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In-Box Review
Celtic Chief
Celtic Chief I.Century B.C |  |
by: Engin Kayral [ ]
about the figure
People referred to as Celts first appear, in Greek texts, during the period archaeologists call the Iron Age. This was the last phase of prehistory, which in Europe North of the Alps comprises roughly the last 600 to 800 years BC. The Iron Age conventionally ends with the gradual conquest of Western Europe and much of Britain by the Romans, which is taken to mark the beginning of recorded history.
During these centuries, the Celts, also known as Gauls or Galatians, became the most feared of all the barbarian peoples beyond the world of Greek and Roman urban civilization.
The figure RM 54-090 represents a Celtic Chief in I.Century B.C.
box
The figure comes in Romeo Models 10th Anniversary metal box in 130 x 90 x 50 mm. dimensions. The four sides of the metal box includes the company logo and the bottom of the box gives company information and some warnings about white metal models. The front cover shows one big and two small photos of the painted figure from different angles which can basically serve as a painting guide.
Inside the box, there is an A4 paper sheet including short historical note about Celts prepared by Guiseppe Marseglia and represented in 2 languages; Italian and English.
Parts are packed carefully between two slabs of thick white polyfoam and the figure base is placed under the polyfoam not to damage the figure parts.
parts
The figure is sculpted by Gianni La Rocca and made up of 7 white metal parts and a figure base. All parts have a flawless casting and details are crisp. There will be not much need for a cleanwork, the figure can be primed and painted after a short metal brushing.
Body : He wears a sleeved tunic and trousers with narrow trotters. When painting ; note that Celts cloths were checkered, speckled, striped or multi-colored. Over his tunic, he carries a square brass chest plate decorated with big studs, attached to his body with metal rings and leather straps on shoulders and both sides of the body. He has a sword belt made of big metal rings.As for the foot gear; he wears leather shoes. The cloth folds of tunic and trousers, breast plate, straps of the plate and ring belt are all well defined.
Cloak : He wears a long cloak crossed on the right shoulder and secured with a big metal brooch. The folds of the cloak, chest plate part, shoulder straps of the plate, hair on the neck are wll represented. Left arm under the cloak carrying the shield is sculpted on this part.
Head : Facial details, moustache, beard and long hair are well defined. He wears a Monteforino type helmet in conical shape, trims on the edges and forming a neck guard on the back side. The helmet has big cheek guards,wings on both sides and a horsehair crest on the top.
Right arm : Posed to carry the sword. Note that this part can be glued after body and cloak assembly. The sword is a long sword with short handguards. Celtic swords were designed to mirror the owner’s bravery, bloodlust, and ferocity. They were heavy by design, razor-sharp, and purposely crafted to intimidate any foe. They had stylised anthropomorphic hilts made from organic material, such as wood, bone, or horn. These swords also usually had an iron plate in front of the guard that was shaped to match the scabbard mouth.
Shield : He carries an oblong shield with a metal boss centered. Celtic foot soldiers used oblong shields as the cavalry used round shields. Celtic shields were primarily made of organic materials, wood and hide. The shield board was comprised of solid wood or vertical planks, covered in hide. The hide protected the wood from warping in the rain, and it prevented splintering when struck in battle. Attached to the center of the shield face was the boss. This hollow object provided room for the user to hold the horizontal metal or wooden hand-grip. The boss protected the hand and could be used offensively to punch the enemy. A wooden boss was often covered on the front by an iron plate. A typically all-metal boss was made of iron. It appeared as a hemisphere with circular flange or as an oblong shape with butterfly wing-shaped flange.
Scabbard : It makes a nice fit to the hole on the left side of the body.Note that it should be assembled before the shield.
Dagger : Dagger with a cross shaped hilt will be attached to the hole on the right side but don’t forget the assembly should be done before attaching body and cloak parts.
Figure base : Small base representing a rocky texture covered with snow.
references
The following books and websites can be useful when painting this figure.
Osprey Publishing - Warrior 030 - Celtic Warrior 300 BC-100 AD by Stephen Allen & Wayne Reynolds
Osprey Publishing - Men At Arms 158 - Rome’s Enemies 2 Gallic and British Celts by Peter Wilcox & Angus McBride
Concord Publications - 6003 - Ancient Celts by Tim Newark & Angus McBride
conclusion
Nice sculpted figure in a strong posing and high quality cast. Another unique figure from Romeo Models for the fans of the period.
Highly Recommended
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