Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Mojo All At Sea

A combination of summer activities, DIY and a distinct lack of painting mojo has meant has been or able to be done.  However, the Rejects' 17th century naval project has acted like a mermaid slowly luring me onto the rocks of paintwork... albeit in small quantity.

This is actually my second vessel. The first is okay, but will look better lost amongst the fleet.  This is a 40 gun French ship from the League of Augsburg's Ark Royal Miniatures.

I wasn't going to do any rigging etc. However, I just wanted to try it, and actually it was easier and more relaxing than I thought. I certainly will rig future ships better in light of this experience.

I will have incurred the wrath of the rest of the Rejects, as we did agree not to rig.  Oh well, they don't have to... they will still look great, and will have impact on the quality of the gaming.



34 comments:

  1. Top work Richard, they look great. I would rig as well. At that scale a little bit of rigging goes a long way, and finishes off the look superbly.

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  2. Great work and nice to see your painting mojo returning:). I think it looks better rigged. Not sure I'd have the patience though! Out of interest did you use brass or plastic rod for said rigging?

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    1. Thanks Steve. The ratlines are brass, the rigging are black plastic bristles from a scrubbing brush I got from a pound shop.

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    2. Plastic brush bristles? Interesting idea.

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    3. Not my idea Jonathan, and it saves fiddling with cotton thread.

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  3. This is an impressive result, Richard. Great job! Now, only 100 more to go.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan. 100! No no no! My contribution will be 9 ships of the line. Of that I am certain.

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  4. Nice work! Good job on the rigging and the timber looks spot on.

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  5. It does look really nice with the rigging Richard, but I am with Steve - not sure I would have the patience to do it either - however, that does not mean the rest of the Rejects should be able to slack off and put half-finished models on the table alongside your masterpieces!

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  6. Cheers Keith. I think that some of the Rejects may not speak to me again after doing this.

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  7. Looks fab Rich, you're a pain on the arse though!

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  8. Looks great, 1 down 8 to go.. It does look good with rigging, but maybe less important at 'table distance' and with large fleets of models..
    I look forward to seeing a report of the combined fleets in action, how many might there be in total?

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    1. Thanks David, and I would agree with you. Should be around 80 ships in total. Probably more as Ray and Stuart give into their megalomanic tendencies.

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  9. Excellent looking ship of the line, improved of course with rigging, good call, sorry Ray !
    Best Iain

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  10. Top Marks, Richard! That looks fantastic in so many ways - great hull shade too!

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    1. Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.

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    2. I know it is nice to get good feedback on work. We all appreciate it when it comes. What doesn't often happen is that we receive specific feedback on what is good about the work. I wanted to take the liberty of providing my personal opinion on what I think works outstandingly well on this model and, perhaps you might want to remember your own techniques for future reference (or patent them!). The hull tones are particularly soft and natural looking. The slight brown staining on the sails makes them look naturally weathered - this is outstanding. The under use of contrasting colour - the hint of green, actually makes it stand out even more. It is quietly understated yet extremely effective. Love the overall look and it will be great to see her based and on the table.

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    3. Thank you Barry for the generous feedback. It is useful to receive such comments, and is certainly very encouraging.
      I keep a notebook with painting instructions of various models in my collection. This has been invaluable when returning to projects after many years have passed.

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  11. Bugger that looks good... I'll be retrofitting rigging to my ships now!

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  12. That's a beautiful ship, Richard!

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  13. Hello from germany. I like the way you paint the 2mm figures. Can you explain me how you paint them?

    Here is my email: mimel2408@gmail.com

    Best regards

    Manuel

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    1. Thank you Manuel. I have replied and hope it helps.

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