'Cartooning': The modelling equivalent of 'bathtubbing'

According to Steven's Balagan blog, the concept of 'bathtubbing' a wargames campaign came about thus:

'The first game where the reduction in scale took place was Frank Chadwick’s reduced-scale Barbarossa campaign. Frank boiled the Soviet navy down to a handful of vessels, and created models of them which were . . . shall we say . . . lacking in certain details.

John Harshman saw the models, and remarked that they looked like something suitable for sailing in a bathtub. Frank loved the notion, and the campaign was henceforth called “Bathtub Barbarossa”.'

When I read this, I was immediately struck by the fact that it was Frank Chadwick's model ships that brought about the term 'bathtub' when referred to a wargame campaign, and that as many of my model ships are also 'lacking in certain details' (and accuracy!), I have for years been doing what Frank Chadwick did when I created my 'cartoon' ship models to use alongside my wargame figures.

It is interesting to note that this reflection on 'cartooning' and 'bathtubbing' comes at a time when I am trying to formulate my own campaign rules for an Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War campaign, and when my fellow bloggers Archduke Piccolo and David Crook are building 'cartoon' model ships to use on their respective tabletops.

This has set my modelmaking mojo twitching, and I am trying to resist the temptation to build some 'cartoon' warships. I did set myself some short-term aim less that a fortnight ago, and so far I have achieved two of the three aims I set myself. I am determined to achieve the third (which is to complete the new, colour version of the Madasahatta map) ... but after that, who knows what I'll do next?

One of my cartoon warships in action during the Winter-ish War.

Maybe I might just build myself a few 'cartoon' warships!