Building the Wargames Factory 28mm War of Spanish Succession Artillery

I liked this kit so much that I built it right away (instead of adding it to the ever-growing pile of projects). Aside from a complete lack of instructions it was no problem to build but I can see where someone unfamiliar with 18th century cannon could run into a problem or two. I will point them out as we move along.

removed from the sprue the parts revealed minor mold-lines, 

these cleaned up easily with a sharp X-Acto knife

the fit of the barrels was superb, as was the detail

the carriage ready to be assembled

the cross-braces first......

.....then the axle, it has these neat little guides to ensure proper alignment

ready for the wheels

the wheels popped on easily enough, 

I promptly noticed several areas that needed mold-line cleanup,

ah the hazards of being in a hurry

I tried both barrels, the long one....

and the short one, 

I decided on the long one as I already have other models with shorter barrels

these are the straps that hold the trunnion onto the carriage

and these little things are "dolphins", lifting handles that were fancifully cast to look like fish,

 guns were cast by bell-founders back in the day and they liked to embellish their work

the powder kegs look great from the side, woodgrain and all.....

.....but the slick tops are a dissappointment

here is where the straps attach, the rivets just in front of, and behind, the trunnion

and the strap has holes for the rivet heads

and there they are, installed

the "dolphins", the big end is toward the muzzle of the gun

they attach just behind the trunnion ,

on either side to the center-line of the barrel

now the crew, I decided to start with the fellow holding the cannonball as he is the simplest

the feet still look oddly large to me, I like the way that he leans back,

 away from the weight of the cannonball

the pose is realistic and natural, something that isn't easy in a one-piece casting

now on to the gunner, 

I stole the "pointing a finger" arm from the officer figure

this arm has fancy button loops, as befits a commanding officer

but the gunner is not of noble blood!

 so I demoted the arm by shaving off the button loops

it is always important the the pointing finger and the face look the same direction, 

people rarely point at something without looking that way

the arm holding the linstock took some fiddling to get a good fit, 

it kept hitting the hat brim, I should have checked that before gluing the head on

the fellow holding the charging handle came out rather well, a good active pose

after I get some primer on these guys I will shoot more pix, 

they look better in person

the guy holding the rammer came out even better

again, it is important that the figure be looking toward what he is doing

the men at work

and shot from the other direction as well

this pose has been used in SO many period paintings that I could not resist

this horse has some issues, 

it looks more of a large pony than a horse

it also has a tremendously large head,

 I might just promote the other commander to a Perry Brothers horse

     Well, there you have it. It took me about an hour to complete the assembly of the gun, crew and commander. I am waiting with little patience for the weather to break so that I can prime these and get some paint on them.