Ammo is Now Your Number One Priority

In the midst of a vicious battle with the Zulu's, Leftenant Ambrose Amber-Smyth has only two words for Acting Assistant Commissary Adam B. Goodenraddy - "More Ammunition!"

Amber-Smyth realizes that the only way to stop the brave and mad rush of a Zulu charge is the stopping power of the .577/.450 Boxer round from his men's Martini-Henry Rifles, and lots of them. Which means his men need an uninterrupted supply of these deadly rifle rounds. 

So, they separate, Amber-Smyth to support his men and Goodenraddy to organize a steady supply of ammunition to the fighting line.

Amber-Smyth and Goodenraddy are metal pieces from Pul Figures that I painted in September.

Last Stand of the 24th

News From the Front, fresh from the disaster at Isandlwana comes this recovered photo of two unidentified officers of the 24th regiment that lost most of a battalion of Imperial troops. The two brave men are standing back-to-back in a final stand against the deadly Zulu warriors. Of special note is the fact that one of the officers has resorted to the use of Zulu Knobkerrie to defend himself, a sure sign of the desperate straight the two soldiers found themselves in.

The undeveloped plate of this photograph was found still in the camera sometime after the war was ended by the victorious British Army. By that time neither the identities of the officers nor that of the unknown photographer could be established. They will be remembered as our honored dead, known but to God.

I painted these two metal pieces in September.

 

Lieutenant's Gonville Bromhead V.C., 24th Foot and J. R. M. Chard V.C., Royal Engineers of Zulu War Fame.

If you do not know their story read "the Washing of the Spears" by Dolanld R. Morris for a truer history of the events that won them their Victoria Crosses.

Then watch the movie "Zulu" for a Hollywood style adventure yarn based on the true events.

These are metal casting I painted in July.

This Land is OURS

With a crackof rifles, and calls to Allah, this group of local villagers' launch an attack on a hated party of slave raiders. 

With the enemy on the run the villages shout their victory cries as they cleanse their lands of the peril of slavery.

Then its back to the village for a victory celebration.

These are plastic pieces from Warlord that I painted 2017.

Blast from the Past: Major Charles Wimmingson Stappsman

 21 April 2013, and Major Charles Wimmingson Stappsman is introduced to the World.

 

Major Charles Wimmingson Stappsman CBE (Commander, Order of the British Empire), Sportsman, Big Game Hunter, Explorer...all around man and hero of the Empire. He is as comfortable with a whiskey and soda in his club as he is with a .440 Webley in a lost temple in some Imperial outpost.

Major Charles Wimmingson Stappsman is a 28mm metal piece from Foundry I painted circa 2012.

Colonial Forces On Display

This is an overhead shot of many of my first 19th Century African Colonial Wars figures. They are mostly in 4 stand company's and include Colonial Infantry units of the Boers, Italian Askaris, Royal Nigerian Rifles, 3rd Sikhs, 24th Foot, German Southwest African Corps, 42nd Highlanders, 2 companies of French Foreign Legionnaire's, & 2 companies of the 3rd London Volunteers.  The Colonial Cavalry units include Skinners Horse, Sapahi's, Colonial Mounted Rifles & 2 squadrons of the Sudan Camel Detachment. All supported by 3 batteries of Gatling guns and 2 batteries of field artillery. African units include Zulus (Induyenge and Ingiondto Regiments), 3 companies of Arab Rifles, Arab Spearmen, Arab Cavalry and Sudanese Camel Riders.

 There are over 200 figures here, several units are still AWOL in storage boxes which is why there are so many more Colonial than "Native" units.

My first African Colonial Wars forces were metal N Gauge Scrubby figures that I painted with Testors Oil paints in the Spring of 1976.

Colonials' vs Native Inhabitants Ready for Battle

 Terrain, Zulus, British, North Africans & Central Africans marshaling for the next colonial battle. They are plastic and metal 25 to 28mm pieces from foundry and Warlord that I painted in 2017. The cavalry pieces are from Minifig that I painted in the 1980's.  To the far left are some Ork old metal warships 

Power of Egypt-1880's

Egyptian troops loyal to Ahmed "Urabi (Ali Pasha to the British) stand ready to fight for Egyptian independence in the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882.

Most of the Egyptian troops were brave men, poorly equipped, trained and led.

In battle they were no match for the well-organized, equipped, supplied and led Imperial British forces. In less than four months the Egyptian forces were defeated leaving Britian in firm control of the country until then end of World War Two.

These are old Mini Figs cast in the 1970's. Little on detail now but state of the art for the time. African Colonial were the first historic wargame miniatures I painted (I did dozens of plastic military model kits back in the 1960's), the first armies I had and the first miniatures I played, all at Scrubby's Toy Factory in Cambria Ca back in 1974.

Never Underestimate Zulu's

 

Those who fought them knew that even a small band of Zulu warriors were dangerous adversaries.

Zulus were well trained, fearless and brutal close combat warriors.
 

Even European troops with modern firearms were in grave danger if Zulu warriors were able to come to hand-to-hand combat range. as the British disaster of Isandlwana well demonstrated.

These are plastic pieces I put together and painted in the Spring of 2017.

The NNL Fights for the British

 

These British scouts from the Natal Native Infantry (NNL) are on the lookout for the Zulu Army.

When the British invaded the land of the Zulus in 1879, companies of NNI were used to augment the British forces.  Their training, equipment and treatment were well below that of any of the other forces the British deployed in the Zulu War.

These are plastic pieces from Warlord for my African Colonial Campaigns.

Desert or Jungle the 60th Rifle Wear Green

     

Be it Dervishes in the desert, Zulus on the Velt, Boers in the mountains or countless in Africa, the 60th Rifles wears Green. As the Empire expanded in Africa throughout the 19th century, the distinctive green remained the colour of the "Rifles" until it was eventually replaced by the nondescript service order khaki that the rest of the army changed into.

These are plastic pieces that I painted in April 2017.

News from the Boer War Front

 

January 26, 1881, somewhere near Langs Nek Southern Africa. British troops enter into the thick of battle with Boer troops. While our brave boys suffer a setback, this reporter can assure his readers that the Boers have bitten off more than they can chew. With the power of Empire behind them victory can be assured for our hero's.

Unfortunately for the British, the 1st Boer War was an embarrassing defeat. It would take another, longer and more bloody conflict, the 2nd Boer War-1899-1902, to bring victory to the empire.

These are plastic pieces that I painted in 2015.

African Colonial "N" Scale

A French Gatling Gun and Australian Mounted infantry ready for battle in Colonial Africa.

The first miniatures war game I ever played was African colonial in 1974, at Jack Scrubby's Toy Soldier Factory in Cambria California. 

These metal pieces are Scubby "N" scale, small, easy to paint and inexpensive (a real advantage to a college student on a tight budget). These guys and their 19th century comrades saw lots of combat before they were retired.

22,000+ plus figures later, they still have a special spot in my heart for long past friends and days.

Small But Deadly

 

A small tribal war party is on the move in 19th century Africa. 

Even with a mixed bag of weapons, these skilled hunters can be just as deadly when hunting men.

These are plastic pieces I painted in the Spring of 2017.