"Battle of Helgoland-1864...what ships models to use??" Topic

Gents,

I'd like to put together fleets for the naval action fought between Denmark and Austria-Prussia.

I'm looking at 1/600…maybe 1/1200.

Could I ask what the brainstrust here would use as ‘close as possible' proxy ships in place the following vessels at the battle please?

All input most welcome.

Thanks.

Denmark
Niels Juel 42-gun screw frigate
Jylland, 44-gun screw frigate
Hejmdal 16-gun screw corvette

Austria
Schwarzenberg, 51-gun screw frigate
Radetzky 37-gun screw frigate

Prussia
Preussischer Adler, 4-gun paddle steamer
Blitz, 3-gun 350-ton gunboat
Basilisk, 3-gun 350-ton gunboat

If you're willing to use 1/1200, you might contact Phil Ireson <vanilla55@sky.com> at Pithead and ask if/when he plans to complete the vessels for this war. Some of them were listed on his last planned projects list, and he might already have others that could substitute.

Also look over the 1/1200 Transitional Steam Ships and early British ironclads at Red Eagle Miniatures for possible substitutions.

- Ix

Thanks Yellow Admiral…I'll look at those.

Do you know however what ships would make close proxies should that be required? I'm thinking 1/600 so something from the Thoroughbred and Bay Area Yards range. That said, 1/1200 is still on the radar.

Cheers

HW

Schwarzenberg and Radetzky are both included in the Pithead Lissa range, in the Austrian Second Division:

Phil has done an awful lot of research to find out what these ships looked like, so these should at least serve as a guideline for whatever you come up with.

In general, mid-19th C. steam-powered wooden warships of the same class looked very similar, so most screw corvettes and screw frigates will stand in for each other, as long as they are roughly the same size. I would suggest using the Wayback Machine (archive.org) to look at the photos on the old BAY site (http://bayareayards.virtualscratchbuilder.com/) and pick out some hulls.

Smaller warships and especially paddle steamers were a bit more unique, so I wouldn't feel safe choosing substitutes until I'd spent many hours trying to find photos and information about them.

- Ix

Phil Ireson (Pithead) definitely worth contacting – think he is already working on that project.

http://bayareayards.virtualscratchbuilder.com/

Stephen has moved his shop to:

link

Phil Ireson (Pithead) definitely worth contacting – think he is already working on that project

Are his ships still available? I lost my contact for him and my price list.

Yes. Yellow Admiral posted his email address above – it's the only way to contact him.

Bear in mind Spithead isn't really a company – just one talented individual who defrays the cost of producing things he wants by selling a limited number of additional models from each master he sculpts to those ‘in the know' – so definitely a case of ‘when it's gone, it's gone'.

Get them while you can.

Yep… .missed that the first read through. Thanks!

Thanks so much chaps,

Lots of good ideas. When I get the models I think are suitable I'll put a list up here for future reference for others.

Cheers
👍🏻

I have the Pithead models for the War of the Triple Alliance (Paraguayan and Brazilian). Very nice and I will definitely be buying more from him. Probably the Brazilian ironclads next and some of his ACW shore batteries or forts.
Highly recommended.

Figurehead has a line of 1/2400 Danish and Lissa era ironclads with some generic wooden steam frigates and SOLs. Nice but delicate.

I am indeed still around and I do have wooden Danish, Austrian, and Italian ship hills available now.

Here is the link to the 1/600 scale stuff: link