Wednesday, April 21, 2010

The Cavalry horses

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With the first set of US cavalry dismounted figures complete I'm now making a start on the horses. A spot of Aileen's glue on each rod is enough to hold the beasts in place while I work. I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of painting cavalry, but this method does simplify the process for me. I'm using black undercoat for chestnuts and black mounts, brown for bays. Hopefully I'll have these done by the weekend when I'll make a start on the riders.
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Wargamers all over the world tend to have that "Ooh! Shiny!" reaction to new figures in new periods. I'm no different, except the period I'm tempted by is one I've already got. I'm talking about Colonial gaming, specifically the Sudan.
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I first went Up the Nile at Peter Gilder's wargames holiday center back in the mid-80's. I was hooked from the first moment I saw those huge tables set out with desert terrain, scrub, low hills and occasional villages. The sight of the lonely square of khaki and red-coated troops proceeding through the wilderness toward the town where they would rescue the Governor was quite stirring, especially when the Mahdists began to gather just out of rifle range. The Incident with the Egyptian Garrison: The Governor in the Rowboat: The Little Gunboat that Could - all fodder for fond memories.
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Not being able to afford the 25mm ranges at the time I opted instead for 6mm, and built up quite a collection of British, Imperial and Mahdists, along with terrain and gunboat. Now, having seen Peter Pig's range I'm tempted to start all over again in 15mm...

2 comments:

Steve-the-Wargamer said...

Do it!!!!! You won't be disapointed... Peter Pig are in my opinion the finest 15mm figures on the market... I chose them for my Sudan project - I'm alsoi using (or trying to) the Gilder Sudan rules...

A J said...

Steve, I use Peter Gilder's Sudan rules and they're excellent for capturing the feel of the period. Honestly, the way the Mahdists act under dice and morale chart, you'd think a wargame genius controls them. =)

 

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