Great War naval, again

 Please click on the link below for a new post about naval gaming on my main blog:

Great War naval, the return

Knocking off the rust, and moving a bit

 I'm not scrapping this blog, even after this long time between posts, but there are changes afoot.  

I have cleaned up the links on the right side of this blog a bit - still a lot more to do especially with the explosion of 3D printing resources for gaming. 

The big change is the transfer of attention to my main blog, Pewter Pixel Wars.  Everything will be posted there in the future, but I intend to write a brief note here with a link to the subject on my main blog.  I hope that the folks that are still watching this humble blog will follow me over there!

.

Ships off Haiti, part 1

Some progress:

Here are the contents of the Haitian rebel ship package - hulls, masts, bowsprits, funnels, and deck guns!  Fortunately, there are good pics of the assembled models on the FB page, and line drawings in the Salnave's War book.  Phil (of Spithead Miniatures) also sent a helpful e-mail detailing some of the differences he decided for the models, and suggested painting guides.

After a bit of sorting, the models are ready for assembly.  I need to review my basing plan before going much further.

Last but not least, the government squadron is sorted.

Back, again?

I am trying to get my wargaming 'sea legs' back!

A new arrival has piqued my interest:

These are 1/1200 ship models from Spithead Miniatures for the Haitian Revolution (Salnave's War) of 1867.  Also pictured above is an ACW 90-day gunboat and USS Benton.

To accompany these wonderful models, I picked up a copy of this:

This slender book is a concise source of information for the vessels and battles at sea during the revolution, including maps and drawings of all the ships present.

Books

Not much is happening here on the hobby table as far as naval projects go, but hopefully that will end soon enough.

I have purchased a few books to help stoke the boilers a bit:

Many directions these tomes lead!

Pre-dreadnoughts

A bit too much time away from here, don't you think?  I have not had much desire to work on naval stuff lately, despite having several projects deserving attention.  One has to start someplace so let's go:

Here is my first group of ship models from WTJ.  These are assorted pre-dreadnoughts in 1/1800 scale.  US, Spanish, Japanese, and Russian vessels are pictured as they await some attention with soapy water and a brush.

After that, I need to make masts and figure out how to base them...

Great Lakes, part 1

With my recent order to Waterloo Minis, I added a sampling of the Langton War of 1812 ships:

Here we have a pair of schooners that could be used for either faction on the Great Lakes.  Each model is comprised of five cast pieces - hull and masts - and a set of photo-etch sails.  Beautifully cast in the Langton manner, and oh my, are they small.  Each square on the grid in the pics is ¼" (6.35mm) - the hulls are less than 1" (25mm) in length.

Anglo-Dutch, part 3

The second pair of miniatures for my Anglo-Dutch naval project recently arrived.  These ships are Langton, and they were purchased through Waterloo Minis:

This is Langton AD8, a British 4th Rate vessel, 48-56 guns.  13 pieces total.  I decided to try cast sails for this batch, just to see how much difference there will be in assembly compared to the photo-etch variety, plus they were a bit less expensive.  Beautifully detailed, as one would expect from Langton.

This is Langton AD14, a Dutch 4th Rate of 46 guns.  Again, 13 pieces make up this model, and again beautifully detailed.  It is interesting to note the size difference between the two 4th rates - the British ships are a fair amount larger than their Dutch counterparts.


The easy part is now complete!  Next is to figure out basing and rigging essentials, as I want to have all of the supplies present before I start any assembly.

Anglo-Dutch naval, part 2

As part of the build-up to my Anglo-Dutch naval project, I purchased a copy of this:

This volume is part of the 'New Vanguard' series from Osprey, number 183.  A slender volume at 48 pages, it is nonetheless a useful introduction to the period.  Design, construction, and operation of the two different navies are covered, and there are many period paintings reproduced within, along with  color plates commissioned for the book.  The most interesting part is a series of tables listing the names, rates, and fates of individual ships from the two sides.

Projects

This is just a simple post to provide a bit of info on what is happening behind the curtain.

I have several naval projects that have various, but comparatively little, amounts of completion.  First off is a fantasy naval project, based on the fictional world of Tékumel.  This project will utilize 1/1200 ancient naval ships for the most part, although many will need conversions. 

Next is Age of Sail.  In reality, this could be split into more than one project, but I am going to try and keep it simple (and to fool my brain about not having too many projects!)  This will be in 1/1200 also, and will be subdivided into Anglo-Dutch and War of 1812, and maybe another...

Ironclads is the next project, once again at 1/1200.  At first I was quite keen on ACW (as noted previously on this blog), but I am hoping to also add South American actions into the fold.

Last but not least is pre-dreadnoughts.  I am looking to pick up the pieces of my old WW1 project by slowly acquiring more 1/1800 ships from WTJ, although the cut-off point for my collection will be well before 1914.



Of all of these projects, only the Tékumel naval set is remotely close to earning the title 'playable', as I still have some of the ships from previous work.  Nothing is painted, however, and there are many ships to get for balanced forces.  Age of Sail counts only two models in my possession at the moment, and much prep work needs to happen before I can start to build them.  I want to get my ideas about rigging, basing, rules, etc. solidified before jumping in too deeply.  In the Ironclads project, I have a few vessels from a variety of manufacturers, and those are not in a cohesive collection as they are scattered among different theaters of the war.  Pre-dreadnoughts are still just a collection of books as I await my first order of models from WTJ.



It might seem that I am spreading myself thinly, and that is largely true.  However, with many of these projects I can have a game with only a single vessel on each side, or maybe two.

Back

A bit too long of a break between posts!  Even so, I will keep this one brief.

Many things are happening here, both hobby-wise and other-wise.  I am still struggling to shake off the lethargy that descended many months ago, but I am picking up more steam as I go.  There are old projects that will be revisited, and a new project or two that have suddenly sprung forth.  Once I get my photo editing woes out of the way, there will be more posts.  I just need to make it a habit once again...

And, my apologies to those who have blogs - I have been a very infrequent reader of even the blogs I enjoy, and a much less frequent commentator.  I hope to rectify this also.

The return of an old favorite, with a twist

Along with the Anglo-Dutch ships, I purchased a few miniatures for an era that I once played extensively - ACW naval:

These ships are part of a new series of ships from Thoroughbred Models.  Thoroughbred is well-known for their line of 1/600 ACW ships, and I once had quite a few.  They were sold years ago to make ends meet, but now I am ready to return to the genre except that my new collection will be in 1/1200 scale.


First up is CSS Arkansas:

Just 43mm or so in length, this model is a bit small but the detail is very nice.  This is a one-piece cast, although there is a flagstaff and flag included with the kit.

Here is a port bow shot:

Next is a Union 90-day gunboat:

This model is more complicated, with masts, bowsprit, foredeck, and a pair of separately-cast guns.


Following these is another Union vessel.  This one is an armed ferry:

Not a big ship at 37mm in length, but there is a lot of detail including a very nice 'walking beam' assembly for the engines.


Honestly, I find this project to be much less intimidating than the Anglo-Dutch ships, simply due to the greatly reduced amount of rigging needed per ship.  Some of these will required little to none.  Of course, once I get to USS Hartford, things will change!

Anglo-Dutch naval, part 1

This is the start of my newest naval project; just a pair of ships but I find it to be very daunting.  The rigging of these ships will be the hard part for me to overcome!

Here is the first step - a pair of lovely 3rd rates in 1/1200 scale from Langton.  (Edit:  purchased from Waterloo Miniatures)  (and the ratlines are sold separately!).

Inside the box one will find:

Above are the parts for the Dutch 3rd rate (Langton AD19).  The hull is three pieces, while the masts and sails comprise a total of 15 pieces.  All of the wonderful details that one expects from a Langton miniature are here.

The parts of the English kit (Langton AD9) are similar.

Please note that these miniatures are not very large.  The pics above are on a ¼" (6.35 mm) grid.  The hulls are less than 2" (51mm) long overall.

Been a while...

Sure has been a while since posting.  It has, sadly, been quite an eventful time.  For the major items, please go to my other blog and read this.  For the minor stuff, read on.

Simply put, I made a mistake that I do not think that I have ever done before.  While in a scramble to reorganize the place, boxes were shifted around and things thrown to the bin that should have not been.  Namely, the boxes with most of the ship miniatures went out - 1/1800, 1/2400, 1/3000, 1/6000 all gone.  Now, I did not have a large collection, but it was a shock to say the least and with the other issues going on it pained me to no end.

I did find a few ships that were stuffed into a different storage system.  What survived?  My Langton 1/1200 ancients ships, Figurehead 1/2400 Armada, and a few odd selections of Navwar 1/1200 ACW naval.  None of the figures are painted, and with the exception of the Armada collection nowhere near complete or even playable.

But, I think that I have a plan.  An order or two were made, some rules purchased from a well-known naval gamer's stand at Wargame Vault, and another attempt to get games going will be made.  No pics of the ships yet, as I am awaiting the last order to come in from Brookhurst Hobbies.

I found a couple of books also:

They look very interesting and I need to start in on them soon.

WW1 German ships, part 2

With a little bit of spare time, I was able to make a little more progress with my WTJ 1/1800 ships. 

Magdeburg and Strassburg, and their masts.  I am not certain of the diameter of the brass rod used for the masts, but the yards are made of 0.006" brass wire (the long piece in the pic above).  Again, the mounting holes for the masts are printed into the WTJ cruisers, so just a bit of glue and in they go.

It is a different story with the TB's.  Their masts are also made from the thin brass wire, but I had to use a drill bit to make a hole for them.  I did not put yards on the masts for the TB's.

All of my 1/1800 ships now have their masts, although it is a bit hard to see from that angle.  Primer will make it much easier to see - more pics after that!

WW1 Russian ships, part 3

Inspiration can strike suddenly, and this time I took advantage of the situation and worked on my WTJ ships a bit.

Here is my small flotilla of 1/1800 ships - German cruisers on the left, Russians on the right.  One can see that I have already primed the first Russian cruiser - Bogatyr - but I forgot one small detail... masts!  So, back to work.

I have some thin brass wire that I use for masts, and this time I decided to use plastic rod as well.

Before putting in the masts, I looked around for some pictures to help guide the work.  The WTJ ships have holes for masts already present in the model, in cruisers and larger at least, so siting the masts was not a problem, and I found a pair of pictures in one of my books - The Imperial Russian Navy by A.J. Watts - showing differences between Bogatyr and Oleg.  The book shows that Oleg has a slightly different bridge structure, without searchlight wings, and the masts are slightly different also.

In the pics below, one can just barely see the trimmed bridgework on Oleg, the rightmost cruiser.

Bogatyr from the bow

Oleg from the bow

It will be difficult to see the change until I get some primer on him.

And, some simple masts:

Bogatyr (the grey one) has slightly shorter masts, and Oleg has a lookout position on the mainmast.  I think, after the fact, that using the plastic rod is a bit off for the yards.  I will not repeat it with the German ships but the rest of the Russians will, except using the same brass rod as the masts.

Ships from Valiant

Yet another new arrival:

These miniatures are from the Ramming Speed line from Valiant Enterprises.  At 1/900 scale, they are right between the almost too small (for me!) 1/1200 ships and the oddly shaped 1/600 line from Xyston.  I just can not put my finger on why the Xyston ships look off to me, but I am finding that I really do not want to work on them.

The variety of ships above were selected in order to flesh out my idea of what types of miniatures from Valiant could fill out the roles for Tékumel naval gaming.  Since the Valiant selection is limited, I am being careful about filling those roles in a fashion that is easily identifiable on the table top.  The information on the Valiant website has the triremes at the same length as the quinqueremes, so I am hoping that the wider beam of the quinquereme will make up for that.


Here is a comparison pic:

Each square is ¼".

Lots of good news in this pic.  The triremes are slightly shorter than the quinquereme, which is good.  Also, the triremes have a noticeable difference in beam from the quinquereme, and this will alter even more once the oar banks are attached.

 In my mind, the ships types will correspond in the following fashion:

     The pentekonter from Valiant (not shown above) will represent the Tékumeli séscha;

     Triremes will be the srügánta;

     Quinqueremes will represent the qél;

     Heptares and dekares (not pictured above) will be the Tékumeli zírunel.

The Valiant ships are plain enough that modifications will be easier than on the Xyston models - I intend to try to make some ships that look something akin to the ships illustrated in this wonderful post about Tékumel naval actions.



Although it seems simple, that bit of organization posted above is a weight off my shoulders!

New project, and old

Just a quick pic or two:

On the left, my new 1/1800 ships from WTJ, with a pair of extras that were sent just in case some of my order fell afoul of a production problem.  Awesome service from WTJ!  Now, for some primer...

And on the right, one of my 1/600 Xyston ancient vessels, and assorted bits.  I am going to take another look at this scale for my Tékumel naval project.  One item that I can see already is the size of the 'castle' from Xyston.  It seems to be slightly small.  A scratch-built replacement might be in order.


Lastly, the Tékumel naval project got another boost with this:

I finally purchased my copy, and I am looking forward to reading through it again.

Ships from WTJ!

Finally had some time to post this... my small, test order with WTJ arrived some time ago.  I ordered just a few ships - SMS Magdeburg and V167 for the Germans, and cruisers Oleg and Bogatyr and TB Boiki for the Russians.  Here is a quick pic:

Bogatyr is the top, Magdeburg is the bottom.  These ships are in 1/1800 scale.  The translucent material makes it difficult to get a good photograph of them, so once they are primed I will take a better set of pics.  Right now, they are soaking in some soapy water...

The year that was...

And that year was an almost complete miss for any sort of naval activities here.

After a promising start with Galleys & Galleons, hobby-wise my naval activities just fell flat.  I'm not certain why.  But, my lovely wife has pointed out a few details, and I am getting ready to try again.  She commented on an issue that did not really click until recently - scale.  In her opinion, the miniatures are just too small and that might be a source of friction.  So, I am going to dig out the 1/600 ancient ships again and see if I can plug them into their original purpose as ships for Tékumel gaming.  Galleys & Galleons will be a perfect set of rules for them.

As a back-up plan, I have placed a small order for some 1/1800 ships from War Times Journal, but with my luck the order has fallen afoul with technical difficulties on the production end.  I look forward to their arrival - just a bit more patience.

And, if you are curious as to my other gaming pursuits, please take a look at Pewter-Pixel Wars.





Happy New Year all!