Sahel Conflicts: Civilian Vehicles

To provide additional scatter terrain and also some potential objectives for our modern wargaming in Mali, I opted to buy some civilian vehicle for the tabletop.  These were all 3D prints obtained from Etsy.  Since most of these vehicles would be found in urban centers or traveling major roads, I opted to drybrush with just a bit of desert dust rather than the more extensive weathering on my military vehicles.

My first vehicle was a Mercedes-inspired sedan that could be used for driving diplomats and dictators around.  It has the green and black license plate and “CD” designation Mali uses for diplomatic corps vehicles.  I figured it would be a great target for a convoy ambush.  Though sold as a 28mm vehicle, it seemed a bit oversized when you compared the roof height to a 28mm miniature. I also wasn’t super thrilled with the utilitarian wheel rims on what was supposed to be a luxury vehicle. That said, it will get the job done.

The second car seemed to be based on a mid-1980’s Toyoto Corolla. I picked a color appropriate for the period and opted to give it a weathered paintjob to reflect 20+ years in the desert sun before Operations Serval and Barkhane. It has the standard white and black Malian license plate with the MD designating that it was registered in the capital district. 

My third vehicle was a Toyoto minivian inspired by the Société des transports du Mali (Sotrama) taxis of Bamako.  These green, privately owned vehicles are often customized by their owners and provide cheap transportation across the capital following semi-fixed routes. They and other commercial vehicles get red and white license plates in Mali.

My "Oasis" Sotrama was directly inspired by this taxi photograph by Louise Bretten and available on Alamy. It even has the same license number. I wonder what the driver would think if he knew a version of his taxi was driving around some American's miniature battlefield. 

The last vehicle I prepared was a UN World Food Programme (WFP) truck. Though smaller than the trucks you see in the convoys crossing Mali, it was a good fit for both my storage box and the 4x6 and smaller tables I usually play on. These have been attacked by insurgents, so it could be another objective in our games.  It has the yellow and black license plates with the “NU” designation given to UN vehicles.  WFP trucks often ID themselves with white and blue tarps draped over their cargo areas, and I opted to do the same on mine. This was created using a double layer of printer paper glued together with white glue.  The tarp was then glued to the truck body and I used bits of brown thread for the tiedowns. I accidentally stuck it down a little lopsided on the truck, but I figured  that could happen in real life as well, and it wasn’t worth trying to rip everything apart. 

If anyone else is interested in a WFP tarp for you vehicle, I’ve added two variants below.  These are free for personal use. 

 I’m hoping to get another modern game in before the end of the year, so hopefully these will seem some action soon.