Abyssinian Advice

[Major Weenie]

Righto,

So the Chris Peers Rules, Death in the Dark Continent, have some interesting, and possibly powerful, native armies.  Dervishes and the Abyssinians certainly stood out for me.  I've looked through various illustrations, in various places, and throught that perhaps the new (and exciting) Perry Plastic Dervishes might work for Abyssinians.

Well.... According to the Chris Peers Army lists, around 1/2 of the infantry are warband/warriors and 1/2 are 'soldiers.'  It seems to me that the warriors are tribes closely related to the Beja.  So the new Perry Plastics would work for them.  But the 'soldiers' are probably the chaps in long sleeved tunics, tight fitting trousers, and white serapi/cloak.

So does anyone actually manufacture the soldier, tight trousher, cloak wearing Abysinnian infantry?  Or will I have to convert them from Mexican Federales using putty and a simple drop mould ?

Regards,
MW

[sepoy1857]

Empress has a brilliant line of Abyssinians.

[n815e]

You'll want to avoid the more modern models.

http://www.empressminiatures.com/userimages/procart29.htm
http://www.askari-minis.com/webstore/index.php?cPath=39&osCsid=fjubb5742hjtv657o1jko1vre5
http://www.castawayarts.com.au/catalog/catalog_main.php?cmd=groupload&group=22

[dadlamassu]

Do remember that the Mahdist Empire was the enemy of the Abyssinian Empire and clashed on many occasions.  The Perry figures will need some conversion work so with a bit of care you can get 2 armies out of one!







A google image search for "Abyssinian Warriors" will yield lots of conversion ideas.

Alan

[Plynkes]

The tight trousers were supposedly introduced at the insistence of Emperor Menelik II in the 1890s (presumably part of his obsession with turning Ethiopia into a modern western country). I guess it would make sense that the lower-ranked tribesmen would be the last to adopt them. Having said that you do see folks wearing them in pictures from the 1860s and earlier too (though they seem far from ubiquitous at this time). I would guess that the fashion already existed in earlier times but Menelik insisted everybody adopt it. At any rate, by the time they fought Mussolini in 1930s, even the lowliest tribesman had the things.


The guys who look like Beja are the Afar (or Danakils) from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti, and the Habab and Beni-Amer from Eritrea and southern Sudan. They are the muslim neighbours of the Ethiopians rather than Ethiopians themselves, and more often than not were their enemies. The Afar seemed quite happy to shack up with the Italians, which pissed off the Ethiopians more than a little.

Cush from Corto Maltese is Beni-Amer, according to the blurb in the front of Corto Maltese in Africa, though in More Romeos, More Juliets he seems to be Danakil (I dunno, take your pick):




Beni-Amer and Habab:










The Beni-Amer look like Beja because well, they sort of are Beja.







Afar:












Check out that last guy's Dolce & Gabbana AK. The height of military fashion!  

[chicklewis]

Major Weenie, 30 appropriate Castaway Abyssinians are at this moment winging their way to you for this purpose. 

[Frank]

Some very nice pictures and an interssting topic. Is the crossed tobe characteristic
 for the Beni Amer?

[Plynkes]

I don't know I'm afraid, Frank. I've seen plenty of pictures where they aren't wearing it. You see Hadendowa, Bisharin and other Beja sporting that style sometimes too.

It's a not uncommon fashion all the way from Kenya to Darfur. Even the president of the USA has been known to wear it.  

[Major Weenie]

Many Thanks for all advice/contributions,

My original plan was to use the Perry Plastic 'Hadendowa Types' for Abyssinian warriors and the 'Trews & Tobes' for the more organized soldiers.

Don't know if it's completely accurate, but thought that it might make it easier for the chap on the other side of the table to discern the difference in the units.

I will continue to plug along.

Thanks again,
MW

[Frank]

@Plynkes: Thanks for your answer!

[James Morris]

I have nothing to add to the excellent miniatures advice offered, but I have played my Abyssinians using Death in the Dark Continent and they are quite a powerful army.  Nice to play Africans who aren't cannon-fodder for a change!

[Shikari Sahib]

If interested you could check at the Strategia & Tattica web site, many Abyssinians,foot, horsemen, and Cheifs/Ras.
A little thinner figures but well done reproducing the right characteristics of that warriors.
Piero

[Hobbit]

Not my area of expertise, but would some of Copplestone's Somalis work?

[Plynkes]

They'd be pretty good, no almost perfect, for Afar (Danakils), who would fit into the "Lowland tribes" section of the Ethiopia army list in Death in the Dark Continent. The Danakils also get their own army list in the extra downloads section on the North Star website, and you are allowed to use options from this list as allies in an Ethiopian force.

[chicklewis]

Here's a link to the Strattegia e Tattica figures with lots of nice photos:

http://www.strategiaetattica.it/miniature_base.asp?tipologia=25mmcoloniale