"Mimi and Toutou go forth!" Topic

"Mimi and Toutou go forth: The bizarre battle of Lake Tanganyika" by Giles Foden.

I've just finished reading this book and felt I must recommend it to any Ostafrika freaks out there. It really brings this whole episode to life and is a real page-turner.

It tells the story of how a ragged band of RN types travelled thousands of miles over land with two motor launches in a crazy attempt to wrest control of the lake from the Boche.

Geoffrey Spicer-Simson, leader of the expedition must be one of the most ridiculous characters to have ever held a Royal Navy command. This boastful, vain, tattooed, skirt-wearing nincompoop is the kind of fellow that you would dismiss as unbelievable if he appeared in a novel.

He would take credit for everything, and continually made up outlandish tales that were designed to enhance his reputation, but in fact merely made him a figure of fun. His subordinates had to suppress their laughter every time he opened his mouth.

He really deserves a series of WWI Flashman-style books to be written about his imaginary and real adventures...

This book contains many interested snippets of info, including a section on C.S. Forester's novel "The African Queen", and the movie based on it, which were inspired by (and subsequently mangled in the telling) the events the book describes. There's also a bit about the Königsberg, as it had a direct bearing on events at the lake.

Also, it turns out that the re-floated Graf von Götzen, once the terror of the Tanganjikasee, still carries cargo and passengers up and down the lake even as we speak! Well I didn't know that...

Finally, in one of the footnotes (speaking of how these events have been largely forgotten), the author says this:

"Not entirely. A Spicer-Simson tin-soldier model, complete with skirt, has been available for some years to devotees of colonial war games."

Has anyone seen this figure? Know who makes/made it?

Polynikes - The figure is from Reviresco at tin-soldier.com/gallery.htm under the Gallery and then Colonial.

It's about 10 items down - sorry I haven't worked out how to do a link yet!

National Geographic show a 1 hour documentary quite often called "The Jungle Navy" which is very good as well.

hope this helps.

Good Lord! As i was reading the first paragraphs, I was thinking "My goodness. A Copplestone figure of him would be nice." And then... He's quite a colorful character in Farwell's "The Great War in Africa". I quite agree about a novel. No one would believe it.

And, no. I did NOT say that there was a Copplestone figure. It just said that it would be neat. I hope he is not referring to a 54mm collector's figure.

Are there any resin Mimis or Toutous out there?

John,

No, the Reviresco Spicer-Simpson figure is 28mm. John McEwan has had it available for several years. Don't know of any motor gun boats that could be used for them, however.

I believe I actually read a novel about Mimi and Toutou, so it's been done. I read it many years ago, and can't recall the name of it. Not much help I realize.

Kevin

I thought Joel of Merrimac made one or both.

We make WWI German Sailors and have another pack and a command pack that will be ready in 2 weeks. Perfect for those African naval campaigns.

link

In "The African Queen" I believe they're called Amelia and Matilda, so I guess you're not referring to that, Kevin.

Tinned fruit: Thanks for the link, mate. Looking at that page I realise that on the dust jacket of the book is actually a drawing of the Reviresco figure.

I think the illustrator got his wires crossed somewhere because there is a knife with a Swastika on it on the rear cover! (I realise that the Nazis weren't the only people to use this symbol, but I can't quite see what relevance it would have in this context)

I love Brigade games. I want to marry it.

But can Brigade Games and Brigade Models please have a Kirk vs. Evil Kirk-style fight to decide who can have the name "Brigade"?

I keep getting them muddled up. It's very confusing to a country bumpkin like me.

Polynikes, I think it should be more of a Kirk vs. Spock pon-far kind of thing.

But Kirk and Spock are easy to tell apart, as they're played by different actors, so the analogy breaks down completely.

The two Kirks could still use those crazy fighting stick things, though. They are obviously leftovers from the "Vulcan Gladiators" TV show.

Yes, you're right. I was trying to be diplomatic, so as to avoid the 'who's evil Kirk' problem...

Evil Kirk is whoever loses...

Of course! Sorry, I try not to think much when I'm at work.
"Brain, brain! What is brain?!?"

"Brain" is a genetically altered laboratory mouse bent on world domination.

NARF!

Here is a question worthy of Thomas Aquinas' "Summa Theologica".

If the pilot willingly participates in the hijacking, is it a hijacking?

Form groups and discuss. Submit written opinions tomorrow.

I always hijack my own topics. I can't help myself, I'm such a twit.

At least this way I can hijack topics without getting shouted at by some grumpy fellow who wants the answer to a pointless query about some stupid 18th Century lace or something.

That needs a smiley or something. Comes over a bit hostile. Wasn't meant to.

There is also a 25mm Spicer Simpson figure which comes with every Mimi or TouTou resin ship in the Sudan range at Old Glory. I believe this is true, but it is just possible that I've put the reviresco figure in the Mimi box. The Spicer Simpson figure I have is looking through his binoculars wearing his skirt. What is the Reviresco Spicer Simpson figure doing?

Chick

picture

Old Glory makes these boats in 25mm, including indeed a Spicer-Simpson figure and a couple of others to crew the boat and weapons.

The resin model is about 20cm long,5cm wide and 3cm tall. Spicer-Simpson stands, skirted, peering through his binoculars for the German flotilla. There is a seated figure and a standing figure with writing pad and pencil ready to take down an order ( so,that'll be 2 bangers and mash and 1 fish and chips,eh)and includes a 3 pdr QF and Maxium machine gun, plus a few odds and ends, such as a wooden ammo chest, a windscreen, etc. Overall, a nice little model.

The Old Glory one is very nice; it's been foreshortened in that photo, which does it no favours.... Try this link:

link

Only complaint is that the sculptor seems to have been uncomfortable with Spicer-Simpson's skirt, as he's "legitimised" it by adding a sporran....

Dom.

I want that model! Looking at the photo of Mimi I have (or is it Toutou?), I don't think Old Glory quite got the design right, mind. But that's being churlish, I still want one. Well, two, actually.

Is Old Glory and Old Glory UK two separate companies? Whats the OG situation? I've never bought from this firm before.

I couldn't find that kit on the UK site. I don't have a problem with ordering from the States, but thought it would be easier and cheaper to buy it from the UK. But they don't seem to have it.

So, there are now *2* Spicer-Simson 28mm figures out there. One can actually debate the relative merits of the various Spicer-Simson figures on the market. And some say that this is NOT the Golden Age of Miniatures?

OK, OK. So one of them has a sporran...

And to think that years ago, Hinchliffe releasing 3 figures made for a Palmyran range. I am in awe at the variety of figures out there.

Chicklewis: He's standing, legs apart, looking away to his left, while holding up his right hand.

To be fair to Old Glory's sculptor, if you look at the photo of the real Spicer-Simson on the Reviresco site, he does have a small pouch at the front of his skirt. It's not a sporran, but it is sporran-like.

The photo is small, but the Reviresco figure also seems to have this pouch.

Polynikes; Old Glory and OG UK are separate but related, i believe. A mate got a Mimi (or a Toutou....) for his East Africa stuff (in fact the game's been out and about; it was on at Fiasco II last October.) Very nice little (well, surprisingly big, actually) model, and I'm pretty sure he got it from Old Glory UK; just gave them a ring and they got one sent over from the States with their regular shipment, IIRC.

Cheers,
Dom.

And I agree about the pouch; just needs filing down to a slimmer profile.... :-)

One has to have no sense of humor at all to not admit that "Mimi" and "Toutou" are two of the coolest names ever for warships. The closest names have to be British "Flower" class corvettes. HMS Pansy is particularly good.

My all-time favorite real ship name: the British 'Insect' class gunboat HMS Cockchafer.

Spicer-Simson wanted to call them "HMS Cat" and "HMS Dog", which he thought was some kind of hilarious joke. Nobody else got it and the Admiralty told him to go away and think up better names.

Apparently "Mimi" and "Toutou" are French for "miaow" and "bow-wow", so he got his "joke" in the end. When they captured the Kingani they renamed it "Fifi", which is French for "tweet", i.e. the noise a bird makes. Simson thought this too, was the height of wit.

Strange man...

I like HMS Pink, myself.

I bet those U-Bootwaffe guys weren't laughing, as the water pressure sent hull rivets flying past their ear-holes.

"Gott in Himmill! Damn zat HMS Perriwinkle!"

The Flower class corvette HMS Arabis was transferred to the U.S.N. in 1942.

The Yanks promptly renamed it USS Saucy!

Saucy? Seems your lot are as daft as ours.

What a coincidence. I have just finished reading this book, and also saw the footnote referring to the miniature figure. I came to TMP to find out who made it, and ended up here :-)

Since this topic wound down I've acquired two of those Old Glory Mimi/Toutous, and so now own two Spicer-Simson figures myself. I'm not that keen on them really. I think some Foundry/Copplestone types will be crewing my motor launches.