28mm Colonial British Infantry (Zulu Wars)

And now for something completely different …… !  I picked up some assorted 28mm Zulu Wars British infantry at various shows over the last couple of years, scratching an itch to play out Rorkes Drift and Isandlwana, battles which captured my imagination as a boy and, as I found out in later life, also fascinated my father.  Little did I know that one of his treasured tools kept in the shed was a cold chisel that he had made from a piece of an Assegai he had bought as a child in a 1930's junk shop.

The assorted figures I picked up at shows turned out to all be from Black Tree Design and I've supplemented them with a box of Warlord plastics, which match very well.  I've still got 8 figures to assemble and paint, plus a pack of Perry plastics, so enough for 70+ figures.  I'm still experimenting with rules, but I'm currently leaning to sets using 10 figures plus an officer to represent companies.

So here are three companies, each 10 infantry and an officer, plus 2 senior officers.  The third company at the back is made up of troops largely in non-combat roles, so this unit will be broken up and allocated out to make up other units in smaller numbers as the plastic figures lend themselves to groups of 8.  I will also add some other officers and characters from the Black Tree Design range and possibly others from Redoubt and Empress.

I've painted up a couple of figures in blue uniforms to represent the commissariat, one is clearly an officer using his revolver, the other is handing out what looks like an ammo pouch.

The figures all need gloss and matt varnish and basing/flocking, which I will set about after Christmas.

I'm quite pleased with how they have turned out and will be adding more soon, as well as some mounted troops and irregulars.

Thanks for looking and have a great Christmas everyone.