Author Topic: Diablo Jon does Darkest Africa - Royal Navy Gunboat added (Read 105678 times)

Calumma · « **Reply #105 on:** 22 March 2020, 07:56:58 AM »

Great thanks for the link. I've been playing using mats that resemble a much drier semi-arid region, but been itching to do something with longer grass.

Diablo Jon · « **Reply #106 on:** 27 March 2020, 06:33:02 AM »

These guys are the Lake Tonga auxiliaries armed with muzzle loading guns that made up about third of the British Lakes Company soldiers. Nothing very exciting a mixture of Foundry Askari and tribal musketeers in European dress. Next up I have spear armed Tonga and Mambwe auxiliaries to paint up but I have become side tracked painting some extra Arab slavers with a mind to running a follow up game in the continuing adventures of Captain Phil Lander.

Diablo Jon · « **Reply #107 on:** 30 March 2020, 06:34:09 AM »

So I got a little side tracked from my British Lakes Company army and painted up some more Arabs to go with some that I painted up, a long time back, and then did nothing with. I always planned to do some Arab slavers as they where the BLC’s main enemy during the Karonga War.

The term Arab seems to have been a very loose meaning. Along the east coast and in Zanzibar there where a fair number of Arabs of Omani origin but the further inland you went the more mixed their heritage became. Arab armies could be made up of peoples of very mixed origin Swahilis were common but around Lake Nyasa many Arab soldiers seem to have been of Yao or Bemba origin.

I’ve decided to make a very generic Arab army that could be used For Zanzibar, Swahili coast, Tabora, Congo and British Central Africa. In the future I plan to paint up a unit of wealthy Arabs with modern rifles, a unit of earlier Arabs armed with Sword and shield as well as muskets and some Baluchis.

These miniatures are mostly your musket armed Africans and Arabs that made up the vast majority of soldiers in an Arab army. As I said the original miniatures I painted up a long while back when I was very much into using a black undercoat. I now use a white undercoat and have gone back to using a lot more ink washes.

I’ve painted up a few miniatures to be leaders in a TMWWBK game I’m planning soon. So these are the new additions on there own.

And finally a couple of baggage elements for use with “In the Heart of Africa” rules.

Hu Rhu · « **Reply #108 on:** 30 March 2020, 09:41:01 AM »

Very nice indeed.

Calumma · « **Reply #109 on:** 30 March 2020, 11:37:00 AM »

Excellent stuff. I just happen to be starting on my own slaver force for a TMWWBKs campaign. Still working at the mo, so painting will take a while though.

FlyXwire · « **Reply #110 on:** 30 March 2020, 03:34:33 PM »

Jon, bravo on transitioning to white priming (a technique I picked up for doing 28s with the Army Painter tone washes - and marketed years before "Contrast" paints appeared).

Your figs look nice and bright, and can "pop" amongst your junglescape, or under low-light conditions (like at convention halls).

Diablo Jon · « **Reply #111 on:** 30 March 2020, 05:22:04 PM »

Quote from: Calumma on 30 March 2020, 11:37:00 AM

Excellent stuff. I just happen to be starting on my own slaver force for a TMWWBKs campaign. Still working at the mo, so painting will take a while though.

Arab/Swahilis are a very versatile army in colonial African gaming both as allies and enemies. Also given the nature of their errr activates its easy not to feel guilty about gunning them down in droves..

Diablo Jon · « **Reply #112 on:** 30 March 2020, 05:32:05 PM »

Quote from: FlyXwire on 30 March 2020, 03:34:33 PM

Jon, bravo on transitioning to white priming (a technique I picked up for doing 28s with the Army Painter tone washes - and marketed years before "Contrast" paints appeared).

Your figs look nice and bright, and can "pop" amongst your junglescape, or under low-light conditions (like at convention halls).

I've gone through so many changes in painting technique over the years from painting Minifigs with grey primer and enamels in the early 80s, then black lining, then learning all about washes and glazes thanks to 1980s 'Evy Metal articles, then getting into black under coat thanks to Kevin Dallimore in Wargames Illustrated, flirting with army painter dips and now full circle back to 1980s Games Workshop with white undercoat, base coat, ink wash, highlights and sometimes a glaze.

FlyXwire · « **Reply #113 on:** 30 March 2020, 06:30:35 PM »

Quote from: Diablo Jon on 30 March 2020, 05:32:05 PM

I've gone through so many changes in painting technique over the years from painting Minifigs with grey primer and enamels in the early 80s, then black lining, then learning all about washes and glazes thanks to 1980s '.....

Me too, but never did the 'Elvis on Velvet' black primer route.

Here's the formula I use with glaze and for on white clothing, and to help pick out painting details too, and for seeing them with my old eyes (not for you Jon, but maybe a tip for less experienced painters here) -

(and can dry-brush white for those clothing highlights)

Atheling · « **Reply #114 on:** 31 March 2020, 09:56:06 AM »

Lovely Jon

JBaumal · « **Reply #115 on:** 03 April 2020, 12:21:52 PM »

Awesome brush work!

Diablo Jon · « **Reply #116 on:** 20 April 2020, 10:07:20 PM »

Something I’ve been working on for ages is this trading post for my Darkest Africa project. For some reason I kept losing inspiration for this little build but with the extra time, from lockdown, and the arrival of a selection of resin crates and barrels from eBay I final forced myself to finish this build off. Nothing overly spectacular foam core was the main building material plus some balsa wood, cardboard and teddy bear fur.

This gives my British Lakes company “army” something to defend against marauding natives or villainous Arab slavers.