More Kashgari Falcons and an Indian MG Team

 After a long break due to recovery from laser cataract surgery, I was finally able to get back to painting.

Please click on pictures for a larger image.

My first new unit is an Indian Army Vickers machinegun team.

As with all the other Imperial figures I'm using, these are from Brigade Games WW1 in Africa line.  Since the Indian MG team only came with 3 figures I added a British infantryman to make it up to full strength of four figures for "The Men Who Would be Kings" rules.

The second unit is Detachment Two of the Kashgari Falcons.  They are commanded by Subedar Bahadurjit (Victory of the Brave) Singh.  He was lately wounded in a scrape with the Pashtuns and still carries his right arm in a sling.  These are Brigade Games WW1 in Africa line Indians.

If you will recall for my earlier post about the Kashgari Falcons, their turbans are in my high school colors.

I will be taking a short break from late 19th Century Aooghastan to work on some 15mm Confederate figures for an upcoming game of mine.

Captain Krustache & the Kashgari Falcons

 

My latest endeavor has been a "mercenary" unit organized by the famous Captain Krustache of Kashgar.  He has recruited a unit of hardened mountain warriors who will follow him wherever he leads.

The captain is front and center surrounded by this warriors.

The captain is one of Bob Murch's special Movember sculpts.  The warriors are from the Brigade Games Great War in Africa Indian infantry.  These figures appear to be wearing a sleeveless overgarment so that's how I painted them.  Their name and color scheme come from my high school -- the Wingfield Falcons with blue & gold colors.  The skin tones and hair colors of the warriors are based on photographs of modern Afghan peoples - ranging from very light to very dark tones.  I've tried to capture that range in these figures.

There are another 12 figures in the painting pipeline.  I anticipate using them on whichever side needs some additional firepower.

Soaring Hawk Clan

I've just completed the first combat unit of North American Woodland Indians for my mid-Eighteenth Century "colonial" fighting. These actions will pit the Brittanians and their colonial and Indian allies against a shaky coalition of Gallians, Hibernians (AKA Spanish), and Indians. It will be set in the American southeast. Eventually I'll establish a new blog for it separate from this one. But that's for later on. Now, I present the Soaring Hawk Clan.

The first group of 12 warriors is led by Bright Eagle
(center front with musket at trail)

The second set of 12 warriors is led by Crouching Panther
(center front with blue blanket)

The Soaring Hawk Clan will eventually add a clan chief once I get several of my extra Indians converted with added muskets and more "regal" distinctions. The Soaring Hawks wear red and black "war paint" and the handles of their clubs and tomahawks are stained red. This represents the ferocity of the stooping hawk as it strikes its prey.

These figures are Old Glory and were painted with acrylic craft paints, sealed with Future, "dipped" by brush, and then varnished with a matte sealer. The flash on the camera shots tends to give them more of a gloss look that they have "in the flesh," so to speak. It took me a long time to get these painted as I tried to give each warrior his own unique look. I'm hoping that the next ones I paint will go quicker.

Newly Painted Victorian Colonials

During the first half of May, I was really churning out the figures for my May 16 game. Here is a look at the ones that were done. Except as noted, all these figures are from the venerable Ral Partha 25mm colonial line, which is still produced by: Ral Partha Colonials. These are all organized to be used with The Sword and the Flame rules by Larry Brom, available from Sergeants3 (Brom).

As always, please click on the picture for a larger image.

The Anglo-Indian Khalaam Field Force commander and his escort
of a trooper from the 10th Hussars and a lancer from the 10th Bengal Lancers.

A troop of the 10th Hussars.
The swords are small straight pins that were super-glued into the hands.
The officer is from the British command group.

The dismounted figures of the 10th Hussars.

A troop of the 10th Bengal Lancers.
The officer is a Miniature Figurine trooper painted as a British leader.

The dismounted figures for the 10th Bengal Lancers.
The officer is a temporary fill-in of an Indian artillerist.

The battery from the Royal Artillery.

The Emir's Bodyguard cavalry is a mix of Bashi Bazouk and native cavalry.
Eventually I will acquire enough of each type of figure to have separate units.

One of the two native guns with its crew.
The gun is the Foundry Darkest Africa piece.
The "advisor" is Major Ivan Skavinski Skavar ( poem )
from the "Great Khan of the Steppes" (The Tsar of All the Russias)
(and is actually an Askari French officer!).

Over the past four and a half months, I've been able to make good strides in painting my small hillock of Victorian Colonial figures. This has been helped by this year's gaming theme of Colonial Adventuring in our wargaming group. For the rest of the month, I'll be building the "Fortress of Khalaam" for my games on May 30 and June 20 prior to the scenario being used for the 2nd Annual George Carr, Sr., Memorial Colonial Game at Bayou Wars, our regional convention in New Orleans, on June 27 ( Bayou Wars ).

January 2009 Painting

January's painting total was an impressive 135 Olley points, consisting of 14 mounted figures, 104 foot figures, and 3 guns. But when one looks at the type of figures - all Victorian Colonial and almost all Dervish or Beja warriors - then the total is only impressive for the number, not the complexity of the painting.

Victorian Colonial native warriors, especially Dervish and Beja, are very simple to paint - brownish skin, off-white clothes, brownish shields, and weaponry. No turnbacks, lapels, lace on tricornes, etc., etc. But 121 total figures is still pretty darn good, if I say so myself.

You've already seen the Beja camelry and part of a warrior band in an earlier post, so here are pictures of most of the rest.

This is a complete Egyptian artillery battery organized per The Sword and the Flame (TSATF) rules that we use here in Jackson, Miss. It consists of three guns (Krupp breechloaders), one battery commander, and twelve gunners (four per gun). All the figures are Ral Partha (as with few exceptions are all the figures featured this month). The Egyptian gunners are supposed to be in blue uniforms, but I had already painted nine of the thirteen figures in white uniforms and wasn't going to change them just prior to a game. Maybe I'll repaint them later, or maybe not.

This is a complete TSATF Indian artillery battery armed with small mountain howitzers. Eight of the gunners and two guns were added this month to the officer, four gunners, and one gun that I already had painted.

This is a small part of one of the two 20-figure Beja war bands. They are armed with swords and spears, except for one warrior who has a rifle.

This is a small portion of the second 20-figure Beja warband. They armed the same as the first.

This picture shows the senior Dervish war leader (mounted, on left), a captured Egyptian Krupp gun with its crew, and a senior foot war leader.

Joining the Dervish war band that I have had painted for a number of years was two more, this being the first, consisting of 20 warriors armed with sword and spear.

And the second, also similarly armed.

A note: All the Dervish and Beja flags are courtesy of www.warflag.com .

I still have a 12-figure cavalry unit to paint to complete my Dervish forces, which will ultimately consist of two mounted units, five foot units, and two gun crews.

Next month, I'll get that mounted unit painted and begin work on my Pathan forces and maybe some British and Indian cavalry. With this year's theme being Colonial Adventuring, I will use it as an impetus to get as many of my Victorian Colonial forces painted as I can.