And Now For Something Completely Different........

    My buddy, Joe, has long had a fascination with the Age of Sail. To be honest so have I. This is a sideline to my other twelve-dozen distractions so hasn't gotten very far. With the price, fragility, complexity and low frequency of games and limited amount of time I just have not been able to get things off the ground.  Then Joe showed up with these;

needless to say I was intrigued

    They are card models from Jeff K at War Artisan available as downloadable PDFs they carry a vast array of subjects; The Anglo-Dutch Wars, the classic Age of Fighting Sail 1740-1800s as well as delightfully arcane subjects such as the fleets used on the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. They are available in 1/900, 1/600 and 1/300 depending on type (although I am certain that a little work with the PDF would render them in nearly any scale you choose)

     Joe reports that the models are easy to assemble with the complication being almost entirely in the masts and rigging (as to be expected). The printed detail is clear and crisp covering both the outer hull and the inner deck spaces, the sails come printed with detail on both sides as well. Jeff also provides free rules for all the periods that he has models for. Joe advises me that the rules are innovative and easy to play.

 

the idea that I can assemble a fleet of "painted" models in less

 time than it would take to clean and prime one GHQ hull is very interesting

 

 

and my paint work would never be as crisp as this is 

(believe me, I've tried!)

 

florist's wire for the masts and the printed sails look great

additional rigging is always the BIG question

 

the Anglo-Dutch wars were fought with ships more like the Spanish galleons

 than what Nelson would have been familiar with

 

excellent detail on sometime 2 1/2 inches long

 

I have to confess that I love the old ornate stern-castles