FASHODA (gone the wrong way or what if?) (I)

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Maybe in 2025 you will see “FASHODA GONE WRONG” an Old Toy Soldiers & Old Wargame entertainment (SOLO). 54MM AGW affair using British and French Colonials (NO entente cordiale… LOL)… in fact I am pretty sure that this one would be my next wargame (Old School).

You see I do not like to “kill” natives or indigenous people in my wargames… I do not collect them as “cannon fodder” (Not even in 6mm mind!)… One thing is collecting miniatures (read Toy Soldiers) and the other is not being aware of the more grim aspects of colonialism (as if Persian, Greeks and Romans… to name a few were not “colonialist” or “conquerors”)… BUT here is not the place for discussing seriously the inhuman race.

Get a sight of the troops that would be involved on the pics below. All the affair would be precipitated by the French Commander in place… General Armand d´Hubry et Nemesis desire to win the Legion d’Honneur…

French Troops (by Dorset Soldiers and REPLICA)
More French XIXth Corps d’Afrique.
British and Allies (meaning Indian Raj Troops) by REPLICA and Dorset Soldiers.
The British “proper” minis…

Of course, after that incident and its consequences either Calais or Dover would be involved in a messy action… follow that here website for more!

Britains Little Army (soon to be reinforced) is awaiting the second battle as a consequence…

Cheers!

My yearly order with DORSET SOLDIERS has arrived!

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I will replace (finally not) those pics with new one’s “out of the boxes” when coming back from holidays… summer is hot even in Andorra!… done partially!

So for the moment just enjoy like this… fresh from the parcel!

I even did not take pics of a drummer and some dogs!

In a hurry it was… mind!

2025 order has been placed already (French Chasseurs of the Line aka light Infantry; two units of French line Infantry, a mounted ADC… and a special “Mildred Natwick” as cast in SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON)

Have added new pics…

And an interesting experiment… with chatgpt.com (that was before changing a bit the order)… LOL

I will replace those pictures with new ones “out of the boxes” when I return from my holidays. Summer is hot even in Andorra! I’ve done it partially, so for the moment, just enjoy it like this—fresh from the parcel! I didn’t even take pictures of a drummer and some dogs; I was in a hurry, you know! I’ve already placed my 2025 order for the French Chasseurs of the Line (light infantry), another unit of French line infantry, and a special “musique de la Legion.” I’ve added new pictures as well. (Same text using chatgpt.com). LOL

The “missing drummer” completes the unit! Thanks Antony!
She wore a Yellow Ribbon (Joanne Dru).
The whole outfit.
Mules and new ADC…
British Artillery (late XIXth)
British Artillery deployed for action.

French Artillery with Infantry support.
French Line Infantry (187o amd later)
Properly “unboxed”…
French Marines (marsouins)
Same with the Marsouins!
French line artillery…
French Line Artillery deployed.
British Colonial Machine Gun Servers…
Deployed.
Guides NWF Vickers servers…
Deployed too!… I searched for this fellows since I saw eons ago Lives of a Bengal Lancer and Gary Cooper blowing his whistle deploying the machine guns… fantastic job by Dorset Soldiers!
French 75mm guns, British 13 pounders and machine gun with carriage.

Some Cavalry Officer’s Minis in 54MM painted by me.

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I have always been fascinated by horses (lead toy horses I am afraid), films with horses in them I am a fan… but my experiences with real horses are almost nil, once I rided a horse in a tourist promenade (about 1 hour) and only can recall the vast amount of flies they carried with them.

Lead toy horses are “cleaner”… and they behave… lol

As Oscar Wilde said they are dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle… probably an exaggeration to make a laugh…

Enjoy!

RCMP Inspector (my avatar) REPLICA painted by me…
Captain Brittles (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon)… REPLICA painted by me…
HRH King Charles III (REPLICA painted by me)
Winston Churchill as a subaltern in the 4th Hussars… (REPLICA painted by me)
French Officer (DORSET SOLDIERS) painted by me… I already had the horse bought painted and asked for a suitable cast from Antony Spencer.
Churchill at Omdurman… converted and painted by me…using DORSET SOLDIERS castings. (In fact I already had the painted horse)

French Foreign Legion “Square” in 54mm.

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All right, once the figures out of the Cabinet it is possible to do some kind of manoeuvres, so here it is the French Foreign Legion in Square. Of course it is easier to take pics because those figures are mine!

No much problem to do the pics once paraded.

Enjoy!

Frontal View
Rear View
Lateral view
View from a corner
Quite aerial view…

New additions to my Collection from Dorset! 54MM (Imperial Miniatures nowadays).

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It could have been titled “The Art of Waiting”… but to be fair the deadline of the 30th of June has closely been respected (more or less). Ask for Antony Spencer if you need something… quite helpful and to the point if you know what I mean… a worthy successor of the retired Giles Brown.

What’s Important… really important is the magnificent painting job done on those Toy Soldiers… sometimes they do not like Toy Soldiers at all… as the Duke once said : “By God they frighten me!”

Will post again when received and added to the rest of the Collection.

Enjoy!

The lot.

Turcos detail.
Tirailleurs Senegalais.

Diorama in a small base.

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Not my thing at all (personally) but I know quality when I see it. That bloody part of the late XIXth Century whem the European Powers (all of them) expanded “civilization” and “commerce”… all round the world… globalization at the point of the bayonet!

Masterful Military Modeling if you please!

In this case French troops.

Enjoy!

Very good “composition” if you ask me…

Some of my French Foreign Legion

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A nearly forgotten pastime… (by yours truly)… painting your own figures… meaning buying the casts naked of paint… and DIY job… it was fun (again)… the toy Soldier style is much uncomplicated.

Thanks to Antony Spencer from DORSET SOLDIERS who understood perfectly what I needed and took the trouble to assemble the kits for me.

Curiously enough they mix very well with my old figures (they have decades in real time difference).

Thought you would like to see some of mine for a change!

Enjoy!

54mm DORSET figures (some painted by me)
Kneeling Officers done by me.
Detail before painting bases green (Front row are “new”… back row “old”)
The whole new additions waiting Varnish…(Yes there is Young Winston too! more tomorrow about him)
I gave some medals yesterday… LOL

French Foreign Legion Customs

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I sold half of them to an ex-legionnaire, but the main thing was to experiment with a black&white pic for a change!

Hope nobody comes restless again… I just love the films about it… romantic and post-romantic stuff (see BEAU GESTE all versions and also BEAU IDEAL… BEAU SABREUR -with Gary Cooper_ has been “lost” for decades… UNDER TWO FLAGS… MARCH OR DIE… spectacular “irreal” battle scenes (the “arbis” would have shot them away from a safe distance) in full colour and a great Gene Hackman and a very subdued and nuanced performance by Terence Hill in one of his best roles)

Curiously enough I still have a couple of dozens of Playmobils to play with… habits die hard!

Enjoy!

I thought… why not a bit of black&white?

Dorset/Imperial “new” castings.

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I have a lot of ideas and pics to post this days… but those arrived yesterday and have got priority no matter what… My FFL order to complete an Army is underway and in good hands… simply ask Antony!… he will deliver… this is as silly as commending a good Restaurant… afterwards no way to book a table for you!… but he deserves it in spades… ask Scott Lesch if in doubt!

Hope you enjoy the pics as much as I do.

FFL bugler charging!
Another view of the same figure!
FFL ensign or standard bearer charging!
FFL Officer charging on foot!

More from IMPERIAL/DORSET MINIATURES…

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Since a very young child I was a fan of P.C.Wren, yes I was able to read at a very young age… since then The BEAU GESTE trilogy (in fact five books and some short stories here & there) influenced my taste for toy soldiers and have collected them in all kind of scales (see elswhere in this Blog). In 54mm my DORSET collection precedes the REPLICA BRITISH 2nd AFHGAN WAR at least a couple of decenies… influenced by A GENTLEMAN’S WAR wargame rules (Howard Whitehouse) I am nowadays squaring the collection into 12 minis units to fight each other (for fun and tweaking the rules a bit). Of course the minis are not only used for AGW… a lot of scenarios can be played with each Army alone… more of that one day.

I let you with two recent additions by Antony Spencer head of design at IMPERIAL/DORSET (and ALL THE QUEEN’S MEN too I guess).

Enjoy!

FFL officer with flag.
FFL officer variant.