The Stygian Swine - a Mega Bloks 'Stormstalker' Conversion

[uti long smile]

Here are some finished pics of a conversion of Mega Bloks 'Captain Cutlass' Stormstalker (ref 3620) as requested by RaFonaRaFona. The original set is from the Mega-Bloks Pyrates range. Here's the original PDF instructions from the set, to give you an idea.

http://www.megabrands.com/media/playbooks/3620.pdf

The first thing to say is that it was intended for a fantasy game, so there is no attempt at realism - plus I'm a complete numpty on all things nautical - so apologies in advance for any crass misuse of any sailing terms.

First things first, I removed almost all the 'bobbles' with a pair of GW plastic cutters, with the exception of those securing the stairs and the mast. I also removed the chest\drum on the forward deck and the weird shark figurehead, hacking them away with a knife and sawing where necessary.

I then spent a while deciding on the deck structure and floor. On the down side, the original model has a number of different levels, few of which would safely house a 25mm base. On the plus side, I liked the depth that the hold gave to the whole thing (and the natty working hold doors) and didn't really want to cover it completely.

So I decided on both! My thinking is that I will get more use out of something modular. For some games, I will want some on-deck battles and the use of a hold meant that there was limited space for putting multiple models on deck.

So I built the deck up to a standard level with layers of foamcard, adding with some minor balsa wood additions for the inner walls of the hold. I then built a small foamcard 'table' to fit within the hold, that I could use to support a full deck that I wanted to place over the top.





I still wasn't sure what to clad the deck in. I'd seen balsa strips or carved balsa sections used and also considered using coffee stirrers as planking. I eventually managed to find some very thin plasticard decking and settled on this. While I like the finish of balsa, with my ham-like fists and limited skills it tends to split and I thought personally that it might be difficult to shape it to the deck shape.

I used the plasticard to clad any visible surface including; the top deck, rear deck (sorry my lack of seamanship is beginning to show), the steps, crows nest and the hold.

For the modular main deck, I made a paper template for and practiced a couple of times to get the right shape. Then the benefits of the plasticard kicked in, as I could simple cut this with scissors to shape. I made two decks, one permanently fixed with a hole for the hold (fitted in three parts which I now regret to be honest) and an overlay for the 'full deck' to sit on the foamcard 'table'.







With the full deck version, the mast simply balances on top - I'll probably have to find a better way to permanently fix it, but it will do for now.



I decided not to use most of the accessories as the distracted from the scale - or were just a bit naff! I'm using the sail provided for now, as I don't have time to source anything else at present. These really bother me, but will have to do for now.

The ship's wheel is from Eureka and was painted and constructed separately and just rests on top on a plasticard base.

I painted the whole deck, hold and mast (thank god for GW foundation colours, as they covered really well), but only washed and dry-brushed the outer hull. Still a few things to finish like the sails and figure-head, but overall it turned out better than I expected and wasn't that difficult to achieve. The Stygian Swine is now ready to sail for the Isle of Dread next weekend!!
 






I've also got the PotC Junk Empress and Pyrates Dread-Eye Phantom (great for undead pirates) that I've picked up cheap in toy shops and Ebay, so I'll put the lessons learnt into those next projects. I saw a great game at Salute this year, which used teh same toys and that gave me a couple of ideas.

All the pics are in this folder:

http://s274.photobucket.com/albums/jj278/pez47/All%20at%20Sea/Ship%20Conversions/

Plus there are some more 'action' pics in my gallery here:

http://s274.photobucket.com/albums/jj278/pez47/All%20at%20Sea/?start=all

Cheers

Karl

[myincubliss]

Looking good!

[Ray Rivers]

 

Wow!  She's lovely!

I have a mega blocks ship as well, but to be quite honest, the chore of cutting off the "bobbles" seems quite difficult.  Especially since there are so many.

How well did the cutters work, might I ask?  And did it take you very long to do it?

Cheers... and once again, very nice work!

[uti long smile]

The cutters were fine - probably an hour or so to strip it. Easier than a scalpel\craft knife (I hacked my thumb up using on the first try), but beware, they fly off everywhere:)

[Baggins Wood]

Superb. Lovely conversion. Thankfully the heir apparent is into mega blocks pirates and when the ships eventually lose their appeal I shall gratefully requisition them. I think that they are well suited to a "skirmish on the decks" game like LoTHS.

Personally, I have been working for some years at a ruleset that allows for the feel of ship to ship engagement in 28mm scale without the need for a paddock sized table. "Impossible!" I hear you mutter, but I think I've cracked it. I'll post details in another topic.

[RaFonaRaFona]

Thank you so much for the post.  That was just what I was looking for.

Now I just have to decide what I want to do.

Thanks again.  You are very kind and it is much appreciated.

RaFona

[uti long smile]

No problem - happy to help! 

[The Black Rider]

i have the black pearl and was thinking of doing something similar! This looks great so am definetly going to have a go at sorting it out soon!!

[uti long smile]

Black Rider - good luck, it's pretty easy to do.

I hope to pick up some more plasticard for decking tomorrow, so may start on the Junk next.

[Sangennaru]

wow, I like it! but... don't you think it is a bit too dark?

[Hitman]

Nicely done...great conversion. By the way, the pictures on your Photobucket site are great too!! Thanks for sharing.

[uti long smile]

Sangennaru - Too dark? Do you mean the general colour of the hull? It's a big flat expanse of colour which never helps, and I never nailed a great technique for painting woodwork.

I must admit I didn't slave over it - basecoat and a couple of washes and drybrushes. One slight problem was the lack of detail on the plasticard deck and the finish on the mix of materials - hard plastic, balsa and plasticard - but overall I was generally happy considering my rather limited ability! Thanks for the feedback though!

[Sangennaru]

Too dark? Do you mean the general colour of the hull? It's a big flat expanse of colour which never helps, and I never nailed a great technique for painting woodwork.

yep, I think that I bit more of contrast should help a lot the boat... i mean, probably IRL is much better than in photo, but it seems quite flat... again, maybe it's the photo! ^^

[warrenpeace]

Great work!    The hull comes that way.  And that is fine.  Perhaps the ship would look a bit less gloomy and more exciting if the deck was lightened.  Since decks were generally rubbed down by the sailors with stones to smooth out any potential splinters that could pierce their bare feet, the decks of wooden ships of this size would look lighter.  I think the contrast between a light deck and this nice shade of dark hull would look great.  But that's a terrific job as is.

[Rob_Jedi]

I have the same ship sitting on my shelf, you've done a nice job there redecking her and getting rid of all those studs. One thing though that looks wrong is the lack of the fore triangular sail. I know why it's missing is because you have left off the top of the main mast above the crows nest so you can put minis on there but I think you have to find a way to rig the sail lower, for visual balance if not just because such a big ship needs more sails.

For my own I'm tempted to rig her with at least 2 masts, since she's actually a bit longer than the Black Pearl kit, and that ship has 3 masts. The Stormstalker rigged as a sloop seems more like it was designed to a larger scale.