1:72 Zulu war British Infantry

HäT 1:72 - British infantry of the Anglo-Zulu War

A set of unpainted figures of British infantry from the campaign against the Zulu kingdom of 1879, in 1:72 scale. The figures of this line are in soft plastic, on which ordinary cement for polystyrene will not hold and neither will paint without preparation. That is not a fault but a property of the material. The set is the natural counterpart of the Zulu warriors, and together with them both sides of the conflict can be built from it.

The real subject

British infantry in 1879 wore a red tunic and a white tropical helmet, which the soldiers dyed with tea or mud in the field to make it inconspicuous. It was armed with a single-shot breechloader, which meant accurate but slow fire. That is exactly why they fought in close formations and squares: continuous fire from the whole unit was the only way to stop a fast Zulu charge.

Building and painting tips

Wash the figures first in lukewarm soapy water and let them dry completely. Then apply a primer intended for soft plastics, otherwise the paint will crack once it dries. They are glued with cyanoacrylate glue. Build the red tunic up over a light base and leave it faded, and tone the helmet toward sandy rather than pure white.

Who the figures are for

• For players of tabletop wargames in 1:72 scale.
• For collectors of the British colonial wars.
• For dioramas of the 1879 campaign.

The figures are supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.