SYW limbers - paint national colour or plain wood multi-national?

[olicana]

I'm toying with spending some of my Christmas figure presents money (my wife gives me a £150.00 GBP budget every year for my main present) on SYW limbers.

At present I don't have any and use the usual expedients for representing limbered guns on the table. I am just finishing the three army (Prussian, Russian, Austrian) collection and wonder if now is the time to splurge.

Problem.

It's quite a big collection with 18 guns and howitzer batteries (2 guns each), all in 28mm. Even using two horse limbers that's a whopping £352.80 GBP, and I'd like four horse limbers for half of them, bringing the total up to £421.20 GBP.

That is a lot more than I want to spend – a lot, lot more – on something that doesn't get to roll dice.

O.K. I can use one limber to represent a two gun battery in transit – the total base length would still be about 18cm including the gun – so that cuts the price in half. That is still over £200.00 GBP

O.K. So I will not need limbers for everything in a typical game. Possibly I'll only usually need three limbers per army (9 total). That cuts the price again – to around £105.00 GBP

Now we are getting nearer to the truth. This is more the kind of money and nearer to what I'll actually use.

But this supposes I have three designated limbers per army, painted in the national artillery colour. What if I don't paint the limbers in national colour? What, if like my ammunition wagons (bought for the Zorndorf game) I paint them in natural wood so than they be used for any army? That way I just need six limbers, bringing down the cost again, and they could all be used for one army if need be.

So, national colours like the guns?





Or, natural colours like my multi-national wagons?



Your advice please. Thanks,

James

[Roo]

Looking at your not insubstantial outlay on 'toys' already I would vote National Colours to maintain the truly beautiful look of your armies...not being a period buff not sure if that is correct...because having followed your blog for some time I reckon you would only go back to this format in time anyway so cut to the chase now and take the pain...then move on to finish your Napoleonics!!!!!

Of course the Cornishman in me would paint them all brown...multi use then!!!

[wolfkarl]

I would go with plain wood. Batteries were moved into place by hired civilian drivers, who then removed themselves when the shooting started. They would have their own "limbers". I believe there were no regular army limber drivers until the Napoleonic wars. The exception may have been the Prussian horse battery.

[olicana]

I would go with plain wood. Batteries were moved into place by hired civilian drivers, who then removed themselves when the shooting started. They would have their own "limbers". I believe there were no regular army limber drivers until the Napoleonic wars. The exception may have been the Prussian horse battery.

My understanding is that by the time of the SYW, probably somewhat earlier, drivers and draught animals were hired but the limbers and ammunition wagons were state owned.

Having said that, plain wood limbers are drawing me as the practical solution to the cost and painting time problem - I'm also pretty good at painting wood (if I say so myself).

[duc de limbourg]

Indeed, drivers were hired but limbers were imho army property.
With your magalomanic tendency in painting armies I would paint seperate limbers. Be a real man and paint also the appropriate limbers.

[gustav]

only one true OCD answer to that.  you know what it is.

[Harry Faversham]

It's only money, stop being a tightwad, man! Buy a limber for each and every gun and paint it in the proper national colours... go on, you know you want to.

[sukhe_bator]

With a sumptuous collection like that I'd definitely go for limbers in national colours.
Mind you its not the limbers you should worry about but all those &&*(&!£$ horses!
I opted for a limber per gun for my Assaye Maratha Army. But even at 16 gun models (2 per Bttn) that worked out at nearly 100 oxen to paint up - thankfully that was in 15mm!. 

[Ignatieff]

It's only money, stop being a tightwad, man! Buy a limber for each and every gun and paint it in the proper national colours... go on, you know you want to.

I concur.  Having gone this far James to create the most wonderful collection, why compromise now?

[italwars]

i partially agree  with Sukhe Bator..but to allow such a sum to limbers is really an heavy comitment...
while SYW is not my cup of tea maybe i can try to suggest you my idea..i did planned something similar for my 19 c. colonial armies...my low budget approach for a secondary sector of a wargame army like limbers is:
horses: purchase plastic ones and recruits spare box unusued metal ones adding leather equipment out of milliput. or do an heavy conversion work on different pieces of something already existing maybe a vintage OOP  small horse..to pay a comission for a partial designing  should cost you less than buy many minis..then make your hand poured castings  out of a sylicone mould..i suppose you could do it if you change sensibly the aspect of the figure
wheels: no problem at all...plenty available including spare plastic ones
limber: just a box..do it in plasticard/balsa and make a mould as above
...finally..are they ACW plastic limbers from Perry so much different from the SYW ones da you require?

[armchairgeneral]

I concur.  Having gone this far James to create the most wonderful collection, why compromise now?

I agree with Harry and Ignatieff. Get yer money out! Paint a limber in the correct colours for each gun for each army.

[PAULSPENCE]

Bonjour Olicana,

Don't delay buy loads of 4 horse-team limbers!

My French Napoleonic ones can be found here:

http://1drv.ms/1S7f5sY

Even painted some myself!

Cheers,

Paul

[olicana]

Hi Paul,

I think I saw that shot a short while ago - so it was you who got me thinking

James