Ships, part 7

Another brief update:


I have added the rostrum and some more superstructure bits. The metal pieces are some 1/2400 scale ship's boats that I have hoarded for a long time. They are produced by CinC ( website ). 1/2400 might seem too small for this 1/1200 ship, but they match the original drawing almost perfectly; I suspect they are a bit too large for 1/2400 in the first place. But they look the part!

Hlutrgú, part 3

Here are a pair of work-in-progress pics of those pesky swamp dwelling Hlutrgú:

Shaman, drummer, and champions.

A few of the 'boys'.

They look a little rough yet; I am not quite finished so hopefully the end result will be better. In particular, the lightest colored ones gave me some problems. I think they received two base coats, and they still did not look right after an overall ink wash. So, they received yet another base coat of thinned paint, slightly darker than the original, and they seem to look much better.

I am also trying to decide on the colors for their weapons. So far, in 'My Tékumel' I have been using metallics for all weapons - not canon I realize but it looks OK to me (YTMV)*. Of course, all that I have painted so far have been Ever Present Glory troops! If I go with metal javelin tips for the Hlutrgú, I might go with a copper or bronze effect.


* - Your Tékumel May Vary


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Ships, part 6

More and more small steps on the way toward launch:


On my other blog, I wrote about purchasing some Xyston 1/600 ancient ships. Along with the ships, I bought some extra ship-board artillery, and after they arrived, I thought that some of them might make good lambasts for Half Continent ships.


Here is the basic hull and a sprue of ballista. They are a little large, but should work just fine. Also in this photo, one can just make out the deck planking - it will be much more apparent when painted.




And this is the hull with some extra parts for the deck fittings alongside. After looking again at the original artwork for this ship, I have made my mini with a greatly exaggerated vertical measurement - the hull is much taller than the scale. It is OK though, it does not look too bad and I like it! Even the piece with the hole drilled off-center...

Tékumel naval, part 1

The first order has arrived:


1/600 ancient ships, made by Xyston ( link to mfg's web site ). I ordered a variety of minis, just to see what they look like in person. I am quite surprised by their size - they are MUCH bigger than I thought and enormous compared to the 1/1200 ancient ships I have used in the past. Unfortunately, I was not able to get any Roman ships, and only one Carthaginian ship. The plan is to group the minis, mostly by their historical nationalities, into fleets for the Tékumel factions. One problem with the Xyston range is a shortage of smaller ships, so the one hemiolia mini - the smallest ship of the range - might be used for all of the human fleets, perhaps with some minor modifications.


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Ships, part 5

Another small step towards completion:


The deck planking sheet is being glued down to the hull pieces. Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of the planking pieces before this, but once it is painted it will be easy to see.

Also, I miscalculated the scale on this mini - it is 1/1200, not 1/600 as previously stated. I am now wondering if I am using balsa that is too thick. It is certainly not to scale but I like that fact that the mini will be more robust and more easily recognized on the tabletop.

Hlutrgu, part 2

WIP photo of the Hlutrgu:


I am trying for a color scheme where the youngest members of the warband are the lightest shade. The champion on the right is the darkest, of course. He also has given up on javelins and has a blade - which I made from a leftover short sword from a Serqu trooper.

I am also considering some sort of spotted/striped scheme, at least for some of them.


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Tékumel naval?

Have you ever noticed how a short and seemingly innocent remark can snowball into something much bigger and take your hobby down a different path? Well, after some commentary on Chirine's blog - here and here - I have decided to do something about starting up a small series of fleets for some Tékumel naval gaming.

First off I need some more information, and Tita's has some copies of Qadárdàlikoi, so an order will be made soon.

Second, miniatures. 1/1200 might be too small, so I am going to investigate 1/600 minis.

Third, rules. Qadárdàlikoi will be looked at, and I have some older board games (Trireme and War Galley) as well, plus there are some free sets on the 'Net.



Distracting? Maybe...

Fun? You bet!


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A bit of a diversion, and a poll...

As many other gamers, I find it very difficult to maintain a singular focus on projects and periods - there have been many examples on this blog alone to prove that! But, I have endeavored to keep my blogs reasonably focused on certain genres. This blog is devoted to naval matters, and historical ones at that. But, I am also 'working' (more like thinking!) on non-historical naval projects, which I normally keep sequestered on other blogs.

As I seem to have made some real progress on another, non-historical naval project, I am wondering if I should repeat that information here as well. In that regard, I have set up a poll find out what my reading audience thinks of this idea. Please give me a minute or so to vote, and leave a comment if you like!

Ships, part 4

Balsa + a new cutting mat + a sharp blade =


Here is the base hull for my first ship, with two more blanks waiting.




The hull and upper deck.




And this stuff is for the deck planking to be fitted onto the deck pieces, next time!