New Books and Plans

     Since finding HORDES OF THE EMPIRE  by Paul Potter, Blake Radetzky, and Terry Webb, and WHEN EMPIRES CLASH! by Bob Cordery, and their armies list, I have started work on my British colonial figures.  In a couple of practice games, the results seem that either side could have won the battle. I have started looking through my Peter Laing figures for opponents to the British. I have found several, and have ordered new rubber to make molds of these figures.

    I think anyone who has studied the colonial wars have come across Michael Barthorps' books on different campaigns of the Victorian period.  I have several of his books and went looking for more. I have bought several books  in the last week by various authors about British colonial wars and they have started arriving. In the meantime , I have started reading Donald Featherstones' KHAKI AND RED, which is a good overview of the period.

   When I started getting back into toy soldiers one manufacturer that caught my attention was William Hocker, who made a line of colonial British soldiers along the style of Wm. Britains. At the time I bought a catalog of color picture of his line. Looking at the pictures, I have been thinking of painting some of the Peter Laing figures using the Wm. Hocker pictures as a guide. I have already painted a unit of the Royal Berkshire Regiment.

This book covers the first Maori War.

My Peter Laing Royal Berkshire Regiment.