"25/28mm Tramp Steamer" Topic

Hi Guys,

Who makes a 25/28mm Tramp Steamer? It doesn't matter what the material is, could be paper, resin, plastic etc…

Thanks,

Victor

Brigage models has a really good one in 28mm.

old glory ship yards has one, look further down this blog and you will see it.

Reviresco's tramp steamer model in paper and white metal fittings is huge, beautiful, and good value.

I've seen the one "chicklewis" is talking about, I agree with him.

According to the internet, there is a chicklewis who has a Richard Houston 28mm tramp steamer that is beautiful. Based on my web surfing and a 2008 discussion on TMP, this same Richard Houston was in the process of developing two different tramp steamers models; one that would sell for $150 USD and the other for just over $200 USD (in the same price ballpark as the Old Glory tramp steamer). I don't know if they are in fact available but that is what I read. Perhaps, if chicklewis ("we don't need no stinking icon") is the same as the chicklewis who has the Richard Houston tramp steamer, he could tell us more. I'd like to know too.

Minimi has a fantastic resin steamer
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Actually --for purposes of full disclosure -- the OG tramp steamer is only about $100 USD if you are an OG army card holder or are buddies with someone who is. It is a very large resin model.
Regards
Russ Dunaway

What does one do with a 28mm tramp steamer? I have lots of crew for games on Skull Island, but they all landed already. Just nice background?

I do have a 28mm San Pablo but it does ship to ship battles at the boom.

@Bob I'm building up a Pulp Story for my gaming group and part of it will take place on the steamer as they sail to their exotic locale.

I picked up a decent looking steamer/trawler this past summer at my local Hobby Lobby for $18 USD (IIRC). Waited for it to go on sale at 50% off. I plan to add some bits here and there, and maybe do some touch up, weathering, etc.

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It has a full hull, so I still have to figure out how best to cut it to waterline.

pacarat

@Pacarat Was the trawler just a wooden model on sale, was it a kit? I'll have to check my local Michaels for something like it.

If you need a scenario I wrote one for "Passage To Marseilles" which was a Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre film that was produced during WW II. I originally posted it at the "Astounding Tales" Yahoo Group and hear at TMP a couple of years ago, but it would be perfect for this "tramp steamer" so I'll re-post it here:

*Spoiler Warning* For those of you that haven't seen it, and don't want to read about the climax of the film, I would advise that you stop reading here.

OK. Still with me? Good.

The film follows a group of five men, led by Humphrey Bogart, that have escaped from the "Devil's Island" prison colony during WW II and that have been picked up by a "tramp" cargo ship. After the escaped prisoners explain that they have only escaped in order to join their French comrades against the Nazi invaders the ship's officer and an Army Liaison Officer accept them as "patriots". Immediately following this a message comes in saying that the French have surrendered and are now cooperating with the Nazis. The ship's Captain refuses to bring his ship, loaded with ore, to the Nazis and instead changes his course for England. Unfortunately, a French Army Major who is sympathetic to the Nazis is also on board and he, along with his Lieutenant and the ship's radio officer, insist that the Captain turn the ship back toward Marseilles. To make matters more complicated, the ship's Chief Engineer and his entire engine crew, recruited from the "dregs" of French society, do not want to go to England, so they ally themselves with the French Major, while the ship's deck crew, officers, and the Liaison officer are loyal to the Captain. At this point the viewer is left guessing as to which way some, or all, of the escaped convicts will go when the stuff hits the fan, as we all know it's going to.

Wheew! With me so far?

OK.

The situation becomes very bad for the patriots when the French Major and the ship's engine crew, carrying the ship's rifles, sieze the ship and insist, at gunpoint, that the freighter must go to Marseilles.

So here's the scenario:

Gather the entire ship's crew, officer's and the convicts on and around the main hatch. The seven engine crew, covering everyone with the bolt action rifles, will intermingle with the fifteen deck hands and five convicts on and around the main hatch. The French Major stands on the 2nd level of the superstructure with his Lieutenant who is manning a mounted light MG. The Captain, his officers, and the Liaison Officer stand on the deck near the superstucture. The Chief Engineer stands next to the Captain with his pistol trained on the two ship's officers. The Radio Officer stands on the deck next to the stairway to the 2nd level.

Break down the factions this way:

The good guys
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The captain, Liaison Officer, and two ship's officers: Four minis.
1st deck hand group: Seven minis.
2nd deck hand group: Seven minis.
The five convicts: Five minis.

The bad guys:
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The French Major and his Lieutenant: Two minis.
The Radio Officer and Chief Engineer: Two minis.
The seven engine crew: Seven minis.

Note that *none* of the "good guys" are armed. The French Major and the Chief Engineer have pistols. The Major's Lieutenent is manning a mounted Lewis Gun on the port side of the 2nd level of the superstructure which can swing in any direction. There is a 2nd Lewis Gun on the starboard side that's unmanned.

This would make a nice seven man game at a convention. Or combine or divide factions to accomodate any number of players.

The men should be positioned so that the deck crew will reach the engine crew on the 2nd turn, as you need at least one turn of free firing without hand-to-hand fighting to whittle down the deck's crew before some of them grab the rifles away from the engine crew. If the two crews are so close together that the deck crew will reach the engine crew in one turn, just give the engine crew one free turn of firing before the deck crew moves. To make it more interesting you can have the convicts swing to the bad guys or the good guys depending on what that faction's controller wants to do.

Now here's the kicker. You thought this was gonna be so easy for the good guys right? Take a few casualties before overwhelming the bad guys. Well guess what. If the ship's radio Officer can make it to the radio Room he can send a distress signal to a nearby German "Condor" Light Bomber. That light Bomber get's to straff the deck of the ship, hitting anyone and everyone randomly, until one of the two LMG's can shoot him down! Any sort of WW II German model plane will do for this, but in the film it's a light bomber if you want to be accurate.

Like it? I thought you would. Heh heh!

Enjoy!

Yes, I'm the same guy who commissioned the first big, lovely, Richard Houston tramp steamer. I paid quite a bit for it, way over $300, But way LESS than the worth of the beautiful model.

Contact Patrick at the Vitrual Armchair general who acts as email go-between for Richard Houston commissions. I believe Richard has, with my permission, built a few quasi-copies of the Venture, my steamer model, for various persons.

I own seven Richard Houston 28mm Vessels, and love every one of them. You will not be sorry if you order a Houston ship.

The boat was a one piece complete wood "model". Nothing to assemble, etc. I haven't seen anything like it at my local Michaels.

-- "VicCina: @Pacarat Was the trawler just a wooden model on sale, was it a kit? I'll have to check my local Michaels for something like it." --

The "trawler" that PACARAT speaks of is available at Hobby Lobby. I purchased one over the weekend. Really nice, though has to be cut down to waterline level. It is a Chinese made input. I got it for Pulp and for Prohibition type gaming.

Regards,
Bob Giglio

Oh, forgot to add, it's not a kit, but fully assembled (mainly wooden).

I scored two different such wooden trawler models at the local Marshall's/Ross several years ago. The darndest things turn up at these outlet stores…

Leland R. Erickson

Bob,
A 28 mike mike Tramp Steamer runs tank…tractors to Bongolesia or Ifat.
Rig up a bunch of antennae and they could be a Russian Trawler/spy ship,or the USS Pueblo.
Weaselhoffen.

They also make great rum runners for the Prohibition era. Picture a tramp freighter anchored just this side of international waters so the US Coast Guard can't get after them, and the usual hodge-podge of indy rum runners come up to pick up their purchases of good ole' Canadian 5000-proof, only this time, there's a new player who shows up, a psychotically ambitious mobster who wants total control of the territory, and has brought his gang along in some boats of his own to stage a "hostile takeover" of "the business."

Leland R. Erickson

There's a great slugfest between rival rumrunners at sea led by Cagney and Bogie in "The Roaring Twenties," if you need a little cinematic inspiration.

Mulligan

You might also look for the books (long out of print, I fear) "The Black Ships" and "Rum War at Sea," which are accounts of the Coast Guard's attempt to stop the rumrunners. "The Black Ships" is the more entertaining book and is full of flavorful anecdotes told by the rumrunners themselves. "Rum War at Sea" is a bit drier (no pun intended), but still interesting.

A slugfest between rum runners? You mean like these:

YouTube link

Fun, neh?

Leland R. Erickson

I bought a Hobby Lobby trawler today, There were two on the shelf at half price.

Has anyone sawed the hull down yet?

>>A slugfest between rum runners? You mean like these:<<

Holy smokes! I blew that flick off as a probable dud years ago! I should have watched it!

Anyway, if anyone could dig up enough boats that would make one heckuva convention game! Thanks for the link!

The Shadow wrote:
>The film follows a group of five men, led by Humphrey Bogart, that have escaped from the "Devil's Island" prison colony during WW II and that have been picked up by a "tramp" cargo ship. After the escaped prisoners explain that they have only escaped in order to join their French comrades against the Nazi invaders the ship's officer and an Army Liaison Officer accept them as "patriots". Immediately following this a message comes in saying that the French have surrendered and are now cooperating with the Nazis. The ship's Captain refuses to bring his ship, loaded with ore, to the Nazis and instead changes his course for England. Unfortunately, a French Army Major who is sympathetic to the Nazis is also on board and he, along with his Lieutenant and the ship's radio officer, insist that the Captain turn the ship back toward Marseilles. To make matters more complicated, the ship's Chief Engineer and his entire engine crew, recruited from the "dregs" of French society, do not want to go to England, so they ally themselves with the French Major, while the ship's deck crew, officers, and the Liaison officer are loyal to the Captain. At this point the viewer is left guessing as to which way some, or all, of the escaped convicts will go when the stuff hits the fan, as we all know it's going to.<

This is not far fetched at all and something similar really happened. I read a true story called Claude and Madeleine. (Forgot their surnames) They were two spies who worked for French Intelligence pre war but were in France during the 1940 invasion. They escaped in a cargo boat which they fitted out with aa guns intending to join the British but some of the crew rebelled and there was almost a full mutiny. The ship did eventually make it to Britain where it became a ship used for clandestine sneaky operations. The French crew adopted British names and were given Royal Navy ranks.
Sorry nothing whatever to do with this thread but thought that scenario a great idea Mr Shadow.

>>thought that scenario a great idea Mr Shadow.<<

Thanks. (-: