1/300 Langton Miniatures Brig

[Whitejamest]

This is a much larger scale than most of the gaming miniatures I work on these days, but there's no reason why someone couldn't game with Langton Miniatures' 1/300 scale ship models. You'd need either a pretty large playing area, or a very small engagement - and probably rules with a lot of detail of the way a ship breaks down under fire. But in any event I only ever intended it be for display.

This is Langton's 1/300 Brig. I built this model a few years back, so now there's a lot I wish I had done differently. But I sold it off just recently, so if the new owner is happy enough with it then I'm happy too.

You can see a couple more pictures of the model here on my blog: http://jwhitegallery.blogspot.com/2013/04/auctioning-off-ship-1300-langton.html

And thanks to Rory for directing me to his earlier thread where the issue of photo sizes was addressed by a few other forum members. I use a Mac, so opening in Preview and selecting adjust image size, and then setting the parameters to "percent" and changing the size to %50 of the original did the trick.

Thanks!
- James

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[Cmmdre]

:hatsoff: Outstanding display piece. Superb details. Well shown. :thumbsup:

[7eat51]

Another impressive ship James. Well done. :hats off:

Thanks for encouraging the posting Vol. This is well worth seeing.

[Nightmoss]

Absolutely stunning. Out of curiosity, what would you have done differently? The model as I see it is spot on.

[Devsdoc]

Jim,
I understand James. I like you can not see how to make it better, but as you look back at your (Mine) work, you (I) will always see way's to make your (mine) ships better. Its life. The day you (I) am happy with your (mine) ships is the day you (I) stop doing them. So James make them better. How we can not see, but I wait to see you do it any way:salute:
Be safe
Rory

[Whitejamest]

You're probably right Rory, and it's good to bear that in mind. Having poured over all the little details as I was working on the model, I'm pretty aware of all the little defects, but other people seeing the completed piece don't pick up on all that.

But to answer your question Jim, here are a few things. First, I would have been a little more careful with some parts of the rigging and the tension it has, so that some places were a little more taut and other's were not too tight. The driver boom is actually being bent up a little in the middle by the lift, because the thread is very tense and the metal fairly soft. I'd mostly worked on wooden ship models before this, and the wood has such different properties.
There are a few respects in which I would go about the painting differently, and especially in the sails, to make them look more weathered, less monotone. I would be more heavy handed with the treatment of the reef lines, to make them stand out more.
I'd have put more crew into it, as there's an unrealistically small number of them working the ship at present. And I would not have painted all the sailors in white trousers and blue jackets. Looks like everyone there is in parade uniforms!

Also I've got a better way of doing the sea base now.

Small details in the whole scheme of things, but I think about them when I look at the model.

Thanks for the kind words though guys, glad you like the look of her!
- James

[Nightmoss]

You're probably right Rory, and it's good to bear that in mind. Having poured over all the little details as I was working on the model, I'm pretty aware of all the little defects, but other people seeing the completed piece don't pick up on all that.

But to answer your question Jim, here are a few things. First, I would have been a little more careful with some parts of the rigging and the tension it has, so that some places were a little more taut and other's were not too tight. The driver boom is actually being bent up a little in the middle by the lift, because the thread is very tense and the metal fairly soft. I'd mostly worked on wooden ship models before this, and the wood has such different properties.
There are a few respects in which I would go about the painting differently, and especially in the sails, to make them look more weathered, less monotone. I would be more heavy handed with the treatment of the reef lines, to make them stand out more.
I'd have put more crew into it, as there's an unrealistically small number of them working the ship at present. And I would not have painted all the sailors in white trousers and blue jackets. Looks like everyone there is in parade uniforms!

Also I've got a better way of doing the sea base now.

Small details in the whole scheme of things, but I think about them when I look at the model.

Thanks for the kind words though guys, glad you like the look of her!
- James

Thanks James for commenting back on my question. I do understand what Rory is saying, but a smaller detail like not painting all the sailors in the same scheme is a great tip to keep in mind for anyone doing larger scale ships. I have a tendency to model things as if they're fresh off the lot (or dock) and reading your reply reinforces the approach to weather and model a little more realistically. Thanks again for that feedback.

After looking at your photos and blog I had to go look at what Langton offers in 1/300 scale. You haven't started work on the HMS Victory by any chance? That looks to be one unbelievable kit!

[Whitejamest]

Jim, I completely agree that Langton's 1/300 HMS Victory looks like an amazing kit, and I hope some day I can take a crack at it. I think right now it's a bit beyond the capacity of my wallet. I am working on their 1/300 HMS Juno though, a 32 gun Amazon-class frigate. I only get to work on it a very little bit at a time, since I've got too many other things going on, but that's alright with me. I want to really take my time and spare no effort with it. I'll get some work in progress pictures up on my blog as soon as I reach a good stage with it. - James

[Nightmoss]

Jim, I completely agree that Langton's 1/300 HMS Victory looks like an amazing kit, and I hope some day I can take a crack at it. I think right now it's a bit beyond the capacity of my wallet. I am working on their 1/300 HMS Juno though, a 32 gun Amazon-class frigate. I only get to work on it a very little bit at a time, since I've got too many other things going on, but that's alright with me. I want to really take my time and spare no effort with it. I'll get some work in progress pictures up on my blog as soon as I reach a good stage with it. - James

Yes, $400+ for a ship model, even one as fine as this one, is a bit much. Please post any photos of your WIP on the HMS Juno. That also looks like a great ship to model, and the photos on the Langton site are pretty impressive. Based on all your work you've shown so far, I'm sure it will turn out awesome.

[Cmmdre]

Yes, $400+ for a ship model, even one as fine as this one, is a bit much. Please post any photos of your WIP on the HMS Juno. That also looks like a great ship to model, and the photos on the Langton site are pretty impressive. Based on all your work you've shown so far, I'm sure it will turn out awesome.

:erk: :cry: $400.00

[Volunteer]

I'm glad you shared this superbe model with our shipmates James. And I agree that Langton's 1/300 ships are beautiful models but are quite steep for my budget.

Has anyone tried any of the Merrimack Old Glory Shipyard 1/300 Napoleonic ships? They are much more reasonable (the HMS Victory is $45) but I have no idea of the quality. Here is the site: http://oldglory25s.com/index.php?cat_id=58&catname='Masters of the Broadside Napoleonic'
There are no photos of the Victory but there are several photos of otheres in their line.

5119 Ardent class
5120 Canada Class
5121 Foudroyant
5122 Hinchinbroke
5123 HMS Worchester
5124 Santistsima Trinadad

I believe these models can be made to look a lot better than what is depicted here. What do you think?

[Berthier]

You know I never like to criticise but...they dont look very well made, rigging is very poor, paint job I reckon I could do that and I'm awful (!) at painting. Mast positions don't look right either..then again what do I know, my expertise is on the land side of things:embarass:


And white ratlines? Did anyone have white?

[DeRuyter]

If you think 1/300 is large, try 15mm, or the approximate size of the Revell USS Constitution model (1/96). These are "Sea Eagles" from www.throughbredmodels.com. All small unrated ships for lake or pirate battles.

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USS Niagrara

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USS Oneida

I have played with these at conventions using the "Prevailing Winds" rules. You do need a large space, but still need to get in close range, within 24-36" for a decisive fight.

For more 1/300 models in paper try www.warartisan.com

Eric

[Volunteer]

You know I never like to criticise but...they dont look very well made, rigging is very poor, paint job I reckon I could do that and I'm awful (!) at painting. Mast positions don't look right either..then again what do I know, my expertise is on the land side of things:embarass:


And white ratlines? Did anyone have white?

Like I said, I believe these models can be made to look a lot better than what they did.

[Moideeb]

Hi There, im Chris From Bristol England,

I have been reading peoples posts with interest, but i have never posted myself before. I know there aren't too many pictures of HMS Juno models yet, so I thought i might share some images of mine with everyone. Sadly im not as proficient at model making as most people here, but I did enjoy making this. I have very little time at home for modelling, so i have been using my lunch breaks at work to make these. I originally made the USS wasp, as an experiment, i was so pleased with the results i decided to try a full frigate. Now I am now seriously tempted to try my hand at the victory too. This could get costly :g&t:
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[Moideeb]

Here are a couple of Shots of my USS wasp as well.

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[Nightmoss]

Absolutely stunning. The other two photos don't show up for me though? Might be my laptop being weird?

Ignore the photos not showing. They just did; my connection at the hotel and this laptop are the delay.

[Moideeb]

Thanks very much. I would never make a professional modeller, far too many mistakes. But it's still fun making them. If I had limitless time and finds (I definitely don't) it would be a lot of fun to scale up sails of glory to these scale models. The game already looks amazing but it would be pretty awesome, though would take up a lot of room.

[Volunteer]

These are absolutely beautiful Chris! What do you mean you aren't a professional modeler? I could never do this well and I've been modeling over 50 years. Dare I ask if these are scratch built? The sail edges indicate they may be from a kit?? if so, what kit? What are your bases made of and how? Share. share, please share.

Regards,
Vol

[Devsdoc]

Hi Chris,
I 2nd Vol's post. more please.
Be safe
Rory

[7eat51]

Absolutely beautiful Chris. :hatsoff:

Very nice photography on the USS Wasp. :thumbsup:

[Gaz67]

Hi Chris, they are beauts!

[Moideeb]

Thanks for all the comments. These are indeed kits. The are from Langton miniatures (http://www.rodlangton.com/napoleonic/frame.htm), and the quality of them is pretty amazing. Here are a few pictures of my build of HMS Juno, together with a size comparison to the Sloop 'Wasp'. I have just ordered (probably rather rashly) the HMS victory today. So i will post some images of how the kit looks of that, when it arrives with me next week.

Gaz 67 has pointed out to me that i did set the Ensign and pennant flying the wrong way to the wind. I now have corrected these since these pictures.

I haven't got around to taking any proper shots of the Juno yet like i did with the Wasp, these images are all just snapshots from my iPhone i took on my desk at work.

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[Devsdoc]

I Love it Chris,
I was thinking of doing 1-2400 scale. But seeing your work. I don't know now.
Be safe
Rory

[Nightmoss]

Wow! Very tempting to try a larger scale, but I've just started in 1/1200. Too easy to get sidetracked I think?

[Berthier]

Amazing Chris, I wish I lacked "such proficiency" as you! Remarkable!

[7eat51]

It is a little easier to get my mind around the scale of these ships. It is daunting to consider 1:1200, and then Rory mentioned 1:2400. You folks really are amazing. :hatsoff:

Chris, would you mind telling someone in the embryonic modeling stage a little about how you painted these beautiful sails?

[Moideeb]

I can't even imagine working at 1:2400 scale, 1:300 is small enough already to make my eyes hurt.

The sales are actually the easiest part. Because the sails are part of a kit, they come as brass sheets, that you simply bend to shape then glue. After that, spray with a primer and paint white. To give them the worn look I used a sepia wash, which ages them really well.

I intend to give a wash to all the sails in my sails of glory ships when they arrive too, as they still look a little too pristine for me.

[7eat51]

I can't even imagine working at 1:2400 scale, 1:300 is small enough already to make my eyes hurt.

The sales are actually the easiest part. Because the sails are part of a kit, they come as brass sheets, that you simply bend to shape then glue. After that, spray with a primer and paint white. To give them the worn look I used a sepia wash, which ages them really well.

I intend to give a wash to all the sails in my sails of glory ships when they arrive too, as they still look a little too pristine for me.

The Langton 1:1200 British 74 arrived today. As Sue and I were looking at it, I kept thinking, how am I going to paint this? How am I going to rig this? Kind of makes me want to build 1/48 Africa Korps tanks again.

Please share how you do the SoG sails when you paint them.

[Volunteer]

The Langton 1:1200 British 74 arrived today. As Sue and I were looking at it, I kept thinking, how am I going to paint this? How am I going to rig this? Kind of makes me want to build 1/48 Africa Korps tanks again.

Eric, haven't you been following Rory's how to guide??? I know you have!

[7eat51]

Vol, I am really looking forward to trying. Sue and I have been assembling tools and paints, reading threads and blogs, conversing with you and others, but when I look at the detail of the ships and their size, and then look at the size of my hands and remember how poor of a modeler I was, and how long it has been, I wonder what have I been thinking. But I won't let that stop me from trying, and trying with sincere and serious effort. Since joining the Anchorage, I have learned so much about age-of-sail, that I know doing some models will only increase my knowledge and appreciation of the era. I am also not afraid to show you folks my mistakes and ask for help. I think the only thing left is fining a good magnifying solution. I will try the goggles, but when I have used them for other things the past few months, it always seemed awkward. Maybe with modeling, they will work just fine.

Thanks again for your consistent friendship and encouragement. You really are the one that got this ball rolling for me.

[Nightmoss]

The Langton 1:1200 British 74 arrived today. As Sue and I were looking at it, I kept thinking, how am I going to paint this? How am I going to rig this? Kind of makes me want to build 1/48 Africa Korps tanks again.

Please share how you do the SoG sails when you paint them.

Eric,

On my first and subsequent ships I've used this guide for sail assembly and painting. With what I've read and seen from others here I have changed that up a bit, but the basics remain pretty much the same.

http://mainewargamershq.lefora.com/2010/04/12/11200-napoleonic-ships-wip/

Bone White for the base color and then a dry brush overlay of Foundation White to give an aged layered look. Ochre Green for the buntline and reef point lines. Masts are Golden Yellow and Scrofulous Brown. Black for the Fighting Tops and mast detail.

I've used all Vallejo colors because I have them, but there's nothing saying you cant use other products with matching or similar colors.

I usually do the sails first, then the masts, then the yards and finally the fine sail details. You'll invariably slip and hit other spots and have to go back to touch up so what order you do this in may come down to personal preference?

If you're getting stressed while painting I stop at one sail set and go do some work on the hull. Just take your time and decide this is not a job, but something to have fun with.

[7eat51]

Hi Jim,

Great link; very admirable work.

Thanks for the painting advice. I will look for the specific colors you mentioned. Sue has been painting minis the past few weeks, and she like the Vallejos she picked up.

Your last two sentences are spot on. I realize my first few hundred ships might look like wrecks by the time I am done, but I am looking forward to trying, learning, and sharing with you folks. I am not concerned about the end product as much as I am looking forward to the process. In two weeks, the semester should be on autopilot, and that is when I will start. I will begin a thread of the build, which will enable pictures and Q&A. As daunting as it is, I am looking forward to it.