Beja Warband

Finished the last of the Beja foot this month, completing a warband.

The last 6 spear-armed Beja from my unpainted box...

The first Beja warband

British Zulu Wars Heliograph

This heliograph set from Black Tree provides my Zulu War British with long-range comms capability (admittedly one-way until I get another set...).

 

Beja Warriors

To back up the Beja camelry I've started on the Perry miniatures Beja warband that Andy kindly bought me for Xmas a couple of years back.  This bunch are armed with spears and throwing sticks.

The figures are Perry miniatures 28mm metal

Figures are undercoated in white and painted in acrylics.  Bases are tetrion on coins with sand and static grass

Mounted Boers

Back to South Africa for a couple of mounted Boers after a bit of break from 28mm figures to finish a couple more 15mm Napoleonic infantry battalions..  The Boer figures are from Black Tree.  I've based them on plasticard so that a unit of 6 mounted figures will take up the same frontage as a company of regular infantry.

Beja Camelry

Andy had bought me a stack of Perry Miniatures Mahdists a couple of Christmases ago: some infantry, some command figures, and six Beja camel riders.  With the Paddle Steamer completed I thought it was time to get these other Sudan figures painted up.

The figures are based on 6cm x 3cm plasticard to match the rest of my Black Powder bases

Redoubt Paddle Steamer completed

With the completion of the infantry, the Redoubt kit is now finished after 4 months.  I'm planning an initial gaming scenario using it as a Congo paddle steamer with my Darkest Africa stuff while I get on with painting sufficient Beja opposition to use it in a Sudan game.

The Redoubt illustration doesn't allow for the figures to be based, and doesn't include all the figures that come in the set (eg the chaps stoking the engine)

Cressida Rose

Given that the bases take up space on deck there are more figures in the set than appear in the pictures above.  At some point I think I'll also fashion some steam to attach to the smokestack...

13th (Somersetshire) Light Infantry - Part Two

With these last 6 figures, I've now completed the full Redoubt Paddle Steamer set.  Will take some pics of the full set tomorrow, but for now, these are the last of the infantry.

The other half of the firing line...

The full company (without officers as yet) on magnetised bases for Black Powder

13th (Somersetshire) Light infantry - Part One

In addition to the Paddle Steamer itself, crew, support weapons and Naval Brigade, the Redoubt Paddle Steamer kit comes with a company of British Sudan infantry.  I had a bit of a dilemma in deciding on how to paint these - whether to go with the later Sudan uniforms of grey or khaki, or go for scarlet so that I could use the unit alongside my Zulu Wars British infantry.  In the end I opted for the earlier uniform, choosing that of the 13th (Somersetshire) Light Infantry, counterparts for my existing companies of the 24th foot (like this chap) who took a bit of a pasting at Isandlwana.  And scarlet was worn in the Sudan (by the Yorkshire Regiment at the Battle of Ginniss at the end of 1885) so they'll be good to take on the Beja at some point too.  Just six more of these chaps to go and that will be all the elements of the Steamer kit.

Royal Artillery 7lb Screw Gun

Aside from the Nordenfelt machine gun, the Cressida Rose Paddle Steamer also comes complete with a 7lb Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) screw gun from Redoubt Miniatures.  Several of these mountain guns were deployed in the Anglo-Zulu war and in the First and Second Boer Wars.  Given their provenance I have painted the Royal Artillery crew in the earlier Zulu War uniforms as opposed to those worn in the later Sudan campaigns.  

The gun isn't glued onto the base and hence can be overrun on the table top by rampaging Zulus...

The view from the business end, behind hasty fortifications

The gun in situ in the bows of Cressida Rose

The captain observes as fire is directed at the natives on the far bank...

Nordenfelt Gun and Naval Crew

Having recently finished the Naval Brigade complement for Cressida Rose, the Sudan paddle steamer, this week's project was finishing the first of the two support weapons - the Nordenfelt machine gun.  This Redoubt Miniatures kit consists of the gun on a deck mounting, a crew member operating the firing crank, another providing advice, a third looking on, and a fourth opening up ammo crates.  As with the paddle steamer crew I based the kneeling figures on sand so as to be able to use them deployed, and the gun on a deck base to blend in with the steamer itself.

I had to build up the gun's base.  It needs to be able to fire over the deck barricade but, perhaps surprisingly, the figure operating the firing crank needed to be set at a higher level than his own base allowed, hence the platform.

Side view showing the deck to good effect.

The Nordenfelt gun in position infront of the steering cabin of Cressida Rose, firing out over the top deck bow barricade

Naval Brigade - completed

Next set of miniatures to be completed is the remainder of the Naval Brigade.  I've had very limited time for painting over the last couple of weeks so the pace has slowed a bit.  However, all the ratings are now done, with the Nordenfelt gun and naval crew due to be finished tonight (kids permitting...).  These were painted as per the last batch - matt black undercoat then three layers of colour then the usual gloss varnish.

The last six ratings in Sennet hats and Sudan uniforms.

The complete Brigade on movement bases (magnetised) and ready for Black Powder games.

The Brigade in position on the top deck of Cressida Rose.

Vulture's eye view...

Manning the barricades.

Cressida Rose - Steamer Crew

The Redoubt Paddle Steamer kit comes with 6 crew figures, the Captain (who will command the Naval Brigade when disembarked), a rating with a coil of rope, one crewman shouting directions, and three coal-handling stokers.

I undercoated the figures in either white or black matt car primer depending on whether their uniforms were predominantly going to be royal blue or not.  After that it was the usual application of flat colour and then highlighting in three stages.

The Steamer crew based on 2p pieces and undercoated

Painted with flat colours only.  After painting and inking in the flesh I block out the eyes in matt black so that when I highlight in lighter flesh tones I don't need to repaint the eyes

I based the captain and coil-of-rope-man on sandy bases to allow for their deployment off the Steamer.  The others were painted up to look like the deck.  All were gloss-varnished to finish.

The finished crew, the Captain resplendent with monocle and missing right hand (or is he just suffering from indigestion?)

Stoking the boiler

Full steam ahead...

Naval Brigade - the first six ratings

Having completed the Paddle Steamer Cressida Rose, next up on the painting table has been the first half dozen ratings from the Naval Brigade.  The Redoubt Paddle Steamer kit comes with 12 ratings.  Whereas my existing Naval Brigade models, a mix of Foundry and Copplestone castings are painted up in uniforms appropriate to the Zulu Wars, I've painted this lot as per the useful Perry Miniatures Sudan uniform guide.  They are also wearing Sennet hats so once off the Steamer they can serve as a differentiated second company of sailors, with the Captain of the Cressida Rose in command.

The figures undercoated in matt black car spray primer, glued onto 2p pieces with epoxy, and drybrushed with dark grey

Base colours added with the flesh tones also inked in chestnut brown ink

The finished squad, with 2 layers of highlights painted on, and the bases built up with ready mix filler, builders sand and small stones, then painted, drybrushed, varnished in dark stain varnish and with some static grass.  I opted for a sandy base as opposed to a ship's deck.

An alternative view