First Rub completed

Here is my first completed Rub of 3 "bands" which, with the addition of a mounted emir, make a "tribe" in TSATF rules. Using a 1/33 ratio this would actually be more like two Rubs, as they numbered between 1,000 and 1,200 troops each. You'd have to drop to a 1/20 ratio to get a Rub to equals "tribe" in TSATF. That would mean Mahdist armies of 500 which is pushing it for individually based figures! I'll just have to live with the disconnect!

I painted the first figures last August so it has taken a year to paint them, althought I have painted a lot else in the mean time. More relevantly I have painted more than thirty figures since the beginning of May.

Nile Arabs and Flags

I haven't posted anything for a while but that doesn't mean I haven't been painting anything!

Here are my first Nile Arabs; a box of standing troops plus half a command set. I don't really need them for the first couple of battles I am looking at as they were Beja only forces but will need some for the future. In this early period the patches on the clothing were small and by no means universal.

It may just be me but they seemed a bit more solid than the Beja, with fatter legs. I'm not going mad on painting these to a high standard as I just have too many to do.

The flag is from the new ones made by The Virtual Armchair General and designed by Eric Cox and these were well worth getting.

http://www.thevirtualarmchairgeneral.com/

They are a mixture of historical flags (most from the later Sudan conflict, actually) and a number of speculative but historically informed ones. They come in sets of four smaller flags and then a larger flag for the Emir. (I ordered the complete collection and there are well over 150 scale flags - enough for even the biggest army (plus a sheet for the Egyptian Army which will also be useful). They come printed on thin but strong paper and are quite splendid. The dimensions are historically accurate and make me realise that the flags I have done for my two completed units of Beja are too large so I will have to replace them with the smaller ones.

The Sword and the Flame Rules do not make any allowance for standards but these were pretty defining features of Mahdist armies. I want each Emir to have a standard so I am contemplating doing something I never do and making a multiple figure command base of an Emir, a Standard bearer and maybe even another figure on foot. With the camel mounted Beja this will need to be a pretty hefty base!

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!