Friday, November 24, 2023

Les Britanniques Arrivent! Les Britanniques Arrivent! (In Paper Boats)

Made some boats out of cardstock and foam core to use in a Siege of Louisbourg scenario. Although there are few really nice resin ships made by John Jenkins Designs, as well as Perry, I only intend to use these for the initial movement/landing phase of the game. Also, the material used was from the local Dollar Tree, and stuff already on hand.

Each boat can fit up to 12 figures on 25mm round bases - so you could stuff in a few more on 20mm bases. The foam core base and support panels inside make them sturdy enough for simple movement during gaming. Of course, these are just representational, and don't include seamen rowers.
Used a color pattern from some illustrations of period boats found on the internet.
Here's the build process, which was quite simple.
Foam core bottoms and rear panels were cut with a box cutter. The cardstock attached around the base and rear panel with a glue gun.
Gave the outsides some texturing with acrylic caulking. This prompted me to add the panels inside to keep the side panels from warping. Luckily there was still enough room to fit the 12 figures on 25mm round bases.

Using masking tape and paint already in the supply cabinet (khaki, black, and red) - painted the base coloring. Dry-brushed a lighter red and khaki over the base coat before giving them a final coat of clear flat.
The playtest for this game is scheduled for next Friday, and will be using Rebels and Patriots for the rules. The one mod will be having the boats attempt to land with an Activation roll for movement - up to 12". The French will initially be placed in cover up to 24" from the British side. The French will also have two 6 pound naval guns. The British can be targeted while still in the boats - of course.

This project was a revisit of one done years ago when I played another Siege of Louisbourg game using Muskets and Tomahawks. It was a smaller game with less figures and only three paper boats. Here's a link to that game http://wabcorner.blogspot.com/search/label/Muskets%20%26%20Tomahawks

Well, enough for now, and thank you very much for visiting the blog and wishing you all a great holiday season.

31 comments:

  1. The Bateaux look great Dean! I did something similar several years ago and they have not been used so far! I stalled at the extra cost of buying seated rowers and soldiers (which is what I intended to do next) - perhaps I should have just adopted your more practical solution? Our gaming buddy Mark at 1866 and All That did up three of the lovely Perry boats for his French in Egypt collection - see here http://stracmark.blogspot.com/2019/09/flatboats-and-dragoons.html

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    1. Thank you very much, Keith. Mark's boats look great, and Perry's are that expensive, especially considering the quality. That said, the boats will only be used at the start of the game, and then removed from the table. Kindest regards, Dean

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  2. Fantastic boats and troops Dean!

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    1. Thanks, Jonathan. Nowhere as nice as Perry's or John Jenkins models, but they should fit the bill for the game. Warmest regards, Dean

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    1. Thanks a lot, Michal. They're good enough for their purpose in the game. Kindest regards, Dean

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  5. Dean, a very simple and successful solution to the problem of boats on the game table!

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    1. Thank you very much, Denis! Good to hear from you. Warmest regards, Dean

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  6. Crafty solution, suitable to table and easy on the wallet. Dashing color scheme as well. Three bagger!

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    1. Thanks, Joe! Even have a lot of leftover foamcore and cardstock for other frugal projects. Warm regards, Dean

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  7. Great looking, effective and economical solution, a great result!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thanks for the kind words again, Iain. Warm regards, Dean

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  8. Fantastic inspirational barges, brillant modelling.

    Willz.

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    1. Thank you very much, Willz! Warmest regards, Dean

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    1. Thank you very much, Mike! Warmest regards, Dean

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  10. Great work on the boats. They really fit the bill.

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    1. Thanks a lot, Richard! Yes, they should work out fine for the scenario - this way the French have something to shoot at! :) Best regards, Dean

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  11. Impressive handiwork Dean the boats look great and given the number you needed it would be very extravagant to get printed versions.

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    1. Thanks, Matt! Yes, I order one printed model for about $12 usd, and it was too small for the amount of figures needed in them. Warmest regards, Dean

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    1. Thanks for the visit and kind words, Aaron. Warmest regards, Dean

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  13. Not only can you paint like a madman, you excellent at arts and crafts! Well done sir!

    Cheers
    Kevin

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    1. Thank you very much, Kevin! Best regards, Dean

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  14. Impressive work on those boats! What next a scratchbuilt Man-o-War? ☺
    Neil

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    1. Lol! Well above my meager skills, Neil, but thanks for the kind words! Best regards, Dean

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    1. Thanks a lot for the kind words again, Ray! Warmest regards, Dean

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  16. Excellent work on the boats ... they look good enough ... more importantly, they are practical.

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