Rhodesia-How small are they?

Ive put the picture to the left so people unfamiliar with 20mm miniatures can get an idea of the scale. Here is a Rhodesian light machine gunner beside a nickel and a penny.

Rhodesian Hippo, scratch build APC

Here is my scratch built Hippo anti-mine troop carrier. The Rhodesians used all kinds of anti-mine vehicles but I chose to build this one because it seemed to be the easiest with all the straight lines (technically this one was built in South Africa and used by their army as well as the Rhodesians). This is the first vehicle I have ever done completely from the ground up.....so it has its MAJOR flaws. It is built from bass wood, cardboard, paper, plumbers epoxy and wheels ripped off some matchbox cars.....and alot of Super Glue.

I learned alot building it, mainly what NOT to do. It wont win any modeling contests, but I think it will work fine on the wargames table. I simplified it in the extreme, aiming at getting the general "look". A real "model" is way beyond my skill right now. Cost was zero as all the junk I just had laying around. I intend to make other Rhodesian vehicles later, Rhino, Crocodile and a Pookie mine detection vehicles are all ones I would like to do but all look really tricky to pull off.

I had 2 really bad photos to work off of. Later I found a 3rd pic and realized that I built the rear wrong (the 2 pics were of the side and front). The real one had a very simple solid double door....so this one is the Hippo "XLT", built by Van Jolden & Sons in Joburg.....never heard of them?....well they were a small company.....really small.....known for their fancy back doors......anyway, Im leaving it the way it is even though its not accurate because ,to be honest, I'm tired of working on it.

Rhodesian Light Infantry

These are my latest 20mm Liberation Miniatures. Ive painted them as Rhodesian Light Infantry, an all white unit that was extermely effective. Ive put the picture of the jacket to the left to show what Rhodesian camouflage looked like.

This is the 1st "stick". RLI sticks were armed with 1 light machine gun and 3 SLR . As you can see they are wearing shorts. Dress regulations were vary lax . I intend to convert some figures to wearing long pants which were popular later in the war.

2nd Stick

3rd stick

4th stick

5th stick








These two fellows have been modified, the fellow with the beret I have added his big mustache with Sculpy. The shotgun on the other guy I added from a Revell 1/72 Vietnam figure.

Here is a closer shot. This gives a better view of their webbing. And shows a little more detail of the camo scheme.

Closer shot to show camo.

Another close up of camo. These troops could easily be used for other Rhodesian Security Forces with the inclusion of some black soldiers. Only the RLI and the Rhodesian S.A.S. were all white units. I intend to paint some black troops up soon so I can make mixed race units and the Rhodesian African Rifles.

FRELIMO troops

My latest troops are FRELIMO, from Mozambique. Rhodesian Security Forces often clashed with FRELIMO on cross-border operarions against ZANLA camps in Mozambique. FRELIMO dress could take a variety of forms: a khaki uniform, ex-Portugese uniforms, and comunist bloc uniforms (Soviet cammo, East German rain-drop cammo etc.), but I have chosen to paint these guys in a denim uniform that was common.

In "Selous Scouts: Top Secret War" by Peter Stiff, there are several pictures of Selous Scouts wearing Frelimo "denim".

I'm not 100% satisfied with the outcome, I found denim to be extremely irritating to paint. Never quite got the exact look. But I think these fellows will pass as FRELIMO.

Being denim clad, they could also be used as a well uniformed and equiped group of ZANLA. I read an account (cant remember if it was "Fire Force" or "Selous Scouts") of a ZANLA group that was responsible for several attacks on farms being dressed in denim.

Heres a picture of the whole group. Searching for a Selous Scout recon team no doubt.

This picture is mainly to showcase my newly made "scraggely African trees". Cost all of about 8 cents each to make. The trunks are just sticks from the woods outside my house. The foliage is Naturals Floral Moss, from Wal-Mart. I think that the green and dead brown color looks pretty good for Africa. Ive made about 20 so far but these 3 are the only ones that I had gotten the bases almost done. The bases I made with epoxy putty in the plumbing section of Wal-Mart, with pennies in the bottom for weight.

My next group will be a group of ZIPRA/ZANLA. Once I get more terain I will post a battle report. At present I am casting about for some rules. I have several but am not sure which one works the best for this period.