Greg Blake

I got my Heliograph #121 on Tuesday. Thanks for the great CFM coverage and for publishing "Bugles...." I hope that people get some enjoyment from the rules. I have already had one response from Italy as a result of your CFM review. The fellow, Enzo De Ianni, said that he wasn't going to buy anything [groan] but that he was very impressed with what he saw. He is waiting for CFM 15mm. Speaking of which I am now very close to putting together a mould for 15mm Austrian 1866 period troops [see ad].

I'm putting a parcel of the latest into the post for you today. This includes one of each of the Italians and one of each of the new Alamo range.

[The email included a photo of the new figures and they were unpainted-I commented that I didn't know the Italians wore Silver uniforms.]

The later can be used for any rough and hairy frontier types from the late-18th early 19th C. Have a good thanksgiving, don't eat too many Turkeys.

P.S. I am absolutely positive they are not in silver uniforms, they would stand out too much in the Ethiopian sun!

Don't be too harsh on the Italians. They didn't run way at Adowa. Only one brigade [Askaris] routed but under incredible pressure. The others all fought it out to the end.

Did you know that they also fought the Mahdists and that the reason there was no cavalry at Adowa was that it was all up north operating against the Mahdists.

[Greg makes some very valid points about the Italians, who have been laughed at in the past as pretty poor soldiers, while the case may be made for some poor command decisions they stood their ground to the end.]

Ian Knight

I've been meaning to send you these reviews for a while. I had planned to paint up and photograph a load more of the 1st Corps range--but if I have to wait til then they will probably have discontinued the range! My only other news is that I was involved in the dig at Isandlwana over the summer. Interesting; the site has been heavily picked-over by souvenir hunters over the years, and we didn't find as much as we'd hoped. Nevertheless, it was still revealing-the spread of spent cartridge cases, for example, gives the lie to the hoary old myth about British ammunition running out! The dig was filmed for a British TV series, Secrets of the Dead, which is likely to be screened here in February. I think it might get an airing in the States at some point, but when, and on what, I don't know.

Other than that, I've just finished a book about the death of the Prince Imperial, and that's about it.

[As always it is nice to hear from readers, I wish more of you would write. Anyway, it seems that archaeology wins the day once again for discovering the truth about the battlefield as happened at Little Big Horn. I think I have seen some Secrets of the Dead on either the History or The learning Channel. Gee, I would love to hear that Age of Empires is about to go to press again. But may be Caliver Books isn't ready yet.]

Chris Nelson

Wished that I could go to the convention in Gettysburg. I would love to see the game being played using Dragon Model 12" figures in a 20' x 20' Italian village and vineyard. Hope that someone takes pictures (If Dragon Models or Marco Polo Enterprises should send someone to take pictures that would help to sell figures.

Just got the latest issue of the Courier in last weeks mail. There was a good article in it in regard to the colonial period titled "Resistance in the Desert, Part I" It is a look at France's effort to expand its empire-well worth reading, especially considering most articles and books tend to look more at the British Empire (not surprising because few books covering the French have been in English until Professor Douglas Porch wrote his books).

[Porch's books are outstanding if you are interested in the French in North Africa.]