1:72 WWI French Artillery Crew

1:72 WWI French Artillery Crew — figures from the manufacturer HäT

The set contains figures of French artillerymen in poses at work on a gun — passing and loading ammunition, aiming, working the breech. The figures are of plastic, are supplied unpainted and are intended to complete dioramas and models of artillery hardware in 1:72 scale. It is precisely the crew that turns a model of a gun into a scene: without a crew a battery looks empty, and with figures both the scale and the story are immediately clear.

The real subject

During the First World War the French artillery was the backbone of the army and the course of most of the fighting on the Western Front depended on how it performed. The crew of a light field gun worked in a well-rehearsed sequence of actions in which every man had his role. From 1915 the soldiers wore a uniform in a blue-gray shade, known as bleu horizon, and a steel helmet of the Adrian pattern; older photographs from the first months of the war still show prewar uniforms with markedly different coloring.

Building and painting tips

Wash the figures in lukewarm soapy water and let them dry thoroughly — with softer plastics that decides how well the paint adheres. Trim the parting seams with a scalpel. Apply a primer coat, then proceed from the large areas to the details, bring out the hollows with a wash and lighten the edges. In 1:72 scale there is no sense in painting every button; what counts is a legible outline and the right tonal arrangement. Glue the figures to a base only once they are painted.

Who the figures are for

• Builders of First World War dioramas in 1:72 scale
• Modelers of artillery hardware who are short of a crew
• Collectors and painters of small-scale figures
• Anyone interested in the French army of the years 1914 to 1918

The figures are supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and bases are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.