15 mm Byzantine Heavy Cavalry (Essex Miniatures)

Introduction

This is the second batch from the 52 riders I bought on eBay. As with the Georgians before them, they came without horses, so I mounted the riders on a mix of horses from my lead pile and others I picked up from Fighting15s and eBay.

They form another part of my “fantasy” Byzantine army. I call it fantasy because I am making no attempt to be historically representative. The only thing the units have in common is that they all began life as bargain buys at a show or on eBay.

It's habit forming

My "bargain packs" always seem to grow into major projects.

In 2024 I bought two dozen Museum Miniatures Byzantine light spearmen, which I eventually turned into medium spear and light infantry. I also added some Donnington figures, which are a good size match, to introduce a bit more variation in pose.

In 2025 I bought two dozen Museum Miniatures Byzantine light archers, and I am now halfway through painting them. They will serve as medium archers, rear ranks for mixed spear-and-bow units, and light infantry. Again, I have added a few Donnington figures (so far just three command figures) and I will use more Donnington figures for the front rank spearmen.

I have come to enjoy building an army from bargain buys. I paint so slowly that I have plenty of time to hunt for anything else I need, and so far no single purchase has cost more than a tenner.

I never intended to start a new army when I began this project, and I still have not decided whether the units will be for Midgard or ADLG.

Figure review

The Essex riders (BZA23 & BZ24a) are excellent sculpts, and I had no trouble painting them. I chose to paint the forearm of the lance arm red with yellow trim, even though it is sculpted as armoured; that is artistic licence, as is the regimented appearance of the unit.

The next image shows the Minifigs (14ZH) and Fighting15s horses from the side, along with the shield design. The Minifigs horse legs are a little thin, so I will need to handle them carefully during games. On the other hand, the horse armour was much easier to paint.

Closing remarks

It's good to post some new figures: the last few posts have all been a bit techie.

I have another six of these Byzantine heavy cavalry to paint, and I'll start them as soon as I decide on a shield design. After that, there's four light horse and twelve medium cavalry to do. Better get cracking.