Operations in the Sudan (Return 2024; Completed Landing Party)

[Plynkes]

Thanks, Jack. I agree, I have never played Black Powder, and probably never will, but I bought that book for the eye-candy pics and the figure! Just never got around to painting it.

[Plynkes]

I was looking at a wonderful old print of the battle of Tamai earlier, which shows Highlanders and sailors from the Naval Brigade in close combat with Beja around a Gatling gun. One of the tars struck me as great fodder for a conversion if you felt like doing it. He appears to be a petty officer (roughly equivalent to a sergeant I think, but his rank insignia is quite indistinct, so he may something else - but he is almost certainly what in the Army you would call an NCO) and Instead of wearing his regulation headgear he has a very piratical bandana on his head, and he has a Navy cutlass bayonet between his teeth! He may as well have a speech bubble saying "Arrrrrr! I'm a pirate!"


I imagine there is quite a bit of artistic licence going on there, but it might be fun to depict such a fellow. Maybe not with the blade between his teeth, that might be tricky, but brandishing it ready to go and in his buccaneer fancy dress hat might be cool. Just a thought.

[bc99]

Plynkes I have seen that picture and that sailor stuck out to me! I will have some extra crew as I plan on using the Perry miniature Gatling gun (it's bigger than the empress). I also bought the empress gun and have the extra crew from that set.

I don't know about my ability to model sword in teeth (seems like a nautical thing I've seen other paintings/drawings depicting the pirates that way) but someone ready to defend the guns as opposed to fire the guns would be great.

Cheers for your continued interest!

[Jack Jones]

Do you have link for an online source for the print?

Cheers
JJ

[Plynkes]

Not a very good one:

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/the-war-in-the-soudan-1883-1885-gallant-recapture-of-the-news-photo/1166203820?adppopup=true


(You can just make out our pirate friend on the right under the Getty Images watermark thing.)

There is a nice big version in the Mike Snook book, and I seem to remember it being in one of the old Ospreys too. I think maybe the Khartoum campaign one.

[Jack Jones]

Ah! Yes! I know it, and you’re right about the reproductions … though Snook’s is cropped.

I think the fellow on the left with the ammo mule may be Private Thomas Edwards, who won a VC for defending the Gatling guns … I plan to model him in a little vignette.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edwards_(VC)

Cheers
JJ

[bc99]

Here’s the picture detail taken from a snapshot of the Snook book.

[bc99]

Wow. It’s been three years!

I must confess that most of my painting is related to gaming, and our group plays mostly GW.

That being admitted and behind me, I’ve started up again on my naval brigade. I’ll have some pics soon to post.

I have a question for the learned gentlemen and ladies that frequent LAF:

Did the Royal Marine Light Infantry use drummers/buglers? I’m set to put together some RMLI once I’m done with the next batch of naval brigade.

Thank you for any assistance.

[Plynkes]

It seems each company had three drummers and three buglers. When referenced in action, the buglers mentioned always seem to be boys in their early to mid-teens. Buglers carried a cutlass, the last ones to do so in action were in the 1918 Zeebrugge raid!


That's just what I want to be armed with if I'm going to be facing emplaced Maxim guns and artillery: A bloody pirate sword! Oh well, it'll be VCs for everyone by tea time, and last one off the boat is a rotten egg!

[Jack Jones]

I’ve just given RMLI a bugler, light infantry style.

Here’s my finished Royal Navy contingent.



Cheers
JJ

[dickiegranthum]

I’ve just given RMLI a bugler, light infantry style.

Here’s my finished Royal Navy contingent.



Cheers
JJ

Brilliant thread and grateful you came back to it! The Perry line, the Snook book, are all just fantastic miniatures. I had a lot of them at one point, and during The Great Purge I sold them all off. Haven’t been brave enough to return to them
, yet …

[bc99]

Winderful naval contingent. I’m using Perry Sudan metal infantry figures for the RMLI so I’ll likely just add the drummer/bugler model to the mix.

I had a go at painting some beja and they were quick to do, I think I’ve got a good system. I’ll build some plastics up and churn some out hopefully soon.

I’ve got about 10 more sailors to paint, plus two guns and assorted officers, etc. before I move on to the RMLI.

[Jack Jones]

Thank you! They are my favourites of my collection.

Since the marines are light infantry it seemed to me that a bugler without a drum from the light infantry command set (SB5) would suffice.

Cheers
JJ

[FifteensAway]

Well, that Naval Brigade sure is a pretty sight.  And nice work on the terrain.  Four years work, though.  At this rate I guess you will be gaming around 2050 or so!    . Of course, maybe you don't care and just are enjoying the research and the painting and building - which is fine.

What part of California are you in?  I'm near Sacramento

[bc99]

Haha that photo is the naval brigade of Mr. Jones!

Mine is not so nearly done. Although I will put some pics up this weekend. I’ll be gaming before 2050 is the plan!

I’m in San Luis Obispo. Do you go to any gaming conventions?