Zulu - GASLIGHT?

Here's a few Zulu models I did several months ago.

 I bought a box of Wargames Factory's Zulus, probably inspired after watching Zulu, with No.1 son..., and had a go at getting the first 'test sprue' assembled and painted to see what they were like. I have to say I was not very impressed, it has put me off getting on with the rest of the box...

The open hands don't look like they are gripping the spears, the heads sit oddly on the torsos, giving a strange 'hunch-back' look from the rear, two of the bodies are a bit too obese for my liking, I can't see them running as fast over the savanna as they were reputed to be able to. They also come with rifles, and one pose would be a shooting pose with two hands cast holding the rifle, but I failed to get this option to work using any of the available torsos from the sprue. Really bad form!

I guess they will look OK en-masse, if I ever get round to finishing them off.

 They could be a useful little darkest-Africa-style colonial contingent for my Prussian GASLIGHT forces, which is what made me have another look at them in the display case the other day. Hmmm....

Who knows I may get round to finishing them off to help fend off Joe's Colonial Brits..., though how they would react upon seeing 'Gargantua' is anyone's guess!

WIP - ACW & Zulus

A work in progress from the painting table for you. I don't normally do this kind of blog post, but perhaps it shows I am still working away and wets your appetite to see the final finished unit...?

I apologise for the poor colour quality of shots. Whilst my angle poise lamp gives plenty of light for me to paint by at night, it has rather poor lighting for photography work. But hopefully you get the gist...

Plastic Zulus from Wargames Factory. 28mm. These are the first sprue of figures done. Painting is complete, just need basing and varnishing.

Perry ACW. 28mm. These figures have finally been fully base coated, as shown in the picture. I have since washed all figures in a 50/50 mix of Vallejo Dark Brown and Black washes. I am now about half through working the highlights back up. Then basing and varnishing. I didn't do the eyes though. Eek! perhaps I have turned a page in my painting technique. At least for the bulk troops of units. I have to say it was a lot quicker and the Perry sculpts have such fine features (small say compared to Foundry), that I think I would have struggled to achieve a good looking result. So I have left the eye orbits as a horizontal dark brown line from the wash... I hope the painting gods forgive me!?

I'm getting there! Slowly but surely...