Friend or Foe's 1/72 7.5cm Gebirgskanone M.15
Perhaps the best mountain guns used by any country during WW1 was the Austro-Hungarian 7.5cm Gebirgskanone M.15 (made by Skoda). The Austro-Hungarian Army was quite pleased with the M15.
The soundness of the design is proved by the fact, that it was kept in production well into the 1930-ies, equipping not only the Armies of Austria and Hungary - of course - but also those of Czechoslovakia and Italy, and other countries as well. It was used in the early years of WW2 as well, and even after WW2 by the Italian Army. The German Army also aquired the M15 during WW1, using it as a Infantry Gun in close support.
For more info on this gun, including photos of surviving museum pieces, click here.
The British firm of Friend or Foe market a 1/72 scale kit of this gun. It is cast in white metal, almost flawless, save for some moulding flash, easily cleaned off. This is a pretty good kit, that will enable you to make a fine replica of this gun.
Note however, that like many other gun kits, this one also lack some crucial parts, like the dial sight (my pet peeve). But it comes both with the seats AND traversing and elevating wheels, which is better than most kits in this scale. The problem with these are, that they are wrong... The detailing on both barrel and carriage is delicate, and not overdone. The wheels are also of the correct, WW1-type.
My kit came without a shield, which could be an oversight. It could also be by plan, the kit portraying the gun when it was in service of the Germans during WW2, when the shield was often not used at all, to conserve weight. (I understand that the Paratroopers only used it without the shield.)
I recommend this kit. There is some detail work to be done, but that can be said about most smallscale Arty kits out there on the market today! Had it not been for the lack of shield, this one would have bested SHQ's offering. But as the shape of barrel, shield and carriage is correct, you have a fine basis for superdetailing. Or a kit-bash. Go for it!
