1. Castaway Arts, PO Box 7599, Cairns Q 4870, Australia
New Franco-Prussian War figures (BEAUTIFUL). www.castawayarts.com.au email: castawayarts@ozemail.com.au HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

2. Articles of War, LTD., 3 Rodeo Road, Silver City, NM 88061-8710, (505) 534-8840.
I just recently placed an order and had it at home within a week, very nice service. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! www.articlesofwar.com email: warbooks@aol.com

3. MWAN, Hal Thinglum, 22554 Pleasant Drive, Richton Park, IL 60471, $35.00 a year for six issues.

Issue 112:
As always a great issue, the editorial and letters are the first things I read. Then I search for colonial articles and this issue has a very nice read. “The Battle of Firket June 7, 1896” by David Love has everything you need to conduct your own scenario, map, OBs, description, and special rules for TSATF. Very nice article. While there are no other colonial articles to read there is plenty to read and digest for gaming. I especially enjoyed seeing the Foundry’s Bengal Lancers painted by Skip Nicholson on the back cover.
MWAN IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

4. Cannon Fodder Miniatures, 228 Eastbourne Rd., Rosebud 3939, Victoria, Australia
Please note the new address
http://canfonmins.com Email: gregoryblake@bigpond.com HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

5. Lone Warrior, US- Richard Barbuto, 1707 Ridge Road, Leavenworth, KS 66048. LW135
While there were no colonial articles two are of note to mine for ideas: “Civilized Campaigns” by Will Johnson and “Solitare Building Clearance” by Pete Jones, Jr. If you like complicated campaigns that are realistic then Johnson’s article is for you, some great ideas here. Jones’ article is based on WWII, but has much to offer for the colonial period in ideas.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

6. Victorian Military Society, Dan Allen, 20 Priory Road, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 7QN Great Britain.
If you don’t belong to the Victorian Military Society you should, and tell them the Heliograph sent you.

Soldiers of the Queen Issue 105
There were four interesting articles this issue but only one for gaming purposes-“Footslogging over the veldt: a Subaltern’s Boer War Odyssey” by Harold E. Raugh, Jr. contains some very informative notes, particularly if you are new to the Boer war. There is a good OB for a late war (1902) mobile column to capture Boer General de Wet.

Small Soldiers Book 53
The latest goings on with the Diehards and Victorian Military events and lectures, Special interest groups of VMS, and special events weekends and lunch-time lectures schedule at the National Army Museum. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!

7. The Melik Society, 202 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7JW, Great Britain. The purpose of the Melik Society is to advance public awareness of British and Sudanese history, particularly the development of river gunboats and the achievements of those involved in the military campaigns between 1883 and 1899. One of the immediate objectives is to facilitate the preservation and restoration of the remaining gunboats Melik and Bordein so that they can be exhibited, maintained and demonstrated to the general public.
Every dollar or pound helps. Highly recommended charity!!!!

8. Wargames Illustrated, 18 Lovers Lane, Newark, Notts. NG24 1HZ Great Britain.

Issue 167
Well nothing Colonial except for some ads. There is a new Italian firm making 28mm

Italian Colonial Wars figures: Strategia & Tattica Srl. Via Cavour 250-00184 Roma, Italy Email: strategia@mclink.it
Merrimack Miniatures has some 25mm Wild West forts and the Tombstone OK Corral. www.merrimackminiatures.com

Issue 168
Wow! There are four articles on colonial gaming this issue as well as a pile of ads showing colonial figs. “The Second Afghan War 1878-1880” by Robert Avery is a good introduction to the war with numbers and units. The section ‘Wargaming Ideas’ is refreshingly brief and to the point with good ideas to use. Also useful are the sections on the ‘Afghan Forces’ and ‘British Forces’. The article includes color illustrations and a map.

“The Maple Leaf and the Boer: Canadians in the South African War” by DA Smith, well, knowing very, very little of the Boer War I must assume this is an article worth reading, it contains two uniforms drawings and a map of Leliefontein 7 Nov. 1900. The article has numbers and units, brief descriptions of actions and a short bibliography. Smith writes that Gen. Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien’s Memories of Forty-eight Years of Service is the best first-person account of Victorian colonial warfare. I have not read the book, have any of you? Is this true? Send me your opinions.

“Far From the Mahdist Crowd… Or, brief thoughts on colonial games” by Gary Hughes describes briefly, in some detail the relief columns to Peking, during the Boxer Rebellion, with numbers (but not units). This article has some very nice scenario ideas. In the figure discussion Hughes wrote that in 15mm no one makes strictly the Boxer Rebellion figures and you would have trouble finding Austrians, Japanese, Italians and Russians. No quite true Irregular and Kennington do the Boxer Rebellion in 15. For 25mm Hughes wrote that only Old Glory makes figures. Again not true, Irregular, Kennington and Iron Brigade make figures for the war.

There are some good ideas in the Rules section like accurate Chinese artillery fire but not effective, Chinese rifle fire accurate at long range but not close range, and greatly variable Chinese morale. Multiple tables showing numbers of Allies at various points in the campaign are included. OK, I give up. Who’s got the right numbers. These numbers come close to Sharf and Harrington’s China, 1900: The Eyewitnesses Speak but then not with Harrington’s own new Osprey Campaign #85 Peking 1900. In some cases the numbers are close or in the case of the Japanese off by a thousand. It makes a difference for gaming. Harrington’s Osprey seems the most accurate.

And finally, “Rumbling Guns: Simple Rules for Victorian Steam Powered AFV” by Gary Hughes. Well, I was disappointed with nearly the first two pages of a three page article as the beginning was concerned with infantry fire, movement and stuff that has nothing to do with vehicles. By the time you get to, actually, I skipped to, ‘Balloons’ things get better. Although the vehicle rules are not as detailed as the infantry stuff. There are loads of good ideas here for a variety of vehicles, particularly for Redoubt’s and Sheltrum’s steam powered tanks.

This was a good issue of WI some nice ads with colonial included Essex color, Newline Design color, Amazon Miniatures Zulu and Boer Wars, London War Room ad for Houston’s Lyzard Grin colonial series of figures, Icon-under the Black Tree Design- Boer Commando and mounted Boers, and Foundries Darkest Africa Masai deal and their new Old West figures.

There is a two page color photo spread of Duke Seigfried’s Cold Wars Khartoum game, WOW! Highly Recommended!

9. Caliver Books, 816-818 London Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, SS9 3NH, Great Britain.

Check out their web site for the latest catalogue. Can’t help but wonder what has happened to Age of Empires. www.caliverbooks.demon.co.uk

10. And That’s the Way it Was, 213 3rd St. NE, Hickory, NC 28601-5124
This is where to get your copy of The Sword and the Flame, this is a great set of rules and at 52 pages it is packed with great information and packaged very nicely. My favorite set of rules!!!! See the review! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

11. The London War Room
www.thelondonwarroom.com
The London War Room introduced a new line Parrom Station Miniatures figures, at Historicon for use with Space 1889 on Mars with several sets and individual figures of Martians with swords and guns as well as Dr. Henry Jeckyl and Edward Hyde figures. These are very nice and will be reviewed next issue.
Highly Recommended!!!!!

12. Eureka Miniatures, 10 Wooryl St. Carnegie, Vic. 3163, Australia www.eurekamin.com.au

13. Ultimate Miniatures, PO Box 3959, Visalia, CA 93278-3959 See the Review www.ultimateminiatures.com

14. GASLIGHT (Glorius Adventures in Science Loosely Involving Generally Historic Time) Rules for Adventures in the Victorian Era by Christopher Palmer and John (Buck) Sardu.

I have had no chance yet to test these skirmish rules but I have read them through and I like them. These two authors have read Verne, Doyle and Wells and taken their vehicle types into account as well as characters, animals and strange inventions. If anyone has played by these rules please write in and tell us how they play. I know these rules were used at Historicon anyone play them?

15. www.sugarcraft.com
Sugarcraft has three plastic palm trees for decorating cakes that will work well for gaming. They include:

P1681 5” palm trees, 3 for $1.09, 36 for $11.79 these are for 25mm figures. It has three section of palms and with some painting these will look very nice. They come without bases as they are designed for cakes.

P186 3” palm, 6 for $.89, 144 for $19.25 for 15mm figures. These also have three palm frond section and actually are two tree attached at the base. So you just have to cut them apart and have 288 trees for $19.25, not a bad deal. Similarly they need painting and basing.

N0057 3 1/2” coconut palms, 6 for $1.09, 72 for $9.60 these are for 15mm figures, comes with fronds and coconut sections. These need a bit more work as the frond sections are a bit skimpy.

Without painting and other fixing these palms cannot be mixed together to make an oasis with different sized trees. These are not bad and you do get a lot for your money.

16. Osprey Military Journal, Osprey Direct, P.O. Box 140, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 4ZA Great Britain. www.ospreypublishing.com

Osprey Journal Vol. 3 Issue 4 unfortunately has nothing colonial.
Campaign 85, Peking 1900 The Boxer Rebellion by Peter Harrington is well worth adding to your library of colonial books. The photos are pretty familiar, the illustrations are wonderful (especially the ones from the Brown Military Collection) and the maps are great in color and the 3-D Peking is outstanding. There are three Perry Brothers two page color drawings-very, very nice. With Harrington the curator of the Anne SK Brown Military Collection at Brown University he has access to some great military art as well as substantial library. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!