The Temptress

Its been a long, on and off slog, as different games and genres have distracted me from getting this finished but I've got there in the end, I have finally finished my Brig and present to you; The Temptress.

She's been in a partially completed state for a couple of years now, so its been good to get motivated and finish her off... I checked back through my blog post history to try and see when I actually started her and found her origins here:
http://scottswargaming.blogspot.co.nz/2011/05/pirate-port-takes-shape.html
Approx 15th May 2011... OK, so its taken me a little over three years to complete! At least I got there in the end!

She was built from the downloaded and printed out plans by Gary Chalk, using primarily foamcard, card and balsa. These plans have come into criticism for making a somewhat 'slab-sided' ship. But I think they work fine and produce what is after all, a gaming piece, and not a true scale model...

I have also gone back through subsequent posts and labelled them all 'sloop', 'ship and 'brig' accordingly so if you wish you can check back through the various posts and see them developed over time... Go to Labels at bottom of Blog page... not now, not now... you might as well read the rest of this first! ;-)

The Temptress

Recent detailing work was to add the Catheads and Anchors to either side of the bow. I used some of the new GW rust effect technical paint for these... and must thank mate Roly Hermans also, for his help with info on details, from his fine collection of pirate books, that helped me figure out just how to rig up the anchors, in at least a roughly historic manner...

Mermaid figurehead, Cathead and Anchor

Also swivel guns to the rear deck sides...

Rear Deck Swivel Guns

And of course a final paint job...

I wanted to keep the Brig dark and menacing, as befits a pirate ship, didn't want a lot of coloured effects. So main dark brown base paint job, drybrushed with a dark brown/grey mix, and then a final very light drybrush with a cream colour...

The sails I washed with a cream colour wash of thinned paint... White sails just look to clean to me, especially for a pirate ship, so I like the 'worn weathered' look the cream wash gives... My son wanted me to paint the sails black as per a certain notorious pirate ship, but I thought that would be a little too copy-cat-ish!

I considered adding rear lanterns, and briefly pondered using mini LED's to light them... but the amount of work she has been so far, I decided enough is enough! I might come back to it later and see if they can be retro-fitted, but its not a high priority task, I've got heaps of other stuff I am busy with, as if you hadn't guessed! ;-)

The rear name plate was done use Woodland Scenics rub on dry decals. My free hand is not that good! ;-)

In the Legends of the High Seas game, she would be classed as a medium ship and is equipped with 10 small cannons, 5 to each side.

She makes a fine vessel for my Foundry Pirates to crew. I have also got a handful of Old Glory sailors in a climbing-the-rigging pose, (thanks to mate Brian Smaller), which I may get round to painting, now that they have some rigging to climb!

I am pleased I got my Liquitex sea surface done recently, it certainly sets her off nicely for her maiden appearance...

Just need to see if we can arrange some games to try her out in now!

The Crows nest, a perfect musket firing platform.

Crows nest

And the Fighting tops too...

Fighting top

And here she is alongside my first pirate ship I completed, a sloop named the Becky Boo, after my daughter. As ships are always referred to a 'She or Her', I guess that means the Brig must be named after my wife!? ;-) She certainly tempted me, all those years ago now!

So I have the makings of a fleet and may have to promote myself from Captain to Commodore, and get a suitably ostentatious and flamboyant hat! ;-)

Looking forward to trying out her sea legs....

Pirate Brig takes shape

I managed to get more work done on my Gary Chalk Pirate Brig over the weekend.

As you can see from last time I have added the Main and Foremasts, the fighting tops or 'crows nests', and also the cross spars for the main square sails, but an addition to the plan is the gaff-rigged rear booms towards the stern, which would signify the ship as a 'Brig'. And of course the bowsprit.

I must admit, the more I have got into making this ship, the more I have researched and looked at what type of ship a Brig is, but that has led me to look at what the 'other' named types of ship there were out there and what they looked like.

Being a self professed land-lumber this has all been quite fascinating. I recommend the Pirates Cove link in my links sidebar. This site was a wonderful source of info on ships and types.

I also found wikipedia very useful for its simple diagrammatic representations of these ships - in particular how the sails are supposed to go. However, this ship is to be a playable gaming model, not an accurate scale model, so there has to be some sense kept in all this. I will not be adding ALL the sails as show in the various pictures and diagrams, just enough to give it that 'Brig theme'.

I have placed an order with Laurie at Kapiti models (see link in link sidebar) for another ships Wheel, as per the smaller sloop previously seen in another blog post.

The only thing I am a little stuck for is a suitable looking anchor.

That, and I am awaiting an order for some hobby dark brown 'burnt umber' paint, so I can make a start on painting up my growing 'fleet' ;-)

Arr Arr, keep a weather-eye open , ship mates!