A few days ago I decided to play Santa and buy myself a Rolls Royce for Christmas, a Matchbox 1/43 Armoured Car to be more precise. As I searched ebay looking forlornly at the silly prices and the bright yellow desert paint job and wondering if I could get away with an out of period but pleasingly primitive looking and much cheaper Solido Renault R35 as a sort of Toy Soldier Stand In, I suddenly browsed too far. I had stumbled on the even more expensive 1/43 "toy soldier" Colonial tank of my dreams which I hadn't known existed. It is also slightly out of period like the R35 but even clunkier and less modern looking. I hesitated, I noted it, I enquired about dimensions, I went away and I pondered.
Where exactly did I want to go with this Colonial game, what is the historical/fictional background, what "look" do I want for troops and terrain and what do I have that I want to include? I also wondered why I've really made so little progress in the 15 months since I decided that I wanted to do this.
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| A typical Oerberg town. |
So, I reviewed what I've done so far and decided that based on what we seen so far, Oerburg is a suitable setting for the darker drab uniforms that most of my existing figures wear. This will allow me to use existing moulds to cast and convert many of the remaining units rather than having to make multiple new masters and moulds. It also means we already know what the terrain, architecture and native enemies look like so no deserts, palmtrees, adobe villages or turbans, at least, not yet.
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| A typical Kapelle native hamlet composed of small wooden cabins with sod roofs. |
There are mountains on the map though, and wide open spaces and the drab colour scheme will fit my, new to me, ...well I'll show you when it gets here.
"No turbans"???? . . . Surely, Ross, you need to have turbaned troops on at least one side (if not more sides).
ReplyDeleteTurbans are fun; one can use different colours for different units, etc.
-- Jeff
Sorry Jeff, I meant the natives. The Baluchs and Larsen's Lancers are not bring taken out of service. Some of the natives do wear cloth head bands which are vaguely turbanish.
DeleteRoss Mac,
ReplyDeleteIt all seems to be slowly but surely coming together, and I suspect that as the project develops those be-turbaned johnnies will find a place in your plans.
All the best,
Bob
I can't wait for the end of year bustle to give way to winter quarters and more time to play.
DeleteDear Ross,
ReplyDeleteIf you are doing colonials, you could simply create a section of Oerburg that sits in the far north with native people who are unlike the folks with whom you have waged play-war in the past. Uniforms did vary a lot - cavalry could wear colored uniforms as could Gurkha types (dark green). Even the troops of local princely types could wear different variations of brown and greens and dark blues. What a great project! Just as a BTW, if you can get the Rolls Royce AC, you might want to spend the money since they seem to be getting more expensive every year.
Best regards,
jerry
The major native power does sit in the far north and has been waiting for a decade in hopes that Mike will suceed in remoulding the Scruby figures to fight my 1850's British in Havelockes. My main goal at the moment is to reduce options and variations until I can finish the work already in hand.
DeleteAs for the AC, my new plan is to dodge the sellers of mint in box ones and to try and find a dealer with an opened, used, even slightly damaged one that I can repaint in dark green.
Exciting times ahead again? Perhaps a nice shiny diecast aeroplane next?
ReplyDeleteGood guess! But no. I do have an old 1/48 biplsne model that I intend to use but its not the new toy.
Delete