A viking longship or early Baltic cog.

[Jc]

  I would like to see a ship or two in these periods,perhaps in resin.As it could open up extra possibilitys for sea born games,or shore/river based raids.Lets face it a Norseman without a ship is like Tom without jerry. Just a thought for the future.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Good call! I agree!

[Sandinista]

would be good

[fred.]

There is a plastic one available - by Heller Humbrol, called the Drakkar Oseberg, I got one off eBay for a few pounds fairly recently - it says it is 1:180 scale.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Drakkar+Oseberg&_sacat=0&_from=R40

I haven't got round to cutting it down to a waterline model yet though.

[Jc]

  Now thats a good idea,i will have to keep my eye out for one,though whats the deck space like to place say 8 to10 figures on.

[fred.]

The deck is 11cm by 2.7cm so you should quite happily get 8-10 figures on it.

Its quite a simple kit, e.g. the oars on each side are attached together, so it should go together quite easily.

[fsn]

Hang on! I said all this a couple of days ago. I think I wished for a Viking ship and a Napoleonic two decker and some MGBs.

I'm afraid my modelling skills aren't great so I prefer the wargames versions. Every time I have tried to cut something down to waterline I got something that had that recently torpedoed look.

Remember the Airfix waterline series?

[Jc]

  Two people on the same wavelength,it can't be bad,mayby our wishes will be granted.
I have also tried to cut down hulls to the waterline,result a visit to A/E for 10 stiches to the hand from a none to friendly stanley knife,and much ridicle from my medical colleges.

[fsn]

Thank you JC. What turned my mind to it was the perfectly splendid Corvette that Pendraken do. It is devoid of all those fiddly bits on models that are 100% accurate and always end up getting knocked off.

I don't know about the rest of you but my requirement is a simple hull on which I can place some figures and the minimum amount of masts and yardage that I can get away with in gaming terms.

I don't want to decry our modlelling brothers, but I expect my wargames stuff to work for a living. For example, my Corvette is likely to cover the evacuation at Dunkirk, break in to St Nazaire and may even have to escape the Yangtse. The fact that it doesn't have the correct number of life rafts is immaterial.

[Jc]

  Yes fsn i very much agree with what you are saying,a wargames model has to be practical and useable to be fit for purpose, and above all rugged to take the knocks. A thing often lacking in purely acurate static scale models,though i have been known to fill Airfix type kits tanks/boats ect with resin or plaster and replace flimsy parts with wire /dowels and the like to make them more wargame proof.

[fsn]

Indeed! I made a squadron of Airfix Churchills in one go. That's 15 x 22 wheel assemblies. 330 of the little beggars.

I'd far rather a wargames ready vehicle.

[petercooman]

IF you want to make a great waterline model, you just need a belt sander.

Put your belt sander upside down and make sure it can't move. Then just geltly sand away at the model. Always sand for 5 -10 seconds and then let it cool off a bit, so it just gets sanded instead of melting into a blob  . This takes some time, but you get a nice even waterlined model!!

Of course before you do this, make sure you try it out with a piece of the sprue the model came on, that way you can determine how long you can comfortly sand before the plastic gets hot! Don't forget that different companies use different plastics, so you should try this for each model you want to waterline, as the times might differ!

[fsn]

Dear Mr petercooman.

You have the calm assurance of one to whom the phase "belt sander" does not send up flights of warning maroons. There are those of us who, for their own safety are not allowed anything powered that can cut, scrape or punch, to whom the phrase "belt sander" is just the introduction to a scene from "Some Mothers do 'ave 'em".

I'm sure if I were to apply a belt sander to a plastic ship one of the following 1970's situations would result:

     1: The ship would fly from my hand, through the window and end up embedded in next door's wimp.
     2: The ship would immediately catch fire. I would then drop it into the bin and the bin would catch fire, engulfing the room in smoke and leaving me with face blackened a la "Black and White Minstrel Show" blinking deliberately and coughing mournfully.   
     3: The sander would fall from the clamp that was demonstrably holding it securely down 30 seconds previously, and would run around the floor cutting a perfect set of tracks in then lino.
     4: The ship would fly from my hand, knocking down an improbable succession of steadily larger objects until a bookcase falls on my most prized possession, whilst I stand by watching in bemused inactivity.
     5: A very camp gay bloke would pop his head through the door and ask if he could help strip off my bottom.
     6: The ship would fly out my hand. As I go to retrieve it, I would back into the belt sander (which is still switched on) and jump up hilariously, holding onto my nethers. A rectangle of material would be sanded cleanly from my trousers, but oddly not from my underpants. .
     7: Somehow, a girl's skirt would get entangled in the belt sander and be ripped off.


Now, I'm sure that no-one want's to see options 1-6, and although I would risk 7, the odds of it happening are quite small.

Therefore, some wargames ready resin ships would be much appreciated by me and others like me who are too old, too feeble, too cack-handed or too pushed for time to essay feats of modelling.

I admire your skill and your confidence, but unfortunately share neither.   

[nikharwood]

 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

 
Myself I think it would be more like the Kenny Everett handyman Reg situation, blood everywhere.

Now look that up...