After my wife went off to work this morning I decided that the time had come to put the finishing touches to my latest 'cartoon' model battleship. I finished assembling the main part of the model, and finished it off by adding some hatches, rangefinders atop the main turrets, and fixing the gun barrels of the secondary into their casemates. All I have to do now is to paint two coats of PVA over the model to seal the wood, and then I can begin painting it.
To give some idea how big this model is I have placed it alongside my existing 'cartoon' model of the German pre-dreadnought, Schleswig-Holstein.
To give some idea how big this model is I have placed it alongside my existing 'cartoon' model of the German pre-dreadnought, Schleswig-Holstein.
Absolutely love it. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI can totally see these being a full line of models for a nautical war game designed for all ages.
Scottsz,
ReplyDeleteThank you for you very kind comment.
I hope that these two ships will be the first of quite a few that I will build over the coming months. I don't have any definite plans as yet ... but I think that the next models will be smaller warships (probably some torpedo boats/destroyers), followed by a cruiser or two OR some ironclads/early pre-dreadnoughts.
All the best,
Bob
Lovely stuff. when do we see them in action?
ReplyDeletePD
Peter Douglas,
ReplyDeleteI am pleased that you like the latest addition to my fleet.
Hopefully one or more of these ships will see action in the very near future.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteGotta say she looks a beauty! I am looking forward to seeing the next batch and the rules you will be using!
Plenty of room needed methinks!
All the best,
David Crook
David Crook,
ReplyDeleteI thought that you might like it when you saw it!
I am hoping to build some smaller ships in my next batch. They should be simpler - and therefore also quicker - to build.
As to space to fight a battle ... well a 6' x 4' table should certainly be large enough for a ship vs ship action. As to the rules I'll use ... they are very much at the 'serious thinking about' stage.
All the best,
Bob
Outstanding Bob!
ReplyDeleteDon M,
ReplyDeleteThanks very much!
My modelling technique with wood and general skill levels are improving with each model ... and hopefully that will continue.
Making these models has also given me a lot of satisfaction ... and compared to buying a plastic model ship of the same size, they are relatively cheap to make.
All the best,
Bob
You've outdone yourself on this one! (as you say, the practice is paying off in improved skills)
ReplyDeleteFitz-Badger,
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I have found is that by building the various sub-assemblies in parallel I can reduce the time it takes to make a model. I have also realised that by trying NOT to build an accurate scale model but a ‘cartoon’ version, I can get the ‘look’ right. For example, the pole foremast, topped with a fire control rangefinder on the German pre-dreadnought and the distinctive projecting casemates on the Russian battleship.
All the best,
Bob
Those are gorgeous - great work.
ReplyDeletePat G,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the very complimentary comment.
I am currently undercoating the model and hope to top coat it later today and again tomorrow morning.
When it is complete I will feature photographs of the finished model on my blog.
All the best,
Bob
Do I see a Basswood arms race in progress, with ships becoming progressively bigger? :O)
ReplyDeleteRegards, Chris
Chris Kemp,
ReplyDeleteI am trying to keep the size of the ships within reasonable bounds, both on the grounds of cost and storage space.
The battleships and aircraft carriers will be limited to a maximum of 12" long ... but shorter if I can fit the details I want to include onto the smaller size of hull. Other types of ship will be proportionally smaller.
This project does seem to be developing a life of its own, and I am trying to keep it from getting out of control.
All the best,
Bob
Looks great, Bob ! Even better than the first one. Excellent treatment of the casemate guns.
ReplyDeleteIt looks so nice in the natural wood, in a way it seems almost a shame to cover it up with paint. Reminds me of something you might see in a catalog of very expensive wooden toys.
I'm really looking forward to when you get around to light cruisers and destroyers as well.
Best regards,
Steve
Corporal_Trim (Steve),
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for you comments. I think that the model turned out better than I had hoped ... and I hope that it shows what can be achieved with a few basic tools, a little skill, and the right materials.
It does look nice in its unfinished state ... but I think that it will look even better painted. The casemates were actually quite simple to make, but do look quite effective.
I hope to start work on a prototype destroyer later today using a pre-cut hull from a cheap wooded kit of RMS 'Titanic'. It should not take too long to construct ... I hope.
All the best,
Bob