From PeterD: Esmeralda for Benito's Brook (48 points)

I am schlepping over from Piper's Peak to Benefit's Brook for this post, feeling a bit like Fitzcarraldo as I'm toting some 1/2400 steam ships with me.  Benito's criteria is a feat of arms against long odds.  I am going with the saga of the Chilean wooden corvette Esmeralda from my War of the Pacific project.

Esmeralda captured the Spanish schooner Covadonga in the Chincha Islands War in 1865 (I included the Covadonga in an earlier challenge entry), but met with pure glory against the Peruvian Ironclad Huascar at the Battle of Iquique in 1879.  This was a hopeless contest as Huascar was must faster, much better armed and was armoured against bare wood.  None the less Esmeralda fought her opponent for three hours.  The battle featured multiple ramming attempts and vicious close range fire from Huascar's 10" rifles.  Esmeralda's Captain Arturo Prat's dead body was found on the foredeck of the Huascar after one ramming attempt and the Chileans claimed that he attempted a boarding action before being gunned down.  Eventually Huascar got a solid ram into her opponent and the Esmeralda slipped beneath the waves with the Chilean flag being the last to go down. 

Along with the Esmeralda I have another Chilean Corvette the Abtao.  Actually I've realized the model is wrong for the Abtao as she was about the same size as Esmeralda, but this one will do until I get another model.

And lastly I have 4 torpedo boats, which were used by both sides during the War of the Pacific.   Chile bought 12 British models from Yarrow's and Peru bought 3 American boats from Herreschoff's.  These were all fast, carried spar torpedos and a hotchkiss machine gun.  And they all required an absolute nut case at the helm!  I have left the labels generic on these bases so that I can use them fo either side as required.

Ok by my math, that's 6 1/2400 ships at 3 points each plus 30 for the location.  One of my Challenge goals was to finish off enough ships to run a small campaign, and I've pretty much wound up the Armadas for the War of the Pacific.  David Manley has a nice little campaign that I may be running PBEM this summer with tabletop games played out locally among our group.



Incredibly, Peter tells me this is the first of five posts he is hoping to present today. And what lovely ships they are too.

I'll trust you with your scoring (but maybe not with the spreadsheet and roster!) - 48 points it is.

TamsinP

From NoelW - Rocket Man : Benito’s Brook: (35 points)

As we’re winding our way through the forest surrounding Benito's Brook, a wild phoenix of light and fire crashes overhead, scattering our little column. There’s an explosion somewhere in the rear. Pardon me – it’s the stress. Behind us trees are aflame.

I take a quick roll-call. Only the sergeant missing – although his still-smoking boots are all present and correct. Apparently he saw a pretty sparkly missile rushing overhead so reached up to catch it. Typical – and that’s him all over. (*)

Strangely, no-one wants to fill his shoes, even after we’ve put out all the flames.

“Duck!” comes an unexpected cry from within the undergrowth.

A little hoisin-oriented brunch would actually be quite welcome just about now, so we keep a sharp eye out for the apparent mallard – when an erratic, fizzing snake of flame shoots overhead and immolates a clump of innocent coconuts.

That’s a shame. It will definitely have scared the duck away.

“Get down!” comes the cry again. “Lieutenant Benito’s having target practice and he’s lost his glasses."

Two men emerge from the trees, dragging a box of what I hope is pancakes and shredded onion. 

But it’s not. It’s filled with rockets.

“We’ve pinched his ammo,” they say, keeping their heads low. “He’ll run out in a few minutes. Just keep low till the trees stop exploding and with luck most of us will be fine.”

A banana palm shatters about us and roast bananas descend around us in a rain of scorched green and yellow.

Ah well, if you can’t get duck, make the best of passing bananas, as I’m sure some old saying has it. Blowing on my fingers, I carefully peel a singed fruit.

(* See The Wizard of Oz, 1939)

---

So I decided this time to stick with the Zulu War for “insurmountable odds”, as with my previous visit here, because I’d two vignettes awaiting work: a rocket troop and a pair of beleaguered soldiers making their rounds behind the lines, despite their wounds, heroically doling out ammunition. The rocket troop is a Warlord model,

and I think the two soldiers are Redoubt – I’ve certainly had them for many years, deep within the lead pile, awaiting both a brush with the Zulus and a brush with paint on it.

Points: 5 x 28mm foot = 25, 1 artillery piece =10: TOTAL 35 pts

------
By Paul:
Well thats a snazzy whoosh-bang and no mistake! I dont blame young Lieutenant Benito for his enthusiasm - its what subalterns are for after all, they certainly aren't there for their sensibilities and experience!

The Hales Rocket is, for me, a must have for the Zulu War. Not very effective usually, but it was quite the innovation for the time. Then again, so was the Gatling gun and that was quite the success in the hand of the Naval landing parties - cant have one without the other!  And who can forget their appearance in Zulu Dawn? 

So well done that man - 65 points in total. Here are some matches for young Mr Benito to play with...

Edited by TamsinP - the location bonus points were added by mistake (this is Noel's 2nd visit to the location) and have now been removed. 

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.

----------

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!

From JohnS - G is for Guerilla at Benito's Brook 60 points

It's been an exciting week or two here at Casa Slowpainter, what with the roof leaking and blowing the electrics in the games room. So after pulling down a few display cases and cutting holes in others for access, all is well again and I can finally get these brave guerillas up for the Challenge.

I am painting these for a Sharpe Practice Spanish force (British Allies) and it occured to me that there was probably no braver feat of arms, no more forlorn hope than the ragtag Spanish guerrilla band. Your country has been occupied by a superior military force, your army has been shattered but you still band together with your neighbours and attack the forces of the Corsican Ogre.
Armed with whatever they can scrounge up - from a mismatched pair of pistols, a blunderbuss, muskets liberated from the remnants of the Spanish army or even an old sword, these brave chaps are ready to skirmish for their country.

Even a monk from the local monastery (obviously upset by the looting of the sacramental wine by the brutish invaders) has joined the band. These very characterful guerillas are from Brigade, I am really liking their miniatures.

The miniatures are all finished and have a brushed on varnish coat but I am holding off applying the final matt coat because it has been incredibly humid here. We all know that matt spray and humidity are not the best of friends.

That's 60 points for this lot, 6 figures at 5 points and 30 for the Challenge location. 

PS. - I caught up with PaulOG and Barks at Cancon over last weekend. What top chaps, cheerful Challengers and all around nice fellows they are.

From DaveD : -They will do nicely for feats of derring do! 60 its is!

From NoelW: Benito’s Brook: Zulu wars (70 points)

Travelling west we come to an impassable brook. If we could get across we could turn south, where there might be a path taking us closer to the SnowLord’s Peak. But if we can’t cross the brook, we’ll have to carry on our way west, travelling even further from the Peak.

On the opposite bank is a man with a (very) small boat. He doesn’t look happy. Next to his boat are a fox, a duck and a bag of grain.

“I’d come and fetch you,” he shouts, “but my fox wants to eat my duck, and my duck wants to eat my grain, so I can’t leave them unsupervised. If I could bring them over to you, you could look after them for me, and I’d ferry you back here one by one, but I’ve only room in the boat for one item or passenger at a time. If you could figure out a safe way to help me, I’d be happy to ferry you.”

No problem. The solution seems obvious. We could simply – no, that wouldn’t work. How about if he leaves the – no, that wouldn’t work, either. Shaking our heads, we realise the problem is insoluble, at least for our militarily acute brains, so we have to accept it’s impossible, and head once more the wrong way, towards the western coast.

---

The submission is rather obvious for the “impossible odds” requirement: Isandlwana. I’ve had a Rorke’s Drift setup for some while, and last year decided I’d enough Zulus to extend the project to the disaster which preceded it. Conveniently, the Perrys have been producing suitable figures in their Victoria’s Little Wars range, so I’ve been building up the collection, and they’re getting their paint a few figures at a time.

This submission consists of Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony William Durnford, who commanded No 2 column, and a small unit of dismounted Natal Carbineers, of whom there were 28 in No 1 column. All died.

Here’s Durnford:

and the Carbineers:

The blue here is rather brighter than in real life, due to the use of flash. They still look pretty good, I think.

Points: 1 mounted 28mm =10, 6 foot = 30, Benito’s Brook =30: TOTAL 70 pts