Dead Eyes, by hand.

This is a section I wanted to make to help out the like minded frugal ship modelers out there. By no means is this a proper tutorial of rigging. Model ship builders would be appalled by my decorative attempts to fancy up my gaming models to meet the historical accuracy of their meticulous work, but for gamers it is a way to make their models look better without spending a lot of money. 

 

 

Making Dead Eyes is really easy.    

What you need:

1. Dowel Rod
2. Pin-vise Drill    
3. Hobby Miter box & Saw
4. Sand paper
5. Pencil 

Mark 3 dots on the end of a dowel rod.

Use a Pin-Vice to drill holes. The deeper you drill the more dead-eyes you can make.

 

Put in Miter-Box

Slice like Pepperoni

Lightly Sand

 

Make more than you need, they are prone to break and you can save what ever you use for other boats or flotsam & debris. 

There is a reason I didn't specify the bit size or dowel rod diameter. That is a matter of scale and visual appeal to the game modeler. 

 

 

 

French Brigantine "Coque en Fer"

The French Brigantine "Coque en Fer" or translated in English as "Iron Shell", is a light merchant vessel that makes birth in the colonial port of Martinique. Her defiant christening was an Idea of the cargo company's book keeper who saw a deficit in recruiting sailors to serve aboard some of the more vulnerable short hall vessels in the Caribbean. With no extra coin to spend on cannon or careening, the company anointed the vessel with a name that would instill an undeserved confidence in her crew and hesitation to potential buccaneers with an inexpensive embellishment to her reputation. This has given her crew a bit of sang-froid attitude they really can't afford. After months of success, awe struck by the ship's fortune the company has almost bought into its own trompe l'œil. "Je ne sais quoi?" exclaimes the Company's owner Jean Maurice de Toulouse, How long would they have lasted on board a ship called "papier mâché" No?   

Port Side

The Coque en Fer sports 8 Cannon for defense, her delusional crew have been warned not to go on the offensive on several occasions. 

   

The Fan Tail

Starboard Side

 

Chiquita Tartana

 

 

The Chiquita Tartana is a proud little craft of the Spanish merchant marine tasked with moving coca beans from Cartagena to exchange for tobacco in Santiago. Her north to south sojourn makes use of her Lateen sale rig, perfect for the trade wind that remain predominately beam reach through the trip. Recently missionaries in Rio de Hacha have began growing bananas in the new world, which have brought bonus profit to captain Plátano who throws in a couple of bunches to boost profits in the West Indies. La Chiquita has become well known as the Banana Boat of Santiago.        

 

This little ship is another product of FireLock Games', Blood & Plunder Line. The Tartana is a plain little kit with a lot of potential not all included in the box. With a few dowels, some toothpicks, cheap jewelry rings and wax string this kit can become a work of art. Firelock's 28mm ship line is the most extensive in selection in the gaming industry and a great start to pimp-a-ship. 

  

    

 

I seriously Up-Gunned this Boat to 10 cannon. this also provides a good view of the "Dog Head" suspending the anchor line.

 

The tiller on the Tartana was a bit awkward and not practical to work with.

 I wanted the rudder to look mechanically feasible so I constructed this.  

Hand made belaying pin racks.

The brace for the mast is a common 

Mediterranean mechanism

 to shift the mast fore and aft. 

Windless

 

Home made "Dead Eyes" really jazz up the rigging.

 

Spanish Ensign is removable to strike colors. 

 

I used magnets and steel wire to attach the flag. 

 

We're sailing Again!

TwistedLords Con Midwest City, Oklahoma  

 

July 14th to 16th, 2023.

There will be two sessions scheduled Friday 8pm to midnight & Saturday 8pm. to midnight

Fist Full Of Seamen: 

Lead-Men Tell no Tales

Welcome to the largest 28mm game of piracy in North America! The year is 1702 and the wealth of the Caribbean is up for grabs. Command a ruthless crew in search of wealth and title in the New World. Easy to learn rules. Open Sandbox game that encourages your creativity to win.

 For the blog insiders, there will be more ships and more locations to explore. This is the first time we have had this game out of storage since 2016 and who knows if we will run it in the future. If your interested in playing sign up! In the past we have signed up 40 players in teams of two but due to the expansion in the number of ships the teams of two may end up with a ship per player to expand opportunities of your adventure.   

http://twistedlordscon.com/default.html

 

 Puerto Pa' Te

This is the prototype layout of the Spanish port I hope to develop into a future table in an already massive convention game. Unlike the other governors in the game the Spanish notably don't actively engage in commerce with nations not subject to the Spanish crown, Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine, or exploited natives of the Caribbean. 

The building and wharf was designed by Crescent Root Miniatures.      

The HMS Penetrator   

This is the HMS Penetrator a sloop model produced by Fire Lock Games.

 I finished this model nearly a year ago but never got enough time to photograph or post the results.

Her Sail plan is that of a cutter and she is flying English Colors, I 

also up-gunned the ship from 6 guns to 10 guns. 

 

In the past I have worked in Pin racks and Line spools on the decks, I prefer the extra details despite making the placement of figures more difficult. this one was assembled during the pandemic so the extra pieces were harder to find. 

 

Cutter not Sloop.

 

The Penetrator  spots some tail. 

This is a fantastic model if not a little pricey, what isn't these days?

 If your looking for a solid resin kit with a simple sail and rigging plan I recommend it.