In my last post I showed how I made a Cohort of XIV Legion. I have now completed the whole legion. As I explained in my previous post, my figures are in just one rank, so at a 1:20 figure ratio, each stand represents a Century of 80 men. I have also reduced them from the 28mm size in the Paperboys Roman Invasion book to 20mm, which fits all of my existing terrain and 15mm scale buildings. I would normally deploy my Cohorts is in their standard battle formation of Posterior Centuries drawn up behind Prior Centuries. Here is the First Cohort, which has five double size Centuries, represented by 10 stands, rather than the six Centuries of the other Cohorts. Just behind the normal command stand (in the centre) is the Legion’s Eagle stand.

The stands are quite thick since they are weighted to make them more stable on a wargames table. The figures are all mounted to their stands using the new Paperboys system of gluing their feet directly to the stand with no upright guide to attach them to. Their right feet are also slightly set back to give them more animation. As I mentioned in my previous post, I have used a green base paper, since that blends in with my existing terrain, which the normal Paperboys base paper does not. The First Cohort are in a different pose to the other Cohorts, so that I can identify them easily. I intend amending Andy Callan’s excellent rules in the Paperboys Roman Invasion book, to give the First Cohort of each Legion Elite status, as though a Leader has joined them, although he will not need to do so,

Paperboys suggest snipping the figures out using scissors. I prefer using a craft knife, It may take longer but is more accurate. The ones I have used for many years, for plastic figures, paper figures and card houses, are cheap throwaway Stanley knives.

Each Legion had its own Equites Legionis (Legionary Cavalry). They were organised as four Turmae (Troops) each of 30 men. At my 1:20 ratio I have assumed that each 3 figure stand is two Turmae. I converted the central figure on one stand to a Decurion by copy and paste.

The Equites Legionis were uses as scouts and messengers, but this is not easy to represent with Paperboys figures. When they were not doing that they acted as an escort for the Legatus (Legion Commander) so that is how I will normally use mine.

One of the scenarios in the Paperboys Roman Invasion book allows Roman Cavalry to dismount, so I have created alternate dismounted figures.

I have assumed that two stands of cavalrymen (3 figures each) dismount as one stand of four foot figures. I changed their shields to oval cavalry ones, in the red colour and design which I have used for my XIV Legion, by copy and paste. I then made two stands of dismounted horses, each with one horse-holder.

The rules in the Roman Invasion book say that Scorpion Catapults can be deployed as units of three catapults or attached separately to other units. The Legion would have had 59 catapults (possibly 64 if the First Cohort had two per double strength Century), so at my 1:20 ratio, 3 Scorpion Catapults fits this perfectly.

The instructions for making the Catapults in the Roman Invasion book says that the base frame should be glued to the stand. However, I thought that the base frame looked a little thin, so I glued it to another piece of 100gsm paper before cutting it out.

I then glued the base frame to the stand. Because I have reduced everything from 28mm to 20mm, I made the stand 25mm square rather than 30mm square. I think the base frame looks better now that I have made it thicker.

I then cut out the front part of the Scorpion stand and glued it to the base frame.

I then cut out the rear part of the Scorpion stand and glued that into position.

The instructions for making the Scorpions say that the body of the Scorpion itself is just folded and glued. I thought that was a bit flimsy for use on a wargames table, so used 2mm card inside the Scorpion parts to make them more substantial. I then didn’t need the tabs to glue the parts since they were just glued to the thick card. I put a square inside the front of the Scorpion then glued the image to it. I wrapped the firing rail around the card, then cut the spare card away.

I then glued the firing rail to the Scorpion front box.

Then glued the Scorpion to its stand.

Finally, here is a Scorpion complete with its two man crew.

It is important when cutting out individual figures to get the front and back alignment of their legs exactly correct. I facilitated that by cutting around the legs before folding and gluing them.

I have used copy and paste to put a small Parma style shield on the back of my Scorpion crewmen. There is no historical justification for this, but with my (over ambitious) plans to create several Legions, I wanted to be able to identify which Legion the Scorpions belonged to, and so I used this small Parma shield in the red colour which I have chosen for my XIV Legion.

The Paperboys Roman Invasion book contains figures of a Scorpion crew carrying a Scorpion on their shoulders.

I preferred to model this as a Scorpion crew marching followed by a mule carrying the Scorpion and a muleteer. The mule (complete with Scorpion) and the Muleteer come from the Paperboys Republican Roman CR12 – Roman Commanders and Scorpion sheet. I have shown the crew carrying their Parma shields in front of them.

Here is the Legatus (Legate) in command of the Legion. I wanted to show him as a two figure group so used a pair of figures from the Republican Roman CR12 – Roman Commanders and Scorpion sheet.

I glued a piece a card onto the Vexilla flag to show the Legion Number as “LEG XIV”.

I like my commanders being on circular or oval bases to pick them out easily.

The Legate and his standard bearer are mounted on a 20mm circular base, using a 2 euro cent coin as a weight inside the base ( I collected a lot of 1, 2 and 5 euro cent coins when we had our second home in Spain).

Here are a Tribunus Laticlavius (the Second in Command of the Legion), in the centre, one of the Tribuni Angusticlavii,, on the left as you look at it, plus the Praefectus Castrorum. on the right as you look at it. They are all on 15mm circular bases, weighted with a 1 euro cent coin.

Here is the complete XIV Legion. The ten Cohorts are drawn up in a Triplex Acies formation, with four Cohorts in the first line and three in each of the next two lines. The large First Cohort is on the right of the first line. I have shown the Legion’s Scorpion Artillery grouped together in the front centre.

Here is a close up of the Legion’s Scorpion Artillery. commanded by the Praefectus Castrorum. They have their mules (with spare bolts in pannier baskets) and their muleteers behind them.

Here is a close up of the Legatus Legionis in front of the Equites Legionis.

Next, I am going to model the Auxilia who accompanied the XIV Legion. I will depict these as Cohortes I to VIII Batavorum, plus two Ala (Cavalry Wings), Ala I Batavorum and Ala I Thacum. I am also going to add a cohort of archers, I Hamiorum Sagittariorum. It is known these archers served on Hadrian’s Wall, but not whether they were attached to a particular Legion.