1:72 Late Roman Cataphract Cavalry

HäT 1:72 Late Roman Cataphract Cavalry

A set of plastic figures in 1:72 scale from the brand HäT. The package contains twelve riders in four poses and horses in two poses. The figures are unpainted and the riders have to be seated in the saddle. The cataphract cavalry rounds off the late Roman range, in which the manufacturer also offers heavy infantry and missile detachments of the same period.

The real subject

The cataphracts were heavily armored riders whose armor covered both man and horse. The Roman army took this type from its eastern opponents, above all from the Parthians and the Sasanians, and built them into a striking fist capable of breaking a close infantry formation. The units of clibanarii and catafractarii appear in the late Roman list of offices among the elite formations, and their center of gravity lay on the eastern frontier of the empire.

Building and painting tips

Wash the plastic in lukewarm soapy water, dry it and spray it with a flexible primer. The scale armor of rider and horse is the main motif of the set, so a dark base and a dry brush in a steel or bronze shade pay off, bringing out every scale. Leave the colored pennants and saddlecloths for last; they set off an otherwise monotonously metallic formation. Seat the riders in the saddle only once the horse is painted, otherwise you cannot reach the lower parts.

Who the set is for

• for collectors of the armies of late antiquity
• for players of wargames in 1:72 scale
• for builders of dioramas of the eastern frontier of the empire
• for adding heavy cavalry to the late Roman infantry

The figures are supplied unpainted and unassembled. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.