Back to Africa: Adventures in Somaliland

[Plynkes]

Turns out it was gun-cotton (Nitrocellulose) that they used. Any idea what a bomb made of that stuff would look like? (if say, someone wanted to convert a figure into one charging towards a fort with some.)

The sandbags came from Jens (Pardulon), but I can't seem to find them on his site right now.


Once again the photography has revealed painting mistakes. They have now been rectified. 

[Plynkes]

Call off the search, found a picture:

Naik Sher Singh, 23rd Sikh Pioneers, getting wounded doing the exact thing we were talking about, only in 1915 rather than 1920.

So, a rather uninspiring little box then. Not at all what I imagined, which was something more like this:

 

[Frank]

Brilliant! I really like you projects. 

[Ignatieff]

Meant to ask, where is the mortar from?

[Hammers]

I think both GWM and Woodbine makes them. I have one of the GWMs (plus I made one from brass tubing and wire).

[Plynkes]

I don't think Woodbine do a Stokes (if they do I haven't seen it). They do a Leach catapult, which is an altogether more Roman Empire-style solution to the age old question of "how best to fling unpleasant shit at the enemy?"

It is indeed a Great War Miniatures model. Which of course means I now have a British Western Front mortar crew with nothing to do. But there's no way I could have scratch built one to that level of detail, and the Woodbine heads cut down on wastage in the figure converting stakes, so I'm relatively happy.

[former user]

Mr. Plynkes Sir
my deepest respect for the endurance, tenacity and talent with which You pursue Your road to perfection.

Have You ever thought of publishing a reference book on wargaming Your favourite period?
seriously!
at least online!

(simply consider this as said forever, for I will abstain from redundance in future posts  )

[Ignatieff]

I don't think Woodbine do a Stokes (if they do I haven't seen it). They do a Leach catapult, which is an altogether more Roman Empire-style solution to the age old question of "how best to fling unpleasant shit at the enemy?"

It is indeed a Great War Miniatures model. Which of course means I now have a British Western Front mortar crew with nothing to do. But there's no way I could have scratch built one to that level of detail, and the Woodbine heads cut down on wastage in the figure converting stakes, so I'm relatively happy.

£7.20 for the GWM mortar and (redundant) crew; £6.50 for a near-identical Copplestone Chinese mortar and (redundant) crew.  As they say, every little helps.....

[Phil Robinson]

Very good idea on the conversion with GB heads, may get some in Brodie helmets to put on mine. Thanks for the idea. Oh and yes, please stop trying to side track me back to Africa with these great pieces of work

[Gluteus Maximus]

The sandbags came from Jens (Pardulon), but I can't seem to find them on his site right now.

Thanks, I thought it might be something like that. If it is a Pardulon product, I really must put an order in soon (although I've been telling myself that for several years) 

[bandit86]

Fantasic posting.  Thanks.

[Shikari Sahib]

Plynkes, I have noted that in your Adventures in Somaliland, you range from Burton era to post WW1,
what is your specific interest?
I'm asking because the Mad Mullah period is an interesting one with some really good books on it, expecially for wargames purpose,but very negleted, seems strange.

turning early as Italian I'm also interested in the Giulietti travels in Harar and Dancalia.

Piero

[former user]

a gun-cotton bomb could be simply filled into a metal tube with fuse, as described in "mysterious island"

[Plynkes]

Plynkes, I have noted that in your Adventures in Somaliland, you range from Burton era to post WW1,
what is your specific interest?

Well, Burton for a start (I'm interested in all the East African explorers, but I have to say Burton is my favourite), and since reading "The Warrior Mullah" by Ray Beachey I've been interested in Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan and the British campaigns against him too. When the Copplestone figures came along it seemed a perfect scheme to game two periods I like with them, because Copplestone's African ranges are probably my favourite figures to paint ever.

[Zafarelli]

Thanks, I thought it might be something like that. If it is a Pardulon product, I really must put an order in soon (although I've been telling myself that for several years) 

They are, but they are currently not in the shop. I've always meant to put them back up, but what with one thing and another Please drop me a not if you need some, there are actually some in stock.

Nice mortar team, too