Thrown in the Brig

I've finally started to make some headway on my brig. I have the basic coat of paint on it and have started on the rigging.

It is based on a schematic of a Swedish privateer which also helped inspire my choice of colors. This will be a merchantman/pirate. I chose to mount the guns on the deck to give the impression of a converted ship rather than a purpose built warship.

I am currently working on the ratlines which have proven to be much more challenging than I had originally imagined. Obviously I have quite a bit of trimming to do once I get them to my satisfaction.

I will be staining the ropes to a more nautical color and coating them with thinned PVA glue to seal and give them more rigidity.

A look down the deck.

The prow and stern are the sections which still require significant work and paint. There is a fair bit of gilding I would like to do and I want to mount some sort of ornate design on the after cabins  I also need to pain the figurehead and the nameplate.

I also have to clad the stern when my new shipment of timbers comes in.

Finally  a few of the scurvy sea dogs who will be crewing or capturing this vessel.

These are Black Scorpion Able Seamen. I cant say they are my best work but I think once they have proper bases and I can get a second coat of dullcote on them they will do quite nicely.

Xmas Train!

We have a tradition of electric trains in my family ever since my Dad bought one back for us from Singapore. I decided it was time to share it with my own children. I built a small little Christmas village for it to circle as well.

I installed some Christmas lights between the trees to give the forest a sort of fairy woodland feel. Unfortunately that doesn't really come through in the photos.

I made use of some amazing Hirtsarts moldings that I cast ages ago but never got around to using.

The whole set is modular so I can pack it up easily and get it out of my basement/lair without damage. I plan to eventually add a latex road which will cover up the larger seam.

Both my son and my daughter loved the train set and it was a very big hit over Xmas. There was a somewhat regrettable tendency at first to put the people on the tracks but they got into the spirit of things relatively quickly. My next step is to acquire a cheap table so I can have it set up in the basement year round!