"Colours of a French Seven Years War Steamtank" Topic

My French 7YW army also doubles up as my Empire army in WHFB (to play my son's High Elves) and I have a Steam Tank. At the moment it is rather unimaginitely painted with plate sides and atillery red wood. Do the gurus on the TMP board have any other suggestions?

Alos, at the momemt it is run by the grey coated Corps of Engineers but I wonder if Tank crews may want to be more spectacular?

It could be crewed by a civilian inventor and his assistants too. So select a suitably loud coat for him.

I'm thinking a nice painting on each panel. Perhaps scenes of past military glory or Classical heroism?

It is the Baroque period after all.

Baroque, eh? Well, the official colour for French gun carriages was red with, as I recall, black painted metal fittings – so you could use red painted sides, but as James notes there should be no lack of fittings – I am thinking lots of brass and lots of banners in addition to the great ideas about paintings on the panels, of past glory or perhaps a portrait of the sponsoring nobles/King/inventor

Further to the banner stuff, the French loved flags – and big ones, too – you should certainly have one or two

I like Jamesonsafari's and Frederick's ideas.
Look up some SYW Dragoon standards. "The Sun in Splendor" is a fine thing.
Start from here,
drapeaux.org/Accueil.htm
and scroll to France, Ancien Regime, Dragons and have a ball.

However, perhaps the infernal engine is not supplied by the Crown. I would suggest that some mad nobleman has paid for it. It would then be appropriate to have the sides painted with the arms and supporters of some noble. I have always liked the name Rohan, so I just Googled it to see what the arms were:
link
I can see those painted on the side of a tank.
Choose your own favorite martial nobleman.

Don't forget to have a plentiful supply of M. Franklin's Leyden Jar Projectors.

John, would the Continental Congress allow those to be exported?

French artillery carriages were painted (light-medium) blue link
On a painting dating from the WAS the carriage of a siege piece is blue with golden lilies -just like the coat of arms of France: maybe Louis XV was visiting the siege?

Now, for paintings on panels… indeed if was done for the highest class coaches picture picture but it's unlikely enough on a war machine *supposed* to actually take the field, so unless you have a trick to print such paintings and turn them to home-made decals you can well ignore them. Otherwise, the standards of French Household Cavalry and Gendarmerie are a possible source: link
and baroque paintings of Vulcan picture ? As a medium step, the French 'Arms' on the main door picture picture ? For fanciful heralry with wheels: link

For the uniforms, well, coal / charcoal / ashes / smoke are as dirty as black powder, so even a baroque ruler would not give the crew an uniform soon obscenely soiled. Dark blue was used by French as well as British artillery, and it's not coincidental. And think of the traditional uniforms of railways engine drivers / firemen. Dark grey, dark blue… are likely. Not glamorous, but would not make the King / Basileos and his Court ashamed but being glaringly *dirty*. Even the facing color should be dark -maroon, dark burgundy as a cautious reminder of 'fire red'?

Tricornes immediately 'label' a miniature / model "mid-18th C.", but to be honest for most of the crew a fatigue cap / peasant cap is more likely. For the steam engine fireman, a mini with an apron (18th C. tavern staff or blacksmith?) would look 'realistic'.

Do those Warhammer Tilean flying fusiliers using a Da Vinci device are still available? Converted with a tricorne and cuffs… Not that I'm frenzied by the unavoidable implications of flying troops on warfare…
Now in the 'Belisarius' series, the Byzantine army fields multiple rockets launchers each swivel-mounted on an Ancient-type war chariot…

[ Typically 'Lacepunk' TMP link topic, John :) :) !]

*I* would never call it "Lacepunk". *YOU* can call it what you want, Sir, and be off!
I have toyed with CANDLELIGHT, but can't come up with a non-silly acronym.

As for the Dogs of War figures, I already have them as the 2nd Pennsylvania Aerial Dragoon Zouaves. All that was necessary was to find some nice Zouaves without backpacks.
In this case, I would use suitably French light infantry, such as Eureka's Arquebussiers du Grassin, or Fischer's Chasseurs.
Failing that, I am sure Grenze or dismounted Hussars would work fine too.

Don't ask me how they fight, because they never have. As soon as they appear on the board, they attract gunfire from EVERYBODY, and they never last past Turn 3.

John, would the Continental Congress allow those to be exported?

No Continental Congress in the SYW. Just John Hancock learning his trade as a smuggler.

Sirs, any trooper for aeronauting must have a helmet, as of the Kings Ordonnance of 1861! Front Rank's Voluntaire de St Clermont is clearly the way to go!

With the padding all around their helmet, Volontaires de Clermont would also fit for tank crews: early tankists had such picture (though I doubt a steamtank could move on irregular ground, and so would require the crew to wear a head protection…).

For supporting APC (I suppose each steam tank needs to be followed by a squad of assault engineers to clear any serious obstacle on its way) an expensive solution is to start from a steam tank (the 'old' original model was better imho but survivors are now collectors of exhuberant price, I'm afraid), somehow turn the front to a drawbridge, don't mount the turret (there is supposedly room for a squad inside), only the swivel-mounted 'point defense' musket / amusette directly on the circular intended to receive the turret? Now, you could seemingly scratchbuilt it indicated here to scratchbuilt a steamtank: link ; this one picture screams to be used a san APC.

Related thread here: TMP link
and elsewhere: link link
(linking also to link :without the oars (?) the gunship van become a tank)

(I suppose each steam tank needs to be followed by a squad of assault engineers to clear any serious obstacle on its way)

Carrying bundles of fascines to toss into ditches. That's how we find just how heavy the steam tank is.

Coincidentally I am going to be running a Battles by GASLIGHT game at Cold Wars this year titled Ben Franklin's War. The British will will have early steam powered contraptions. I've painted up a couple of da Vinci style steam tanks in a blue gray with black fittings along with a barrel steam cannon painted the same. I know that the British RA used light gray for their artillery pieces but the darker color just looked better. The rebellious colonist are using electric powered and harmonic weapons along with some clock-work wagons, mostly painted in a sort of barn red.

@ bogdanwaz: *GREAT* to read from you! For years I've been fascinated and inspired in my '18th C. / Munchausenian SF' musings by your "Age of Reason" battle report and enthralling photos on the GASLIGHT Yahoo group, and have been hoping for new such: with the amount of work invested in the modeling of R.P. Lama's skyships and in the steamtanks I thought you have played other battles with them and was expecting other battle reports…

Pray post somewhere the AAR of the 'Ben Franklin's War' game!
Do you have a blog? It would be worth taking the plunge -it's free, easy (even a dinosaur from the age of mechanical typewriters can manage) and is by far the handiest, most reader-friendly support for sharing your achievements TMP link
Hoping to read from you – and thanks for the eye-candy inspiration!

@abdul you would have liked the Cloudships game we put on at Salute a few years ago

link

I also recall a game at Historicon c 2001 with sailing ships flying via gas balloons.

I really like the work of Bogdanwaz but i can't imagine frigates or ships of the line hanging from those balloons ;)

For appearance of the steam tank i would like to think they would be as extensively decorated as:

picture

:)

@ freecloud: I know and love these pages and these 'Cloudships' models.
With an ovoid balloon dirigible-fashion instead of sails they could become 'flying warships' in the sky of some 'alternate' 18th C. Earth.

@ John the OFM :

Carrying bundles of fascines to toss into ditches. That's how we find just how heavy the steam tank is

A talented converted could build a Brückepanzer: de Saxe describes and illustrates an ingenious articulated bridge in his 'Reveries' -but carried on an oxen-drawn wagon.

I really like the work of Bogdanwaz but i can't imagine frigates or ships of the line hanging from those balloons ; )

A jesuit priest, the RP Francesco de Lama, published this design in the late 17th C., so it is 'perfectly accurate' for the timeline of this battle!

About the same time appeared the first efficient steamboilers ( hence the 'plausibility' of steamtanks at that same battle ) ; and even the first functional bicycle, de Sivrac's "celerifere", so Robida's vision (

right ) of cuirassiers riding bicycles could be considered for the Lace Wars: but less impressive, probably too 'Pax Limpopo'-like?

My VSF Brits have a unit of lancers on monocycles….it is a must have ;-)

Along with a Triumphapede and Royal Space Marines in Hardlove suits…

But attaching 18th century small ships to zeppelins…hmm……..

I was in a da Vinci game once at Cold Wars once that had Landsknecht Fallschirmjaegers.

Did they require 'chutes or were the sleeves and pants enough to slow the fall?

Standard Mk1 da Vinci pyramid shaped parachutes.

@ John the OFM: GASLIGHT unambiguously refers to a limied, rather short period; CANDLALIGHT… well, I read that candles appeared in Europe during the Dark Ages, and for sure were used in churches from the high Middle Ages, so…

M. Franklin's Leyden Jar Projectors

Could they safely be used as missiles, or was it safer to keep them as mines?
When artillerymen were tempted to use dynamite for their shells, they had to specially design compressed air guns: maybe a *giant* repeting crossbow, then?

Use them any way you want. Sticky bombs?

Call it what you want. I absolutely refuse to use anything with "punk".

I was in a da Vinci game once at Cold Wars once

weren't You class mates with Da Vinci?

Those curious about the good Baron Munchausen's improvements on the war engines depicted in the Da Vinci Code and the experimental weapons designed by that young Colonial Benjamin Franklin to use the power of the thunderflash of lightning, should subscribe to that Gazette entitled 'Gaslightrules Group' link (it's free) to peruse and enjoy Jeff "bogdanwaz" W's. two portfolios of fascinating and inspirational illustrations entitled 'Age of Reason' link and 'Ben Franklin's War' link .

Now, about celeriferes and with an ample pinch of salt, a work of passionate dedication link

I really like the work of Bogdanwaz but i can't imagine frigates or ships of the line hanging from those balloons ;)

Well, the following animation is perhaps a little 'extreme' but -replacing shakos with tricornes, may be inspirational:
YouTube link