Metamorphosis Pt 3

Work stalled on the galleys and the Victory somewhat, but after a bit of rest, I had the motivation to do something again, so I pulled another Revell 1/450 Spanish Galeon out from the bottom of the trash heap on my workbench. I am kind of fascinated by Baroque warships, a lot more so than the later ones at the moment, so I decided to build her to those lines.

Thus was born Le Flaumberge, the Kingdom of Glambria's 60-gun ship of the line. I took the galeon prow off with my dremel, and fancied a new one from an Ikea plastic cap, stretched sprue and 2mm balsa. The upper deck is originally a single piece of plastic and the fit was really bad, so only the central section remains, the rest is wood again. I raised the stern with another tier, which necessitated removing the original stern gallery. The new one has two rows of windows and a much more pronounced walkway. 

The oar deck is again replaced with a gundeck. Compared to the original model's ten pairs of guns, I could cram in nineteen more per side, making a total of fifty-eight guns. Ten of these additional guns are on the superstructure, six on the elongated main deck, and twenty-two heavy pieces on the gundeck. Turns out you gain a lot more space when removing the oars.

The masts are, as usual, made from bamboo, with stretched sprue flag poles. Cloth sails and rigging will also be included, although I was thinking about building a ship "in ordinary" before starting this project.

Anyway, I really hope I can dazzle all of you with the complete ship in a little while.

Regia Marina Battlefleet

To the threat of Friegland increasing the number of dreadnought battleships, the Royal Cartelucian Navy must respond. In real life, these are the Conte di Cavour- and Andrea Doria-class battleships, between which there is an ignorable difference in my preferred 1/2000 scale. They are going to be reinforced by the Dante Alighieri and the Francesco Caracciolo-class later at some point. 

They are well-built ships carrying 13 guns each in a quite extraordinary arrangement, I guess they tried to one-up the Viribus Unitis class which had 12. We shall see how they perform in combat soon hopefully, something they were not accustomed to during WW1.

1/600 SMS Derfflinger WIP #5

Current parts count: 71 (hull: 5, gundeck: 54, turrets: 12)

I've added a central piece to the secondary batteries, which required some sanding before I was content with the overall look of the thing. Then I cut the two ends of the lower tier of the superstructure and coated them with wood filler. When assembled, these will receive a top layer of 1mm balsa wood, in part for consistency, and also because this deck also has a visible sheer, the forward part starts at 5mm height from the deck, and it ends at 4mm.

Next I did some work on the turrets, the main pieces being made from 4mm balsa, finished using lots of wood filler, PVA and grey paint; and then I attached the brass gun barrels, which are intended for a 1/700 scale Bismarck, but fit perfectly as 1/600 scale 12" guns. I think I'll cover the turret tops with paper for a smooth surface, and then attach the commander's cupolas. I made a small stamping device with which I'll be able to add the air recognition markings on the turret tops. Also, the sides received a layer of card for the visible outlines of the armor belt.

I'm taking on this project with little increments, but this is already a lot done for the day. Stay tuned!

The Imperial German Navy expands

Here's a continuation for the Nassaus, four Brandenburg-class pre-dreadnoughts of little fighting value but great style, the Helgoland-class battleships which are actually worth something, and the ill-fated armored cruiser Blücher. All models are made using 1, 2 and 3mm balsa wood strips, bamboo and 0.5mm steel wire. Painting is also standard, with a buff undercoat, a layer of grey, blocking in the deck tan and some highlights here and there.

The Great Random&Creative Summer Sale #2

Here are the next listings, which I'm going to update if anything is sold. 

I can send anything abroad using the regular PO service or couriers. For any selection of figures, I can get a quote for delivery (packaging is on me, I've got enough spare cardboard boxes and soft material), and send a PayPal invoice based on that. 

All prices are submitted in HUF/EUR, for any other currency we can use the most favourable exchange rate. I have included the reduced prices for buying in bulk.

For any further information, requests for detailed photographs etc. please write in the comment section or contact me at randomncreativeblog at gmail dot com.

UPDATE: everything except the WW2 planes are taken!

The Böhnstadt Royal Frigate Dachshund sets sail

After a failed attempt, I managed to produce the first of the small scale Schultze-Böhnstadt Navy frigates, the famed Dachshund. There is no fixed scale, I just made her to a slightly smaller size than comparable 1/450 and 1/600 scale models like the Heller Le Superbe, La Couronne, and the Revell Spanish Galeon, all of which I'm using as contemporary warships. 

The Dachshund was completed to protect Schultze-Böhnstadt overseas interest, guard trading routes and present the flag around the globe. There are whispers that an Albionic-led anti-piracy squadron is due to assemble at the northern Barfrican coast, near the famed Pirate Bay, and she might be needed there.

Metamorphosis, Part 2

This is the now hardly recognizable Revell Spanish Galleon as an early 18th century warship. The complete facelift includes: scratch-building the entire bow section, the sails and the masts; replacing the oar deck with gunports; and raising the stern gallery while adding larger windows for the officers' cabins. This is how she became Konung Harald XVI Jordgubbvän, a proud Varangian ship of the line, as the various flags are showing.

Metamorphosis

Some of you may know that I'm cheap when it comes to the hobby. On one hand, this hones my scratchbuilding skills, on the other, it makes for interesting projects.

The Great Random&Creative Summer Sale #1

The time has come to prioritize some of my projects and get rid of others. This means I'm selling some stuff again, hopefully with pictures of an OK quality. This first post is about my 17th century collection - ECW, TYW and wars of the Polish Republic.

All prices are submitted in HUF/EUR. If the buyer is using a different currency, we can work out a favourable exchange rate. Please note that Paypal has a large transaction fee, so I suggest buying in bulk from abroad. Buyer pays delivery fee, packaging is on me as I've got plenty of cardboard boxes and stuffing.

They are in a varied state, some are complete, most are based, some, especially the older ones, have damage. For more details, please contact me at randomncreativeblog at gmail dot com.

All of these are sold for the fraction of regular market price, I simply don't need them and wish to find them a new home. 

Update: The ECW/TYW half is taken, only the Eastern European collection is available.