front of the box,
it gives a good idea of how to paint Union artillerymen
Taking a break from the flood-tide of infantry releases Strelets has paused to provide the Union with some artillery. I applaud the choice of subject as well, instead of another model of the 12lbr Napoleon (which is already widely available from other manufacturers) they have chosen to model a 30lbr Parrot rifle. Cast in the now-familiar bright blue plastic this kit provides three model guns with a seven man crew.
This kit was kindly provided for review by Michigan Toy Soldier Shop and is available to purchase either in their store or through their website
Some of the detail on the carriage is a little fuzzy, and spokes of the wheels are a bit thick, but these issues do not detract from the overall usefulness of the kit. The real puzzler is that the cannon barrels all lack a cascable (the little round ball on the breach end of the barrel). At first I thought this was a molding flaw but the picture on the back of the box shows it missing as well. This doubly odd because they provide the odd off-center elevating screw that Parrot rifles had, this was attached directly to the cascable on Union guns. This is easily corrected by adding a small bead or a #6 birdshot to the end of the barrel (the #6 birdshot is also useful for those pyramidal piles of cannon balls you often see in forts). My small quibbles aside, this is a very useful and unusual cannon and modellers and wargames should be pleased that they now have an expanded choice of cannon available to them.
the rear of the box,
nicely painted figures instead of the more common naked masters
although I don't believe that ACW wheels were banded across the rim like that
the contents of the box, three sprues each with one gun and seven crewmen
(and not a single Muscovite in sight!)
sprue Side A
the figures are all well proportioned and actively posed
sprue Side B
two new guys and one old-timer who has already lost his hearing
excellent detailing on the uniforms
the gunner leaning on the swab is a pose I have
seen a hundred times in pictures and photographs
the officer with the spyglass will come in handy in a lot of other applications
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