European artillery colour

[Fjodin]

Lets share information about late 19 century limber colour. Here is what I've found (hope its historical):

Prussians have blue limber with black guns


Same for US

Zulu War Colonial Brittish used brown woodern colour or very dark close-to-black colour (not sure which is more correct)


But some use blue colour, so I am confused
http://bp1.blogger.com/_UqsRf118B2I/R8CDPRZe-bI/AAAAAAAAB2A/DnTaGr6D5gM/s1600-h/Gardener+Gun.JPG

[Thunderchicken]

I use a blue/grey for British gun carriages:



For the French, as far as I can tell they can be anything from green to grey or a mixture of two as the 19th century makes way for the 20th century.

For Prussians, again gun carriages seem to change from blue seen in the Franco Prussian War to grey used in WWI.

[Ray Rivers]

Lets share information about late 19 century limber colour. Here is what I've found (hope its historical):

Prussians have blue limber with black guns

Same for US

The US used Olive green.

[fastolfrus]

Bear in mind that the reenactors are a navy crew, so may not follow army colours....

[Doc Twilight]

I had a list at one time for all combatants in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 (including the minor German states), but Geocities killed my site, and apparently that part of the site didn't make it to the way back machine....

However, a few that I do remember.

Austrian: ochre yellow
Bavarian: dark grey
Federal Army: brown or black (but this varied, depending upon which German state a battery was from)
Hanoverian: light grey
Hesse-Cassel: red or grey; Hesse-Darmstadt carriages were grey. No sure about Hesse-Hornburg.
Italian: red
Nassau: ochre yellow; though one source claims they were orange (I doubt this very much.)
Prussian: dark navy blue
Saxon: dark green

Also...

During the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848:

Mexican artillery carriages were plain wood, stained with tar.
American carriages were ochre yellow (not green).

-Doc

[Ray Rivers]

During the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848:

Mexican artillery carriages were plain wood, stained with tar.
American carriages were ochre yellow (not green).

I think Spanish-American war would be more germane for the VSF period.

Check out this site... http://www.lovettartillery.com/index.html ... especially this page... http://www.lovettartillery.com/3.2%20Inch%20Limber

Each to his own though...

[Fjodin]

OK! I see here is confusion here
Now I am completely dont know which colours to use for my newly arriwed 15mm guns

[Doc Twilight]

I think Spanish-American war would be more germane for the VSF period.

Check out this site... http://www.lovettartillery.com/index.html ... especially this page... http://www.lovettartillery.com/3.2%20Inch%20Limber

Each to his own though...

He asked for general artillery colors, so I thought I'd share what I had. Mexican-American war is technically during the Victorian period anyway.

As for the colors, I don't deny that they were green by 1898. They were not, however, green during the Mexican-American War. It's a common mistake, usually because it's assumed that the colors used during the American Civil War were the same as those used during the Mexican War. (And I know at least one Civil War nut who insists they weren't universally green in 1861-65, either.) However, records are quite clear that the official color for American regular batteries was "ochre yellow" from 1846-1848. One source even describes them as being painted "in the manner of the Austrians, an ochre or Africa yellow."

As for Spanish limber colors, it's something I really -should- know, but I don't. Any idea for this, Ray? You live there, after all;)

-Doc

[Thunderchicken]

OK! I see here is confusion here
Now I am completely dont know which colours to use for my newly arriwed 15mm guns

What nations are you looking to paint? Remember that nothing is exactly the same. As with uniforms paintwork will be weathered and damaged during campaigns and will also come from different manufacturing sources so will never be exactly the same in colour. On top of that equipment that should be mothballed will probably be pulled out of storage and put back into service. I'm sure I read somewhere equipment from the American Civil War was used by the Government of National Defence during the Franco Prussain War but there's probably some better examples.

It's up to you how historical you want to be.

[Grekwood]

British...black (iron) guns and grey carriages would seem to the standard for the end of the 19th century

[Ray Rivers]

As for Spanish limber colors, it's something I really -should- know, but I don't. Any idea for this, Ray? You live there, after all;)

Haven't a clue.

Sorry.

[Fjodin]

Well, I have 2 6pdr prussian guns and 2 gatlings.
6pdrs will be prussian and gatlings will be used by many sides. I use gun crew on separate bases, so I can use the same crew with different guns.

I think to paint Gatling in wooden brown colour (to use it as british or us)
And 6 pdr gun will be... I think blue...

But I am also have guns for 2mm British and Prussians. So I am wandering what colour to tuse for them. If I use blue for Prussians and grey for Brits, will it be historical (I know its VSF, but I am also willing to use this figures for real history Colonial and Franco-Prussian periods)