Roman world, and he knew that it had been made possible by the experienced and loyal legions that served under him.

The typical image of a Roman soldier in the mid first century BCE is well known, and has been modelled several times before in this hobby by other manufacturers. That image is what we see pictured on the box of this set, but as so often, the ‘standard’ or ideal was far from actually being universal, and there is evidence of considerable variation in clothing and equipment. During the civil war, several new legions were hurriedly raised by both sides, and it would have been remarkable had all these new soldiers been fully equipped to the latest standards, so this set presents a broader picture of the forces in action during those tumultuous years by highlighting the many regional variations as well as equipment that was used simply because there was nothing better available at such short notice.

Only two of the poses in this set are dressed and equipped identically – all the rest exhibit numerous variations which between them cover a number of styles of the day. The helmets do offer some consistency however, as eight of the poses wear a Coolus-Mannheim type with only small variations. All but one of these have the common cheek pieces, one has a small neck guard at the back, and one is decorated with two feathers. While the Montefortino type helmet so often depicted was still in use at this time, the Coolus-Mannheim was gradually replacing it, so both would have been a common sight on the battlefield. The remaining two poses wear spherical helmets with a wide brim, a Hellenistic style that could indicate the source of the helmets, or simply the adoption of the Greek style.

Body armour here is much more diverse, and these figures wear a variety of styles. Two wear mail styled in different ways, and five wear a lorica that is likely to be made of leather or stiffened fabric, some of which have been cut in the traditional Greek way. Then we have two figures wearing a coactile, a body garment made of layers of felt and wool stitched together diagonally in what is described as a Gallic style, and finally one man wears an outer tunic engraved with vertical stripes, also described as ‘Gallic style’, though whether this is stitching or decoration is unclear. Some of the men have one or two rows of pteruges at the waist or shoulders, and one in particular looks to have studs in his for extra protection. By this period it is thought that greaves were mostly only worn by Roman officers, but as many of the figures in this set may have only become Roman citizens when they signed up to a legion, several still wear these by now rather old-fashioned items. One man has wound strips of cloth round his lower legs for extra protection, and several others wear cloth or leather leggings something like more modern gaiters, presumably for the same reasons. Another man wears nothing on his lower legs but instead has a form of breeches under his tunic, and another wears trousers – something no true-blooded italic of the period would have been seen in, but clearly many or perhaps all of these figures are not italics. The one garment common to all is the sandals they wear, made up of strips that largely enclose the foot.

The mark of a Roman soldier was his belt, but of course any warrior of the period would need a belt to carry some weaponry, or even to help support the weight of a lorica. All the figures here wear one, either wide or thin, and largely unadorned. Most carry a sword on the right side, but a couple of figures support their sword from a baldric over the left shoulder. There are no daggers visible, although most will probably carry one somewhere.

While everyone carries a sword, all have them sheathed as every man holds a spear, which are all of the same length of 31 mm (2.23 metres) tip to toe. In most cases this is the classic Roman pilum, with a metal head and long, thin shank attached to a wooden shaft, and a metal butt spike. This made it an excellent throwing weapon, but it could and was also used in close combat on occasions. Two of the poses hold a more traditional form of spear, with a somewhat conical head attached to the shaft and a butt spike on the bottom. Everyone carries a shield of course, mostly oval in shape and about 18 mm (1.3 metres) long by 10 mm (72 cm) wide, although a few are a bit smaller. Two are more rectangular than the rest, and all have a vertical spine and central boss. Only one has any decoration engraved on it, and where the method of holding is shown, it is by a horizontal bar, as was the normal Roman way. However a couple have no detail as to the method of holding.

The figures in our first two rows are in good combat poses, suggesting either that the spear is about to be thrown, or else that it is being held in an aggressive manner, perhaps for close combat. We really liked all of these poses, aided as they are by the 3D printing that means the poses are perfectly lifelike and very nicely animated – none of the holding the spear over the top of the head here! The four men in the bottom row are clearly much more relaxed, perhaps on guard duty, or simply waiting around for someone to give them orders. To hurry up and wait is a condition every soldier in every age knows well, and these figures are perfect for troops lined up ready for the fight and waiting for the signal. Excellent poses all.

The sculpting is absolutely exemplary. Detail is phenomenal on these 3D printed figures, with all the various textures being very well done. A highlight is the tiniest details on things like helmet straps and the scabbards, all of which are beautifully done. The hands and faces are perfect, with excellent and characterful expressions, and the method of production means there is absolutely no flash, seam or unwanted material anywhere. Truly works of art in themselves.

The one fly in the ointment here is that they have been made rather too large – rare indeed was the Roman who reached a height of 1.87 metres, and while a few may well have achieved this height, as would some non-italic men, they were the exception, not the average as here. The theoretical minimum height for a legionary was five Roman feet 10 inches, which is 1.72 metres in modern measurement, but there is much evidence that this minimum was not strictly applied. Add to that the fact that during an emergency, for example a civil war, recruiters were probably even less likely to be picky than usual, and we thought these should have been made almost ten percent smaller. However in every other regard these are fabulous figures. To what extent such men made up the forces of Caesar on the field of Pharsalus is open to debate, as his legions were mostly recruited from either Italia or the Gallic provinces, but once Caesar had prevailed, and absorbed many of his enemies, it seems much more likely that such men would have been under his command. Of course they could also have served under Pompey, or elsewhere in the provinces, so they have many uses, but however you use them these are lovely figures, and certainly something a bit different for a key period in Roman history.