Over the years collectors have wanted in plastic British camel corps. For various reasons the English plastic companies passed on doing their colonial wars. The only mounted camels that had been done were with Arab figures. The companies that did these figures were non English companies. The three companies that did mounted camels Timpo, Reamsa and Marx. The best of the group was Timpo followed by Reamsa The only mounted camel done by English company was Charbens which was out of scale.
When I heard that Armies in Plastic was doing British Camel Corps I was little worried. I enjoyed both the Timpo and Reamsa camels and worried that the AIP camel would not mean that standards. Well my worries are over the AIP Camel Corps are well done and are welcome addition to the collection. The camel is nicely detailed and is in correct height ration to the figures. AIP has done two camels both in walking poses: one for a rider and another with supplies. The rider camel has hole on the back where the rider will easily fit on the camel. The packs on the pack camel are molded on the figure.
The figures can be purchased in gray, blue and khaki brown. The Gray figures represent guards regiment, the blue is Royal Artillery and khaki brown is mounted infantry. The Royal Artillery also has a set that comes with a screw gun. If you are into British Colonial Wars, then these sets you will need to add to collection.
Hi,
I made some legs for the Timpo Camel and also a pith helmet and other things.
Have a look…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dabro-parts/8124231838/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dabro-parts/8085563259/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dabro-parts/8085674613/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dabro-parts/8079201643/in/photostream
Hope you like it…
Great Pictures I like when people do conversions. If you do any more let us know.
The AIP camels are very nicely detailed Paul. Interesting that America had a camel core.
I never heard, nor read anything about them before. It is interesting, because it brings back the memory of the Twilight Zone, where there was a camel out in the desert killing people.
I don’t remember if they said anything about the exploration group or not, and if that was how the camel got out in the desert or not. I think they did say either they were released or a couple escaped, and thats how it got out there. However because it was the Twilight Zone I thought it was fiction. Maybe there could have been some truth to that episode though.
Does anyone know for sure what ever happened to those camels ? were they released out in the desert ? If so I wonder why they never multiplied like the wild horses did. Hmm.
Yes, is a very interesting story.
In 1864 the decision was made to sell off the army’s remaining camels. Mules and horses could be used with less expense, and while the camels were good in the sand of the Middle East, the rocky terrain of the southwest damaged their feet and made them less reliable. These camels too were turned loose or escaped into the desert. Camel sightings were reported across Texas, Arizona, and California, and as late as the early 1900s sightings of feral camels might still be reported from Mexico to Arkansas.
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Yes Wikipedia has an article on U.S. Camel Corp. Interesting the article mention that Canada also try to use camels as well.
“Hawmps” was a movie done on this topic
Thanks for the info guys. I wouldn’t want to run into a feral camel out in the desert.
Camels are pretty powerful creatures, not to mention their intelligence, and you are not going to out run one. If their feet were getting hurt, someone could have come up with some type of shoe for them, lol. I don’t know a whole lot about camels, but seems to me their feet are at least similar to horses hoofs.
What is really amazing is Canada also had them. That seems really strange. I am really surprised more people don’t know about the camels, and why no studies were ever done on them. Maybe more people out west do know about them. I am thinking there could definitely be some still out there.