Peruvian Ironclad Loa

I've ordered a second Huascar model from Tumbling Dice today, so that I can deploy her in Chilean service after her capture at the Battle of Angamos. It's such a neat little model that I couldn't resist the temptation and it isn't entirely frivolous as I can use her against the Peruvian monitor Manco Capac for the Battle of Arica. I'm also thinking of having a go at another 1/2400th scale scratch build to make a model of the Peruvian casemate ironclad Loa, which didn't  take part in the war but might have done if she hadn't had her armour removed as a training vessel. It's an interesting 'what if?' and should be relatively simple to do. There's a really interesting thread here all about her:

https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-peruvian-ironclad-loa-a-re-appraisal.148935/

Independencia Ironclad Surgery

I thought I'd try to convert the Tumbling Dice ASV45 Armide model into the Peruvian broadside ironclad Independencia, rather than just using the model straight out of the box, so to speak. For the Battle of Punta Gruesa the Independencia had her topmasts, spars and bowsprit struck, leaving only military tops and no sails set. The model has no sails cast on apart from a spanker on the mizzen mast, but it does have full masts, so some surgery was required.

To replicate the simplified rigging and military tops, I cut off the top two stages of the masts and bowsprit, cut off the fore and aft sails and spars, then trimmed the tops of the masts to a level surface. I used some spare masts from Brigade Models 1/1200th scale Aeronef cut down to size as the military tops, which I glued on to the stub of the masts, before adding spars and gaffs from metal staples cut to size. 

To finish off the job, I cutaway the funnel, trimmed down the deck and drilled a new hole for a funnel, which I then added in the correct place using a section of brass rod. It's a bit rough and ready, especially where I removed the sails but I think it looks a lot more like the Independencia when she went into action, even though she subsequently grounded and was pummelled into an ignominious surrender by the tiny Chilean gunboat Covadonga.

Taxi for Mr Trump

Forward Planning

I've been giving some preliminary thought to next year, with some ideas for a project focus now fairly well defined, along the lines of my Give Us The Ships theme of the last three years. The idea behind Give Us The Ships was to have a consistent thread running through most, if not all of my wargaming projects, in this case the link being naval wargaming. 

Even though this has been only partially successful, I have actually achieved quite a lot of my initial project plans, especially with the 1/2400th scale ironclads. I've also limited the number of other projects that I've diverged off on a tangent with to a sensible minimum, the biggest divergence being The Men Who Would Be Kings and Bag the Hun.

Anyway, next year I'm thinking of a new focus, although the naval projects will definitely rumble along in the background. I'll post more about it later on, but there's a not too subtle clue in the picture. It's something I've tinkered with before but it's also been a bit of a logjam, in the lead pile, not unlike the 1/2400th scale naval stuff that I've now shifted, so hopes are high for some successful outcomes in 2021.

Sandbanks and Shoals

I spotted these new laser cut mdf terrain templates on the Blotz website yesterday and thought they would be perfect as sandbanks, shallows or shoals for naval wargaming, especially as they have the contour lines etched into the surface to make it easy to identify water depth and the high water mark. I think that you could easily add some rocks or a sandbank in the central zone then use different shades of paint to create a shoaling effect as the water becomes deeper toward the outer edge. They can be suppled in 2mm or 3mm mdf and are the following dimensions, so they would also be useful as a basis for islands in smaller scales. Here's the burb:

A set of MDF terrain bases in random shapes, with an etched line 10mm and 25mm from the edge.

The set consists of five bases:

149mm x 86mm

140mm x 110mm
108mm x 69mm
114mm x 87mm
139mm x 103mm. 

Not bad for four quid a set?

https://blotz.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=24_46_218&products_id=2035

Independencia

I completely destroyed the Tumbling Dice model of the Peruvian central battery ironclad Independencia at the weekend, in an attempt to remove the sails attached to the foremast. I was about to order a replacement when I thought about using the ASV45 Armide model as an alternative, which is near enough the right shape and size. It also doesn't have the sails cast on to the model, so wouldn't need any surgery to look like the actual thing for the Battle of Iquique. As an added bonus, I happen to have a model already assembled as the Dannebrog for my now mothballed 1864 project, so all I need to do is add a replacement funnel and possibly remove some of the spars, with a new shorter base glued underneath to match the other ships in the Peruvian fleet. 

Spars and Bars

I had a go at adding some spars to the two small screw corvettes, the Chilean Magallanes and the Peruvian Pilcomayo, so that they looked a little more like the actual ships and less like generic schooner rigged gunboats. The base model in the recently rebadged ASV18 Heavy Gunboat model, one of which I've shown next to the converted versions. I used the usual cut down staples to make the spars, with a small hole drilled through the foremast for the lower one at the front, while the others were just glued in place. I only added two spars to each mast to keep it simple, as it's only for appearance sake rather than accuracy. It's a shame I can't remove the sails as well but at least they look less like fore and aft rigged schooners. I have a handful more of these models based up and may well use them for a Royal Navy gunboat flotilla, rather than the Prussian gunboats that I originally planned?

War of the Pacific Reinforcements

I've been adding some more ships for the Peruvian and Chilean navies this morning, although I still have a few glaring gaps in the line up. Here we have the Peruvian monitors Manco Capac and Atahualpa from the newer Tumbling Dice range, together with the Peruvian corvette La Union and the Chilean corvette Abtao, both  lightly converted from the old ASV11 screw sloop model by re-positioning the funnels further aft using brass rod cut to size.

The smaller models include the Chilean barque rigged gunboat Magallanes using what is now the ASV18 Large Gunboat casting, to which I need to add a spar to the foremast. The odd one out is the Chilean gunboat schooner Covadonga, which is a tiny Hallmark screw gunboat but, surprisingly enough actually scales out correctly to the actual ship, give or take a few millimetres.

In other news, my new reference book on The Naval War of the Pacific has arrived, so I can now do some in depth research and try to find some more models that I can re-purpose, convert or adapt for both the Chilean and Peruvian fleets. In particular, I need a model to represent the Chilean corvette Esmeralda, although I'll probably just end up using the ASV11 casting all over again?

The Battle of Angamos 1879 - A Dahlgren and Columbiad Scenario

I'm planning to run the Battle of Angamos scenario from A and A Games Iron and Fire over the next couple of days, using Dahlgren and Columbiad for the action as an alternative, fast play set of rules. The Iron and Fire scenario kicks off with the Huascar caught in a pincer movements by the Blanco Encalada and Almirante Cochrane, so I will set up the same starting positions with the Huascar at the centre of the table heading West, with the Chileans approaching from the South West and North East respectively. 

The objective of the Huascar is to avoid capture and inflict sufficient damage on the Chilean ironclads to satisfy Peruvian honour. The Chileans have to capture the Huascar without inflicting too much damage, ideally by conducting a successful boarding action once she's been immobilised. They will lose the game if the Huascar sinks or is so badly damaged as to be unusable, in other words in a sinking condition and unlikely to remain afloat.

I may even give the Peruvians the option to scuttle, but only once the Huascar is dead in the water or the main armament has been knocked out. This would have a time limit to give the Chileans an opportunity to board and shut off the sea cocks before she goes to the bottom.  I'll be playing solo, so the exact outcome will be up to me, although I may well run a re-play to tighten the objectives and victory conditions in the light of the game.

War of the Pacific Reading

I've just ordered a copy of this new book on the War of the Pacific as a visual guide to the different ships used by Peru and Chile, so that I can pick suitable models from the Tumbling Dice range. I've already cut a corner or two by reusing the old ASV 11 screw corvette, so will have to be imaginative in order to fill out the other smaller warships involved.