Hello Folkes,
it really is amazing, what kind of hidden and not so hidden treasures are in here! I haven't seen so many inspiring theads for quite a while, when it comes to scenery and terrain! Hope to compete, or at least keep up without panting too much!
However I dare to show a project of mine, since I have seen so many great ship-projects, hoping this might fit, too.
So ... it all started, when there was some special "Advent-Event" a few years ago at my local GW-store. I managed to grab some flame-cannons from the dwarfen warmachines ... just the cannons, without the mountings (well, I got some valves and other stuff, too, but the cannons each came as single bitz). Alltogehter 7 pieces (seven! gnihi) Actually I did not know at the time, what to use it for, just grabbed them out of sheer reflex. Maybe I had an airy thought about some ship, but not sure. Could have been a dwarven gun-battery for a future stronghold, too.
Then - some may know the models - UnchartedSeas came out. As usual I fell for the dwarves.
http://www.hobbybunker.com/images/products/305.jpgWell ... that was that and the idea of a ship was born.
During the next days I started some testing, to get an idea of what would come. I cut a rough hulk from some polystyrene, even tested some idea about the gun-ports, but ... yukk
... somehow, that wasn't, what I wanted. Too small. Why did I buy so many guns, anyway?
What I wanted was a full 3-gun broadside - bad enought that it would only be a small destroyer, huh? So, I started NOT with the hulk, but with the cannons, cutting the ship around them (like it was said it was done with the A-10 Warhog ^^). I wanted to place some gun-crew, some upper-engine-room and at least a small officer's cabin on the main deck.
Crew? Yes! What do we have? 6 Guns ... need at least 12 dwarves to manage, 2 each and maybe room for some powder-beards. To those of You who knows about the REAL crews of such cannon I like to add, that I obviously depend a little bit on dwarven technology, here.
I choose this design: no smooth curves or something like that to make it look sturdy and "clean-lined" - not stream-lined but dwaven-lined. ^^
First I planked the deck, then digged and glued in the first main beams and some sheathing(?) between the beams and while drying I checked over the bitz I had so far, and found that the dwarf miner's bitz came in handy. I even "mounted" the guns, to have some base to test with. ^^
I do this with all my projects, cause I realized that it's always better to have something to "play-think" with. Might be my fault, but I like to look at things in real, put them this way and that not just imagining how it will be ... it often have spared me a great deal of problems (there are still enough being left later on, anyway °_O). Oh! If THIS is HERE, then THESE canNOT be THERE, so ... hmmmm ... damned ... already glued it ...
It is also pure fun and in addition many of my ideas often develop while looking at these ... wanna-be thingies.
After this, the final, though basic layout was finish(ed? ... sigh)
So, before going to the next step, I needed the mountings of the guns. 6 times. And since it should be advanced dwarven technique, it should be kind of automated, meaning: looking like a mechanical retractable and pivotable high-tech mounting.
With my latest versions, I glued some bend metal as rails to a base and tried a bit more
Even with some suggestions from my dwarves (no, I am not a psyche ... my dwarves really helped!) I have to admit, it took me nearly three days to figure it out ^^
But finally I made it - the guns are now retractable and pivotable in their mountings - at least enough to give the impression! They are pivotable with roughly 20 degrees and retractable for about real 1.5cm. Enough to give an enemy three second thoughts of hard iron even at odd angles and to retract them behind the plating. ^^
To have an impression about the gun-deck ...
... and here a view with a painted and mounted gun
With this gun-problem solved, I was able to go on and think about the plating with its gun-ports.
best wishes
Drachenklinge
... to be continued
08 April 2008, 10:22:34 PM
