Scratchbuilding Etherships

The ships below are at 1/300 scale.  They are made from readily available plastic sheet and tube sections.  As you can see they are a somewhat  abstract characatures of dreadnaught era Naval ships with the addition of flight, suitable for use with the Iron Stars rules set from Majestic 12 Games.

Torpedo Boat

Cruiser Class with deck and sponson guns

Dreadnaught Ship Class with main guns brought to bear

Patroling Torpedo boat and Cruiser under full steam

Patroling Cruiser and Dreadnaught under full steam

Dreadnaught from above

Closeup of 1/300 scale " Royal Navy" -  Captain on the Bridge

" Royal Navy" Crewmen maning the deck guns ready for action

Dreadnaught from below

Deck guns and anchors are readily available 1/300 scale bits from "model ship builder" supply houses found on the web.  The pictures here don't do them justice but they are really nicely detailed small guns and add a welcome bit of detail, certainly needed at this scale.  Main guns and sponson guns are scratch built and fully rotate.  The Ships themselves are mounted on clear plastic tube set on a heavy, large steel washer.

The Ships are painted in various schemes.  The Cruiser sports a white "Pre-War" paint scheme while the Dreadnaught and Torpedo boat are finished entirely in grey.  Additional details on the guns as well as the portholes are painted brass to give it a period look.  The decks in all cases are painted tan to simulate wood planking.  The propellers are clear sheet plastic circles.  "Below the Waterline" is painted a deep red.  The Crewmen are stock Adler Napoleonic French Artillerymen and Officers drafted into the navy.  Not exactly Victorian but very Imperial looking nevertheless.  There are several manufacturers of 1/300 figures with several lines to choose from. This may not prove to be the best way to build a fleet unless you spend a lot of time on it and are good with the craft knife and straight edge.  Initially I started these ships as amusements when the first drafts of Iron Seas were circulated so it remains to be seen how long it will take me to build additional ships for two fleets.  I have sketches for a Carrier and plan on using 1/300 scale biplanes from Ros Heroics.

If you have any questions or comments send them to me at jefferyschutt@yahoo.com