15mm Scratchbuilt Destroyer

When we were preparing for the invasion of Majorca game, we decided we should have a destroyer to go with the merchant ships.  This is what I came up with:

It has no specific prototype, but I did look at some photos of Spanish destroyers that were in service between the wars and try to capture some of their characteristics.  I'm not sure how successful I was.  I've never been entirely satisfied with the result.  Looking at the photos right now, I can see that part of the problem is that the stack is too tall.  For most destroyers, the stack is approximately level with the top of the bridge.  A second stack would have been good, but there was just no way to fit one on the model.

The turrets are all attached with small magnets and can be rotated.  Aft of the stack is a platform for an anti-aircraft gun.  The model is ten inches long.

Another thing that is apparent is that it could really use some sort of hull number.  This ship will likely see action at a game at Little Wars 2009, so I will probably add one before then.

Like the merchant ship, the destroyer was made from balsa and styrene.  I have found that very thin sheet styrene is much easier to work with than cardboard.  It is easier to cut, because all you have to do is score a line and snap it off.  You don't need to worry about saturating styrene if you use too much glue.  Finally, styrene is much more durable when the model is complete.

When building these ships I struggled to come up with the outline of the hull.  What I finally ended up doing was using the draw feature in Microsoft Word to create a template.  I started with an oval that had the approximate dimensions I was looking for.  Then I used other ovals and lines to make it look more like the hull of a ship.  It requires some trial and error.  Once you have somthing that looks right, print it out and use it to cut out your balsa for the hull and superstructure.  The end result isn't good enough to win the America's Cup, but it looks right on the table and it produces a more uniform result than drawing it by hand.

Like the merchant ship, the destroyer has no name.  All I can think of when I see her is HMS Ruptured Duck!

15mm Merchant Ship

A few years ago the Brigadista was planning a massive game based on the 1936 invasion of Majorca during the Spanish Civil War. For some reason, I volunteered to build some ships to carry the Republican invasion force. The ships would be usable with 15mm figures and had to be large enough to look the part, but no so large as to dominate the table. Building 1/100 scale ships was out of the question.

Here are pictures of the first ship I built, which was scratchbuilt using balsa and styrene. It has no real prototype. I looked at some photos of early twentieth century merchant ships and Eric Burgess was kind enough to end me some photos of some model ships that had been built by Mal Wright. If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, then this ship is a little monument to the great modeling Mal does.

The size of the ship was based on the design philosophy described on the excellent Major General's Colonial Wargames page. It's about 10 inches long and 2 inches wide. It's pretty much a caricature of a real ship. 

Here's the ship with some 15mm figures for reference.

I wish I had come up with a catchy name for this ship, but so far I haven't. I guess I'm just waiting for the right inspiration.  Anyone have any suggestions?