Doing Boers in 28mm

[H.M.Stanley]

I've seen the idea elsewhere but there was no conclusion ...

Using the Perry plastics ACW, Rebs obviously, as Boers with some of the beautiful new Empress mixed in.

Viable gentlemen?

[Christian]

You can buy a  pack of 30 slouch hats. Not sure if these are pinned up or flat brimmed... never seen any pics though!

[Plynkes]

The fact that they're carrying muskets would put me off if I was planning to game the Transvaal War or the South African War. And all the ones in marching poses with fixed bayonets would be right out (which is about half the box). A Boer, marching?

The rest might be okay for 1830s-40s Trek Boers maybe, but I'd want some in straw and top hats to break things up a bit.

But that's just my personal view. It's not the law or anything. 

[Plynkes]

I just noticed you said "Rebs." Sorry, I haven't seen those. I was thinking of the original plastic set. Don't know what poses are in the new set. Might be more suitable. The muskets issue would still stand, though. Replacing or converting the guns is an option of course.
Sorry about that.  

[H.M.Stanley]

Good points well made.

Probably a none starter then.

Its not that i'm desperate for another project  

[joroas]

Probably a none starter then.

Its not that i'm desperate for another project  Smiley

How many of us speculate, plan and price a project on a regular basis, only to ditch it because we realise that we already have something similar in a box gathering dust from last century?

[H.M.Stanley]

How many of us speculate, plan and price a project on a regular basis, only to ditch it because we realise that we already have something similar in a box gathering dust from last century?

Ha ha

I'm painting WotR figures for an event which have been gathering dust for the last 3 years. And now i have to rush them!!

[traveller]

Better option is to buy the Old Glory Boers 30 fig bag. Some of their better sculpts IMHO

[Skyven]

Black Tree Design Boers (and Zulu War) are 35% off at the moment...

[jazbo]

YOu can't scrimp on the Boers - you don't need many anyway!

Tip for you, Maelstrom Games, they carry the Warlord ranges, which now include Empress miniatures.  They are cheaper and if you wait for Maelstrom to do one of their discount codes, you can save a packet.  They should be £12 for 8 Boers - I got mine for about £9.50.

[Plynkes]

As long as you don't mind them being Zulu War Boers (with British rifles), which wouldn't bother me any, I admit.

[H.M.Stanley]

YOu can't scrimp on the Boers - you don't need many anyway!

Tip for you, Maelstrom Games, they carry the Warlord ranges, which now include Empress miniatures.  They are cheaper and if you wait for Maelstrom to do one of their discount codes, you can save a packet.  They should be £12 for 8 Boers - I got mine for about £9.50.

Funny enough i'm over there tomorrow. Thanks - i'll have a look 

[H.M.Stanley]

I'm trying to follow the exploits of the 19th Hussars in South Africa as my GGF may or may not have served with them in the 2nd Boer War (I'm also looking at the 21st Lancers in the Sudan in the same period but that's another story)  

Ok, i need to apply some logic to this [logic, to wargaming you say ..?]

My favourite rulesets for Colonials, depending what i want to do with the game, are Black Powder, Sword & the Flame and Death in the Dark Continent. Please don't tell me that there are others; i know, but i'm not learning a 4th ruleset for the same era.

Now to the Boers and the number of figures needed bearing in mind that, by rights, you should have a mounted figure for every dismounted figure [in theory!]

BP is out for me for this. Far too many figures needed.

S&tF - the Imperial troop to Boer ratio is 1:1.25. For the minimum size platoon of 20 British i'd need 25 Boers. Doable but the game may get old quickly with little variation due to the lack of numbers

DitDC - a quick peak at the book and, as we usually game to 250/300pts, i see that Boers may be armed with breech-loaders (25pts each) or , after 1890, Repeaters (30pts). At 3 figures to a base that's 30 figures for the 2BW*. I could model them in rocks and just put 2 to a base

* i think we have a winner! Another major project i don't need but 20/30 dismounted Boers i can do [i would have to add cavalry over time]. That and i get another force for DitDC which is what i've been looking at.

I wouldn't fancy taking 10 bases of Late Boers against Zulus etc, they'd just get swamped! But against British in 1899 - Regular Infantry and/or [Heavy] Cavalry. Mmmm

So, gentlemen, what would the visually appealling & most appropriate figures be for Boers in the 2BW? I'd probably get 10 Mounted and 20 dismounted to begin with.

Thanks, James

[Lowtardog]

Defo on the Musket issue and on the ammo puches etc.

With Perry Makefing and the old foundry range you have a cracking choice for the 2nd Boer war to do it proper justice.

Old Glory have some nice PomPoms and Staats artillery crews to take on your Brits

[Plynkes]

So, gentlemen, what would the visually appealling & most appropriate figures be for Boers in the 2BW? I'd probably get 10 Mounted and 20 dismounted to begin with.

I'm sorry to say that one reason I've never got into gaming the Boer War is that I never saw any Boer figures for it that I really liked. Foundry's are nice but I think I want more than seven poses before I can call it a range. As they are 'old Foundry' there's a good chance they are pretty tiny too. I can't be sure of that, but I'm not prepared to risk twelve pounds plus postage to find out.

Empress are the nicest I've seen, and fine for the Zulu War Transvaal Burgher Force they're meant to be, but again too few for a proper Boer War outing and wrong guns for that to boot.

Black Tree are okay, I suppose, but they don't really inspire me to want to paint them.

I'm not even going to think about Old Glory. No doubt someone will feed the same line that is always fed: "This is actually one of their better ranges", but I've been burned by that one before: Never again!

Can't think of any others, but I may have missed some. Pretty meagre pickings compared with all the choice of Zulus there is these days. Sorry, it's all doom and gloom this morning.  But only you can be the judge of what you find visually appealing.