MiniArt 1/16 Praetorian Guardsman

by Hamilkar Barkas

Hello my friends :-)

This figure is from the Ukrainian manufacturer MiniArt. The quality is really bad, it is impossible to assemble the figure without using filler, but the figures are beneficial (12 €) and i like the motives that MiniArt offers.


This figure depicts a Praetorian Guardsman (# 16006) stationed near or in Rome in the 2nd century A.D. It is basically the same kit as the Roman Legionary i built several weeks ago. There is just a additional sprue included for the different type of helmet. I decided to replace the limbs to give the figure a different look, because the Praetorian would have the same pose as the previous Legionary.


I painted the figure with acrylic paints from Revell and Lifecolor and oil paints from MIG Production. Usually people would paint the Tunica of the Soldier with red paint but this time I decided to use a dark purple paint (inspired by the Praetorians appearing in the movie "Gladiator").
The included decal for the scutum of the Praetorian was very hard to handle, it is a very thick one and there is always the danger of cracking. I sealed the decal with Humbrol Decal Fix.


The whole project was some kind of training to improve my skills because i have four white metal figures from Pegaso in my storage and i want to paint them with some new techniques.



The Praetorian Guard (Latin: Prætoriani) was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC. The Guard was dissolved by Emperor Constantine I in the 4th century.
The term Praetorian derived from the tent of the commanding general or praetor of a Roman army in the field—the praetorium. They were an elite recruitment of Roman citizens. It was a habit of many Roman generals to choose from the ranks a private force of soldiers to act as guards of the tent or the person. They consisted of both infantry and cavalry. In time, this cohort came to be known as the cohors praetoria, and various notable figures possessed one, including Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and Augustus (Octavian). As Caesar discovered with the Legio X Equestris, a powerful unit more dangerous than its fellow legions was desirable in the field. When Augustus became the first ruler of the Roman Empire in 27 BC, he decided such a formation was useful not only on the battlefield but in politics also. Thus, from the ranks of the legions throughout the provinces, Augustus recruited the Praetorian Guard.
The Guards began to play an increasingly ambitious and bloody game in the Empire. With the right amount of money, or at will, they assassinated emperors, bullied their own prefects, or turned on the people of Rome. (wikipedia)