Dec 23, 2012

Merry Christmas from aboard the Judgement's Scream!

Christmas is tomorrow but I thought I would just let my readers know I'm still alive and quite eager to see the Essex figs I'll have got under the tree. And honestly, I wish the same for all who reads this weblog. 
Well it would be hypocrite to say it's the expectation that matters and not the moment when you rip the wrappings apart like a hungry Berserk and put your dirty, Christmas-tree-leaves-pierced, decoration-wire-stabbed, possibly not yet electrocuted hands on the shiny things that await you.

All in all, a merry Christmas to you. 

Gave in to temptation and bought a plastic ship kit, Revell's 1/450 'Spanish Galleon'. Now the mould is extra super terrible: imagine all the flash you can, and double it, now you have what I had to face. Fortunately I didn't have to bother with the underwater parts and cut them right off, wishing to make a waterline model. Assembly was also very painful and included a lot of swearing (my roommate bears witness, I think I just invented some new, cool sounding curses). There are no pegs and holes in the hull and if there are, the mould is old and pours plastic into them or leaves them right off. Then I encountered more flash. As bad as it was assembling it, painting the thing was a joy. Really, a neat little model. 


I removed the oars and replaced them with a gun deck and added some primitive rigging as the masts looked really bare. 

Have a little more back story: the ship was built by Halbard Dun of Waterburg, who has originally been a shrimping captain (obvious Forrest Gump reference), and made his fortune bargaining with the Lesser Folk who occupied the sunken parts of the city. He dealt with Crabmen, Sharkmen and all what you can imagine. They got legit Imperial coins which they could use 'Upwaters', and Halbard got a cheap workforce who were very much eager to be occupied. And Halbard Dun did it all for one thing: to be a pirate.
Now these are perilous times we're talking about, and the Galleys of Ódensbarad are pretty much an opponent to anyone willing to be a 'free sailor'. So the Judgement's Scream (ol'Captain Dun had something for bizarre names) has been equipped with more cannons any galley could bear, and more sails any smaller vessel or rower could use.
After unsuccessful raids on Kingdom, Waterburg and Fjördstiri waters, the crew set sail to the southwest, into the heart of the archipelagos, and setting up a base in the free port of Nolisium. There they met a bard and an Elven woman who've changed the course of their story... Together they were tasked by the Golden Prince to reclaim the Claymore of Omens, the last relic known to the world forged by the Nine Phoenixes etc. etc., more lore thing. So the Judgement's Scream is a key to the story and a very trusty vessel. 


And she looks oh-so good!




This is how she would have looked originally. The hull has very similar looks to the Revell kit and that's why I have decided to do it like that. It does not feature the white stripe over the guns, and I didn't bother putting the hooded figurine with the sword on the model. Well I should have used the cross ornament from the aft (it's a freebooter ship after all, it shouldn't have Jesus on it).


The base was more of an experiment than anything put to a lot of consideration, I just wish I added some three-dimensional waves too. The main deck is drybrushed with a lighter brown tone, the cannons have bronze barrels.


The aft's red and gold looks good in my opinion. While everything else (excluding the sails) were undercoated with black, the red parts were done with white first, then a standard red tone and a wash after. A drybrush with gold (the Revell brush I've bought really does the job and it's cheapo) and the usual quickshading method, that's it.


The sails were a bit tricky but I used a wash+drybrush combo here too. First a white undercoat, then a lightened-up wash with earth brown, and a light grey drybrush followed by the varnish+black paint finish. Does a really good effect.


Also proud of the drybrushing on the nose. 

Well that's it for now, I have the Airfix tank undercoated and maybe I'll start working on it... or should I wait for those figs after all? While thinking of it, I'll just grab my Vikings and let them slaughter each other. Knees deep in Christmas activities as you can see.


16 comments:

  1. Wow that looks amazing. Really turned out well. Well done on this its beautiful.

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  2. That looks just wonderful!!! A very Happy Christmas to you Andrew.

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  3. Season's Greetings! Beautiful piece of artwork. Best, Dean

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  4. The ship looks very good.
    A Merry Christmas to you.

    Regards
    Bruno

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  5. Beautiful work . A very Happy Christmas to you Andrew.

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  6. Wonderful work, I do like the sails...and merry Christmas to you!
    Phil.

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  7. Nice looking vessel. You know...a little putty for some waves and wake and and this model is now an A+++!! Happy holidays to you, Andrew.

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  8. Absolutely gorgeous Andrew. Happy Christmas to you!

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  9. Wow! You made a great job on that ship!

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  10. Great looking ship. Love the paint job on the sails, very realistic.

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  11. Lovely ship! Very good done Andrew!

    Greetings
    Peter
    http://peterscave.blogspot.be/

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