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Hello, Dakka. There are so many knowledgable people on this board, I'm hoping you can give me some advice and answers.

1. Do the Perry plastic Zouaves and Gripping Beast Arabs fit well together? I want to make some Harryhausen's Sinbad-style Arabian adventurers in plastic, but it looks like the zouaves don't come with any swords. Is there a good source for plastic scimitars? If GB don't work, do the Perry Mahdists come with sword arms? Are the Zouave heads appropriate? Pictures don

2. Do the GB Arab Heavy Cavalry torsos fit on the Fireforge Mongol legs? I would like to make some armored "passably Fantasy Chinese" infantry that aren't based on WGF's Samurai kit. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

3. How much work would it take to use the Mahdists to portray Engyptianish "fleshy" tomb kings?

1- Google "Perry Zouave Sprues" and "Gripping Beast Arab Sprues". I just checked, both come up. It looks like how you intend to arm them will determine if they will work for your purposes. Three of the GB Arabs have the left arm as part of the torso. It looks like there is at least one arm that will work holding a shield, maybe some more. If you have a few bow armed ones that looks possible too. One of the Zouave arms looks like it could hold a shield too.

As for the parts fitting together size-wise, that I cannot say. I don't have any Gripping Beast minis so I don't know the scale difference between them and Perry. Perry models are not heroic scale and look much slighter than Warhammer figs (for comparison's sake).

2- Use the same google-sprue method. It looks like they would, but again, I cannot comment on scale differences. I would use whatever horse goes with the legs you decide to use, though. That said, they might work interchangeably.

3- Since the tomb kings are skellies, we don't know exactly what they look like physiologically, though we can make some guesses. The Nubians/Sudanese appear to have looked different from the Egyptians based on existing artwork from the period. But they live pretty darn close to one another! So perhaps one of the TK city-states didn't get skeletonized, or some other tribe moved in and settled there, serve the tomb kings now, and have adopted some culture from them. So it doesn't look like you are just throwing down Mahdists and calling it good, if you have some leftover TK shields (perhaps from a box that became archers) you could use those in place of the Sudanese ones. Maybe add in a TK kopesh sword or two. Put a couple in a chariot as a command unit.

My one caution is that if you kitbash, the Perry minis will be about the same height but the proportions will be much more realistic (i.e., "slighter").


Hope this helps you some. I'd love to see the finished TK Mahdists if oyu decide to build them!

dethork wrote:
1- Google "Perry Zouave Sprues" and "Gripping Beast Arab Sprues". I just checked, both come up. It looks like how you intend to arm them will determine if they will work for your purposes. Three of the GB Arabs have the left arm as part of the torso. It looks like there is at least one arm that will work holding a shield, maybe some more. If you have a few bow armed ones that looks possible too. One of the Zouave arms looks like it could hold a shield too.

It looks like I'd have to settle for a small band mostly comprised of archers, then. I also suspect the scale will be a problem.

As for the parts fitting together size-wise, that I cannot say. I don't have any Gripping Beast minis so I don't know the scale difference between them and Perry. Perry models are not heroic scale and look much slighter than Warhammer figs (for comparison's sake).

Gripping Beast minis are probably closer to GW than Perry, or even WGF. It looks like the WGF figures also lack scimitars. I just don't see a lot of options there.

2- Use the same google-sprue method. It looks like they would, but again, I cannot comment on scale differences. I would use whatever horse goes with the legs you decide to use, though. That said, they might work interchangeably.

I reached the limits of what Google could tell me, so I got some of the Arab heavy cavalry, although it will be some time before I can assemble the minis. I'll post pictures then.

3- Since the tomb kings are skellies, we don't know exactly what they look like physiologically, though we can make some guesses. The Nubians/Sudanese appear to have looked different from the Egyptians based on existing artwork from the period. But they live pretty darn close to one another! So perhaps one of the TK city-states didn't get skeletonized, or some other tribe moved in and settled there, serve the tomb kings now, and have adopted some culture from them. So it doesn't look like you are just throwing down Mahdists and calling it good, if you have some leftover TK shields (perhaps from a box that became archers) you could use those in place of the Sudanese ones. Maybe add in a TK kopesh sword or two. Put a couple in a chariot as a command unit.

Yeah, my plan is to use as many khopeshes and TK accessories as practical. The scale difference might limit some of the weapons or chariots. I'll also buy a number of the Bones Nefsokar line to scour for bits. The Mahdists would be providing the bodies and the basic attire.

My one caution is that if you kitbash, the Perry minis will be about the same height but the proportions will be much more realistic (i.e., "slighter").


Hope this helps you some. I'd love to see the finished TK Mahdists if oyu decide to build them!

The store where I have credit is out of them at the moment, so I'm putting that project on the back burner for now.