Robotic Sail Boat Build: Post #2

 Sean and I made some progress on the hull for his robotic sailboat project.  It may not look like much now but it was a lot of work to get the hull planking cut and bevelled and then stitched in place.  The first picture shows the boat's current status after about 10 hours of work this weekend.

 I did find a wonderful "Stanley" micro hand planer.  It's about 3 inches long with a 1 inch blade and worked perfectly for this application.  All of the hull planks needed to be bevelled 30 - 45 degrees to ensure a tight fit.  I prefer to do this work by hand as it's a great stress reliever.

 As with any wood working project, one has to decide what face of the wood will be on the outside vs what get's hidden on the inside.  While this boat is a proto-type for a large version we can make it look good, can't we?

 The construction technique for this boat is referred to as "stitch and glue".  The planks are attached to the hull frame and each other use bits of copper wire (the stitching part).  Once that's done, the planks seems are sealed using a 2 part epoxy glue that's thickened with wood dust to help with the coloring and strength of the bond.  We didn't do any of the epoxy work and will get around to that next weekend.

Here's a picture from inside of the hull where you can see how the copper wire binds the planks and hull frame together.  It's a surprisingly strong bond.  Copper wire is used because the epoxy will not adhere to it.  Once the glue has dried, I'll snip each copper wire and pull it out.  Once the wires are removed the resulting holes will be filled with the same epoxy / wood dust mix.  This part of the job requires both patience and precision as it just will not do to forget to fill all the holes!

Lastly, here's a shot of the hull with all the wires in place.  There are over 150 wire strands in place for this 4 foot long model boat.  That's nothing!  I've built a 16 foot Skerry using the same method and it had over 1,000 strands.

Once the hull planks are bonded it will be time to sand, sand, sand and then sand some more.  After that we stain and seal the hull.

Oh yeah, I seem to remember some fort I need to build for Historicon game...

28mm Fort Part 1

 I need a fort for my upcoming game at Historicon and couldn't find any ready made forts that I liked or wanted to pay the asking prices, so I've elected to try and build one myself.  The first picture shows three fort sections as they stand at the end of today.  While there's a lot of detail work to do, not a bad start for a few hours work.  I'm planning to make up to 6 feet of fort sections and hopefully will get this done in the next few weeks.  Sorry for all the ships in the back ground - I've been too lazy to pick up last thursday's Trafalgar game.

 The fort construction is pretty simple, first the wooden walls are made out of thin stir sticks that are 1/4 inch wide.  The long lengths are 3 inches and the shorter ones 2.75 inches.  Each wall section is 11.25 inches long.  I actually started building these was section first without even having a plan for the fort.  Plans?  Who needs plans?

 Since these pieces will be traveling, they needs to be very sturdy and the under structure of the fort is made from 1x3 and 1x2 pine stock affixed with wood glue in an "L" shape.  The base for each wall section is some marine grade plywood I had left over from a boat project which was already cut to 7 inches wide.

 The wood planking for the sides and fighting platform where then glued to the pine stock under structures.  I'll fill in the gap on the inside of the fort with pink stuff and then add flocking to represent turf.

 Here's a shot with one section of the fort and the gate "populated" by 28mm figures - in this case some recently completed Dacians.  I haven't decided if the lower front of the fort (below the planking) will be stone work or turf.  Turf seems to be easier to do and may lend the fort to more uses than just ancients.  I think it would make a fun objective for a game of Saga.

The last shot is from the rear of the fort.  As you can see, there is a good bit of work do adding earthen ramps and such.  This has been a very fun project so far and I'm looking forward to seeing it completed.  I haven't figured out how to make the gate as I want it to be able to open and shut.  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thursday Night Trafalgar Game

 Late night Les, Bob and Mike came over to play another game of Trafalgar.  It was my standard game of "use all the ships" and pitted a combined French and Spanish fleet vs a British/US one - Four fleets, four players - that worked out well.  Ernie couldn't make it last night as he was at his secret laboratory in an undisclosed location feverishly working on his upcoming game, Fanticide.  While he was missed, his dedication to making his new game the best it can be is very inspiring.  By the way I've play tested the game and it's simply a blast!  I'm looking forward to getting a copy and few war bands when it comes out.

The first picture shows the fleets making initial contact, with my US fleet (lower left) tangling with some French frigates while the main French fleet (Les, center left) prepares to take on the British (Mike, center right).  Bob's powerful but slow Spanish fleet is at the top of the picture and is attempting to get into the battle (the wind was not Bob's friend last night).

 Contact! The British and French become heavily engage in the center - this would prove to be a very bloody exchange.  The dice gods were very angry last night as there were an inordinate number of critical hits (caused by rolling a "6" when shooting) and then followed up by at least half of the critical hit damage die rolls being "6's" also, which cause the maximum damage.

 A close up of the French frigates vs the more powerful US fleet (2 5th rate frenchies vs two 3rd rate US ships of the line and 1 4th rate Frigate - the Constitution.  The French frigates acquitted themselves very well as they tied up the superior US fleet and kept them out of the main action - well played Les!

Of course the frigates didn't survive the exchange but they did their job.

 As with all my battle reports, I stopped taking pictures midway through the game to focus on playing.  Here's a picture of the sunken ship pile.  The fight between the Brit and French fleets was intense but went in favor of the Brits as they lost 2 third rates to four third's for the French.  To the left of the French casualties are the two French frigates lost to the US ships.  I do need to get to work on my sunken / disabled ship markers.

A last picture of the game before we called it.  The French and Spanish fleets finally meet up and are in the process of forming a line (lower part of the picture).  It was getting late so we called the game and gave the Brits a narrow victory.  I do sense a rematch in the offing!

A New Project

 It seems that I have started yet another project.  Actually it's my son's idea so he gets all the blame.  With robotics season over until next September, Sean was going through a little bit of robotic withdrawal.  Then inspiration seized him!  Why not combine his two favorite past times: Sailing and Robotics and build, wait for it.... a Robotic Sailboat!  To be honest, I was sold after the words "Hey Dad, let's build a" but it seems like a fun "off-season" project for Sean and some of his team mates.

We needed a pretty big model to allow us to build in all the electronics and went with the R/C model "Independence" from Chesapeake Light Craft (CLC) a boat building outfit located in Annapolis.  I've built a few of the 1:1 CLC kits and really like their products.  As you can see in the picture above the kit is mostly a bunch of wood and some plans.  The finished boat is 48 inches long and the mast is five feet high.  That's a pretty big model there should be enough room for the electronics.

The electronics is all Sean's category - he's thinking a building a GPS-based guidance system along with a magnometer to measure how much the boat heels (leans to one side) in high winds.  He and his buds are busy mapping out the system components and figuring out how much money they need to raise to fund the project.  They're also planning to install a standard R/C system to act as an override if the autonomous stuff fails.

The most complicated part will be figuring out the programming to trim the sail based on wind direction and the location of the current waypoint.  It's always fun to watch the initial optimism of a new project.

My job is to help with the woodwork on the basic hull and mast.  Hopefully, they'll leave me out of the electronics as that stuff mystifies and scares me!  It's all voodoo, you know.

The second picture is a photo of a finished model, hopefully ours looks like that but with a few extra antenna and other gizmos' sticking out.  We'll see....

Dacian Missile Units Completed

 The final 3 Dacian units for my upcoming Historicon game are now done.  They are three missile units.  All of the figures are from Warlord and were based individually using magnetic stands.  As for the HCON game (PEL #F-144) "A Dacian a Day Keeps the Romans Away", it's allready sold out which is pretty neat. I will be running another game Friday or Saturday night "after-hours" so let me know if your interested in the comment section below.

First up is a Dacian artillery unit, a scorpion.  I think the unit came out great but it does look a bit "smallish" with just the single engine.  If I have time I may get another one to give the unit a beefier appearance.

Next up is a 16 figure archer unit.  The figures are from the Warlord Celt range but they'll do as Dacians in a pinch.  I still need to touch up the base edges as some of the white primer is showing through.

Lastly, here are the mounted Sarmatian horse archers.  These came out "OK".  The sculpting on these figures was not up to Warlords usual very high standards - some of the hands are huge but they'll do.  This is a bit surprising as the Warlord Sarmatian cataphracts are the best figures I've worked with.  Oh well, if I decide to expand the Sarmatian light calvary I may go back to either modifying the Warlord Celt cavalry or trying the Foundry ones.

Next up in prep for the game will be terrain, lots of terrain.

Broadsides: June 10th, 2012

I've heard that the Broadside show has had some misfortune with advertising timing and has asked for some help in getting the word out on the event, so I'll do my part to support out trans-atlantic alliance.

Seems like a fun event AND it's located in one of those British  towns with a funny name - what's not to like?  Also by attending the show and mentioning you came via a blog post like this, you'll become an information-age freedom fighter valiantly striking a blow against the corporate hegemony who control the media and access to effective advertising placement.  Fight the Power, Fight the Power!!!!!!

Ok that last bit might be a "bit" over the top.  Please go to the show if you can.

:)

My Historicon Game is in the PEL: F-144

My second attempt at being a GM at a convention game is now official and I'll be hosting another game at Historicon.  Last year's game was a lot of fun to put on and had a very good level of attendance.  This year's game will again pit Romans against a combined Dacian / Sarmatian army and will use the "Hail Caesar" ruleset.  The armies have grown a bit from last year so I'll be able to support 6 players (3 per side) rather than four from last year.

The game particulars can be found in the PEL, item F-144 and is titled "A Dacian a Day keeps the Romans Away".  Timing is Friday, July 20th at 1:00pm.  As with last year convention, I'll also run a few ad-hoc games in the evening.

Here's a link to the HCON PEL

Registration for last year's game filled up very quickly, so if your interested register sooner than later.

I'm still tweaking the scenario.   While the game will be different than last years it will not be a standard "line 'em up on each side of the table and have at it" style of game.  I've got two months to get this done so I'd better get cracking.

As with all my gaming enterprises the game is supported by the kind people over at Architects of War.

WWPD + Ballet = Disaster

Cue ominous music please.  I have a tale of woe to pass onto to my dear readers.  Please learn from my example so that I do not suffer in vain.  First a little background:

I'm married to the wonderful and lovely Mary Beth (aka "Iron Daisey"), who is a former ballet dancer and hence loves going to see the ballet where she used to perform.  As her husband, it's my duty, oops I meant to say privilege, to escort her to these performances six or seven times a year as we have a subscription.  Unfortunately, I'm really not into the ballet (shocker!) and in fact struggle to stay awake during the performances.  Surprisingly, one can get into a lot of trouble if one snores during a performance - trust me on that point.

As we were preparing to go down to the Kennedy Center, I noticed that episode 36 of the WWPD podcast was out and available and I had a "brilliant" idea.  I could download the episode, and listen to it with one ear bud in my left ear as my wife sits on my right side.  It was a good plan - I even went and found my set of ear buds that are black to reduce the chance of being seen in the dark theater.  Oh I was being very crafty that night.  In fact, I even came up with a mission name - Operational Audio Escape.

My plan got off to a great start and seemed to be a real win-win.  Both my wife and I were enjoying the performances we wanted to participate in, she with the Ballet and me the WWPD podcast.  By the third act things were were even better - no "stares of death" from my wife due to snoring and I was enjoying the podcast - in fact for a few seconds I could swear I saw Steve, John and Luke gliding about on the stage as they danced a balletic interpretation of the Huzzah Hobbies Tournament.  Yes, it was a magical evening.

As the curtain came down on the ballet, so it did on the success of Operation Audio Escape.  You see, all plans have at least one fatal flaw.  My plan's flaw was as simple as it was devastating.  Once the lights came on, I turned asked my wife how was the show and her response was a "9th level of hell icy stare of death".  You ask why?  I had forgotten to take the ear bud out!  BUSTED!!!!!

Yes I'm now enduring a double punishment - I'm both in the Dog House "big time" according to my wife and I can't get the image of Steve, John and Luke pirouetting in their white unitards out of my mind.  Oh the horror, the horror.

What's the moral of this story.  If you have to go to the ballet, man up and do it - don't get tricky - it's not worth the risk and our wives are smarter than us.

Editorial Note: (In case my wife reads this)
In all fairness to the Washington Ballet, last night's performance was actually pretty good (as these things go for me) and the music was great - lots of Bossa Nova and Mexican guitars.  But the highlight was a set performed between the first and second act by Toto la Momposina - a Columbian singer who literally brought the house down.  I even paused the podcast!

The War of 1812 Campaign Guide

A belated birthday gift arrived today from Ernie and Barb - Stuart Asquith's "The War of 1812 Campaign Guide".  The book is a combination history / uniform guide and is targeted at the wargaming community.  It's a great single volume reference source and I'v been wanting a copy since seeing Mr Asquith's War of 1812 scenario book.

The historical overview is nicely done and lots of period maps but the tome really shines when it comes to the uniform information.  In the past, I haven't been a stickler for uniform accuracy, but as I get deeper into the hobby that aspect is becoming more important and this is a great resource to help me "fix-up" the accuracy of some of my unit painting.  Hmmm, maybe I should be concerned that this newfound concern with uniform accuracy is the first symptom of becoming one of "those" gamers - you know the ones we give a wide berth to at cons.

I'm very appreciative of the gift, but I do think the real reason for it is so I will not be constantly coming over and stealing - oops - I mean "borrowing" Ernie's Osprey's!

I think it's back the the War of 1812 once I finish up those Dacian missile troops.  I've got some of the new Knuckleduster US Marines to paint up.

Dacian Missile Troop Reinforcements

 Some reinforcements for the Dacian/Sarmatian army have just made it to the workbench.  First up is a 12 figure unit of Sarmatian Horse Archers.  These are metal figures from Warlord and are pretty good.  Some of the hands were overly large (maybe one needs super strong "Hulk" sized hands to be a good horse archer?)  I was tempted to leave them unchanged and paint them green but didn't think many people would get the joke.  Any way after of bit of filing and replacing with some plastic hands they're good to go.  One does have to appreciate those plastic sprues and all the extra parts!

I may end up fielding this group as 2 small units of Horse Archers rather than as one big unit.  Let's see how the play testing goes.

In addition to the horse archers, there is a 16 figure archer unit as well as a Dacian scorpion (all from Warlord).  Technically, the archer models are Celts but they'll do.  I think Foundry makes specific 28mm Dacian archers but I didn't want to wait or pay the high costs that foundry charges and Ernie had these in-stock.

The scorpion is Dacian specific and will be the first of several artillery units I hope to complete before Historicon.  I should have these chaps finished in a week or two and then it's onto to scenery for the big game.