Alexander's Companion Cavalry

This is the latest unit for my WAB Macedonian army. As with the Thessalians, I picked these figures up on eBay for a pretty good price. The downside was that I couldn't be too choosy about poses. Still, I was able to build a unit with a good mix of helmets and armor.

The Foundry horses are decent sculpts, but there are only four variants. I painted them in five different colors for this unit. As the companions were drawn from the aristocracy, I was generous with blazes and socks, figuring that the men would ride the best looking mounts they could find.

I painted the figures in the later uniform. They wear a red short sleeved tunic (or a purple long sleeved tunic), a sand colored cloak with purple trim, and bronze helmets instead of the earlier helmets in regimental colors. I used North Star pikes, cutting them down slightly for the xyston. The xyston are a little under-sized on these figures to keep them from being too unweildy on the gaming table.

This figure is a senior officer, indicated by his more ornate armor and horsehair plume. He rides on Alexander's right. He wears the regulation long sleeved tunic.

Alexander awarded laurel wreath emblems to men who had performed an heroic action. I only gave one of my nine troopers this mark of valor. This figure wears a muscle cuirass, probably marking a Thessalian cavalryman rather than a companion. But again, I bought these figures on eBay and couldn't be picky.

So here they are, the biggest and baddest Macedonians, the hammer which would strike the Persians on the phalanx's anvil. With Alexander leading from the front, this unit should sweep all before it.