Black Seas

My Lords

I beg leave to report to you our engagements with the Enemy over the last period. Alas, I cannot report all is well. 

The first engagement happened off Flamborough Head when Captain Pellew of the Stallion - a nimble and fleet 32 gun  - came across a fifth rate Frenchman. We believe it to be L'Etoile out of Brest. The wind gauge was 'gainst Pellew but he tacked to bring himself about and launched a broadside against the Frenchman, damaging her rudder. Alas recovering from this brought him into the wind and his crew were unable to tack before L'Etoile came about and launched a broadside into the Stallion's stern causing a fire to break out. although the Jack Tars of Stallion fought the blaze valiantly, the flames reached the powder magazine and that gallant vessel exploded with the loss of almost all hands. 

The second engagement was Captain Aubrey of the Surprise, ordered to escort Hercules, an Indiaman, bringing much needed supplies. He was set upon by privateers in three brigs. The Surprise drove forward and presented herself between the buccaneers and their prize, delivering broadside after broadside. They swarmed her and she took heavy damage but purchased enough time for the Hercules to escape their clutches. 

I commend Captain Aubrey to you, my Lords, and warrant that our command shall do better in future. 

I remain your humble and faithful servant, 

Commodore Alfred Pennyworth. 

**************

Finally got Black Seas to the table and it is enormously good fun. Rum was drunk and stories were created. Highly recommended if you're after a fun game rather than a simulation. 

Master and Commander Redux

“Jack and Stephen were neither of them human until the first pot of coffee was down, hot and strong.”

As long term readers of the blog will know, I have a deep and abiding love of the Aubrey Maturin novels and especially of the film version, Master and Commander. To the point where I made screen accurate versions of the Surprise and Acheron in 1/1200 alongside a number of other ships.

One issue has always been that there hasn't been a good 28mm version of either Lucky Jack or Stephen - until now. 

This is the Limited Edition miniature that Warlord Games shipped with their 2nd edition Black Powder rules. I have no need of the rules but wanted the miniature very badly indeed. Luckily, a scholar and gentleman of the Napoleonic Wargamer Facebook group was willing to part with his. 

It is a gorgeous sculpt and an incredibly crisp casting. 

A quick zenithal prime...

And then basecoating. 

Reference material:

I decided quite early on to go for a holystoned deck for the base as it would make the darkness of the coat stand out more. Incidentally, I have started using airbrush tinner instead of water to thin my paints, even when using a brush. It's genuinely revolutionised my painting - as you'll see with some of the detail work on Lucky Jack. 

Daylight test and I'm happy with the custom mixed Navy Blue. Time to do the gold trim. 

The Far Side of the World

"The Acheron is a tough nut to crack... more than twice our guns, more than twice our numbers, and they will sell their lives dearly. [...] Much will depend on your accuracy... however... even crippled, she will still be dangerous, like a wounded beast."

The second part of my little treat to myself. The difficulty with building the Acheron is that she never existed as a ship; in the book version of Fat Side of the World, the enemy is an American Privateer, more or less the Constitution. For the film, they replaced it with a french Frigate.

I bought a Langton French frigate and brass sails and set to work creating as close as I could version of the ship from the film:

I think, overall I got there. I haven't normally put flags and signals on these models, but for this one I decided to try and match the screen version.

So another two ships to add to my growing fleet.