Minor Project - Mauser 1898 Model, 17/11/18

The next model is going to be the ‘Mauser 1898’ which is the small arm that Germany went into the war with. At the start with the new innovations of the fire arms it was thought that wars would be fought at great ranges with new high powered cartridges and longer rifles. However as the war progressed rifles and their accompanying bayonets got shorter to adapt to the closer encounters. This was also expressed in the sights as with the adaption of new, pointed ammunition by the Germans meant that the lowest settings on the sights were for 400m meaning shots would go well over the target. In terms of the model it is an interesting task as it involves the more organic curves of the wooden furnishing and metal components. Modeling has started with the rear lower end of the gun. The parts that are present are very much complete and now the rest simply have to be modeled.

Mause reciever with trigger guard and bottom mag plate

Model from behind

Cut away

Minor Project - MG 08 Model, 16/11/18

I hope that everyone has had a good black Friday and bought a Centiq 13 HD so that I could possibly try it out. Either way the MG 08 or ‘Maschinengewehr 08’ has been completely modelled in a simplified rendition. As stated before the model will not be in the lime light for long and so has been made with this in mind. 

Finished MG 08 model

Front view

Side view

Changes from the previous update include details on the sled mount, the structure supporting the gun, the receiver itself and a belt. Starting with the belt, it is planned to have this simulate the action of bullets being fed into the gun by having the belt wave around without actually being pulled through. Of course to complete this illusion the end of the belt has to be out of shot and just in case a box that would be holding the fresh cartridges has been modelled but hopefully will not be needed. The receiver itself has had details added such as an extrusion on the left side, a charging handle on the right, sights on top and dual handles at the back. Several spent cases have been left so that they can be ejected from the weapon.

Mauser 8mm (7.92mm) ammo with serveral spent cartidges for the animation

This illusion is quite commonly used in games to save space but is also used now and again for airsoft models. Of course it is obvious the belt is not being fed as the end can be clearly seen not moving.

Gunsight with dual grip below

Charging handle with belt 

Underside of the mount

Ejection port of the gun (shot for the animation)

Front legs with fixed feet

 As stated before the mount could be used in a sled configuration for easy transport as seen below.

Sled mount folded into the sled position for transport

Minor Project - MG 08 Model, 15/11/18

The MG 08 used at the battle was very likely include a sled mount. Despite looking large it was actually very light weight being made of stamped steel. For the crew who used it the sled would contain all the equipment needed to keep the gun running at an optimal rate. The reason why it is referred to as a sled mount is because the front legs could be swung over the top of the weapon locking at the back (I am planning to demonstrate this at a later date). This turned the mount into a sled for transport.

Model with added sled mount

In terms of modelling alot of these features are unnecessary, in fact the only parts that do have to move is the gun's horizontal axis. The way the mount can be turned into a sled just happens to work due it bring the easiest way to model. Never the less as this is not going to be a fully detailed model certain features have been left out. Two examples include the cut outs along the point which the front legs pivot and the stands at the rear legs. This is because they are not really seen during the animatic.

Model from behind

Side view

Minor Project - MG 08 Model, 13/11/18

To change the pace of the modelling I have chosen to model the ' MG 08' before moving onto the 13 pounder's counterpart, the '7.7 cm Feldkanone 96 neuer Art'. This was done to keep variety but also get some quick modelling done. In terms of the history of the gun it is as interesting as it is deadly and much like the 7.7 cm gun would change the way the British would approach these various pieces of equipment. 

Modelling of the gun will be broken down into several components including the water jacket, the rear half of the weapon and the sled mount. By far the most complex component will be the sled mount with its number of curves and stamped parts. Looking at the animatic it can be seen that the machine gun is not seen for long and is only seen from forward angles. This means that parts such as the firing paddles do not have to be modelled as they will never be in shot. The hose directing condensation from the water jacket that cools the gun will not be included in the animation as it will then require something to the likes of cloth animation adding more tasks and time needed. While an essential part of WW1 machine guns hopefully it will go unnoticed for the average viewer. 

Beginning of block model

Cross section of model

Block model with handle place holder

Minor Project - QF 13-Pdr Model, 13/11/18

Finally the modelling for the gun has come to an end. With the addition of the supporting structure came the fittings for the handles and axel allowing all the components to fit together. With that in mind there was a need to model an additional part of the gun shield that is folded away by the trail pole. This was only noticed after looking over the images from the last post which caused come confusion but was not too much of a significant change. This component was less apparent from the side as it is folded away to avoid damage during transport and swung down during combat. Aside from that there were not too many major changes added.

Finished model of QF-13 Pdr

View from behind with more details

Craddle supporting the gun with handles supposedly for adjusting angle

Closer up of breech with the rear of the cradle

Craddle without the gun showing the lack of working mechanism

Despite the lack of mechanical workings I hope that the gun carries the sense of a working machine of war. Feedback is welcome! 

Minor Project - QF 13-Pdr Model, 12/11/18

I have to apologise for the recent lack in activity on blogger but with this post comes a number of changes towards the QF-13 Pdr model. Nearing the end of the modelling process finalising details has become more of an issue. With the large amounts of mechanical details and lack of time, components have to be omitted but enough detail has to be created to give the sense of a strong and robust machine of war. One minor change is that the gun shield and its corresponding parts had to be shortened due to an error in the drawing.

Model nearing completion

Model front view

Model side view

The new addition is the breech and handle that swings round to complete the action of closing and locking the breech in one swift motion, giving the weapon its ‘quick-fire’ designation. To keep in time the breech has been greatly simplified removing the safety. Still I hope that retaining its key features will be enough to convince the audience that this is a working weapon fit for the theatre of WW1.

Finished breech with independently rotating handle

Of course with the addition of sights a slot has to be cut to allow them to be used. At first the cut out was modelled as a rectangular shape with rounded corners but as it turns out this feature was not specific to the ‘Nery gun’ which was far more rounded at the bottom. As it turns out there are a number of variations between models of 13 pounders produced. 

Cut out in gunshield for sights

The sight for the weapon is easily one of the most complex components of the gun with various notches, gauges and nobs to adjust and compensate for distance and wind. This could have easily consumed a lot of time if this was purely a project of passion but instead a simpler component was modelled. Normally the sight is slotted onto a vertical rail however a fixed sight is used instead housing a fictional scope (as the original could not be found in images).   

Sights with fictional scope and fittings

On the other side of the sight is a single handle that would be used to roguhly lay the gun’s elevation. Beside it should be a wheel with marking denoting the angle of the gun while also turning the gun on its axel.     

Elevation handle

The seats of the gunner and layer have been modelled. It appears that these simple seats are attached to struts that hold the wheels secure during firing.

Supporting struts and seats

The final components to be modelled are the centre structure that houses all the components into a single working weapon. Currently represented as a block it will also house another two rotating handles that will presumably lay the gun horizontally and vertically. The carriage does not allow the gun to turn left and right with a high degree. If a target cannot be tracked horizontally the gun would be simply picked up by the ground spade and rotated. To model this component more easily the gun has been elevated to its resting position so that it can be built around it.

Block model of supporting structure

As it can be seen in the picture at the IWM the gun has a lot of extra components. For me the most obvious include the support struts around the bottom and extra components tucked behind the gun shield. The struts have not been included to reduce time on the model but to also allow easier animation so that the crew can position their legs more freely. Soon with the final components of the model it will be time to move onto the German counterpart. 

IWM 'Nery Gun' with gun positioned at a 90 degree angle

Minor Project - Animatic Second Pass, 09/11/18

Listening to the recording of the reception of last year's animatic it was decided that there were several key areas the needed improvement. These included making it more evident that the British were alone at first and against a much larger force, make the resolution of the battle more clear and integrate the information in a more dynamic manner. In terms of the animatic little changes were required and a number of additional frames were added. As of now the sounds being used included the voices are just place holders and are not complete. 

Additional storyboard

Toolkit 3 - 5 Minute speed pose, 07/11/18

5 second pose

Reference photo