Welcome to "Adventures in Lead", a blog dedicated to the hobby of miniature wargaming. The figures and terrain on this site are mainly for a campaign set in exotic "Indostan", a distant land bearing remarkable similarities to 18th century India during the Seven Years War. Bits and pieces from other projects may pop up here as well from time to time, including colonials, gladiators, pirates, dinosaur-hunting and even some RPG'ing.
The actual campaign journal and after action reports for the Indostan campaign can be found on their own blog - "Indostan: The Jewel in the Crown", the link to which is found by clicking the small image below-left.
If you do find anything remotely interesting on this blog please leave a comment, it's what keeps these sites going and their authors motivated - Thanks for looking.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

"The Petite Race for Africa" African Tembe Build



One of the main terrain pieces required for our big colonial game at MOAB this year, "The Petite Race for Africa", was a slaver tembe, which was to be center stage.
For those who don't know what a tembe is, its simply a fortified structure used by both native Africans and slavers for defense. I believe it was first mentioned in the memoirs of Stanley on his journeys throughout Africa.


I spent a lot of time planning the tembe because I knew it was to play such an integral part in the scenario and needed it to look good and to be as functional as possible.
There are a lot of examples of other people's efforts in tembe building and that's where I started the build, scouring the net looking for images. The Lead Adventure Forum was a great source of inspiration.
After I had decided on the look I wanted I gathered together the materials. I chose foam-board for the walls, a mdf base, real twig palisade, along with the classic towel for roof thatching. 
From there the build itself was relatively easy - just like a big jigsaw puzzle. Pictures tell it better than words. And because someone asked the Tembe measures 240mm wide by 360mm long and 55mm high. The central courtyard is slightly wider than the rooms.


 

29 comments:

  1. Very cool! if you make some tin roofs and door it can work just as well for moderns. Of course there are still groups, areas where thatch still is used.

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    1. Thanks commissarmoody. Yes I never thought about "modernising" her up like that.

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  2. It's a great looking structure and will be a very impressive central piceice for gaming,
    I'd be interested in it's footprint and other dimensions too.

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    1. Thanks Zabadak - I will put the dimensions in the main post for you.

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    2. Thanks for the update, very useful

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  3. That is some fantastic work - inspirational!

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  4. Fantastic modeling, sir. The Assemblage and distressing/aging of structure in IMHO are A+++ efforts and successes. Thanks.

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    1. Thanks Jay - I was happy with the finish too.

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  5. Nice representation of such a distinctive African structure.

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    1. Thanks AJ - tembes are certainly distinct looking structures.

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  6. What a cracking build, really lovely. I shall have to pop back here to have a closer look if I ever get around to making one myself.

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  7. Furt,
    Well done and stunning model building. Congratulations.
    Plus it looks very functional for a game.
    Respectfully,
    Bill P.
    Chronicler for The Adventures of General Pettygree

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  8. Fantastic scratch build, lovely table and figures and I observed that all who participated in the game at MOAB where enjoying themselves , great job.
    cheers John

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    1. Thanks John - high praise coming from you mate.

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  9. A great build and what a treat to play with it at MOAB. I particularly liked putting goats on the roof :-)

    Thanks again for a fantastic game and a lot of laughs!

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    1. Thanks Paul - Ha! You and your goats. A game is really a measure of it's players.

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  10. Great build and thanks for posting the WIP pictures!

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  11. Thanks Cap. Darling - my pleasure.

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