Angus Konstam's Edinburgh Wargames
Pirate Ships
Floating masterpieces in card, balsa an' resin!
This page is really a little photo gallery, showing a couple of ships I've built myself, and those produced by others. I look on ship models as stager sets - they need to be big enough to fit all the cast on during a performance, and robust enough to handle the wear and tear. For that reason I didn't fully rig mine. however, others have, and as you'll see, the results can be stunning! A third solution is to buy the Black Pearl from the Disney Store, then heavily convert her - which looks pretty good as well.
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The Brigantine Ranger
I recently built the Old Glory brigantine. She comes with the basics of the masts, including fighting tops, and all you need to do is add on the yards and the gaff. there - that sounded very nautical, mateys!
I kept the rigging to a minimum - and even missed out the ratlines - as I wanted to keep it accessible as possible for the figures.
The kit has its problems - the companionways leading from the quarterdeck to the waist get in the way of the fourth gunports, and the first two ports - where the focscle should be - aren't cut through the resin. In the end I turned this bit - where the forcascle should have been - into a small raised area, so that a pair of crewmen could fire swivel guns forward over the gunwale.
However, it comes complete with ten guns and carriages, a helmsman at the wheel, and the dowels and metal fittings you need to build the masts. At $75 its a reasonably good bargain, although Old Glory UK rip you off a bit by hiking the price to £50 (equivalent of $100).
The Brigantine Ranger - in these shots she' was actually used by Charles Grant (playing the British Governor), and called the Madagascar Molly. I'm glad to say she's now safely back on the wrong side of the law, and has run up her black flag once again.
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The pirate ship Queen Anne's Revenge (a.k.a Queen Latifah's Revenge)
I also built a bigger vessel - a proper three-masted ship - I used a modified version of the Pirate Ship plans produced by Gary Chalk, and published in Miniature Wargames 138 (March 1999).
She's about 20% bigger than the brig in Gary's plans, and a bit longer and wider too - to make room for all that extra mast, the extra guns and the full crew!
This is the result... I'd still like to add bits to her, but she'll do for now...
The Queen Anne's Revenge / Queen Lativa's Revenge - in action
She carries 16 guns, six swivels, and can handle a crew of as many as 50 pirates. As with the Ranger I kept the rigging to a minimum.
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Then there are some of the ships owned by some other piratical (or naval) wargamers:
The frigate HMS Britannia. She was built from the Britannia Miniatures kit, but the real work came in the rigging - a true labour of love.
HMS Britannia, with the small frigate HMS Agamemnon in the foreground.
Both of these fantastic ships are built and owned by Bob Lauder of Kirriemuir.
Then a mixture of others, all from resin or plastic models from a variety of sources - not all of which are still available. The top left one is the Black Pearl, bought for £20 in the Disney Store!
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