Saturday, September 4, 2021

Renaissance Reconnaissance, Part 4 - Box #8 "Big Bang, Cheery!"

The Renaissance era saw the artillery become an essential part of the army for battles in the field, as well as vital for the conduct of sieges, which were numerous throughout the era.  To quote (totally out of context), my friend, Gavin Shanks, 

"Nothing says 'I don't love you" quite as well as a big explosion. Says it all, really!"


This box has about 70% of my Renaissance Artillery park. Guns at this time were anything but standardized in caliber, carriages, or anything else!


The ordonnance itself is an eclectic mix of Hinchliffe, Old Glory, Redoubt, and others! During the Great Italian Wars, the Marquis of Ferarra was especially well known for his fascination with cannon, and his substantial artillery arm contributed to the defeat of the Spanish at the Battle of Ravenna in 1512.


I count 16 guns and 51 crew; as you can see, I could use  more crew figures. Many manufacturers make few or no crew for this era. The crew figures are also Old Glory, Redoubt, and Hinchliffe... for the most part!


18 comments:

  1. Great looking artillery park! I'm planning on sharing my next load of artillery between the 16th and 17th centuries if I can get away with it!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks, Iain.
      "If I can get away with it"?

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    2. Cast bronze guns with painted carriages,cutting edge in the 16th century,standard fare in the 17th century ,sabot base gun crew,it might work?
      Best Iain

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    3. Ah; don't worry, I won't tell! :-)

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  2. A nice assortment of guns there Peter, and I like the red oxide-looking colour you used for them.

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    1. Thanks, Lawrence; it seems that red iron oxide color or unpainted wood were most common. I like the look of the dark red (barn siding to us in the US), so most of my guns from this era have it.

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  3. OG gunners in bags are your friend.

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    1. Yes, have a lot of them (the Italian Wars and now ECW bags)! Is tghere a TYW artillerist bag, and would any of them be suitable?

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  4. They knew how to produce BIG guns in 'them' days, didn't they?! Love the ornate barrels on most of these.
    Regards, James

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    1. Guns at this time were both fine craftsmanship and very expensive, so the decoration makes sense. As for big - Mons Meg, some of the Ottoman stone throwing monsters - way beyond big!

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  5. So many beautiful guns and gunners here, impressive park!

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  6. Nice mix of types from the period and don't they always look great on a wargames table.

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    1. Thanks, Garry, and, yes, they look great on the table.

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  7. What a collection of guns Peter, that nearly rivals Maximilian's Zeugbuch! Surely a renaissance siege needs to be gamed with these.

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    1. Thanks, Oli.
      Could definitely be done with some minor mods to Vauban's Wars rules...

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  8. Clumsy clunky guns compared to Napoleonics but they are fantastic aren't they?! :)

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    1. From a mass and artistry standpoint, they are superb. The lack of standardization meant a lot of variations as well.

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