HMS Centurion - GHQ 1:1200

The latest ship I've completed is GHQ's 1:1200 HMS Centurion of 50 guns. I've raised it up just a little bit with some plastic sheet under the hull, cut to the contour, and added third party ratlines and base. The bowsprit has also had a spritsail boom and a dolphin striker added to it, as the kit does not come with them. 

 Here are a couple shots of Centurion alongside Superbe, a French 74, to give a sense of the difference in size.

Le Superbe - GHQ 1:1200

Below are a bunch of pictures of GHQ's 1:1200 model of Le Superbe, a French 74. Even in this small scale this is an uncommonly attractive ship - even as just a water line model I find its lines more graceful and appealing than most. It was also nice to get away from yellow and black checkers for a bit!

It is particularly satisfying for me to see this one completed. I had just completed the rigging for the first time when it took a tumble off the table. The rigging performed its function and the masts were unharmed, but the cords were stretched and no longer taut. Turns out rigging is even more stressful the second time around. But it's done!

Disabled Frigate - Langton 1:1200

Out of curiosity, I tried my hand recently at a Langton Miniatures 1:1200 disabled frigate - and found the model to be a very enjoyable one, a fun change from doing the pristine versions of these ships. As you can see below, the ship has had its main mast shot away, the driver sail boom is hanging, the fore stay sail is awry and the fore topsail is blowing free. The main mast and its sail lie partly covering the deck.

To add to the decrepitude of the vessel I gouged and painted some shot holes in the hull, painted some of the quarter gallery windows to look broken, and added in broken rigging. For this I used some electrical wiring stripped from a broken down appliance, so that I could get it to hang limp in a convincing manner. The mono-filament thread I use for intact rigging wouldn't hang well at all. I painted the wiring to the appropriate colors depending on whether it was to represent standing or running rigging.

I tried painting shot holes in to the sails, which are cast metal, not photo etched brass, but the look was not convincing and I painted over the attempts. I was thinking that if I were to do another disable ship like this I might use lead foil to create sails, which would crumple very easily and be thin enough to have holes punched in to it easily. I don't think it would be very hard to take any given ship model in this range and convert it to a disabled vessel. You'd have to sand down the hull to make it list to one side, chop up masts and damage sails to your liking. But this kit was indeed a lot of fun.

And here are a couple comparison shots with a much healthier, happier looking ship, another forty gun frigate. 

14 Gun Cutter - Langton 1:1200

Here is a 1:1200 scale 14 gun cutter from Langton, with studding sails. This was a fun kit, a type of ship I like a lot, and a chance to fiddle around with studding sails. There's something fun about packing as much sail as possible on to a model, and I like the effect that it makes with the rigging.

 And once again a comparison shot, with a 20 gun brig and a 40 gun frigate.

Rowed Pinnace - Langton 1:1200

Wanting to try the smallest vessels I could, even in this already very small scale, I've painted up a 1/1200 pinnace, with crew, from Langton. It's about the size of my first finger nail, when well trimmed. The set includes six pinnaces, three rowed and three sailed (the latter do not contain crew).

These little vessels were the largest class of ships boats, used to move people and supplies between ship and shore. 

At first I tried painting hair on the crew's heads, just little dabs of paint, but it made it too hard to notice them. They stand out better while bald. Clearly the scurvy is raging in their ship, let's hope they are pulling for a shore rich with citrus fruits. 

 Here are a couple comparison shots, with a 14 gun cutter and a 40 gun frigate, also Langton models.

Baltimore Clipper - GHQ 1:1200

 I've just finished working on another 1:1200 scale ship project, this time GHQ's "Baltimore Privateer". Sometimes referred to as Baltimore clippers, these very speedy little ships were built along the eastern seaboard of the United States, especially in Baltimore, and were popular with smugglers and privateers.

 Now, GHQ ships are a bit different from Langton's in a number of ways. They tend to be a little bit smaller than their Langton equivalents, and they usually sit lower in the water. On that point I think GHQ probably has the advantage in historical accuracy. GHQ's hulls also tend to be a little crisper in detail.

However, the most significant difference is in the masts and sails. Unlike Langton, GHQ offers no brass sails (or ratlines) and the sails are usually molded in one piece with the masts. The masts themselves are flimsier than Langton's which has definite effects on how one has to go about the rigging process.

I've mounted this model on a trimmed down piece of resin sea base (from Langton) and added davits to the rear from which to suspend the ship's boat.