1. Copplestone Castings, P.O. Box 9298, Birmingham B14 7PN, UK www.geocities.com/gisby.geo/dda.htm is the web address. No email orders but you can fax them to 44 121 444 7646. Carried in the US by RLBPS. SEE THE REVIEW

Return to Darkest Africa - Mark already has the first 8 five packs (at £5.50) ready. The second group of seven packs should be ready as you read this:
AF9 British Sailors in sennet hats, advancing
AF10 British Sailors in sailor caps, at the ready
AF11 Gardner/Nordenfeldt Gun and Naval Crew (1 carriage with choice of gun)
AF12 Ngoni Warriors in Zebra Mane Headdress
AF13 Ngoni/Watuta Warriors
AF14 Ngoni/Watuta female archers
AF15 Somali Spearmen 1

In January the Ngoni range will be completed with Ngoni Characters and Women and Children, also more sailors and Somalis. Standing orders for Return to Darkest Africa packs will have their orders sent off first and get a free otherwise unobtainable miniature. I posted my advance order to Mark last issue and am hungrily awaiting the next group of figs. There is also an electronic newsletter available on his site for Return to Darkest Africa.

Some other figs of interest he is thinking about are Barbarian tribes to go along with HLBSs ranges including Fantasy Africans. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

2. Colonial Wars online at ColonialWar-subscribe@onelist.com I re-subscribed to this news group after a two-year hiatus and found less useful info than before. Don’t get me wrong there is some great stuff posted-some well written articles on German East Africa, as well as a week long running discussion on Adowa, a two week long discussion on British verse Germans who’s better, answers to questions, info on the latest figures, photos of painted figures, vehicles, uniform photos, and tips on painting uniforms. However, nearly two of three messages contain little useful information, but that one is worth wading through the others for.

3. I also joined Small Wars, Kings Carbine (19th C Portugese Africa), and Great War Colonial (WW1 in Africa) great photos and articles. I urge you to check them out and subscribe-but you have to check it everyday-over Thanksgiving’s four day holiday I received over 230 ColonialWars postings and most complained things were slow!!! Highly Recommended

4. Military Illustrated issue 161

“Blood on the Sand: Hicks Pashas defeat at the Battle of Shaykan, 1883” by Ian Knight shows the military prowess of the Mahdi. Another great article by Ian. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING

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

Issue 114:
No letters section, oh NO! But read Hal’s editorial. The back page photo contains Connoisseur British painted by Joel Gregory, very nice. Four articles in this issue are colonial. “Zulu Rules” and “TSATF Adaptation” both by The Very Rev’d Aelred Glidden containing some interesting ideas worth stealing and testing during your next TSATF game. “Ambush! Group Solo Play for TSATF” by Paul Koch contains a system for controlling the enemy, interesting ideas. Finally, in “Fusillade” by Chris Hahn there is a discussion involving among several topics the Zulu warrior chant from (what else) Zulu as background music to Gladiator; PBS’ “Science of the Dead: The Battle of Isandhlwana”; 55 Days in Peking; and TSATF. MWAN IS 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 Small Book, No. 54, contains lots of notes and highlights concerning the British Victorian military, organizations, books, and magazines. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!

7. Wargames Illustrated, 18 Lovers Lane, Newark, Notts. NG24 1HZ UK

Number 170
Unfortunately no colonial articles, hopefully, they will appear again with Copplestone Casting’s Return To Darkest Africa range out now. Several ads stood out for colonials: Black Tree Design (Icon) ad shows a British Officer firing, Zulu War, very nice. The Redoubt ad notes a set of rules “Steel Leviathans” by D. Ratcliffe and Wm. Johnson are a set of rules for steam driven vehicles. The London War Room ad for Houston’s Lyzard Grin Colonial series 1800-1900 also appears in 171. These are 25mm figures and measure 24mm, generally, to the eye.

Number 171
Again, no colonial articles. Copplestone’s ad shows a pack of his Azande musket men. See my review. Redoubt enterprises ad shows the Horse and Foot Artillery figure drawings for their Victoriana Range (Home Service Uniform). Very nice drawings, at 65p each, these are a great deal. The Home Service Uniform should be quite useful for VicSciFi gaming. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

8. Osprey Military Journal, Osprey Direct, P.O. Box 140, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 4ZA Great Britain. www.ospreypublishing.com Osprey Journal Vol. 3 Issue 6 No colonial articles or book announcements. There is an ad on the back page for Birlinn Ltd. for a paperback edition of Peter Flemings The Siege of Peking for £9.99, check it out at www.birlinn.co.uk

9. Lone Warrior, Number 136

“’C’ Troop goes for a Horse Ride or Spot the Stagecoach” by Graham Emplon, contains an interesting scenario. C Troop searches for a possible missing paymasters coach, with rumors of gun runners present as well as Apaches, outnumbering C Troop 3 to 1.

“The Tochi Valley Escape 1897: A Solo Northwest Frontier Colonial Game” by Nic Birt. This is a nice scenario with rules and should easily convert to a TSATF scenario. The rules are pretty interesting and well worth a try. The scenario involves the Indians (no Brits) fighting their way out of a village and withdrawing across three more battlefields/tables mmmmm fun.

10. Military History, December 2001. “Naval Struggle in Darkest Africa” by Darin S. Kinsey is the story of Lt Commander G. Spicer-Somson who took two gunboats from Cape Town to Lake Tanganyka using trains and steam tractors. Great photos and text. If you already know about this historic episode there is nothing new here, photos are nice.

11. Ultimate Miniatures, PO Box 3959, Visalia, CA 93278-3959 SEE THE REVIEW www.ultimateminiatures.com

12. Castaway Arts (PO Box 7599, Cairns 4870, Australia, Phone/fax 0740412079, www.castawayarts.com.au NEW FIGURES SEE THE REVIEW Also, starting with the next issue Castaway Arts will now be distributing the Heliograph in Australia.