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Thursday, August 28, 2025

The Boxer Rebellion Project, Part 11: Deciding on Uniform Colors for The Resolute Army

Figures from Wargames Foundry.

 In my post when I outlined my "generic" Imperial Chinese Army for The Men Who Would be Kings, I outlined that I was going to use as my template Chinese Imperial forces that faced the Second Relief Expedition under General Sir Alfred Gaselee, GCB, GCIE. For purposes of my organization of units, I'm referring to my first 2 Infantry units and my artillery gun as belonging to the Resolute Army. An Army in the Chinese Imperial Army at this time could be anything from a regiment sized force up to a Brigade/Division. As is my usual practice when painting units or armies I am not familiar, I decided to do a few test figures to figure out how I wanted the units to look.

First up will be the commander of an Infantry unit that will have more of a traditional Chinese look instead of the more Westernized units. The figure is from Wargames Foundry and is from one of the command packs from their Taiping Rebellion in China 1851-66 range. Most of the range is suitable for the Boxer Rebellion and fits in nicely with other ranges. The above officer is from Pack CH001 Chinese Command.


Military mandarins or officers wore a silk jacket in in various colors and senior officers wore predominantly purple. In addition on the front and sometimes the back, highly decorative embroidered cloth panels would be part of the jacket. In this scale, all you are getting from me is some "Chinese" lettering! Headgear was a Manchu hat often replaced with a bamboo sun hat in the summer with red tassels attached at the top.

Ready to fight enemies of the Qing Dynasty - both external and internal (though I think I need to add just a little shading to the face).

The next unit.

Next up will be my first Infantry unit which will be wearing traditional Chinese "uniforms" and once again is from Wargames Foundry Pack CH004 Chinese Musketeers. Even though they are carrying matchlocks, I'm going to pretend that they have a mixture of muskets with obsolete and modern breechloaders. The unit will be based on the above print. I forgot to mention that all of the figures were painted with a combination of Vallejo and Citadel Contrast paints.


Chinese Imperial soldiers always wore brightly colored uniforms which is one of the appeals of this period. The main garment was a loose fitting tunic of silk, cotton or linen usually bordered with a contrasting color. The tunic was issued by the unit commander but anything else worn under it was usually provided by the soldier themselves. Many troops wore a sleeveless surcoat (as above). Some "elite" units were more standardized than the other units depending on the money spent by the commander. On the chest and back of the tunic was a cloth disc, usually in white or yellow, which bore characters displaying the soldier's unit and commander and sometimes even position.


Typical headgear would be a turban worn in various styles or the classic Manchu hat. The black Manchu hat with a turned up brim and red crown were made from various materials depending on rank.


Infantry unit number 2 will wear a more Western cut of uniform though it retains aspects of a  traditional Chinese look. With uniform colors you really can't go wrong; most units wore dark blue or various shades of blue. Contemporary Western observers (when I use the term "Western Observers" I am also including the Japanese), prints (both Chinese and Western) show colors of white, yellow, green, brown, red and dark red. You can't go wrong.


The above figure is Pack CH023 Ever Victorious Army Infantry. As mentioned earlier, most troops wore various types of turbans in dark blue, blue, black and red worn by regulars. Some of the Yung units (another post in of itself) wore turbans of yellow, scarlet and dark blue. My figure's uniform is a westernized cut of a double breasted silk tunic and decorative embroidered red panels.


Yep. I need to add some shading to his face too.

Since artillery crews are only 4 figures in TMWWBKs, I decided to knock out 3 figures and I'm going to add a 4th officer figure later.


This is another "Western" style looking unit in blue with red turbans and the traditional discs. Various pictures of the time show that even within the same unit, the discs may not be of a uniform design or attached in the same place. The Wargames Foundry pack is CH024 Ever Victorious Army Artillery Crew.


Don" bother looking up the Chinese characters; I made them up based on photographs and illustrations of the time and painted what I thought would look good at gaming distance.

Now it's time to get the painting assembly line going.



Wednesday, August 27, 2025

WizKids Deep Cuts Unpainted Miniatures: Wave 7: Pack Mule

The The 1st Madras Pioneers with supplies on the Northwest Frontier.

 Most gamers hate logistics in a game; but, the reality is that logistics are an important (ESSENTIAL!) part of warfare. As an exercise, I use to have my cadets calculate how much water is needed for an average US Army Mechanized Infantry battalion - and water is heavy. If I use logistics in a game, I like simplified rules such as knowing how many shots I have before running out of ammunition or a random roll. Having said that, you can have fun with logistics through escort missions of just having nice scatter pieces to be on the table. Having said that, these ridiculously overloaded mules from WizKids Deep Cuts Unpainted Miniatures are inexpensive and a quick way to get the logistics train rolling.

Bombay Sappers and Miners in China, 1900.

The mules come 2 to a pack, are semi-hard pre-primed resin. Essentially I just used GW Citadel Contrast paints to knock them out in about 2 days.




Not bad for (except the drunk mule that I need to straighten out) for approximately $11 USD.



Thursday, August 7, 2025

The Boxer Rebellion Project, Part 10: Generic 8 Nations Field Forces of General Gaselee's Relief Force


For my first 8 Nations Alliance Field Force to use with The Men Who Would be Kings, I'm focusing on General Sir Alfred Gaselee, GCB, GCIE, second relief expedition. Why? All of the 8 Nations Alliance forces provide variety and color, but I choose this because I already had some figures for the force though I painted some more to add the color and historical makeup of the Alliance.


In the summer of 1900, when the Boxer Uprising in China was at its height, Gaselee was chosen to command the British element in the international expeditionary force, and on 3 July 1900 promoted to major-general. Gaselee was nominally put in charge of the Second Expedition because the Eight-Nation Alliance refused to the allow the Japanese general Yamaguchi Motomi to lead it, even though he was the highest-ranking officer present. As a reward for his services, he was created Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE) on 24 July 1901.

Here are some of my "generic Field Forces" I'm going to use first with a 24 point limit: 


1. Japanese Infantry Unit.
    Regular Infantry: 6 points.
    
    Total: 6 points.

The Japanese had the largest contribution to the 8 Nations Alliance; plus the new Crusader Miniatures look cool.



2. Indian Infantry Unit.
    Regular Infantry: 6 points.

    Total: 6 points.

The British were strapped for manpower with the Boer War. Most of the British troops came from India including the 1st Indian Brigade which consisted of the 1st Sikh Infantry Punjab Frontier Force, 24th Punjab Infantry, and the 7th Rajput Infantry. 


3. Austrian-Hungarian Naval Brigade.
    Regular Infantry: 6 points.

    Total: 6 points.

Come on! You knew von Trapp and company would be included!

Gun and crew from Tsuba Miniatures.

4. Russian Artillery.
    Well Drilled Crew: 6 points.

    Total: 6 points.

The above is actually an Imperial Russian Putilov M1902 76mm quick firing gun which was first used in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Close enough for now until I get an older gun.

Total points: 24.

Or . . . 

1. Japanese Infantry Unit.
    Regular Infantry: 6 points.
    
    Total: 6 points.

Figures from Copplestone Castings.

2. Russian Infantry Unit.
    Regular Infantry: 6 points.
    Poor Shots: -1 point. Russian firing doctrine emphasized volley fire and not individual marksmanship.
    Unenthusiastic: -1 point. Infantry were conscripts from the East Siberian Regiment and were not quite up to Western (and Japanese) standards.

    Total: 4 points.

The above is my version of the The Izmaylovsky Lifeguards Regiment circa 1905. Evantually I will get some earlier Russian infantry for the Boxer Rebellion.

3. Austrian-Hungarian Naval Brigade.
    Regular Infantry: 6 points.

    Total: 6 points.


4. 1st Bengal Lancers.
    Regular Cavalry: 6 points.
    Lancers: +2 points.

Total: 8 points.

The 8 Nations Alliance did not have a lot of cavalry and the 1st Bengal Lancers did yeoman service. The above are Perry Miniatures painted as the The 10th (The Duke of Cambridge's) Bengal Lancers (Hodson's Horse) and they will do the trick.

Total points: 24.

So far that's what I'm doing though eventually I will have some troops for Admiral Seymour's relief attempt, the follow-up expeditions after Peking was captured, and the Legation defense.

Monday, August 4, 2025

The Boxer Rebellion Project, Part 9: 1st Sikh Regiment, Punjab Frontier Force

The former 1st Sikhs, Punjab Frontier Force in 1905. They were redesignated the 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force) in 1903. Note the different ethnic groups by turban; the name of a regiment was the recruiting area (usually) and did not designate the ethnicity of the unit. Ethnicity was usually by company to facilitate logistically the food rations.

I received a three way bonus with this unit! 

1. They fought in the Northwest Frontier Uprisings of 1897 to 1898 - a conflict I already game.
2. They fought in the Boxer Rebellion.
3. The unit has a piper (HUZZAH!).

1st Sikhs, Punjab Frontier Force. Figures by Perry Miniatures.

I'll be the first to admit, this unit (except for the piper) was a rush job. I painted them quickly so I could move onto the Chinese Imperial Army figures I recently purchased from Wargames Foundry. In reviewing the pictures, and as I was painting, I realized that I would need to go back a few touch ups and highlighting to bring them up to my (ahem) gaming distance standards. I love the size of 12 figure Regular Infantry for The Men Who Would be Kings; the game rules I pretty much use exclusively for my Colonial gaming.

British and Sikh officer.


The regiment was raised on 10 December 1846 at Hoshiarpur as the 1st Regiment of Infantry, The Frontier Brigade by Major JS Hodgson. It was composed of Sikhs, Punjabi Muslims, Pathans and Dogras, mostly recruited from the disbanded regiments of the Sikh Empire following the First Anglo-Sikh War. In 1847, it was designated 1st Regiment of Sikh Local Infantry, becoming the 1st Regiment of Sikh Infantry in 1857. 

Havildars (Sergeants) to steady the line.

I need to repaint the chevrons.

In 1851, the regiment became part of the Punjab Irregular Force, which later became famous as the Punjab Frontier Force (PFF) or The Piffers. The Piffers consisted of five regiments of cavalry, eleven regiments of infantry and five batteries of artillery besides the Corps of Guides. Their mission was to maintain order on the Punjab Frontier; a task they performed with great aplomb. The 1st Sikh Infantry took part in numerous frontier operations besides the Second Sikh War of 1848–49 and the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857–58, when it fought in Rohilkhand and Oudh in North India. During the Second Afghan War of 1878–80, the regiment took part in the capture of Ali Masjid and the advance to Jalalabad. It also performed operations during the NW Frontier uprising in 1897-1898. In 1900, it went to China to suppress the Boxer Rebellion.

Piper Khan.

The British (you know I mean the Scottish Regiments!) used bagpipes in their army bands and  introduced the instrument to India in the 19th century. The Indian military style of bagpipe-playing, which is sonorous and set to Scottish tunes, draws directly from this tradition.

"Frontier Force". Left to right: 59th Scinde Rifles, Piper of 51st Sikhs (1st Sikhs of our period) and 56th Punjabi Rifles. Watercolour by Major AC Lovett, 1910. Even though the bagpipe illustrated is green, I decided to give mine a tartan pattern.

Bugler. Yep, I need to clean up the figures a bit.

When the Boxer Rebellion broke out in 1900, the British, as part of the 8 Nations Alliance, was hard pressed to provide troops as it was heavily committed to the Boer War in South Africa. As a result, the overwhelming majority of troops came from the Indian Army, including the 1st Sikhs, PFF. On the tabletop, the Khaki uniforms will look great alongside the blue of Japan, the white of sailors, US Marines and US Army, etc.

Sepoys.

"Looking a bit sloppy Major!"

The above officer figure will be perfect for The Men Who Would be Kings. Leadership and Leadership Traits are rolled for each officer and if the Leadership Traits "Drunkard" or "The gentleman has a bottle" is rolled, this will be the officer figure used as a reminder. Believe it or not, he is holding a canteen which definitely needs to be repainted! Not only that, I forgot to paint his mustache. Quite.


 

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

The Boxer Rebellion Project, Part 8: A Generic Imperial Chinese Field Force


 Now that I have more than a start on the 8 Nations Alliance for the Boxer Rebellion, it's time to turn my attention to the Imperial Chinese Army and the Boxers. I'm a great fan of The Men Who Would be Kings which is my kind of Colonial Colonial Gaming. In researching my army, I'm also going to give a nod to making the Field Force as colorful and with as many flags as possible. My army will be semi-historical with an eye to gaming and having fun.

Right now I'm focusing on forces during the Second Relief Force when the 8 Nations Alliance forces under Lt. General Sir Alfred Gaselee marched on Peking to relieve the Internation Legaitions. Once the Taku Forts were taken, the Imperial Chinese, which had forces actively fighting the Boxers, viewed the action as a declaration of war and the Boxers started to take a back seat to the Imperial Army. But hey, we are going to have lots of Boxers for the Imperial Chinese commander as cannon fodder, um, ahem, as loyal citizens helping the Qing Dynasty.

A nice photo from the National Army Museum in the UK picturing Manchu hat wearing Imperial infantry.

Imperial Chinese Infantry Unit #1 (they'll get names later) from Wargames Foundry's the Taiping Rebellion in China 1851-66 range sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry.

1. Chinese Imperial Infantry Unit.
    Irregular Infantry: 4 points.
    Poor Shots: - 1 point.
    Total: 3 points.



I've been looking at uniform references for my Manchu hat wearing infantry and I'm leaning toward painting the unit as one of the two above.


Chinese Ever Victorious Army from the Taiping Rebellion range that will be later Chinese Imperial Infantry. The figures from the range make great proxies for the Boxer Rebellion in 28mm.

2. Chinese Imperial Infantry Unit.
    Irregular Infantry: 4 points.
    Poor Shots: - 1 point.
    Total: 3 points.

I wanted one unit with Manchu hats and one with turbans. My unit with turbans will have a dark blue uniform with black turbans.

3. Chinese Imperial Infantry Unit: The Kansu Braves. How can you not have a Chinese army without the Kansu Braves!
    Irregular Infantry: 4 points.
    Poor Shots: - 1 point.
    Veteran: +1 point.

I'm going to use the Kansu Braves from Crusader Miniatures - pictures from Crusader Miniatures website.



I gave the Kansu Braves veteran status as they had pretty good staying power during the Boxer Rebellion.

4. Chinese Boxers x 2.
    Tribal Infantry: 3 points.
    Fierce: 1 point.
    Total: 4 points.

My Boxers will be hard plastics from Wargames Atlantic with a few metal figures thrown in.




5. Imperial Chinese Artillery.
    Well drilled: 6 points.
    Total: 6 points.

Figures again from Wargames foundry and the man in charge of the gun is going to wear his fancy armor!

Looks like some of the artillery was at least average in performance though further research is warranted. I'll probably paint them in the famous, classic uniform from the cigar box cards.



To recap my generic Imperial Chinese Field Force for The Men Who Would be Kings:

1. Chinese Imperial Infantry Unit # 1 (Irregular Infantry, Poor Shots): 3 points.
2. Chinese Imperial Infantry Unit #2 (Irregular Infantry, Poor Shots): 3 points.
3. Kansu Braves (Irregular Infantry, Poor Shots, Veterans): 4 points.
4. Boxer Unit #1 (Tribal Infantry, Fierce): 4 points.
5. Boxer Unit #2 (Tribal Infantry, Fierce): 4 points.
6. Chinese Artillery (Well Drilled): 6 points.

Total: 24 points.
72 figures and 1 gun.