Digital Maus's Mediocre Models

[ToteMaus]

Since my old art thread is super old (don't even remember where it is, it's probably archived? I have no idea) and I'm also embarrassed at the quality of work I did back then, I'm starting this new one for all my art! I do take commissions, ranging in price based on model complexity (do keep in mind I'm not good enough to do humans/animals/really curvy or complex shapes >.>). I hope you all enjoy seeing my work on display!

 

[ToteMaus]

Wanted to step out of my comfort zone a bit, and am so glad I did! I love how this one turned out. I've never done a firearm before, so this was a huge first.

Anyway: This is the Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG, better known as the Chauchat, and widely believed (somewhat undeservedly) to be one of the worst weapons ever made. It was completely unsuitable to the trench warfare of the First World War. Firing from an open bolt, and with an open viewing window in the magazine, it was highly susceptible to being fouled by mud, dirt, or debris. On top of that, the magazines were fragile, and could be dented to the point of becoming inoperable just by holding them too hard. The follower spring was weak, and gunners frequently short loaded magazines with 16 or 17 rounds instead of the full 20 to ensure reliability, and overheating was a problem. In addition, it featured a long recoil, so you had a full seven pounds of bolt assembly traversing a third of the weapon's length on each and every shot. Imagine trying to keep that thing steady!

The reason it doesn't deserve the title of the worst gun ever made is twofold: Firstly, it did prove to be a powerful, accurate, and effective firearm, and was used in great numbers during the war. Second, there's a worse weapon. The United States produced thousands of Chauchats on license as the M1918 in .30-06 instead of the usual 8mm Lebel used in the original. The work was poorly done and only compounded the Chauchat's existing problems. The final result was a weapon that jammed with alarming frequency, and suffered numerous overheating and recoil problems. It's believed that most M1918s were discarded in favour of Chauchat's in the 8mm Lebel, as evidence of them being used in combat is practically non-existent.

 

[ToteMaus]

The Chauchat got me in a First World War sort of mood, and I wanted to take on something a bit more challenging, so I went with the MP 18. I generally love how this one turned out, but my software bugged out a bit on the stock, and left it with a look that I'm generally unsatisfied with. I was also never quite confident in the proportions of the magazine. Hope you folks like it!

This is the MP 18, designed by Theodor Bergmann Abteilung Waffenbau near the end of the war to fulfill a need for a weapon that was both portable, automatic, and stable. Earlier attempts to modify a Luger P.08 or Mauser C96 for automatic fire proved less than successful, as the small size and light weight of these pistols made them too difficult to handle in automatic fire. The MP 18 was designed after these experiments, and even used the distinctive snail drum magazine developed for the Lange Pistole 08 variant of the Luger. It was adopted in 1918 and proved extremely successful in the close quarters of the trenches.

After the war, the Weimar Republic was limited by the Treaty of Versailles in how many machine guns and automatic weapons they could own, so only a small amount of MP 18s were retained and modified to accept a 20 round box magazine in 1920. They were stamped with "1920" to show that they were legitimate weapons of the Weimar Republic. The rest were sold off, and the license for manufacture itself was sold to SIG Switzerland. Though its impact on the Great War was small overall, the MP 18 served as the template for most submachine guns produced in the first half of the 20th century.