My current Funny Little Wars project is a British-style Naval Brigade. While I have yet to paint any figures, it seemed reasonable to provide Jolly Jack Tar with some seagoing vessels, so I built a pair of gunboats.
I was inspired to embark on this ridiculous (even by my standards) episode by the arrival in January of two bottles of champagne in wooden boxes. As a wargamer and improviser of many year's standing I am generally unable to look at a box without trying to think of er, alternative uses for it...
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The early stages of construction - a pointy balsa wood bow has been added to each box. |
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Other components under construction. The funnels were cut from cardboard tubes and the bridges from a business-card box and it's lid. The guns to the left are old and battered Britains AA guns which I thought looked the part. |
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The assembly dry-run, showing most of the parts in place, along with some figures. |
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The largely completed gunboat HMS Unfeasible... |
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| ...and her half-sister ship HMS Implausible. The gun on this vessel is a modified Britains 'Wombat'. |
21 comments:
This made me smile this morning! Wonderful stuff...And Britain's Wombat, can you still get them? (Or do you hoard?)
Anyway, excellent blog - always worth a look as you never know what you are going to do next!
Tim,
I can foresee a FLW naval arms race in the offing for 2013!
Now who do I know who likes FKLW are building model ships?
Perhaps they could incoporate a naval battle within next year's celebrations?
All the best,
Bob
An excelent piece of recycling, I've always thought those wooden boxes are far too good to just throw away and firing guns as well!
All the best, Brian
Hi Tim,
Shaping up rather nicely old chap! I suppose you will need to quaff more champers in order to complete the squadron....;-)
Are you making any 'pure' transport types are will they all be 'tooled up'?
FLW naval eh? Perhaps Bob's next project could be a 54mm battleship - how about Bob?
All the best,
DC
Impressive work, always good to see shipyard construction projects getting off the drawing board.
Fabulous names as well.
Tim
Very nice.
PD
Stephen Beat
Glad to know I've brightened your day! Thanks for your kind words.
Bob Cordery
I wasn't thinking in terms of naval battles - more of offshore artillery support.
Brian Carrick
Great minds?
David Crook
I'd like to make some light vessels to transport troops ashore. Better paint the troops first though!
Paul
The names suit the build quality...
Peter Douglas
Not bad for a bit of fun.
Warning said before coffee....
I can hear the sore batteries now, "It's a Box, no it's a gunboat, no it's a box" As the shells come in ..."defiantly a gunboat...Damn!"
Those are cute Tim, made my day too!
Don M
Do you mean 'shore' batteries? On the other hand, you could be right!
Good ideas! And a great work...
"Shore" like I said ...before coffee....;-)
When I saw the 1st picture I thought "no, he hasn't cannibalized one of my favorite childhood toys, my beloved Britain's BAT. ...Has he?" tch nothinbg is sacred but it does look the part as do the AA guns.
You may be thinking shore bombardment but you`d best keep a weather eye to seaward, Mr. C has saws and glue ready to hand and a gleam in his eye.
I wonder if you can make torpedoes launch by blowing into a straw?
Phil
All this and recycling too!
Ross Mac
Don't worry - the WOMBAT was already in a sorry state. As was the other one I've chopped up....
Very neat adaptation. Great stuff, and just the thing for inshore work.
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo
They'll not be venturing too far from the coast, lest the oceans be infested with Bob's batleships!
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