Egyptian Artillery

The whole damn battery

Inspired by Bob's Turkish artillery, I got myself a box of Strelets Turkish artillery.  These figures are for the Russo-Turkish war of 1877, but they'll do very well for Turkish artillery in the Crimea and Egyptian gunners in the 1880s. 

There's a very officious looking officer type with binoculars. 

An 1873 Krupp gun. 

This gun is suitable for Egypt in the 1880s, though I'm going to have to scare up another one from somewhere.  These boys will be issued British guns for the Crimea, but for later service I'll need another. I have had a look at Irregulars Really Useful Guns, but there doesn't appear to be anything suitable. 

As plastic soldier review points out these fellas with ram rods are not really required for the 1873 gun that comes in the set, but will do very well for the smooth bores used in the Crimea. 

Having painted these, I've come to the conclusion that blue isn't that much more difficult to paint than white, so I may use the rest of the blue spray I used on these chaps to undercoat some Turkish infantry in blue coats. 

The whole battery from the side 

Du Gourmand and I played a Tel el Kebir scenario recently, based the modifications in Mike Dippel's Kassassin scenario.  Not to shabby though I say so myself, though it does need further playtesting. These chaps will be seeing action there again. 

Turkish General

A commander of fellahin

One of the regrettable realities of life as a shift worker is that circadian rythmn is something that happens to other people. Strange periods of wakefulness come and go. A certain amount of time is spent staring at the ceiling while Mrs. Kinch snoozes in a demure and ladylike fashion and the cat snores at the foot of bed like a small cement mixed filled with pebbles. 

 

Not the neatest job in the world

It was during one of these periods of wakeness that I knocked this chap together.  My Turkish forces for the Crimea require a mounted general and I thought he would probably do for an Egyptian officer of the 1880s as well. I must confess that this conversion was not prompted by any really careful consideration, but more by the fact that I had left a biscuit tin lid on the bedside table. My basing box was on the lid and I'd forgotten that I'd chucked some figures in the box.  The fez came from a Waterloo 1815 Egyptian infantryman who was waving a clubbed rifle. The figure is from an Italeri Confederate cavalry set.  I think he might be supposed to be Jeb Stuart, but he has defected to the Ottomans now. 

Note the tassel at the rear

I trimmed the fez from the first figure and then sliced off the top of General Stuarts head. A dab of superglue and the conversion such as it is, was done.  I have added a green stuff tassel to the fez and filled a few gaps. 

Not too shabby for half an hours work and all without waking the slumbering Mrs Kinch or the cat. We shall see how it takes paint.