My Ethiopians and their enemies (28mm)

[lowlylowlycook]

Based some Bersaglieri from Askari Miniatures.



And here are some previously finished Ethiopian regulars.  I think both from Askari and Empress.

[Techno]

Very nice work !

Cheers - Phil.

[sunjester]

Superb stuff! 

[lowlylowlycook]

Just got a shipment of Ethiopians and Italians from Castaway Arts in Australia.    Obviously I calmly filed away the box because it would be tragic to get sidetracked when these Italians are getting close to finished.

I mean, it doesn't take too long to base these guys lemmy had a great idea of turning the mortar crew to Bersalieri...


Oooooh!  Shiiiiny!

Here is an 19th Century Penne di Falco.

I think that making some for the 20th century is going to take some conversions.  I'm sure I'll bring it up again, later.

[lowlylowlycook]

Some Italians with goggles.



Some previously finished Ethiopians with shammas and traditional weapons.  I don't have many of these finished yet because 1) I wasn't too convinced by the army lists idea that a lot of Ethiopians were fighting without rifles.  2)I had an idea that these could be used for both Bolt Action and Kings of War by having essentially sabot bases that also had minis glued directly on.  I've decided that even if Ethiopians set out with rifles, their age, various calibers, poor supplies of ammo, etc., perhaps not being able to shoot it isn't so unrealistic and also that it would be best to do Kings of War with full unit basing. 

Anyway for whatever reason most that are done seem to be the Perry Sudanese with some Askari and Empress mixed in.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Those look great.

[Techno]

Seconded !

Cheers - Phil.

[lowlylowlycook]

Finished up some Italian officers and also some Italians I put in black leggings so they could be identified as Blackshirts.  For some reason I also painted their shoulder tabs which basically marks them as officers if I recall.



Also made some progress on some weapons crews and assorted odds and ends that weren't based previously.




And now we get to the part where it becomes more and more obvious that I'm new to historical minis.  Here are my Imperial Guard



I'm pretty sure that they should be in khaki but in my defense 1)khaki is boring and since the army is unofficial, I wanted it to be easy for an opponent to be able to distinguish various units 2) I vaguely remember seeing a march past on youtube with the IG wearing green (postwar?) 3) I was testing a few colors and this looked good 4) The Ethiopian IG in Civ V wear green.

[Techno]

Very nice, once again ! 

Cheers - Phil

[paulr]

 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Like those!

[lowlylowlycook]

Thanks for all the encouragement guys.  You are the best!

Now, as for anti tank capability, I wonder if I could get one of these?



Sadly, it's the Imperial Guard in Korea, though with the hills it would well be in Ethiopia.  Then again, that's at least as fair as having to fight Tigers with my 1936-37 Ethiopians and Italians.  Considering the new Pendraken line,  it does make me wonder if they wouldn't be a nice 10mm project... 


Some non-descript Italians have been based.



And here is a basically fictitious unit of Ethiopians.  When I first started this project, I read about someone using ACW Zoauves for some native troops.  He meant askari but a little confusion on my part combined with the attraction of some cheap plastics led to what I'm calling the Harar Guard.  Harar being an ancient (as opposed to the upstart Addis) and Muslim city.  You can't exactly prove that some Ethiopian noble didn't dress up his bodyguard this way but they are really closer to some Italian Askari, maybe in dress uniform or in earlier uniforms.  I've grown attached to them not least because their loose pats were easy to paint compared to the Ethiopian shammas.

[Techno]

 

Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

That last unit are great

[lowlylowlycook]

Thanks.

The more I think on it the more I like these Kagnew battalion fellows, that is the Ethiopians in Korea.  Apparently the fought well, gave up no MIA or prisoners and left no bodies behind.  Furthermore they wore and used surplus US WW2 equipment.  No reason that I couldn't do them for Bolt Action or get started in 10mm and just be waiting for some North Koreans or Chinese for them to fight.

Reading up on them brings up one of the reasons for the post rainy season flowers I used as bases.  One article mentioned that the Ethiopians came from an African desert country but managed to adapt to Korea.  It's true that the parts of Ethiopia that are close to or below sea level are pretty much hellish deserts, I doubt anyone from the tribes that live there would be allowed into the Imperial Guard.  Most of the Ethiopians are farmers and it's when the seasonal rains fail to come that famine breaks out.

That said, it doesn't get super cold and when my niece was carried out of the Indianapolis airport on Superbowl Sunday in February, she screamed like bloody murder.  I think she was out playing in the snow with her siblings later that day so, yeah, adaptable enough.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone makes some not too bulky late war Americans in 28mm. Or maybe 25mm would work.   Also OD primer would be nice.

[lowlylowlycook]

Tried to take some new/better pics to post back on the WWPD forums that got me into this in the first place.

=

[FierceKitty]

An amazing number of people seem to be coming out of that hut! 

[cameronian]

The father of an old girlfriend of mine won his DSO 'escorting' Haile Selassie and his family to Jerusalem. Didn't have a high opinion of him at all.

[Techno]

Lovely work 'Cookie' !

You're getting these done at a fair old rate, as well ! 

Cheers - Phil.

[lowlylowlycook]

Haha.  I've only been posting things that have been already painted and doing the basing for the Italians.  Things will slow down when I'm back to painting.  Way down.

For FK.  Family sizes in rural Ethiopia are large.  Perhaps too large.