W W I Belgian Armored Car crewman #1 - 1/35 scale - Model Cellar

[ModelCellar]

The Model Cellar would like to announce our new WWI Belgian Armored Car crew figures.
Sculpted by Mike Good, the figure is inspired by the very cool period photo. As usual, the detail is amazing. Now available from our website:
Kit particulars:
WWI Belgian Armored Car crewman #1
item MC35145
sculpted by: Mike Good
box art by: Tim Farrell
scale: 1/35 scale
resin cast
retail price $18.00



The figures are also sold together (35145 & 35146) as a set: item 35147 (see our catalog)
I hope you like it.
Paul
www.ModelCellar.com

 

[Scott Sheltz]

Great looking figure!

 

[Nap]

Nice release again

Crying out to be put into a diorama

Thanks for sharing

Nap

 

[1969]

Lovely job by Mike as usual, could tell it was his sculpt just by the image.
Cheers
Steve

 

[polyphemus]

Excellent. Just in time for CSM's release of a Belgian Mineva Armoured car.

Geoff

 

[akaryu]

How I would love to see this in 75mm / 1/24 scale!

Awaiting that there is quite some interesting literature on the Belgian Expeditionary Corps in Russia and their return from the Russian front through the USA, fascinating reading even for non-Belgians! In the Royal Army Museum, an auto-mitrailleuse has been restored some years ago.

https://auto-satisfaction.be/2015/11/11/guerre-14-18-lodyssee-des-autos-canons-belges-en-russie/


August Thiry has published some books about the subject:


The author talking about his book ( in English):
and in Flemish:

Cheers,

Pierre

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

How I would love to see this in 75mm / 1/24 scale!
Awaiting that there is quite some interesting literature on the Belgian Expeditionary Corps in Russia and their return from the Russian front through the USA, fascinating reading even for non-Belgians! In the Royal Army Museum, an auto-mitrailleuse has been restored some years ago.
...
The author talking about his book ( in English) ...
Cheers,
Pierre

Another cracker little guy this one Paul - with dynamic duo MikeG & Tim doing you proud again.
Can you swap heads on these guys?
Would be a nice little option if possible.
Liking tall scarf & he seems kitted up for the Russian cold weather.
Just got little Minerva & he would look neat standing inside it.

Thanks also Pierre for detail on “King Albert’s Heroes”
I’ll be using this for context & background to little Belgian Trio I’ve got up next.
You must be pleased to see Belgian release like these from ModelCellar.
Seems to have been a neglected subject in the past & deserves some overdue attention.
MikeTheKiwi

 

[fogie]

A glorious piece...absolutely brilliant !! So clever!!

Mike

 

[bonehead]

Another cracker little guy this one Paul - with dynamic duo MikeG & Tim doing you proud again.
Can you swap heads on these guys?
Would be a nice little option if possible.
Liking tall scarf & he seems kitted up for the Russian cold weather.
Just got little Minerva & he would look neat standing inside it.

Mike, the heads on these figures are separate. I try to do this with all of my figures for the very reason you give: it is nice to be able to personalize the figures by swapping heads. You can also swap headgear with many of my figures, though not with this pair.

So, you got a Minerva? You lucky dog! I can't wait to get one myself. I recommend replacing those crappy looking spoke wheels though. The Resicast ones below worked a treat on my Lanchester kit.....

https://www.ebay.com/p/15021665299

Thanks to everybody for the kind comments!

Those natty Belgian hats really pull these figures out of the ordinary. Watch this space for further future figures for the Minerva...

Cheers!!

Mike

 

[btavis]

I did a diorama several years ago with a Minerva armored car I scratch built along with all of the figures and two of the horses. It is called "Brave Little Belgium." BTW, Hi Mike!

 

[btavis]

And another

 

[btavis]

The sign on the right says "Haelen" which was a major confrontation between the Belgian cavalry and the Germans. https://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/haelen.htm

 

[akaryu]

Very nice diorama Bob!

The presence of a Minerva might be a bit of artistic license though, for the 'Battle of the silver helmets' as the engagement at Halen, 12 August 1914,is called, was in fact a battle between the dismounted Belgian Cavalry Division & Mixed Brigade and the German 2nd Cavalry Corps. The Belgian victory was due to the very sensible decision by Lt-Gen. de Witte, but suggested by some junior officers, to fight dismounted and receive the repeated charges of von der Marwitz cavalry. When you see the rolling countryside it makes perfect sense.

Although later overshadowed by the stalemate and slaughter in Flanders trenches, the fight at Halen, by halting the advance of a German cavalry corps and disturbing the Schlieffen plan, allowed the rest of the Belgian army to fall back to the fortified position around Antwerp and to fight another day. Moreover it is a major battle in the movement war of 1914.

There are some interesting studies of the engagement, most of them in Flemish, but there is of course von Poseck's study of the German cavalry and even an English publication, rather thin but well worth a read:https://www.amazon.com/Cavalry-Charge-Battle-Silver-Helmets-Halen-12/dp/1781551839


Jozef Stroobants, the son of the IJzerwinning farm on the battlefield devoted his time to collect the memories of surviving participants, both German and Belgian and later opened a museum which has grown to a study centre of the battlefield, still run by the Stroobants family: http://users.skynet.be/fb428741/default.html

If ever, in post-pandemic times, one gets tired of the fleshpots of Brussels or the antics of that little Frenchman in Waterloo and gets lost in this neck of the woods, the Halen battlefield is still the same rolling agricultural countryside and well worth a visit. Sorry for boring you all, but the Halen battle holds a special interest for me and it's only 10km from where I live.

That said, thanks Bob for showing your 'Brave little Belgium'!

Pierre

 

[Nap]

Hi Bob and Pierre

Bob ..great diorama ...you should enter a piece in our Vignette & Diorama comp here

https://www.planetfigure.com/thread...e-diorama-ending-midnight-bst-30-9-20.250127/

Pierre ...great information and something only heard of briefly ...brave little Belgium

Nap

 

[bonehead]

Thanks to Bob and Pierre!

Hey Bob! It is nice to know you are still alive and kicking! I used an article you wrote on "Brave Little Belgium" for some of my info for the figures. That and some help from another Belgian fellow met here on Planet Figure.

I have to say that these Belgian figures were the most difficult pieces to research that I have done in a long time. There is very little decent research material on Belgian uniforms in English online or published. Plus I found that Belgian uniforms are complicated by spotty supplies and complex differentiation between units and arms of service. It was very frustrating trying to figure it all out. So, thanks to you guys for additional reference materials!

Mike

 

[akaryu]

Mike, thank you for putting your talented hands on some Belgians, they are very rare indeed on the figure world!

As for reference, years ago a talented Belgian enthousiast Fernand Nicolas researched and published a series of plates on the Belgian cavalry and line infantry in the Great War; These plates were produced in very limited numbers, but I could have made scans for you. Here's an example:



A few years ago the Austrian editor Militaria Verlag published a magnum opus on the Belgian Army in the Great War, in collaboration with some leading historians from the Royal Army Museum and available in several languages: https://www.militaria.at/Book.aspx?book=9506574&Language=de


The renowned Russian publisher Russkie Vitjazi (русские-витязи) is preparing a book on the Belgian Corps in Russia and has made contacts with Militaria Verlag and other Western publishers as to further projects.

Now if Model Cellar could be convinced to produce this couple in 75mm! One can't but hope!

Cheers,

Pierre

 

[btavis]

Hey Mike, I was lucky to have a book that was published in 1917 called "Nations at War." It detailed the first few months of the war with emphasis on the Belgians. I was actually researching the Minerva but found info on the Belgian cavalry. Other sources were the Internet of course. But, you are right info is obscure and requires some real digging. I also used that book I mentioned for when I did the dio on the Marne Taxis. It had lots of pictures albeit B/W that I have never seen anywhere else.

Nice to see you are still sculpting. Your work has always been top shelf. Cheers!

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Mike, the heads on these figures are separate. I try to do this with all of my figures for the very reason you give: it is nice to be able to personalize the figures by swapping heads. You can also swap headgear with many of my figures, though not with this pair.
So, you got a Minerva? You lucky dog! I can't wait to get one myself. I recommend replacing those crappy looking spoke wheels though. The Resicast ones below worked a treat on my Lanchester kit.....
https://www.ebay.com/p/15021665299
Thanks to everybody for the kind comments!
Those natty Belgian hats really pull these figures out of the ordinary. Watch this space for further future figures for the Minerva...
Cheers!!
Mike

Hi Mike - great to hear from you mate & trust all well there for you & yours.
Will certainly have a crack at your guys one day & swap heads around too.
My Minerva was already assembled at CSM for first assembled photos & yep agree replace those spoked wheels.
I’ve got it as faded background for little crewmen.
They have some super new ones coming including Italian Lancia in both WW1 & WW2.
Lots of neat kits to inject life into WW1 modelling & of course canvases for your little guys too!
Keep ‘em coming mate & do appreciate all efforts you put into to getting accurate detail into your creations.
MikeTheKiwi

Hey Mike, I was lucky to have a book that was published in 1917 called "Nations at War." It detailed the first few months of the war with emphasis on the Belgians. I was actually researching the Minerva but found info on the Belgian cavalry. Other sources were the Internet of course. But, you are right info is obscure and requires some real digging. I also used that book I mentioned for when I did the dio on the Marne Taxis. It had lots of pictures albeit B/W that I have never seen anywhere else.
Nice to see you are still sculpting. Your work has always been top shelf. Cheers!

Hi Bob!
So neat to see you in action here again mate.
Remember seeing this creation & never imagined one day a kit of the little Belgian Minerva.
Always admired your story telling dioramas as evidenced in this creation.
So much work in this diorama is evident.
Hoping we’ll hear more of you again here.
Stay safe.
MikeTheKiwi

 

[btavis]

Hi Mike the Kiwi.

For my scratch built Minerva I used the wheels from Scale Link's Rolls Royce spoke wheel set. The CSM model looks pretty good however I couldn't have used it since it is 1/35 and my dio is in 1/32. I had a similar problem with the Marne taxi as the commercial kit was in 1/35 so I had to scratch build it.

 

[Mike - The Kiwi]

Mike, thank you for putting your talented hands on some Belgians, they are very rare indeed on the figure world!

As for reference, years ago a talented Belgian enthousiast Fernand Nicolas researched and published a series of plates on the Belgian cavalry and line infantry in the Great War; These plates were produced in very limited numbers, but I could have made scans for you. Here's an example:

A few years ago the Austrian editor Militaria Verlag published a magnum opus on the Belgian Army in the Great War, in collaboration with some leading historians from the Royal Army Museum and available in several languages: https://www.militaria.at/Book.aspx?book=9506574&Language=de
The renowned Russian publisher Russkie Vitjazi (русские-витязи) is preparing a book on the Belgian Corps in Russia and has made contacts with Militaria Verlag and other Western publishers as to further projects.

Now if Model Cellar could be convinced to produce this couple in 75mm! One can't but hope!

Cheers,

Pierre

Hi Pierre
Working on Belgian Armd Car crew & wondering about collar flashes.
Can you help with what colour these should be please?
And were there any other colours on epaulettes etc. for crewmen?
Thanks in advance.
MikeTheKiwi