THE VICTORIAN EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

I think I have nearly 500 Zulus crammed into some storage draws. All painted for a Rorkes Drift scenario a few years back using the Blackpowder rules. They were stuck down on movement trays or in groups of 4. Since then I started looking at skirmish games and began re basing them. Trouble is I know I wont use all 500 for a skirmish game so the force is half based on trays and the other on round base conversion trays. I need to figure out if I should rebase the lot or not and what regiments i painted them for?

I have a hodge podge collection of British forces from the Zulu war tossed into a draws and mixed up with other colonial minis. Most are based up for Blackpowder but once I got into skirmish games I started to re base some. They all need a new paint job because I rushed it all to get it done. I think after painting 500 Zulus I was having fits and just lost the will to paint anything well.

This famous painting of General Gordon’s last stand has been copied in film a few times over the years and in mini form by the Perrys. Gordon was sent to Khartoum in the Sudan as the country fell to the Mahdist  uprising. Instead of evacuating he stood came under siege and waited for British forces to come to his rescue and defeat the Mahdi. The British Government wasn’t that keen on sending a force into the Sudan but finally crumbled due to public opinion. The relief force was too late to save Gordon. How he died is open to debate but it’s believed he had his head cut off. The romantic image of him in all his splendor facing the hordes may have some truth in it. After his death the British public elevated him to a martyr of empire. The British would avenge his death with the reconquest of the Sudan over ten years later.

First unit to get a face lift our the Royal rifle Corp from the Sudan campaign 1885. Gone are the old green uniforms but they still have the distinctive black equipment belts. They also no longer have unique rifles now all British units had rifles, in this case the Martini Henry. I have them all stuck to movement stands in groups of four. I did this some time again and I’m not happy with the basing. I put to much yellow grass on the basing. It needs to be more desert like in appearance.

I’ve had the helmet for twenty years but only recently began picking up the rest of the gear. Minus the rifle. Theres never a Victorian arms dealer around when you want one. Although someone did offer to source me one when I visited South Africa. Having the equipment does increase your understanding of the period and has helped with my mini painting now I know the shirts were not as white as I thought.

These Minis are missing their redcoats which means you can use them as any regiment because the facings on the jackets are missing. I think they make great Rorkes drift defenders or the survivors at Ntombi River whos camp was overrun so had no time to get dressed properly. They can also fill in for engineers working in their shirtsleeves as they ford a river. This is wear having a shirt at home helps because I would have just painted them white before I got hold of one.