HMS Cleopatra - GHQ 1:1200

The latest project out of the shipyards is GHQ's 1:1200 model of HMS Cleopatra, a 32 gun frigate. I have made a few modifications to the kit to add some detail and make it more to my taste. I have raised the hull slightly on plastic sheeting, replaced the extremely flimsy bowsprit with a steel rod (retaining the GHQ sails) and added Langton ratlines and sea base. I've also added the spritsail yard and dolphin striker to the bowsprit (using brass rods), since GHQ does not incude those details. I've mounted it on a black plastic base (from Lithko) and glued magnetic sheeting to the bottom of that, so it can be more securely stored and transported in a steel sheet-lined box.

So what is Cleopatra's story? Forgive me as I copy Wikipedia's entry on the ship:

HMS Cleopatra was a 32-gun Amazon-class fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had a long career, seeing service during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. During the latter wars she fought two notable engagements with larger French opponents. In the first engagement she was forced to surrender, but succeeded in damaging the French ship so badly that she was captured several days later, while the Cleopatra was retaken. In the second she forced the surrender of a 40-gun frigate. After serving under several notable commanders she was broken up towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

Cleopatra was ordered on 13 May 1778 and was laid down on 6 July 1778 at the yards of James Martin Hillhouse, Bristol. She was launched on 26 November 1779 and had been completed by 9 September 1780. £9,202 (approximately £980 thousand at today's prices) was paid to the builder, with another £5,563.1.5d (approximately £590 thousand at today's prices) spent on dockyard expenditures. Cleopatra was commissioned in October 1779 under her first commander, Captain George Murray.

Cleopatra was initially assigned to serve with the Western squadron and was soon active in activities to suppress French cruisers and privateers. On 15 June 1780 Cleopatra and HMS Apollo captured the 26-gun Stanisland off Ostend; while the privateer Comtesse de Provence fell to Cleopatra on 11 November 1780. Cleopatra escorted a convoy to the Baltic on 1781, becoming involved in the Battle of Dogger Bank on 5 August. She passed under the command of Captain Henry Harvey in January 1783, but was paid off in April that year and fitted for ordinary at Sheerness. She remained laid up until 1790 when she began a Great Repair, and was recommissioned in January 1793 under Captain Alexander Ball.

Cleopatra continued her effective career against raiders by capturing the privateer Trois Amis on 24 March 1793 in company with HMS Lizard. She was operating from Nova Scotia from 1794, and was under Captain Charles Penrose in June 1795. He took the privateer Aurore on 3 March 1796, before passing command to Captain Charles Rowley, who coincidentally took another French ship named Aurore on 22 April that year. Rowley went on to capture the 12-gun privateer Hirondelle during his tenure, before Captain Israel Pellew took over command of the Cleopatra in September 1797. Pellew served briefly in the English Channel, taking the 16-gun privateer Emilie on 26 March 1798. He then returned the Cleopatra to Halifax in August that year. She operated off the American coasts, ranging as far as the Caribbean and Cuba, where she and HMS Andromache captured a Spanish gunboat on 22 March 1801. Pellew then returned the Cleopatra to Britain, where she spent between 1802 and 1804 under repair at Woolwich, recommissioning in July 1804 under Captain Charles Elphinstone. Elphinstone's tenure lasted less than a month, and by August Cleopatra was sailing under Captain Sir Robert Laurie.

Cleopatra spent some time in the West Indies and was homeward bound in February 1805. While sailing off Bermuda Cleopatra sighted a sail--the 40-gun French frigate Ville de Milan. She had sailed from Martinique on 28 January under Captain Jean-Marie Renaud and was bound for France with several important dispatches. Despite identifying his quarry as a superior opponent, Laurie ordered a chase. Renaud had orders to avoid combat and pressed on sail to escape Laurie. The chase covered 180 miles and lasted until the following morning, when Renaud reluctantly came about to meet the Cleopatra, which was overhauling the Ville de Milan. The engagement began in earnest at 2:30pm, and a heavy cannonade was maintained between the two frigates until 5pm, when the Cleopatra had her wheel shot away and her rudder jammed. The Ville de Milan approached from windward and ran aboard the Cleopatra, jamming her bowsprit over the quarterdeck while raking the Cleopatra's decks with musket fire. The British resisted one attempt to board, but on being unable to break free, were forced to surrender to a second boarding party. The Cleopatra had 22 killed and 36 wounded, with the loss of her foremast, mainmast and bowsprit. The Ville de Milan probably had about 30 killed and wounded, with Captain Renaud among the dead. She also lost her mainmast and mizzenmast. Three days were spent transferring a prize crew and prisoners, and patching up the ships, before the two got underway on 21 February.

However, on 23 February they were discovered by the 50-gun HMS Leander under Captain John Talbot. Leander ran up to them, whereupon they separated. Talbot chased Cleopatra, brought her to with a shot and took possession. The freed crew reported the situation to Talbot, and left him to pursue the fleeing Ville de Milan. Talbot soon overtook her and she surrendered without a fight. Both were taken back to Halifax, where the Ville de Milan was taken into service as HMS Milan, with Laurie as her captain. Laurie's engagement with the superior opponent had initially cost him his ship, but had rendered her easy prey to any other Royal Navy frigate in the vicinity. Had he not brought her to battle, the Ville de Milan could have easily outsailed the Leander or even engaged her on fairly equal terms. Instead the damage and losses incurred in breaking down the Cleopatra had left her helpless to resist.

With the loss of her captain to the command of the Milan, Cleopatra was recommissioned in July 1805 under Captain John Wright. She remained on the Halifax station, from September 1806 under Captain Robert Simpson, and from August 1808 under Captain Samuel Pechell. On 22nd January 1809 she fought an action with the 40-gun Topaze and with the support of HMS Jason and HMS Hazard captured her. Cleopatra was then present at the Invasion of Martinique in February 1809. Captain Charles Austen took command in October 1810, with command reverting to Pechell in July 1811. Captain Charles Gill took over in December 1812, followed in an acting capacity by Captain William M'Culloch in 1814. 

Cleopatra was paid off in July 1814 and broken up at Deptford by 21 September 1814.

And here, for the sake of size comparison, is a nightmare scenario from the War of 1812. He would be a brave British captain indeed who would engage the USS Constellation with such a vessel. Though the Constellation is nominally a 38 gun ship, as opposed to Cleopatra's 32 guns, the differences in fire power are more significant than those numbers would imply - not to mention Constellation's advantages in hull strength. The plucky Cleopatra never engaged an American frigate, but given her record it seems many of her captains would not have shrunk from the opportunity.

10mm WW2 Germans - Pendraken Miniatures

With my longstanding interest in very small scale models, the Pendraken 2013 painting competition announcement caught me in a pretty vulnerable condition. In addition to the late Roman infantry of the post below, I decided I would also paint up a few stands of Second World War pieces. I chose Germans because they are the most fun to paint.

These are the results of my efforts so far - a Hetzer tank hunter and two bases of late war infantry. I've tried to give the scenic elements a suitably drab look, having in mind the autumn of 1944. Each infantry base consists of three riflemen (one with a panzerfaust) and a noncom with an stg 44. I've tried to give a suggestion of camouflage on some of the uniforms, without going too too far out of scale.

I hope in time to expand on this small force, though there are a couple other projects ahead of it in the queue. It's an enticing subject of course, and I like the Pendraken offerings a lot. The detail is decent, considering the 10mm scale, and they are pretty inexpensive. That's a big plus when considering whether or not to embark on a whole new project.

Late Romans - Pendraken 10mm

Recently I made my first foray in to 10mm figures. I made two bases of Late Roman infantry, Pendraken figures. Shields and banners are hand-painted.

These are diminutive little fellows, and the detail and proportions of course are not going to be as nice as with 28mm figures, but I really like the effect the unit makes as a whole - and of course they paint up rather faster.

My goal is to make a Late Roman army and a Gothic force to go up against it.

Here is a shot for size comparison. On the left is a group of 6mm figures (Baccus Seven Years War French) and on the right is a 28mm figure (Relic Miniatures)

28mm Thorakites - Relic Miniatures

It's a slow process for me these days, with a lot of other things keeping me from painting, but my unit of Seleucid thorakites from Relic Miniatures is growing in proportions.

These are the four figures I've just added to the unit. I've given them North Star spears and made the javelins from some hollow brass tubing, the end of which I pinch in some pliers and then shape with clippers and a nail file. For a couple of them I've also added an arrow or two caught in the shield. I trimmed some short lengths of thin brass rod, attached shaped slivers of wood for the feathers, and inserted it into little sockets in the shield made with a pin vise. I have no illusions about them being sturdy attachments, but I figured it would be alright if they just lasted long enough for me to take some photos.

The shields again are hand painted, though it seems Relic is working to make some transfers with Battle Flag for these types of shields.

28mm Thorakites Command - Relic Miniatures

Having been absent from this particular genre for a little while, it is really good to be painting some 28mm ancients again. This set is Relic's Thorakites Command, my first foray in to Successor armies.

The Thorakites themselves are interesting subjects. As a troop-type, they are a fairly late development in the Macedonian/Successor style of warfare, a late evolution of the supporting troops that the iconic phalanxes relied on to guard their flanks, protect them from enemy skirmishers and whittle down the enemy ranks with javelins (when I start in on the rest of the unit the soldiers will carry both spears and javelins, to show their versatility).

They were well-off men, as their equipment was expensive, and between the cost and their late arrival on the scene, they were not employed in very large numbers. From what I hear only the Seleucids ever deployed them in bulk - so I've given them great big Seleucid icons on their shields. After the arrival of the Romans in the Greek theaters of war the similarity between Thorakites and Roman-style infantry were noted, and some referred to the former as "imitation legionaries", assuming that they must have been derived from their western neighbors. However everything I've read suggests that they are in fact of indigenous Macedonian/ Successor evolution.

Well, here they are. I didn't have any relevant transfers for the shields, so I've painted them by hand. In time these guys will be the command element of a larger unit. Stay tuned!

 And here are some closeup shots of these personalities:

6mm French Line Infantry - Seven Years War

Slowly, very slowly, my 6mm Seven Years War French project is taking shape. The third piece of I have done is a unit of French Line Infantry, this time with "front turnbacks" in their coats - meaning the front edge of the coat is buttoned back against the sides, exposing the colorful lining of the inside. This was just a way for the soldiers to spiff up their uniforms a bit, and historically some units did and others did not. These gentlemen bear the flag of the Provence regiment, which I believe technically means they should not have these turnbacks, but I'm just not that much of a stickler. And I didn't have a flag for a unit with this uniform.

For information about the uniforms of the armies involved in the Seven Years War I've been using the excellent resource at Kronoskaf. You can find the project here: http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=Main_Page

Once again these are Baccus 6mm models. The level of detail is really very good considering the small size of the figures, and I like being able to pack a lot of little guys in to such a small area. I've mounted them on wooden bases from Litko, which I give just a very basic scenic treatment.

This is the entire army at this point...not very formidable yet, but they're slowly expanding.

HMS Victory - GHQ 1:1200

I don't know why it is, but some models end up sitting around for awfully long periods of time before successfully commanding my attention. It isn't necessarily that I have forgotten they are there, though that happens sometimes, but often enough the will to complete them just isn't there, even while very similar projects speed on through to completion. Why is that? Finishing this GHQ kit of HMS Victory is all the more satisfying then, for having sat idle so long on my work table.

I've given this model the same treatment as the others I've done - thin plastic sheeting underneath, cut to the contour of the hull, to raise it up just a little bit; booms and dolphin striker added to the bowsprit; photo etched brass rat lines from Langton; Langton sea base. I've also started mounting the models on Litko black acrylic bases, and added magnetic sheeting underneath. I've lined a big cigar box with flexible steel sheeting, and now am able to transport them much more easily.

Once again I have copied the National Maritime Museum's (Greenwich) excerpt from Dr. Colin White's (no relation to myself) 'The Nelson Encyclopedia.'

Now the last surviving example of a ship of the line of the sailing era, the Victory owes her survival mainly to her close association with Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. But he served in her for just over two years and by that time she was already a distinguished ship in her own right, with more than 20 years of active service to her credit and a number of battle honours.

 The orders for the building of a new first-rate were given by the Board of Admiralty on 13 December 1758 and her keel was laid in Number Two Dock at Chatham Dockyard on 23 July 1759. She was designed by Sir Thomas Slade, Surveyor of the Navy, a particularly able naval architect who was responsible for some of the most successful ships of the Royal Navy of that period. Over 2000 oak trees were used in the construction of her hull – equivalent to some 60 acres of forest – and the final cost was £63,176 (over £50,000,000 today).

 The proposal to name her Victory was not universally popular. The previous ship of that name had sunk with all hands off the Scillies in 1744 and so sailors believed that the name was unlucky. But the new ship was begun at the height of the Seven Years War 1756-63, and 1759 saw such a remarkable series of British victories on land and sea, that the year was nicknamed the annus mirabilis ('wonderful year'). Suddenly, the name seemed appropriate after all.

 Building proceeded very slowly, so she was not launched until Tuesday 7 May 1765 and even then the hull remained at moorings 'in ordinary' (reserve) without being fitted out. This long period of weathering meant that her hull timbers were very well seasoned, which is one of the main reasons why she has survived for so long. When war with America broke out, she was completed and prepared for active service, being commissioned for the first time in March 1778. Fitted for the first time with a full set of masts, she was given some 27 miles of rigging and four acres of sail. She was equipped with 104 guns.

 She quickly proved a most successful ship. The excellent design of her underwater lines made her easily manoeuvrable despite her size; and in the right conditions she could sail faster than many of her smaller consorts. These qualities made her a popular ship and she was constantly requested by admirals.

 Following a refit and a period in ordinary during the peace, the Victory was recommissioned in 1793 as the flagship of Lord Hood in the Mediterranean, and took part in the capture of Toulon in 1793 and of Corsica in 1794. After another refit during the winter of 1794-95 she returned to the Mediterranean and on 3 December 1795 became the flagship of the new commander-in-chief, Sir John Jervis. Under him, she was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797, and played a key role in the opening stages of the battle when her broadsides repulsed a determined Spanish attack on the British line of battle. Badly battered in the action and in any case now quite an elderly vessel, the Victory was sent home at the end of 1797 and converted into a hospital ship. It seemed that her active service days were over.

 However, when war broke out in 1803 following the brief Peace of Amiens, there was an urgent need for first-rate battleships and so the Victory was given a major repair and fitted out as Nelson's flagship, in which role she served throughout the long campaign that eventually culminated at Trafalgar in October 1805. During those two years she was never docked. All necessary repairs were carried out by her own ship's company, either at sea, or in the sheltered waters of Agincourt Sound in the Maddalena Islands in Sardinia.

 At the Battle of Trafalgar the Victory led Nelson's line into battle, coming under the concentrated broadsides of six French and Spanish ships during the long, slow approach. She was badly damaged, both in her masts and in her hull, so when she returned to Britain with Nelson's body on board in December 1805, she was again given a major refit. In 1808 she was commissioned as the flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir James Saumarez for service in the Baltic, continuing in this role until November 1812 when she returned to Portsmouth and was again placed in ordinary.

 After a period when her future seemed uncertain, the Victory was recommissioned in 1823 as the flagship of the Port Admiral at Portsmouth, lying permanently at anchor in the harbour. Sentiment played a key role in ensuring her survival and her association with Nelson was emphasised in a number of ways. A plaque on the quarterdeck marked the spot where he fell; the words of his famous signal were inscribed around the ship's wheel, and the cockpit where he died was arranged as a shrine. There was even a collection of Nelson relics on board, including the royal barge in which his body had been conveyed up the River Thames in the state funeral procession. She became a tourist attraction – visitors were rowed out to her by watermen and then conducted around the ship by old sailors. At around the same time the custom grew of marking Trafalgar Day with special ceremonies on board and a dinner in the evening at which the toast to 'The Immortal Memory' was drunk. Later in the mid-1890s, the custom began of flying the flags for 'England Expects' from all her masts and yards on Trafalgar Day.

 However, time was taking its toll and by the early 1920s Victory was in such poor condition that she was in danger of sinking. By now, successive refits and repairs had changed her appearance so much that Victory bore little resemblance to the ship that Nelson had known. So the decision was taken to move her to a permanent home in drydock in Portsmouth Dockyard and to restore her to her condition at the time of the Battle of Trafalgar. Eventually, after six years of careful research and restoration led by the Society for Nautical Research, Victory was opened to the public by King George V on 17 July 1928. However she retained her status as a fully-commissioned ship in the Royal Navy and to this day continues to serve as the flagship of the Second Sea Lord.

Here is a shot to give a better sense of the scale of the model.

And here is Victory seen between two more GHQ ships, HMS San Josef on the left and HMS Centurion on the right.