Richard Tennant provided the core unit here and it certainly is fully loaded! I have made extensive repairs on this one as the limber traces and double trees (?) fared poorly on their journey across the Atlantic. Even the wheels got a bit smooshed. I also added an 8" Howitzer from the Hinchliffe 20mm equipment line which I was fortunate enough to find on eBay still in the original packaging. When the guns are limbered it includes the crew in marching order, and when unlimbered the crew serving the guns has the ammunition case near by for prompt action. There is something about the batteries that I just love!
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| The whole grouping makes for an impressive display. |
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| I believe the addition of the bar for aligning the gun was a Dick Tennant customization. It sure is nice to have a different pose for an artillery crewman servicing the gun. |
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| Dick had mounted some of the artillerists facing different directions, which is a nice touch. Of course they would not all be looking forward. |
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| You can see the base of the battery has a platform for the gun, so that it is lifted to the same level as the crew on their bases. This helps the gun to feel like it is in the correct scale. The Hinchliffe 20mm equipment is one of the more accurate in this regard, so I didn't want it sitting lower than the crew. |
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| I really liked the ammunition case mounted with the crew on the ground instead of on the carriage. I'll have to do that with the rest of my batteries that are unlimbered for firing. |
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| I particularly like this tight grouping of the officer and the crewman with the slow match. |
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| Getting this limber reassembled was a bear! |
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| But it worked out in the end. |
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| I really like being able to include the howitzer in this grouping. Dick painted the original 8 pdr canon with a dark gray carriage, so I painted the howitzer to match. In truth they were issued with new guns when entering Spain, so they would likely have been mounted on French olive green carriages. |
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| I've never known anyone to model the crew in marching order other than DT, which is a dead giveaway that Mr. Tennant painted the original. |
Bear or not, they were well worth the effort, the horse team and tack look great, and I think they are called double swingletrees. The deployed gun also looks super, I always have my guns on bases to bring them up nearer to the height of the crew, but this particular grouping of the crew adds interest to what is essentially a vignette. It suggests a story, with the officer explaining something to one of the crew, I wonder what?
ReplyDeleteWhat a superb set, the whole lot is just brilliant, I like the gun raised to be the same level as the gunners, works really well. The limber may have been a lot of hard work but seeing it here makes it worth the while, great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks Donnie. It was fun to see this one starting to come together with the realization that it would be something special!
DeleteThese are just marvellous David! The full limber is particularly nicely done. I'm making notes!
ReplyDeleteHigh praise indeed if you are making notes!
DeleteSplendid gun and limber combo!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks Iain!
DeleteBeautifully done as always David…
ReplyDeleteI am not sure I have the patience to do that much work on my own artillery…But as I have a pile of limbers in the Lead Alp I may have to give it a try.
All the best. Aly
Do it! You won't regret it, well you might, but it will be worth it anyway!
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