Punjabi Professionals

When it came to finding a suitable unit to represent professionally trained soldiers for my Congo campaign, I knew that I wanted something a little bit different.  I had already used 'Copplestone Castings' Askaris and deliberately kept the uniform simple to hint at the rank and file nature of the unit.  I also had a notion that whatever I did finally use might also find a place in one of my other collections and so a plan started to form.  The combination of a couple of hours of web based research and a good deal of luck turned up the following image from the 'National Army Museum' archives.

The watercolour and pencil sketch is credited to Major Alfred Crowdy Lovett, (c.1900) and shows six Sepoys from the 30th Regiment (Bombay) Native Infantry (3rd Belooch Battalion).  Now I am ashamed to say that I simply don't have the knowledge, or depth of understanding, when it comes to the Native Indian Regiments, but was heartened to discover that Mad Guru of the outstanding 'Maiwand Day' blog had produced a similarly striking unit to the ones in the sketch and so felt that this was a potentially legitimate line of enquiry.  I convinced myself that I could see a red Kullah in the central figure and so ordered up some of the splendid 'Artizan Designs' Punjabi infantry.

Using miniatures from their 2nd Afghan War range, namely the NCO and Infantry at Trail packs (pack numbers NWF0123 and NWF0121) I was able to create just the effect that I was looking for and with the distinct possibility that they might see service in another theatre of operations in due course.

The miniatures themselves are fabulous sculpts, although I did baulk at the prospect of attaching the trailing arm to a couple of them - I am not a fan of the multi-piece miniature!  I love the idea of these professional soldiers organising the Askari and keeping them in good order, protecting the expedition as it penetrates deeper into the dense jungle of the Congo.  I am, of course, worried that I may have committed some ghastly faux pas with regards to the uniforms, but hoping that if I have that I will be quietly corrected.

The Remnants of an Army

The second of the themed bonus rounds, ‘East’ has generated quite a bit of chatter due to its ambiguous, open ended nature.*   With no definite idea forming, I was considering skipping this round, thus affording one more time for the terrain build, ‘home’ due up in the following round, but as luck would have it I stumbled across what I thought to be the perfect solution.

*West is similarly causing me problems!

‘Studio Miniatures’, those fine purveyors of all things zombie, have a small, but growing, historical range; part of that range sees a tentative foray into the 1st Anglo Afghan War of 1839 – 1842.  This was probably one of the few Kickstarters that I didn’t back last year, but elements of that successful campaign are starting to filter on to their webstore; Assistant Surgeon William Brydon, been a case in point.

Dr. Brydon is, of course, renowned somewhat erroneously as being the last survivor of the 16,000 strong British garrison that departed Kabul in 1842, bound for Jalalabad.  Seriously wounded and riding a pony that was moments away from death, Assistant Surgeon Brydon is said to have uttered, in response to an enquiry as to the whereabouts of the rest of the force, ‘I am the Army.’

Immortalised in Lady Butler’s, ‘The Remnants of an Army’ painted in 1879 this remains the British Empire’s greatest military disaster of the 19th century.  I would suggest that it is Lady Butler’s painting that formed the inspiration from the miniature itself and what better solution to my dilemma, given that Jalalabad is ninety miles due East of Kabul.

Now I have to confess that I am a sucker for a character piece and this was always going to be added to the collection** but ultimately this one was a little disappointing form a sculpting point of view.  From what I can see this was one of the last stretch goals to be unlocked and I would suggest, possibly a tad uncharitably, that how it was to be sculpted wasn’t considered until quite late in the day.

Fundamentally there is nothing wrong with it, but you can see that it was sculpted on, or adapted from, an existing miniature with evidence of the previous saddlery still visible.  In my case there had been a miscast with the reigns, that I hadn’t initially noticed and didn’t repair due to time restraints and the pony itself feels a little ‘skinny’ for the rider atop.  Still all things considered, I am glad to have added it to the collection and will undoubtedly add more of the range to the ever growing lead hillock in due course.

**I had to have Flashman dressed as he is on the cover of ‘Flashman in the Great Game’ too.

So I present Dr. Brydon at the end of his ninety mile ride, bloodied and battered; an overwhelmingly striking image of endurance and survival at the very edges of the empire or an all too familiar damning indictment of another disastrous war in Afghanistan?

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Flash Harry

Fabulous gaming day yesterday, although Southern Rail conspired to make the journey there and back harder than it needed to be!  We managed a solitary game of Black Plague, by way of an introduction to new players, but it ended up taking over four hours to complete; a lot of fun and a lot of laughs were had by all.  Although no report from me, I thought that I would continue with another Victorian themed post and share my efforts on a rather splendid miniature from 'Wargames Illustrated'.

This is one of their Giants in Miniature, a limited edition miniature loosely entitled, 'Flash' Harry.  Quoting directly from the company's website: "‘Flash’ Harry is depicted here in the uniform of an officer from the East India Company on service during the First Anglo-Afghan War but he could equally be found at the Charge of the Light Brigade, out in the American West or amongst European nobility. Considered a hero across the British Empire, he is happy to cultivate this image whilst retaining the ability to flee from battle as often as not. He is known as a fine proponent of the sword and rides very well, in more ways than one. When cornered, he will fight to preserve his life but much prefers the art of fast talking and faster running. As a man, he is a rake and a cad. As a symbol, he is the man others wish to be."

Another one of those 'must have' purchases, 'Flash' Harry seemed another fitting post in a week dominated by the release of Daniel Mersey's Colonial skirmish rules, 'The Men Who Would Be Kings'.

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Devils in Skirts!

From the moment I first saw the wonderful Rude Highlanders created by those good people at 'Westfalia Miniatures',  I have been harbouring a desire to add yet one more character to my homage to 'Carry on up the Khyber'.

Those that may have missed the celluloid masterpiece that is 'Carry on up the Khyber' will sadly be unaware of the story of the beleaguered garrison of the Queen's Own 3rd Foot and Mouth Regiment who tirelessly fight off the advances of the villainous Burpas who in turn threaten to invade the Jewel in the Crown through the strategically important Khyber pass.  

The regiment's motto, 'always ready for action' is gloriously illustrated by the insistence that the men wear nothing under their kilts, a custom that has earned them the epithet of the 'Devils in Skirts'.  This then becomes the subject for this latest piece of frippery. 

A head swap from a 'Perry Miniatures' highlander got the process underway and then all that remained was to file down some of the lovely detail around the cuffs and remove the large brass plate across his chest.  A little greenstuff was used to rebuild his collars and add a cap badge and generally tidy up the mess I had made with my file and that, as they say, was that.

Although some may wince at the inaccuracies of the equipment the overall effect seems to fit in nicely with the others!

"Company... kilts front... and raise!"

Private Widdle...

of the Queen's Own 3rd Foot and Mouth Regiment

Having painted up the wonderful 'Mutton Chop Miniatures' Sidney "Dirty Laugh" Cohen, I was left looking at his sidekick 'George Hartree' (again a thinly disguised alter ego for 'Carry On' star Charles Hawtrey) and wondered 'what if?'

What if, with a bit of converting, I could bring about a transformation to represent the luckless Private Widdle, infamous for losing his woollen pants to the Khasi of Kalabar whilst patrolling the Khyber pass.   The idea proved too tempting to resist and before long a set of three 'Carry On Up The Khyber' miniatures was dreamt up using a combination of 'Perry Miniatures' Sudan range and a 'Wargames Foundry' Indian Hill Tribesman. 

Before and ...

After much snipping, filing and swearing they started to take shape, but not before I had to rebuild Widdle's chin due to an unfortunate run in with a scalpel blade - the project nearly came to an abrupt end at this point!  The Indian Tribesman, now representing the ruthless 'Bunghit Din' had his shield removed and now proudly shows off his new trophy; Widdle's underpants!  Finally I couldn't resist a little fun with the Sergeant who loosely represents Terry Scott's character, 'Sergeant Major MacNutt'.  If you are wondering why he appears to have a football corner flag sticking out of his back then watch the trailer below.

after!

It has to be said that this was hugely entertaining distraction and already the thought has crossed my mind to to create a Sir Sidney Rough-Diamond.  Mind you if Mr Hicks would oblige in creating a Kenneth Williams look-a-like then what would be more apt than the the Khasi of Kalabar himself?  'Carry on up the Khyber' remains one of my favourite of the 'Carry On' films to this day, not just because of the subject matter, but of the childhood memories it evokes; memories of a seemingly much more innocent time.

I was having so much fun setting up the photographs that it seemed churlish not to give 'Nellie' a run out.  More on her can be found here.

Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond on hearing news that the Native revolt has reached the gates of the British Embassy: 

Do? Do? We're British. We won't do anything... 

Indian Hill Tribesmen

As this will probably be the last post for April in seems only right and proper to continue the Indian Mutiny theme to the end of the month.  These three are from 'Wargames Foundry's' Indian Hill Tribesmen range and were original bought as part of 'Flashman's Follies' all the way back in January.  

As with the previous miniatures from this range they really were rather well sculpted with bags of character and plenty of opportunities for creative use of colour, albeit heavily influenced from the usual source material and some period prints found on the infoweb.  What with the chap wearing the poshteen and loading his jezail, it would not be too much of a stretch to see them doubling up as Afghan Hillmen as well.  

It was also a great excuse to dig out the old 'Rocky Outcrop' and have them clamber all over it again!

The month of May promises to be a much more diverse month with regard to painting and modelling; although there are  so many ongoing projects to complete the 'Salute' purchases are proving to be far too tempting to resist  and have already muscled their way onto the paint queue!  It certainly promises to be interesting!

I've also just noticed that the counter at the bottom of the page has just ticked over 40,000 hits!  Wow, thank you all that pop by and read these inane ramblings, especially those that take the time to leave comments.  It makes all the difference.

Tough Terrain

It was the most inhospitable landscape of the Afghanistan hills and passes that proved to be the favoured hunting ground for the diverse hill tribes brought together by Akbar Khan in the first Anglo-Afghan War.  Tough Terrain indeed, but in fact  surprisingly straightforward to construct from a modelling viewpoint!   

Part of my enjoyment from blogging has come from the inspiration I get by what I see on other blogs; many of my favourites can be seen in the side bar to the right.  This post, however has come about as a direct result of the 'Mad Guru' and his wonderful 'Maiwand Day' blog.  The blog takes the form of a visual diary charting the creation of high quality, historically accurate 28mm scale terrain and appropriately painted and converted miniatures for a refight of the battle waged by the British and Afghans on  27th July, 1880, initially in time for 130th anniversary on 27th July, 2010. That deadline may have passed, but let me assure you that the blog is very much still up and running.  A recent post entitled 'Afghan/NWF rocky hill goes VERTICAL' had me champing at the bit to try recreating one of the Guru's wonderful ideas.  The genius of this is that 'Mad Guru' takes a 'nothing' material in the shape of bark chippings and turns it into a simply spectacular piece of terrain!  There is very little point in me trying to relay the whole 'how to' here and so I have restricted myself to a simplified photo-story of my rather pathetic pastiche.  This really is as straightforward as it looks, but you must take the time to have a look at the original yourself.

Initial layout planned

Start to glue down pieces of bark

Add filler to even out contours

Sand & gravel stuck down

Base coats applied

Highlights drybrushed on

Sparse vegetation added to final build

Final piece with miniatures

All that remains is to extend a big THANK YOU, to the man himself, the 'Mad Guru'.  I for one will be following with interest, looking out for more inspirational ides from the most mundane of building materials!

Flashman Follies

Well true to form I have veered shamelessly from my prescribed 'eras' to paint up miniatures that, in some way, represent the latest read.  Perhaps not unsurprising to some, I couldn't find a manufacturer for the Anglo-Afghan wars!  Surely this has to represent a significant gap in the market?  I was fortunate during hours of web based research to come across many splendid blogs and forums (fora perhaps?) that suggested alternatives and it wasn't long before I found myself back at the 'Wargames Foundry' website, finger hovering agonisingly over 'add to basket' bemoaning their blasted Post & Packaging tariff!

And so you have it, not even out of January and I've succumbed to yet another distraction!  I suppose at least this one can actual lay claim to be included by virtue of the fact that it was at least a Victorian conflict, or at least started as one.  The miniatures were from the 'Colonial Miniatures: Indian range' and were actually labelled up as 'Armed Tribesman Chararcters', I just felt that they captured my impression of what Akbar Khan and Narreeman  would have looked like perfectly.