Firstly, let's deal with the loss: My Canon IXUS 30 camera is done, dead, deceased. This little camera was used for almost every photo on this blog, the many pictures in several magazines (Wargames Illustrated, Miniature Wargames, Slingshot, Wargames Soldiers and Strategy and Vae Victis - among others), and a few rulebooks too (including Shadow of the Eagles, Osprey's Honours of War and Jump or Burn). That's quite an accomplishment for an automatic, pocket sized, happy-snappy, holiday camera. It was the best camera I've ever owned and I'm going to miss it's sharpness.
My Beja have been reinforced by around 40 Perry metal figures and half a box of plastic figures. These came from Peter J's lead pile. They will allow me to add two more units of Beja spear/sword armed warriors. This addition is very useful and has decided my first game plan. At around 6 figures representing 100 men this brings my Beja infantry force to around 6,500 men. This is the perfect amount to do the Second Battle of El Teb. Peter's collection has also provided a Gatling gun, which now has a Beja crew, for that battle.
This week I've added another unit (#7) of spear/sword armed infantry. This was the last one in my own lead pile. This unit, like the others similarly armed, comprises three bases of six figures and three bases of five figures. These units, thirty three figures but counted as thirty six figures each, represent about 600 men.They are all Perry figures, a mix of Perry plastics and metal. All were painted in enamels and are mounted on WarBases MDF, 50mm rounds.
I've also added twenty seven Beja riflemen. I had initially thought to do these in four units of eighteen figures each (three figures per base) but I thought, after painting the first two units, that they looked a little too open. Then I thought of doing them in units of twenty with five figures per base but this looked too close order. Finally, I've settled on this set up: Three units of twenty one figures on six bases (three threes and three fours). This allows them to form in either a loose order line, or more typically, as this picture shows, in a more warband looking formation - four stands up, two stands back. I'm not sure if this is the right density but, it feels right.
Counting as twenty four figure units, rather than their actual twenty one, they each represent four hundred riflemen. According to the accounts this is about the right proportion of riflemen for a force of 6,000-7,000 foot warriors.
Anyway, since these shots were taken with my inferior (actually later model camera) IXUS 160 I've done another unit (#8) of spear/sword warriors. One more unit (#9), plus a captured Krupp and Gatling, and the Beja are done.