Sunday 15 July 2018

Mid Victorian Royal Navy Channel Fleet c1870








I finally finished off the re-basing and extra 1/2400th scale Tumbling Dice warships for the Royal Navy Channel Squadron today, having originally started to assemble them way back in 2010! They are destined for a 'What If?' blockading action to bottle up the French in Brest, which is exactly what they would have been up to if it had all kicked off in 1860 something.

I re-based the ships that I had assembled on laser cut mdf to match the bases that I have used on the French, Danish, Prussians and Austrians. I also glued together a few more broadside and turret ironclads including HMS Monarch, HMS Prince Albert, HMS Caledonia and HMS Ocean, together with the steam frigate HMS Aurora for the Battle of Heligoland. 

I now need to undercoat the whole lot with matt black primer, ready to be painted up over the holidays, which are starting at the end of the week. I doubt I'll get even half of them painted to be honest, so my priority will be to complete the Prussian and Danish ships for the Battle of Jasmund in 1864. These mainly consist of gunboats, sloops and frigates, so nothing too complicated (I hope!).

3 comments:

  1. Lovely ships...so far, waiting for more!

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  2. Thanks Phil,

    North sure I've got any more space in the box but I will try to squeeze a couple more in!

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  3. Steam and sail, no other period like it. I think their RN forebears of Nelson's day would envy the ability of an 1870s squadron to "polish Ushant" without fearing the dangers of the lee shore so much.

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