Greetings,

I've been building some things, and it is a lot of fun, so I thought I'd start sharing.

I got inspired by the DCHL battle companies system...
( http://www.dchobbitleague.com/battle-companies.html )
...and thought it might mesh well with the ship rules I found on their site too, from some white dwarf of ages past.

I've seen a couple of great looking corsair ships around, so I thought I'd try my hand at making a ship for the kingdoms of men... and maybe some sort of pier or dock too.

The ship hull is 12" long, without the pointy bit at the front. (I don't know very many nautical terms really!)

So, less words, more pics!







Cheers.

I've been working on some ruins as well. The next stage is adding more greenery to make the pieces more overgrown. These are made from cork tiles, card, and a few odd plaster blocks. I used a file to gouge the brick shapes into the sheet of cork.





Hmmm... maybe I should make a coastal board, or a port, and have ruins and houses along the coast. That sounds like fun.

Cheers.

Everyone seems to own these Moria pillars, so I added a small plaster thing on top, and I'll add greenery to them to make them look overgrown, and a little more unique. For some reason I've only found three in my box of bits, not four.

The little plaster pillar in front is a test piece to get an idea of the look the set will have.

I've collected quite a few flocks and odd sticks and wood products over the years, which I really should use up. Else, the bits box will eventually take over my house.

I might make quite a few small pieces like this, because they are pretty easy, and can get 'in the way' on just about any table, without being big enough to dominate the landscape. They are based on 55mm mdf circles. I have dozens of them for basing models from another game...



Cheers.

Hello again!

I decided paper would be too flimsy to make a good sail. It would be too easy to damage. So, I searched the house for some spare cloth, and found an old pillow case to cut up. I really wasn't sure how to attach it to the lanteen mast thing. Just glueing it wouldn't look so good. So I decided to tie it on with rope (or string of some sort). Rather than piercing the cloth, I figured some sort of rings would be better, to feed the rigging through.

Not finding any small pliers in my hobby supplies, to bend wire into shape, I came up with another solution.

I clipped some safety pin bits, and glued them down to the sail cloth. The whole sail will be sealed with a pva mix (white glue), so it will hold a shape, and be a bit more durable.

Clipping the pins:


All the rings glued onto the cloth edge, where the sail will meet the mast. I'll poke holes through the middle of the rings, to feed string through, and around the mast:


Cheers.

First off - wow!

Nice work on the ship, columns and ruins. I like the additions to the Moria columns, will have to try something similar.

Good improvising using safety pins for the rings, for future reference go to a craft/fabric store and look in the jewelry making section, you will be amazed what you can find for use in building terrain.

Always like someone using matchsticks in building things.

On your ruins, they still seem a little too pristine to me, try breaking the top edges some more.

Good job, looking forward to seeing more!

_________________
"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Thanks so much for the kind words.



Now you mention this, I can't disagree. I can't un-see it either!

Do you think I should crumble the bricks at the top? I think I will go with that. I figured they'd look older and more weathered, with a brown wash and some foliage climbing up the sides, but the ruin looks 'dismantled' at the moment, not properly 'ruined'. I can't un-see it now.
Very good advice, Mapper, cheers!

I did a bit more work on the sail, using some elastic string I have. I'm generally using what I have laying around, rather than buying more things. I'm trying to use up the hobby bits, not add to the pile!

I hope I can make the sail sit in a rigid 'wing' shape, so it looks like it is catching a breeze firmly, with a good soaking in glue. Maybe I can shape it as it dries.
It might work?



Cheers.

Hi all,

I threw together some small ruined pieces today, made from some plaster blocks.
I arranged them so most of the pieces can line up, and fit together into larger ruins sections, or be used separately.

I got a second sail cut out for the ship as well.




I just finished game 5 of DCHL battle companies, and the Uruks are still consistently kicking my old elves' butts. The cool thing, is that even though I have a bunch of injuries on my little band, they keep on fighting, getting kills and getting more skilled. Now I just need some more wins!

Cheers.

Looks great, I must get round to building more ships

_________________
My Blog http://quendilsworld.blogspot.co.uk

Your terrain looks brilliant!

Where did you get the 55mm mdf circles from?

_________________
- RIP Fimbul and Narzug -

Quendil, I just found your corsair ship on your blog. Nice work!

orc-archer, I got them from an ebay store, 'back 2 base-ix'. They have lots of laser cut shapes and sizes. Hope that helps.

Plaster blocks really seem to soak up primer. Maybe next time I'll spray, rather than brush. I don't know anything about plaster. How do others usually prime it?

Cheers.

If they are plaster of paris, I just use the cheap Wal-Mart 99cent can of black flat primer. Their flat white works also. To get a more worn look, in the terrain section I mention that if you put the blocks in a paper bag after they are dry (before painting) and shake the bag for awhile, it blunts the corners and edges giving the blocks a more worn, aged look.

_________________
"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Thanks for more good advice Mapper.
It is a bit late for this lot though. I didn't actually make these plaster bricks, they were given to me by someone who didn't want them. I've used most of the tub I have in these small ruins pieces. Next time I will definitely damage and spray them though!

Priming on the ruins is done, and I've begun the colours. I'm a little bit tempted to speed things up by dusting off the airbrush. It's a bit unreliable though, and might take as much time cleaning, as it would take to paint the pieces with a brush.

Ideas on how to make a spoked ship steering wheel would be great, if anyone can think of something! I wish I had a cart wheel or something as a beginning.

Cheers.

Some real nice scenery and constructions here. Top work

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My WIP: viewtopic.php?f=50&t=27174&start=180

Challenge accepted! As you say, a cart wheel would be ideal, if you don't have one, your local games workshop or hobby store where games are played might have a bits box you could rummage through to find something.

I was trying to think what could be used when I looked at the pencil I was holding. Took a good old #2 pencil, cut a segment out, glued some ends of toothpicks on it and made the below. Didn't do any sanding or anything, just wanted to see how it would work. Don't know if I would use it or not, you have done such a fine job on your ship I wouldn't want it to be ruined by a cheap steering wheel.



Thanks for the distraction, really should be painting my goblins/dwarves.

_________________
"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Hi again,

Thanks Barnabas Took, for the kind words.

Mapper, the wheel you've made would perhaps suit an orc ship, but I'm after something more well crafted (human crafted). I think I'll make something out of pins and circles. I'm still tinkering with ideas. You've shown some skill in slapping that up on a whim! It's funny I started building terrain to avoid converting Numenorian plastics into Arnor spearmen! It is productive procrastination I think!

As you can see I seem to work best with several projects on the go at the same time, so I don't get bored. the danger is not finishing anything, but the advantage is: much more fun. I did acquire a small plastic ship anchor, which is great!

I've been slapping paint on the ruin pieces, and it is fairly monotonous work... so I'm rushing through it. Paint dark greys, then highlight, then dirt, wash, and stage one flock, then some more greenery to come. I haven't finished the brown dirt stage yet. I clipped up a plastic tree to make smaller bits, which will grow out of the stone blocks. I'm trying to power through the boring bits to get to the fun greenery stuff.

Progress:



Cheers.

Stage one painting and greening done on the ruin pieces! Grass, clumps and tree bits to come.

No flash:


Flash:


Cheers.

Arnor warrior conversion WiP.

It needs a headband, and a bit more work on a breastplate to look the part. I carved off the tree iconography, changed the helmet, and made the sword into a spear so far.



Cheers.

Hey all...

I stared at my ship for a few minutes, then tried to find something, anything else, to work on. The next few bits to do on the ship are fiddly, so I decided to build other things instead.

Here is the start of some houses. Some long-houses or something. Maybe Rohan, maybe from some other nation of men. Perhaps they will be the beginning of a village on the coast.

Oh, I ordered some xps foam sheets, so I can shape contours on a tabletop. I hope the hardware store will come through for me next week. That would really help a coastal table, so the sea is lower than the land.

These houses are made from 'cake display cardboard'. It is just thick card with a foil on one side, but it is thick and it is what I could find.
There are matchsticks and craft sticks used in the wood framing.

Removable roofs...


Mostly I measured things, but not always.


Cork bases will get carved into stone brickwork soon...


I have some fake fur to make thatching out of, but I worry that it is losing fibres already, which might mean it will shed more when I glue it and seal it on the models. We shall see! I will attack it with scissors, a fork, and some glue! With might ready to spend of course!


Avoiding ship building... Cheers.

Hello!

I built two smaller houses, started a stable and a watchtower, then ran out of glue.
My little hamlet is shaping up nicely though!



Cheers.

Aaaaarg!

The fur stuff I have, seems to want to shed fibres every change it gets. I'm doing a test piece, just a small roof, and if I work the fur at all, it disintegrates!
I hope the pva (white glue) will seal it up a bit, but gosh it is annoying.

This piece will be left overnight to let the glue dry, where it is stuck to the roof, and after that I really hope it becomes more cooperative. Grrrrr.

It needs a thin coat of glue and paint next, but if it keeps shedding fibres, I'll have to look at other options for the thatching.

Wish me luck!



Cheers.