Returning to painting Anglo-Zulu war units

Anglo-Zulu War Project

This past week, my Anglo-Zulu War project returned to the painting desk, and it is now slowly getting closer to completion. I think I have around five more units to finish, including some artillery, but this week’s focus was on building and painting some supply wagons.

Four wagons completed.

A close up. I am keeping my painting very simple and loose for this project.

The wagons themselves are made from blocks of wood which are shaped. The horses, oxen, wheels, and crew are taken from a wagon set. I found the soft plastic wagons that came with the wagon set had too many fiddly pieces that needed gluing together, and would probably be too fragile for my liking. So I opted for my usual approach of making the wagon bodies from wood and adding the other components.

The wagons are not glued to their bases, allowing them to be removed and used as defensives when required.

The wagons are not stuck to their bases - another reason for using a robust wooded approach in their construction.

The British forces seek protection behind the wagons.

I now have some more British units on the painting table, as I aim to complete this project by the end of the year.

All the completed British forces so far.

Napoleonic Artillery

Before I returned to painting units for the Anglo-Zulu War project, I was fortunate enough to pick up some second-hand Napoleonic artillery online at a good price, with the added bonus of low postage costs.

Artillery additions.

My rather rag-tag Napoleonic armies have been in need of some artillery for a long time. The infantry at the heart of these armies consist mainly of old 30mm Spencer-Smith plastic figures, which were kindly gifted to me by John of Wargame Hermit blog around a decade ago. Until now, I have been making do with artillery bases borrowed from the Spencer-Smith Seven Years' War armies.

The newly acquired artillery and crews are mainly 25mm Minifigs, along with one set of Hinchliffe figures (I believe). Although these figures are smaller than my 30mm Spencer-Smith infantry, the difference is not particularly noticeable once they are on the tabletop. I also help disguise height difference by giving them a slight boost in height by packing out their bases by a millimetre or two.

Spencer-Smith infantry unit beside the 25mm artillery (a wargamer's view).

Most of the figures were showing signs of wear and had clearly seen plenty of action on the tabletop over the years. Some needed only a few minor paint touch-ups here and there, while others required a more extensive repainting. Anyway, they are a useful addition to my rag-tag Napoleonic forces.