Two Spanish Ships of the Line 12th Annual Analog Hobbies Painting Challenge (7)

These two ships are from Warlord's Spanish Ships of Renown. I have come to think of this as the Trafalgar collection as participation in that battle that seems to be key criteria.

The two ships are Argonauta and Monarca. Both were built in the 1790s after the American Revolution. The only major Battles they took part in seem to be those of the Trafalgar campaign.

Argonauta with her bull or perhaps Minotaur (it has sixpack abs) figure head sports the Spanish "team" colors suggested by Warlord. The paint scheme looks great but is historically somewhat questionable. 

Still rule of cool so this 80 gun ship has this striking paint job. 

Monarca a 74 has a figured head of a noble woman (perhaps a queen).  The long broad yellow line actually appears in a painting of her at the Battle of Trafalgar so it was an easy choice.

The color choice will also work whelk when I swap her flag to bulk up a French or English fleet. 

I had bigger plans this week but with Covid hitting our house this is all I was able to get done. Back to conquering planets next week (I hope). 

Pontoon Bridge and Turtle Fleet 40 Points 12th Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (6)

A smallish entry this week from the American Civil War.

The Vlogsphere theme is Bureaucracy that works nicely for the American Civil Pontoon Bridge. The Battle of Fredericksburg featured these. I have no ambitions of doing anything so large but I wanted to make one, I used some of Arofan's 3D printed boats and some coffee sticks.

The Bureaucracy comes in because these where part of the Engineering train of the Army of the Potomac and wasn't in the direct chain of command. Burnside gave them orders but it took days for the orders to reach the troops and they arrived late. The result was Lee had was able to oppose the crossing resulting in a Union disaster.

Points wise its a very small terrain piece so maybe 1 point flat terrain is confusing so up my total if appropriate. I'll also get 20 points for Vlogsphere.

Here are two Union "city class" gun boats. These where the first Iron clads commissioned by the Union. They were nick named Pook's Turtles so called for one of the designers and there look.

These ships took part in all the western river battles of the Civil War. Bombarding forts, fighting Confederate ships and blockading Mississippi the river. Their most lopsided victory was the Battle of Memphis where 4 of them helped defeat a fleet of 8 confederate gunboats and/or rams.

These are two 15mm vehicle so anther 16 points Combining that with the points for the USS Tylor and the pontoon bridge that's 25 points of Union "aquatic transport" for another Squirrel points.

17 points for the miniatures and another 20 points for the planet.

Nice homemade pontoon bridge Adam, could have uses both on land and sea. And loving these cumbersome looking Turtles. Great work all around. I've rounded you up to 40 points for the scratch build and so your score is less confusing.

Ruse De Guerre Frigates for Solaris 12th Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (5)

 

Adamc: Ruse De Guerre Frigates for Solaris (50)



Here we have two 3D print frigates provide to me by my friend Arofan (you should check out the games he's written at Application of Force).
They are Spanish "Mahonesa class" Frigates (if you have a printer they are a free file: from Simon Mann) and are excellent prints a bit smaller than the Frigates from Warlord but they work well enough with them.
I dressed them up with figure heads left over from my Warlord Merchants one with a Pegasus and the Red "team colors" that Warlord (and Games Workshop before them) put forward for the Spanish. It was a fairly uncommon color scheme historically but it does look good.

The Second has a red headed Mermaid and a typical yellow stripe at the gun deck.
These are among the few 3d prints where the stern doesn't need any special dressing up. its not decorative but plain sterns were common in frigates.
Of course two of this class where taken by the English and put into service! Being Spanish built they are prefect for the Ruse de Guerre of Flying False Colors. Use magnates to allow me to switch a ships allegiance or to allow players to use this Ruse de Guerre. So its an open question what fleet these ships serve, Spanish, English, and Chile all used this class and they could serve in any. (note to self fund early Chillan navy flags).


Frigates are 15 Points each with another 20 Points for Solaris making a total of 50.



The Spanish built some lovely ships Adam and these are great 3d prints. I like that you can fly 3 different flags from them, and Lord Cochrane could fly two of them!

Arda via Caprica 12th Analog Hobbies Painting Challenge (4)

Leaving the Santisima Trinidad and the Death Star behind we now journey back to Caprica.

As my Transit fee I offer up another Doomed Confederate Ironclad the CSS Baltic.

Baltic was purchased and converted in 1862 by the state of Alabama to defend Mobile Bay. She spent 1862 to 1863 helping build underwater obstacles and "torpedoes."

By late 1864 she was in bad shape and the Confederacy started stripping her armor to help build CSS Nashville, thus she missed the great Naval battle of August 5 1864. She was doomed to be captured having never fired a shot in her own defense. She's a 15mm vehicle so 8 points.

Now some generic Confederate gun boats (3) and spar torpedo armed tugs(4). The first have two artillery pieces.

The second are something like aquatic Kamikazes seeking to ram Yankee warships. They should provide another 56 points that may be a little high but the other ships where probably a bit underscored so it's probably a wash. Also that's a squirrel point for a Confederate "Fleet."

Now it's time to visit Arda with a Tolkien's Army of the Dead as sculpted by Games Workshop. I didn't like the greenish glowing appearance of these guys in the movie.

I did them in something like a grayscale. Tolkien calls them shades of men so a dark palate seemed best. I did make their weapons shine and armor is also bright. I added a few shields from my bits box to give them more diversity.

There are 20 figures in all 28mm figures (or whatever GW does these days). That should net me 100 points and another Squirrel Point.


-Total points 8 15mm vehicles at 8 points each (64 points)

-20 dead 25mm soldiers for 5 points each (100 points)
Arda- 20 points (Caprica revisit doesn't count for points)
Total= 184
Squirrel points 2


Great looking ACW ships Adam, really like the Baltic. As with many Confederate ironclads the engineering wasn't up to the task. And you have to have spar torpedo boats, the weapon of choice for seamen who want to touch the enemy with unstable explosives mounted at the end of a 40 foot pole. After using these in action, Sylvan commented that they reminded him of Space Ork weapons. Great work on the LotR undead too.

Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad 45 points 12th Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (3)

Some ships are truly legendary and the Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad usually called just the "Santisima Trinidad."

Originally built as a 112 gun 3 deck ship of the line (First rate in English reckoning) in 1769. At some (possibly 1795) point she was increased to 130 or 136 or 140 guns. The best information I can find on her armament is 3decks.org which says she had 136 guns and 4 swivel guns which no one would count as part of her rating.

Her 4th Deck was actually just her spar-deck blanked over so it was flush allowing her to carry extra guns. This gave her a few extra guns but also made her top-heavy and ponderous indeed one of her nicknames was: "El Ponderoso" (another nick name was El Escorial de los mares royal palace of the sea... not a name that say "Battle Ready")

She fought in the American helping capture 55 ships out of a 63 ship convoy defended by the Royal Navy.

She faced the Royal Navy again in the Battle of Saint Vincent where she was forced strike but the English fail to take possession of her and two Spanish ships managed to rescue her. She was not so lucky at Trafalgar where just ahead of the French Flagship she was a high priority target. She was again dismasted and this time captured and then sank in the Trafalgar storm. Her reputation as one of the "most powerful warships" is probably over blown.

The French Ocean class was larger and with "only 120 guns" had a broad side only slightly lighter than the Santisima Trinidad. Her lack of Carronades meant that smaller British Ships of Line where much closer in strength than a simple count of guns would indicate. Still her massive size must must have made her an intimidating sight. 1st Rate ships of the line are 25 Points (or where last year) and the "no moon" add an extra 20 points.

Great work on this gin palace Adam. The Spanish navy had some fine ships and also some fine officers, but were sadly let down by their ministers and their choice of allies. However if you do things early in the Revolutionary period you can ally the Brits and Spanish as they blockade Toulon.

USS Tyler 8 Points 12th Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (2)

My second Entry the USS Tyler

The Tyler was a converted merchant sidewheel steamer she actually got got shot at in January of 1861 before being turned into a warship.

She got some extra heavy timbers as "armor" six 8" Guns and one 32 Pounder gun (which I think was mounted in the bow to fire though either of the front two gun ports)

Tyler had an active war including a fight with CSS Jackson near Columbus Kentucky, supporting Grants army at Shilo, a battle with the CSS Arkansas a battle where she was wise enough to run when left by her consorts (due to damage) to fight her one on one.

She supported the Siege of Vicksburg and then the invasion of Arkansas when union troops went up the White River. Again I am counting her as 15mm Vehicle for 8 points.

I do like the look of theses bodged together ACW "warships". Nothing says protection like timberclad. A fine looking addition to your brown water fleet Adam, nice work work on the wood.