ZVEZDA plastic figure set 8052 Roman Auxilliary Infantry soldiers from the 1st to 2nd century A.D.
45 injection moulded plastic figures in grey with separate shields and weapons.
Ideal companion to set Z8043 Roman Imperial Legionaries.
Figures include Centurion,Signifer,Musician,3 slingers,12 archers,27 infantry.
Auxilliaries only functioned as support troops and were mainly utilized for border missions. Normally ,they participated in large scale military operations together with the legionaries. Auxilliary troops were recruited from both the empire's population who were not Roman citizens and the Empire's conquered people. However,since Emperor Augustus there had been at least 70 auxilliary cohorts of professional veterans which were organized by the same principles as the legions.
Zvezda have never been afraid to use multiple parts to create the best poses and this set is as good an example as any. All the soldiers are actually sheltering behind their shield rather than simply carrying it, and all have plenty of action about them. All shields are separate but so too are some arms, which allows for the great poses but also allows some scope for changing the orientation of the arm and even swapping between poses.
Zvezda sculpting has long been consistently excellent and nothing much has changed here. The detail is excellent throughout and the texture of the mail is astonishing. Although not always quite as deep and sharp as some Zvezda output it is still a hard standard to equal. Where separate arms or weapons need assembling these are always well engineered – nothing requires any gluing at all, yet the fit is rock solid. The cornucen with his instrument is a stand out example of the art of the figure maker, with both arms separate to make a superb pose that is anything but flat. Flash is minimal and so too is excess plastic, so this is another first-rate design exercise.
Zvezda sets such as this are a joy and in our view represent the very best that this hobby delivers. Others have a more comprehensive range or more poses, but as individual works of art Zvezda figures are almost never bettered, and these auxiliaries would grace any early Imperial Roman army.
credit-Plastic Soldier Review.
