Project Landship Update 3

This week's work started with unexciting stuff; trimming away the pegs that attached the now discarded plastic wheels, as well as a couple of other unwanted protuberances. The mechanism that attaches the tread sections was adjusted while I was at it, making the reversed treads sit better and lowered the hull down a little. 

I also filed off the old moulded 'control panel' fittings that were in the original driving position (and now facing the wrong way) - this area will become a small aft deck behind the bridge tower, where the mast will be mounted. But that was procrastination while I worked out how to tackle the "Bridge". 

I want an elevated tower style bridge to (a) get a less refined, experimental pre-dreadnought ship look, and (b) avoid a WW2 style tank destroyer profile - which it currently achieves quite admirably!

I decided on a rounded Armoured Cupola style, which will house the "steersman" with a viewport to look through. On top of that will be a Fighting Platform with some light weapons for anti-infantry and anti-airship protection (wooden planked to match the main gun platform below it). I'd like a Command platform above that for the Captain, but it may be too much.  I'll keep it open backed for dioramic purposes, and to reinforce the experimental appearance.

Starting with light plastic card I cut the Steerman's viewing slit and built up the edges the plastic strip on both sides, before starting to shape it.

The edging will eventually have rivets to give an armoured appearance

This would need to be glued in a couple of sections to help the plasticard get the right shape. The first and easiest (less 'bendy')  and most important to get right was the front, so I added a small support for additional surface area to add greater strength to this bond.

Once that was dry I did the starboard side, using tape to keep it in shape while drying. During this process, I decided to make the bridge sides slightly asymmetrical to make it more interesting, which will include an offset funnel.

Thats a start anyway. The basic fighting top was similarly made initially with thick card - I played about the shapes, overhang sizes etc for ages. Not happy yet but when I'm satisfied it will be planked with coffee stirrers. 

While things were drying I made some ventilators to reinforce the ship aesthetic. Made from corners of circular sprue and truck headlights, they are a little rough but they'll do - likely to be fitted either side of the Steerman's cupola.

Finally, I've started experimenting with making rivets: clearly an essential part of an ironclad era construction, and something that needs to be endlessly repeatable. More on that next time!

The Little Fort, Sydney Harbour

The Little Battery

The headland at Mrs Macquarie’s Point also had strategic value in the early defence of Sydney Harbour. The first example of its military use was a response to the fears of foreign invasion during the Crimean War (1853-1856). 

Little Fort at Mrs Macquarie’s Point with HMS Liverpool facing Garden Island c. 1870
National Library of Australia.

In 1856 Mrs Macquarie’s Point was equipped with a ‘masked battery’ of ten artillery pieces. These were mostly naval type cannons arranged above and behind Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. The battery was composed of a rammed earth and concrete defilade (wall) fitted with embrasures.

It was commonly referred to as ‘the little fort’, usually in association with Mrs Macquarie’s Point. 

The following excerpt from the Sydney Morning Herald (Friday 13 May 1859) describes the state of inner harbour defence was like at the time, including a description of this fort:

We have now to call attention to the most picturesque fort of the whole, namely, that at Macquarie Point, near Lady Macquarie's Chair. It is on the northern extremity of the promontory dividing Woolloomooloo Bay from Farm Cove, is east of Fort Macquarie 750 yards, south of Fort Denison 666 yards, south-west of Bradley's Head 2525 yards. The work consists of a masked earth work battery, flanked with mason work of great strength, and mounting eight thirty-two pounders, on garrison carriages. On each flank there is a circular work of masonry, mounting two 10-inch mortars on travelling platforms. In connection with this fort there is a magazine for 100 barrels of powder ; and the battery is faced by a dry moat. It covers Fort Denison front and rear, and also affords a direct fire on Bradley's Head. Three contractors took part in the erection of this fortification, namely, Mr. Donovon, Messrs. Carlisle and Goddard, and latterly Mr. Goddard alone, who is now just completing the ditch.

From: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13024891

By the early 1870s, the concern over foreign invasion had all but dissipated. The guns were removed and the emplacement buried. An archaeological excavation and subsequent report were undertaken in 1989 on the Masked Battery, after which it was promptly buried again to preserve the site.

Of interest, this is the broader view of Garden Island from Mrs Macquarie's point where the Little Fort was located, in 1877. I was fortunate to live on the left hand most landmass for about 6 years (it became attached to the mainland with the construction of the Dry Dock during WW2).

Project Landship Update 2

Having decided to reverse the hull, I'm focusing on what is now the front of the model. To work out how much I need to chop out of the front of what I'm broadly referring to as the 'Barbette', I've had to prioritise building the main weapon. Getting the gun sorted will also allow me to properly place the gun platform, seeking to get the crew are protected but not fully undercover.

Which is a lot of words to say I've been working on the gun; which was fun!

This began as a JadgTiger cannon from a 1/35 plastic Dragon kit.

To make it look more 19th century, I paired away the more modern fixture and fittings (like pneumatics on top of the barrel) and discarded the barrel entirely to give it a stumpy 'siege gun' appearance consistent with a pre-dreadnought period. Then I just started sticking bits on from various kits, ensuring I kept the barrel clear of fittings but making it look like there was technical improvements in the recoil and loading mechanisms. This consumed a very happy number of hours, which was more than I expected but I quite enjoyed it.

Very stumpy without the big barrel connected, but thats because of the weight limitations to bring it to Mars from the foundry on Earth, naturally.

And with some 28mm sized figures for scale:

That done, I started to carefully carve out the gun port/embrasure/"firing slit", which because of the angles involved was a bit fiddly, and I had to be careful to get a neat outcome. This took quite a few attempts and refinements, but the gap now allows gun placement as far forward as possible, giving space for recoil and also the entirely practical aspect of having space for crew placement. 

I may attempt magnetising, enabling options for alternate weapons in the future (like a big Anti-Airship gun or something) Finally, it was time to fix and repair the bottom of the barbette so I could fit the gun deck. Again this took time, all done by eye and with a number of dry fits to get right, but in the end I got the outcome I wanted. 

A bit rough & ready from beneath but nobody will see this angle:

With the wooden gun deck blu-tacked into place

And a trial fit of the gun with some 28mm crew

Hmmm... a bit bigger than I had imagined, but what a beast! Needs to be a slow loading smasher of a weapon.

But it looks about right when matched with the rest of the hull and tracks:

So thats enough for this section for now. Time to start thinking about the bridge. Needs a light weapon (1-pdr Hotchkiss?) for ground support as well as anti-airship defence. Funnels need to go somewhere too.

And I need to think about remodelling the front - maybe a prow ram.

Project Landship Update 1

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, 

there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” Bilbo Baggins

Its been a few weeks, so a quick update now that the model is in hand (and to keep myself honest). As delivered:

And in the time it takes to make a good Gin & Tonic, it looked like this:

...decals stripped (soaking those areas with vegetable oil for 5 mins was the best way to get rid of the glue residue) and washed in detergent to get rid of whatever the decades had left.

And I had a win at the local model store: incomplete kits bagged up as a source of bitz and 'gubbinz' (my own big box of bitz being inconveniently in a different hemisphere)

Of course, then I spent two weeks turning then all over and over in my hands, coming up with new and different approaches to my first thoughts. Did I say that I would avoid Analysis Paralysis?

Yes, well....

Interestingly, after disassembly, I found the tracks to be quite reversible. So I ended up completely changing my approach, reversing the entire model and turning what is currently the 'engine bay' into a barbette gun platform like this:

Barbette mount on the French ironclad Le Redoubtable

I wanted to go for a more 'early pre-dreadnought' look rather than that a big turreted beast so this fit well and looked a promising way ahead.

So after a week of working up a stiff upper lip for the task, I bought myself a handy-dandy USB powered rotary tool and started cutting...

I managed to preserve most of the lovely detail for a future project

Which after a bit of clean-up looks thus:

I'll probably turn that hole where the boiler was into a crew access hatch

For the replacement deck, I wanted a ship-like wooden deck for the cannon to sit on. Using wood would also lighten the overall weight of the beast, which I'm sure my fictional 19th Century engineers would prioritise to coax a bit more speed out of her. Made from ubiquitous coffee stirrers glued to shaped plastic card.



Suitability test fit with my gun before I trimmed it down gives you an idea of were I'm going with this (more to follow on the gun next time)...

Looking ahead, what was the forward "conning tower" can now be built up into more of a Ship's Bridge, looking down and over the gun platform. A multi-level bridge like this would definitely give a "warship" feel but likely be overdoing it on a vehicle this size. Will experiment.

But most importantly, I've made a start - the first cut is the hardest: On on!

Russian reinforcements!

This week I have completed a battalion of Jaegers to add to my growing Russian army. Granted 'massed' in a relative term, but here is the combined infantry I've painted this year. 3 Battalions (2 Line,1 Jaeger), 2 units of skirmishers to screen them, and a couple of Command figures

Each battalion is 32 figs for a total of 110 figures all together. 

Advance! Skirmishers to the flanks!

Mix of Great War Miniatures and Warlord. Group bases are 80x40mm

And extended out in Line formation...

Thanks for looking!