A Big Sudan Project. Part 1.

 So.... last week, our Glorious Leader outlined his plans for a new Sudan campaign to take place in a year. The scenario would involve the French in the 1880s, some years before the Fashoda incident in 1898. French troops, suitable for the 1880s, would be needed. The plan is also to have any French troops on the table to fit in with rest of the Glorious Leader's Sudan collection that is almost exclusively from Perry Miniatures. Gringo's 40 Tonkin range was spot on for the date, but the figures are simply too big to sit comfortably next to Perry sculpts. 

Something that will match and REPRESENT French troops of the era will be required. The brief here is to have some figures that LOOK LIKE French troops from the era, rather than historical accuracy.

Looking at the figure on the right of the above illustration of French Marines of the period, we have a figure in gaiters, a haversack, two pouches on the belt, a plain frock coat and a sun helmet. Essentially a Perry Miniatures plastic Zulu War British infantryman. I have a number of these left over from a previous project, as well as some Perry Plastic 1880s Tommies. Time to mix and match and do some very minor conversion work. Here we have the first company of "marsouins" destined to deal with the Mahdists and no doubt challenge British control in the region. 

The rifle is a Martini Henry rather than the French Gras 1874 bolt-action weapon, but we can live with that. Some press moulded greenstuff provided something to replace the waterbottle and give a small pouch at the centre back of the waist-belt. For the most part here, the arms come from the Perry 1880s Infantry box. If Zulu War arms have been used, the cuff detail has been removed with a scalpel. Everything else is in the choice of paints. More porpoise will follow, and in the fullness of time, French Foreign Legion, Algerian Tirailleurs and some Chasseurs d'Afrique, after all, I have a year to work on this.