Diablo Jon does Darkest Africa - now with my first Swahili buildings

[FifteensAway]

Phil is fun - and useful in many games and a some varied periods I expect.  Biff looks good, too, but you really need to do some work on his sun helmet for it to look battered.  Looks too clean by three-quarters at the moment!   

[Mindenbrush]

Neat idea!

[Plynkes]

I have long toyed with the idea of having some colonial/explorer types (and a Zulu!) wearing mail shirts along with their usual gear, to represent Mr. Q-Main and chums in the novel "Allan Quatermain." Always seemed like too much of a fiddly bother to get around to it, but this conversion has inspired me to perhaps return to the idea and give it some more thought. Maybe some fantasy or earlier historical plastic figures could be combined with some colonials...

[gamer Mac]

really characterful figures 
looking forward to the stories they encourage

[Bugsda]

Excellent 

[Diablo Jon]

Thanks guys glad you liked them

I have long toyed with the idea of having some colonial/explorer types (and a Zulu!) wearing mail shirts along with their usual gear, to represent Mr. Q-Main and chums in the novel "Allan Quatermain." Always seemed like too much of a fiddly bother to get around to it, but this conversion has inspired me to perhaps return to the idea and give it some more thought. Maybe some fantasy or earlier historical plastic figures could be combined with some colonials...

I'm sure I speak for lots of people when I say...do it man it sounds epic and I want to see a Zulu in chainmail 

[has.been]

+1 to the 'do it' advice.
When I was still at school & just getting in to Western Gunfight it was in 54mm.
My wargaming buddy at the time (one Stephen O'Leary) having seen the John Wayne
movie 'Comancheros' just had to have Chief Iron Shirt. One Airfix Indian & the breast
& back-plates from Historex, from a Napoleonic Cuirassier (who knew they sold parts for conversions? I didn't) & he proudly produced him for one of our Western shoot outs.
Down graded chest wound, of course! But he also took half an inch off his movement.
Fun was had.

[Diablo Jon]

I took a break from miniatures to create some more scenery for my Darkest Africa games. I bought some plastic tents from Renedra, an age ago, with the intention of making a camp for an exploring expedition and finally got round to it this week. The tents themselves where of mixed types in hard plastic and really nice little models they also come with a camp fire and some camp beds (that I took for my hospital tree project). I based the tents and added in some random camp clutter from various bits I had picked up from Redoubt Enterprises and Crooked Dice. slap on a coat of paint and hey presto one camp useful for both European military and explorers.

One common way of protecting such camps was by building a Boma (sometimes called a Zariba in North Africa) out of, ideally, cut down thorn bushes. So I figured I needed one to surround the camp. So I cut out eight, six inch, hardboard bases. I covered them in sand and painted them my usual yellow brown.



I then cut up some dead box plant and hot glue gunned the pieces down the centre of the bases in an irregular way. when the glue had dried I touched up the bases paint work.



Next I took some coca fibre hanging basket liner pulled off some irregular pieces and glued it over the box wood frame work using a tacky UHU glue. when it was dry I teased out and shaped up the coca fibre with some scissors.



Lastly I used white glue to add some yellow foam course turf, for dying foliage, when that was dry I sealed the whole thing with a watered down PVA spray (which was still drying when I took the photo below)



When all this was put together on the table top I ended up with this.

[FifteensAway]

Brilliant!  Love all the baggage scattered about.  But I really like the way you did the scrub surround in a modular way which means it can be used in a variety of situations.  Well done, sir, well done.

[Plynkes]

Nice one, Jon. I really need to make myself some boma or zariba or what-have-you. Bit lazy when it comes to terrain, though. Always put off doing things like that.

[Diablo Jon]

Brilliant!  Love all the baggage scattered about.  But I really like the way you did the scrub surround in a modular way which means it can be used in a variety of situations.  Well done, sir, well done.

thank you

Nice one, Jon. I really need to make myself some boma or zariba or what-have-you. Bit lazy when it comes to terrain, though. Always put off doing things like that.

Cheers I actually find making scenery is a nice break from painting miniatures.

[Isasi]

Really nice.
Congratulations!!!.

[Shtim]

Just read through the entire thread from start to end - I am blown away! The sheer detail, the quality of miniatures, and the terrain is all phenomenal. Super well done.

- Shtim

[Diablo Jon]

Thanks glad you liked it.

[Barry S]

Really nice work!

The boma looks excellent.

I have long toyed with the idea of having some colonial/explorer types (and a Zulu!) wearing mail shirts along with their usual gear, to represent Mr. Q-Main and chums in the novel "Allan Quatermain." Always seemed like too much of a fiddly bother to get around to it, but this conversion has inspired me to perhaps return to the idea and give it some more thought. Maybe some fantasy or earlier historical plastic figures could be combined with some colonials...

This would be brilliant to see.