First Pashtun Unit for TMWWBK

 

After many weeks I finally finished my first unit of Pashtun infantry to be used with "The Men Who Would be Kings" rules.

These twelve mountain warriors are all armed with rifles - a mix of a few modern bolt-action rifles, a number of Martini-Henry single-shot rifles, and a couple of rifled jezzails.  They are all Old Glory castings.

Under the unit categories, they are "Irregular Infantry" with a 6" movement rate and worth 4 points.  In the rules, this category "is a catch-all for troops neither impeccably trained and drilled European regulars nor  native troops fighting in Tribal fashion."

You'll notice that two of the warriors will be carrying around their own rocks for cover.  These particular Old Glory castings are inherently unbalanced and would fall over if not supported.  I got the idea of using rocks from Neil of the Toy Soldiers and Dining Room Battles blog, in particular this post of his.  Thanks, Neil!

This is the first of seven Pashtun units in my lead pile - two more irregular rifle armed units, three tribal infantry melee weapons units, and a tribal cavalry unit.  Hopefully with some perseverance I can get all of these painted by the end of the year.

And Thugees Join the Cast!

 

After painting Russians, British, and Indians, it was time to get working on some enemies for them.  Enter a 16-figure unit of Indian thugees (or ill-costumed very irregular tribal warriors).  All but one are Bob Murch's Pulp Figures from packs PBT-22, 23 and 27.  The better costumed leader is a figure that I've had for many a year.  Until I needed a leader figure for these guys, he was a my pirate box.  But with such a nice turban, sword, and musket, I knew he really belonged in the 19th Century Northwest Frontier fighting against the forces of the Raj.

These figures can be used in a number of roles, both fighting for and against the Raj or defending their village against marauders.

Now on to more "enemies" of the Raj - Pathans!

Indian Army Corps of Guides - Unit #2

 

Regaining my stamina after a mild bout with Covid, I finished painting and basing my second company of Indian Army Corps of Guides.  Lead by their stolid havildar, these stalwart soldiers will bring glory to the Raj.  See the post on the 1st Company for details about the Guides service.

While preparing these figures for painting I noticed that one of them was missing part of his base, the part beneath his left foot.  Contemplating trouble with stability and the possibility of a broken ankle, I found a small rock in my "bag of rocks" that could be used to provide the figure with a stable footing.

On your left is a figure with a completely cast base and on your right is the incomplete figure with its added rock for stability.  If you'll look carefully in the first picture, this 'rocky' fellow is on the far left in the front row.

Now on to a unit of "Thuggees" who will be some opponents to the forces of the Raj.

Indian Army Corps of Guides - Unit #1

 

The Indian Army Corps of Guides was raised in 1846 to serve on the Northwest Frontier.  It quickly developed as one of the elite units of the Indian Army.  It was composed of both Hindu and Moslem troops.  In 1947, upon the partition of India and Pakistan, the Corps was assigned to the Pakistani Army and still exists as the 2nd Battalion (The Guides) of the Frontier Force Regiment.

This unit is composed of Foundry figures from NW014 and NW021.  Unfortunately Foundry had them all sculpted with full beards so this unit (and its #2, still being painted) will be all Hindu.

The 1st Company, led by Leftenant Manly-Jones (center with pistol) and seconded by Havildar Ranjit Singh (right rear with rifle at the carry).

I think this is one of the most distinctive group of figures that I've painted.  The contrasts of browns and tans set off by the red "cap" and cuff markings make the entire uniform stand out.

Indian Sikhs and French Foreign Legion

 

The equipping of new units proceeds apace at Col Campbell's Barracks.  I've added two new units to my Colonial forces.

First is a twelve-figure unit of Brigade Games Great War in Africa Sikh Indian infantry.  These guys are equipped as standard Indian infantry in the all khaki uniform from head to almost foot.

Led by a bugling havildar, these fighting Sikhs will give the enemy a case of .303 headaches!

And switching some thousand miles to the west, this unit of Pulp Figures French Foreign Legion will gain glory for La Belle France.

Led by Commandante Le Duc, these "Enfants Terrible" will show "Johnny Arab" a thing or two, if they are as good as they think they are.

But they do have some sappers to aid them ...

With dynamite, black powder and a big axe, these two legionnaires can do some damage.

Next in the painting queue are a few Arabs and a batch of Indian Army Frontier Guides.

The Agandar of Chaladoor

 

This is my latest colonial figure to be painted.  He is an Askari Miniatures "Berber Cavalry Scout" that is patterned after the famous 'Red Shadow.'  My leader is titled the Agandar of Chaladoor and has, in other guises and with other names, led native forces in Soudan against the Anglo-Egyptians and in the North Central Frontier against the forces of the Raj.  In this guise he will be leading the local tribes of Aooghastan against both the forces of the Khan of the North (the Tsar) and the British Raj.  He is a fearsome warrior who can energize any tribe who he leads.

His name was inspired by the Witches of Karres science fiction novels of James H. Schmitz.  The Chaladoor is a region of far-off space containing a maze of navigational hazards, inimical beings, and disturbing and sometimes violently dangerous forces.  The Agandar is a notorious pirate leader who calls that region home.  Of course my Agandar is not as notorious but nevertheless is a force with which to be reckoned!

More Kashgari Falcons and an Indian MG Team

 After a long break due to recovery from laser cataract surgery, I was finally able to get back to painting.

Please click on pictures for a larger image.

My first new unit is an Indian Army Vickers machinegun team.

As with all the other Imperial figures I'm using, these are from Brigade Games WW1 in Africa line.  Since the Indian MG team only came with 3 figures I added a British infantryman to make it up to full strength of four figures for "The Men Who Would be Kings" rules.

The second unit is Detachment Two of the Kashgari Falcons.  They are commanded by Subedar Bahadurjit (Victory of the Brave) Singh.  He was lately wounded in a scrape with the Pashtuns and still carries his right arm in a sling.  These are Brigade Games WW1 in Africa line Indians.

If you will recall for my earlier post about the Kashgari Falcons, their turbans are in my high school colors.

I will be taking a short break from late 19th Century Aooghastan to work on some 15mm Confederate figures for an upcoming game of mine.

Captain Krustache & the Kashgari Falcons

 

My latest endeavor has been a "mercenary" unit organized by the famous Captain Krustache of Kashgar.  He has recruited a unit of hardened mountain warriors who will follow him wherever he leads.

The captain is front and center surrounded by this warriors.

The captain is one of Bob Murch's special Movember sculpts.  The warriors are from the Brigade Games Great War in Africa Indian infantry.  These figures appear to be wearing a sleeveless overgarment so that's how I painted them.  Their name and color scheme come from my high school -- the Wingfield Falcons with blue & gold colors.  The skin tones and hair colors of the warriors are based on photographs of modern Afghan peoples - ranging from very light to very dark tones.  I've tried to capture that range in these figures.

There are another 12 figures in the painting pipeline.  I anticipate using them on whichever side needs some additional firepower.

British Infantry for "The Great Game"

 

Following on from all the Russians, I present the first of the British units for my expeditions to Aooghastan.  I will be using "The Men Who Would Be Kings" rules from Osprey for these actions.

All of these figures are from Brigade Games WW1 in Africa line.

Please click on the picture for a larger image.

A British regular infantry unit of an officer and 11 other ranks

A second British regular infantry unit of a noncommissioned officer and 11 other ranks

They will be supported by a Vickers machinegun team.

The 4-figure team set up for firing

And the same team in travel mode

The next units in the painting queue are Indian infantry and machinegun units.  Stay tuned!

Russian Artillery for "The Great Game"

This was my only completed painting for the month of December 2021, it being a very busy month what with Christmas and my church related tasks.

When I ordered my Russian infantry from Askari Miniatures, I also ordered two guns with crews, one a 9-lb field gun and the other a Russian manufactured Gatling gun (Gorlov gun).  I only got the crews and the 9-lbr completed as I messed up the assembly of the Gorlov gun and still have to figure out how to correct my error.

The 9-lbr was a heavy gun with a 107mm bore.  The carriage was iron which was very robust allowing the gun to be transported over rough terrain.

I painted the gunners in their loose-fitting white blouses with red pants.  Their green kepis are upgraded with white canvas Havelocks for sun protection along the southern border.

The Askari Miniatures Russian field gun crew comes with five figures but I only needed four for the rules I use (both "The Sword and the Flame" and "The Men Who Would Be Kings."  But this allowed me to move the fifth figure over to the Gorlov gun crew which only came with three figures.

The Gorlov gun crew has been painted with white canvas trousers.  The white Havelock completely covers the kepi.  My error with assembling the gun was to glue the elevation screw on before I tried fitting the barrel.  Now it is too short and the barrel has a very high angle, almost like it is an antiaircraft gun.  It will be an interesting exercise in clipping the elevation screw, drilling the pin out, and remounting it with a new, longer pin.  We'll see how that goes.

I also began painting some British infantry to be used as opponents of my Russians.  Hopefully I can get some of them finished in January.

The Яussians Are Coming! The Яussians Are Coming!

 And yes, I do know that the Cyrillic R is actually a P, but I couldn't resist using the old movie title.

Over the past several months, I've been experimenting with a new set of rules -- "The Men Would Would Be Kings" from Osprey Publishing.  I got 'hooked' on them thanks to Neil of Toy Soldiers and Dining Room Battles blog and his 'Anglo-Russian War' thread, of which this post sets the stage.

I've been a long time Victorian colonial gamer using the late Larry Brom's venerable "The Sword and the Flame Rules."  But I've always wanted to do a smaller group of battles around a common theme.  So I decided to partially copy Neil's set-up.  In my imaginary conflict, the action takes place in the tri-border Russia-Persia (Iran)-Afghanistan area.

My first new unit of this theme was originally owned and painted by the late Dr. Mark "Doc Ord" Stevens.  I bought it from his widow after he died from ALS back in 2018.  They are a group of Old Glory Russians from their Boxer Rebellion line.  I've done some repainting to back date the uniforms somewhat.  They will be used as a border guard unit of two 12-figure platoons.  

Please click on images for larger pictures.

Border Guards 1st Platoon

Border Guards 2nd Platoon

"The Men Who Would Be Kings" rules use 12 figures for each regular or irregular infantry unit and 16 figures for a tribal infantry unit.  Cavalry are either 8 or 10 figures and guns of any type are manned by 4 figures.

The next unit I painted, this time from the bare metal, is from Askari Miniatures' Russian Colonial line.  These figures are dressed in the field uniform popular with Russian units all along the southern arc of the expanding Russian Empire.  It consisted of a loose white canvas smock, white canvas trousers, and a Havelock fitted to the kepi.  This "Slavic" style uniform was worn from the early 1870s through WW2.

8th Siberian Rifles, 1st Platoon,
led by the General Skobelev figure

8th Siberian Rifles, 2nd Platoon

After reorganizing and repainting the Old Glory Russians I obtained from Mark's estate, I had two figures remaining.  Since their soft caps looked like some of the ones worn by the figures I've used for a 'Back of Beyond' White Russian unit, I repainted them to match and added them to that unit.

The two "new" additions are flanking one of the original figures.

And the entire White Russian unit.

But there is more!  I still have two more "Siberian rifle" platoons to paint as well as a gun with crew and a Gatling gun with crew.  Plus there are four more figures on order to add to the White Russian unit.

And I have two British and three Indian infantry platoons and one British and one Indian machinegun team to paint.  More later!