Duncan´s 20mm Colonial Modelling: March 2010

Thursday, 18 March 2010

The Dervish Army

My Dervish Army is slowly taking shape...the sun has started to appear here in Berlin so I have been able to take a few extra shots of progress to date...

I have also posted a few familiar (and non) familiar images to aid with the atmosphere too...here goes...

A familiar image of the plight of the Ansar forces throwing themselves against the power of the then modern weapons...

The famous painting by William Barnes Wollen Battle of Abu Klea 17 Jan 1885 captures the moment when the Mahdist surged through the left rear corner of the British Square...

I like this image as it is one of only a few that shows the Naval Brigade in pith helmets...look closely in the centre of the painting...

Do all Mahdist Generals just want to smash the square with our army of Dervish worriors...?

G W Joy's famous painting epitomise the British view of the time of England's hero General Gordon and his Last Stand in Khartoum on the 26th January 1885.

In contrast to Waterloo's 1815' box cover - very artistic...

These photos were taken when the sun was elsewhere...probably back in the Sudan...

Please don't look at the British standard - I realised I hadn't finished it as I was taking the photos...

...and to aide the atmosphere again and to provide more information on clothing an weapons etc...a Haba Warrior

Danakill & Dervish Warriors

A Beni-Amer Warrior

Some more of my Anti Brit kickers...

I flew back to the UK last week and brought back some more of my painted Ansars and Dervish regiments. Once I have repaired them (unpacked them this morning and eeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkk) I will photograph them and post the images here...

My Naval Brigade Camel Corps are slowly taking shape now too...just waiting for Hat to release its latest batch of Colonial enamies - 'spear chucker' types...8208 Hadendowa Camelry and 8250 Taaishi Camelry.

http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8208HC/Bx8208HCp.html

http://www.hat.com/Curr3/Bx8250TC/Bx8250TCp.html

Now is all up to Hat your customers are waiting...

Happy Easter everyone

Duncan

54mm Colonials

I know I have said that this blog is to be dedicated to 20mm colonial (late 19th C) figures, painting, history etc etc...

However – I was sent some information the other day on the launch of the latest figures by W Britains and they are - marvellous. These I thought I would share with you...

The figures got me thinking too...do we paint our 1/72 miniatures because we secretly long for the room, the money, the time, the space – the whole resource thing – so that we can build a real Toy Soldier army?

Then why do we spend so much of our valuable time painting and customising these tiny tiny figures with such fine detail and try so desperately to capture the details of the uniforms...the medals, rank – insignia – faces – beards – even eyes. We even build the scenery and buildings; with such care and loving detail that they should be in a museum...is it because we secretly yearn for a 54mm army...a real Toy Soldier army...?

Do we – I don’t really know...I started painting 54mm Napoleonic’s when I was 10yrs old...and ended up enjoying collecting and painting figures and armies from the late 19th century...

If nothing else these pictures can be used for our scale as uniform ideas etc...Who knows?

The first batch of images are scanned from my copy of Tradition’s Model Soldier...designed by that great figure designer Charles Stadden - what fabulous figures these were...or are, if you are lucky enough to own a few...the book is a great source of inspiration too...