From JP - 1/1200 ACW by Thoroughbred and Langton miniatures (28 points)

Hi folks, as usual I am trying to get something done quickly and ahead of Christmas. The obvious choice is my ever growing ACW collection.

These are rather large vessels, pretty much at the top of the vessel sizes for the ACW.

 USS Dictator was the largest US Ironclad built, late in the war. She's a real bruiser under any gaming rules for this period.

CSS Alabama needs no introduction for connaisseurs of the era - the most reknown of Confederate raiders. CSS Rattlesnake and Colonel Lamb were blockade runners.

Here are the 4 together along with a stern view. As an idea of size, Dictator was more than twice as large as Monitor.

I am claiming 

4 x large 1/1200th vessels    at 5 points each (for lack of a better idea!) = 20 points

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Welcome back to the Challenge, JP!

Great work on these ACW ships. I always thought it was particularly brave to be in any of the wooden riverine craft during this period as the ranges were so close and the guns quite large. Brutal.

1/1200 scale naval has always been a bit of a puzzle for scoring in the Challenge, but we'll go with 5 points for smaller craft and 10 for larger vessels with full masts and rigging. With this in mind, I'll pitch these at 7 points each for a total of 28. Well done, JP!

- Curt

From MilesR: 1/600 Union 90 Day Gunboat (16 points)

 A very small submission but in keeping with my diatribe over separating out side duel related submissions.  I present to you a 1/600 scale Union "90-Day Boat" From Thoroughbred Miniatures.  This is a model of the USS Itasca and is approx 4 inches long.  I needed to build it fast as she saw her first action the next day at the club:

 I re-staged the Battle of Mobile Bay from the American Civil War.  Sadly, her tabletop debut was not the most glorious as she was run aground by mistake and surrendered to the garrison of Fort Morgan.  

I think this little model is the equivalent of 2 15mm vehicles but will leave it to Curt, who is as fair as he is wise.  These statements are not mere groveling flattery attempting to influence his most munificent judgment since they are true in nature.

There may be a few more posts coming for this Saturday.

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Very nice, Miles. No, not your flattery (thought that is nice) but the gunboat. I like that you used the clear acrylic for the bases - smart move. What rules do you use for these?

I have a load of mangled, but painted Thoroughbred miniatures sitting in a box that was dropped during a cross-country move. Each time I open it I quietly sniff, and close it up again, not willing to undertake the huge job of fixing all the damage. BUT seeing entries like this really makes me want to take up the task. 

I love the aerial shot of Fort Morgan. I spent a wonderful year in Southern Alabama/Mississippi/Louisiana and enjoyed several sun-kissed days re-enacting at that fort. 

16 points towards your Nautical Duel - Well done, Mr. Reidy.

From MilesR: More 15mm Napoleonics Naval Crew and British Generals (240 points)

What a surprise - more 15 mm Napoleonics!  First up are 45, 2 figure naval crew stands to man the recently completed ships.  All of the figures are from the excellent Sea Eagles line from Thoroughbred Miniatures and are wonderful figures to paint up.  Theses are "true" 15mm scale so can look a little small to 18mm AB's and Old Glory but it's not that bad and they'll look fine on the table together.

18 additional French crew stands in the form of 6 command stands and 12 general crew.  These join the 10 stands I painted a few weeks earlier.

For the British there are 27 crew stands, with 6 command stands and 21 crew stands.  You'll notice blue and red coloring on the base sides - that was done to allow players to see which stand is theirs during boarding and shore actions.  Outside of marines there wasn't a standard naval uniform so sailors kind of all look alike.

A shot with the earlier 10 stands abroad one of their ships.

Next up - 15 mounted generals - 14 British and 1 Spanish (upper right corner).  All of these figures are from AB and are superb.  To be honest, my painting skills are just not up to the level these figures deserve.  I'm afraid if the manufacture sees this post I will be banned from purchasing any more for "Brand Identity" reasons.

The size of each base denotes command level - the larger the base the higher the command.  The actual rank depends on rule set - thus this group could be 3 Brigade and 1 Division commander or 3 Division and 1 Corps.

The British High Command stand along with a lone Spanish general in the back.  The spaniard may transformed into a Portuguese general for certain scenarios.

And finally, the last command group.  All kidding aside these figures look fine using the 18 inch rule but the detail on the castings is amazing and they could be so much nicer in the hands of one any other Challenger.  Still. I'm happy with them and they'll do very nicely.

I have a handful of mounted British and French figures which I'll likely paint up as ADC's and put them on small rectangular bases.

Soon it will be time for Austrians, lots and lots of Austrians.  I hope I have enough white primer.

Let's see, this submission consists of 90 crewman and 15 mounted figures and nets to 240 points.

PeterD once again at the minion chair.  First of all Miles, can you not speak in terms in actual figures instead of elements!  It's nearly 8pm on a Saturday night and last thing I want to do is more math- yet your counting bases not bodies.

Secondly, these are great and no need to hide them from Mr Barton.  Your crews looks great en masses and I thoroughly approve of the colour coding.  I've done the same with my War of 1812 units to keep the various Regular and Militia units straight.  Kudos on the terraforming, I've really been enjoying the shots of your units in the field.

I concur on your math and will get these recorded once I figure out how to "improve" your spreadsheet.

From MilesR: Martello Tower (46 Points)

My last submission from the holiday period is this Martello tower.  Like the ships in some earlier submissions, this model is from Thoroughbred Miniatures.  It's a single resin cast piece with metal detail parts and figures.  I love the model and it was fun to paint up.  I'll present a series of pictures rotating the piece in a clockwise direction.  First we can see the entry way side which is easily defensible from and raiding Frenchies

Side two

Side three - why is there a rock face there?  Just wait.

Side 4

and, finally the top where a rather big gun of a 360 degree tavern is waiting to reign fire down upon the French.  This casting was a simple model to build up but I really like how it came out.

The main cast is superb - no air bubbles at all.  However it was damaged during shipping.  The owner of Thoroughbred (Toby) offered to replace the tower for no charge but since it was 95% intact, I declined and used the minor break as an opportunity to customize the model.

A little bit of Extrude Polystyrene Foam (Pink insulation foam) combined with a few minutes of carving and a suitable rock face covers the gap.  I think it makes the model look great.

I do want to be very clear about one thing - Thoroughbred Miniatures has terrific quality products and service and I recommend Toby's services highly.  Sometimes "stuff" happens in shipping and Toby did offer to replace the piece free of charge and free shipping.  Please don't consider this minor breakage as anything negative about Thoroughbred Miniatures.

Points wise, this stout little tower should net me the following:

6, 15mm figures = 12 points
1, 15 mm gun = 2 points (it's not really a "full" gun)
Tower = 30 points
bonus = 2 points

Total 44 points

Why 30 points for the Tower.?  Volume-wise it comes in at 384 cubic inches and the 6x6x6 inch cube equals 216 so that's roughly 1.78x the standard terrain unit.  Let's round that down to 30 and there you have it.

What a thing of beauty....... the calculation for the points of the terrain piece I mean..... We have cubic calculations, volume, roundings.... the only thing that would have made it perfect would have been the inclusion of Pi, but it's the weekend so I shan't be churlish and dock you any points for it's omission but it's good to see that you've remembered what we have all been taught in school and Shown Your Workings!

Anyway, enough of maths and onto the pretty models.  What a splendid idea on the little rockface and I doff my cap to you sir for not asking for a new model (and then using both anyway) as it can't be easy for manufacturers shipping delicate pieces in the post.  The rockface makes it unique which is a bonus so I'm chucking a couple of bonus points your way for the conversion.  The tower itself looks properly ominous to face, so I pity the ships who will have to sail towards it......

From MilesR: French 22 Gun Frigate plus crew (105 points)

 This holiday break has proven to be most productive in the shipyards as the the sixth of seven planned ships has been completed.  In the case a 22 gun French Frigate - with crew!.

As with the previous ships, this model is from Thoroughbred Miniatures Sea Eagle line which I really recommend.  The crew figures are also part of the Sea Eagle product set.

There are 20 crewmen mounted on 10 stands - I'm using a basing standard that I use for Skirmish figures in my Napoleonics as players will have the option to form shore parties.

Still working on the naval rules but am happy where I stand in terms of being prepared for the July convention.  Choice commands will be made available to any Challengers who attend Historicon this year!

The crew figures are "true" 15mm scale so look a little small when compares to my other Napoleonic figures.  They'll still look fine on the tabletop together.  To be honest, the size difference may be a good "jerk detector" - any individual who feels the need to point out the discrepancy probably doesn't need to play in my games.

 Two close up shots of the crew.  I left the basing without ground cover as that looks better on the decks.  I did try to carve some decking on the bases and then remove the figures from their cast on metal bases.  The first task worked fine but the second resulted in a lot of "Long John Silver" figures in need of tiny peg legs.  I went with a basic ground setting instead.

 These base edges will be color coded - blue for French and red for the Brit's - they get pretty mixed up during boarding actions.

Here's a comparison for the figs to some French infantry - the French infantry were purchased painted from GAJO Miniatures and I was very happy with the quality - much better than I can manage on my own.

I've really enjoyed building these models and have reserved the seventh and final one (a lovely Xebec) for the "Mercenary" bonus round.  That ship will get a little but more attention than the rest.

The fleets so far with the French on the left and the Brits (less their hired Xebec) on the right.  The Brits seem a little outgunned, don't they?  Don't worry, there may be some shore batteries and even some fortifications to help out our cousins from across the pond.



In terms of points, based on what Curt allowed for the early ships, I'd say the Frigate weighs in at 65 points and with 20 crew figures at 2 points each, that bring the total to 105 points for this submission.

I need to paint a good deal more crew figures!

What a smashing boat! (Once again, nobody gets twitchy about the whole boat/ship thing, right?!?!?)

That red is absolutely lovely and I found myself looking for the peg legged individuals you mention having created ;)  Not a parrot in sight though, so sadly no pieces of eight bonus points to be awarded..... Good choice on the basing too, from a distance it looks grand and carving 15mm planks sounds like it would have been a job and a half.

I'll bow to your estimate of points as they seem eminently reasonable, so 105 in total it is!

From MilesR: 15mm Napoleonic Ships - 4 of 'em (208 Points)

More 15mm Napoleonics for this submission but the miniatures are in the form of boats - four of them to be specific. All of the models are from Thoroughbred Miniatures Sea Eagles line and are true 15mm scale (vs the 18mm of Old Glory and AB miniatures).  Each model kit does require a good bit of effort to assemble and paint up but I think are well worth the effort.

First up is a French Polacre.  A Polacre is a frigate design that is a cross between a Xebec (lateen sails on the front and back) and a square rigger (the center main mast).  The ships were found in the Mediterrain and were very manoeuvrable but not the fastest of hulls - in confined waters they were very dangerous opponents.  The total length of the model is 18 inches

Next up is a standard Brig - In the this case the model is the USS Onieda but she'll be used as a French ship this summer.  She mounts 16, 9 pounders and a big 32 pounder on the bow - This ship can cause some problems for our British friends.  The Onieda is 15 inches long.

The third ship is perhaps my favorite of the group - a 12 gun British Cutter - super fast with reasonable firepower. This one comes in at 9 inches in length.

Lastly, we have a 18 gun British Brig.  She's armed with 16, 32 pound carronades and 2, 18 pound long guns.  This ship can inflict a devastating broadside up close.  The model is 18 inches long.

Some of you may have noticed 3 of the ships lack rigging - I wanted to do a little play testing before final rigging.

Next up is - hey what's the yelling in the background....

I turn my back on these kids for just a second and they start fighting - incorrigible!

I've got two more ships to build - a three masted Frigate for the French and a large Xebec for the Brits - and, yes, in my upcoming game the British will be employing some Barbary pirates as mercenaries.  What gaming experience isn't made better with Pirates?

Ship building is very messy work.  My work space will need a tidy-up before proceeding.

As for points - I leave that up to Curt and his minions.  It's 60 total inches of 15mm Napoleonic Naval fun.  As for effort - these were actual a lot more work that the 28mm frigate that was submitted a few years ago.

I believe this entire submission should count towards the Nautical side duel.

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Some people produce a ship, Miles rolls out with a flotilla. I dunno folks, I think he's compensating for something. :) Seriously, amazing work Miles. These Thoroughbred models are just terrific and I know I'll be visiting them soon after I wrap this up. What are they made up of? Resin and white metal, or do they have some laser-cut wood as well? I'm eager to see how you get on with the rigging. What are your plans for crew? These will look even more glorious with loads of sea dogs capering on their decks. Very, very cool.

Points? Hmm. Well let's make them into the equivalent of 15mm vehicles in their rough dimensions. A 15mm tank would approximately fit across their decks, so 60 inches  (we're assuming that number is just the hull and not including the bowsprit) would equate to around 30 tanks. We'll round down due to the narrowing of the prow so let's say 26 vehicles worth. That times 8 and we have 208 points. 

Well done Mr. Reidy. Now, let's see this frigate and xebec you have in the wings.

From MilesR - 1/600 Scale ACW Naval (100 Points)

 My next submission consists of 6, 1/600 scale ships from the American Civil War - 3 Union, 2 Confederate and a generic river transport.  All six models are metal castings from Thoroughbred Miniatures and are superb kits - especially the Hartford (the biggest one) which has over 40 parts.  Please excuse the Hartford not being rigged but I've run out of rigging thread.  I have included a 28mm figure to give a sense of the size of these models.

First up is the USS Hartford, a Steam Screw Frigate and one of the most powerful Union ships in the war.  The Hartford served mostly in the Gulf of Mexico and participated in the the Battles of New Orleans and Mobile Bay.  She served as Admiral Farragut's flagship and was responsible for taking the Confederate Ironclad Tennessee.

The Hartford was very heavily gunned and was armed with 18 9" Dalgrens, 2 100 pounder rifles, 2 20 pounder rifles and 1 30 pounder rifle.  The rifled guns gave her a range advantage over most ships of the day and she'll be a close match for the HMS Warrior in my upcoming convention game.

The model was a lot of fun to put together and I may get a second one for her sister ship the USS Lancaster.  It's also a "big" model, with a 6 inch total length.

Next is a Itasca Class gunboat.  The ships were also referred to as "90-Day gunboats" as that was the time allotted for construction and fitting out.  23 were commissioned during the war.  At least one Itasca class ship participated in every major naval action of the conflict.  The Itasca served along with the Hartford in the Gulf of Mexico blockade fleet and was responsible for taking 5 confederate raiders as prizes.

 The last Union ship is a casemate ironclad - the USS Indianola.  While heavily armed for a riverine class ship with 2 11" guns in the bow casemate and 2 9' gun in the stern casemate, the Indianola was very poorly constructed and she ran aground and was captured in front of Vicksburg.  One of the more bizarre occurrences of the war happened after she was captured with the confederates being tricked into burning her rather than recruiting her.  What tricked the CSA?  It was the sight of several Union "ironclads" approaching the grounded Indianola.  In reality the union ships where fakes - just barges made to look like iron clads complete with tree trunks painted black to represent cannons and canvas covered "turrets".  These Union craft are referred to as "Quaker Boats".

 Hopefully the Indianola will do better on the gaming table than her historical counterpart

 The first Confederate ship is the CSS Gaines which was part of the fleet protecting Mobile Bay and was lost along with the Tennessee during that battle in 1864.  Part of her hull still lies in Mobile Bay and forms a relatively unknown fishing reef that I often visited as a kid growing up.

 The last Confederate ship is the ill fate CSS Missouri a casemate ironclad that served on the Red River in Louisiana.  She actually didn't see a lot of action during the war as low water levels trapped her in dock for the duration.  She did have an interesting design with a centrally mounted (and unprotected) paddle wheel.

Last up is a generic river transport steam ship that will be used in convoy scenarios.  It's a simple model of a basic side wheel steam ship.  I've got a few more on order.

I'm still a good number of points shy of my 250 point naval challenge goal so expect to see some more 1/600 civil war mini's in the near future.


From Curt: 

Wonderful work Miles. I've always loved the Thoroughbred range of kits. They are so well cast and precise - I often think of them as the GHQ of naval miniatures. 

The USS Hartford is a monster - and what masterful work you've put into her. I really look forward to hearing how the matchup goes between her and HMS Warrior. As a citizen of the Commonwealth I'll be pulling for the Brits.

Though the purpose-built casemate vessels like the Missouri, Tennessee, etc. are sleek and sexy I've always had a soft-spot for the whacky riverboat conversions. We often found they were tremendous fun to play with using 'Smoke on the Water' as they're typically quite nimble, but blow apart into kindling at the drop of a hat. 

Again, an excellent entry Miles!