Yes my AAR is days late but in the meantime here's my nod to the 50th anniversary to that great movie :Zulu.
Would this game from a while back have ever happened without it?
Or this one?
As long as I'm digressing, one reason the AAR didn't get finished yesterday was the belated arrival of my Christmas present to myself. Since this is a minor, casual sideshow its understandable that the box of liliputian Herald copies has now been pretty much painted already . Actually, it would be finished except that I goofed. The colour scheme was supposed to be mid- olive green combat fatigues with darker green webbing and helmet but I under estimated how much darker these shades of green are when dry. Twice. Even after 3 progressively lighter coats and then a damp brush they are still too dark for what I wanted. Luckily by then I had run out of time for finishing the rest. Another dry brush I think and a lighter green on the helmet. Luckily the moment has passed and I can do 1 sample to get it right before going to mass production.
The figures are as small as I feared . Not a match for 1/72 at all. Barely even 1/76 more like 1/86. Luckily I had been starting to think that I didn't really want to touch the Naryatrian stuff at all. It was something done at a time and place. Also it is clearly an African army while that of Roscia is just as clearly not. Since painted plastic armymen, in North America at least, were often divided into Green and Tan armies I decided to do a Khaki and Green equivalent. Looking at how small the new figures are, they almost seem to be a different race. Hmmm. Thus was born Roscia's northern neighbor , the mountainous forest Kingdom of Lital.
Hmm the colors in this picture are a bit browner than in life, but you get the idea.
Great looking Zulus' pictures!
ReplyDeleteThanks, good memories!
DeleteUsuthu! Usuthu!
ReplyDeleteMen of Harlech stop your dreaming
DeleteCan't you see their spear points gleaming?
Ross,
ReplyDeleteRE: the liliputs: That color scheme looks fine to me. If you are going to do their opponents in green, I'd say leave them alone.
Where did you find them? I haven't seen those guys in 45 years at least. Used to have 200+.
Is that a Roco Minitank behind them? I have a lot of those, but all WWII. Scale-wise, they're a good match for the liliputs. You could probably mix Roco artillerymen & seated figures with them too.
Regards,
John
Actually these are the Green Army, the lighting did something to the colors in the photo. The khaki army is my 1/72 Rossi an army as seen in the battle posts mid December.
DeleteThe figures have been released by Call to Arms as WW II British Infantry. Only off by 10 years.
The Revell/Matchbox 1/76 re releases appear to be close enough to work with them but I think a second box will give me enough if I stick with 4 figure platoons and convert a few figures to crews for mortars etc.
The tank is 1/72 MRC product straight out of the blister package.
Seeing that couplet of yours brought on the muse - the same song, of course, but, before continuing, it is because the sentiments of the originals were the exact opposite of those in this parody that led them to such acts of heroism. Here's how it might have gone otherwise:
ReplyDeleteMen of Harlech in the hollow,
The civvies have run off, shouldn't we follow?
Here comes Johnny Zulu, the saucy fellow,
To beat us to the ground!
'Tis the tramp of Zulu Impi,
Makes me go all scared and wimpy,
I feel my ammo supply's too skimpy,
Hear my pulses pound!
Why're we here, I wonder,
Listening to the Zulus thunder?
Why us, oh why, I ask the sky,
Why aren't we getting out from under?
Men of Harlech, young and hoary,
The mellay's like to go all gyre and gory,
Let's go and tell our grandkids a tall story,
How we won the fight!
My apologies to Cambrians and the 24th Foot.
Cheers,
Ion
Like many of us I re-watched "Zulu" on the anniversary . . . still a wonderful watch even after many viewings.
ReplyDelete-- Jeff