'Nautical' from AdamC - 'Captain John Silver'

Every year for Huzzah the organisers pick a theme and ask clubs and individual players to paint figures for the game.  Its a good deal, they get figures for the game and after we get to keep them. This year the theme is Pirates.

This is my pirate Captain Named John Silver he's clearly inspired by Long John Silver of the famous novel Treasure Island.  He may have on leg but he's got a quick mind and gets around fine.  He's also quite a snappy dresser with his three plumed hat.

I decided to make his parrot an African Gray in part because I have always like their look better than the more typical green fellows you normally see with pirates.

Another look at the Parrot their under side and face are a lighter gray and their beaks are black. I gave John gold lace on his hat and pockets.  I also made his buttons gold as well, clearly he;'s successful pirate.

For colors I was inspired by the Disney Treasure Island look but made it a bit higher class as this guy is a captain not a cook. I don't know who mad the figure as I didn't buy it but got it free (other than having to lend it back to the convention organizers for a few days) making it the best sort of figure.

'Nautical' from Barks - 'Age of Sail Crew'

These figures have been sitting in my lead mountain for years, this was a good excuse to get them done. They're 'Pirate specialist crew' from Black Cat, and comprise a cook (with chthulhoid delicacy), a navigator (with a cool map and sextant) and a carpenter (with emergency firewood source).

'Nautical' from BillA - 'Sahuagin Raiding Party'

OK, OK, so these are technically "Tiik" according to the Reaper Miniatures website, but when you show me a four-armed fish-man with a trident, I know it's actually one of the vicious Sahuagin, deep-sea raiders and warriors from Dungeons & Dragons, an enemy in the game since the mid-1970s.

We've got three "Tiik Warriors," and while I'm not in love with the sculpt (the tiny waist and stubby tails bug me) they make decent enough mooks for any underwater adventure.  These were actually the last Bones figures I tried painting with craft paints before switching to the good stuff - I probably spent an hour with warm water, dish soap and a new soft toothbrush scrubbing the old paint job off these fellows.

Next up is the "Tiik Baron," their four-armed ruler.  I like the bulldog jowls on this figure, and the shell ornaments he's wearing are kind of neat.

Finally, the "Tiik Champion," which is my favorite sculpt of the bunch.  With his rounded head, lack of hard scales, different fin shape and lack of luminescent lure, it's hard to take him as a member of the same species as the other four.  Weirdly enough, he resembles the artwork for the "Deep Ones" in the newest edition of the Call of Cthulhu RPG, which he predates.  I wonder...

All five of these figures were painted with the same color scheme - a basecoat of Reaper Tropical Blue (from their new Bones paint line - I got three bottles as samples in various orders from Reaper, which helped decide what color these guys would be), a wash of Reaper Denim Blue, then a highlighting drybrush of Tropical Blue.  Eyes and lures are picked out in Pale Green, and the texture of the fins brought out with a light drybrushing of Snow Shadow.  Finally, here's a group shot - ready to conquer the hated surface-dwellers!

'Nautical' from ByronM - '1/1200 Napoleonic British Ships-of-the-Line'

 For my Nautical entry I have decided to finally finish my 1/1200 British starter fleet from Langton Miniatures.  I did one of the four ships as a test last year to see how they turned out, but then got sidetracked with other things.

 There are other ship makers out there and many people complain that Langton are expensive, however you really get what you pay for.  I have seen the other models out there, and while they are 10-25% cheaper, the Langton models are at least 50% nicer so there really is not any choice to me, pay for the Langton models. When compared to many other models (Looking at you GW) they are actually pretty damn cheap!

Anyway, this entry is for two 3rd rate ships of the line and the HMS Victory.

I included a few extra pictures to show the difference that proper rigging makes.  I have seen many people just paint these figures as they say rigging just isn’t worth it.  I argue that it completely makes the model and should not be skipped.  The progress pictures show that models just painted, then with the standing rigging (which is where many people stop) and then with the running rigging.  The rigging actually takes longer than the painting as each ship has someplace between 10' and 15’ of thread on them, even though they are only 3” long.

'Nautical' from ClintB - 'Slow boat to the Mekong!'

Well continuing my Vietnam Conflict figures today for the nautical bonus round I have a "Sampan". And nothing to do with Ming the Merciless and Buck rogers despite the title.

The figure is by "Britannia" and 1/72nd scale (that's 20mm to you diehard wargamers.

Mostly cast in Resin but the crewman and the engine are in white metal. There was minimal assembly as the engine and crew were one piece casting as was the resin. So the kind of simple assembly that even I can manage. 

While it is not absolutely vital to Vietnam wargaming it does round out the options and provide "Hogs" "Cobras" and the like an easy target. Ands as wargamers we all like things to shoot at. How knows it may be ferrying supplies or a VIP along the river to where they are needed. 

Additionally I will not be setting my Vietnam conflict in the Delta or on the coast but these vessels are pretty much found on all stretches of water that is deep enough for them.  The Picture at the bottom shows one being used today in real live. So I have taken the colours directly from the photograph just so I can claim some level of authenticity. 

Clearly a traditional and versatile craft used for all manner of activities. From Fishing to transportation of all manner of goods. Some have motors (most these days) but some clearly do not. It just depends on how fast it needs to go!

While the River war and the Brown water Navy is not an aspect of the Vietnam war I intend to focus on it is Pleasing to know that Britannia do make a couple of other vessels for the US forces and a "Plastic Patrol Boat" my well be on my list of things to acquire.  It is just a shame that they have stopped doing the Hovercraft, but if anyone knows where to get one I am all ears!

'Nautical' by EdwinK - 'Deep Sea Divers'

For this round, 'nautical' as being 'of ships and the sea', I'm submitting these three Victorian divers and their shore-based companion,

They're in 28mm and from Casting Room Miniatures (Foundry) - set VC021. They've currently got a 20% discount until 29 Feb if you like them. http://www.castingroomminiatures.com/

There's very little to add to that. For my own amusement, I've tried to create a resemblance to Tintin and Captain Haddock.

Edwin

'Nautical' from EvanH - 'Chaos Dwarf Admiral'

After who knows how how many false starts (my Epic Fail entry failed epically and the less said about my attempts at Defensive Terrain the better), I have finally gotten my act together in time for the 'Nautical' themed round.

I've had this fig for a while; it came to me as part of a large order from a now-defunct online retailer, and was thrown in as a bonus of sorts. It's a Scibor Miniatures "Chaos Dwarf Admiral with Panzer Duck", one of their range of quirky novelty figs. They also do some splendidly detailed serious fantasy figs, and are well worth a look.

It was unlikely that I would ever get around to putting him on the table as part of a fantasy army, so when the Nautical Theme Round rolled around, he was the obvious candidate.

Lieutenant, are the men... laughing at me...?

The base was built up on a Renedra 60mm circular plastic disc with (your friend and mine) white pumice paste, and painted up once it had set.

The completed figure was placed in the middle and layers of gloss varnish were painted around it to give a stagnant pond water effect.

As I weathered up the paint work, adding rust, oil stains, and chipped metal finishes, I wondered what might have come to pass to put a figure of such obvious authority into such a ridiculous situation.

He has an expression of such grim determination - he's clearly not a figure to be trifled with, so what went wrong? As I thought more and more about this, the story of Dread Lord Admiral Thadrak Krakenbane began to unfold in the corners of my imagination... Well, considerations of space prevent my posting his backstory here, but I'll post some more info on our blog, Canister & Grape, some time over the next couple of days.

I realise the body of water is not exactly the vasty deeps, but I hope it still qualifies as sufficiently Nautical for this Bonus Round!

Stay tuned...!

Ev

'Nautical' from FranL - '15mm Somali pirates, a little nautical controversy?'

15 Somali pirates from Khurasan Miniatures, all 15mm, will more than likely use these in my African Militia forces...

Many Somali pirates see themselves as good guys. And at one point, they were. After the government in Mogadishu collapsed in 1991, neighboring countries began illegally fishing in Somali waters. The first pirates were simply angry fishermen who boarded these foreign vessels and demanded a "fee." But as the illegal fishing persisted, some early pirates banded together and called themselves "coast guards." They claimed to be looking after Somalia's territorial integrity until the government could pull itself back together.

These weren't the only vigilantes on the scene, however. Other pirates made their debut robbing U.N. ships that were carrying food to refugee camps in Somalia. These bandits argued that if they hadn't taken the food, warlords would have seized it on land. And they had a good point. Warlords gobbled down at lot of Somalia's relief food during the 1990's.

But from these perhaps defensible beginnings, piracy spread farther from Somalia's shores and evolved into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. Today, pirates are blunt about their motives. In late 2008, after a band of pirates seized a Ukrainian freighter full of weapons and demanded $25 million for its release, Sugule Ali, a member of the pirate crew, told a reporter, "We only want the money."

By December 2013, the US Office of Naval Intelligence reported that only 9 vessels had been attacked during the year by the pirates, with zero successful hijackings. Control Risks attributed this 90% decline in pirate activity from the corresponding period in 2012 to the adoption of best management practices by vessel owners and crews, armed private security on board ships, a significant naval presence, and the development of onshore security forces.

In January 2014, the MV Marzooqah initially sent out a distress signal indicating that it was under attack by pirates in the Red Sea. However, the container vessel turned out instead to have been seized by Eritrean military units as it entered Eritrea's territorial waters.

'Nautical' from GregB - 30K Space Figate "Eisenstein"

Well, another theme round approaches, and if there is one thing I do less than in this hobby than paint terrain, it's paint nautical stuff.  I have nothing against nautical themes or ships.  They make for great games! From triremes to cannons to 14-inch guns, I enjoy naval games - it's just that other people have to put them on, as nautical settings are simply not my thing. So I thought I would go with a sci-fi interpretation of the "nautical" theme - this is the "Eisenstein", a frigate belonging to the fleet of the XIVth Legion, the Death Guard, in GW's Horus Heresy setting.

As Horus prepares to launch his rebellion and perpetrate an atrocity on the world of Istvaan III, a band of loyalists seize the "Eisenstein" and make an escape, racing off to raise the alarm. Seemed like a neat subject, helps to keep me focused on 30k, and might even scrape a few desperation points in my Horus Heresy side duel!

The model itself is, I believe, a "system monitor" from the long-disappeared "Battlefleet Gothic" game.  There is no specific look for 30k-era ships, so I thought this would make for a fine Legion Frigate. "Battlefleet Gothic" was a fine, fun game with lovely models and passionate followers.  So of course GW followed their tried-and-true method of killing the game and wondering why it died.  @ssholes. 

Anyway, I do have a nice (if old and dusty) collection of Battlefleet Gothic stuff, but I haven't painted anything for it in a long time. In fact, this model has been sitting primed in my "pending pile" for nearly six years!
 

With my dive into 30k, I've been trying to acquire some models here and there to perhaps play some Battlefleet Gothic in a 30k setting. I still harbour a dream of one day playing a series of linked games that starts with a fleet action, follows with a game of epic, and concludes with a game in 28mm. With everything else in my pending pile, that is probably not something that will happen anytime soon, but at least this little guy is finished, and he can hopefully serve as some inspiration when that time comes to paint a few cruisers.
 

'Nautical' from JeremyM - 'Viking Longship'

Hi all,

I have a 28mm scale Revell viking ship for my entry to the ship challenge. 

I chose to make it into a beached ship to fit with a gaming matt I have that transitions from sea to land. The scale works well with 28mm as you can see with my jomsviking warlord on it and beside it. 

  
The ship is plastic and a bit fiddly to assemble. I chose to forgo the plastic sale and made one from a dried out wipe that I rolled up, I probably should have painted some red strips or something for a better effect and I suppose I may still do that in the future. The ship bottom was made to fit in a special stand as it still has the keel. I cut that off with a saw on the very bottom so it would sit flat on the base. The shields on the side come with decals and were a reel pain. i should have cut out the centre boss before appllying but there were so many I decided against it, which made applying the decals a real pain. A small hole punch would be ideal for these.

For the base I built it up with some wood and gravel painted tan to reflect the beach. The waves and water part were painted blue and then I used silicon to make the water and the waves coming into shore. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out I think it will be a great objective on the table for a saga campaign I'm running. It actually made an appearance a few weeks ago but was unbased and only partially assembled. This version will be a tad more impressive in the near future.

Jeremy

'Nautical' from LeeH - 'Landships!'

Back when Curt admitted me to this competition I made the foolhardy statement that I was going to try and get through the Challenge without entering the Bonus Rounds. My reasoning was I wanted to concentrate on getting model painted that were specifically for gaming rather than for display. The problem is my lead mountain contains some lovely models and your bonus rounds are just too tempting to ignore!

 So in typical 'Reject' fashion I'm taking the nautical bonus round and twisting until it breaks...hence I present some WWI Mk IV tanks. Churchill famously headed up the Admiralty Landships Committee that was influential in the early development of the secret weapon that became known as the Tank. These Mk IV Tanks represent one of the most successful and widely used versions of the classic rhomboid shaped vehicles.

The Mark Four had a crew of eight inside its 26ft hull and the male tanks weighed in at about 29 tons. Nothing of similar size would be built for another two decades. The 105 bhp engine produced a maximum speed of 4 mph so these beasts still lumbered very slowly across the battlefield. The Germans by this stage of the war were beginning to develop anti tank strategies such as the K Bullet and were beginning to use artillery in a direct AT role. I have nothing but admiration for the men that fought in these early tanks, they really were a different breed and very very brave.

These models are by H&R and originally I bought four vehicles, two male and two female. However the machine gun tanks had such serious mould lines that I couldn't remove them without also removing the detail. I reluctantly decided to just proceed with the Male Mark Fours but I'm really happy with how they turned out.

Regards

Lee Hadley