Tuesday 25 February 2020

The guns! The guns!

A momentary departure from Star Wars Legion today. Last night I painted two field pieces for my 54mm Great War project. Here they are suitably gloss varnished, but in quite a bit of shadow due to the sunny nature of the day.
Emhar German artillery

Emhar British artillery - you only get 3 crew in each pack.

Comparison of the two together

A slightly angled shot so you can see the kneeling crewman a bit more clearly

And in this case you can see the front of the 18 pdr
Emhar 1/35 are quite a bit smaller than the Armies in Plastic figures, but I guess that is all part of the retro style of game that the Great War project will have. I've invested in the Trench Hammer rules, and they look perfect for what I want to accomplish, so I might leave behind my 54mm Great War rules for now.
I have 24 infantry left to paint, and I plan to get into them as soon as the Star Wars Legion is complete. I also think that I will invest in a tank for the British, and if anybody knows of a good place to get 54mm mortars with crews that are unpainted and don't cost the earth, please let me know.

Nate

16 comments:

  1. These artillery units look good and have a charm of their own.

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    1. Thanks Peter. I do love the Toy Soldier look.

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  2. These really are NOT my thing Nate...but if they give you pleasure, more power to you!

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    1. That's OK Keith, the aesthetic isn't for everyone. But I've got a soft spot for the idea of 'playing toy soldiers' in true Old School style.

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  3. With the gloss top coat, these pieces look neat!

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    1. They sure do Jonathan. It gives them that Old School charm. Now if only the guns fired matchsticks...

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  4. Impressive, beautiful...and surely effective!

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    1. Thank you Phil, and yes, the Germans will need a field gun if I buy the British a tank!

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  5. Splendid Nate...
    What’s not to love about shiny toy soldiers...

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Cheers Aly. I totally agree, although I still can't put my finger on why some of us love the sparkly little dudes so much.

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  6. Hi,

    Very nifty! I started a 54mm WWI project awhile ago, but foundered on the rocks of trying to get affordable HMGs. The guns themselves would not be insurmountable. but what to do by way of gunners? Normally I would convert extra artillery crew--but as you noted, you don't get very many in an artillery set to begin with. Have you come up with a solution?

    Best regards,

    Chris Johnson

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    1. Hi Chris
      Last year I asked Ian at Irregular Miniatures to make some WWI machine guns for British and Germans, and he did! They are pretty affordable at £13 a set.
      My post is here: https://natholeonsempires.blogspot.com/2019/10/hmgs.html
      and you can buy them here:
      http://irregularminiatures.co.uk/

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  7. Wonderful job on the guns and crews! With the general lack of availability of kit for 54mm Great War, compromises are necessary - I'm sure these will look great on the table with the AiP figures.

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    1. Cheers John. Yes, I was surprised at the lack of availability of kits that were affordable for the wargamer as opposed to the higher priced collectors models. I'm still keen to get some mortars, but the cheapest sets I can find are http://tommyatkins.com/ at NZ$ 50-65 a set, plus postage. They may still be the best option at some point in the future.

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