Struck Viking gold at a budget trinket store!

[Rhoderic]

I will never underestimate trinket stores again. Here's what I bought today for 79 SEK (about £6):



The figures are from Bronze Age, to demonstrate how beautifully the ship sizes up to 28mm (never mind the oars, they're obviously too big for the ship anyway). This thing is a little dodgy as a display piece, but almost perfect for gaming! It should take very little work to get it to a tabletop-worthy state. It's almost waterlined already, see:





The base is easy to remove (I've done it already) and the keel should be simple enough to saw off. I'm not sure what to do with the "shields" at the sides, as they're a bit thick and crude, but I'm not overly concerned. Worst case scenario, I'll have to remove the railings along with the shields, and those should be easy to replace, and I'm hopeful it won't come to that anyway.

I might not even have to re-paint the thing! Though it could do with a drybrush, and maybe some weathering effects on the sail.

I'm really overjoyed with this purchase, and I'll probably go back and get another one (or two, or three). My Vanir will be the scourge of the Western Ocean! From Pictland to the Black Kingdoms, none will be safe!

[white knight]

wow! I'm jealous!
Don't suppose it says who makes it?

[Heldrak]

Looks great!

I think an easy fix for those thick, ugly shields along the rail would simply be to cover them with larger, more detailed shields. If you used convex shields, you might be able to cover them completely.

[Rhoderic]

I'm afraid there's absolutely no mention of the maker anywhere on the product. I had to ask to specifically get a boxed one at the store (they were selling the ships unboxed on the shelves, next to the £2 Buddha statues), and it came in a plain white box with naught but some numbers printed on it. This being Sweden, a case could be made for the potentiality that it's made for this market alone. Then again it does seem rather like the kind of thing that's being produced in sweatshops on the other side of the planet. I really have no insight whatsoever into the whole trinket market. I mean, really, who the hell makes this stuff? What guy, sitting in what office, in what part of the world, based on what market data, decided to start producing cheap wooden models of Viking ships??

[warrenpeace]

I mean, really, who the hell makes this stuff? What guy, sitting in what office, in what part of the world, based on what market data, decided to start producing cheap wooden models of Viking ships??

Yes!  Inquiring minds want to know!

[Rhoderic]

I'll aspire to find out what I can about the makers of the ship next time I go to the store, though I fear they might not tell me much, and even if they do, it may be hard to actually use that information to get hold of the model elsewhere in the world.

Then of course there's the possibility of me buying more of these models and sending them to other LAFers who might want them. I think I owe it, since people here have sent me stuff in the past. But the shipping costs will probably get more expensive than the models themselves, and there's a possibility that I can't get hold of any more than a couple of them. So in short, I'm open to the possibility, but for all I know at this moment, circumstances might dictate otherwise.