The Mockup

The Mockup

So I decided to build a Pirate ship and crew for Games Day Chicago 2003 less than two weeks before the date. I've been working on the Crew but now that I have only a week left I decided to get to work on the ship. Naturally since it's such an elaborate project I decided to build an overly detailed mockup which may in fact become the project if I'm not careful. Even if I do get the actual ship built I am going to finish this mockup and it should look pretty good even next to the finished project. The ship I am building is a waterline model intended to game play. Warhammer will soon have Navel rules in their "Generals Compendium" and I want to have my own Piratical fleet ready to sink all comers. Since it's a war game model I'm going to focus on building a functional but attractive ship that will sit flat on a game table. I'm not even pretending that this is in any was an accurate ship model. I think of it as a ship shaped game model. The finished model with be constructed almost entirely out of bass wood. I am constructing the mockup out of : foamcore, cardboard, and balsa wood. If the finished project turns out well enough I am going to enter it into the "Open" category of the Golden Deamon contest. Below are some pictures of my progress and some notes.

Well Here is the model under way. The base is foamcore. The keel and stern are balsa and the planking is light weight cardboard.

Here is the main part of the hull below the deck finished. I've overlapped the half inch planking a quarter of an inch the added one quarter inch plank to the top of is section. This gives the illusion of hull planking without the need for ribs.

Here is the top of the stern being glued to the deck. I've scored to back of the stern to give in the appearance of planking though you can't see that in this picture.

And the deck goes on. The tape is to hold the deck down until the glue sets. I plan to use tape in my wooden ship but it doesn't work as well for these cardboard ships because it pulls away the cardboard in places. Since this is only a mockup I didn't mind. I glued some balsa supports to hold the deck up but I wish I would have thought to glue in a big block of balsa to support the mast before I got past this stage. It would have been nice to have a solid piece to drill into when I set the mast but that is the reason I did the mockup. So I would discover better ways to do the final project.

I've added the final overlapping section of plank. Then I added ribs above the deck because I want to lay the above deck planking on over the ribs so it lays flush. The main reason I am doing this is so I can cut gun ports and add windows to the deckhouse more easily. I also looked more like the drawing I was working from that way.

Here's a shot from the bow. Most of the above deck planking is on. It is amazing how much the ribbing helps add to the look of the ship. I've added the front of the deckhouse which I have scored to look like planking even though it doesn't show up in the picture. I've also discovered another problem. Because the front of the deck house is only three quarter of an inch high it doesn't leave proper room for a door. I will have to cut out a bit of the deck in front of the door and then add some stairs if I was it to look right. This is going to be a pain and on the final model I will want to do this before this stage.

Here the deck is on the aft deckhouse. The only thing I wish I had done differently would have been to cut a small hole in the back for the tiller. I'm going to have to do that later now.

Ah it's the details that really make a project stand out. I am really digging the rails on the aft deck. The windows in the deckhouse are from a Games Workshop ruined building sprue. There are two on the back. I haven't added any other decoration yet. I doubt I'm going to add much to this ship since it's a mockup. I do need to add rudder but I have some other pieces to do first.

So here is a final shot of the ship as she sits now. The book on the table is "Fantasy Art Masters" It is sitting open to the Don Maitz section. Don Maitz is quite well know as an illustrator of things Piratical. His illustration "Forty Thieves" has been quite inspirational for this project. If you don't recognize the name you will recognize the captain on your bottle of "Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum". Mmmmm Rum.
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