The Far Seas

The box art….

….and the rear showing some of the counters and a section of the map

I have probably mentioned on more than occasion that I am hugely fond of ‘hunt the raider’ style naval games. With this in mind I recently acquired the card based game The Kaiser’s Pirates but what I really wanted was a good board game covering the subject. I owned a copy of Cruiser Warfare by Avalanche Games but for a variety of reasons, as with most of the same series, it never really ‘did it’ for me. There was magazine produced game called The Far Seas many years ago that was highly regarded but I do not recall ever getting around to getting a copy.

Anyways, fast forward to 2026 and VUCA Simulations have released a game called The Far Seas that covers German cruiser operations at the outset of WW1. I have had my eye on this for sometime and so finally pulled the trigger and acquired a copy.

What can I say? Well, to begin with the production quality is of the highest standard. All the components, counters, the mounted map board, tokens, charts and tables and the rule book are quite frankly, outstanding! 

The game is designed for two players but does come with a full solo system and a dedicated counter sheet for this version. I will let the pictures do the talking.

The rulebook, record pad and charts etc. Note the solo version of the game charts.

The three counter sheets. Number three is for the solo game.

The mounted map board. The rectangular section along the bottom edge is used for resolving tactical battles.

The rest of the components, a D6, wooden cubes etc and three drawstring bags.

I am really delighted to have a copy of this and am looking forward to getting it to the table. The rulebook is fairly daunting but mercifully is not written in bible print and features many diagrams and examples of play etc. The learning scenario is a straightforward tactical battle - Coronel to be exact, with the Falklands featuring as well - to ease you into the system and already I have plans featuring models….

For a variety of reasons, specifically a very trying couple of weeks, this arrival has given my weary spirit a much needed boost!

Ironclad Hulls - Phase 1 Complete!

The twelve ships of the Royal Navy sans their main decks and any kind of sailing rig. For reference the hexes you see are 4” between the flat sides. The top two ships are a pair from the Minotaur class and will both feature five masts!

All twelve of the Royal Navy lower hulls have been completed - and quite splendid they look! The next step will be to tackle the main decks - hatches and similar odds and ends - and then to finish off will be the masts and spars. Of the twelve ships under construction eight of them are quite straightforward in that they have a main deck that will need a few hatches and a funnel or two. Four of them however, will need rather more care and attention. These are H.M.S. Monarch, H.M.S. Devastation and the two Belleisle class ironclad rams. For all that though, I should be able to get their main decks completed en masse so that is the next task.

A side view of the hull of (either) H.M.S. Belleisle or H.M.S. Orion.

A rather lovely model of H.M.S. Devastation. My version will be considerably simpler looking!

Really pleased with how these are shaping up and I am looking forward to getting the Turks completed next, along with a few Germans.

There is a cunning plan afoot….

Boot Topping Using 1mm MDF

Step 1. Draw an outline of the required shape - in this case a spare 3mm hull template.

Step 2. Cut a rectangle around the shape and where possible line this up along one side of the hull.

Step 3. Trim the layer to the rough outline of the template. 

Step 4. File the layer to match the template being sure to make sure that it fits the template. It is not a good idea using am already painted hull section as a template as you only end up having to to paint over it again!

I have just completed the preparation stage of the Royal Navy ironclads ‘boot topping’ - the white line along the side of hull between the main hull colour and the red anti-fouling paint - using a single sheet of 1mm thick MDF. This means that the twelve Royal Navy ironclads can finally have their lower hulls assembled which in turn translates into ‘I can get all the hulls fully completed over the course of the next week.’ Tomorrow I shall complete the assembly of the lower part of the hulls with the main deck next. For the most part these have white edging so I shall tackle the paint job first and then add them to the rest of the hulls before painting the decks.

That is the end result. The above has nit been assembled as such but I wanted to show the finished effect. The above model is one of four similar vessels that require a top deck edged white. A mention in despatches if anyone can work out what ship this is meant to be!

In truth the boot topping was straightforward enough to implement but it would have been a lot simpler if I could have gotten the hull layers laser cut. The material is easy enough to work with but it did involve rather a lot of cutting and filing. At one point I was thinking that maybe using masking tape was not such a bad idea after all! Seriously though, I am very pleased with the results - I will post pictures when the hulls are fully completed, just before I start on the deck fittings, masts and spars.

Originally I had ten hulls to prepare and it was only when I had started them that I realised I had forgotten the two armoured rams - H.M.S. Belleisle and H.M.S. Orion. Originally I was going to leave them fully black sided but decided that a uniform scheme with the rest of the Royal Navy would look better from an aesthetic point of view.

Whilst the paint was drying I took the opportunity to spend sometime on the models of H.M.S. Devastation and H.M.S. Monarch. The first thing that I realised is that my planned turret size of 1/2” is actually correct and not the new 15mm versions I ordered. The smaller size did look too small but of course, the layout of both ships means that they really need to be that size as there is a degree of deck fixtures and fittings to be taken into account. Plus the fact I based the measurements of the aforementioned fixtures and fittings on the smaller size of turret! 

All in all then, a fair amount of progress has been made and, for a variety of reasons too tedious to recount, a welcome distraction from the trials of this week!

Blog Woes

For some reason my blog reading list has barely updated for some three days now. I understand this has affected a number of bloggers and it is really frustrating. If anyone has any solutions to this please let me know - I am getting further and further out of date!

The Spanish Civil War Afloat

Designed with the author’s Find, Fix and Strike WW2 naval rules in mind but would be readily usable with any rules set. From the pen of the renowned naval wargamer and all round good chap, Mr David Manley. Available as usual from Wargames Vault under his Long Face Games label.

The naval section of my Spanish Civil War library. I also have a copy of the 1922 to 1946 edition of Conway’s Fighting Ships. More than enough to be getting on with methinks!

Following on from my acquisition of a painted 1:3000th Spanish Civil War naval collection awhile ago, I have been occasionally dipping in to my modest selection of books on the subject with a view to getting some games in. I was in no particular hurry to do so, simply because I needed to rebase the models and also add a few more models to the collection. Two things then happened to push this idea a little further up the ‘to do’ list - the release of the latest offering from the indefatigable David Manley and the appearance of a new book on the subject.

A more detailed description of A Fleet Torn Asunder and much more besides can be found on Bob Cordery’s blog - Wargaming Miscellany.  I can add little to what he has written other than to say it really is a cracking piece of work. 

The Fleet that Fought Itself by Laurence R. Heinz (published by Seaforth, ISBN 978 1 0361 1398 8) tells the story of the naval dimension of the Spanish Civil War from what I would describe as ‘the big picture’ level. There are plenty of maps and descriptions of various battles, blockades and bombardments, along with technical details so all in all it is a pretty good one volume history from what I would have read thus far. A worthy addition to the library.

Meanwhile, back to the ironclads….

Further Adventures with 1mm MDF

All the hulls currently under construction for the Anglo Turkish War of 1883. The red-brown edged hulls at the bottom of the picture are for the Royal Navy and as you can see, one sheet of MDF is more than enough to provide the ‘boot-topping’ layer on the lower hull.

I never thought I could get so excited about sheets of 1mm thick MDF! Usually Tuesday is quite a busy day at Maison Crook but today we had an unexpected break from the usual routine meaning that I could get up into the man cave to try out my idea for my latest acquisition - the aforementioned sheets of 1mm thick MDF.

If you recall my plan was to use a layer of this material, edged in white prior to assembly, to represent the ‘boot-topping’ or the narrow line of paint between the black of the hull and the red anti-fouling paint that was a feature of many ironclad era warships. 

The first thing I did was to draw around one of the hull templates I am using - in this case for H.M.S. Agincourt - and then cut it out. I used a scalpel for the straight lengths of the hull but to be honest, a good pair of scissors works just as well, as I later discovered. Some careful filing was then needed so that the newly cut template lined up with the hull. Given the thickness it is very easy to file and more importantly, does not seem to shed much in the way of fibres. Obviously the closer the cut the less filing would be needed. 

The picture above shows the two Minotaur class lower hull layers alongside the first 1mm MDF ‘boot-topping’ layer. Although they look different sizes that is an optical illusion caused by the fact that the two lower hulls are currently resting on a couple of Jenga blocks as I took the opportunity to give then another coat of paint.

In a matter of minutes the completed template was ready to paint except for the fact I had forgotten that my MDF primer had been used up and has yet to be replaced! It matters little as in any event I can get the remaining nine hull templates cut out and tackle the sealing, undercoating and painting in one fell swoop.

I am absolutely delighted to have sourced this material and fully expect to buying more in due course. The fact that it can be cut with scissors is a real bonus and this has given me plenty of ideas for other scratch-building projects. 

First order of business though, it to replace the MDF sealer!

Boot Sale Bargain Bonanza!

The book of the BBC TV series 

Not seen this one before, a great doorstop of a tome that I will review in more detail in a later post.

Again, not seen this one before so will report back later.

An Ian Allan title containing everything you wanted to know about the V1 flying bomb. There are 15mm models available of this so setting up a ‘down the V1’ style of game should be easy enough. It should be a blast!…. Best take another look at Operation Crossbow methinks.

Yesterday morning saw Laurel and I heading out to our local boot sale for our usual Sunday morning bargain hunt. Laurel had a list of around five things she was looking - and surprisingly managed to get every one! I was largely resigned to the fact that the pickings for me were going to be decidedly slim as we approached the last couple of less than proposing looking stalls. Would there be anything that I would be interested in?

Winding back from this slightly, I had managed to capture a copy of the BBC book about the Special Operations Executive during WW2 for 50p so in fairness was not entirely displeased with the mornings activities. It was when we visiting the penultimate stall that all this changed though.

Not one, not two but three books of interest, in good condition and for 50p each! It made for a very happy blogger indeed! 

A Solution to a Naval Problem

H.M.S. Superb - note the white ‘boot topping’.

One of the challenges when scratchbuilding warships is how to tackle ‘boot topping’. Traditional boot topping is the line along a ship’s hull between the main colour and the red anti-fouling paint. For the Royal Navy during the ironclad era this was white, as seen in the model of H.M.S. Superb above, now in the collection of Bob Cordery.

In the past I would laboriously apply masking tape and paint the line but, to be honest, it is a little on the fiddly side as straight lines and I have what can best be described as a tenuous relationship…. The red anti-fouling lower hull is simplicity itself as the whole layer of 3mm thick MDF is edged in the appropriate shade prior to be fitted to the upper hull. It is for that reason the line for this is absolutely dead straight! I also employ a similar technique for broadside mounted gundecks where a white line is required. 

The Hampton Roads trio that need no introduction! Note the gun deck on the Union frigate - the layer was painted before assembly which makes the whole process very straightforward to execute.

It occurred to me sometime ago that the same technique that I use for the red anti-fouling layer - painting it first and then adding it to the hull - could also work for the white boot topping. The only problem was that I was unable to source any material that could be usable. Most suppliers of laser cut MDF usually work in two or three millimetres and I really wanted something one millimetre at most. I discarded the notion of using plastic card or even ordinary cardboard - the former requires rather more work than MDF and the latter is too fibrous when filed to size. 

I have no idea what prompted it but I was having a meander across the internet when I found a supplier of 1mm thick MDF sheets that are A4 sized. Straightaway I ordered ten sheets that will not only be used for the aforementioned boot topping or other lining effects but also for things like flying decks or other superstructure bits and bobs.

The immediate effect of this is that the work on the Royal Navy and the Turkish hulls can continue - in truth I was puzzling about best to tackle this as I have around two dozen ships to complete.

Like most simple ideas I can’t believe I did not think of this sooner….