WIP -Natal Native Horse

My interest was recently rekindled for colonial, for the first time in 7 or 8 years I have begun painting colonial figures, mainly because it was taking so long for new figures to come out in 1/72 scale, I made the suggestion to HAT many years ago that they make figures for the late 19th century and have only recently begun to see the results of my suggestion, A buddy of mine went to Historicon so I had him pick me up some HAT Natal Native Horse and mounted British infantry.

Here is the results of my painting attempt at the dismounted NNH figures. They came out much darker than I wanted, probably because my minwax Polyshades was too thick, I will probably, at some point strip and repaint them.

Gallery - Zulu Wars, Zulu

Since posting my N'gulu Patrol AAR I realised it has been several years since I had them out, from where they were carefully stored.


So I dug them out with the possible intention of using them soon, and noticed some figures had their weapons broken, yes broken, the plastic is that old on some of them! I dumped them all out to to see who needed their weapons replaced, with newer, hopefully less brittle weapons.

They are actual ESCI Zulu, not the re release from Italeri, Years ago I got them from Larry Brom's Amazon Store, my understanding is when he bought back the rights for "The Sword and the Flame", he had to also had to buy any remaining stock of the earlier edition, the boxed set with a bag of ESCI Zulu and a bag of ESCI British Soldiers included, and he was selling the figures for $1 a bag so I picked up 15 (I still have 7 un-used bags) of them with my 20th anniversary set.


When I painted them 10+ years ago I used the paint them, then completely cover them in white PVA glue method, and it has kept them in surprisingly good shape, except on some of them the glue is now visible (when looked at very closely) most of them though still look very good.

When I was done I decided they looked good enough for a photo op.

Many of the riflemen are conversions of other figures because the original figures look they have been issued their kit by HM quartermasters

All my Zulu laid out. Top left corner of the photo you can see my storage system zip lock Baggies

Closer

Not sure where the missing figure from this unit is, he wasn't to be found anywhere.

AAR - Colonial Patrol

I was initially going to copy the AAR from my web page to here, but after about 30 minutes of cutting, pasting and uploading the pictures, I decided it would be easier to just link to it.

Sir, N'Gulu spotted!    How many of them!?   All of them sir!

 The AAR was placed on the Two Hour Wargames site before they moved  to their new server.

This was the only the second game I played using these rules, the first was an utter rout for the British, every time the British fired they missed the Zulu, which are ferocious, and ferocious units move forward, or if close enough charge when fired upon and missed, regardless of how badly they fail.

Since I posted the AAR, the following rule has been clarified.

RECEIVED A CASUALTY: Each time a unit or band takes one or more casualties, regardless of reason, they must take the Received Casualty Crisis Test.

I thought it meant when a unit took one or more casualties it checks morale once regardless of how many figures it lost, but it actually means it checks morale for every figure it loses, so if unit loses 2 figures it checks twice.

I wish this clarification had come three years ago! I might have to dust off these rules and try them again. Any way enough babbling onto the action...

Patrol in N'Gululand

To Do - German WW2 Infantry

Having enough German infantry painted to play most games. It is taking a long time to reduce my mound of unpainted German infantry.

Plastic Soldier Company Late war German infantry; base coated, where they've been for the last 2 months.

Caesar's: German infantry (Late war) mostly armed with the Sturmgewehr '44

More Caesar mostly PzGrn set 2/

Caesar German infantry (early war)

This box not even opened yet, I only got it in April though.

These ESCI German soldiers will probably never get painted because the preceeding sets have the same poses but look much better.

Eventualy I am going to paint some SS to stiffen my Wehrmacht troops, when I can brave myself to try camo.

Pegasus Hobbies SS (set I), I've had this box for 3 or 4 years.

Pegasus Hobbies SS (set II)  I've ONLY had this box for 2 or 3 years, I got it the year after set I.

These Armoufast Machine Gun Team will be their Machine gun support,

Gallery- WW2 German Wehrmact

My Wehrmacht force consists of a mixture of ESCI German Soldiers, Revel Armoured Infantry, Caesar's German infantry, German army (late war), German army (early war, even though they are'nt called that) and Panzer grenadiers Set 2, and some Armoufast WWII German Machine Gun Team.

A full platoon: 3 squads, platoon HQ, 2 Hmg Sections and a Panzerschreck team

Additional riflemen

Additional Smg, leaders and assistant MG loaders.

AAR - WW2 Recon

A game I played Solo over the Canada Day Weekend, using Force on Force by "Ambush Alley Games" modified for WW2.  I made changes to the casualty penalty rules, but they need more tweaking.


 A U.S. Reconnaissance group (TQ 8, Morale 8) runs into a rearguard hastily cobbled together by German military police. The game started with all German units (TQ 8, Morale 6) hidden.

To win the German must have a unit within twelve inches of the intersection at end of turn eight.

Turn one: the American Armoured cars arrive and are engaged by the PAK 36.

The German anti tank gun forces the abandonment of one of the armoured cars, the Americans though wound two of its three crewmen.


Turn two: American infantry deploy from their half tracks and beginning a right hook.

 

The Americans drive the Germans in the woods from their fox holes.

Turn 3: The Americans occupy the woods and follow through with their right hook. German reinforcements arrive in the form of a Sonderkraftfahrzeug 234 variant 2 A.K.A. "Puma" armoured car, it is promptly engaged by a bazooka team and has its main gun shot away, its crew abandon it, and spend the rest of the game unsuccessfully trying to nerve themselves to re enter.

Turn 4: More Americans are drawn to the sound of the guns. The PAK 36 immobilises one of the M8s near the intersection, but loses its last crewman in return. The other M8s finally begin moving, one forward behind the stone wall near the intersection and the other (wheel damaged) to the right. Germans receive more reinforcements, a Sturmgeschütz III Ausf G, it takes a hull down position behind a stone wall.

A panzerschrek team darts forward and brews up a M8.

Turn 5: The Americans proceed to clear the woods on the right. A panzerfaust claims a half track. A trio of sherman tanks arrive, one is engaged by the StuG and is immobilized in the road, it and its compatriots return fire punching holes in the air or stone wall.

Turn 6: The StuG exchanges fire with two shermans, the third moves right, the American infantry clear the Right woods and begin filtering into the village.

Turn 7: The StuG is brewed up, by the immobilised sherman, leaving the another  sherman and M8 to service the remnants of the German troops in the village. The third sherman joins the right hook and finishes off the remainder of the Germans (or so he thought)

Sherman hooking right, gets behind the German infantry.

Turn 8: The Germans get very good first aid rolls, of the four casualties they had to check two are OK and two lightly wounded. American still have initiative and pour so much fire into their building, three shermans, two M8s and four rifle teams, they are all down game over.

The Germans we particularly unlucky with their vehicle destruction rolls, two effective hits by the StuG only immobilised the sherman twice it should have killed it or at least forced the crew to abandon it, but the American crews were exceptionally brave this day. The Puma got whacked before it could do anything other than arrive. The Germans had a MG34 team in the middle of their defense line but it got eliminated before it could fire a shot.