Blood and Plunder Sloop - Part 2

Part 2 of the sloop painting and assembly process.

There was no real inspiration for the colour scheme except for the white on the lower hull. I took the view that perhaps my commander was a wee bit successful and could afford white lead paint to prevent worms and barnacles from impacting on his sloops performance. Also most sloops that I have seen presented are in greens, reds and brown, I wanted something a bit brighter. 

I did consider adding extra parts such as cat heads, lanterns etc but since this is really a gaming piece rather than a scale model I decided  against that option.

On the subject of scale I don't abide by this "28mm" scale nonsense, it is a figure size not a scale. I did hint at looking at the scale of the sloop. Being 10. 5 inches long by 4 inches across the beam it models as a 49 ft long vessel at 1/56 scale. Which appears right for a single masted sloop at this time.

The rigging guide that can be downloaded from  Firelock Games is clear and shows all the parts and where they go much better than an IKEA sheet. On assembly of the masts and gunports it became clear that everything needs to be pinned, glued and in some cases bound to make sure they stay connected. 

Before painting it is important to wash the resin hull. This is due to the release agent used and any attempt to paint before washing will lead to carefully applied paint being "released" from the hull. I would use a proper etch primer which may cost a touch more but produces a better result. This is because the primer "etches" on to the resin and provides a secure base for the paintwork.

Sail wise I was able to get  a calico pudding cloth from Lincraft which should provide enough not just for the sloop but any other vessel I may do in future.

Initial base coat over grey primer

Building it up a bit more

Deck Colour and trim added

Paints used nothing fancy.

Mast stepped and bowsprit set.

Rigging and crew

While I am going to add the tiller, lantern and anchors you can see that there is not a lot of room on a sloop once the crew are in place. It is also just as well the rigging is elasticated as it does get in the way if you are moving figures ets. This last reason is also why I am having a furled jib and leaving off the stay sail.