To accompany our Q&A with Afghan Tribesmen sculptor Michael Perry (on page 92 of Wargames Illustrated 394) we’ve snapped extra photos and spins of some Afghans. These have all been painted by the other half of Perry Miniatures, brother Alan.
The tribal nature of the Afghans meant that they didn’t develop a standing army until later, so there are options to apply various schemes. Variety would be particularly fitting for the First Afghan War, to represent the coming together of many tribes after the jihad was called.
The packed sprues mean that models can have ranged and close combat options together and on many of the builds Alan’s given them shields, swords or guns fixed at belts or slung over shoulders.
There are two different sizes of dhals (the Afghan shields) with the more common size on most of the models but the smaller, buckler type, looking very striking on this build, also armed with the talwar sword and a jezail on his back.
Some of the models have red or blue turbans, indicating that they could be Afridi – a tribe from the Northwest Frontier – and this variation is quite simple to apply.
This Afghan is crouching with his jezail, the signature rifle of the tribesmen. These hand-made weapons allowed the Afghans to snipe at their enemies from a long-ranged position before hefting the rifle and moving between the rocky terrain to take up a new position.
They would sometimes use scavenged weapons and this one is sighting down his Brown Bess. Once again, he has been equipped with the talwar and dhal, ready to enter into melee if the need should arise.
