Gaming Vehicles Page

"There's a wheel on the Horns o' the Mornin', An' a wheel on the edge o' the Pit" --Kipling, Screw Guns

Vehicles
for Colonial Gaming

Vehicles add a great deal to colonial-era wargames, both visually and by providing more options for game scenarios. A group of vehicles representing one army's supply depot can be a victory objective for the other side. Or one side may need to move a supply train of vehicles across the table. In one Ouargistan game, the army had to protect a railway line from native attack while a train chugged from a port town in the SW corner to a mining town in the NW, via a switchback in the SE, and back again, in order to evacuate civilians from the mine to the pier. In another, the army had to move out to rescue a famous archaeologist who was speeding from his excavation site in his motorcar just ahead of a horde of native cavalry. In another, a slow moving wagon train of supplies blocked British fire for the first few turns, allowing the Germans and their native allies a chance to approach to close range with minimal casualties. In another, a trainload of British and local militia troops had to beat back a German attack on the line.

Below, are photos of some vehicles which have rolled over the dusty plains of Ouargistan. Click on the pictures for close-up views, pictures of similar vehicles, manufacturer and modification details.

Steam-driven
Road Vehicles
Click the picture for closeup views, other vehicles, modeling and historical information.

Wagons and other
Animal-powered Transport
Click the picture for closeup views, other vehicles and information.

Motorcars,
Motor Trucks, and Armored Cars
Click the picture for closeup views, other vehicles and information.

Railway Equipment
Click the picture for closeup views, other vehicles and information.

Aeroplanes and Airships
Click the picture for closeup views and information.

Armored Landships
Click the picture for closeup views, other vehicles and information.

Vehicle Scale
A true 25mm figure is technically 1:72 scale, but since most gaming figures are more massive than an accurately scaled 1:72 human, and often taller as well (depending on the manufacturer), 1:72 vehicles turn out slightly undersized for the figures. This is good, given the tight space situation on wargames tables. Sometimes 1:76 (British 00 model railway scale) vehicles (especially trains) can look adequate, but 1:87 (American HO railroad scale) is too small, except for large items like railway equipment and buildings.

Vehicle Availability
The avalanche of die-cast "collector" vehicles has provided a number of usable vehicles for the late colonial era. These vehicles are sometimes offered only for a year and then retired, but turn up at toy-shows and collector meets for years afterward, albeit at inflated prices. Lledo and Matchbox, especially, seem to produce useful die-casts, but they vary widely in scale. A good eye at judging scale is essential; it is easy to make a purchase and get home to find that the vehicle is just too large when put on the gaming table.

Another source is British-made OO-scale model railroad vehicles and 1:72 kits. A few years ago several plastic kits by Kiel-Kraft were available in US hobby shops. They were a bit primitive and frustrating to build, but made up into beautiful steam-powered and other early vehicles in 1:72 scale, vehicles which would be almost impossible to find otherwise.

Reviresco now makes a number of early armored cars and other military and civilian vehicles in 1:72 scale for gaming. They look attractive and build up easily.

One unexpected source is the line of "Thomas the Tank Engine" die-casts made by ERTL. It contains several locomotives and cars which (after prying off the cherubic faces) are good, sturdy representations of the small railway equipment of the late 19th Century. The line also includes a smallish, but very appealing, steam tractor. And all for less than $4(US) per vehicle.

Other sources of vehicles are noted in the sections on vehicle types which are linked above.

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