So what’s on the painting table at the start of 2016.
At the front are a lot of 1/72 plastics from Hat. This time
the WW1 East Africa sets they brought out about a year ago (and still waiting
for the Brits!).
The campaign in East Africa was the culmination of colonial
madness with a number of European nations in Imperial conflict. Small armies
ranging over immense distances on incredibly varied terrain transporting boats
hundreds of miles overland to fight wars on lakes, armoured trains, killer bees,
biplanes, a Zeppelin, sailors becoming soldiers, guns taken from battleships and pulled
by hundreds of men through desert and jungle. What’s not to love (unless you
were actually there of course).
The figures are going to get a basic block paint and a coat
of dip. Shouldn’t take too long to sort a couple of hundred out.
Pulling a motor torpedo boat through Africa by traction engine!
Armoured train(ish)
The main issue is a set of rules. I have purchased Contemptible Little Armies, If the Lord Spares Us (with East African
variant), Crush the Kaiser and Triumph of the Will but none really
grab me so I expect it may be a home spun set. The issue is that they
need to be able to be played by at least half a dozen people, so not card driven, and simple enough
to pick up once a year. The level will be about a brigade per side so Rapid Fire
keeps shouting from the back of my head, a set we all know if not all love.
