Off the Beaten Track...

...otherwise known as the Back of Beyond {Possibly twinned with Newark!} I've enjoyed the Back of Beyond games I've played with Phil, using his wonderful collection of Russians and Chinese. So much so that I've decided to have a force of my own, British of course, which can 'intervene' in the affairs of our fictional North West Frontier province of Rhawnlistan, not far from that hot bed of mutiny in the C19th which is Byklabad. Of course, the Russians and Chinese will also be 'intervening' as and when we get together for a game here in GHQ or over at Phil's OHQ. Now I want to say straight away, for Phil's benefit mainly, that this is not an outbreak of Darkest Africa Syndrome ~ named after my descent from "I'll just have an expedition of my own!" to the acquiring of a full collection in no time at all! Honest, I won't be going down that road this time......
Here's a picture of the whole force, now its all been cleaned up, spayed white and the figure bases and movement trays textured all ready for painting~

The figures I've been acquiring for the Rhawnlistan Field Force are sourced from a number of miniature companies: Brigade Games{through Wargames Command Post}; Copplestone; Empress Miniatures; Great War Miniatures; Pulp Miniatures {through Miniaturicum in Germany}; The HLBS for the Rolls Royce armoured car. As well as the RFF itself, there are a number of Pulp-type figure groups, as I hope to develop our games along the lines of a pale imitation of the campaigns of General Pettygree ~ http://generalpettygree.blogspot.co.uk/

The Diplomatic Corps

The Royal Geographical Society Expedition to Rhawnlistan

Mustapha Leihk, the 'Mad Prophet of Rhawnlistan'

Brigadier 'Tubby' Bykleigh & Staff

The South Staffordshires

The Royal Surreys

The Gurkhas

Bhurpa Tribesmen

And finally, the Russian Mission to Rhawnlistan, in the person of the veteran fighter ace of the Revolution, Hero of the Soviet Union, scourge of Wun Ung Lo ~

Ivan Justukov and the Russian Mission to Rhawnlistan

I hope to start painting these in July, when I come back from a holiday in Sunny Devon {well, here's hoping, anyway}. In the meantime I'm finishing two mounted and dismounted bases of Empress Miniatures Frontier Light Horse for my AZW collection. I also have some Dixon western gunfight civilians on the go and a German motorcycle reconnaissance patrol from Wargames Foundry to finish for 1940 games. I'll keep you posted from time to time as the Rhawnlistan Field Force takes shape.