Sunday, May 13, 2012

Where to recruit porters for your Darkest Africa Expedition?

Hi, In the everlasting attempt to supply my 28mm British colonials with sufficient supplies and my obsession for logistical units for my wargame armies. I have decided to create an entire post dedicated to the humble but necessary native porters which enabled for most of the western nations to colonize large parts of Africa during the scramble for Africa. These men were often forced to carry loads through dense jungles and filthy swamps or simply volunteered for a meager reward at the end of the trip for those who survived the horrors of the Central African jungle such as savage pygmees, poisonious snakes, mosquitoes, diseases and other not so nice ways to die. In an attempt to honor the thousands if not more dead porters I've made this post so you can put them on your tabletop!

First of all we have two packs of Reviresco porter packs which can be found in their colonial range. The first pack is called "safari bearers" and contains five miniatures who carry all sorts of supplies like vases and crates. The second pack is called "bearer set 2" and contains four miniatures and a killed deer. All of these packs retail for $10 so around £1.24 a miniature.

Secondly we have the excellent Reaper "porters & bearers" which contains three different sculpts and retails for €9.74. These are probably in the top three of favorite porters but they are a bit expensive and you only have three variants.

Then we have the Askari "safari servants". This pack contains five miniatures: one caravan master and two porter variants (two of these variants a pack). This particular pack retails for $15 or $3 a miniature.

I've also forgot to mention some of Eurekas miniatures which can easily be used as porters unable to add a picture of these. Here's a direct link towards them. Each of these variants cost $2.95 AUS

After that we have the Brigade Games "Pacific bearers" pack which contains 6 porters and retails for $14. As the name says these miniatures are meant to be used in the Pacific during World War Two but also can be used in your Darkest Africa setting if you're not to picky. Roughly estimated around £1.50 a miniature. They also have some porters carrying a wounded soldiers but with some converting you can make them carry some loads.

Then we have the Dixon Miniatures porters from their Dahomey range which are packed in groups of 4 different porters unlike in the shown picture. This pack retails at only £4.40 making these miniatures probaly the cheapest way to add some porters to your colonial forces. I have these particular miniatures in my possesion and can only say that they are more 25mm scaled but still mix in well with the Foundry porters when painted in the same style. Also the lads at Dixon miniatures are always ready to answer questions or solve problems.

Still more porters? Yes, we have the excellent but extremely expensive Foundry porter packs which are packed with excellent sculpts and 12 variants even including some porters carrying tusks! As previously said these miniatures are quite expensive as they retail for a pack of six for €19,20! Or £2.5 a miniature not including the expensive postage from Foundry which you can partially reduce by ordering from Caliver Books.

After that we have the newest porters available on the market, the excellent North Star Miniatures one which you can find in their own africa range. These miniatures retail at £5.40 which is excellent value for your hard earned cash.

Next we have the Old Glory "Porters and Load" packs which contains twenty miniatures and two lion loads for $36 or roughly £22.50. That's around £1.10 a miniature which equals the price of the Dixon Miniatures porters. But price isn't everything as you always need to buy them in huge bags of 22 and I have heard some tales about bad sculpting and casting but cannot verify these issues.










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