Thanks for the new Arms series. I like heavy artillery. Will they be soft plastic or hard plastic?

Since you are doing American crews with one of the guns, will you do WWI American Infantry too? Perhaps a set with gas maskes and horse cavalry too?

Mike "Bunkermeister" Creek
bunkermeister.blogspot.com

Any idea if these will also cross-over into the earlier Boer War?

Thank you

"Any idea if these will also cross-over into the earlier Boer War?"

Hi Dave The image of the howitzer looks like a WW1 BL 6 inch MKVII Gun to me and not a Howitzer, Old 6" naval guns were cut down and rebored to produce 8" howitzers during WW1 but it looks totally different, the MKXIX gun was purpose built...
These were not used during the Boar war...

Cheers

I'm in agreement with Ironsides again; this looks more like a 6" gun than anything else I can think of. And I'm totally fine with that! Any crew is an added bonus, but I'd buy this if it didn't have them.

The only concern I have is the wheels; those "traction engine" wheels were rather complicated, and the ones on the 3D model look rather simplified. They'd be hard to scratch build; as these are only at the design stage, could they be designed to come as two parts (like the similar ones in Airfix's Tank Mark I)?

Thank you for your information guys!

Maybe with future sets they will make the Boer War's "Long Tom" (?) hope I got that right.

ironsides - I like your Avatar - great pic!

"ironsides - I like your Avatar - great pic!"

Hi Dave its a colourised photo you can find it here..
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:6inchMkVIIGunColouredPostcardWWI.jpg

and a very similar B/W pic here...

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BL6inchGunMk7.jpg

Percy Scott(the inventor of the Carraige) mounted one Gun of this type on an improvised carriage during the 2nd Boer War it has a longer trail and different wheels and led directly to the WW1 variants..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BL6inchGunMkVIIOnScottCarriage.jpg

PS also mounted a number of BL 4.7 inch Guns on improvised mounts...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QF_4.7_inch_Gun_Mk_I_-_IV

Cheers

Thank you for all the links Ironsides. It was very enjoyable and relaxing to go through them.

This new range by S*R should turn out to be very popular.

I do hope eventually they make the Boer War cannons also.

Early WWI is as modern as I enjoy collecting so these are on high my list.

Again, thank you!

These guns are quite complicated to research due to the number of variations of early types, here is a general list. individual MKs will vary in detail in particular the earlier Guns and Howitzers... where possible I've included links to photos and drawings

British 6 inch Guns and 8 inch Howitzers Boer War to WW1.

6 inch MKVII Naval Gun on Percy Scott (wood) Carriage:

Boer War:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BL6inchGunMkVIIOnScottCarriage.jpg

WW1:
6 inch MKIV or MKVI Naval Gun (short barrel) on MKI (steel box section) Carriage, later converted to 8inch Howitzer MKIV and MKVI: see page 34:

Osprey New Vanguard series no 105, British Artillery 1914-19 heavy artillery

6 inch MKVII Naval Gun on MKI (steel box section) carriage:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Naval_gun_firing_over_Vimy_Ridge.jpg

6 inch MKVII Naval Gun on MKII Carriage:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BL_6_inch_Mk_VII_gun_in_action_NLS_74548400.jpg

6 inch MK XIX Field Gun on MKVII Howitzer Carriage : see pages 245-248

http://www.archive.org/details/handbookofartill00unitrich

------------------------------------------------------

8 inch Howitzer MKI-V (converted 6 inch Naval Guns MK I-V) Generally mounted on carriages similar to the 6 inch MKVII Naval Gun with gun mounting modifications:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:8inchHowitzerMk1BeingTowedSomme1916.jpg

8 inch Howitzer (purpose Built) MKVI-VIII mounted on Howitzer Carriage MKVI-VIII: see

page 259-277

http://www.archive.org/details/handbookofartill00unitrich

Cheers

From my last post it can be seen that there are basically three main types of guns and two main types of howitzers, there are NO cannons....

The main difference in these types is in the carriage used and the recoil mechanism of the Gun or howitzer

Guns

Type 1. 6-inch MKVII Gun on MKI carriage.

Type 2. 6-inch MKVII Gun on MKII carriage (Strelets A001)
Type 3. 6-inch MKXIX Gun on MKVII carriage (Strelets A004) Britain and USA

Howitzers

Type 1. 8-inch Howitzer MKI-V on MKII Carriage with modification. (variation here was in the way the gun was mounted on the Carriage)

Type 2 8-inch Howitzer MKVI-VIII on Carriage MKVI-VIII. Britain and USA

Cheers

Some artillery & vehicle kits I would like to see in 1/72 & appropriate quality:

- 7,7cm Feldkanone 16 (the Hät toy & its blob-crew is a waste)
- 10,5cm leichte Feldhaubitze 16 (same here)
- 15cm schwere Feldhaubitze 13
- Canon de 105 mle 1913
- Canon de 155 C mle 1915
- Canon de 155 C mle 1917
- 8cm Feldkanone M5/8
- 10cm Gebirgshaubitze M16
- 15cm Feldhaubitze M14

- Char Saint Chamond
- Char Schneider CA1
- Mark V tank
- Austin-Putilov Armoured Car in russian service
- Izorski-Fiat Armoured Car in russian service
- Garford-Putilov Armoured Car in russian service
...

All the artillery kits should be made in hard plastic that takes glue well. The artillery should also feature an adequate amount of crew men which actually serve the guns. The well-established Strelets 12 - 14 poses sets are exactly what collectors, painters & wargamers are looking for - a big deal better than the poor 4 or 5 poses offered by Hät!

The missing WWI & RCW vehicles would be highly welcomed in 1/72 plastic!!!
Add some crew & these will sell very well I guess.

Daar Strelets,

Like what I see. I would like to see the artillery pieces in hard gluable plastic but I can live with soft plastic. It would be great to get some Russian armoured cars (you guys were quite advanced with designs and usage in WW1), an Ilya Morumets Bomber, maybe a Tsar tank (OK, not used in anger but they might have been!), some Russian softskin transports and maybe a small gunboat or two.

Have a great day, Frank

P.S. You are making cannon not canon (English can be a darned tricky language).

Lovely work on the artillery and crew, best of luck with these.

Excellent news, I'm looking forward to seeing these.

hubba hubba hubba!
me want!
(too excited to say anything coherent)

What a surprise ! two questions for those that know better than I, 1) third figure top row, smoking ? was that allowed while working the gun ? and rifles slung, would that be the case on a gun like this, I.E some distance behind the front line ? , but other than that wow,good stuff.

Thank you Strelets. What an excellent suprise - what a series of rabbits you have pulled out of your hat! This is not something I would have expected!

Again your company has tried to be orginal rather than churning out the same old repetitious WW2 German sets!More power to your elbow.

Complete sets of WW1 gas masked troops and now heavy artillery. Any chance of the French 155mm(?) also used by the Americans?

Any chance you could take the rifles off their backs as gunners have enough problems without these!

The other big thing was the spam was missing tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_de_155_C_mod%C3%A8le_1917_Schneider

Used by French and Americans in WWI and WWII. This would be an excellent choice.


Canon de 155mm GPF

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_de_155mm_GPF

This gun also saw tremendous use by the French and US forces in WWI and WWII.

Both guns were used by the Germans in WWII also. Many other nations used these guns too.

Mike "Bunkermeister" Creek
bunkermeister.blogspot.com

Now THAT'S what I call a gun! Can't wait!!!

Intresting development. This looks like fun. Another reason to live a little while longer.

Dear all

The only possibility is the BL Ordnance 6-in gun (not howitzer) Mark VII- not sure of the carriage (four types which one this is hard to tell -MkII?). It was originally a naval gun.
Some plans on the Landships Forum ( by Ken Musgrave). This was a very big gun eg the wheels are about 5-6 feet high and the weight in real life was over 25 tons. When fired the wheels rolled on to "scotches" which were large wedge shaped pieces with a slight curvature to take the recoil these should really be included in the set as firing without them would be fun (on the plan referred to above).
The wheels and some details could be rethought after looking at the plans referred to above and it should be made in polystyrene (hard plastic) for super detailing and sturdiness.
BTW getting the name right is important as internet searches will prove fruitless otherwise. I would guess it should be item A003( the real one as there are 2 A003s at the moment) and it should be gun not cannon.

Well done Strelets a nice development. The Mark XIX gun (A004) was also a 6 inch gun but on a similar carriage to the Mk VII Howitzer .


David

These really do look the part. It's great to see someone finally making artillery men who actually look as if they are doing their job rather than looking like they are straight of the Parade ground.
Best of Luck with this new venture Strelets, I'll be buying.