Hi All,

another 54mm scratchbuilt figure. Dan Morton and John OBrien supplied me with great references.

Rgds Victor

Another splendid fig. I know which books you've been using for ref. now,

Roger.

Very well done, Victor!

All the best,
Dan

Hi All,
(Roger, this was from Osprey MAA 182). Some details and clarifications:
Bombardier, Royal Field Artillery, 15th Div, 1918.
The illustration in the book showed the artillery shells with tip upwards. I chose to model my figure with the tip downwards for ease of removal and to prevent accidents if the shell was to fall out. An ex-artilleryman has said that my shells are quite large to represent 18 pdrs which were more 3 and half inch in diameter.
I got other info on the groundsheet cape and the way it was worn on the internet. Dan supplied great info on the pannier item , which was really hard to come by. One more point - I was given a pic of a Jagger sculpture of an RA with a pannier which had wound rope as handles. The Osprey book showed thinner cloth covered handles. So there may have been at least two types of pannier models?
So who knows, maybe another more accurate bombardier model from me in the near future?

Rgds Victor

I've used that book a lot myself Victor

Being an ex Gunner myself I think it would be more likely to damage the fuze and cause an accident carrying them this way. That doesn't mean nobody ever did though

Probably why there's so many lying around in French & Belgian farmers fields unexploded

Roger.

Hi Roger,

You may have something there. I read about the scandal over the dud fuse shells. What you are saying is that the other way of carrying the shells is equally valid? Hmm, there must be a next model then...

Rgds Victor

Hi Victor. I think it unlikely that anyone would carry shells fuse pointing downwards. The fuse being the most easily damaged part of the shell.

Notice I said unlikely, someone's bound to post a photo of someone doing it and it's nitpicking at your model, which isn't what I reallly want to do.

Roger.

Upside down, I am confuze

Hi Roger,

I don't think you are nit-picking. I take your comments freely in the spirit that it was given. BTW, see this pic ...)

Rgds Victor

The RA Memorial in London! I forgot all about that. Maybe they used both methods... maybe it doesn't matter which way up the shells went. I'm as confuzed (very clever ) as you now.

Roger.

Voctor,
Great figure and certainly different.
Cheers
John

Shells fuse pointing downwards, shells fuse pointing upwards, i don't care! Great painting!

Good call

100%

Hi Roger,

Yeah. The sculpture seems to suggest that the two shells on each half of the pannier are placed forward whereas I thot that the shells (and their weights) were more evenly distributed front and back. Definitely requires another figure to be modelled on this.

Thanks for all your comments.

Rgds Victor

Dear John, George, Roger and all,

thanks for all your comments and feedback. Sometimes, in the absence of definite documentation, re-enactment or continuous feeddback from modellers can lend weight to any interesting bits of information.

Rgds Victor

Victor, if you had asked the questions before you sculpted the piece I fear you won't have even started

Hi Roger,

No problem. I would have claimed this piece under sci-fi and fantasy...

rgds Victor