The latest image that I have found shows the weight and sizes of the various rockets and I must admit that I had not been aware of such variation, which explains the differences I see in model versions from small almost hand held size up to monsters which must be 8' long in total. I had decided to base my rockets on those in the Warlord Games set, clearly large with the rockets attached to the tail by 3 metal bands, some images show brass bands others steel. With such heavy gauge rockets they clearly require the heavy duty launch frame, the laddered version with half pipe supports fitted to each side to enable two rockets to be laid for firing. Mine will be scratch built with one rocket laid on and another in the process of being fitted by a gunner. A third rocket will be held upright ready to load once they have been fired. The officer will be pointing towards the target whilst keeping his fingers crossed that the trajectory will at least be in the right direction. A fourth rocketeer will hold the extended portfire used to ignite the rocket up on the frame.
I'm using the open handed digital conversions that I commissioned from the original RHA crew set plus the Mk.1 pointing officer figure. No doubt that there will be a home made look to this base but I'll do the best I can and that will part of its charm, especially as it will be unique in this scale.
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| Borrowed image to show a similar style of launch frame. |
Note: the figures just require some finishing touches to uniform details. These were painted some time back and I will need to correct the piping colour to a warm yellow not metallic.
Lee, I seem to remember reading somewhere that the rockets were used without frames at Waterloo? They were just laid on the ground and fired through the corn - I think it was in David Howarths book, must check I might have been dreaming!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Ian, I do need to do more research on this matter. I now think my rockets are too big for those used by the troop in 1813 which is the period of the Sharpe episode that inspired this. It's taken a year to get this far so might as well try to get them right!
ReplyDeleteI checked that book and I wasn't dreaming! The rocket troop did have a big frame at Waterloo but it was too heavy to bring forward so most of the rocketeers took 6lb rockets and fired them horizontally through the rye. It says they used a small triangular frame for horizontal fire - much easier to model! The rockets shouldn't have been there at all as Wellington had ordered the troop to re-equip with normal guns as he frowned on the new technology but the troop took the rockets anyway!
DeleteExcellent bit of information, thank you Ian. I think I know the horizontal triangular tube frame referred to, on four legs, like you say easier to model. My rockets are far bigger then the 6lb version but they could be replaced :)
DeleteGreat looking troops and nice research for these very specific equipment!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thanks Iain. The problem with the rocket troop is that almost every image you see the launch frame is slightly different but have now narrowed it down to two types.
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