Fortnight Theme Bonus Round 1 Prep: December 22: Non Combatant(s)

As part of my diabolical scheme to win the challenge, I have decided to make sure I have an entry for every single one of the Fortnight Theme Bonus Rounds. That has been guiding my preparations.

The most important requirement was to get the painting space set up. This has now been achieved:

As you can see, the selection and preparation of figures for the first Fortnight Bonus Theme has already begun. I took a very strict definition for "Non-Combatant(s)" and decided the figures had to be those sculpted with no weapons what so ever, not even a pistol in a holster. That ruled out many of my civilian models, including the Mutineer Miniatures Defenders of Lucknow, and many Foundry Darkest Africa characters. Fortunately, the Colonials Project has the requirements for lots of figures who're sculpted just that way, and I have had them sitting in bare lead for quite some time.  

The standard prep regime for metal foot figures is clean off flash and mold lines, file down the bases and glue them to soda bottle caps for painting. Since the weather has been cold, rainy, and damp - and I lack an indoor priming area - I've been using Vallejo's Surface Primer (black) and Model Master's Grey Primer to brush on. Since I made the mistake a while ago of gluing unpainted minis to their final wooden bases before painting, brush on primer has been my go to for a while now.

So, what do I plan to do for the Fortnight Bonus Round 1? 

First up, some Europeans, and an African servant:

 

From the left, we have the Reverend Peter Lovejoy, and his wife, Mrs. Rebecca Lovejoy. They will be missionaries from the fictional but plausible English Bible Society (EBS). Third from the left is David Livingstone. Then we have Aunt Augusta, the meddlesome and trouble prone Aunt of the current German commander in East Africa, Herr Major Vogel. Think Jessica Fletcher in East Africa. Finally, the servant Hamid.

 

These are all Foundry, and come from several different packs in the Darkest Africa line.

The Reverend Lovejoy, EBS, is the "Doctor Zwingili" figure from Traders and Travellers - DA017

"Fairplay" Fanshawe, Poirot, Furtwangler, Captain Korzeniowski, da Souza, Doctor Zwingili, Dupont.

Mrs. Rebecca Lovejoy and Aunt Augusta are both from Deadlier than the Male - DA016 (nice bit of Kipling there); Mrs. Rebecca Lovejoy is the "Agnes Day" figure, and Aunt Augusta is Mimi. 

Mrs Stanhope, Agnes Day, Mimi, Frau Schadenfreude, Jane, Miss Brodie, Miss Baedecker.

Livingstone is the "David Livingstone" figure from Men of Substance - DA011:

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton, John Hanning Speke, The Lord of the Jungle, Dr. Livingstone, Carl Peters, Henry Morton Stanley, Sir Samuel Baker.

Hamid comes from the pack Askari Characters - DA014, "Sir Garnet:"

Limi, Kush, Mboni, Jemadar, Bull Henry, Baraka, Sir Garnet, Bugler.

Next,  I've primed thirteen porters for one of the Caravans:

These are from Foundry's Bearers packs (DA021 and DA023, respectively):

Finally, there's nine African civilians, for a village set somewhere:

These are all from Foundry's Women and Children - DA027 pack:

So, why are two sets primed a different color, you ask? Well . . . for the Europeans, I plan on painting them lighter colors (yellows, light greens, creams and blues) and yellow especially has serious issues going over, well, anything. The Reverend Lovejoy I plan on painting similar to the Foundry sculpt, but with a paler green smock, and probably brown pants. Mrs. Lovejoy I am putting in a yellow dress, and yellow will not go over black for me. David Livingstone I will also probably paint like the Foundry sculpt.

For Aunt Augusta, I plan to paint her like the mannequin displaying Victorian women's fashion in the Musée Historique de Lausanne I saw when visiting there back in August:

Now, the dress isn't sculpted the same, but I plan to use the same blue and white color scheme, with the off white umbrella. It really was quite lucky that I picked up that figure.

From my research, the major colors in East Africa for non-European clothing were whites and off whites (the whiter the white of your clothes, the higher your status), blues and reds. Those go fine over black. I plan to keep the paint schemes simple, and not try anything as advanced as the pattern shown for the lady with the basket of corn on her head. Suitcases will probably be green, cloth the usual off-white, red or blue, jars terracotta, and so forth.

So yes, that's rather an ambitious lot to paint in the week from December 15 to December 22. Fortunately for me, all the sculpts are simple, so there's not a lot of colors needed. First priority is the bearers, since they absolutely MUST be done in order to have a caravan. Then the Europeans, then the African Civilians.

Now onto planning the next Bonus Round: Villains!