WIP RHA Gun and Crew 1815

[Cambronne]

I appear to have embarked on something of an odyssey. After finishing Captain Mercer I found I still had a RHA itch to scratch, and DF Military figures had this on sale, so....
My first thoughts were, "Crikey, there's a lot of it!", 6 figures plus gun and limber all very nicely cast. I have the excellent book by C.E. Franklin to help me with the details. I'm a bit of a rivet counter and have already spotted some changes I want to make (for instance Brtitish Guns at this time didn't have "Dolphins" the handles on the Gun barrel) so I'm going to be doing some filling and convertions. I've also got a mad scheme for the Diorama to show the Gun actually fireing, I've got an idea that I think may work, but we'll have to see...
I'm not fast, so this will take some time. If anyone here has done this group and has any words of experience or encouragement I'd appreciate them.
Stuart

 

[smudger1960]

Stuart
if you are going to do this,try and keep your version nice and compact,everyone interacting with each other,that will give it a more dynamic look,the one in the picture has a couple of empty spaces,what happens then is the viewer loses focus,because one minute there’s something interesting then there’s nothing,it’s just a heads up,
I will look forward to seeing your progress

 

[Cambronne]

Good advice Brian, thanks. But then I’ve got to balance that with the fact that there were specified places for each member of the gun crew. When the piece discharges it’s going to kick back some distance and you don’t want your foot in the way! I’m already slightly put out that the NCO firing the gun is standing on the wrong side. As ever I think it’ll come down to an issue of art vs accuracy and I’ll need some artistic licence.

 

[Tony Barton]

But perhaps not quite so compact as the completed model you show : when that gun goes off the trail will recoil straight into the limber wheel,and the chap with the rammer near the muzzle is quite likely to get burnt ! I have some small experience of firing loaded cannon ( abroad) , and they really do recoil about six feet . I believe Mercer records how all his guns recoiled into a sort of tangled heap by the end of the day at Waterloo because of the exhaustion of the gunners , who normally would roll the whole gun forward again after each shot.
It's always good to consider these things when planning the model.
The best evidence on the grey that the carriages were painted suggests that it was a very dark grey, "lead colour", something like Vallejo air-colour Anthracite grey. That's the colour of the surviving carriages in Copenhagen. I've never seen any actual evidence for the light blue-grey so often illustrated , and I rather suspect it's a case of everyone just copying everyone else. Contemporary paintings showing carriages show the same dark grey. It was made from lamp black and lead white , which would mean there was no bluish tint to it at all.

 

[Cambronne]

Tony, my thoughts exactly. Regarding the colour, again I agree. But then, I went to the rifles museum in Winchester last week and they have a pair of, admittedly later, guns by the door which were painted in a light grey, not the battleship grey I was thinking. So again it’ll be an artistic choice.

 

[smudger1960]

Good advice Brian, thanks. But then I’ve got to balance that with the fact that there were specified places for each member of the gun crew. When the piece discharges it’s going to kick back some distance and you don’t want your foot in the way! I’m already slightly put out that the NCO firing the gun is standing on the wrong side. As ever I think it’ll come down to an issue of art vs accuracy and I’ll need some artistic licence.

Don’t forget you’re trying to capture one specific moment in time,not the whole manoeuvre,

 

[winfield]

What scale is that beauty? My old Redleg heart is hammering away!

 

[Oda]

RHA in action has been lurking in the back of my mind for well over a decade.The only difference is that I've always thought I would make it in 54mm using Historex parts and figures.I also have Franclin's remarkable book.All that said,I still haven't found the courage to begin so I will follow your progess with great interest.

Oda.

 

[Briggsy]

Seems there will a need to draw a fine line between accuracy and the need to present a well composed diorama. Artistic license will definitely need to be played otherwise you'd end up with a pretty empty base.

Cheers Simon

 

[Cambronne]

What scale is that beauty? My old Redleg heart is hammering away!

That's a good question. It was sold as 90mm, but the instructions for the Gun and Limber (the only instructons in the kit) state 80mm.
The Gun is marked "Ceremonial Studios", so I'm guessing the gun and limber came first, and the Crew were a later addition.
Either way it's bigger than 54mm, which I'm very pleased about!

 

[mazayas011]

following your work . i like

 

[Historex Rob]

Seems there will a need to draw a fine line between accuracy and the need to present a well composed diorama. Artistic license will definitely need to be played otherwise you'd end up with a pretty empty base.

Cheers Simon

This has fascinated me for years.

Speaking for myself only, historical miniature modeling is equal parts craftsmanship and artistic expression.

Part of the reason I love Historex, for example, is the ability take make anything I can conceive with them. And when I work with them, I carefully craft each part. It’s not just about removing seam lines, about which I am fanatical, it’s about totally crafting the part to my vision. I love (love, love, love) working the parts to a fine finish and building the figure. Painting the figure? Not so much. I am a terrible “finisher”.

I’ve just recovered from having three eye surgeries in the past year (yes, I have been miserable… I’ve had a gas bubble in one eye for the past three months that has only finally disappeared yesterday) and have just started a new project.

As usual for me, I have cobbled together a bunch of spare parts. I’ve altered every piece. Some lacked a bit of detail. Others were way too thick (scale thickness). Some uniform details were wrong, etc. But while I’m doing all this, I am not too concerned with making things look “real.”

Real-ish… maybe, but I still want the finished piece to have some character. I don’t want it to necessarily look like a real person… if that makes sense?

This is mostly why I stick to older kits.

I don’t think the hobby (for me) would be any fun without artistic license.

 

[Briggsy]

I don’t think the hobby (for me) would be any fun without artistic license.

In total agreement regarding artistic licence and enjoying it without becoming a slave to absolute correctness (if that's even a word). Looking right is better often than being right, though nobody can say what is right and wrong with absolute certainty.

For the past couple of years I've been having 4 weekly eye injections for a bleed caused by high blood pressure. Luckily it only screws my vision unfortunately the day, but I hate anything near my eyes.

I too.like making my own creations but often miss a seam line till it's way too late, one day I'll master the art of disguising it with paint, I hope.

Cheers Simon

 

[Nap]

Hi Stuart

Great project for sure ...it’s all about having fun at the bench ...just enjoy with a bit of artistic licence if you wish

Looking forward to seeing more on this

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[polyphemus]

Might help, in the Franklin book the recommended colour is Humbrol 106.

Geoff

 

[clubcat]

I've been tempted by this set for years but the magnitude defeats me each time.
I've recently re read Mercers Journal, it's more of a travelogue really, with Waterloo being a part chapter only. His main action was the defending the squares against the French cavalry charges, where he sited his battery behind an undulation in the ground which gave them a bit of a barricade against direct attack from the cavalry.
Most of his casualties were caused by Prussian counter battery fire mistaking them for French due to their blue uniforms.
Watching your progress with interest, good luck.
Melanie

 

[Cambronne]

Limbering up.

I thought 'd start on the limber first, as it's not the focus of the scene I can try out working with white metal items (new to me) and getting the shade of grey right.

Franklin writes that the woodwork on the gun and limber were painted in a "Lead" colour, which he equates to Humbrol Ocean Grey 106 or Revel 47. To me, this seemed a very dark color, darker than most examples I've seen, either model or real.

Thinking about it, I came up with the idea that the paint mix used probably faded over time, resulting in a lighter grey as time wore on.
So that's what I've tried to show, with a darker grey dry-brushed over with a lighter grey. I think it works?

I've fitted "canvas" lids to the two ammunition boxes and done a little light weathering on the iron parts, just some rust and metal showing through the black paint on used areas. I'll probably do more weathering once I get to the basing.

But for now I can put the limber aside and start on the figures!

Stuart

 

[clubcat]

Nice job
Melanie

 

[Briggsy]

Very effective how you have portrayed the lighter grey, really nicely done.

Cheers Simon

 

[MalcC]

Looking very realistic.

Malc