Unboxing the Hoplites.

After my disparaging words about the Cypriot Postal Service the god's of irony have struck  The Hoplites arrived, exactly a week after ordering them.  Something like 2500 miles.  Excellent service.

So, why Warlord Games Hoplites?  Basically because these are precisely what I need to start Men of Bronze.  


Of  the 42 figures one is clearly the Strategos, with a musician, five have bronze armour, twenty-five linen and ten have no armour.  They are all in the usual hard grey plastic.

Rich and poor hoplite equipment would clearly differ in quality so mixing of types is probably fine, and in later periods unarmoured Hoplites were perhaps an answer to skirmishing enemy.  My unarmoured guys will however be drafted as Peltasts and Psiloi.

That leaves me 30 Hoplites and the commander with his musician.  It also gives me ten unused hoplite shields to turn into Arete points markers.   

Warlord include shield transfers, mercifully, as well as the usual collection of bits and pieces.  A very nice touch are ten arrows to decorate shields.  

It just takes the pain out of painting these guys.  I always find "heraldry" like this daunting.  I also note that Victrix do not have transfers included and that they can be as much a £5 a sheet.  It all adds to the price.

The five main Sprues have eight Hoplites each.  Six armoured two Unarmoured ... but you would probably have worked that out already...
There are a good range of helmets here, with separate crests.
I'll have to go back to the Ospreys to find the best helmet type for the Ionian influenced Cypriots. 

Some really nice additions in there, shield curtains, (probably a proper Greeky word for them) swords and different crests.

When using Men of Bronze the box of Warlord Hoplites gives me three Hoplite groups and a group of Peltasts, or two of Psiloi using the size of group I can muster:

2 Drilled Hoplites  @20,

1 Militia Hoplites @8,

2 Psiloi  @4

Total 32 Points.
Thats most of one army, all from one box.  A nice start.