The Sun Never Sets - Boers and Burmese

 I finally got some Boers painted. The problem with painting Boers is that you have to paint two, twenty man units to make a single unit. I've finished three such units mounted and dismounted with twenty horses.

Boer Commando - Here are the Boers, mounted and dismounted. The horses with empty saddles are the same as those with riders.

Ras Gun - During the First Boer War, the Boers made two cannon, built by  Marthinus Nikolaas Ras, in 1880. The gun model is of "Martienie", the first gun built by Ras (and also the only one to fire shots in anger). It has a 3" bore and fired a 7 pound lead shot. It was used against the British at Rustenburg.

 

Burmese War Elephants - These war elephants have a crew of two in the howdah plus the mahout. They are armed with a lantaka or swivel gun. The elephants are cast in 3 pieces, 2 halves  of the body and the head. The howdah is a 3D printed scaled wicker basket model.

This is the Burmese artillery. Like two of the lantakas pictured above, this cannon has a decorative barrel, based on a fish.

Daquoits - These are Burmese irregular infantry. The British referred to them as daquoits, a term that translates to "bandit". These men all carry swords and spears, but they could also carry firearms.

Regular Infantry - These guys have spiffy uniforms and carry rifles.

Regular Cavalry - The cavalry are armed with the Dha, a type of short sword, and ride "Bama Myinn", a breed of Burmese horse.

The Sun Never Sets - The Action at Umbopa Drift - Part 2

 After the scrape with the two ivyo, the mounted troops regrouped.

The N.M.P. Moved forward to scout to the right of the square.

Upon reaching the crest of the ridge, they discovered 4 more ivyo.

The ivyo immediately charged.

The N.M.P. fell back while the hussars moved up in support.

The cavalry continued to fall back, firing all the while.

The zulu turned from the cavalry and slammed into the square. In the first attack, the 2nd platoon lost 7 killed and 2 wounded. The second ivyo inflicted 2 killed and 1 wounded. Both ivyo were repulsed.

The charging zulus triggered 3 more units.

The hussars move up to protect the battered 2nd platoon. The zulu failed their charge and are pinned.

The hussars make a charge and rout the ivyo.

The 1st platoon took the charge of two ivyo. These were defeated, at the cost of 7 killed and 3 wounded.

The devastation about the square was great, but the convoy was intact.

The Sun Never Sets - Zulu!

 I have finally gotten around to taking a few pictures of the Zulu. It should be noted that the Zulu are the oldest figure designs in the "The Sun Never Sets" collection. These were originally sculpted back in the late 1980's for a giant Isandlwana game. But, for good or bad, my sculpting style hasn't changed that much over the years, so they will still fit right in.

inGobamakhosi - The "Humblers of Kings" were part of the left horn as Isandlwana where they were engaged with Durnford's command.

iNdlondlo - "Horned Vipers" were part of the Loins at Isandlwana, so did not see much action. Some of the regiment did participate in the battle of Rorke's Drift though.

isAngqu - The "White Tails" were part of the chest at Isandlwana, so they saw a good amount of action.

uMbonambi - The "Seers of Evil" were part of the left horn as Isandlwana and helped to cut off the path of retreat for the British.

umKhulutshane - The "Straight Line" were in the chest at Isandlwana against the companies commanded by Younghusband, Mostyn and Cavaye.

These  Zulu are stripped of much of their regalia for fighting.

Induna -  These are the leaders of the Zulu Army.

The Sun Never Sets - More Gunboats

 Over the past couple of weeks, I have been designing a few gunboats that I will use in "The Sun Never Sets" campaign. These could also be used along with "The Kris and the Flame" models and vice-versa.

This small gunboat is based on British colonial harbor defense vessels for its general layout. I have opted for Gatling guns only, mounted on the hurricane deck. If desired, one could probably put a small cannon on the main deck at the bow. This model is 6" x 2".

This small gunboat is akin to a steam launch, suitable for coastal regions and river actions. This model also mounts two Gatling guns. Half of a platoon may just fit on board if the machine guns are left ashore. This model is 6 1/2" x 1 1/2".

This transport vessel is also classed as a small boat, in game terms, however, it is capable of carrying a full platoon. It can also carry a fair amount of cargo. The size of this vessel is 9" x 1 1/4".

Here is a large gunboat. It has a 4" gun on the bow, a 53mm Hotchkiss rotating cannon on each beam, and a 5-barrel Nordenfelt on the stern. The pilot's station is raised above the ventilators, just forward of the funnel. This model is 10 1/2" x 2 1/2", not counting the sponsons.

Finally, I have a somewhat more modern cruiser type gunboat. It has two 3" guns mounted on the centerline, midships. There are Gatling guns on the bow and stern. It has one deckhouse with the pilot's position on top. This model is 10 1/2" x 2 1/4".

In order to give the boats optimal convertibility, I embedded 2x3mm rare earth magnets into the deck at the gun position as well as one in the pedestal of the gun. This makes it easy to aim the guns and change the armament, as needed.