Incoming: Kaustic Plastik 1/6 Roman gladiator Retiarius "Astacius"

This will be the Kaustic Plastik 1/6 scale "Astacius" Retiarius 12-inch gladiator figure as seen in Rome, Italy, circa 300 A.D. All the figures by Kaustic Plastik are completelly designed in Italy (Kaustic Plastik is based in Rome, home of the gladiators), just the final prodution was made in China. Kaustic Plastik is an italian company and this gives them the opportunity to make a "direct" research on the archelogical places, where the Ancient Roman lived.

The Retiarius (plural retiarii; literally, "net-man" or "net-fighter" in Latin) was a Roman gladiator who fought with equipment styled on that of a fisherman: a weighted net (rete, hence the name), a three-pointed trident (fuscina or tridens), and a dagger (pugio). The retiarius was lightly armoured, wearing an arm guard (manica) and a shoulder guard (galerus).

Typically, his clothing consisted only of a loincloth (subligaculum) held in place by a wide belt, or of a short tunic with light padding. He wore no head protection or footwear. The retiarius was routinely pitted against a heavily armed secutor. The net-fighter made up for his lack of protective gear by using his speed and agility to avoid his opponent's attacks and waiting for the opportunity to strike.

He first tries to throw his net over his rival. If this succeeds, he then attacks with his trident while his adversary is entangled. Another tactic was to ensnare his enemy's weapon in the net and pull it out of his grasp, leaving the opponent defenseless. Should the net miss or the secutor grabs hold of it, the retiarius will most likely discard the net, although he might try to collect it back for a second cast.

Usually, the retiarius had to rely on his trident and dagger to finish the fight. The trident, as tall as a human being, permitted the gladiator to jab quickly and keep his distance. It was a strong weapon, capable of inflicting piercing wounds on an unprotected skull or limb. The dagger was the retiarius's final backup should the trident be lost. It was reserved for when close combat or a straight wrestling match was required to settle the bout.

This Kaustic Plastik 1/6 scale "Astacius" Retiarius 12-inch gladiator figure will come with "life-like" head sculpt with "state of art" paint (the Retiarius' head sculpt was inspired by Italian Footballer Francesco Totti), newly developed muscular body "Realistik Body" KP01A, Retiarius shoulder guard "galerus" based on Pompeii (Italy) original model (Die-cast Metal), Retiarius Trident "fusciana or tridens" (Die-cast Metal and Wood), Retiarius small dagger "pugio" (Die-cast Metal blade), Retiarius special four spikes dagger "quadrens" (Die-cast Metal blade), Fabric Cushion gaiter and shoulder armor pad, Leatherlike Arm guard "manica" and belt, Retiarius net "rete".

ALL the metal parts of Kaustic Plastik gladiator releases (including the metal blades, weapons, pieces of armour and helmet are TOTALLY MADE of METAL! - how's that for authenticity!!) Even better, they are not the classic "white metal" often used in die cast productions but the "right kind" of metal for each piece. So the bronze parts are made in a league of Metal mixed with real bronze to get it as close to the real thing as possible. For this reason, the "look" of the armours as you can see it's totally realistic!!

You can order the Kaustic Plastik 1/6 scale "Astacius" Retiarius 12-inch Roman gladiator figure on their website HERE. Their products are also distributed in USA by Cotswold Collectibles and they are very proud of this because Cotswold Collectibles is one of the oldest company totally dedicated to Action Figures!