This photo is from George Forty’s Afrika Korps at War, a serendipitous find years ago at the Strand Bookstore “18 miles of new, used, and rare books” in New York City. Anyone who has not been there should put it on their list when visiting New York. The contrast in this photo between modern transport and centuries-old transport in North Africa during WWII is striking.
Here’s the recreation.
Here’s the color photo.
For those interested, here’s the source of each piece:
- Aircraft: Hobby Master HA1812, Bf 110E-2, ZG 26 “Horst Wessel,” North Africa, 1941;
- Arab: Hat 8250, Taaishi Camelry;
- Camel: Airfix 01719, Arabs;
- Donkey: Matchbox P5008, ANZAC Infantry.
At some point I intend to reshoot this scene with an unsaddled camel and more Bedouins.
According to PSR, the “donkey” in the Matchbox set may actually be a mule. Here’s a close-up to help settle the issue. 🙂 
Ara says:
Hi chules, I love your idea to recreate scenes in small-scale. You are doing a great job! I like how you spend a lot of care with setting up your scenes. You have two powerful forces in your favor: A large collection of miniatures, which would cost a fortune if bought today. Also your passion for history which is rooted in your childhood and your love for the toys from the day. All of this will drive you to stage scenes for us to enjoy.
Most people don’t know the effort it takes to make scenes like you do. You are slaving over your setup and manipulating small pieces to work together. You are using historic photos as your basis, which adds to the challenge. You put a lot of work into this. Excellent!