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.