Project X is - Turtle Ships!

Regular readers will have heard me mention "Project X for a while now. Today all can be revealed.

Project X is the Imjin War in 1/1200, with a lovely range of new models from MT Miniatures (the first lien of wargaming models in this scale), supported by a new set of rules by me. The plan is that MT will sell a boxed set of 14 ships for both sides along with a hard copy of the rules, movement templates and dice. Assuming the starter set is successful the models should then also be available in packs (details tbc).

Matt at MT gave me a set of the models this week and I finished painting them up today. I'm really pleased at how they turned out. Matt must have been as well as he immediately posted a "press release" on his Facebook page and to the Naval Wargaming group.

I have to say, I'm quite excited about this. The Imjin War at sea has fascinated me for decades, I started on my first set of rules for it around 30 years ago. Of course, no models were available then so I had to make do with card counters. The next iteration was a variant I drafted for Strange Tydes but again that went nowhere. I reworked my "Cannon, Cross and Crescent" rules a few years ago in the hope that someone would surely make models if these most interesting, distinctive (dare I say bizarre?) ships. And then in a chance encounter at the NWS refight of Midway  here in Gloucestershire a couple of years back Matt from MT said he wanted to work up a set of models for wargaming, and did I have any ideas? From that Matt worked up the models whilst I finalised the rules. The original plan was to release the set during the Summer of 2020 but of course the pandemic put the brakes on that. But now Matt is just about ready to proceed.

Fingers crossed the models and rules are a success, as  have lots of ideas for new types that his sculptor can try his hand at making!

Gunboats

 Having worked on my Russian, Turkish and "imagi-nation" fleets in 1/1200 from the 1870s and 1880s last year I thought I could do with some "flatiron" gunboats. Looking through Thingiverse I found a file for HMAS Protector which, although oversized for what I wanted, formed an ideal basis. I needed up the gun barrels, replaced the funnel with something better looking and revealed to give a small and medium sized generic boat that looks OK. I could do with some civilian ships as well, but removing the guns from some of the auxiliary steamers I have already should make that an easy job.

Blackbird Finished

 Fresh out of the paint shop, I'm quite pleased at how this has turned out :)

BSG - The Blackbird

Alas "Battlestar Galactica - Starship Battles" is coming to an end as Ares has lost the licence to produce it. But the online discussion surrounding this has prompted a bit of 3D model building. Today I was pointed towards an STL for the "Blackbird" home-made stealth Viper that features in a few episodes of the reimagined series. It's just popped out of the printer and looks good. During tonight, paint job tomorrow along with a few more ships from The Expanse.

If anyone wants to try this themselves the model is by nic3pu and can be found on Thingiverse:

Blackbird by nic3pu - Thingiverse

Ships of "The Expanse!

Many readers will be aware that I'm a BIG fan of "The Expanse", and that I have played Full Thrust foe decades. So it should be no surprise that I've wanted to add a few ships from the TV series to my FT fleets. I've got a load of old Halo models which look the part, but there are also a few 3D models online that cover actual ships n the series. In a brief window of opportunity before the printer has to go into hibernation again I flapped off a couple of UN Truman class battleships and an MCRN Scipio Africanus (which I think I should have printed smaller, but hey-ho). 

I'd love to get these painted up but its way to cold in my "study" just now.

The Plan - 2021

Welcome 2021. I wonder what you have in store for us? So here's my thoughts on DM's plan for the year. Past experience will show that only a modicum will get done and that other stuff will come in from left field, but its a start:

Models

15mm Burma - having got the vehicles and artillery sorted out last year I will do the same with the infantry. Rules are still a problem, but I might just adapt the rules I have for 10mm Vietnam as they should work with a few tweaks.

AK47 - I will rebase the AK47 army I bought from Mike Slack many years ago. This was a pretty big haul of figures which I put on AK47 sized bases but never finished off. Some repaint and detailing also needed

10mm Vietnam - a hold over from last year, the Pendraken figures are on the bookcase shaming me every time I look at them. And its their 2nd anniversary in April.

ACW Naval 1/1200 - I have a load of riverine craft that i need to base and a couple of Union frigates to finish. I'd also like to build up my supply of riverside terrain such as buildings, wharves etc.

Sci Fi subs - tied in wit the rules below I want to expand the number of non-Stingray sci fi subs that I have on hand. I printed a few last year, just need to finish them off.

Other than that there are lots of “Odds and Sods” that I want to finish off, including making use of the the various ancient/medieval odds to make generic “rabble” bases and a Mahdi command stand for my Sudan campaign. I have a feeling  might also knock up a couple of new Full Thrust fleets in an "Expanse" style (there are a few 3D models that look OK and I have some old Halo models that also have the right look about them) - but thats definitely a side project.

 

Rules

Napoleonic fleet action. I've had "Far Distant Ships" finished for about a year, at last the rules themselves. They need to have "proper words" written around them. I may also look at a Crimean “bridging” set to cover the gap between these and "Broadside and Ram". Once that's dome I'll just about have a complete set from ancients to the end of WW2 (if the fleet action set works well for the late 1500s to mid 1700s - I may need to work on that as well).

Narrow Sea - I will sort out the campaign system. Again, notes and the basis system are done, what will take the effort is the theatre specific tables and maps/charts that will provide the detail.

I will try to get my campaign for the War of the Triple Alliance finished. Lots of notes done, campaign system nearly there, the (very linear, given its a riverine campaign) map is there in rough note form. When its done this will work with "Dahlgren and Columbiad" but should be OK for just about any ironclad set. 

Sci Fi Subs - with "Incredible Voyages" finished I will look to work the system back to its roots in future science fiction rather than Victorian. This will be a generic sci fi approach with background (but when its done there will, of course, be an unofficial "Stingray" variant as well).

Project X - to be honest this is done and dusted. I'm just waiting on a manufacturer to start producing the models which should have started last Summer but which was stopped in its tracks by covid. Details soon (I hope!)

Thats quite a lot I've put on my slop chit - I reckon of I get 2/3 of those done I'll be happy. Bring on 2021!!