The Cavalry

My North West Frontier project has been coming along as I move into Cavalry country.

Firstly we have a couple of Sowars of the Corps of Guides. Seminal troops for any NWF project.

And secondly, some British Lancers. Looking closely at them , it's very apparent that these are meant to be the 21st Lancers at Omdurman. It's my intention to mount these figures on comparatively large bases - say 80 x 40mm to accommodate the rather large horses. I am intrigued by the possibility into making some of these into mini vignettes which might make up into something quite impressive when the whole regiment is eventually assembled. I have just about enough castings to produce a full Squadron (in TSatF terms) of 25 figures - two troops of 12 figures plus a Captain commanding...

Wargaming megalomania? Why, yes.

Now, just to wrap up for the day, a miscellany of just varnished odds and ends:

From left to right, a Buff, an Officer of the Artillery, a Sowar of the Corps of Guides, an Officer of the Corps of Guides, another Buff and a Driver. The last is a Willie seated gunner from the Gatling Gun set whi has opted for a quieter life and is waiting on a 4Ground cart.

The HMS Hood

I am currently (when not cranking out miniature Pathans and others) working away with the fellows from the Airfix Tribute forum on a group build.

The topic is Airfix WW2 Royal Navy Warships and I am building HMS Hood. I am using the base kit from Airfix as well as a kind of sticky-backed timber deck overlay and a sheet of impossibly small and fine brass etch to detail this elderly classic.

This has been a very enjoyable effort and one that I intend to repeat.

Herewith a few pix:

The whole thing dry-fitted together

The screens and railings on the Admiral's Bridge

The Flying-off platform on 'B' Turret

 The Hood in 1931. The Hood could carry a Fairey III seaplane on a steam catapult aft and a Fairey Flycatcher on a platform over the 'B' Turret. Ideally, you'd crank the old girl up to 34 knots, turn into the wind and..... launch!

A bit of internal bracing

 It's possible I may have bought a few Destroyers and a Cruiser as well.

Pathans!

A rare view from inside the Shedio of some Pathans. I had these a while ago from John P and painted them up last year on a whim. Mostly Stadden with a couple of Willies on the extreme right of the picture. One of those is a re-purposed Saxon.

There are another ten that are at about the 80% mark.

Things are starting to some together, I feel.

Tomorrow I ought to have a few Cavalrymen to put up.

Randoms...

Just starting to scrape the bottom of my NWF figure barrel.

From left to right, wounded, mounting up and Fighting Mac. The mounting up figure no longer seems to be in the Willie catalogue; I had this figure from a mixed lot a few years ago. His horse is being painted. Fighting Mac is I think, meant to be Hector MacDonald.

Next, some wily Pathans.