Well it's been awhile and I have been busy. I have been getting many orders for boats and as soon as I got
started things started heating up at work (in a very good way). What slowed me down was a couple of my fellow wargamers
requested the Giza boat. That was the second model I made a few years ago and didn't
create any plan drawings for it. That made things interesting but I did record it all in my
blogs. That helped!
I remembered the build and thought it could have used more space
on the bridge for a couple of riflemen. So you will see I ran the deck a little longer with a canopy for
the helmsman. If you look at the old pictures the Machine gunners port and
starboard did not have much room around the gun. So I opened the main deck by building the stack structure a
little smaller. This also gave me a nice location to mount the flag
holder.
The stack is removable for storage. I am going to put on a small wood plank wrap to the base of the
stack as added protection like I usually do. The canopy over the bridge is also removable but can be glued
down if the gamer would like it that way. You can still slide models from the rear into position.
The other item that I think enhances the model are the sandbags. My cousin Bud came over and helped me start rolling and shaping
up the bags out of modeling putty. That saved me so much time. Letting it dry and start the layers of dry brushing was easy. I still want to add a little more sand color to these. And I still need to add a layer of bags around the helmsman
position. I think it's a nice touch.
The hardest thing to build for this model is the paddle
assembly. Very labor intensive. They are not perfect but I think they look pretty good. Somebody suggested that I use a 3D printer. I say where is the fun in that? Yeah it's a bit old school but I think wood looks better than
resin? That is my humble opinion. But then again I do see some beautiful resin boats out there.
So my typical caveat about these models. These are my own representations of gunboats I have either seen
on wargame tables or articles and movies that provided the inspiration. They
are not perfect, not even close. Each model has its own personality as you can imagine. I am building them in three's and I cut the wood exact for each
but after assembly there is always something a little off. It's funny but as any ship builder you start making minute
changes here and there. The good thing about my models are they are built with basswood
for the most part. So if anything breaks just grab some wood glue, repair and
paint. Hey, it just adds more personality!
Well these Giza gunboat models are ready to be shipped. Next I'll build three Double masted Dhows and followed by three
more new L Class boats. I also have a small steam launch project on the side. Where is the time!
As I mentioned these boats are ready but I really can't let them
go without a few Dervish bullet holes drilled into the sides of the boat now
can I?
Remember to "Always Send a Gunboat!"
Last Stand Dan
