Sunday 8 July 2012

Zulus

A few years ago now I picked up a box of each of the Wargames Factory Zulus and the British infantry. I have made up most of the British and even painted a couple but don't like them that much.I thought the Zulus might be just as bad so they have been sitting around untouched! Finally, the other week I was looking for something other than WW1 to paint, came across the box of Zulus and proceeded to make some of them. There are 30 in a box , so, I have split them into a group of 18 that will be spear armed, and a group of 12 that will have rifles and muskets.
Here then are the skirmish chaps, armed with muskets and  Martini-Henry rifles, with a few mods.

The photos were taken last weekend when there was next to no sun about.





The firing figures are crap! But the guy in the centre here got a bit of surgery.


There are some powder horns on belts to be worn over the shoulder but I changed a couple of them to have the guys carrying them in their hands

The way the powder horns are meant to be positioned.

Along with the captured Martini-Henry rifle this fella has grabbed an ammo belt as well.

This guy has also grabbed an ammo belt but he is wearing his one.



All 4 stands.

45 comments:

  1. Very nicely painted there but I have to agree with you that the WF Zulu's are not that great but Warlords ones are as are the British. Great job of the painting.

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    1. I really like the look of the Warlords ones. I will have to get them too!

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  2. Great looking Zulu's Rodger, The tone of the skin colour and attention to detail on the accouterments is amazing!

    A few years is well worth the wait.

    Top notch!

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    1. Thanks Paul. I am happy enough with these guys.

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  3. Looks like I'll have to dust off my pith helmet and give those fine warriors of yours a jolly good hiding old thing.
    Maybe an opportunity for the disgraced Lt Fortesque Cutler to redeem himself after his shameful performance at 'The Ingumu Massacre'of which we shall not speak.

    Love your work Mr Wood.

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    1. Get that helmet dusted off and stop taking the pith! See you Wednesday night.

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  4. If you say the figures were crap, I'll take your word for it. But by looking at what you've done with them, it certainly doesn't show. The modifications you've made along with the paint work makes these real stand out pieces.

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    1. Thanks Anne. I'm just disappointed with the Wargames Factory fig's. Not as good as the likes of Warlord or GB.

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  5. This is a great work, Rodger, for sure! Zulus are looking very nice, details are amazing, even the bases...
    That's not a period played in our club, but may be one day, when we look a such stands...
    Best,
    Phil.

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  6. Great looking paint jobs - I love the conversions that you have done!I am very tempted to dig out my old Esci Zulus and have a crack at painting them up.

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    1. Thanks Brian. Get those ESCI guys out! I painted a couple of hundred of them about 20 years ago. Nice to paint too.

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  7. Nice job. Clever conversions. The feathered-edge on the white spotting on the shields is a sign of a pro-painter, IMHO.

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    1. Thanks Jay. The shields look better in the flesh than in the photos I think!

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  8. You done a realy good paint job on some not so god minis.

    WF are not a favourite, they got to many strange "angles" especially the vikings and saxons.

    But in the end then the minis are on the gaming table no one will think about it:)

    Keep up the good work!

    best regards Michael

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    1. Thanks Michael. I have some Vikings too and feel the same way.

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  9. I think you made a great job on these!!!!

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  10. You have done a superb paint job on these and the ammo belts and basing finish them off nicely.

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  11. Great job really has me tempted to get into these!

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    1. Thanks Willie. Go for it, the Zulus are fairly easy to paint.

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  12. I like them especially the shields Rodger!

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  13. You've made a good job on them zulus. I did try the WF British but gave up as I couldn't get the arms to look right

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    1. Thanks Scotty. I know what you mean. Don't know if I will ever paint up the rest of the Brit's.

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  14. They look pretty good to me Rodger! The painting, basing and conversions make these stand out units regardless of the quality of the original mouldings! Brilliant work Sir!

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  15. Great job on the WF Zulus Rodger, the Warlord ones are much nicer to paint.

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    1. Thanks Cyrus. I need to get some Warlords fig's.

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  16. Not a fan of WF but you've done a great job with them- a couple of the poses look like great candidates for conversions to Maori- they look like they are doing a haka!

    Craig

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  17. Thanks Craig. Funny, but I thought much the same thing when I looked at the photos too!

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  18. Wow these are nicely done, keep 'em coming!

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  19. The shields look so real. Did you kill a cow for that? ;-)

    Excellent work!

    Greetings
    Peter
    http://peterscave.blogspot.be/

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    1. Thanks Peter. No animals were harmed during this project!

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  20. Hard colour to paint! Well done. The bases finsih them off quite nicely too.

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  21. Thanks Ken. I am reasonably pleased with the baases.

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  22. Nice job with these Rodger.
    I too have a box of these and made up a sprue of figs as a test. They look OK and will work when used en masse I think but there were several dissapointing issues:
    Several simply look too fat, the open hand is 'too open' so it doesnt look like its gripping the weapon, the necks seem to sink into the torso giving a hunched back appearance, and the actual gun that is sculpted in firing pose I couldnt get to fit to any of the torsos provided. It has put me off goetting on with the rest of the box...

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    1. I totally agree Scott. Hate the firing poses. I did think about trying to close up the hands but in the end I gave up on that idea, thought I might make things worse. Thanks for the comment mate.

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  23. Great job on these Rodger. Very nicely done!

    Jason

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  24. The look great in numbers

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  25. Great job. I recently got some WF plastic celt chariots and my first WF figures. Not very sharp looking compared to a box of Warlord celts I have. They will need a lot of prep work by the looks. I can see why they end up in the round to it file.
    Great painted Zulus though. Yours look excellent.
    cheers

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