Back to Africa: Adventures in Somaliland

[JBaumal]

Wow, simply amazing figures. You are a master. Keep posting your fantastic stuff as it is VERY inspirational.

Cheers,

JB

[twrchtrwyth]

Maybe. I'm not convinced they won't look stupid. Can always repaint them if they do, I suppose.

I've never seen anything you've painted which would come even remotely close to looking stupid.

[carlos marighela]

They look the business to me.

[coggon]

Dylan,

They are stunning, and up to your usual standards.  The only 'stupid' part of of your post was your suggestion of repainting.  Or am I mistaken and it was someone else  who told me that repainting was 'daft'

Allan

[Plynkes]

It was an entirely hypothetical repainting: If I ballsed up the henna look.


What I don't do any more is go back and repaint old figures from ages ago that I no longer consider up to standard (I have lots of those), as it will send you insane. But repainting something crap that I just did thirty seconds ago is fine. In fact, most of my painting time seems to be spent doing that. 

[coggon]

Rationalize all you want    I am willing to risk insanity rather than buying a whole new collection for a period that I gamed 10 years ago, but then again, I am an accountant and cheap as hell by nature

[DalyDR]

Maybe. I'm not convinced they won't look stupid. Can always repaint them if they do, I suppose.

Ha!  You finally did it, eh?  Certainly more skill displayed there than shown in my own attempt, but that's not saying much, I guess.  Sorry I deep-sixed the pics from the earlier thread ... but as it turns out I've been working away at my own Somalis again this very month;  I finally finished those archers and cavalry I've had knocking around for a couple years.  With any luck I'll find enough motivation to post pics, as I'm redoing the whole lot of spear and riflemen I did earlier.

Excellent stuff Plynkes.


Dave   

[Plynkes]

Good to hear that you're still at it, Dave. Maybe I should follow your example and give the henna thing a go. Yours didn't look stupid, after all. I'm just not that sure I like the idea of red hair on them.

I just found an interesting photo:


According to the caption, that is what a Somali tribesman with henna-dyed hair looks like.  Not how I imagined it at all. The direction I was going to go in was much more Clairol Nice-and-Easy than that. Not sure I'd like it much on a figure. In fact it does look rather stupid. 
 

[Gluteus Maximus]

Bizarre! The orange and white mix looks "wrong" and if I'd seen a figure painted like that without seeing the pic first I'd have questioned it    Mind you, the Pathan chaps who henna their beards look odd in real life too....

[HerbyF]

If you notice, this is an older man. The white is from the greying of his hair from age. Henna on white is very orange. But on darker hair you get a mohogany color. That is the color that you will see on the younger warrior aged men. Henna was used all across sub-Saharah Africa. You would be unlikely to see a man of this age in a fighting group, maybe a few with a couple lighter streaks. But not all orange & whit like this man.

[Plynkes]

Yes, good point. Hairdressing isn't something I know much about, but that does seem to make sense.

[Hammers]

If you notice, this is an older man. The white is from the greying of his hair from age. Henna on white is very orange. But on darker hair you get a mohogany color. That is the color that you will see on the younger warrior aged men. Henna was used all across sub-Saharah Africa. You would be unlikely to see a man of this age in a fighting group, maybe a few with a couple lighter streaks. But not all orange & whit like this man.

You see that in Afghanistan and Pakistan to. I made an attempt with it last year.

[Gluteus Maximus]

Ah, Hammers - that's exactly what I was referring to earlier. It is obviously authentic (we have several such henna-died beardies living around my area), but it looks odd in miniature    I've never seen a Pathan less than about 60 sporting that fashion though.

Lovely reference pic though, especially for when the Empress NWF range appears!

[Plynkes]

The Last Cartridge


'Surrounded by greatly superior numbers, their last cartridges gone, they tried to cut their way out, but they were overwhelmed and lost.'
Colonel Plunkett's column comes to grief. Illustrated London News, 23rd May 1903.




The previous scene was inspired by this illustration from The Sphere. Some more pics:




Fearsome Somali Dervishes (didn't do any with Henna'd hair after all, but I have been experimenting with it on some of my Zanzibaris).




A grisly end.




Plucky British chap meets his fate with grim determination.




 The last three sell their lives dearly. Men of the Second Battalion (Central African), King's African Rifles.
A long way from their homes on the shores of Lake Nyasa.





                                              "Goodbye, old chum."

Here at the end, there is no longer any need for forbidden love to hide itself away in the shadows.


(Sorry about that, when posing the figures they just ended up like that and I couldn't resist it.  )

[Malamute]

I thought it looked like they were holding hands in the first picture 

Very very nice.