Basmachi Horsemen

 Finally finished these horsemen from Siberia Miniatures.  I've had them for a while but have been daunted by the challenge of painting them!

The Basmachi are interesting.  They are not from a particular people but are a bit of a mashup of Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmen and others, with a bit of distortion from Soviet cinema, where they sometimes took the role of the stereotypical opponents in Soviet 'Easterns' (an analogue of Western movies, but set in Central Asia).  These ones in particular seem to be based on the antagonists of the hero of the famous movie White Sun of the Desert.  See my previous posts about Abdullah, Sayid, Sukhov and Petrushka for more info.

For these models, I didn't follow images from the movie as closely.  Instead I looked up photos of Turkmen, Uzbeks and other Central Asians, and did my own interpretation, including some fanciful ideas of my own.  No offense is intended toward any of the proud peoples of Central Asia!  I just did the best I could to get some colourful models ready to be mercenaries in my upcoming Jhamjar rebellion.

Three riders with rifles.  Not much chance that they could hit anything firing those rifles at a full gallop but they look great!

Riders with swords.

This flag is based on the flag of the Basmachi Movement, which unsuccessfully opposed the efforts of the Bolsheviks to establish Soviet control over what are now the Central Asian republics (aka the 'Stans).

And here they are in all their glory!

Petrukha and the Shield Maidens

 No, not a band headlining at the local pub, just some figures I finished painting over the weekend :)

First up are the four shieldmaidens from Wargames Atlantic 3D/Only Games.  Playing to stereotypes, all four are blondes.  It was fun to paint slightly more colourful clothing for a change!  No particular plans for these, they may show up in a fantasy or dark ages game sometime.

Next up is my take on Petrukha, the naïve young soldier assigned to assist Comrade Sukhov in White Sun of the Desert.  I simply took one of the Wargames Atlantic WWI Russians with a budenovka hat.  This model doesn't look quite as young as the actor in the movie, but for me, he's close enough!.

Movie inspired miniatures

 Back to blogging after a busy spring.

JTFM has released an M3 Lee, which of course I purchased right away.  Unlike many of the other multi-gunned, multi-turreted tanks (like the Soviet T-35, for example), the M3 was relatively successful, especially for a stop-gap that was just intended to hold the line until the M4 Sherman could reach the front lines.  

My version here is inspired by Lulubelle, star of the 1943 Humphrey Bogart film Sahara, and the 1995 Jim Belushi made for TV remake. In the movie, Sgt Joe Gunn and his M3 tank Lulubelle gather a motley collection of survivors of the Battle of Tobruk and escape into the desert.  The main action involves Lulubelle and her passengers defending an oasis from a larger force of Deutches Afrika Korps light infantry.

I didn't copy the passengers exactly, so I am notably missing the Free French caporal Leroux, the askari Tambul, or their prisoners, the German pilot and the Italian soldier.  

All the crew and passengers are magnetised so they can be easily removed for when the tank is 'buttoned'.

I've also added another character to my White Sun of the Desert collection, this time Comrade Sukhov with a Lewis Gun.

Sayid from White Sun of the Desert and the cat lady

 This next Basmachi figure is not as close a match for Sayid as the previous one is for Abdullah.  However, having enjoyed painting Abdullah, I felt a need to represent Sayid.  Sayid is a character from White Sun of the Desert - he is an ally for Sukhov, the main character.  At the start of the film, Sukhov rescues Sayid when he finds him buried up to his neck in the desert.  Through the rest of the film, Sayid shows up like a deus ex machina whenever Sukhov gets himself into too much trouble.  A very laconic character, when asked why he shows up just when needed most, his response is, "I heard shots".

Here is Sayid as Sukhov finds him.

Sayid wears a ragged striped kaftan for most of the film, and is a crack shot with a rifle.

So here is my take on the character.

I also finished up a cat lady from Pulp Figures.  Strictly speaking, she is not a Dangerous Dame, but rather an Arcane Academic.  My limited experience with cats has convinced me to put her with the DDs just to be safe!

White Sun of the Desert Abdullah

There is a famous movie from the USSR called White Sun of  the Desert.  It is from 1970, and is very heavily influenced by Sergio Leone-style spaghetti westerns, except that instead of the American old west, it is set on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea toward the end of the Russian Civil War.  The primary villain is a Basmachi bandit chieftain called Abdullah.  The Basmachi command figures from Siberia Miniatures bear a great similarity to the bandits from White Sun, so naturally I tried to make this figure, with his classic broomhandle Mauser, look as much like the one from the film as I could.

                                        

White Sun of the Desert is a great film, well worth a watch!  It can be found on YouTube with English subtitles.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auj_u7wEyw8  Maybe once I get a few more of the Basmachis painted up, we'll be able to pay a What a Cowboy tribute to this classic 'Eastern'!