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.
For 2nd El Teb I'll need to add a couple of units of Baggara horsemen. Then onto the British.
There are still the same number of Kordofani figures in the lead pile to bring the combined Mahdist force closer to representing 13,000 or so troops - which is, as far as I can see, more than enough to do any of the major battles. This army has been a doddle to paint - painting 400 figures of my own in a little over a month is going some, even for me.
3 comments:
Very Nice! As usual! I'm really waiting to see the look of the whole army on the table. To be honest, I'm quite curious about this round basing thing, which I understand and agree about the "fluid" formation possibility, but I'm wondering how it's look on the table compared to a more standard basing (I'm leaning these days to the BigredBat bases which blend very well with mats). Anyway, I'm always impressed with your paint quality and quantity.
My problem with square bases for irregular formations is that, because you need to stop figure clash you have to have gaps between the figures and the edges of their bases. I always overcompensate when doing this and because the figures are essentially based on a grid the gaps are always noticeable, highlighted even. Naturally offsetting circular bases into bunches seems to camouflage this. In any event, when laying out a Mahdist horde on the table, I think most people are happy to have a unit represented by any base-to-base mass - they are a 'warband'.
Well, at least your blog won't tempt into yet another war to collect and game. Zero interest in Sudan on my part. However, as always your painting is magnificent. And I always enjoy your AARs.
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