Cataphracts

[DaiSho]

Hi All,

I've just finished painting up some Cataphracts.

I want to make them as generic as possible so I can use them as Romans, Saka, Pamyrans, pretty much anything.

I painted 100% from memory, and am pretty happy with the overall result, but I just have a quick question from the Cataphract afficiado's out there.

Do most Cataphracts wear some kind of facial armour? I've seen the Roman types who wear a metal mask, and that's how I painted these guys (with the 'face' painted silver).

Any thoughts?

Ian

[marioslaz]

I painted 100% from memory, and am pretty happy with the overall result, but I just have a quick question from the Cataphract afficiado's out there.

Do most Cataphracts wear some kind of facial armour? I've seen the Roman types who wear a metal mask, and that's how I painted these guys (with the 'face' painted silver).

If my memory doesn't fail, I think also Seleucids' Cataphracts wore a facial mask in metal. I think this could be good also for other orientals.

[DaiSho]

If my memory doesn't fail, I think also Seleucids' Cataphracts wore a facial mask in metal. I think this could be good also for other orientals.

Thanks Mario.

I painted them as such, but looking at the mini I think they are meant to be painted flesh with bears. But then again, I've seen plenty of bearded masks in my time, so I don't think it looks particularly bad with silver 'faces'.

Thanks again for your viewpoint

Ian

[Delbruck]

Some definetly had face masks (see Ammianus Marcellinus' description of Sassanid cataphracts), but it is also likely that some did not. Armor was probably mixed, similiar to medieval European knights and men-at-arms. Everything is really speculative since evidence is minimal, and we really don't understand the difference, if any, between catapracts and clibanarii.

See previous discussion:
viewtopic.php?t=9779

[marioslaz]

I painted them as such, but looking at the mini I think they are meant to be painted flesh with bears. But then again, I've seen plenty of bearded masks in my time, so I don't think it looks particularly bad with silver 'faces'.

I found a strong point of 15mm is you can easily do some adaptations with just paint. Indeed it's hard to say if a Cataphract have or not a face mask in such scale, so you can choose to paint it in both ways. Some years ago I made a unit of Italian Guard of Napoleon's age. Nobody at that time have this troops on their range (and I suppose not even now) so I used English light dragoons in campaign dress. With just painting I got an excellent result.

Thanks again for your viewpoint

Ian

It's always a pleasure.