From StuartL - Challenge Island Safari Tour - 50points

Greetings once again C.I.S.T.ers. You must all be very tired after traipsing up and down mountains, through gulches and over crevasses. Well, it's time to sit down, put your feet up and enjoy a spot of theatre. Here at Benito's Brook, the Challenge Island Players are going to put on a show for you. I'm told that tonight's performance is a tragedy titled "The Death of Napoleon... No, Not That One!"

Most of you are no doubt somewhat familiar with the exploits of one Napoleon Bonaparte and his efforts to unite all of Europe in one glorious, harmonious Empire. After his defeat, his name is absent from history except for notes of his passing. However, he did have a family and they still played some part in French history. His nephew eventually became Napoleon III, Emperor of France until his defeat at the Battle of Sedan and subsequent exile in Great Britain.

Napoleon III died in 1873 leaving one heir, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, the Prince Imperial. Born in 1856 he trained with the British army as a soldier, serving with the Royal Artillery. A noted rider and fencer, he was eager for action and used his family's influence in the royal court to secure himself a place in the British reserves sent to South Africa to reinforce Lord Chelmsford after the Isandlwana debacle. Technically assigned as an observer to the relief force, he was reminded not to do anything rash and to remember his family and political party back home in France.

Of course, being a young man desperate for action, he immediately went and did something rash. When on a reconnaissance patrol, he and his party stopped for a rest at a Zulu homestead where they were ambushed by a group of Zulu warriors. The British party made a dash to escape, but the Prince's horse bolted before he could mount, dragging him along for 100 yards before the strap he was clinging to snapped. Alone and unable to escape his pursuers, the Prince turned to fight. When his body was recovered, he had 18 stab wounds, all to his front. A testament to his unwillingness to surrender or to flee.

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When the different locations of the challenge were announced, this was the one that caught my eye the most. I have been meaning to do a vignette along these lines for a while and the challenge presented me with the perfect opportunity to do so. The Anglo-Zulu War is one that I have a deep and enthusiastic interest in, sadly one that isn't shared by my local group, so I am forced to collect both sides of the conflict and have a substantial pile of unpainted minis lying around for it. The Prince Napoleon figure is a limited edition model from Warlord Games and the Zulus are from the plastic set from the same company. The prince should have a spear in his right hand, but sadly I snapped it during assembly and instead attached the optional sword arm that came with the figure.
The Prince's last stand took place near a donga (dried river), so I have placed all of the models inside the river bed and filled it with weeds. The edges of the river have dried grass and a few bits of greenery to differentiate them from the interior section. The rocks are painted pieces of cork bark, which I have used on a few different entries now and am quite taken with.

Points wise, I have 4x 28mm minis for 20 points, plus a further 30 for the location, giving a grand total of 50 points.

From DaveD. Thats a great creation , and fine entry for Benito's Brook. Another 50 pts to the tally 

and I will check out with that and leave you with Dr Cooke to bang the rocks together tomorrow!