More Beja, new recruits and a first game plan - and a loss

Firstly, let's deal with the loss: My Canon IXUS 30 camera is done, dead, deceased. This little camera was used for almost every photo on this blog, the many pictures in several magazines (Wargames Illustrated, Miniature Wargames, Slingshot, Wargames Soldiers and Strategy and Vae Victis - among others), and a few rulebooks too (including Shadow of the Eagles, Osprey's Honours of War and Jump or Burn). That's quite an accomplishment for an automatic, pocket sized, happy-snappy, holiday camera. It was the best camera I've ever owned and I'm going to miss it's sharpness.

My Beja have been reinforced by around 40 Perry metal figures and half a box of plastic figures. These came from Peter J's lead pile. They will allow me to add two more units of Beja spear/sword armed warriors. This addition is very useful and has decided my first game plan. At around 6 figures representing 100 men this brings my Beja infantry force to around 6,500 men. This is the perfect amount to do the Second Battle of El Teb. Peter's collection has also provided a Gatling gun, which now has a Beja crew, for that battle.

This week I've added another unit (#7) of spear/sword armed infantry. This was the last one in my own lead pile. This unit, like the others similarly armed, comprises three bases of six figures and three bases of five figures. These units, thirty three figures but counted as thirty six figures each, represent about 600 men. 

They are all Perry figures, a mix of Perry plastics and metal. All were painted in enamels and are mounted on WarBases MDF, 50mm rounds.

I've also added twenty seven Beja riflemen. I had initially thought to do these in four units of eighteen figures each (three figures per base) but I thought, after painting the first two units, that they looked a little too open. Then I thought of doing them in units of twenty with five figures per base but this looked too close order. Finally, I've settled on this set up: Three units of twenty one figures on six bases (three threes and three fours). This allows them to form in either a loose order line, or more typically, as this picture shows, in a more warband looking formation - four stands up, two stands back. I'm not sure if this is the right density but, it feels right.

 

Counting as twenty four figure units, rather than their actual twenty one, they each represent four hundred riflemen. According to the accounts this is about the right proportion of riflemen for a force of 6,000-7,000 foot warriors.

Anyway, since these shots were taken with my inferior (actually later model camera) IXUS 160 I've done another unit (#8) of spear/sword warriors. One more unit (#9), plus a captured Krupp and Gatling, and the Beja are done. 

For 2nd El Teb I'll need to add a couple of units of Baggara horsemen. Then onto the British. 

There are still the same number of Kordofani figures in the lead pile to bring the combined Mahdist force closer to representing 13,000 or so troops - which is, as far as I can see, more than enough to do any of the major battles. This army has been a doddle to paint - painting 400 figures of my own in a little over a month is going some, even for me.

More new units for the Sudan

 So, continuing with the Beja contingent, I've added two more sword/spear units (each 33 figures); a unit of camel warriors (11 figures - should be 12 figures but I stole a figure to use on a command stand); A command stand (3 figures, including a camel mounted 'Emir'); a Krupp gun with captured/slave crew. 

I've photographed them on this hill because someone sent me an email asking why I had used 'cliffs/bluffs'. The reason is clearly shown here: Where two sections join (under the gun) they can join at a cliff/bluff so that the hand cut slopes don't need to match up. 

All figures are Perry Miniatures.  Round 50mm MDF bases by Warbases. All are painted using enamels by yours truly. I still need to add standards to the sword and spear units.

Spear and sword unit #5.

Spear and sword unit #6.

A Krupp gun with captured Egyptian gun crew and Beja guard. I've based this gun on the diagonal because this system will be useful when it comes to British guns that might need to sit at the corner of a brigade square. I'll measure the 90 degree fire arc from the rear corner. Base is 60x60mm.

Beja command stand #4. I stole one of the camel warriors from the camel unit beyond to make this stand.

A unit of camel mounted warriors. I'll need another of these at some point. Bases are 60mmx75mm: the extra depth allows the camels to be staggered for the 'irregular look'.

....next up, the last two units of Beja warriors to empty the lead pile of them. I'm painting them as a batch of 60 figures - they are very easy (if a bit boring) to do!

First units for the Sudan

 I've decided to start this project with the Beja contingent which is now half, more or less, finished. I painted the figures using enamels.

So far I've done four of the seven spear/sword units, two of the four riflemen units and three of the four command command stands. There will also be a unit of camel riders and two 'captured' Krupp pieces. All figures are Perry Miniatures. 

When deciding to do the Beja I took a fantastic piece of advice from Kevin Calder and completely ignored his other piece of advice. 

I decided to copy his round base idea. Round bases are a very simple way of losing the regimented look of 'irregular units' when they are based on rectangular/square bases. The way they can be bunched together any old how is transformative. All of my irregular infantry units will be based on 50mm diameter bases (from Warbases).

I ignored his advice about picking a Sudan sub-period campaign. Sometime between the 1st and 2nd Suakin campaigns, the Mahdi prescribed an edict that all of his followers should shave their heads, wear a skull cap and sandals and, where practicable/available, don a patched jibbeh. In effect, from 1885 all early period Mahdist Ansar looked, more or less, the same. I've decided that my Mahdi will never issue such a decree - this will give my Mahdists an imagi-jihad feel but frankly, for the variation in unit look, I'm happy to go against history: I will have 'Fuzzy Wuzzy' Beja with 'ayrick 'air for the entire period and I will be able to do Kippling, in bad 'Michael Caine':

So 'ere's to you Fuzzy Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan;
You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first class fighting man;

An 'ere's to you Fuzzy Wuzzy, with your 'ayrick 'ead of 'air -
You big black boundin' beggar - for you broke the British square.

My first three command stands with Osman Digna (centre) flanked by two other command stands; the mounted figure on the right has had a Beja head swap (originally bald in skull cap). Initially I had thought to do single mounted figure 'brigade level' command stands but, somehow one stand on a base hasn't done it for me for quite some time.

My sword and spear units will all be based around an average standard of six bases (50mm diameter). 

Initially I thought to put six figures on a base but discovered that a mix of six and five figure bases (three of each) actually increased the irregular look - six figures only really fit on a stand one way, especially when mixing metal and plastic figures.

Each base will represent about 100 men.

Each base has three metal figures and either two or three plastic figures.

I have a feeling that the plastic spears will prove to be fragile. In consequence, I have decided to place at least one metal figure on each flank of a base to protect them when handled.

I'm sticking to three basic colours for the clothing: White, dirty orange and tan. The tan will have a natural variation because I'm purposefully not noting the precise paint mix for each batch.

Flags are downloads that have been over-painted. They are slightly oversized for effect (and ease of painting).

Riflemen are based three to a stand (representing 50 men per stand). Fifteen of the eighteen men in a unit are metal, the other three are plastic.

I'm going to continue painting the Beja until they are done (six more units and two pieces of artillery). Then, I'll move onto do half of the British force before moving onto the Kordofan contingent (which is about the same size as the Beja with a few more cavalry).

This is never going to be a huge collection - I'm thinking one session games - but, if it plays well, I'll do an Egyptian army, the Camel Corps and add another half a dozen or so Mahdist units - especially more cavalry/camelry.