1:72 Turkish sailors artillery, 16-17th century

Turkish naval gun crew of the 16th to 17th century, figures 1:72 (Red Box)

A set of historical figures in 1:72 scale from the maker Red Box. The theme is a Turkish naval gun crew of the period of the 16th and 17th centuries. This is not a kit of a ship or a vehicle; the contents of the set are figures that will complement a scene already built, or that make up a group of their own on a base. Count primarily on crew figures; the exact contents are stated on the box.

A crew around a piece in a scene

An artillery scene at this scale rests on the placement of the crew around one piece. It proves useful to divide the figures up by task: a group at the muzzle, a group at the breech and one figure in the rear at the ammunition. The naval theme allows the piece to be placed on a deck, on a mole or in an improvised emplacement by the water, where the ground is level and the scene reads from above. Leave a free strip around the piece; it is precisely the empty space that gives the group readability and separates it from the surrounding buildings of a diorama.

Building and painting tips

First free the figures of mold seams with a sharp scalpel and run fine abrasive paper over the area. Apply the primer in a light layer so that the engraved detail is not lost; in 1:72 a figure works out at roughly twenty-four millimeters and a heavy layer of primer fills the folds. Apply the paints thinned over several passes, then put a dark wash into the shadows and bring out the edges with a fine dry brush. A matte varnish at the end unifies the surface and raises the resistance to handling. Unify the bases with the color of the diorama terrain so that the group merges with the scene.

Who the set is for

• Builders of dioramas with naval and harbor themes in 1:72
• Players of historical tabletop games in 1:72 and 1:76 scale
• Modelers who are adding a crew to an artillery scene
• Collectors of historical figure sets

The set is supplied unpainted. Paints, glue, bases and terrain material are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.