Once again another issue has snuck up on me and I am not ready for it.

A couple of suggestions have been made recently and I think they are good ideas. First, Mark Stevens is willing to answer, in print, uniform questions. So I posed the first, on Dahomey and French uniforms of the period to go along with the basic articles. This issue was to have been part 1 of two Dahomey special issues. To give myself more time to complete the research I have instead put together an issue of articles and rules that have been sent in and have sort of piled up. I hope you like them.

Second, I would like to open up the possibility of trading, purchasing or selling colonial figures through the Heliograph. Therefore, if you have figures, books anything colonial or hobby magazines I will set aside space in each issue for a column devoted to that with contact information.

Third, Mark Copplestone is adding another area of figures to his growing stable called the Back of Beyond based around Chinese central Asia and Mongolia during the 1920s and 30s. I know this is sort of off topic for colonials per se but I think that the flavor of Darkest Africa makes this a perfect choice for inclusion here. To that end I will set aside approximately one page per issue devoted to “Expeditions”. The column will consist of scenarios, possible rules, reviews of figures and books and other information for the expedition, safari, adventure, lost world, whatever. The time period for this will range from 1860 to 1930. It starts this issue, let me know what you think.

Finally, one subscriber has asked me to order a copy of the French Marine book from France for him. So, let me know ASAP, by 15 July, if you also wish a copy and I will order some. You can if you wish send me $20 now, which should cover the purchase and postage to you. I’ll cover anything over that, unless it gets outrageous. Actually, I would prefer that you send me the money up front.

DON’T FORGET, PLEASE, IF THE NUMBER ON YOUR MAILING LABEL IS 131 IT IS TIME TO REENLIST IN THE HELIOGRAPH FOR ANOTHER YEAR.