RHS 1/35 5.5inch Field Gun

[SJPONeill]

This was a totally chance impulse purchase off Trademe…there I was, just casually browsing when there it was: a 1/35 5.5in Field Gun, for the bargain price of NZD30…

The 5.5 is known to most of us via the venerable Airfix 1/76 5.5 and its trusty attendant, the AEC Matador – I’ve yet to see a 5.5 in 1/35 so this was too good to be true…

It arrived in a few days is a very small package with 3D printed parts and four pages of instructions. For me, this is a Goldilocks kit: not too simple, not to complex i.e. not like a Trumpeter artillery piece with 74 parts per wheel nut…just right…Goldilocks, right…?




If anyone is keen on a big 5.5, please contact Rob on Facebook at Rob’s Homecraft Shop. Rob’s next project is the SADF G5 155mm gun/howitzer, so it might pay to follow his page for progress updates…

[JohnRatzenberger]

Neat. IIRC Resicast did a 1/35 5.5 but not at that price ...

[SJPONeill]

This won't be as complex as the Resicast 5.5, in fact, the parts count doesn't look much more than the Airfix one, but that's good enough for guvmint work for me...

With the current rate of exchange, it's probably only about USD16 + postage and the size and weight of my package was no more than that of a double DVD set...you could probably put a 1/35 5.5 battery on the ground with relative ease...

[JohnRatzenberger]

....you could probably put a 1/35 5.5 battery on the ground with relative ease...

That sort of thinking has gotten me in a lot of trouble before

[SJPONeill]

You know you want to....

...or you could settle for a four gun troop...


Looking at the pic of the guns at the Rhine, the gun line is not nearly as cluttered and busy as I would have expected...

[iggie]

Looking at that picture of the guns lined up for the Rhine Crossing, methinks it's been staged as even that late in the war there would surely have been some attempt at dispersing the guns against the threat of air attack or counter-battery fire?
Either way, I do like the look of that kit

[SJPONeill]

I agree, Jim even though we hear of guns being parked wheel to wheel, that pic looks more like a post-op admin period, cleaning the guns and maybe cleaning and repacking the ready-use ammunition and charges seen behind some of the guns...

This looks like a more practical spacing for actual firing...still close enough for John to squeeze a troop in...

[SJPONeill]

Rob's next 1/35 creation, the mighty SADF G5 155mm howitzer, has just gone live and can be acquired via his FB page Robs Homecraft Shop (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063917778348) for NZD75 + P&P...I'll be getting one in the next couple of weeks and will psot impressions here...

[SJPONeill]

Another member of IPMS Wellington bought one of the 5.5s off Rob to convert into the 4.5" which is basically the same with a slightly longer barrel. When Rob learned this, he designed and printed a 4.5" barrel.

This isn't mentioned on his FB page but if you ask, he'll probably be happy to turn one out for you.

So that's two previously unkitted 1/35 field guns now available....