Pulp ships: detailed or caricature (now with ships and port in progress photos?

[FifteensAway]

So, I am hoping to embark on getting my 'fleet' of pulp ships ready and as I studied my raw material (store bought boats I will convert) I noted that a lot of the detail was more a caricature of the detail than a real 'sharp' detail.  I also noted that Bob Murch's recently posted China station water craft were fairly crude but still quite effective.  So, I'm thinking I will probably follow that lead and go more for 'the idea of detail' seen in caricature rather than trying to go whole hog on detailing.  A simple for instance, instead of carefully crafted windows, just draw/paint on the window frames - or maybe  use flat bits of wood painted and glued onto superstructures.  Since the craft will be in 15 mm that makes the task a lot easier and a lot more workable.

So, how do others feel about this? 

I know some love to really put a lot of effort into detailing their models and I applaud that effort.  But I'm thinking these ships of mine will get relatively limited use and mostly be 'scenic elements' so probably a more economical use of my time.
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I've had a name for one ship for a while, MIS Adventure, and now I have a name for the sister ship: MIS Behavin'.  Pulp just seems the right place to keep tongue firmly in cheek. 

Oh, and Nemo's Nautilus successor submarine shall, as noted elsewhere, be JVS Naughtylust (being 'cheeky' again).

[fred]

I agree with keep it simple - I would add some 3d elements, even if for the windows/port holes it's just a circle of card that is painted as a window.

When we look at stuff, our brains are very good at interpreting what they see and extrapolating it further - so give a few visual cues (clues??) as to what is being represented and you should be good.

[Kourtchatovium104]

I agree with Fred: simple shape with few specific 3d elements. And you can add more details later if you want. 

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

Trompe l’oeil works in places besides on my wife’s dining room walls.  Also less fiddly bits to break off when playing.

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

That's a good question. There's a fine balance between detailed enough and too much extra work for too little return. I prefer to have detail, such as actual windows but I don't need the window itself to have much detail itself.

[Cat]

Caricature is good at 15mm, maybe with a few 3D relief bits.  I do that a lot with 10–15mm-ish buildings.
 
Suitable for ships that are just as likely to get run down by the HMS Suggestive, or maybe the HMS Peculiar.
(h/t Noël Coward)

[Codsticker]

I think that would be no problem especially if the painting is well done. I wonder if you could find appropriate  paper details use instead of building frames, doors and such, similar to the printed siding and roofing people use for buildings?

[FifteensAway]

No idea if it will bear fruit, but I got notice today that the local chapter of IPMS is meeting this Saturday and there will be bits for sale.  Maybe I'll find items to help with my ship project.  We shall see.

[frd]

Just like Sakuragi, I like details, but I'm not shooting for true realism. I think the best way to describe what I'm shooting for is comic-book realism. Details are a bit oversized and a bit more iconic. I guess this leans into caricature you describe?

I do this for two reasons:
1. Most 15mm minis are more of a heroic scale. A true scale terrain would look quite puny and out of place next to them. Larger details (or even better, slightly oversized terrain) makes it look much more in scale to the minis. This is even more true for the "larger than life" pulp. 
2. Adding oversized detail makes painting easier. I'm not a strong painter. However, making some simple details that I can paint separately then add to the model and blend it all with some drybrush and weathering powders really elevates the model.

It also helps that I really enjoy making terrain. For me it's more about the journey of building it than the destination of using it in games. Of course, this has the drawback that I'm still far away from having a proper setup, because I have bunch of unfinished projects that I keep fiddling with

[Andy in Germany]

Coming from the railway model making scene, I find TT games are often a sort of "detailed Caricature", in fact that's one of the things I like.

I've found that details are often what helps the eye see something as "authentic" or "realistic" even when it's noting of the wort. It's one reason my models are often painted, washed and dry brushed in layers and then weathered almost to destruction: I find that, for reasons I don't entirely understand, it makes them seem more realistic to my eye.

I think the trick is finding the balance, so there's enough detail that it "seems" realistic, without it becoming overpowering.

I also suspect that we all have slightly different perceptions of what this is, so one you find a method that works for you, run with it...

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

I think those extra steps is what brings out flaws and imperfections, which is what separates the realistic from the unrealistic. Is not a man but a bundle of flaws?

Or was it a miserable pile of secrets?

[FifteensAway]

and what about those secret flaws...? 

Andy, one of the elements of model railroading I've recently contemplated is that it is the combination of painted and weathered track, weathered power and rolling stock, weathered buildings, and 'duller' and more muted scenery colors that make layouts realistic.  I model in N scale and too much, not all, of what you see photos of in N scale are way, way too green (sometimes in larger scales, too) but when a modeler opts for what I listed, it can really stand out.  From years ago, Sogn Valley, and a select few working now achieve this - and this will heavily influence my own work.  So, absolutely, weathering our gaming models heightens reality - in the same way it does in model railroading.  And perhaps my model railroading is why I am less focused on details in gaming - reserve the 'careful attention to detail' to railroading and be more loose with the gaming.   Of course, there are times in railroading detail is less - like background features - and times in gaming when detail matters more like 'starring' figures versus the 'cast of thousands'.

And an important trick in scenery is to maximize diversity of color and texture in small areas - which some find tedious - which is why for gaming I love the Cigar Box battle mats, even their 'monotone' mats have a good deal of color variation.  For those 'in a hurry' or just don't want to put out the extra effort, an expanse of monotone green is easier same as it is easier to paint a river blue even though you almost never see a blue river.  The game plays the same on detailed or simplistic terrain but one is memorable and the other not so much.

And, enough for now.

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

Active C10-series steam locomotive built in 1930 at Senzu Station, 2019 (https://www.wayfarerdaves.com/sl-battle-royale/)

Behold, 50 Shades of Black & Grey from 89 years of service.

[FifteensAway]

Nice train - and locomotive.

"CONJURAS STATION", or maybe "CENTRAL AMERICAN STATION"

Either way, inspired by Bob Murch's recent China Station post on the pulp page, to some degree - though I've had those unfinished buildings and the ships for a LONG TIME and was going for something like what you see here before I encountered the recent inspirational thread.

The day began here:



A trio of "fishing trawlers":



Perhaps Conjuras' entire surface fleet?:



And a couple of old planks.  Yup, planks:



That eventually turned into this:



And a little while later, those planks were this:



And the end result of the days work is here, five craft water lined and two new - and unfinished, need loading derricks on the forecastle, funnel aft of the flying bridge, etc. - ships from scratch:



At first I was thinking to use those inverted hulls to indicate ships turned turtle - the cut-offs after water lining the trawlers and those 'pink' ships.  Then, in a flash of 'brilliance', it hit me - submarines!!!  At least one will be the basis for my Nautilus (or Naughtylust).  The others may also be submarines.

Absolutely, the two big bruisers at 18" long - my tramp steamers MIS Adventure and her sister ship MIS Behavin' - are pretty crude and will, in comparison to some of the amazing work seen here on LAF, eventually finish fairly crude though hopefully pretty rugged to survive rough handling in games.

After I cleaned up and put away the tools and stuff, I spent a few minutes setting up a first try at the port of Los Abajos, Conjuras (not Conyuras!).  For those who need to know, that is a 30" x 60" table, can setup four such tables easily - port, town, jungle, etc.







Obviously a work in progress but a very big jump forward today - A Fleet in Being (Eventually).

A few shots of the ships with 'occupants':









Maybe not a good day to go for a swim:



That's all for now.

[snitcythedog]

Your steamers are crude now but can be spruced up quite quickly.  You question earlier about caricature or not, is pretty easy to answer from my end.  Caricature will always give you enough space to play while details will look pretty but get in the way.  Pick out whatever details that you need to make the point and disregard the rest.  My two cents on that.