From RichardM: Sudan, more Nile Navy, baggage trains, artillery and Mahdist cavalry (291 points)

Quite a mixture of units for the Sudan game this week:

• more for the Nile Navy
• baggage train 
• British mule trains for the guns and maxims
• British artillery battery
• Mahdist artillery battery
• Mahdist light and heavy cavalry

After the papyrus rafts of last week, I now done the remaining two types of vessels that I have for locals on the Nile. I have a few more of each of these - but wanted to paint some as a proof of concept and to get the colours right. So we have a ‘dhow’ and two rafts. Like the papyrus boats, these are actually 15mm and are from Museum Miniatures.

The baggage train is made up of native porters and baggage camels - like all the other 10mm stuff they are from Pendraken.

Then I’ve got two different mule trains for guns from the Pendraken North-West frontier range. Three bases are Maxim Gun teams (standing in for Gatling Guns) and the others are a Mountain Gun teams with an extra base as they included three extra barrel mules. These will stand in for any British Artillery battery - even though I have limbers to do.

A few shots of the baggage all together.

The British artillery is a 9lb RML battery from the Pendraken Zulu Wars range.

While the Mahdist artillery battery is using captured Krupp guns.

Finally there are two types of Mahdist cavalry - armoured and light cavalry. From reading I understand there is no evidence that they wore their armour into battle - but Pendraken make them, they are different and I hadn’t read anything about them when I made the purchase a few years ago. 

The points come out as follow I think:

Nile Navy

- dhow (6 points for the boat and 3 for the crew) = 9
- rafts (2 boats each 6 points for boat and 4 for the crew) = 20

Baggage train

- Camels (10 camels * 3) = 30
- Porters (16 foot) = 16
- Maxim mule teams (3 teams with 2 mounted and 1 foot) = 21
- Gun mule teams (3 teams with 3 mounted and 1 foot plus 1 team with 3 mounted) = 39

British artillery battery (three guns and nine crewmen) = 18

Mahdist artillery battery (three guns and nine crewmen) = 18

Mahdist cavalry (40 mounted) = 120

Total for the week = 291

From Millsy:

This project is the gift that keeps on giving! More boats! More camels! Plus loads more cool stuff to boot.

The Mahdists cavalry are the pick of the bunch for me this time. You don't often see much of these in larger scales and they were a constant and numerous threat in reality so this is a great way to represent things more realistically on the table.

I would love to see some staged shots at the end of the Challenge if you can be convinced to put in the effort? The sight of a British column with baggage in the centre surrounded by masses of native troops would be something special!

291 more amazing points mate!

Cheers,
Millsy