Tuesday 3 December 2013

The "Long Serpent"

Introduction

Last year, one of my brothers gave me the Revell "Viking Ship" kit for my birthday.  He knew that I'd been enthusing about SAGA and that this would be a useful accessory for my growing band of Viking warriors.  Well, it's taken me over a year to find time to finish it, but here is ... the "Long Serpent"!


The Build

I wanted this to be a gaming model, rather than a static, display piece.  Consequently, I made some changes as I built the kit.

Firstly, I cut the hull down to the waterline so that the ship could be positioned on a regular games table.  This wasn't particularly easy and I may have cut her a bit low.  I suppose that she could be heavily laden with loot?

Secondly, the vessel needed to be "at rest" (either anchored or beached, depending on the game scenario).  In other words, I don't intend to fight ship-to-ship sea battles with this model.

The sail was furled and the yard was stowed.  Rather than using the billowing, vac-formed sail that came with the kit, I made a new one out of a scrap of folded cloth.  Additionally, the oars were glued into piles on the deck instead of being deployed through the sides of the ship.

Note also that the piles of oars are positioned well into the centre of the vessel, thus leaving room for a 25mm figure base on the decks.  There aren't any rowing benches (boxes?) or any other clutter to obstruct the placement of figures.  This omission may not be completely accurate, but it's one of the compromises that is made constantly with gaming models.

Finally, I chose to use the 32-shield option rather than the 64-shield one.  Partly this was because I couldn't face all those shield transfers, but also I reasoned that the Viking warband would probably have taken most of their shields with them when they went ashore.  In this case, they've left a few spares hanging on the sides of the ship.

I did consider leaving all the shields off, but I felt that this would have spoiled some of the effect.  After all, everyone knows that Viking ships had shields hung over the edges at all times, right?

Conclusion

There is some confusion about the scale of this kit.  The Revell website describes it as 1:72, though the kit's box is clearly labelled as 1:50.  I'd say that the latter is the correct figure; the shields and other details are a good match in size for my 28mm wargaming figures (and 28mm figures are about 1:56 scale, aren't they?)  Either way, the finished model is about 38cm (15") long.

Once the hull had been cut down to the waterline (a difficult job!), the remaining pieces were easy to assemble.  I had to use some blank plastic card to fill in the anchor well at the front of the ship, which otherwise would have gone down to the ship's keel.  This wasn't a big job at all, especially as I left the anchor off the model.

Even the rigging is straightforward and the kit provided an abundant supply of thin, brown cord for the job.  My main concern was that some of the lines might have ended up sagging if I didn't get the tension just right, but this doesn't seem to have been a problem.

The shield decals are a bit weak.  They're fragile and didn't react well to one of my common varnishes (I had to touch up some parts of melted designs by hand).  Also, the printing of the decals suffered very slightly from registration issues for the different colours.  I'm a little suspicious of the patterns on the shields, as they're not really like anything I've seen anywhere else.  Still, I'm no expert on Viking designs and the end result is nicely colourful!

So now I have 2 further problems!  Firstly I'll need to build some coastline terrain for my games so that I can use this model.  Secondly (and more immediately!) I'll have to work out how to store the completed ship!

28 comments:

  1. problems, problems... but nice problems... that real nice bit of kit..

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    1. Thanks, Dave. Yes, they're the right sort of problem, I suppose :-) ...

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  2. I like the fact that it I waterline now (yes I appreciate the problems cutting the hull to shape.) All in all very good addition to any Saga Viking force.

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    1. It reminds us all just how much bigger ships (and aircraft) are than we imagine though, doesn't it?

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    2. Not sure if it helps but "Nathrac" is the Gaelic word for Serpent. (Also the name of a character in Shakespeare's Mac Beth!)

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  3. Looks good! A 15" model of the real Gokstad Ship should equate to about 1:58 scale, so fair enough for your 28mm Vikings (who'd be 5'2" at 1:56 if exactly 28mm tall).

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    1. Yes, 1:50 is much more likely than 1:72 for this model. For gaming miniatures, the height is usually measured to eye line, not crown of head, so your 28mm Viking at 1:56 scale would be 5'2" to his eyes - maybe 5'7" in total?

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    2. Thought they were typically over 28mm, but couldn't remember why!

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  4. The end result is amazing! Can't wait to see it in one of your AARs!

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    1. It will happen, Mathyoo :-) , though not until I can build some suitable coastline or estuary terrain :-( .

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  5. That looks very splendid, great work on the converting.

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    1. Thanks, Michael. Cutting the hull down was hard work, but the rest was very straightforward.

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  6. I love what you've done with this model, Hugh. I can remember buying it many years ago but I never got round to making it. I'd want to make it exactly as you have but I was afraid of ruining it by cutting the hull down to the waterline. I still have it stuck in a cupboard, neglected and forgotten about! Shame on me!

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    1. Ah, well - now you've been reminded about it :-) ! I am curious, though - I had thought you were more of a horror and superhero guy rather than anything historical. Guess I was wrong...

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    2. Long before I got into horror, sci fi and superheroes I played historical wargames - World War 2, Napoleonics, Samurai and Medieval. I still have my Viking raiding party.

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  7. That's one heck of a model C6, perfect for a starting point for a Saga game.

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    1. Thanks, Zabadak. Now I've just got to work out how to store it!

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  8. nice ship. very well done on the conversion. I am very curious about the scenario you'll make of it

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    1. Thanks, Cedric. I think the ship will probably act as an objective or as apiece of scenery. Perhaps I'll look at the SAGA rules for buildings and see if they're suitable...

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  9. What boy didn't want to own a viking ship!

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  10. Nice job on the ship. I was very disappointed when I found out this was actually 1:50. I've bought one other ship that was scaled 1:72 and it seems too small. Guess I'll just have to build my own.

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    1. Have you looked at the Emhar 9001 Gokstad 9th Century Viking Ship? That's advertised as a 1:72 plastic kit. It's supposed to be 12¾ inches long, which would be about right.

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  11. That looks fantastic Hugh! Certainly worth the effort. The shields despite the porblems you had look good.

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    1. Thanks. The shields will certainly pass the 2' test :-) !

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  12. Ah, yes, there it is! Exactly what I intend to do with mine. I don't think you cut it too low, dark age ships, especially longships, sit quite low in the water (we have quite a few knocking about here in Denmark, and the girls and I took a trip in a 'byrding' last summer).

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    1. Just one detail, though - the shields would not be on the ship when the warriors left it to do battle ;o)

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    2. It was very difficult to cut the hull down to the waterline; I think that I cut off more than I had intended to do and so it's a happy accident if it looks correct!

      Yes, I know that the Vikings would have taken all their shields with them when they were on shore - but I thought the model looked better this way :-) ! More Hollywood, anyway...

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