Building anew, a Late Roman army for the eastern front, presented me with an opportunity to order the remodelled legionnaires and auxilia offered by Old Glory. The difference is very nice; shields are larger and helmets have improved, though half an auxilia pack are bare-headed (German units?). Not every player will recognise shield patterns for legion (4Bd) and auxilia (4Ax); to solve the problem of identification I will add Draco standards to distinguish them and the elite cavalry units (4Kn/3Kn) from standard equites.
A dozen Draco standards were planned, four tor the cavalry and eight for the infantry. I have produced many Draco standards in the past, but this entailed a long process with constant correction with much trial and error.
A lesson learned, brass wire (.8 mm) was shaped to produce a wavy tail, small head and an ample foot piece for the standard to be glued to a base.
Milliput was applied to the ‘tail’ only and curled along its length. A moistened needle served to shape wings and spine. These were left overnight to harden.
Google, “Late Roman Draco Standards” and you will find examples of the Draco with an open mouth, eyes on either side above the mouth and on top, a comb. Done this way, completing the 12 standards took little time to complete and sculpting a head was easy.
The standards turned out well and will be undercoated later this evening.
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