Model limber whatzit solved after only 5 1/2 years

[cannonmn]

This one makes me feel very dumb, I didn't even check the US drawings!  Does anyone know where the cannon model is that must have once been with this thing?  Link goes to the forum where I posted it back in 2006 and many photos.  Click on the photos there to enlarge.
http://forums.ebay.com/db1/topic/Historical-Memorabilia/Horsedrawn-Vehicle-Experts/2000218548?#msg5100725956 

[Double D]

What's wrong with posting the pictures over here, they are .jpg's

[BoomLover]

That 12 inch Mortar is a very simple design, and quite a beastly looking machine!

[Cannoneer]

If you take the construction of your model's wheels into consideration, squeek1000's identification of the limber seems problematic.

[cannonmn]

Interesting thought.  Then research must continue.  I wonder if it could be an earlier version, perhaps from the system of 1819?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

[cannonmn]

I think this is resolved now, thanks to Cannoneer for pointing out the discrepancy.  I consulted with friend Matt Switlik who knows as much about carriages and limbers as anyone I can think of, who suggested the limber model may be French.  The model has wheels with segmented tires, a system the US did not use during the period under consideration.  Matt explained how the US adopted French carriages and limber designs in the 1830's and 40's but always used one-piece steel tires as opposed to the French practice.  The photo  below shows the segmented tires clearly; notice the breaks between segments.  Another clue is the model's paint color, which from a distance looks gray, but up close, parts of it look blue.  The gray appearance is due to accumulated dirt and oxidation of the old paint.  France used blue paint for artillery carriages and limbers for quite a long time, including the period when this limber model was probably made (ca. 1830.)  Note how the wheels and other wooden parts of the limber are still tightly-fitted after about 180 years, which is a testament to the skill of the maker.  The limber body is intentionally inverted in this photo.
 

[Cannoneer]

I’m sorry that I haven’t been more active here lately, but I just haven’t had the time.
I think it’s safe to assume that the craftsman who fashioned your miniature, modeled it after an historic limber, so the straked, twelve spoked wheels would definitely suggest an earlier period than our Civil War. M. Switlik’s thoughts about it probably being the model of a French limber seem sound, and his rationale also explains your model’s similarity to CW era U.S. siege carriage limbers.