Bertie McBoatface Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 This is my recently completed entry in the French Fancy GB. It wasn't armoured but it was temporarily a part of the French Army of 1918. "For one night only!" The Renault Type AG, commonly referred to as the Renault 'Taxi de la Marne' or 'Marne Taxi' was a hackney carriage automobile manufactured by the French automaker Renault from 1905 to 1910. The nickname Taxi de la Marne was earned by the vehicles when a large part of the fleet of Paris taxis was hired by the French Army to transport troops from Paris to the First Battle of the Marne. This battle was a turning point of the war when the German offensive which threatened to engulf Paris was halted, beginning the four long years of static trench warfare. During the battle, the French Army's 62nd Division had arrived at a railway station outside Paris, a significant distance away from the battle, with no military transport capability. Some logistical genius suggested "If all else fails we could always hail a cab." With the help of the National Gendarmerie the required taxis were assembled at Les Invalides in central Paris to carry soldiers to the front at Nanteuil-le-Haudouin, fifty kilometres away. During the night of 6-7 September 1914 they set off. The number of taxis and number of troops is variously reported but all the stories agree that the drivers, following city regulations, (as taxi-drivers always do!) dutifully ran their meters during the operation and the French treasury paid a total fare of 70,012 francs. It seems that the practical contribution of the taxis of Paris to the great defensive victory was rather small as 150,000 soldiers of the French 6th Army had already arrived by train. However, the morale effect of the improvised and semi-public operation was of great value in raising the spirits of the battered but unbowed French army and of the people of Paris. Thanks for your interest. The build thread is here: 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stef N. Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 That makes a pleasant colourful change from olive green or German grey. Very nicely done Bertie and a great story to it to boot. Top work.👏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted October 12, 2021 Author Share Posted October 12, 2021 9 minutes ago, Stef N. said: That makes a pleasant colourful change from olive green or German grey. Very nicely done Bertie and a great story to it to boot. Top work.👏 Thank you Stef. I hadn't really noticed the colours as a whole. It's as bright as the Flying Circus! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig of the Week Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 Le Bosche will certainly see them coming ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted October 12, 2021 Author Share Posted October 12, 2021 5 minutes ago, Pig of the Week said: Le Bosche will certainly see them coming ! More of a really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig of the Week Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 7 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said: More of a really. As it turns out unfortunately, indeed.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 I Really like your Renault Bertie, not something that would normally attract my interest but I really like it! Great model and characterful figures. Cheers Darryl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted October 13, 2021 Author Share Posted October 13, 2021 7 minutes ago, Jasper dog said: I Really like your Renault Bertie, not something that would normally attract my interest but I really like it! Great model and characterful figures. Cheers Darryl Thank you. It wasn't something that I was greatly interested in either, but it grew on me during the build and has made me quite a Francophile. I'm planning to finally visit Paris as soon as it's practicable. Kudos to ICM for the model and figures which all came in the one package. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullbasket Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 Taxi and figures look really good. Nice work. It's hard to believe that the French army were, as late as 1914, still kitted out as they were in the 19th century. John. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted October 13, 2021 Author Share Posted October 13, 2021 17 minutes ago, Bullbasket said: Taxi and figures look really good. Nice work. It's hard to believe that the French army were, as late as 1914, still kitted out as they were in the 19th century. John. Thanks John. Yes indeed. It's said that armies always prepare to fight their previous wars, not the next ones. The French and German armies looked very similar to themselves in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and the Brits were only in khaki because of the Boer War. And the vast majority of the transport was by train and horse, on all sides. I don't know how long the French wore the red trousers [Just above the ankle, mate!]. Maybe someone will tell us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pig of the Week Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 Apparently the first deliveries of the grey/blue "horizon blue" uniforms reached some French units as early as sept 1914 , but was a whole year before everyone received their new kit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted October 13, 2021 Author Share Posted October 13, 2021 I'm shamelessly going to tout another figure model that I've just posted in the Figures Ready for Inspection section. Figure modellers don't get as much attention as we deserve in my tremendously biased opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Model Mate Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 this is great! I love the figures, and you're doing a brilliant job! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Model Mate Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 Sorry... you have DONE a brilliant job.... I thought I was lookng at WIP; you've bashed this out in record time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted October 13, 2021 Author Share Posted October 13, 2021 2 minutes ago, Model Mate said: this is great! I love the figures, and you're doing a brilliant job! Well thank you, Mate. The figures are really good for injection mouldings. The poses are so dramatic and they went together very easily. 1 minute ago, Model Mate said: Sorry... you have DONE a brilliant job.... I thought I was lookng at WIP; you've bashed this out in record time. There is a WIP. It's linked in the original post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim R-T-C Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 4 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said: Thank you. It wasn't something that I was greatly interested in either, but it grew on me during the build and has made me quite a Francophile. I'm planning to finally visit Paris as soon as it's practicable. Les Invalides now holds an excellent French War Museum - definitely worth the time to visit when you are in Paris. An excellent build with great colours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted October 13, 2021 Author Share Posted October 13, 2021 1 minute ago, Tim R-T-C said: Les Invalides now holds an excellent French War Museum - definitely worth the time to visit when you are in Paris. An excellent build with great colours. Ah thank you, I will add that to my itinerary for sure. And thanks for the praise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorfinn Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 Superb work on the vehicle...and those Poilus really look like they mean business! Great project! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted October 13, 2021 Author Share Posted October 13, 2021 5 minutes ago, thorfinn said: Superb work on the vehicle...and those Poilus really look like they mean business! Great project! Thank you very much. The soldier's faces look like Napoleon's Old Guard with their ferocious mustachios! They are really good mouldings and I struggled to do them justice, to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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