Little something for you

[Sinewgrab]

Well, I built my first 15mm piece for colonials - a gunboat for a friend of mine who plays 15mm (don't believe in the little buggers myself). He had something I wanted - 2 somethings in fact - and traded them to me for an example of my dubious ability to scratchbuild. And so, here she is...



This is before she got any paint, and no windows yet, either. I made her from 3/16 gatorfoam (a foam core material) and balsa, with greenstuff bags.



This is after I put windows in her. I only cut the first layer out to give the windows depth.




And she is done. The models he gave me that had to fit are taking up space in the bow.



I wanted him to be able take her apart, so the levels detach from each other.

Feel free to tear her apart - I didn't base her on any specific ship, I just sort of winged it into existence based on about 4 hours of net surfing. I think she came out okay.

[Svennn]

Yep, nice  Wrong bloody scale though 

[Smokeyrone]

Yep, nice  Wrong bloody scale though 

There are those who would say "That is the right scale"   

GREAT WORK, man!   I love it.  Just when another post had me thinking about building some vessels for my 15mm Sudan gaming.

Timing is everything!

The sandbags really are eye catching!

Kudos!


Questions:  Is that foam with a cardstock/paper outer covering, or styrene?

And, did you scribe the wooden deck, or draw it?


Thanks for sharing that beautiful model!

[Calimero]

  That's a really nice ship! Well done!

[Traveler Man]

Very nice! 

[Sinewgrab]

Yep, nice  Wrong bloody scale though 

I actually agree with you, but that is the scale the gentleman wanted, so that was the scale he got.

Customer is always right, unless you are at a bank. Then you're just screwed.

 

[Sinewgrab]

There are those who would say "That is the right scale"   

They would be wrong, but they can say it.

GREAT WORK, man!   I love it.  Just when another post had me thinking about building some vessels for my 15mm Sudan gaming.
Timing is everything!
The sandbags really are eye catching!
Kudos!
Questions:  Is that foam with a cardstock/paper outer covering, or styrene?
And, did you scribe the wooden deck, or draw it?
Thanks for sharing that beautiful model!

I actually cheated on the deck, and bought some pre-scribed material from the local hobby store. And Gatorfoam is a clay-clad melanine casing over polyethylene foam. Yes, I was in the plastics and signing material business for years, so I know too much about it.

It is significantly tougher than either paper clad foamcore or styrene clad, but a bit harder to work with as it cuts sharp and you have to sand abit after working to save your fingers.

The sandbags are simply green stuff rolled into long thin rods, and clipped with a wire cutter dipped in water so it won't stick to them. Gives you that sewn bags look without a lot of effort, as it cuts from both sides equally.

I'm glad you guys liked it - I was abit dubious, as I had never done that before, and certainly not at a smaller scale.

[Smokeyrone]

I have paddlers and gunboats and steamers in both 15 and  25 mm scale. It makes no sense I know, it happened.

But the scope for "fudging"in the smaller scale is so much less that anyone who builds in that scale has my admiration.

What do you mean? 

My problem in making the transition to 15 from 28 is more of finding the correct "scale" of materials.  That sort of thing?  ie "corrugated" cardboard is way huge for 15mm, unless it's that really small stuff.

Maybe because I have made a lot of 6 and 10mm terrain and buildings, that i find 15 to be quite easy and "big" to work with, not much different than 1/72, which was my former scale for Colonials.


As an aside, the BEST small corugated carboard supply is those free US Postal service boxes.  Really fine stuff, and very easy to seperate that outer layer of paper.

[Barry S]

Great looking model. I built a couple of 15mm ships including a small steam ship using card and balsa and they're some of my favorite models even though I've never used them 
 

The sandbags are simply green stuff rolled into long thin rods, and clipped with a wire cutter dipped in water so it won't stick to them. Gives you that sewn bags look without a lot of effort, as it cuts from both sides equally.

Thanks for the excellent tip on using the cutters!

[Smokeyrone]

Great looking model. I built a couple of 15mm ships including a small steam ship using card and balsa and they're some of my favorite models even though I've never used them 
 
Thanks for the excellent tip on using the cutters!

Lets see them, Barry.

BTW, that trick for sandbags also works with sculpey and FIMO.

[warrenpeace]

That li'l boat really captures the spirit of gunboats up the Nile.  The green stuff sandbags are brilliant, and the wooden sidewalls are too.  Perhaps you should develop this into a business the way Houston has.  Maybe time to think ahead to a Sand Pebbles project in the correct scale.

[Barry S]

Lets see them, Barry.

Sure. They are based on no particular ships and are meant to be 'squashed' or compact which makes them appear rather comical but I kind of like that.
Here are links to some photos:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/LeadBear/15mm%20VSF/SteamShip.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/LeadBear/15mm%20VSF/RowBoat.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/LeadBear/15mm%20VSF/SmallSteamShip.jpg
http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/LeadBear/DBA%20Armies/?action=view&current=Romanboat1.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/LeadBear/DBA%20Armies/Romanboatdeconstructed.jpg

Sorry to hi-jack your thread Sinewgrab

[Sinewgrab]

Meh, I got no worries. That's good work there, so who cares what thread it is in?

And Warrnebruhn, what the hell is Sand Pebbles?

And no way do I want to do this as a business - the quickest way I know of to kill your hobby is to turn it into a job.

[Plynkes]

Sinewgrab, The Sand Pebbles is a film starring Steve McQueen, Candice Bergen and Dickie Attenborough. Set on the Yangtze in a chaotic China at the end of the Warlord-era, the name of the film comes from the sailors' nickname for their gunboat, the USS San Pablo.








If you like gunboats it is a must-see.

[Smokeyrone]

No doubt, Plynkes!

I read some from the book it was based on.True story.  I think the background is detailed in "The Savage Wars of Peace" if I'
m not mistaken.

Greta book, scenario generator.