Possible New Range/s from Empire (1 Viewer)

[Empire MM]

Hi All,

We have been doing a bit of research into new ranges for either later in the year or the start of 2016. We have been looking at these as part of a new range, what do you think? :salute::

 

[The Breaker]

Hi All,

We have been doing a bit of research into new ranges for either later in the year or the start of 2016. We have been looking at these as part of a new range, what do you think? :salute::

View attachment 175897View attachment 175898 View attachment 175899

I don't need the bike, but I'd definitely take the Boer War Brit.

 

[blaster]

If the bikes are available as unpainted castings, YES!

Rgds Victor

 

[Artillery_crazy]

Great idea of thinking out of the box - that is out of the traditional range offerings....
I would say that although the trooper on the bike would be a nice dio piece for a messanger and or a troop of cycling infantry on march...we would still be limited on the various scenarios that one set could be used ( personal opinion ) but no harm in having one....after all the Tommy with a bike and the sikh with a bike made by Britains did a great success on its days and nowadays are very collectable.
As to the tricycle with na early maxim gun was a oddity that was only used for a limited time by some of the Territorial battalions in the UK never going overseas, due to it limited ability to negotiate obstacles on the field.....I would prefer if you did persue the idea of the Maxim in the South African or Sudan campaigns but use one of the field tested carriages....of which I include here some examples so as to give you an idea as to what others have done in the past....Too bad that only the STEADFAST Company and Yeomanry Miniatures still offers these maxim carriages the others having folded due to the mass produced competion coming from China.....
Cheers
Luiz

Hi All,

We have been doing a bit of research into new ranges for either later in the year or the start of 2016. We have been looking at these as part of a new range, what do you think? :salute::

View attachment 175897View attachment 175898 View attachment 175899

 

[Artillery_crazy]

A few more examples of maxims that could be of great inspiration.....but do remember that if you go the maxim way you need to supply infantry with Lee Metford magazine rifles and not do what another UK based manufacturer has been doing of supplying the infantry with Martin Henry Rifles and they are not compatible.....{sm3}{sm3}{sm3}{sm3}

 

[Empire MM]

A few more examples of maxims that could be of great inspiration.....but do remember that if you go the maxim way you need to supply infantry with Lee Metford magazine rifles and not do what another UK based manufacturer has been doing of supplying the infantry with Martin Henry Rifles and they are not compatible.....{sm3}{sm3}{sm3}{sm3}

Hi Luiz,

Thanks for those pics and all the info and feedback, that is truly helpful.

We are working on some maxim carriages to sit alongside our Belgian and BEF gunners for WW1.

Lee Metford is a MUST, great to read you have the same passion for detail that we have.

A new range announcement is due to be made very soon and all of this helps.

Thanks again,

Malcolm :salute::

 

[Artillery_crazy]

Hi Malcolm,

Thanks for the note.
As to your comment on WW1 maxim carriages....The British as far as I know did not have a specialized carriage for the guns as the Germans and Belgians had.
The guns were generally carried on the motorcycle combinations...hence the origins of the Machine gun Corps, and on other situations on specially designed saddles/harness for donkeys and horses. Actually the usual way of a machine gun section to go into battle was with one soldier carrying the tripod, one the gun and several carry the ammo boxes ( see attached my Toy Army Workshop example - these Tommies are wearing the traditional sheep skin overcoat for winter protection ).
At the moment I only have a Picture of an actual maxim gun carriage used by the Germans ( see attached ), if you want I can get the Belgian one which is interesting for it used to be pulled by dogs ( currently sold by Scale Link as a kit ), and the British harness set up I have an illustration... As a matter of fact the motorcycle combinations is widely known and Britians did in the 90´s two very nice examples of which I attach a Picture of one of them, and Scale Link currently offers the earlier motorcycle combination as a kit....:salute:::salute::

Hi Luiz,

Thanks for those pics and all the info and feedback, that is truly helpful.

We are working on some maxim carriages to sit alongside our Belgian and BEF gunners for WW1.

Lee Metford is a MUST, great to read you have the same passion for detail that we have.

A new range announcement is due to be made very soon and all of this helps.

Thanks again,

Malcolm :salute::

 

[Empire MM]

Hi Malcolm,

Thanks for the note.
As to your comment on WW1 maxim carriages....The British as far as I know did not have a specialized carriage for the guns as the Germans and Belgians had.
The guns were generally carried on the motorcycle combinations...hence the origins of the Machine gun Corps, and on other situations on specially designed saddles/harness for donkeys and horses. Actually the usual way of a machine gun section to go into battle was with one soldier carrying the tripod, one the gun and several carry the ammo boxes ( see attached my Toy Army Workshop example - these Tommies are wearing the traditional sheep skin overcoat for winter protection ).
At the moment I only have a Picture of an actual maxim gun carriage used by the Germans ( see attached ), if you want I can get the Belgian one which is interesting for it used to be pulled by dogs ( currently sold by Scale Link as a kit ), and the British harness set up I have an illustration... As a matter of fact the motorcycle combinations is widely known and Britians did in the 90´s two very nice examples of which I attach a Picture of one of them, and Scale Link currently offers the earlier motorcycle combination as a kit....:salute:::salute::

Hi Luiz,

What a great source of information, thank you. Love the collection, some great pieces in there.

We have been working on the Maxim and have already released a Belgian static team (as in the picture) and are just about to release the same for the BEF (again, as pictured). The next stage of development of course is to get them onto carriages........ The plan is to have one ready for release by the end of this year. We are working on the carriage currently.

The BEF did in fact have the same form of Gun Dog teams for pulling the Maxim at the start of the war. Below is an image of such a team. This was taken near Ypres in 1914. The other photo was taken around the same time but features a Belgian regiment.

The British had a very similar combo that they used in the Sudan (I think) and we are researching this (amongst much more) currently.

The Germans used to use the dogs they captured from the Belgians on a regular basis. (as well as horses and mules).

Hope this helps a little and lets you have an insight to where we know we are going.

Malcolm. :salute::

 

[Artillery_crazy]

Dear Malcom,

Fantastic source of data..congratulations!
If you need more pictures of the British Maxim carriages ( Sudan - South Africa - Northwestern Frontier ) let me know and I am happy to take a few more close ups....They usually were separated in infantry, cavalry types....slight set up variations.
Cheers
Luiz

Hi Luiz,

What a great source of information, thank you. Love the collection, some great pieces in there.

We have been working on the Maxim and have already released a Belgian static team (as in the picture) and are just about to release the same for the BEF (again, as pictured). The next stage of development of course is to get them onto carriages........ The plan is to have one ready for release by the end of this year. We are working on the carriage currently.

The BEF did in fact have the same form of Gun Dog teams for pulling the Maxim at the start of the war. Below is an image of such a team. This was taken near Ypres in 1914. The other photo was taken around the same time but features a Belgian regiment.

The British had a very similar combo that they used in the Sudan (I think) and we are researching this (amongst much more) currently.

The Germans used to use the dogs they captured from the Belgians on a regular basis. (as well as horses and mules).

Hope this helps a little and lets you have an insight to where we know we are going.

Malcolm. :salute::

View attachment 176092

View attachment 176089View attachment 176090View attachment 176091

 

[trooper]

Regret to inform you that the photo of the Welch Regt. dog team does not date to the Great War. The machine gun is a Maxim which was replaced by the Vickers in 1912. This particular photo was discussed in great depth on the Victorian Wars Forum and was established to one of the volunteer battalions of the Welch Regiment and peculiar to that unit alone. It was never a general practice in the British Army. Trooper

 

[Artillery_crazy]

Hi Trooper,
Thanks for the follow up....at first I thought I had missed something....
Cheers
Luiz

Regret to inform you that the photo of the Welch Regt. dog team does not date to the Great War. The machine gun is a Maxim which was replaced by the Vickers in 1912. This particular photo was discussed in great depth on the Victorian Wars Forum and was established to one of the volunteer battalions of the Welch Regiment and peculiar to that unit alone. It was never a general practice in the British Army. Trooper

 

[Empire MM]

Regret to inform you that the photo of the Welch Regt. dog team does not date to the Great War. The machine gun is a Maxim which was replaced by the Vickers in 1912. This particular photo was discussed in great depth on the Victorian Wars Forum and was established to one of the volunteer battalions of the Welch Regiment and peculiar to that unit alone. It was never a general practice in the British Army. Trooper

Hi Trooper,

Indeed, you are correct in the fact that the photo is of the Volunteer Battalion of the Royal Welch Regiment, E company in fact. It is also true that this is pre WW1.

However, I am told and believe that the BEF did make use of such carriages in the early part of 1914. Further, the Maxim went to war with the BEF in August of 1914 and was not replaced with the Vickers until 1916.

There were many methods used to move the Maxim around and we are researching them all with some very top class help. Until we have 100% proof of the BEF dog carts we will not be producing them. One thing is certain though. The Belgians and Germans both used dogs as beasts of burden in the Great War.

Thanks,

Malcolm. :salute::

 

[johnnybach]

Great idea of thinking out of the box - that is out of the traditional range offerings....
I would say that although the trooper on the bike would be a nice dio piece for a messanger and or a troop of cycling infantry on march...we would still be limited on the various scenarios that one set could be used ( personal opinion ) but no harm in having one....after all the Tommy with a bike and the sikh with a bike made by Britains did a great success on its days and nowadays are very collectable.
As to the tricycle with na early maxim gun was a oddity that was only used for a limited time by some of the Territorial battalions in the UK never going overseas, due to it limited ability to negotiate obstacles on the field.....I would prefer if you did persue the idea of the Maxim in the South African or Sudan campaigns but use one of the field tested carriages....of which I include here some examples so as to give you an idea as to what others have done in the past....Too bad that only the STEADFAST Company and Yeomanry Miniatures still offers these maxim carriages the others having folded due to the mass produced competion coming from China.....
Cheers
Luiz

As Luiz mentioned it - here's one of the Yeomanry Miniatures versions of a carriage mounted maxim - here seen with a patrol group of the 2nd Lifeguards, which can be bought as either painted sets - or as I did - as unpainted castings; (sculpted by Alan Caton). The detail is fantastic - and was a delight to paint. jb

 

[Empire MM]

As Luiz mentioned it - here's one of the Yeomanry Miniatures versions of a carriage mounted maxim - here seen with a patrol group of the 2nd Lifeguards, which can be bought as either painted sets - or as I did - as unpainted castings; (sculpted by Alan Caton). The detail is fantastic - and was a delight to paint. jb

Thanks for posting this, what an outstanding set and a very nice paint job!

I would give this house room for sure.

:salute::