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Italeri 54mm (1/32) Napoleonic French Artillery |
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Kit Number 6868 |
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Reviewed By Jim Pearsall, #2209 |
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MSRP: $22.00 USD Thanks to Italeri for providing this kit to review. The Guns: The Napoleonic wars weren’t the first where artillery was a factor, and not the last, but it was a period when the smoothbore cannon was the “Queen of Battle”. Attacking an artillery position with infantry or cavalry was a risky proposition. The smoothbore muskets of the early 19th century didn’t have the ability to hit consistently like the US Civil War’s Springfields. When a mass of Napoleonic infantry or cavalry charged artillery, the artillery could count on getting off at least 2 shots with solid shot or exploding shell. As the mass closed in, the artillery changed to shrapnel/canister. Usually this was a nicely cased set of 12 pounds of lead balls, each approximately 25 mm (about an inch) in diameter. Guaranteed to clear the front of the gun of any opposition. Imagine, if you will, a shotgun with a 6 inch bore, firing 12 pounds of oversize buckshot. A fearsome weapon. The Crew: Loading, aiming, and firing a weapon like this required a crew who practiced and worked together as a team. After a shot, the bore was swabbed with a wet sponge to remove any sparks. The powder was then placed in the muzzle, and the shot, canister, or shell was introduced. While another crew member rammed the shot and powder down the barrel, the Officer or NCO in charge called out aiming corrections, and crew members aimed the gun by changing the direction of the carriage, usually with a spike/lever on the trail. The final step was to touch a flaming punk or match to a hole in the top of the barrel which led to the powder charge and ignited it. |
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The Models This kit is actually 2 guns, plus 5 crew for each gun. There are 2 very large sprues, with the only difference being the barrels of the guns. There is a short howitzer, and a standard artillery piece. The plastic used is not the soapy-feeling soft plastic used on many “toy soldiers”, but it’s not the fragile styrene of a 1/35 tank kit, either. It’s somewhere in between, allowing decent detail, but the figures and guns can survive a lot of handling, if table top simulation gaming is your thing. |
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The guns: These are nicely done. The barrels are divided in half, top
and bottom, and fit together nicely. The carriage is one piece, with
separate wheels and hooks which fit on the axles which could be used to
hold buckets, etc. Since the 2 cannon are virtually identical except for
the barrels, I built the short howitzer-style gun for this review. Fit is excellent. There was no noticeable flash. A little work was needed to remove a mold line on the axles. Once this is done, the wheels snap smartly into place, and roll evenly. The handles on the top of the barrel fit tight, as do the bands which hold the barrel to the carriage. In fact I had some trouble getting these bands into place, as I didn’t want to damage the paint on them. I wound up repainting them anyway. The instructions for the guns consist of a pair of exploded drawings, approximately 1 inch square on the back of the box. Nevertheless, with reading glasses and the fact that there aren’t many parts, this is sufficient. I managed to get a nice wood finish on the carriage by using acrylic dark brown wash over a tan enamel base. The hardware was painted black and the wheel rims were given a silver wash to simulate wear. Considering the few parts involved, the guns look very good. |
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The Figures: The back of the box advertises 10 figures. Nothing about
the guns. Ah, well, figure painters see the equipment as a means to give
their people an historical perspective, not the center of the diorama. The figures are fairly well molded, each one piece. |
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| Because of the single piece molding, there are some compromises made in the figures. For the officer, the arm which holds the telescope closest to his eye has no definition between the arm and the front of the coat. It is just a flat area which should have delineation between the sleeve and chest. The soldier carrying the cannonball has the same problem between the cannonball and the abdomen, but it’s hidden by the hands. |
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| On the bright side, the faces actually look pretty much human. There are mustaches, eyebrows, straight noses, lips, and cheekbones for highlighting. The uniform braid is cleanly molded, the belts and straps have sharp edges, and the piping and decoration on the coats, hats and boots are cleanly indicated. This makes for a uniform which can be painted by even the clumsiest novice. Like me. |
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There are a few mold lines to remove, but these are pretty well placed to
allow detail to survive this process. The biggest problem I had was with the eyes. Since the officer is looking through the telescope, one eye is covered, the other is closed. OK. The ammunition carrier was a different matter. Years ago, a friend who does figures showed me the technique he uses to do eyes. I tried to duplicate this, but I’ve obviously forgotten a LOT in (Gad, has it been that long!) 25 years. I haven’t quite gotten a good technique for this. So the problem with the faces on the figures is mine, not Italeri’s. |
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Overall Evaluation:
This is a decent kit for a decent price. It’s a good starter for someone who wants to get practice without eviscerating a $50 bill. The guns are nice, the figures are decent, especially considering what you get is (my math) 10 figures for $2 each, and two guns for a buck each. What a bargain! I’m sure Italeri’s mold makers could overcome the flaws in the figures. But at what cost? This is a great introductory set for someone who wants to see how it’s done, or needs a bunch of figures for a diorama. Especially since you get two chances to get each figure right! Thanks to John Noack and Italeri for once again broadening my modeling horizons, and getting me into another part of the hobby which doesn’t involve airplanes! |
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