Victrix – Ancient Greek Hoplites

At the beginning of the year, Victrix Miniatures released new Greek Hoplites (VXA050) as a plastic kit. Although the previous version is still available, it is also one of Victrix's oldest kits.

As typical for Victrix, the minis come in a larger plastic bag. The bag contains 48 Hoplites, consisting of six different bodies that can be combined with pairs of arms with spears or swords. 15 arms are armed with spears, seven with a sword.

There are also 15 head variants on the sprue, ten of which can be assembled with or without a helmet crest. These are extremely detailed, from the lion decorations on the cheek pieces to the hair hanging out, allowing you to build your own version of Achilles, for example. The helmet variant with two hair crests is also great, which will please Mortal Gods players in particular who want to lead a Spartan Krypteia into battle.

The most striking feature of the bodies is the linothoraxes with scale armor, which did not previously exist in the old hoplite castings and where other manufacturers' pewter products had to be used as an alternative.

Also great are the shield arms, which are now no longer part of the body piece, allowing for more poses.

Linothorax

It is not known exactly when the linothorax was first used. Due to the human physionomy, similar armor has long been present in antiquity and has also been adopted by other cultures. The form known from the Greek Hoplites originated around 500 BC, in different variations. However, the basic form always consisted of several layers of linen fabric and glue laid on top of each other. Later versions were padded with fabric and/or reinforced with bronze.

 Persian armor had a similar design, but often offered better protection without sacrificing too much mobility thanks to overlapping scale segments. So-called bell-shaped armor, on the other hand, was the strongest variant in the Hellenistic region and usually consisted of two solid pieces, a front and a back. The production of linothoraxes though was so cheap during antiquity that for a time it even seemed to replace the more stable bell-shaped armor for a while.

A big bonus is the two-part body in the sprue. You can easily assemble it in its original pose, but if you want to create even more dynamic, you can simply cut off the attachment on the underside of the upper body.

There were no difficulties during assembly, the castings were very clean and sharp across the board. In addition, the different equipment options and natural poses make it very easy to integrate them into existing model ranges. For example, on the left is a Hoplite from the old range next to a Hoplite from the new pack.

Here is a Hoplite with a helmet shape that was typical for Thespians and a Boeotian shield (from Footsore Miniatures).

Furthermore, the different helmets make it easy to represent Hoplites from different regions or of higher rank (if this is provided for in the system you are playing).

Another plus is the option of swords. Although the Hoplite's equipment with spear and shield is typical, there were enough situations in which the Hoplite had to fall back on his emergency weapon. For game systems, especially when it comes to skirmishers, the sword option is visually appealing.

But the spear variants also look great - the more natural poses of the bodies also create the right battle flair here and can be used to depict some really beautiful, heroic poses:

In terms of spacing, the minis can also be placed in the regiment, although they probably look best if you place the more dynamic poses in the front rank and the older variants behind them, as these are much more static and can be placed closer together. The new pack of Hoplites should therefore be tested before placing them in the regiment.

In terms of size, the new Hoplites fit perfectly into the scales of different manufacturers, as they are slightly larger than the old Hoplites, but their size lies exactly between the old Hoplites and larger scales. Here in comparison with Lucid Eye Publications and Footsore Miniatures:

A size comparison shows that the Hoplites fit in well with other model ranks. Manufacturers from left to right: Footsore Miniatures, Victrix New, Victrix Old, Lucid Eye Publications

Detailed images of the differences in size:

Hoplite

In the archaic and classical periods, this was probably the most common type of soldier in the Hellenistic area. The term itself actually only refers to an armed man who had enough money to afford better equipment and is not derived from the more recent term for the shield (hoplon).

 In most cases, a Hoplite was therefore an ordinary citizen who could pay for armor (linothorax and bronze helmet), the aspis (shield) and weapons (spear and sword) from his own funds. The term for the entire equipment is “panoplia”.

 There are only two known cases of standing armies - the Spartans, who were forbidden to engage in worldly employment, and the Thebans, who kept an army of 300 soldiers in full-time employment (called the Sacred Bond, because the army was made up of 150 homosexual couples).

Conclusion

The sharpness and accuracy of fit of the new kit can easily compete with those of the market giants. The scale also allows mixing with many different kits in the classic or slightly larger 28mm scale, for all those who perhaps like it a little more fantastic. Added to this is the unbeatable price of just under one euro per figure (approx. 50 euros for 48 miniatures). It is worth noting that Victrix has registered for IOSS, so european customers can buy directly from them without additional custom fees.

The frame itself makes good use of its space and offers a pleasing number of options for assembly. The spacing is also chosen so that it is highly unlikely to cause any damage when clipping the parts.

Does this render the old Hoplites obsolete? Not at all - because here comes the only downside of the new Hoplites. Apart from the trophy held aloft, there are no options to further customize them. No helmets pushed back, helmets tucked under the arm or capes. Even unhelmeted heads are not included in the frame.

However, given the quality of the product and the extremely good ratio of price to value, I am more than willing to neglect this fact. If you want more variety, you could split an old and a new pack of Hoplites. From my point of view, I can only recommend the new Hoplites. They can be mixed very well with figures from other manufacturers without disturbing the overall picture and offer a lot of fun when building and painting due to their clean build quality - this is probably the best kit of Hoplites currently on the market.

The reviewed product item was provided by the manufacturer Victrix Miniatures.