More Messing About on the River

USS Lafayette - a potential 1/2400th scale scratch build?

I've been doing some number crunching for a Messing About on the River mini-campaign, which is the solo friendly, simple campaign system for Dahlgren and Columbiad. I have reluctantly eliminated 1/1200th scale for this as I don't want to start in yet another scale, so it's either 1/600th or 1/2400th, both of which have their advantages and disadvantages. I've started by costing a 1/2400th scale campaign set up, which is the cheapest option, takes up the minimum of storage space and includes the opportunity to do some scratch building, both for the terrain and for some of the boats.

The campaign requires the following bits and pieces:

Union

1 x Ironclad

2 x Gunboats

2 x Transports

8 x Barges

Confederate

1 x Ironclad

5 x Gunboats

1 x Heavy Gunboat

3 x Shore Batteries

2 x Field Gun Batteries

I'd also need some scratch built terrain including buildings, a bridge or ferry and various types of river bank, but that applies to both scales and isn't included in my costings for obvious reasons.

In 1/2400th scale there's only the Tumbling Dice and Panzerschiffe ranges, the former being limited and pretty inaccurate and the latter way too expensive due to the $16 postage. I have factored in the use of scratch building and conversion, however, in order to extend and supplement the Tumbling Dice models that I can use for the project.

The breakdown looks like this:

1 x ASV58 CSS Nashville and CSS Missouri (with the latter converted into a City class ironclad)

3 x ASV55 USS/CSS General Stirling Price x2 (which I can do some conversion work on)

1 x ASV59 Cottonclad Sidewheel Paddle Steamer x2 (as above)

1 x ASV25 Sternwheel River Paddle Steamer x2 (for the transports)

2 x ASA28 Small shore battery x2 (the spare model being stripped of its guns for use on the boats)

I can scratch build the barges and perhaps have a crack at scratch building an ironclad or two, using plastic card and strip with various panel pins and other bits for smokestacks, paddle boxes and so on. I have done some ironclad scratch building in 1/2400th scale before and have up-gunned models with shore battery guns, but I also have some ideas for simple adaptations of ASV55 into several different configurations.

The total price tag for the models above comes to just under twenty five quid...not too bad!