Pirate Ships

I was recently asked by a reader to include some links to pirate ships available for miniature gaming. I don’t claim to know all of the best links, but I have a few suggestions:

Eureka makes a huge 21-inch x 7-inch resin cast pirate vessel complete with masts, railings, ship’s wheel and figurehead. The perfect ship for all boarding actions, this is a low profile model designed with gamers in mind, with wide decks for easy figure placement and movement. And there is an extra middle section to make the ship even bigger!

Dragonfire Last Crafts makes a bunch of different template ships designed for miniature gaming. Click here for a link to the Deluxe Galleon. They also have the Frigate and the Long Boat, among others.

The Flying Dutchman playset is the right size, and a decent price right now. I bought two of these when they first came out. Be aware that you will probably have to do like I did, and tear the ship apart. You’ll need to remove the toy sword things and the side, and then patch up the side with some Green Stuff.

But the best one I can recommend is the Black Pearl playset. They have them at Amazon.com but if you look around at Toy stores and Hobby Shops you might be able to find one a little cheaper. I know that I was at Whirlwind Hobbies in Indiana, PA yesterday and they had one in stock.

I’m sure there are more toys and models out there for 28mm models. If you know of a good lead, please post a comment with a link.

Keep rollin’ sixes!

FINANCE A PIRATE SHIP

As you all know, I have a bunch of RSS feeds on this blog. That’s because I use this blog as a platform to keep track of all the blogs that I enjoy reading. So anyway, I was reading at Brass Goggles about how these simply epic people are building a big steampunk pirate ship and are selling tripods to finance their project.

Read more about it here, and buy a couple of tripods to help out … BUILD PIRATE SHIPS DON’T BUILD THEMSELVES!

Gorten Grundback

Our sources tell us that Gorten Grundback has been seen mustering a sizable force and is preparing to enter the fray in the Bloodsmeath Marches. What is not fully understood is his part in this conflict. Has coin come into play, or is there a more signficant purpose behind his involvement in this conflict? At this time, the information remains muddled.

Broadsides Board

PIRATE SHIP REBOOT … PART 5

The Poop Deck

So here you can sort of see the Poop Deck and Mizzen Mast. My cat, Monkey, decided that the Pirate Ship was perfect for a nap spot. This would be the beginning of the Pirate Ship becoming a cat bed when it was not being used for games or demos. Looking at the picture you can see the Lemax gargoyles (not yet painted in this picture) and the leering skulls on the side of the ship. I also included a ladder that was taken from a WARHAMMER Siege Tower set. The railing is a toy ladder that I found in my bitz box.

Lower Poop Deck

Below the Poop Deck is a boarding plank. You can see that it fits (just barely) even Heavy ‘Jacks. There is a small railing made from HO scale stairs. Looking at the above picture you can also see the planking I used for the side of the Pirate ship. I used thin cardboard, cut to size by hand, and glued into place. I then used push pins to secure the cardboard into place and to simulate rivets. I used over 200 push pins as rivets. My fingertips were killing me!

And on the second ship I chose to use large balsa ships to form the the deck. As you can see, the second ship is not complete in this picture. It needs planking in the front, and needs to be slapped with paint.

Poop Deck Magnet

Above you can see Eyriss on the Poop Deck. More imortantly, you can see the small magnet that I secured to the deck with super glue. The magnets allow for the Pirate Ship crane (made for me by my friend Gary … thanks again Gary!) to different locations on the deck. Also, the crane can be removed during storage and transport. In the picture below you can see a Khador Manhunter manning the ship’s crane to move a Khador ‘Jack from ship to ship. Using the magnets allows for the crane to be placed in different places in different games. The crane is made from a fire truck toy’s crane. The crane line is made from steel wire, and the hook is metal as well.

Poop Deck Magnet + Ship's Crane

Below is an action shot. The crane is dropping a ‘Jack on the deck of the pirate ship from the Supply Ship.

Crane Drops a 'Jack to the Deck

Below you can see the finished Quarter Deck. The ramps are for the ‘Jacks to move from deck to deck. I intended to install stairs as well, but never did. The Khador ‘Jacks are standing over the grating. You can see the planking pretty well in this picture. I wanted the deck to look like some of the planks were damaged, replaced, and so forth. Plus, ‘Jacks are crashing around on the deck too right, so the planking would be somewhat damaged during combat … I would think.

The Quarter Deck

Below you can see more of the planking as well as the painted Superman toy that is supposed to be part of a steam engine jutting out of the deck.

Gorten and Gunbunnies

Below you can see part of the main mast, the grated vent, and a wee bit of the “steam engine.” See more about the Broadsides Board project here.

Gorten and his 'Jacks

PIRATE SHIP REBOOT … PART 4

And so I continue to discuss the past in order to address the future.

Vents and Platform on the Poop Deck

My wife gave me some Sugar Free Peeps. I ate them, of course, and decided that the plastic packaging had an interesting shape. I used the packaging for some “steam stack vents” on the poop deck. I used about 75 push pins to simulate riveting. If you look closely at the picture above you can see the pins in the white plastic. In the picture below, you can see where the Peeps Package Vents are located. It’s right behind the Mizzen Mast.

The pirate ship is slowly taking shape.

Grated Vent = Lid from Air Freshener

The picture above shows the lid from a, air freshener. I painted it with silver spray paint. I attached it to the ship hoping it would look like some kind of a grated steam vent that allows steam and smoke to radiate from within the ship. I placed it on the Quarterdeck near the “Steam Engine” section. I planked around both after having glued it in place with white glue.

Location of the Grated Vent

The Main Mast

The Mizzen Mast is the one on the Poop Deck while the Main Mast is the one on the Quarterdeck. The picture above shows how I made the skeleton of the Main Mast. I used dowel rods, and floral wire. My cat decided that she was really interested in the mast and so she was playing around with it. It is attached to the ship’s deck with a magnet which allows for it to be removed during storage, transport, and game play. Below you can see the finished Main Mast.

Here are some of the pictures taken during game play and WARMACHINE demos …

The crews clash during a boarding effort!

The Supply Ship Crane during boarding effort

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Click here for PART FIVE.

More about the BROADSIDES BOARD.

THE PIRATE SHIP PROJECT REBOOT … 2

So like I reported recently, my cats had a duel on the pirate ship. The battle ended with the ship …. going down. I am taking the chance to rebuild some of the parts that broke off, along with some of the parts that I found out later were not so hot for game play. I am working on making the masts removable, and repainting the deck. I believe I will use magnets to make this work.

Read more about the BROADSIDES BOARD.

Captain Monkey is not amused.

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Monkey made sure to oversee the painting of the ship.

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You can see the size of the ship in comparison to Monkey. Remember, this is supposed to only be the back half of the ship.

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This is what the Broadsides Board looks like when it’s layed out. I intended the ships to have about two inches between them and boading planks made out of balsa wood. In this picture, I have the ships pushed together.