Wrapping up the Anglo-Zulu project

The Anglo-Zulu War project, which I started back in March this year, is now finally wrapping up. I have reached the point where the armies are ready to be pushed around the tabletop.

All the completed units on the tabletop. The British forces look quite large, but that is due to the variety of units. In most cases it will be half the size.

A closer view of the Zulu forces which I completed before starting on the British forces,

I will no doubt add a few extra units and bits of equipment over the coming months. A limber for the Gatling gun is one item on the list, along with a herd of cattle, but for now I am considering the project complete and ready for a wargame.

This past week saw the following additions:

• Natal Native Contingent infantry unit.
• Natal Native Mounted Cavalry unit.
• British commander bases.
• A rocket unit.
• A British infantry unit.
• Tents for a British camp.

British command bases. I really need to make one that looks like a cavalry commander.

I really enjoyed making this rocket unit. The launcher is made from wire and plastic square tubing which I sliced in half. The rocket is a toothpick cut to size. A spare horse was found for the pack mule.

Making the tents

The tents were made using card and round wood dowel. I cut the card into semi-circles and made a cone, which was held together with masking tape. These were then glued onto lengths of wood dowel (the tent’s base) which I had sawn and sanded down one edge to help the glueing of the cone.

An old school compass always comes in handy for drawing circles, or semi-circles in this case.

Once the glue had dried, I applied a couple of coats of Gesso and when dry sanded the surfaces smooth in preparation for painting.

Two coats of Gesso primer, then a sanding to smooth out.

The tents were undercoated white, followed by a wash of a sandy-coloured paint to give them a little more texture. Finally, white was used to pick out some highlights and any folds in the tent.

The finished tents. Perfect for the wargame tabletop, just don’t look too close!

With these latest additions completed, the Anglo-Zulu War project after 8-9 months has reached a satisfying milestone. I can now finally start concentrating on play testing out some rules.