BP Resin's 1/72
10cm Feldahubitze M.14
(Obice Skoda 100/17 vz.14)
 

On the Real Thing

The Skoda 10cm M.14 Feldhaubitze, was the standard Light Field Howitzer of the Austro-Hungarian Army during WW1. The design was sound, although pretty standard for its time. The barrel was made of bronze, the breech was of the Wedge-type, closing horisontally, and the recoil system of the standard hydro-pneumatic type. It was served by a crew of six, who could use the gun to fire up to 20 shells a minute. Six horses were needed to move it.  

The 10cm Feldhaubitze was employed in the Field Howitzer Regiments, each consisting of 4 batteries of 6 guns, i.e. 24 howitzers per regiment. Most Army Corps had one of these regiments assigned to them. There were at least 36 of these Field Howitzer Regiments in service during the Great War. After the War, a modified version of this gun was manufactured in Czechoslavakia by Skoda, and found service in Greece, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia and Italy.

For more info on this gun, including photos of a surviving piece, click here!
 

The kit comes packed in a small white cardboard box. The parts themselves are contained in two small zip-ock bags.

The kit consists of some 50+ parts, moulded in a grey, medium-hard resin. There is no moulding flash, except between the spokes of the two wheels. The pour stubs are are pretty large, but this is no problem, as the parts themselves have been carefully attached to these stubs, and will be pretty easy to free. The moulding is PERFECT! It's at least as good as Al.By, even better. Even the tinyest handles and long, small rods have been flawlessly duplicated. The details are sharp and distinct, and altough some of them are very fine and delicate, they are all intact. And they have been moulded to near-scale thickness, like the different parts of the shield. (This also means that they are very delicate: I broke one of them by just scraping it on the table.) It comes with a fine plan.

The accuracy of the kit is 100%. Even the very intricate shield seats have been reproduced in detail. And the little tools and spares box that was integral to the tail have a separate door, and it has contents. Amazing, simple amazing!

When I started building Great War Artillery models some years ago, the kits where for the most part crude caricatures in white metal, catering for the wargamers. This has now changed, not least due to the efforts of companies like Retrokits, Bull Models, Il Principe Nero and Al.By. And now this band of top-quality resin producers have been joined by yet another: the Czech firm BP Resin! This is a wonderful, wonderful kit!

You can buy it from Tracks & Troops.

 

Verdict

This is the best artillery kit I've seen, a masterpiece! Perfect moulding, amazing detail, fine plan: excellent! I never thought I would say this, but it's even better than Al.By! Highest grades possible goes to Pavel Benesz of BP Resin. Heck: I'm giving this one six stars out of five!