Rapid Fire! NW Europe 44/45 in 20mm - German 21cm Mörser 18

Well, frankly I don't like to say negative remarks about models. For me, models are pieces of heaven that God sent to earth in the form of small bits of plastic, resin or metal for the fruition and pleasure of men (and woman alike as it keeps us at home). But this one simply drove me crazy! Why Revell needs to place 130 small parts, sometimes 3 parts in a 5mm lenght of a model thats ends up being 15cm long? This one was clearly designed for that friend of ours that when in a modelling contest abandons the conversation with you as soon as the loudspeaker announces that the winners will be revealed in seconds. There he goes running like crazy, expecting to receive 1st prize! After all he spent a good part of his life looking behind the magnifying lens, marvelled at the spark of the cigar on its 1/72nd figure or the button on the belt on its last jet fighter's seat that no one else can see!!  This is really a model for them: dozens of small parts, parts divided into other small parts, parts, parts, parts! And look at the box, almost the size of an Airfix playset with 100 figures and a castle!

The model on its own is a marvel of engineering, everything fits well and the end result is very good. But can't Revell understand that their biggests buyers are not our friends that run crazy as soon as the loudspeaker calls them - I mean the true (static) modellers - but we, the wargamers, or model hoarders? We are the ones that after buying 2 or 3 times the same model, still think that 2 or 3 more will be necessary as we never know when Nostradamus can be right. I wish PSC, Armourfast or alike could have made this one as I never missed these brands as much as I did in the last four previous and precious days. When the last tiny part was glued I just felt a big relief and pleasure as if smoking a cigar after getting laid with Miss Colombia... 

The artillerymen are old Matchbox figures. They have little gear and several poses are in standing positions. With new arms made of Greenstuff they become ideal for the job. The figures using the ram should be some 4 or 5 but that would extend the base too much and space is something that I start to value. The hands and arms are too big in this picture and they were trimmed to look more real when the paste dried out. The officer is the eternal Airfix DAK officer in the copied enlarged version. 

 

For the ram I used a stretched paper clip.

 

This Mörser becomes very spacious due to the long earth anchors. At the same time they are a nice detail making a very realistic model. 

I still couldn't find some proper ammunition for this gun and so I only used some ammunition boxes. They exist in resin but as usual are quite expensive. I´m thinking about using the ones from the German guns of the D-Day Airfix playset but first I need to find were I put them.  

The trailer is another nice detail but also a multi XXXX part thing. In the end this model is a good addition with the drawback of being heavy on building time. But hey, it was a gift from a friend so what the heck!...

Next: More Market Garden additions.