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Thursday 2 February 2012

Small Battleships

A big thanks goes to Jim Duncan, who very kindly sent me some small metal battleships so that I can use David Crook's version of MEMOIR OF BATTLE AT SEA (MOBAS) on my Heroscape™ water-tile terrain.


This means that I can now have a portable version of the game that I can take with me when I go away on holiday or when I am visiting another wargamer. All I have to do now is paint the ships ... and I would hope to be able to do that in the very near future.

12 comments:

  1. Interesting little ships - about 2in long if these are hexon tiles?

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  2. Tim Gow,

    Yes, they are about 2" long ... and ideal for either Hexon II or even Heroscape sea/water tiles.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  3. I made these quite a few years ago to use as naval units in a campaign which never took off.

    The original master was constructed from balsa wood, plastic strip, cotton buds and miliput.

    I made a two part mould from cold cure silicon rubber and cast them using a home mixed lead and antimony alloy.

    I still have the mould somewhere underneath my lead and plastic mountain.

    Jim

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  4. Jim Duncan,

    I somehow think that people might actually want to buy some of these models from you if they were available. I certainly would.

    You might not make your fortune ... but you would certainly be doing a great service to wargaming.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  5. Hi Bob - and Jim,

    Those models are lovely! They really have that, dare I say, cartoon look about them and will look the part when painted for sure.

    Bob,

    I will probably have some sample ship specs available pretty soon so will ping you a set.

    Jim,

    Very impressive indeed sir! Did you ever make any other ship types to complement these or were they intended as symbolic naval units?

    Either way I love 'em!

    All the best (to you both!)

    DC

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  6. David Crook,

    They have exactly the 'look' I want to achieve with my 'Monopoly' battleships. They are also ideal for fighting naval battles using MOBAS on my Heroscape hexes.

    I am looking forward to seeing your sample ship specifications in the near future.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  7. Hi Bob and David Crook

    These were the only ships I made castings of at the time. They were to be specifically a fleet marker and could actually represent all manner of vessels. They do look very good when painted in different paint schemes.

    I have made many others in a different scale (more cartoonish) for a fun game where the firing mechanics involved a cotton wool ball (it was fun).

    I have a plan to make some more, even more cartoonish, using magnetic parts to allow, for example, a knocked out turret to represented more visually. I may well keep the cotton wool balls for firing!!

    I must get these past ideas as well as future ones onto a blog so that you guys can share. It won't happen this weekend as I've just found out I'm driving down to York to attend Vapnartak.

    Jim

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  8. Jim Duncan,

    Your idea sounds very interesting and I look forward to hearing more about it in due course.

    I had never thought of making models where bits could be removed to show damage ... but it is - like all the best ideas - obvious when it is proposed!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  9. In case you hadn't spotted this you might be interested to know that the 1999 Hasbo/Avalon Hill version of Doplomacy actually used slightly scaled up versions of the monoploy pieces in production at the time. These would fit well on heroscape hexes. A second hand Diplomacy set might be worth looking out for just for the (70!) ships.

    http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/490640/diplomacy

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  10. Nigel Drury,

    I have looked on eBay for a copy of this edition of the game, but I have not found one ... yet. If I do, I may well buy a copy.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  11. Try boardgamegeek, there are several listed and you can make offers, but do email to check which version is being sold.

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  12. Nigel Drury,

    Thanks for the suggestion.

    I have found one set in the US that is up for sale ... for £80.00.

    The illustrations show all of the playing pieces, so I know that it is the right set. At the moment I am considering buying it ... but I do think that the price is a bit steep.

    All the best,

    Bob

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