Miniature “Imperial German Soldier with Wex Flamethrower” (scale 1:24)

Replica of the original miniature by Jeff Shiu “Imperial German Flameflower w / M1917 (Wex)” in a 1:24 scale, hand-painted by the author. The base is made of acrylic gypsum, which gave the figure stability. Changed the eyepieces of the gas mask, which now have a mesh structure.

Airbrush painting. Paints — Vallejo. Flushing — Tamiya. Wax paints True Metal.

Historical reference:
“Wechselapparat”, also known as “Wex”, is a German World War I knapsack flamethrower designed to replace the “Kleif” flamethrower. It was introduced in 1917. The name “Wechselapparat” literally means “exchangeable apparatus”, since initially several apparatuses of this type worked with a single hose and fog nozzle. However, practice has shown that it is difficult to quickly flip a hose with a fog nozzle from one device to another, so each flamethrower was equipped with its own hose and fog nozzle. But the abbreviated name “Wex” remains.

“Wex” consisted of a wearable device, a reservoir for a flammable liquid and a gas cylinder (nitrogen). The tank for combustible liquid had the form of a lifebuoy with a capacity of 11 l and was made of tin with a thickness of 1.5 mm (0.06 in). From the Wex flamethrower it was possible to make approx. 18 fire shots. Continuous fire spraying was possible for 20 seconds. Jet range — approx. 25 meters (82 ft).