The Gauls Muster for Battle

My last unit of Senones (Cisalpine Gauls) is getting dressed for battle. Once they are done the Senone contingent will be complete and ready to take on the dastardly Romans.

Primed and ready for painting are two groups of 6 nobles. They are a mix of 28mm Victrix plastics and Foundry metals.

With complex shield designs I like to paint the shields first, separate from the bodies. As usual they are a mix of Little Big Man transfers with some being hand-painted. My previous Senone units had uniform shield-base colours to give a degree of visual coherence to the groups. I decided that the nobles would be more likely to splash out on individualistic colours and so this time I have not restrained myself. I think this will make the nobles stand out even more.

These days I like to paint relatively few figures in one go — especially when they have lots of intricate detail such as checks and stripes. So I first painted six of the 12 and have now begun on the second six. I like to paint armour first as my technique involves lots of dry brushing of succeeding lighter shades over a black wash. This inevitably causes spill-over onto other parts of the figure which I touch up with white before painting the rest of the miniature in my usual method of skin first and then clothing from the inside out.

The Gauls are credited with inventing chain mail but it did not become widespread until the 3^rd C BC. It looks like these Senones have a great smith amongst them who has been able to equip many of the nobles with the newly invented mail. Others wear linothorax armour adopted from their Greek, Etruscan and Roman opponents.

Their dress and equipment displays artistic flair, skilled craftsmanship and advanced metallurgic techniques.

This is vastly superior to what the primitive Romans and Etruscans can ever hope to achieve.

Vitalstatistix’s Senone contingent for Andy Hawes’ Dux Italica is now complete and mustered for battle.

It comprises Vitalstatisix's nobles, Acostix’s warriors, Fanatix’s gaesati, Domina Aetrix’s chariots, and a group of slingers. They are accompanied by the druid Getafix and Cacophonix the piper.