Author Topic: Diablo Jon does Darkest Africa - Royal Navy Gunboat added (Read 105466 times)

Diablo Jon · « **Reply #225 on:** 13 July 2020, 07:11:39 AM »

As my Darkest Africa project has progressed I’ve accumulated a fair number of miniatures that didn’t fit any of my planned armies. I kept shoving them in a spares box until I realised there where probably enough to build a small force of something. So as a little side project I decided to create a generic exploring expedition for TMWWBK using the skirmish kings rule (basically half sized units).

So first up for this little side project is some natives with muskets who will represent armed porters but could do double duty as musket armed Ngoni or other natives. Many porters on expeditions where armed with personal weaponry (preferably a gun) sometimes European employers would equip their porters with guns for self defence. Not that you could expect to much from your porters in a fight. When the explorer Grant was attacked, in 1861, by 200 native spearmen all but three of his 100 musket armed porters dropped their loads and fled.

These miniatures are a mix of Foundry, North Star and Perry plastic Zulus. There ten of them which is enough to make two six man irregular infantry units under the TMWWBK rules the leader models to bring the units up to strength can then be chosen to allow the unit to fit other armies. Below I have them pictured with the heroes of my narrative campaign as Ngoni musket men and with some Zanzibari headmen for an exploring expedition. Basically as they have a gun and minimal kit they are a useful as generic stand in gun armed natives for a number of armies I think.

Atheling · « **Reply #226 on:** 13 July 2020, 09:44:19 AM »

Brill

JBaumal · « **Reply #227 on:** 13 July 2020, 01:08:33 PM »

Great looking troops, very versatile, awesome brush work.

FifteensAway · « **Reply #228 on:** 13 July 2020, 02:08:21 PM »

Simple but effective skin tones on those armed porters. I predict that these 'after thought' figures get more use than many of the specific people figures. Only time will tell.

I am torn. Do I spend half a day, at least, fully reviewing this entire thread. Or do I spend that half a day working on my own figures taking inspiration from this thread?

All those nice figures, a variety of flora and fauna. Could use some more animalia chordata however. Or, so say I.

Hupp n at em · « **Reply #229 on:** 13 July 2020, 04:16:53 PM »

Wow, great stuff.

Especially like the Tembe and the Zariba pieces.

Diablo Jon · « **Reply #230 on:** 14 July 2020, 06:44:06 AM »

Thanks for the nice comments guys.

Atheling · « **Reply #231 on:** 14 July 2020, 08:48:35 AM »

Quote from: Diablo Jon on 14 July 2020, 06:44:06 AM

Thanks for the nice comments guys.

You're welcome, keep 'em coining

Diablo Jon · « **Reply #232 on:** 21 July 2020, 06:24:49 AM »

One of the last pieces for my British Lakes Company “army” is this 7pdr gun. After the failed attempt to take Kopa-Kopa’s stockade Lugard and Moir agreed that artillery was required to breach the Arab stockades. The gun arrived at Karonga station, via a steam boat, in January 1889. Lugard then had a road cleared from Karonga station so the gun could be brought into range of two Arab stockades. Unfortunately for the British the two attempts to bombard the stockades resulted in little actual effect. This was put down to the poor state of the ammunition though I suspected the lack of military experience among the Lakes Company personnel didn’t help either.

The interesting (or frustrating) part of the guns story is trying to work out exactly what the gun was. It is variously described as a 7pdr breech loading gun, a 7pdr muzzle loading gun, a screw gun, an Armstrong gun and there is even a small brass naval cannon in a Blantyre library that also claims to be Lugard’s gun.

Even where the gun came from is a bit of a mystery. One account has a man called Raw (possibly one of the seven mercenaries from south Africa on the company pay roll?) offering to go to South Africa where he knew of an available gun. Another account has Moir (one of the company managers) procure the gun from Scotland. I’ve even read it was paid for from charitable donations from anti slavery societies.

In the end I found this photo that is entitled defenders of Karonga and a fascinating article, in a Society of Malawi Journal, talking about historical artillery pieces found in Malawi. The article told my this photo was taken after Harry Johnston had made peace with the North end Arabs in 1890 and shows the gun used by Lugard to attack the Arab stockades.

Now I’m no artillery expert but that looks like a 2.5inch screw gun to my eyes so that’s what I went with. I bought a screw gun from Northstar and crewed it with a mixture of Foundry natives and Northstar Europeans and ended up with this.

FifteensAway · « **Reply #233 on:** 21 July 2020, 06:39:02 AM »

Nice work, gun and crew looks good. I like the kneeling guy with the mustache, made me think of Tom Selleck!

And then there is the other white man, Rotundus Helmetus as I think of him. Will the man with the sponge jump out of his skin when the lanyard gets pulled? Methinks. (well, I try to sometimes

)

Diablo Jon · « **Reply #234 on:** 21 July 2020, 07:00:52 AM »

Thanks

I thought Rotundus Helmetus bore a, chubby, resemblance to the fine gentleman in this drawing of an attack on an Arab stockade which is why I included him.

Diablo Jon · « **Reply #235 on:** 28 July 2020, 06:22:27 AM »

Having finished (Well almost finished I want to convert and paint some Nkonde Allies at some point) my African Lakes Company “Army” I thought I’d take some action shots of the whole force. So here we have some photos of an attack on an Arab stockade, somewhere near Karonga, by the company forces.