#8003 Using the Rocket Troops
Dated: January 12, 2003.
This kit contains a tripod launcher made of the following 3 components. On the left and right are the 3 legs, and in the middle is the sleeve that the rocket sits on. The cylinder at the end of the sleeve is just an ejector pin, which helps eject the sprue out of the mold and is not part of the launcher.
Here are the parts cut off the sprue. Care must be taken not to cut too much off the top of the tripod legs, because that part fits into a hole under the sleeve. The right most tripod leg is shown with that part completely cut off, and will have to be glued to the sleeve. The ejector pin is shown bottom left.
This shows the assembled tripod launcher. It's simply a device to hold the rocket off the ground and point it up.
The rocket in those days was quite a simple device, like one of today's fireworks - just point and shoot. You could lay it on the ground and light the fuse, or on a chair, or on a slope, or on the back of the wagon. Unfortunately, the launcher shown on the front of the box is not included in this set. And here's a man lighting a fuse on a rocket that's just laying on the ground.
This is the wagon used for transporting the rockets, it can also be used for setting up rockets for launching.
The limber is not included in this set, however, the limbers from the Revell or Airfix British artillery sets may be used here.
Osprey's #96 Artillery Equipments of the Napoleonic Wars by Terence Wise (ISBN 0-85045-336-4) is a good reference book for the rockets and other artilleries of the Napoleonic Wars.
