Pumping (Out) Iron(clads)

Besides demolishing a festive thanksgiving turkey with friends and family, this long weekend saw the launching of a small flotilla of Union warships. Back in May I posted on the two Confederate ships first part of this project. I have now finished four Union ships which will be part of my ongoing ACW campaign.

Sometimes you just have to spend the money on the right tools. When I did the CSA ships, I tried to use a Dremel tool to drill holes in the smokestacks so I could insert pins for attaching steel wool smoke clouds. The Dremel was a a bad idea, and ruined a smokestack, since I had very little control over it. So, thanks to comments from followers Scott Lesch and James Manto, I saw the light and bought a tool I should have bought a long time ago, a pin vise. It worked like a charm.

These models, like the CSA ones, are all 1/600 scale models from Thoroughbred. These are lovely models and worth every cent. Here we see two Union tinclad gunboats (model TS-23) which in my campaign will represent the USS Chaffee (grey w blue trim) and the USS Golconda (brown w white trim). There is a lot of guesswork as to painting ACW warships. I wanted these paint schemes to be colourful, on the theory that as requisitioned and converted riverboats, they might well have their civilian paint schemes. Besides, the different colours makes them recognizable on the table.

Two more ships which aren't so colourful but which are 100% business. These are both Cairo class casemate ironclads (Thoroughbred model TS-06, the Union's heavy hitters in the riverine campaigns. I've been fascinated by this class since I toured the USS Cairo museum at the Vicksburg National Battlefield. In my campaign, they will serve as the USS Carondelet and the USS Ironton.

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The flotilla at steam. Do you think that's enough smoke? :)

Thanks for looking. Before I finish, I'd like to welcome two more recent followers to my blog. Ashley is an interesting voice on the Too Fat Lardies discussion group, a writer and a fan of Mecha, SF warfare and big stompy things. I like her blog Paint It Pink. Steve is a former US Army officer with service in the Middle East. He does exciting things with smaller scale Napoleonics and ACW, among other things, and his blog, Sound Officers' Call, is worth visiting. Thanks for following this blog, Ashley and Steve!