Half Term Fleet in a Week - Mothballed

Almirante Latorre 

With the half term holiday over I've had to admit defeat in completing the interwar Chilean fleet, so I've decided to mothball the project and save it until another time. I have assembled, based and undercoated all of the ships required, however, so it's not a complete wash out. I now have just over a month or so in which to tinker about with before the summer holidays, so I'm not thinking of starting anything new, but will instead aim to finish off a few loose ends in existing projects when I can find the time. It's not been a very productive year so far, that's for sure! 

Half Term Fleet in a Week: Basing

It doesn't look like much but the Chilean Interwar fleet has now been based and undercoated in matt black, ready for the bases to be blocked in tomorrow. I've also added an oil tanker to the line up using a Japanese tanker that is not too far off the actual Chilean fleet oiler Rancagua. 

Half Term Fleet in a Week: Assembly

O'Higgins (converted Asama) 

Almirante Latorre (original / modernised) 

Chacabuco (Takasago) 

Almirante Williams / Serrano

Libertad / Constitucion

Almirante Cochrane 

It's flipping hot today so all DIY has been cancelled, giving me a free afternoon to assemble the 1/3000th scale interwar Chilean fleet. I added brass masts to the models as I had some new 0.3mm rod that I ordered by mistake, but which is ideal for the top masts. I also converted the Navwar Japanese armoured cruiser Asama into something not unlike the Chilean O'Higgins. The next thing to do will be to base the models with acrylic paste, which is a different approach compared to my other 1/3000th stuff but which I use successfully for my 1/2400th scale models. 

Half Term Chilean Interwar Fleet in a Week

 

A slight change of plan after I realised that painting the Royal Navy for the Norwegian Campaign might be a little ambitious in one week? Instead, I'm going to paint and base almost the entire Chilean navy c1937-38 for an Interwar extension of my ongoing 'What If?' Chile vs Argentina naval campaign. The models are all from Navwar with some new additions making it a feasible project, along with a couple of 'might have been?' extras, including the dreadnought battleship Almirante Cochrane as converted into an aircraft carrier. I'll get cracking today! 

Half Term Home Fleet in a Week

It's the May half term holiday next week and I thought I'd have another crack at painting and basing a Fleet in a Week. I've done this before and it's a really good challenge that helps to shift a lot of lead in the right direction. This time I'm probably painting the early war Royal Navy warships for the Norwegian campaign, to add to the ones I have already done. The 1/3000th scale models are all prepared, so I can start painting straight away, which is a bonus. I may well add one or two more battleships to the mix and possibly another carrier. 

South American Interwar Naval Project Update

A couple of years ago I started a 1/3000th scale "What If?" South American interwar naval project, based around the WW2 fleet packs from Navwar, one Brazilian and the other Argentinian. This required some replacement models for interwar destroyers and additional ships for Chile but, when Navwar went out of business temporarily, I had to postpone the project as it wasn't viable. Now, apparently, Navwar is back up and running so I'm putting in an order this week* for the missing models I need, with a view to starting the project again in 2026. I'll be using Find, Fix and Strike and also Victory at Sea First Edition but may well tinkle about with other options too. 

(*assuming the web site is still functioning, that is?)

When Dreadnoughts Ruled the Seas

I read an after action report of a game using these fast play WW1 naval rules, which I had never heard of before, and really liked what I saw. They're only four pages long, designed for 1/2400th and are supported by a scenario supplement and ship record sheets, all presented in to a very high standard of design. I've downloaded both the rules and the supplement as an alternative to Victory at Sea for my First World War naval projects, including the Battles of Coronel and  the Falklands, for the Dogger Bank and potentially for the Get the Goeben! project too. Excellent!

https://youtu.be/v1I1E4NJ3us?si=ld_eYt2p9OpQoyYZ

The Spanish Civil War at Sea

I grabbed this today at 80% off the cover price in the Helion Publishing Summer Sale. I've thought about it as a naval project in 1/3000th scale and even filled out a Navwar order from for the required warships, but then Navwar went out of business and I shelves the planned project. Navwar are now back up and running, so this is now a feasible project for next year, making another book for the library a worthwhile use of my pocket money. Excellent!

WW1 Naval Project Pick Up

It's been absolutely nuts since coming back from Brittany, with a funeral in Bath, a day trip down to Plymouth to pick up stuff from the boy's flat and even a missing person man hunt for a friend's elderly relative, who wandered off from his sheltered housing and got lost overnight.

This means I've not had time for anything remotely wargaming related, so instead I've set out what I'm going to do for the rest of the month, prior to starting a new project in September.  

http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/2025/06/summer-naval-project-ww1.html

I have been focusing on the First World War this year including the naval campaign in the Black Sea and the hint for the Goeben, with a Turkish fleet ready for painting, so this will be my focus for the rest of the month. 

I may also tinker with a few other things of a naval persuasion, such as rebasing the 1/600th War of the Pacific stuff and perhaps even refurbishing the 1/1200th scale models I was given, but nothing too much as I just won't get it done otherwise!

1/2400th Scale WW1 RN Destroyers

I needed some 1/2400th scale destroyers for my 'Get The Goeben!' naval project, ideally Beagle or 'G' class DD's to be based in Malta for the solo campaign, but Tumbling Dice don't have any and GHQ are not available any more in the UK (I don't think they have any either). I have found some 3D printed 'L' Class destroyer models on eBay, which are three to a pack for four quid, so took a punt and ordered some. They are nicely detailed and could even pass for 'G' class DD's with a bit of light surgery but, as with most 3D printed ships in smaller scales, they do suffer from bendy hulls and are a bit fragile if you try to un-banana them with too much enthusiasm. They'll do for the moment but I think I might scratch build some ships out of plastic card in the long run.

WW1 Turkish Black Sea Fleet

I've almost finished the Jasta 11 Flying Circus triplanes, so I'm moving straight on to the WW1 'Get the Goeben!' naval project for the rest of the month. Here's the Turkish Black Sea fleet all ready for painting, with the two torpedo gunboats and a U-Boat added for good measure. I'll get cracking on the bases tomorrow, when I'm also planning to add the decals to the Fokker Dr.1 models to wrap up the Algernon Pulls It Off! project, at least for the Summer.

Summer Naval Project WW1

After thinking through the problems caused by Navwar probably shutting down, I've decided that the South American interwar naval project is not really feasible, at least until Navwar finds a new owner. So, to cut a long story short, my Summer focus will be the 'Get the Goeben' project from last year, or at least the Ottoman Black Sea fleet which I have already assembled, based and undercoated, ready for painting. I will also be assembling some opposing naval forces, with some Royal Navy battle cruisers top of the list but potentially also some of the Russian Black Sea fleet as well. 

Interwar Argentinian Fleet c1937

This is what I've sorted out for an interwar Argentinian Fleet c1937, using the old Navwar models. There are the two dreadnought battleships Moreno and Rivadavia, two Vienticinco de Mayo class heavy cruisers, five Cervantes / Mendoza class destroyers and three Sante Fe class submarines. Not a lot but better than the Brazilians, who are in need of some modern reinforcements which I'll have to order from the old Davco range. The stern of one of the cruisers was miscast, so I'll have to mend it with plastic card, but otherwise I'm ready to start cleaning up and painting the fleet for a mini solo campaign with Find, Fix and Strike.

Summer South American Project?

The half term holiday is almost over and, due to DIY and gardening duties, I've barely scratched the surface of what I hoped to cover in wargaming terms. At the moment, I'm painting the Jasta 11 triplanes and I'm going to continue with those over the next week or two, but I'm now switching from an air to a naval project, as planned for the summer.

In a change of focus, the Napoleonic naval project is going to be left for the summer holidays in about six weeks time, both for INWarD 2025 and as to assemble the Spanish fleet, so the decks are clear for something else. I did think of painting the 1/2400th scale Turkish WW1 fleet that I've prepared, so that's a definite option but I also fancy something a bit different. 

About a year ago before Navwar went off line, I bought two opposing 1/3000th scale fleet packs, one Argentinian and one Brazilian for the Second World War. I was planning to use them for another South American 'What If'? solo campaign, this time set in the 1920's or early 1930's but didn't get further than a few sketchy ideas 

I quite like the idea of getting this going again, although I'll need to add some WW1 'E' class destroyers for Brazil, which were not included in the packs. I do have all of the principal battleships and cruisers though, which makes this a very feasible, quick painting project for this month, if I get on with it. I'll have to take another look at my notes first though, as it's all a bit 'back of a fag packet' at the moment!

2024 Review - Missing in Action

As always, I started a few things this year that ended up being shelved or shoved aside by other projects, although quite a few of these are definitely not dead in the water. The shelf of shame includes a 28mm Nyamwezi / Tuta army for DITDC, a load of 1/300th Soviet aircraft for Bag the Hun, some 1/2400th Argentinian pre-dreadnoughts extras, a 1/2400th Turkish WW1 fleet and the remaining 1/3000th battleships, cruisers and destroyers for the Norwegian Campaign. Some of these are now slated for 2025, so all is not lost and I just need to get them finished at some point next year, having made a good start on most of them. 

2024 Review - Painting Things

This year has been even more of a washout when it comes to painting stuff, once again due to work and illness sapping my time and energy. I did complete the 1/3000th scale heavy units for the Kriegsmarine and Royal Navy early war fleets but not the rest of the British forces which are still waiting to be tackled. I also completed the 1/2400th scale Royal Navy Napoleonic fleet, which I really enjoyed painting albeit stretched out over several months, although I still haven't played any games with them yet.

The Soviet half of the 1/600th scale aircraft for the Continuation War project were finished but not the Finnish contingent, or the 1/300th scale Soviet aircraft either, despite making a good start on the latter. I also built a 1/72nd scale Bristol Scout for Knights of the Sky but had to drop out of the actual game due to illness. A handful of 1/600th USAF aircraft were also finished for MiG Alley. To wrap up an unspectacular year, I painted three test bases of 2mm English Civil War infantry, cavalry and artillery, then ran out of time to do any more before the holidays. I think my report card for 2024 will read 'must do better!' 

Peyk-i Şevket Class Torpedo Cruisers

These are 1/2400th scale Tumbling Dice models of the Chilean Almirante Lynch class torpedo gunboat, which I've repurposed as the two Peyk-i Şevket class torpedo cruisers. These were both obsolete in 1914 but carried on in service during WWI as convoy escorts, both suffering damage from mines and torpedoes as a result. I added fore and aft gun mountings, as well as simplified masts from wire, but otherwise there was very little to do. While not identical to the loan model, they are close enough to do the job.

Get the Goeben! RN Battlecruisers

The latest addition to the workbench is a trio of Royal Navy warships for a "What If?" scenario set in August 1914. Here we have the battlecruisers HMS Indomitable and. HMS Inflexible, accompanied by the light cruiser HMS Dublin. I thought it would be a nifty idea to paint these up alongside SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau, so that I can actually play a game at some point, rather than have to wait until the Russians have been sorted out. I'll get these ready at the weekend.