Happy New Year

Season’s greetings to my followers and readers, wherever you are in the world. I hope you got all the toys you wanted for Christmas.

My Sudan project has languished while I get stuck into my medieval adventure. I do have plans for some additions this year – some Indian infantry at the very least, and I am still thinking about the armed train – the block here is lack of an authentic looking locomotive.

Meanwhile, thank you for your interest – over 36 thousand page views seems quite remarkable to me.

El-Teb sugar refinery

I have been thinking about modelling the boiler for the derelict sugar refinery at El-Teb, which was fanatically defended by Mahdist warriors.

I am just about to use the last of a bottle of spectacles lens cleaner, and I think it may be just the right size to form the basis of the boiler. I bought a sheet of Slater’s Plasikard with embossed rivets, and now I am ready to give the model a go.

Lens cleaner bottle, a sheet of embossed rivets, and a determined Mahdist for scale.

For you all love the screw gun …

The mule train for the screw gun battery is finished, with the components loaded and organised in order of march: axel tree, wheels, carriage, breach, chase (barrel), and ammunition.

I have followed the same principle I established for the Royal Navy Gatling gun battery [link], that is to model one weapon in transit to represent the battery of two guns on the move.

The converted infantry driver figures turned out alright after all, I think.

By way of celebration, let’s have some Kipling – the refrain from Screw-Guns:

For you all love the screw-guns the screw-guns they all love you!

So when we call round with a few guns, o’ course you will know what to do – hoo! hoo!

Jest send in your Chief an’ surrender it’s worse if you fights or you runs:

You can go where you please, you can skid up the trees, but you don’t get away from the guns!

The loaded mules with their drivers.

Season’s greetings

I have finally got the mules finished, and begun to think about the accompanying figures.

My first attempt is to model these from the Afghanistan/Sudan plastic set, with the addition of Empress Miniatures’ Oliver pattern water bottles, and a little ProCreate for webbing. The lack of walking poses may mean I need to rethink this. Wait to see.

I hope to have these finished before the end of the year, so that I can switch my effort to the late medieval period.

Meanwhile, I wish my ten followers and many more visitors a peaceful and relaxing time over the next few days.

The mules patiently await their drivers.

Screw gun battery mules: all six

I have been working on these on-and-off throughout the week, and now they are complete.

Six mules carrying the gun chase, breach, carriage, wheels, axel tree, elevation mechanism, and ammunition. Next I have to work on the gun crew figures which will accompany these.

The disassembled gun and ammunition distributed across six mules.

Screw gun battery mules: the first three

Today I made a bit of progress with the first mules for the screw gun battery, with breech, gun chase, and wheel loads.

I used lead for straps, fuse wire for buckles, and ProCreate for the various covers designd to keep dust and debris out of the gun components. So far I am quite pleased with how these have turned out.

Breech, gun chase, and wheels loaded onto the first three mules.