Zugandan Aid Convoy Ready To Be Ambushed

I wanted to do a UN aid convoy as an objective for a Force on Force game set in my fictional war-torn West African Imagi-nation of Zugando. It wasn't the first time I have converted toy cars, having done them for my VBCW and my Battle Cars games, and it is something I really get a lot of pleasure from.

I began by sourcing a couple of trucks- cheep ones from Tescos and Sainsburys. These ones scale well with my 28mm figures and the other vehicals I have already painted for my Africa Campaign. 

Next I made some cargo- I used resin crates made by Ainsty, Ebob's metal barrels, some crates I had left over from another toy I dismantled and some Tamiya 1/36 scale sand bags, which at 28mm scale make nice sacks. 

I cut a piece of plasticard to fit the flat bed of the truck and glued the cargo to this prior to painting. This was so I could remove the cargo to paint it. It also means I can use the trucks empty, and use  the cargo as a piece of terrain- multi-purpose is the name of the game!

The Orange one- with cargo...

...and without.

With cargo...

...and empty

This truck scales well with my 28mm scale stuff

And the cargo can be removed and used as terrain, should the battle call for it. 

Painting was simple- spray it black and paint it. I painted in the windows to match the other vehicals in my collection  This is because the resin Toyota technicals I bought form Britannia miniatures have solid windows which have to be painted, so it makes sense if all the windows on all the vehicals match- even if it doesn't look 100% realistic. A good coat of weathering adds the final details- after all- it's dusty in Zugando, and the poor conditions of the roads means vehicals get very dirty, very quickly.

IED for Force on Force

The ever present threat of Improvised Explosive Devices, road side bombs and booby traps have been something British and American soldiers have had to get used to in Afghanistan, Iraq and even Northern Ireland. Until recently they were fairly rare in Zugando, and the Peoples Resistance Army lacked the expertise to make anything but the simplest IED.

Recently, however there has been a worrying increase in both the numbers of IED used against the coalition and government forces, and in their sophistication. MI6 and CIA agents are investigating the possibility that an Al Qaeda trained bomb maker might be assisting the Peoples Resistance Army. Why AQ would help the neo-communist PRA remains a matter of subjection amongst the intelligence community, but they have placed a high priority on locating and eliminating this bomb maker- whoever he is.

I made these IED markers for Force on Force. They are based on a copper penny, so are quite small. They have various bits and bobs, found in my bits box: The barrels are metal ones from ebob sawn in half, while the mortar is a Games Workshop Imperial Guard one. The bin bag with the wires sticking out is made form green stuff- very simple really.

Force on Force Transports

  Although I haven’t had many chances to play Force on Force, I continue to plod on with gathering models and scenery for my FoF campaign set in the fictional civil war-torn West African country Zugando. The latest additions are a couple transports.

  The first is a civilian Ford Transit van, in dark green. This will be used as a transport for the Zuganda People’s Resistance Army, the militia force opposed by a coalition of UK, USA and African Union. Alternately it can be used as a piece of static scenery, or even in Zombie games. This model is a resin/metal model made by Sloppy Jalopy, and was given to my by my good pal Leon (cheers mate).

  The Second one is a Unimog. These trucks are made by Mercedes-Benz, and are widely used by various armies around the world, including the SAS, who used them during the Iraq war for long range patrolling, in conjunction with snatch land rovers. Their serious rough terrain capabilities makes them suitable work horses for the coalition troops in action in Zugando. This model is die-cast model made by Solido. I picked this one up on eBay, along with a white UN one. It scales nicely with my other stuff. I still need to add some mud and dust to this model, as it looks far too clean for Zugando.

The Fanno Cassa Raid (Force on Force)

My son Charlie and I finally got round to playing our first game of Force on Force some 9 months after I started the project, building an African shanty town. We played the game out of the rules called ‘A Few Blocks of Hell’ but as it was set in my fictional West African country, Zugando, we substituted the US army for SAS and Delta forces, and changed the insurgents to rebel militia and Zugando Peoples Resistance Army.

Charlie took command of the coalition Special Forces, while I played the Africans.

The main mission was for the SF to get into the target buildings (the watch tower and the ruined church) by the end of turn 4, and hold them until the end of turn 6).

SAS forces, under Captain Price, intercepted information that the PRA forces were massing for an offensive. The PRA has been stockpiling weapons and fuel in the village of Fanno Casa. Their intelligence suggests that the stockpile is in either the ruined church mission or in the guard station in the centre of the village. A squad of PRA soldiers were protecting the site from thieves, but intelligence suggest that the village also has a sizable number of militiamen loyal to the PRA who will no doubt come out to fight too.

A combined force of 18 special forces men drawn from SAS and Delta Force were tasked to locate and destroy the supply dump to delay the PRA attack. They were supported by a SAS light mortar crew firing form the jungle. They would approach the village from the south, through the jungle under the cover of darkness, and attack just before dawn. 

PRA soldiers form the 'elite' part of the rebel army

Militiamen congregate in the market place of Fanno Casa

Spud is down!
Early in the battle the Delta Force took a casualty

Captain Price leads his men onto a roof top from where they provide
overwach and he directs deadly accurate mortar fire.  

An overview of the market place of Fanno Cassa. The church and
watchtower are on the left hands side in this photograph.

The local PRA commander directs the battle from the balcony of a  small hotel,
until he is shot and wounded by one of Captain Price's team.

Having fought their way through the market place of Fanno Casa, the Delta  Force fire team
stack up on the ruined church, ready to breach. 

Following a vicious street batle the Special Forces overwhelmed the PRA men, and captured the church and eventually the watch tower. The supply dumps were destroyed and the SF were extracted by helicopter  along with five prisoners, including a PRA officer. Unfortunately two of the Delta Force were KIA and three of the SF were seriously wounded, although by delaying the PRA offensive, their sacrifice saved countless lives. 

Technicals Incoming!

Here are some pictures of some ‘Technicals’ I have made for my African Militia, to provide them with some manoeuvrability and firepower.

A technical with a .50 Cal HMG

And without it's gun crew as a civvie vehical

A Technical with a recoilless rifle for a bit on anti-tank

These are made using Britannia Miniatures. The vehicles are resin; the wheels, crew and weapons are metal. I have based the gun crew on a piece of plasticard cut to fit the trailer area, so that I can remove the crew to us this as a civilian vehicles, perhaps in a supers game, with red-necks, or in a post-apocalypse game with zombies and alike. This also make storing them a bit easier too.

Even more PRA Militia for my Shanty Town!

And now, even more militiamen for the Zugando People’ Resistance Army. I am now very close to finishing the first stage of the project. I guess something like this is never really finished, but I find it easier to break it up into stage. I am –partially pleased with the one in the middle in the top photo- it’s not that clear in the picture but he is wearing a Manchester united top- When my wife went to Nairobi she said that all the people ever talk about in ManU, so I thought it seemed appropriate.

Again I used a mix of The Assault Group African Militia and Somali militia. I have been careful with the paints to disguise the fact that some of the figures are the same as the ones I painted for the ‘Elite’ PRA soldiers. 

Captain Bagwana of the PRA

Captain John Bagwana is a regional commander in the neo-communist Zugando People’s Resistance army. He claims to have been an officer in the British paratroopers, and always sports a red beret. Journalist Rex Sadler managed to uncover that a Zugandan soldier named Johan Bagwana did serve as a private in the paratroopers regiment, but as yet the British Government has refused to confirm if it the same individual.

The UK Special Forces units operating in the area have been given a property kill-capture order on dealing with Bagwana after troops under his command ambushed an SAS patrol and killed two men. Commanders on the ground have vowed not to underestimate Bagwana again. 

Again these figures are by The Assault Group. I have painted these in a fairly random mixture of green army fatigues to suggest the irregular nature of the PRA, compared to the Zugandan army. Bagwana's beret and wicked looking machete will make him stand our from the rank and file on the battlefield (and no doubt make him a priory target for the UK Special Forces player!)

African Militias

 The Zugandan People’s Resistance Army is the neo-communist rebel army opposed to the dictatorship of President Madanawanga. The vast majority of the PRA forces tend to be child soldiers or militias forcefully conscripted into the PRA. Their training is minimal, and they are typically poorly equipped, but they have been systematically brutalised, and many are addicted to strong narcotics and amphetamines. I-COZ forces have reported these militiamen remaining in the field longer than world be expected for troops of their quality.

 The PRA have been accused of conducting a campaign of systematic genocidal attacks against the minority ethnic Metandi population.

The above ‘fluff’ is part of the background I have written for my Force on Force campaign. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable about the whole area of ‘modern’ era wargaming; i.e. war gaming conflicts that are on going or have happened in resent memory, I decide to create a fictitious war-torn West African country called the Democratic Republic of Zugando.

The figures are, for the most part, by The Assault Group. A few Britannia miniatures managed to sneak in too.  

I wanted the militiamen to look quite different from the uniformed regular army, despite in many cased being based on the same figure. Having looked at a lot of google-images of African militias and Somali pirates I opted for bright colours, and a lot of sportswear, as this seems to be what all well dressed militiamen have opted for. 

The People's Resistance Army of Zugando

Colonel Peter Umpanawana (shown here with his bodyguards) is a high ranking member of the People's Resistance Army, a neo-communist militia in fighting against the government of the Democratic Republic of Zugando, in West Africa. The PRA have been accused by the UN and human rights groups of committing acts of atrocity against the ethnic Matandi population and against supporters of the President, Edmund Mudanawanga. Colonel Umpanawana is wanted for various war crimes and acts of atrocity against civilians. He is currently being hunted by Special Forces, including SAS and Delta Force, as part of the I-COZ peace keeping mission.



All of the above 'fluff' is part of the background for my Force on Force campaign set in an entirely fictional West African country of Zugano. Perhaps Colonel Umpanawana will become something of a reoccurring villain, if he manages to avoid the special forces hunting him down.
These figures were painted for the Lead Painters League and the first of the FOF fire teams I have finished. As an 'elite' part of the PRA (and I use that term very loosely) they are wearing more 'uniform' than the rank and file soldiers. This batch of figures is made my The Assault Group, who have quite a large range of modern miniatures. They are well sculpted, with some nice details on the 'character' models. The Colonel has a pet monkey on his shoulder, which is quite a cool detail to set him apart from his peers.

Test Model for my African Militia

This is my test model for my African militia. I have painted Africans before, way back in my colonial days, and I am relatively happy with the skin tones (basically GW Scorched Brown, followed by a good wash of Devlin Mud, then highlights with Scorched Brown again- simple, quick and effective). The 'uniform' will be fairly a fairly none standard mix of greens and cammo, together with brightly coloured tee-shirts and tatty trainers or army boots. That seems to be the done thing in African militias, judging by a quick search in Google images (Ah, Google images, taking all the stress and fun out of wargaming research.)

This figure is intended to be a slightly more 'elite' militiaman, part of my general's bodyguard. You can expect more irregular looking troops in the lower ranks.

This miniature is by The Assault Group, and is 28mm scale.

Hello...I am still here!

It has been too long since my last post. There have been a number of reasons for that- I have been finishing off my African scenery: I have been rather unwell with a nasty stomach bug; I have been painting for the Lead Painters League. The Lead painters League (LPL) is a painting competition ran by Lead Adventure Forum. I have entered the last two years and really enjoyed it. The basic idea is that you have to submit a new entry each week for ten weeks. Each entry must comprise of a 'team' of at least five figures. Exactly what constitutes a team is quite open, as long as there is an obvious theme running through them. Additionally there are three bonus rounds where there is a extra points if you can produce a team that matches the theme for that round. This year the bonus rounds are Old Lead (any figures older than 1991), Tolkien and Maritime.


The LPL is a great way of making a bit of progress on the many half finished projects I have kicking around, as well as upping my game when it comes to painting miniatures. This year I am looking to do some more Saxons, some Old School Citadel, some stuff form my African adventures, some VBCW and defiantly some KKBB.



This year there is a restriction on the number of entries, and as part of the rules changes we have to submit three 'teams' by the end of February, hence me being rather busy getting my entries ready. Because of the rules of the competition, I can't show my figures on the Blog until after the competition has started, so February might not see to many post with new figures, but you will still be treated to a few bits and bobs, along with some scenery.

I had a nice parcel in the post yesterday form The Assault Group with my African militia men. I have been shopping about on the Internet trying to find some nice modern African 28mm to go with my shanty town scenery. Basically it seemed to boil down to two UK manufacturers, Britannia and The Assault Group (TAG). I ordered a few testers from both companies, and was impressed by the customer service from both.

A Britannia Somalian and a TAG African Militiaman

Here is a picture of a couple of miniatures from these companies. Scale wise, as you can see, they are very compatible, and the weapons are a good scale match too. While being defiantly 'Heroic' proportioned 28mm miniatures, they work well together. The Britannia miniatures are dynamic, while TAG tend to be more statically posed. Cost wise, there is not a lot in it, with both manufactures minis averaging about £1.45 each, if you buy 30+ minis at a time.

I have decided to opt for the TAG for the bulk of my force because I prefer the sculpt. The lines and styling reminds me of Mark Coppletone's work, although I don't know it he did the sculpts. They certainly would not look out of place mixed in with Copplestone miniatures. That said, Britannia do a fantastic range of resin and metal vehicles that will be prefect for my needs, including the ubiquitous 'Technical'- a Toyota pick-up with a .50cal HMG on the back. I am sure to be getting some of those to build up my force soon enough.