http://peelerswargamespage.blogspot.com/2009/10/british-have-another-go-at-zulu.html
http://peelerswargamespage.blogspot.com/2009/08/britishzulu-dbc-game.html
DBC covers battles of the British Empire against the hordes of natives during the Age of Victoria. So what better than to create a Zulu War game, especially over Xmas! To be fair, we’ve been collecting Zulu’s for ages, but never got round to finishing them off. A little effort and re-basing to match the DBC basing conventions and there we are.
Natives are the main element for the poor enemies of Victoria. They are based on a 40mm x 40mm base (for 15mm), which at first seemed VERY big to me. Shooters, again on 40mm x 40mm, are natives with guns. One base of 'Natives' in DBC represents around 300-400 men. There are a few Cavalry types and even provision for a GunBoat & rules for forming Squares. A nice extra touch is some rules for individual british 'Heroes', we've got to try them!
There are Army Lists for Zulus, Mahdist Sudanese, Boers, Afghans and the Brits. They are based on a points system as well. If you want to know more, then buy the rules. Well worth the money in my opinion…
http://www.dbnwargaming.co.uk/
Zulu 1879
10-15 Natives, 0-2 Elite Natives, 0-3 Shooters
A 17 Point Zulu Army, 12 Natives, 2 Elite Natives and 2 Shooters.
Zulus in Regiments with painted shields.
ZULU!!
Very impressive...
Zulu Shooters - That grass was a right pain to base.
At the front a two base Zulu Regiment nErmunthingamebob
and another nThistimewithredleather
What an excellent Zulu army! It looks marvellous, especially with the long grass for the shooters & the little Commander Base.
ReplyDeleteI'll look forward to seeing it hit the battlefield!
Glad I don't have to face those fellows. They look terrifying!
ReplyDeleteMay I ask a couple of questions Mr F?
What adhesive do you use to stick your materials to the bases (assuming you employ sand & static grass)? I've tried PVA glue, but with very mixed results.
And, do you follow a particular routine when glueing?
May I also add a hint here as well?
I try to include special sound effects with my own tabletop battles, so have you thought about recording some of the Zulu chants from the films "Zulu" & "Zulu Dawn" (unless you have a strong aversion due to copyright) and playing them at critical moments?
Just a thought.
Steve
Cheers fellas, thanks for the comments.
ReplyDeleteSteve, yes we have a routine when applying the ‘Fazzy Basing Technique’. We have two methods, one for Northern hemisphere grass types & the other for Desert/Arid
For sticking the figures to bases (mdf pre-cut ones) we use either UHU or BOSTIK all purpose. Pea size blob, leave a few minutes, then on go the figures. We then leave them overnight to set. I wouldn't use PVA for sticking figures, just use it for the sand/ grass etc.
Next session we apply ‘BASETEX’ which is a lovely acrylic mixture. All over the mdf base & figure bases We get this from Irregular Minis, I believe it’s by Colour Party. It comes in various colours, we have Brown. Let this dry overnight or shove in front of the fire if your in a hurry. When the BASETEX sets it leaves lovely ridges ripe for highlighting, so ‘overbrush’ with a lighter shade of brown. For the static grass we use PVA glue (3/4 PVA ¼ water), dab it on the base, not too much. We have the static grass in a tub, put in the base and ‘chuck’ on the grass. We don’t force it on, next turn over the base & tap the bottom lightly. This gets rid of the excess & uses gravity to straighten some of the grass. The next trick is to then place all the bases on a flat tray, piece of cardboard, whatever and then leave on top of the Television overnight. The static electricity from the tele straightens the grass a bit more.
Anyway works for us. I then use a big soft brush to ‘brush off’ any stray grass on the figure. Next, place all the bases on a flat surface and SPRAY with matt/satin varnish to seal the grass & finish off the figures. We have used this for the majority of our ‘Grassed’ figures.
For Desert types we did use the Sand coloured BASETEX but I didn’t like the finish (Our Sudan Campaign British). Instead stick the figures to the base, then apply PVA glue mixture all over. Dip the base, dripping with glue into a sand/grit mixture. Turn upside & tap of the excess. Leave to dry overnight, then ‘overbrush’ with a light colour. Add a little green static grass/bush for a nice variety. Again seal with a nice coat of varnish. Our Afghan Army is a good example of this.
I love basing the figures, our way is a bit time consuming but well worth the results. Sometimes I’ll add a few bits like, twigs for branches small stones for rock.
I reckon if you are going to take the time to give the figures a decent paint job, then you have to make the base look good as well.
All the Best
MrF
Oh another... I have seen that 'Static Grass' sold at Games Shows which is 'already clumped together' and has glue at the bottom, ready to be applied. Just peel off & apply. I will be trying that stuff.... when I get round to buying it!
ReplyDeleteCheers
MrF
Cheers Mr F. Thanks for your description/s. I'm working on my 15mm scale Wars of the Roses/Medieval armies at present, bringing them up to date a little (actually replacing some of the older figs. & repainting any chipped or damaged ones).
ReplyDeleteWhen can we expect a Zulu uprising? Or will the British be crossing the Buffelo River soon?
Steve.
Hi MrF, nice looking Zulus you got there!! The basing is really impressive, I sholud try that basetex stuff soon myself.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Peeler
MrF You really do a fine job with your figs and I have to say you get into some great periods. I hope it plays well, well kinda, becaus then I will have to build such armies and give it a try.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the great work!
Chris
Cheers Chris/Peeler.
ReplyDeleteYep it will be nice to compare DBC against the DBA 1500-1900 Extensions.
All the Best
MrF