I'm going to use my Crusades town for the Sudan - thoughts

[olicana]

Ahem, not many people were building walled cities in the 19th Century.   


(Didn't know about that, cool.)

That's true but, a lot of Middle Eastern buildings are, by their nature, built for defence. In recent times the walled nature of domestic building compounds in Afghanistan and Iraq caused all manner of trouble to western forces because it was simply hard to get to the actual building without triggering a warning of approach and flat roofs gave a firefight advantage to the defender. By their nature, domestic compounds linked together form a natural curtain wall around settlements - if gated, as they surely would be in earlier times (against brigands, etc.) they become mini fortresses (but, not proof vs artillery).

[olicana]

Question on TMP about the minaret onion dome construction answered (edited version cut and pasted to here):

The onion dome construction itself is a fin and skin affair. It's built on a hexagon.

First, make a good base hex (I did mine using hex paper on 5mm foam board). Rule a line, across flats, from one corner to the opposite to find centre and get 6 radials: these are your fin lines.

Next draw a fin on stiff card (I used picture frame mounting / border card): this needs a right angle [L shaped] corner that will glue onto the hex base with a free hand drawn recurve on the hypotenuse side to give 'half' of the onion shape. Cut this out: Use it as a template to make five more.

Glue the fins into position; remember to leave a small gap / 'hole' at the hex centre to take account of the card thickness when the radial fins are all in position [and butted up to each other] forming a small circumference around the centre dot.

Next take a sheet of thick paper (I used fine artist's sketch pad paper) and cut it into 6 strips a bit wider than the widest distance between the fins and including the fins. Paint the back of each strip with good PVA.

When dry, bend a strip into a recurve shape. Use it to make a panel between two fins: PVA glue into position. When stuck but not completely dry / hard, trim the panel at the fins.

Apply the second panel in the same way then PVA down the join [between panels] and rub with the side of a brush or pencil to blend the join of the two panels together (make a smooth seamless join): Repeat with the other panels [the last panel will need to be blended to the panels on both sides].

When all done and dry, paint with two coats of good PVA [for strength].

At the top of the dome you will have a hole (where the fins butt up against each other) going down between the fins to the centre dot of the base hex, and consequently the top of the dome will be slightly flat – I took a plastic ball (I it had lying around in a bits box) and melted a nail into it; I snipped off the nail head and glued it into position at the top of the dome – hiding both the hole [the nail went down it] and flat top.

At the bottom of the dome (mine didn't look very neat) I cut six mitred stiff card strips and glued them around the base of the dome to tidy it up.

Then I painted it dark green and added white to get the shades of dry brush until it looked like oxidised copper. It could have been painted gold I suppose but, that felt a bit flamboyant for a small 'impoverished' town.

I hope that makes sense. Note: You will need very sharp / new blades for the whole process.

[Metternich]

Excellent.  Works very well.

[Deedles]

Just do it !

[Eric the Shed]

I use my generic Arab City for both Sudan and Crusades - yours looks fabulous...

[Marine0846]

Your city looks great.
I would use it in a heartbeat.
Both your and Eric the Shed's are excellent.

[Tom Dulski]

I use my generic Arab City for both Sudan and Crusades - yours looks fabulous...

 REMARKABLE, is there any chance can see more pics of this city?

[Johnny Boy]

 REMARKABLE, is there any chance can see more pics of this city?

I'll second that, a deeper peek would be much appreciated

[Eric the Shed]

Thanks Chaps - More pictures on my blog...link below

https://shedwars.blogspot.com/2021/05/revisiting-khartoum-project-is-almost.html

[Tom Dulski]

 Lovely, thanks. Quite impressive of course the problem always becomes where to put it when you're not using it.

[armchairgeneral]

It would be good to see some actual Sudan troops in your town. How goes the progress with them?

[olicana]

Eric,

That's quite something!

I've since added a large hexagonal Mosque with a large onion dome three more generic town sections and, because it was an easy addition (for the outskirts), an Islamic cemetery. It still doesn't have anything like your town's footprint. Mine is just 41" x 33". And, I can't stretch it because my 'town sections' include the streets.

I have been thinking about walls for the Crusades but, my figure basing doesn't lend itself well to siege games (infantry on 60 x 60 mm) - the ramparts need to be very deep (for a gaming footprint). It's why my combined building and compound sections are the size they are - to take two three stand units.



My building sections are the size they are (21x21cm) because I've 'embraced the grid' for games using To The Strongest rules.

[Tom Dulski]

 LOVE it!

[Eric the Shed]

Looks fabulous...

[olicana]

It would be good to see some actual Sudan troops in your town. How goes the progress with them?

As yet I haven't painted a single one. I'm not quite ready to start due to some last minute doubts about unit size - I'm veering to one base of 6 figs equalling 100 men (for 6 to 8 base Anglo-Egyptian units of 36-48) but until I finally decide I'm a bit stuck. The alternative is the time honoured 4 base 24 man units that so fit so well with just about every other period.

It's only the scarcity of units that makes me want to go bigger and have units of varying size - normally I use four stand units; I nominally note strength with a dice (units have a stength of 3-5 average 4) and I completely fudge consequent difference in frontage. The pic below (Napoleonics) shows how I do this. Each unit has a small dice tray: Black dice show strength, white dice show casualties/disruption.



If I go the 24 figure route there will be very little figure wastage as I seem to have somewhat underdone the number of figures I'll need for deployed stands of skirmishers.

I've definitely decided on base size - being 50 x 50 mm for regular (Brits etc.) and 50 mm diameter for irregular (Mahdist in the main). Cavalry will be 60 x 60 mm (3 figs on each).

In the meantime I have at least painted the 180 additional Crusades figures I bought at the same time - so time not entirely wasted.