Khurasan releases 15mm Anglo-Zulu War Range (AD)

[Khurasan Miniatures]

We are very pleased to release the first building blocks for our 15mm Anglo-Zulu War range, available now:
http://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/late-nineteenth-century.html

We have British infantry receiving with the bayonet as well as firing, command for each, artillery, Natal Native Horse and Natal Native Contingent, and a broad selection of Zulu Warriors, both married and unmarried.  The high command will be made next, and if the range is well received, we will make more local forces as well as the British troops in the second invasion.

As can be seen on the new store page, these are just the first of multiple ranges for the second half of the nineteenth century -- in fact initial dolly parts have already been made for that colossal and momentous conflict, the Austro-Prussian War of 1866....

[FifteensAway]

I think we can give this release a well deserved: WOW!   

A quick glance and I believe there are over 80 poses - at least 40 Zulu poses.  I hope this range sells well.  I expect I will be dipping in for various reasons - and I don't even do the Zulu War.  For those who do, this will allow fielding a very good force for Isandlwhana and Rorke's Drift.  15 mm will allow a much better representation - greater mass of Zulus in a more open field with more imposing hills (like that famous one).  And if it does sell well, more to come.  Now something I'd love to see is a character back (think those two famous movies) and some wagons and tents, both upright and collapsed - and, of course, some cooking pots to be turned over and upset the cook.  Not likely but I can wish! 

Good job Khurasan.  (I am but an occasional customer but I do recognize nice work when I see it)

[Khurasan Miniatures]

Wow thanks. I’d absolutely love to do characters for the period. The next thing that will be made will be british and zulu high command, shooting British with bayonets fixed, and very ragged campaigning British.

After that some Boers and wounded perhaps. Overturned pots perhaps not! But wagons and mealy bags, maybe, although I think those are pretty easily sourced or scratchbuilt.

[Orctrader]

They look brilliant - Steve's painting really highlights how good they are.

How do they sit alongside Bluue Moon?

Do you have a UK stockist?

[smirnoff]

What a lovely range. Take a bow.

[Atheling]

What a lovely range. Take a bow.

Wow! 

If this range ends up having a number of additional packs (almost extras) then I might very well be doing my AZW collection in 15mm.

[sjwalker51]

Really nice figures and I like your approach to the Zulus, very animated.

Couple of immediate questions: the British officer appears to be wearing a red patrol jacket rather than the usual tunic? Did such a thing exist (I’ve only seen them in blue or black) and why did you go for that instead of a tunic?

Zulus don’t appear to be carrying distinctive assegais but throwing spears?

Please don’t think I’m being critical, I’d love to add some of these to my existing OG15 and Blue Moon forces - you can never have too many Zulus!

[TheBlackCrane]

Oh wow, these look great, but 1866 yes please! Please tell me this will include all the various states (particularly Hannover).

[FifteensAway]

I'm betting part of the reason for the doing the Zulus here as done was to make them easier to paint because you need so bloody many to do it right.  Some with the regalia to stand out but many done simple to just get them table ready.  Seems a reasonable approach to me.

Simple business mechanics, if you want more added to the range buy from the range.  The more we buy, the more we get.  And, again, I speak as a non-Zulu gamer, I will buy a number of items out of this range just because I like the figures so much and I can adapt them to my uses.  And everyone should have a unit of the 24th from the period.  As I've often said, it is the prettiest uniform out there - or at least one of the best looking. 

[Khurasan Miniatures]

Really nice figures and I like your approach to the Zulus, very animated.

Couple of immediate questions: the British officer appears to be wearing a red patrol jacket rather than the usual tunic? Did such a thing exist (I’ve only seen them in blue or black) and why did you go for that instead of a tunic?

You’re not required to paint it that way. 

Zulus don’t appear to be carrying distinctive assegais but throwing spears?

The Assegai was a throwing spear and widely carried by the Zulus. The figurines are supplied with both those and iklwa close fighting spears (and some of the shields have the iklwa held in the same hand as the shield, so you can demonstrate that the warrior has both spear types).

[sjwalker51]

You’re absolutely right, it’s the iklwa for close combat and the assegai for throwing, isn’t it? Not enough caffeine in the system when I asked the question. Thanks for the clarification, good that both are represented.

[Plynkes]

Assegai is derived from Arabic, means "spear", and is generally used for a javelin-type weapon (as said, a throwing spear). It's not a term the Zulus themselves used, as I don't think all that many of them were scholars of Arabic in those days. It is a word used by the British.


I believe the Zulu name for a throwing spear is isijula. Something like that, anyway. 




I love these figures. They are in an entirely different league to my old Essex ones, much as I loved those guys back in the day.

[Plynkes]

Couple of immediate questions: the British officer appears to be wearing a red patrol jacket rather than the usual tunic? Did such a thing exist (I’ve only seen them in blue or black) and why did you go for that instead of a tunic?

I think that's a mistake by the painter. There may well have been red patrol jackets (I think I have seen cavalry ones), but not in the infantry at that time. It should be dark blue. But the tunic is also wrong, at least according to the books I have. Officers did not wear their tunics in the field during the war (I guess they were a little too fancy and they didn't want to get them messed up). They either wore the blue patrol jacket, or the scarlet undress frock.

Interestingly, though, there is some photographic evidence of other ranks wearing the tunic in the field as well as the more common frock. I guess them getting their posh togs all in a state wasn't considered such a problem.

[Khurasan Miniatures]

I wouldn’t say the painter made a mistake — my argument is that this particular officer bleached his patrol jacket and then dyed it red.

Again you can paint it blue if you don’t want to be as unique as that particular officer.

I inquired on a zulu forum about the tunic because I wanted to provide some variety in the command sets and my understanding is that the tunic was worn in the field as well as the patrol jacket. It certainly was in an iconic film. That said there are two different command sets of one disagrees.

[NickNascati]

Oh my, I may be in trouble!