WIP RHA Gun and Crew 1815

[4th Cuirassier]

An interesting point further to Tony B's comment above is that the Copenhagen examples of British 6-pounders guns do not have the ironwork picked out in black. The whole piece is painted the same shade of grey.

It's tough to argue colour against an extant example of a gun, but this has come up occasionally over at the Miniatures Page, e.g. here. Stephen Summerfield thinks the paint formula CEF cites, that produces a shade matching Hu106, is an 1850s blend that uses zinc oxide. Paint at the time of Waterloo used white lead oxide instead. SS says this darkens over time, and also because the sulphur in gunpowder smoke reacts with the lead in the paint to produce lead sulphide - which is black. The inference is that the Copenhagen guns are now darker than they were 200 years ago.

I've no idea how you'd prove this either way, so it's an artistic choice. If you like your guns lighter there's an argument for it (although not for a blueish tinge).

 

[Nap]

Hi Stuart

Really good explanation on the colour and the way you thought it out ...the result looks good

We’re there any battery markings on the equipment like the limber

Following with much interest

Have fun @ the bench

Nap

 

[Cambronne]

We’re there any battery markings on the equipment like the limber

Hi Nap, thanks.
No, as far as I can tell there were no battery markings on either gun or limber. Which is most unlike the military!
Stuart

 

[housecarl]

Very nice.

 

[Tony Barton]

The gun carriage colour question is something I rather feel has been avoided for many years, with countless authors merely repeating what the previous one said. Obviously I'm not against making an artistic interpretation, and after all, we make models to please ourselves, so this is less about the particular model than trying to correct the information available from the period.
The existence of two original British 6pdrs and limbers in Copenhagen Tojhusmuseet was apparently completely unknown to British writers on the Napoleonic period throughout recent decades , until the recent Franklin book. I first saw them in 1988, on a visit to Denmark, and could scarcely believe it, since no English language books at that time knew of them. They all said that no original carriages existed....
On my visit I asked one of the staff about them , who explained that their records suggested that they had been captured from the Hanoverians , and wheeled into the arsenal in 1813, and that they had been untouched since. In other words, they had never been repainted.
Now, Dr . Summerfield may have a point about the darkening of Lead Oxide under certain conditions. He is a chemist, I believe. However, lead oxide was also the usual white pigment used in thousands of oil paintings since about 1430 until around 1880, when zinc oxide started to become available to artists. All those paintings using lead white should have darkened somewhat, and that is not the case. Perhaps the varnish protected them, but lead white was also used until the 1960s for painting domestic woodwork such as window frames, and it never went grey or black, despite the vast amount of pollution from coal fires.
But we also have the evidence of this painting of the great artillerist Congreve :

The dark colour of the carriage almost precisely matches that of the surviving carriages in Copenhagen, given these are scans of 35mm prints taken by me in 1988 ,and there will be some slight variation of the exact shade.But both are undoubtedly dark grey, without any hint of blue.

This is merely for information , not in any way a criticism of how one chooses to finish a model.

 

[Nap]

Hi Tony

Thanks for the information on the colour of the equipment....fascinating to read and great to see the original pieces

Cheers for sharing

Nap

 

[Cambronne]

Figuring it out.

Right, time to start on the figures. They really are very nicely cast, with lots of wear detail, patches on elbows, split seams on overalls etc. I had a few things I wanted to fix, firstly there were many missing buttons, and though I'm sure there would be I couldn't accept quite how many were missing. Also there were straps missing under the shoes, so I did a little bit of putty work to fix them. I also didn't like the portfire the NCO was holding, the thin resin meant it was curved and bendy and any way it appears that model of linstock wasn't in use with single trail guns, so I've drilled it out ready for a scratch built wire portfire. All that said they really are a very nice set, I've sprayed them with a matt white primer and am poised ready to start on the faces...
Stuart

 

[MCPWilk]

As regards colour, and the above discussion, this is my version of the Verlindon RA 9lb Gun and Limber:

Happy modelling

Mike

 

[Briggsy]

They really do look very nice, good spot on the inaccuracies.

Cheers Simon

 

[Nap]

Hi Stuart

All credit to you for thinking ref the details , nice buttons and under boot strap

Looking forward to seeing the new portfire , good comment ref linstock

I like the crew in shirtsleeves perhaps have his helmet on the ground and rework the hair ?

Have fun with the figures

Happy benchtime

Nap

 

[NigelR]

Well worth doing that correction work. I was tempted by this set at Scale ModelWorld last year, so I will be interested to see how it comes together.

 

[Cambronne]

I like the crew in shirtsleeves perhaps have his helmet on the ground and rework the hair ?


Nap

That is a really good suggestion Nap. I just wish I'd read it before I'd painted the face! However it is so obvious now (why take your Jacket off yet still wear the helmet?) that I'll have a go at it.

Stuart

 

[Nap]

That is a really good suggestion Nap. I just wish I'd read it before I'd painted the face! However it is so obvious now (why take your Jacket off yet still wear the helmet?) that I'll have a go at it.

Stuart

Just a thought .......I’m off to hide .....look forward to seeing the result

Happy putty pushing

Nap

 

[Cambronne]

Slowly ploughing on with this group.
I've got the faces done today. Not perfect I'm sure, but a good start for me. I'm starting to understand how to use acrylics and really almost prefer them over oils (heresy I know).
So here's five of the crew, the sixth will have his helmet removed and a head built up with putty as per Naps suggestion above. So I'll post detail of him when he's presentable.
Stuart

 

[Briggsy]

Nice going Stuart, you've caught the expressions really well and the hand on the last fella looks good. Keep it coming.

Cheers Simon

 

[NigelR]

Excellent expressions, very nicely done.

 

[Waterlooman]

Excellent work.

W.

 

[Steve Ski]

Figures are coming along great!

 

[Oda]

Loved this project from the start and love this vivid and highly informative conversation about colours and historical accuracy.IMHO this is proper historical modelling at its best.Following with great interest.

Oda.

 

[Nap]

Hi Stuart

Good to see some paint on these fellows , coming all well , they all have character

Looking forward to seeing more

Happy benchtime

Nap