Wednesday 12 July 2017

Austrian Artillery Limbers - 28mm Perry

Some Austrian Artillery limbers finished at last. I've had some of these for about 5 years, but kept procrastinating as I wasn't sure how to do the ropes connecting the horses to the limber. But after asking about, I found a technique that worked for me - thanks mainly to Stephen Walsh on the Facebook Napoleonic Wargamer Group who generously explained his process of rigging these things up.  

I'll also do my own "how to" post on this blog showing how I did these, but just some pics of my first completed limbers for now.

I bought two 4 horse and two 6 horse Austrian limbers, but I based the 6 horse ones as 4 horse with another pair of the team based separately to provide a bit more flexibility.

Perry limbers don't come with modeled connecting traces (the rope bits). Front Rank limbers come with traces, but they don't do Austrian limbers, and not sure how compatible they would be with Perry anyway. Many people seem to just do limbers without traces, but I wanted them on mine as it looks a bit weird otherwise, to me at least.

I used the Three Strand Rope from Gale Force Nine to hook them up (suggested to me by Jeff Wesevich, also on the Facebook Napoleonic Wargamer group, thanks!). This matches the rope on the Perry castings very well too.  One two metre reel of it would do about eight 4 horse limbers I think.


I went with a fairly dark colour on the traces/ropes in order to better hide any modeling mistakes with these first attempts! :)


Limbers for all the guns is quite an expensive and time consuming enterprise in 28mm. I thought a reasonable compromise was to at least provide limbers for the horse artillery to begin with, as it seems particularly incongruous to have the horse/cavalry artillery racing around without limbers!

Ok, thanks for looking. I've now got six French limbers in process too so will post them in the next week or two.

24 comments:

  1. Limbers and teams look terrific! I necessary evil to paint for the game table, I think. I look forward to your tutorial on rope traces. Your results are very nice.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan, and yes a necessary evil isn't a bad way of describing them! :)

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  2. Mark is excellent! Limbers amazing! I'm upload a similar project, but in the Russian army. And as usual I have this unit, and you have a massive project! It's cool! I was just thinking how to make the ropes, but can figure out something else, pokak't decided.

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    1. Thanks! Yes I like having limbers :) I look forward to your Russian limbers, I will also have some to do eventually, good luck!

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  3. Ah well done, they look ace!!! I add traces to mine but I'm thinking of going the other direction and droppubg them to get more finished 😀

    Good stuff going straight onto French limbers, that would break me 😎

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    1. Thanks Paul, yes they are something of a chore, though I seem to be racing through the French limbers somehow which is good! :)

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  4. Well done with these beautiful limbers Chasseur!

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  5. These are a beautiful job - congratulations on having the patience to add the ropes!

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    1. Thanks, yes ropes were worth it in the end I think!

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  6. Limbers and teams beautiful, Mark!

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  7. Lovely looking limbers, I think your quite right to keep 2 of the horses separate ,it's admirable that your continuing with your French limbers as well. The traces work well, I've got to do traces on some hinchcliffe wagons, I hope mine come out as well!
    Best Iain

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    1. Cheers Iain and good luck with your limbers, tricky things!!

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  8. Lovely work and I am most impressed by your level of details on the traces. I am in the very embryonic stages of doing the same thing and procrastinating like buggery about getting on with it! You may well have given me a kick start.

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    1. Thanks Carlo, glad it may have provided a little momentum to your own project, good luck! :)

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  9. Great set Mark. This makes me think if ought to do the limbers for my Russians.

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    1. Cheers and yes do it Mark, Perry make some lovely Russian limbers :)

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  10. Excellent! I've been avoiding these for ages too...
    Now you've gone ahead I must just have to.
    Best wishes,
    Jeremy

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    1. Cheers Jeremy, and yes do I look forward to seeing them! :)

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  11. My, but those are lovely, Mark! I love the look of Limbers, but not the expense of buying them nor the time needed to paint them. As for rope traces, well...

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    1. Thanks Peter! Yes $, time and ropes all count against them, having just completed some more I'm getting into the swing of it though...

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