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 15 five packs ready. 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 have 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

This is probably the largest group of colonial gamers anywhere, and if you have a colonial question you are sure to get plenty of answers, as well as the latest gossip about figures and manufacturers. Highly Recommended

3. Military Illustrated issue 162

"Last Stand at Shangani" by Ian Knight, about Rhodes, Jameson and the British South African Co. versus the Ndebele/Matabele. Great story, very nice illustrations, and photos. Where can I get or borrow a copy of the movie "Shangani Patrol"? Get your Zulus out, call them Matabele, add your Boers and prepare for butt kicking.

"Going into Afghanistan" by Gary Sheffield the first part about the three British Wars with the Afghans. A brief, but well written account leaving you wanting more. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING

4. S Gaugian (1/64 scale) Wasn't much in the issue of interest except for train accessories. If you are looking for small details (shovels, axes), figures, animals etc. try:

Scenery Unlimited 7236 W. Madison St. Forest Park, IL 60130 708-366-7763 and get their S Scale Catalog.

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

Issue 115: Contains a 1966 reprint from Jack Scruby's Table Top Talk of the "Great African War, The Egyptian Rebellion, 1895" nice battle report from the campaign, very nice maps. Nothing else colonial, Hal does talk about his Sudan project briefly in his editorial. As always a very good read. MWAN IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

6. Principles of War The Magazine John Hollyoak, The Farrows, Offmore Court,Offmore Farm Close, Kidderminster, DY10 3XJ Great Britain.

Issue ten, August 2001 (Well better late then never)
As is usual if you play PoW rules there are lots here to use. For the general player there are articles entitled - "'See That Wood Over There?' Ideas on Scouting in PoW" by Colin Brewer and "A Quick Note on Visibility" by John Hollyoak both very useful. For the colonial player is "Small Wars" by John Hollyoak concerning a rules variant for small actions with a game report based on the French Invasion of Guinea in the 1880-1890s, very useful especially is rolling for the mission and not revealing it to the opposition. Finally, there are more suggestions for the Boer War "The Second Anglo-Boer War" by John Bailey using the effects of weather and terrain, very nice, good stuff to steal.

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

Number 172
Is full of ads with colonial figures. The issue also contains two articles of note. First, is Robert Avery's "Assemble the Army, Beat the Drum! Wargaming 19th century Abyssinia, 1875-96". This contains background and re-fight scenarios for Abyssinia versus Egyptians, Dervish and Italian. Each section contains a simple map, OB, terrain info, victory conditions, and uniforms, plus of course the background. VERY GOOD! Chris Peers article "The Ngoni Plunderers of the Plains" is useful and adds to his Heart of Africa rules. The article includes background, tactics, costume and OB/army list.

Number 173
An ad listing some of Redoubts colonial line. An article by Chris Peers "A Somali Army for his Heart of Africa. Very nice, use these rules for the Somali attack on Burton, Speke, Herne and Stroyen. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

8. Lone Warrior, Number 137 $20 USD for the US edition, SWA, 1707 Ridge Road, Leavenworth, KS 66048.

Interesting editorial by Richard Barbuto, also "Thoughts on Hidden Movement" by Marvin Scott. Marvin using a deck of playing cards to determine strength - thirteen cards to the ambushers and only spades count 2-10 infantry, face cards cavalry, and ace artillery. If you are interested in large scale campaigns then Nicholas Birt's "Solo Campaign Rules - Diplomacy" are for you. Finally, by the other Richard Brooks "The Hitchhikers Guide to Wargames Design" is very good and contains ideas worth stealing.

9. The Military Press 1 Gallagher Close, Milton Keynes, MK8 0LQ, Great Britain www.militarypress.co.uk

The flyer came with the last Soldiers of the Queen and if you mention you're a member of the VMS you get a 10% discount. The flyer has a number of books of colonial interest. The two best, the others deal with the VC medal and army lineages, are: Sitana by Col. John Adye (61 pages, four maps) £12.99 paperback. This is a reprint from the 1867 original and concerns the 1863 Ambela Campaign on the NW Frontier. Sikhim by Col John Gawler (81 pages, three maps) £12.99 paperback. This is a reprint of the original 1873 edition and concerns an 1861 campaign in the Sikhim jungle, somewhat bloodless jungle operations.

I have neither of these, but believe that Sitana is the better of the two with this mountain campaign against overwhelming odds and a certainly more interesting campaign.

10. Cannon Fodder Miniatures PO Box 786, Bendigo, 3550, Victoria, Australia www.canfodmins.com See the Review.

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

Castaway Arts is distributing the Heliograph in Australia and New Zealand.

13. www.pulpfigures.com/main.php Has some great looking early 20th C figures, US Navy, Seebattalion, Chinese, and more to come.