Graal Miniatures – Marius Mules Roman Kickstarter Teaser

Graal Miniatures is a new name, and Marius' Mules: Legend of Rome is its first project. Behind the label is Quentin Renaud, a French 3D artist who sculpts every miniature himself. The Kickstarter went live on Tuesday, 6 October, and Quentin was kind enough to send me a broad selection of models in advance, from regular legionaries to several character models.

Which Romans?

The range covers the late 2nd century BC, a period that rarely gets attention in 28mm. This is the army of Gaius Marius during the wars against the Cimbri and Teutones, the moment the Republic's legions began turning into the professional force that would later conquer Gaul. The name is a nod to the nickname Marius' soldiers earned for carrying their own kit on the march.

The range is designed as a complete army rather than a handful of display pieces. It includes legionaries, cavalry, auxiliaries, officers and historical characters. A command group with centurion, signifer and tubicen is part of it, and characters like Quintus Servilius Caepio and Lucius Cornelius Sulla show where the range is headed. Poses and equipment are modular, so your units won't look like twenty copies of the same man.

Printed in resin, made in France

All miniatures are sculpted digitally in 32mm heroic scale and printed in resin in France. What arrives at your door is not a raw print, though. The models come cleaned up, with supports removed and fully cured, so they are ready for assembly and priming straight out of the box. If you have ever spent an evening snipping supports and sanding off nubs, you will appreciate that.

Why this campaign is worth a look

Unlike many crowdfunding projects that launch with little more than renders, a large part of the army has already been sculpted and printed, and several models have been painted by Grich Kaa. What you see on the campaign page is real product, not a promise. The pile of Romans on my desk is proof of that.

If you prefer to print yourself, Graal Miniatures also runs a Patreon (and prepared a MyMinifactory Account), which offers STL files of exclusive characters and warlords. The Kickstarter's stretch goals are set to expand the Roman forces, and Gauls and Germanic peoples are under consideration for 2027. Opponents for the Marian legions would be the logical next step.

Pledges start at 59 EUR, and the funding goal is 5,000 EUR. The campaign runs until Saturday, 7 November, and delivery is planned from January 2027.

More to come

This is just a first look to mark the launch. The models only just arrived, so I will take my time with them and publish a full review in the coming days. That will include a closer look at sculpting and print quality, how the thinner parts like spears and pila hold up, and how the Romans fit alongside other ranges.

Marius' Mules: Legend of Rome on Kickstarter

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