British Colonial Troops

Here a few pics of some of my freshly painted ancillary troops for colonial conflicts in the 18th and 19th Centuries.  This is without doubt my favorite period, both for study and for gaming.  There are so many possibilities for gaming and scenarios as well as imaginative invention.  Also, the varied troop types and awesome uniforms are impossible to resist.  I generally use The Sword and the Flame as a rules set.  It can be a little tiresome, though, as figures are generally based individually for gameplay.  However, if you keep the game small enough moving the figures isn't too much of a pain, and it almost creates a middle ground between skirmish and full-scale battle games.  First is a section of the 15th Bengal Infantry, the Ludhiana Sikhs.  Their turbans took a very steady hand, let me tell you!  The Sikhs are from Hat's new range.  Hat always does excellent work.

Second, here are two photos of a Naval Brigade landing party, complete with Nordenfeldt machine gun.  I painted the sailors in a variety of uniform combinations.  When Royal Navy troops fought on land they generally served as gun crews for heavy artillery or machine guns, and as such fought in un-dress (serving the guns was hot work).  The sailors protecting the guns may have been more uniform than I've painted them, but I think the mismatched dress better captures the ad-hoc feel of these units.  These, too, are from Hat.

Next is a photo of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders (79th Foot).  It's always hard to paint tartan, and I had to simplify the plaid pattern in order to make it fit.  Hats, again.

Finally, where would any army be without its support corps?  Below is a pic of a regimental surgeon and an engineer.  The engineer seems to be out of uniform, as he is most likely seconded to an expedition to locate the source of the Nile.  Such is the glamorous life of an officer of Her Britannic Majesty's Royal Engineers!  These two are not from Hat, but from Eagle Games' Age of Imperialism board game.  There are quite a few useful pieces in the game.  Interestingly, the engineer figure is an explorer, while the surgeon is actually a kit-bashed engineer. 

More are certainly to come, not least the solid, stolid ranks of red-coated and khaki-clad, tea-drinking lads who marched all over the known world, shooting people and nicking their countries.