Paddle Boat

Here is a better photo of my paddleboat, as requested. This was made for Darkest Africa games but it's not quite finished. Maybe I will get it done now.


It was built using the Gary Chalk instructions from Wargames Illustrated (above) but I thought his was a bit short so I have lengthened it a little and added a few details like steps and lifebelts which I got from a model boat shop. I'd never done a modelling project like this before so it was a tribute to his instructions that mine turned out OK!

Beja Shields 2

Here are some more pictures of Beja shields. They were reportedly made from elephant, rhino or crocodile hide. But, as one of my sources points out, rhinos are not that common in the Sudan and also postulates giraffe or simple cow hide. Whatever, a plainer approach to painting is called for.

Beja Shields

Finished three more figures today. Two more riflemen for my fourth unit of Beja, who will be an ambush type unit in crouching poses, and another camel mounted tribesman.

Decided to do the shield on this one differently. I had been copying the painted ones on the Peryy website which had a sort of star effect on them. Real Beja shields were more uniform in colour however. I think I overdid the contrast on this one so will tone it down for the next ones.

I have now based another nine infantry which will finish my third unit of Beja. I have now painted 53 infantry, 3 camels and the command group. Not bad progress.

Three more Naval Brigade sailors

I've been away all week in Scandinavia so haven't had any time for painting but I did finish these three sailors today who now join the one on the left that I had already done. Except now I look at them I notice I haven't done the ships name (or at least an impression of it!) on their hat bands. A job for morning light I think! I'm glad there weren't more Naval Brigade troops in the Sudan as they are right fiddly to paint!

The ship in the background is my Darkest Africa paddleboat; an extended version (I thought his original was a bit short!) I made from the the Gary Chalk plans from Wargames Illustrated a few years ago. It's still not finished as it needs its rear canopy and a few other details.

Another Beja on a camel

I finished this yesterday, the first of my June figures. I probably won't get many finished for a while as I have about 30 figures underway and they will take time to reach completion. Next week I have to go to Copenhagen and Helsinki as well.

The Naval Brigade figures now have all the base colours done so I need to do the shading for which I need natural light.

I am painting the last three Beja with rifles and some casualty figures (you need wounded figures for TSATF-well you could knock the figures over but that doesn't look too good!).

I have also started work on the Nile Spearmen and the last four camel mounted Beja. I am really enjoying painting the camels but seem to do them as a whole figure one at a time rather than as units for some reason. I am sorely tempted to get a British Camel Corps set just to have a go but that would be my next army and would be cheating!

Scorched Grass

I am painting all my figures with a plain sandy base at present but Games Workshop have some scorched grass coming out next month and I was quite hopeful. I just want really pale yellowed grass for some bases but this looks like it has got red(?) in it. I'll have to see or try model railway suppliers.

http://uk.games-workshop.com/storefront/store.uk?do=Individual&code=99229999067&orignav=9

Mounted Beja Emir

The Sword and the Flame rules require a mounted Emir figure to lead a tribe of three bands of 20 figures. The Beja hardly ever used horses so I have used a camel mounted figure for my first Emir.

Looking at this modern picture of a Beja boy the colours for the animal skin and the camel's harness are quite dark. Given that the sword hasn't changed I suspect nothing else has either!

I also managed to finish another three riflemen so that makes the rifle contingent for the third band complete. I just need some command figures and spearmen to finish it but I will try to paint some more figures before I order any others!

I based some Nile spearmen today so might do some of them next as a change from Beja.

Tomorrow I am going to have another go at the Naval Brigade figures.

Sudanese Skin

Giles Allison has just painted some Beja

http://wdlovesme.19.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=1107&start=25

and was wondering about skin tone and lip colour. Here is a current inhabitant of Suakin as a guide: more like the riverine Nile tribesmen. Definitely Humbrol 186!

Had lunch with some government officials from Egypt today. Their skin tone varied from Mediterranean to the sort of colour seen above. May have to go to Cairo again soon. I enjoy sending e-mails from Lord Kitchener's desk (now the British Ambassador's desk) and having breakfast in the room in which Kitchener used to plan his campaigns in what is now the Ambassador's residence (his staff do a fabulous breakfast!)



The Beja are still fighting in the Sudan. This recent picture could have been taken a hundred years ago except for the AK 47s. Note the sword, almost identical to those used in the 1880s and 1890s.

A contempory Beja warrior



The Beja still use their famous white camels.



Beja women are gorgeous!

Vice-Admiral Sir William Nathan Wrighte Hewett 1834–88

Here is the commander of my nascent Naval Brigade. It has to be Admiral Billy Hewett VC. Admiral Hewett was Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy's East India Station and commanded the 150 seaman, 400 Royal Marines and six gardiner guns that comprised the Naval Brigade. He arrived at Suakin on 16thDecember 1883 in his flagship, Euryalus. Following Baker's disastrous engagement at First El Teb Hewitt was put in overall military charge and the 15o Seamen and marines he landed to preserve order were the first British forces officially deployed in the Sudan.

At Second El Teb he personally commanded the Naval Brigade from the Square and led a charge at swordpoint! No wonder he was known as "The Fighting Admiral"! He won his VC in the Crimea when, having been ordered to retire from a Naval Brigade Battery being threatened by Russians, he shouted: 'Retire? Retire and be damned! Fire!'

He died in 1888, in Haslar Naval Hospital, and is buried in Portsmouth where he has a suitably nautical headstone!

Beja Riflemen

Here are six Beja riflemen I painted this week on stage one of my new desert base. Four of these complete the second tribe of 20 Beja now that I am using five rifles per unit. This means I have done two units of 40 and eight of the third unit. This is roughly a sixth of the Mahdists I need. Could be worse. I will finish the next unit of Beja and then do one of Nile Arabs for a change.