War Artisan | 13 Aug 2015 2:53 a.m. PST |
So, yeah, you probably saw the headline on the Front Page, but there's really more to it than you could get from a news blurb accompanied by a small photo. You may also have been aware that I have always had a fascination for the less popular periods of naval warfare (Anglo-Dutch Wars, Seven Years War . . . Lake Champlain, for goodness sake!) A number of people have been (more or less) gently nudging me for some time to quit mucking about in the dusty, obscure corners of naval history and do something with a broader appeal . . . like Napoleonics. Well, it really wasn't that I didn't want to do Napoleonics. It was more like I didn't want to do it until I could do it in a new and unique way (as if doing it in cardstock wasn't unique enough). But finally inspiration struck, and ten weeks of spending-every-spare-minute-in-the-Workshop later, I actually have a result.
The "new" part of this project is the built-in flexibility. Cardstock models have always been rescaleable just by using your printer settings, but it can be awkward to get the parts to fit on a printed sheet when scaling up. These kits do a little to alleviate that problem by including a complete set of parts in both 1:900 and 1:600 scale, 1:900 being a decent scale for squadron or fleet actions, and 1:600 being more suitable for single ship actions. Also new is the extensive use of alternate parts. The third rate ships of the line, for example, have four different hull variants (showing the most commonly used paint schemes of the period), two different deck variants (with and without carronades) and two different stern gallery designs (a more highly ornamented late eighteenth century one, and a less elaborately decorated early nineteenth century one), the various combinations of which make it possible to construct sixteen distinctly different ships from a single kit. The first set of this series includes a 36 gun frigate, and 64, 74, 80, and 100 gun ships of the line. The next set will probably include a couple more classes of frigates and a couple larger first-rates. You can see photos of the test builds from various angles on my Flickr page, here: link For right now, though, I need to go work on something obscure. Like a polacre.
Regards, Jeff |
JimDuncanUK | 13 Aug 2015 4:50 a.m. PST |
Nice model Jeff. Did you really mean to have the Union Jack on the main mast upside down? If so then it is regarded as a distress symbol! |
Zargon | 13 Aug 2015 6:14 a.m. PST |
OK I am suitably impressed. Just perfect for Galleys and Galleons by Ganesha Games too. You have to give us a lesson in rigging too, just marvellous. Cheers happy sailing |
Yellow Admiral | 13 Aug 2015 8:11 a.m. PST |
Brilliant work! Bravo! Consider also making these in 1:1200 scale and 1:1000, so they can be built to "flesh out" existing fleets of lead and plastic. If you're looking for obscure topics, add a 3-decker 80 to your earlier line of ships. They were crank, overgunned, drew too much water and couldn't open the lower tier of gunports to leeward in "but a capful of wind", but the Royal Navy insisted on keeping more than a dozen around from the ADW period until the mid-1700s. I think they're only obscure because the Royal Navy would rather forget they ever existed. Navwar's 1/1200 "Torbay" might be a model of one, but I know of no others. - Ix |
whitejamest | 13 Aug 2015 10:16 a.m. PST |
Gorgeous models Jeff, I look forward to seeing more and will definitely try my hands at a 1:1200 size printing. And dangit for some reason now I feel a compelling urge to build a polacre. I blame you. |
War Artisan | 13 Aug 2015 10:47 a.m. PST |
Oops. Sorry, Jim . . . that will be corrected straight away. Very sloppy of me. Zargon – I already did: PDF link Julian – I will happily accept the blame for forcing you to build a polacre. I have no doubt it will be a masterpiece. |
Volunteer | 13 Aug 2015 10:57 p.m. PST |
Oops! That wasn't Julian with the polachre Jeff. Great job! You have done it again! I really should try my hand at one of your card models. Regards, Vol |
War Artisan | 14 Aug 2015 2:33 a.m. PST |
It has definitely been a couple days plagued by small errors. I blame cumulative fatigue from too many hours in the Workshop (the Irish whiskey had nothing to do with it – anyhow, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it). Ix – It would be relatively simple to print out a 1:600 scale kit at 50% if you wanted to try one at 1:1200, but I'll warn you right up front that they become quite challenging at that small size. I picked 1:900 because, after extensive testing with both experienced and inexperienced modellers, it represented the best compromise between parts that are too small to be easily workable and models that are too big to fit comfortably in a typical gaming space. And I doubt there's any point in matching scales with existing lines of models with cast hulls. Stylistically they just wouldn't work well together. |
JimDuncanUK | 14 Aug 2015 3:51 a.m. PST |
@War Artisan Thanks for acknowledging the error on the Union Jack. It's amazing how many people, including British, who do not know which way up their flag should be. Jim |
Yellow Admiral | 14 Aug 2015 8:54 a.m. PST |
No it isn't. What's amazing is that anyone thought it would be a good idea to have a flag that's so close to symmetrical that it requires careful study and a knowledge of pedantic trivia to even notice that it can be flown upside down. I've always liked the Union Jack, but the asymmetrical stripes make my inner engineer squirm uncomfortably, like a picture hanging slightly askew. - Ix |
JimDuncanUK | 14 Aug 2015 9:20 a.m. PST |
So, it would OK if the Stars and Stripes had only 1 star and 1 stripe? |
War Artisan | 14 Aug 2015 9:29 a.m. PST |
As long as the single stripe and single star were symmetrically placed, some people's "inner engineer" might find that quite satisfying, and much more efficient. I suppose that's why no one asks engineers to design flags. I guess there's still some hope for the world as long as artists are still needed for something. |
War Artisan | 14 Aug 2015 9:35 a.m. PST |
Since we have wandered off from the original topic (as we so often do) to the topic of flag design, you might find this amusing: link |
JimDuncanUK | 14 Aug 2015 9:51 a.m. PST |
Apologies WA for dragging your post off topic. I was keen though that since you made an excellent model with great attention to detail that it would be perhaps spoiled by a little mistake. Now, did you know that the red horizontal and vertical stripes representing England and the white and red diagonal stripes representing Scotland and Northern Ireland also have thin white edges? Just a little detail but important if you are making your model as correct as can be. |
Yellow Admiral | 14 Aug 2015 10:09 a.m. PST |
And I doubt there's any point in matching scales with existing lines of models with cast hulls. Stylistically they just wouldn't work well together. I've never seen them side-by-side before. In pictures your paper ships look far superior to the Sails of Glory plastic models, and they're only a wee bit different in scale. That probably has a lot to do with the modeler. :-) Rigging makes a big difference, too. - Ix |
Yellow Admiral | 14 Aug 2015 10:35 a.m. PST |
So, it would OK if the Stars and Stripes had only 1 star and 1 stripe? I bet Texans would like that. - Ix |
War Artisan | 14 Aug 2015 4:29 p.m. PST |
No need to apologize, Jim. I'm grateful for the correction. Even though I can be pretty meticulous about detail, I don't obsess over it; I've grown comfortable with educated guesses, especially where the historical record is a bit fuzzy. There's obviously no guesswork involved in whether a Union Jack is upside down, but since that particular one is only 6mm high I might have used the ship for years without ever noticing. Chances are no one else would have noticed either, if I hadn't posted a really big closeup. I should point out that the Unions in the upper cantons of the other ensigns are correct, although it impossible to tell since they're only 2mm high. I had to look at the magnified original to be sure. I just went down to the Workshop and flipped the offending Union Jack right-side-up. No picture, though . . . you'll have to take my word for it. Jeff |
JimDuncanUK | 15 Aug 2015 4:07 a.m. PST |
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dantheman | 15 Aug 2015 7:37 a.m. PST |
These are great. I have the first set of Anglo Dutch and I scaled them down 1/1200. They make beautiful ships and no need to paint. About the same level of work for me as metal. I have Valiant in Napoleonics and 18the century paint schemes…fully rigged.If I was starting over…may have to. If you want to build a new fleet this is the way to go. At least for me. |
Charlie 12 | 15 Aug 2015 6:21 p.m. PST |
Great stuff, Jeff! I'll definitely be ordering some. My normal scale is 1/2400, but doing 1-on-1 actions in 1/900 or 1/600 with POST CAPTAIN is too good to pass up. I hope you expand the line to include some brigs and sloop/corvette types as well. |