John, I have read Somme and Paschendale by McDonald. Excellent overviews of those particular encounters.

Well, one of the reasons, right!

And the propaganda machines of all the belligerents went into full gear over the events in Belgium.

Those old photos on that link you provided look great.

Andy

AWESOME,Bob,just AWESOME !! Like the rest,I'll certainly be looking forward to the progression of the diorama/shadow-box too ! Cheers.
Kenneth :lol:

Let me be among the LAST to agree with all those above me. Excellent subject matter, and awesome work, as usual, Bob. Can't wait for the next installment. Also, you are reviving my lifelong interest in WWI.

Pat, when I was a young boy I was rummiging through my grandfather's book collection after he died and found a book entitled, "The Nations at War." Apparently it was a relatively famous B/W photo chronicle of the war that was to be updated as required (remember they had no idea how long the war would be). Well, the volume I had only covered 1914 - 1915 so I thought for a long time that was the whole war.

Needless to say, that book had a lasting impression on me and as a consequence I now only have interest in the first year of the war before General Mud prevailed. Things were mobile and gallantry prevailed in those opening months. Uniforms were colorful throwbacks to a dying era and tactics were virtually Napoleonic. The clash with modern machinery against that backdrop to me exemplifies what that war was all about.

Oddly enough, the above book is being sold on Ebay..

Hello Bob,

I see you made a great start - I'm pulling up a chair to see how this develops !

It's a great project, Bob, and as a Belgian I'm very proud to see this on Pf !!

Well, it took a while to get around to it and thanks to your help last year I think I have good references to keep this going

Great stuff, Bob! The Minerva looks great! I shudder at the thought of assembling those spoke wheels. They come with wires that you have to cut to length and fit individually, right? Aggh!

I have to confess that I'm almost more interested in seeing your Belgian cyclist and lancer figures.

Uhlans whose armament includes the cavalry lance vs. an armored car with a Hotchkiss MG. If you were writing it as a work of fiction, no one would believe it!

all the best,
Dan

Dan, the spokes are photo-etched thank god.

This piece reminds me of Doug Lee's Polish lancers charging German tanks in 1939. Except, where as that was probably apocryphal this really happened in Belgium.

One of the biggest challenges is to keep this to a size where I can still get it on an airplane. I am looking at eighteen inches across at least which is about the width of a laptop computer case.

Could you give a reference for the historical incident? Where did you read about it?

As you say, thank Him/Herself for photo-etching. My frustration with bicycle spokes comes from the 90mm 1912 bicycle by Friulmodel. The spokes are just loose straight wire that you have to cut and attach individually. The wheels do not have holes pre-cut either! Ugh! The bicycle and Italian cyclist-soldier still make for a nice model.

Incidentally, I recommend 1914, 1915 and To the Last Man: Spring 1918 by MacDonald to you or anyone. Most of the time all 3 are available on e-Bay or Borders.com used and cheap. Excellent stuff!

I'm "tuned-in" and on the edge of my seat waiting for the next installment.

all the best,
Dan

Dan, you may want to read the following book by Larry Zuckerman on the German invasion of Belgium . It is called the Rape of Belgium.

In regards to this particular incident it was elaborated by Johan Putseys, a Belgian who posts on this site. Also the painting at the beginning of this thread was a point of inspiration.

Zuckerman's book is an excellent read and vividly portrays the dilemma Belgium faced vis-a-vis the impossibility of them maintaining their neutrality and the atrocities the Germans invoked on them as a result.

I should have some updated photos in a few days. Right now I am sculpting the occupants of the Minerva.

An update. The armored car is nearly finished and I have sculpted a gunner which has base color blocked in. I will have five figures in the car altogether. The others are nearly completed or halfway. \

TOO COOL! This is fabulous!

Thanks for the reference and I'll try to find the book. What a painful undertaking writing it must have been! Wading through all the outright lies, halfbaked foolishness and shaded half-truths produced by both sides! A Solomon-like wisdom must have been required to determine out what actually happened. And to think that at one point in my life I considered becoming an historian.

all the best,
Dan

Bob,
As always, great work can't wait to see this one in person.

Dan,
Being an historian is the only real profession.

Matthew: What is your specialty/area/historical period? Are you published?

all the best,
Dan

Dan,

19th and early 20th C. US (Basically 1815-1950) and archival management. Published? Not yet, have a couple in the queue, mostl y African American military history and CW arty, as well as a bio.

After a hiatus I have some updates.

The horse is taking a lot longer to sculpt and considering I have several others to do I may end up converting the remainder. Love sculpting horses though. I recommend the Eliot Goldfinger Animal Anatomy book.

Bob,

I have no more words for it. Just enjoying this great work of art.

Marc

Great stuff, Bob! Can you do anything to improve the resolution of your pic? What I'm seeing is fuzzy, maybe a little out of focus. FYI I bought the Zuckerman book and it's on my 'reading list' but haven't gotten there yet.

all the best,
Dan

Not sure why they came out fuzzy. I 'll shoot more pics next week after Expo. In anycase, I think you can get the gist of what this is shaping up to be.

I have at least five more Uhlans to do in various stages of being plugged by the Belgians. Then I will start with the groundwork and shadowbox to get a feel for the layout. Months to go