African Gallery

April 6, 2020 - PRIMED AND READY

Not the best photo in the world but on the left primed in white are 48 baboons (courtesy of Gary B's 3D printer - Thanks, Gary!) and on the right primed in brown are 96 African Cape Buffalo alive and four dead.  Photo was taken with the figures inside there temporary storage box.

February 18, 2019 - THE HARBINGER HERD

You might be thinking this is a 'harbinger' of things to come and you wouldn't be entirely off base.  However, don't neglect it might be named after Geoffrey Harbinger, famed nineteenth century giraffeologist best known for studying colorization variation in giraffes.  Maybe this is named after the herd of giraffe he spent the greatest amount of time studying.

The full herd of 36 animals.

A different angle of the same.

And a third angle.

The original 12 painted several years ago but based to match the new 24 just finished.

The new 24.

And here we go, side by side, old on the right, new on the left.  The new mix of paint looked a good match when 'wet' but dried a bit different.  So, different species if needed - or not.  Still need to do the yellow-green dry brush on the bases to better blend with my standard ground cloth.

February 5, 2019

Weekend progress - 24 almost finished giraffes to add to the 12 finished some while ago.  Just need to do the eyes and the 'teeth' (my giraffes smile!).  Then it is texture the bases and seal coat.  Photos later.

January 19, 2018

I've just ordered some new items for my Africa Gallery - and it's Richard's fault!  Okay, it's his idea, not his fault.  They are HO items.  Ordered 20 more chimpanzees so that I will end up with 36 in 'the field' and 4 as captured animals.  Also ordered 25 flamingoes, 24 to be in 'the field' and 1 as a captured animal.  (Also ordered some long sought mountain lions - but those are not for Africa, of course.)  So, 45 more animals added to the collection once the order is received.  HO is a little big for 15/18 mm but with animals not so noticeable, usually.

There was more in the order but that will be a surprise element when I finally start posting up photographs - just not sure if any of that portion will work during games, will depend on how well they match size-wise to my metal miniatures.  Hmm, maybe I should call this African Adventure instead of African Gallery?

HEIA SAFARI!  Flamingos fired.  Preview of Coming Attractions - January 13, 2019

I realize it is a bit hard to see in the one photo above but I thought it time I posted a photo showing my African Plains animals all spread out.  

Obviously, the animals in transit from a recent purchase have yet to be worked on.  Also, the baboons - 3D printed by a friend - need to be cleaned up, based, and primed prior to painting, top left grouping; the four extra will be used to create dead or captive animals or both.  Same story with the African Cape Buffalo, the largest group at the bottom right of the picture - fourteen groups of 7 unique sculpts each plus four dead buffalo - which means two extra - appear in the photo (captives likely).  

Some in the photo are already painted and the bases textured, though the texturing is going to change some.  All of the rest are at least primed and prebased for painting, some painted, some in process of painting.  And it turns out there are over 756 animals in that photo, not counting one specie.  And that is without the 48 plus in transit.

I'm afraid the poor flamingoes have been fired.  They tower over my ostriches!  Might be useful to someone in 28 mm but way too big for my use, alas.  Another creature back on the hunt for.  Oh, and they are not included in the count, they are to the left of the elephants at the top of the photo - twelve of which are actually meant for India and are actually Indian elephant sculpts but they will get guest appearances in Africa if I feel like it.

Heia Safari!  I've found a name for my collection besides Slightly Cracked Colonials, borrowing from a title by von Lettow-Vorbeck.

Taking stock of the humans, I find I have more than a couple hundred mostly unique sculpts to populate my games, the Europeans and the Zanzibari folk at least, could certainly use more Zanzibari types.  And that does not count the well over five hundred African tribesmen and villagers.  This is possible only through the work of Blue Moon/Old Glory 25s - in 15 mm, of course.

Need to take stock of village structures.  

Phone photo and battery too low to do more than the one photo.  Besides, prefer to show finished work in-situ later.  This is just to show some 'proof' that I have all those critters in case there is doubt out there.    Last tidbit, those animals on the table fit in a two foot wide by four foot long rectangle.