Thursday, 5 October 2017

Jacklex Maxim

The Maxim gun was invented by Hiram Maxim in 1883 and was the first proper machine gun to be deployed by the British army. It was used successfully in several colonial wars although it is said its effect was more psychological than physical. By the time of the Second Boer War there were two maxim guns attached to each British battalion.


“Whatever happens, we have got
The Maxim gun, and they have not”


The Boers however were not the spear wielding tribesmen the British were used to dealing with as they had invested in some state of the art weapons including the Mauser rifle and the pom-pom gun. The pom-pom was an upgraded version of the Maxim gun that fired a 2-pound shell and the British Tommies were not keen to find themselves on the receiving end of such a weapon.


This model Maxim gun and figures are produced by Jacklex (available from Spencer Smith Miniatures) and were amongst the figures I recently received from Ross. I had to touch up them up slightly so that they blend in with my existing British infantry and then base them to my own basing scheme. I’m really pleased with the way they’ve turned out.
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7 comments:

  1. Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.com5 October 2017 at 13:15

    They look great! I like them based up, and I love the helmet flashes!

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    1. Stryker6 October 2017 at 01:09

      Thanks Ross, the helmet flashes just help to bring a suggestion of colour to all that khaki.

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  2. lewisgunner9 October 2017 at 00:41

    The Boer war didn't prove the case fir the Maxims, so the British were underequipped with them in 1914. That is often blamed on them being on cavalry carriages, but I wonder if its because they were a defensive weapon and the Brits were almost always attacking, or if the Boer sharpshooters could pick off the crews as the .303 power cartridge is common to both sides. One advantage of a cavalry carriage is the huge amounts of ammo you can carry and the ability to change position rapidly. I think there were tripod mounted Maxims in the war, but again on a low issue rate and against a very dispersed enemy who were not attacking.

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    1. Stryker11 October 2017 at 09:40

      It's hard to find any accounts of their use in action which suggests they weren't being employed with the right tactics?

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  3. KEV. Robertson.22 October 2017 at 23:41

    Splendid Jacklex figures- great job of painting- often thought of ordering from Spencer Smith...there is still time yet...maybe a Boer War project down the track after I finish my current fictional Colonial project. Cheers. KEV.

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    Replies
    1. Stryker23 October 2017 at 01:09

      Thanks Kev, my only problem with this project is that I have very little time to spend on it!

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    2. KEV. Robertson.23 October 2017 at 04:29

      Hmmm- time? Yes, Ian- time is often found by trimming down the number of projects we try to do...motivation too can be a problem as well...I'm thwarted at the moment by being required to wait three weeks for my cast figure Order to arrive from the UK...trying desperately not to loose interest in the meantime. Cheers. KEV.

      Delete

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