Foundry Baluchi

[Christian]

I have the set below, and want to know why the figure in the top left is so distinctly different from the others? He carries the traditional dagger in his belt, as well as the characteristic shield and scimitar. However, he isn't wearing a head-dress, or look similar to the other figures.

How does he "fit" in with the rest of them, exactly? Not just aesthetically, either.

[Plynkes]

The mercenary matchlockmen that found service in East Africa, such as in the Sultan of Zanzibar's Baluchi Guard came from all over the place - Arabia, Persia, India, some were Africans. They were universally referred to as "Baluchis", though only some of them would have been from Baluchistan.

The fellow in that pack is probably meant to be from southern Arabia, as he matches the look of the ones from the "Arabian Dress" packs. They are the bareheaded guys and the ones that have more Yemeni-style headwraps rather than Indian ones. Foundry mostly sells the Indian and Arab style Baluchis in separate packs, but that swordsmen one has more of a mix. Probably due to one of their regular pack 'rationalisations.'

[Christian]

Plynkes, that is exactly what I wanted to hear Thank you!

I know you were working on something similar earlier: what is a good resource for background on Baluchi mercenaries? And whatever happened to your Arab Slavers, anyway?

[Plynkes]

They're meandering along slowly, just like everything else. Have something of theirs on the painting table as we speak. It goes slowly because I flit from army to army as whim takes me, and then I'll have times when I just don't feel like painting. It's like that now. Haven't put paint to metal since coming back from Hamburg. Has really put the kibosh on any thoughts I had of entering the LPL. But I've learnt there's no point forcing it, that just makes it worse.


I don't have much on the Baluchis to be honest. Just the hardback Foundry East Africa book by Chris Peers. Some of the explorers described them in their books (Burton and Thomson both did, I believe), but I have read more books about Burton than by him. The only one of his I have is his book on Somalia.

[Captain Blood]

Yes, it's down to one of Foundry's pack re-orgs.
When I bought all these figures, they were in packs of eight, and all the Indian types were in one set of packs and all the Arabian ones in another group of packs. These 6 figures here were never really meant to go together in a pack... 

[Gluteus Maximus]

Yes, it's down to one of Foundry's pack re-orgs.
When I bought all these figures, they were in packs of eight, and all the Indian types were in one set of packs and all the Arabian ones in another group of packs. These 6 figures here were never really meant to go together in a pack... 

For once I was also lucky in that when I went through my heavy Foundry buying phase, they were sold in separate 8-figure packs. It's made organising units so much easier (not to mention cheaper!)   

I recently found my stock of Zanzibari/Baluchi bare metal. There are 40 Baluchis and well over 160 Zanzibaris there. I even have some painted to add to that  I couldn't even imagine buying that many Foundry figures today!

[Plynkes]

I couldn't even imagine buying that many Foundry figures today!

Too right. You could get Fernando Torres for what they'd cost now. 


Going back to the Baluchis, even though there are the two distinct styles, there's no real reason not to mix them up in the same army or unit if you feel like it.

[Christian]

I think I will mix him in. He does look a bit out of place, but I found him a friend. I found this figure in a pack of Spartans and I think he looks the part when he isn't surrounded by his siblings:



Either that or put him and his mate together in a scout unit for T&T.

I think I got the "Arabian Dress" guy in the same pack as the Arab with a monkey on his shoulder, who I see is no longer available. From memory a bloke with a whip was in this pack too.

I found an interesting account of the British in the Sindh province, Napier et. al. Not particularly useful but somewhat interesting. The link can be found here:
http://www.freesindh.org/sindhstory/Karachi%3A_Queen_of_the_East.html

[Gluteus Maximus]

Too right. You could get Fernando Torres for what they'd cost now. 


Going back to the Baluchis, even though there are the two distinct styles, there's no real reason not to mix them up in the same army or unit if you feel like it.

True, but I like to have them as separate units - no practical reason, it just helps helps to id them easier.