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Russian 47mm Mortar
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World War
I / Russian Revolution |
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The
Kit: |
This is a
1/72nd scale offering from HäT
Industrie, Kit No.: 8080. It is molded in a soft gray
plastic. Mold parting lines are present
throughout and due to the softness of the plastic, are
difficult to cleanly remove.
Some minor assembly is required however; various types
of glues tried would not provide a good adhesion of
parts. A two-part epoxy did not sufficiently bond parts
together either. |
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The Details: |
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The mortar
and base as cast are simplistic and very basic. What
detail that is present in this kit is nicely done
however; reference to prove out this design could not be
found. This example is basically right out of the box.
The only additional items were the firing lanyard and a
length of telephone wire fashioned from sewing thread. |
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The Figures: |
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Are nicely
molded (IMO) with good detail present. Apparently, there
are some uniform discrepancies but generally, well done.
The difficult to remove mold parting lines are present
here as well. |
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Painting, Weathering and Finishing: |
Acrylic
paints and primer were used throughout this subject.
Despite a good soapy wash prior to the prime coat, paint
adhesion was difficult to achieve. Careful handling was
required to prevent paint chipping and a flat acrylic
coat was applied prior to the Turpenoid/oil based wash
and subsequent drybrushing/weathering. A final flat coat
was applied to the overall subject upon completion.
Pastel Chalks were used to finalize the weathering. |
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The Base and Groundwork: |
The base
is oak and is cut to 3-1/2 inches in diameter. Stained
and sealed with an oil based stain and multiple coats of
polyurethane.
The groundwork is a mix of Sculptamold, white glue and
water. Small twigs, stones and fine dirt from my yard were added in
prior to the Sculptamold setting up. Various other
ground products were added as well.
The nameplate was made on my computer. |
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General Mortar Info: |
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Spigot
mortar design. Used by the Imperial Russian Army during
WWI also used by both sides of the Russian Civil War.
Phased out of service around 1919 in favor of later tube
based mortar designs. |
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Actual
Mortar Data: |
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Range:
Approximately 390 meters (427 yards). |
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Deployment: Unknown but possibly up to six mortars per
each Rifle Regiment. |
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Sources: |
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Russian mortars (1914-1917) |
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WWI Russian Infantry Heavy Weapons Set |
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Blog about Russian Military
Equipment |
