A place called home

[Rory McCreadie]

All Fleets and ships need a place called home! This is my ships home.

He who says he makes no mistakes, is making the biggest mistake of all. Or does bugger all. Rory

[Rory McCreadie]

This is a work of love. It’s all made from Langton’s 1-1200 scale harbour and city parts. It has been used in a number of games, so not a waste of time or money

He who says he makes no mistakes, is making the biggest mistake of all. Or does bugger all. Rory

[kyoteblue]

That is impressive work !!

[Volunteer]

Just love your home port Rory. I have to ask, what do you keep in the Altoids tin? Surely not Altoids? 😉

"Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing"
Wernher von Braun

[Brian Weathersby]

Rory,

That’s a nice harbor!  I’ve bought the pieces, but have done nothing yet.  Is the harbor on a different base from the sea?  It looks like there is a line between the two outside harbor walls.

I'm lucky to be here
With someone I like
Who maketh my spirit to shine
--Warren Zevon

[Rory McCreadie]

Hi Vol, Yes! at one time. Now it’s lady Jane pins. As you know she makes all of our Historical clothes.

Hi Brian, I will show all the pieces. I’m sorry but I cannot make the photo’s smaller on the page. The harbour is on a steel plate. it plus the harbour-side floor match the hard-board which the town sits on. Hope this helps.

Be safe

Rory

He who says he makes no mistakes, is making the biggest mistake of all. Or does bugger all. Rory

[Rory McCreadie]

He who says he makes no mistakes, is making the biggest mistake of all. Or does bugger all. Rory

[Rory McCreadie]

He who says he makes no mistakes, is making the biggest mistake of all. Or does bugger all. Rory

[Rory McCreadie]

He who says he makes no mistakes, is making the biggest mistake of all. Or does bugger all. Rory

[Rory McCreadie]

The harbour in use in a game at Gosport with Pete. it was a big game. Lots of fun. Used G.W. Trafalgar rules with the David Manley’s up-dates.

I still don’t get this size thing? The game sits on two tables. One is a little higher. That is why one can see a gap under the harbour. I also had a new sea-mat. So I must re-do the harbour water colour.

Be safe

Rory

He who says he makes no mistakes, is making the biggest mistake of all. Or does bugger all. Rory

[Rules Junkie Jim]

Lovely work. Particularly like the use the castle keep!

[Rory McCreadie]

Hi Jim,

I wanted to show age. The older castle on the harbour makes the harbour look it’s been around for a long time. It is used for Napoleonic games, but most European harbours are a lot older. I do add Shore-batteries and Napoleonic fort for some games. The keep is also a Langton piece.

Be safe

Rory

He who says he makes no mistakes, is making the biggest mistake of all. Or does bugger all. Rory

[Brian Weathersby]

All of that makes perfect sense.  And, by the way, we don’t want smaller photos.  In this case, the bigger photos the better!

You are giving me some ideas, though.  It seems like it would be best to sort of work backwards; in other words, build the harbor first and then the city.  That way, the city can be separate pieces like yours which would make storage a whole lot easier.  A couple of questions for you:

1. Why steel for the harbor base?  I know the Langton harbor pieces are pretty stout, but was thinking more along the lines of a piece of something clear for that.
2. The city looks wonderfully congested and claustrophobic!  Did you plan out each building’s location, or just decide on a city size and piece it together?

EDIT: I also like that the harbor doesn’t sit square with the terrain around it.  Makes things look much more natural.

I'm lucky to be here
With someone I like
Who maketh my spirit to shine
--Warren Zevon

[McKinstry]

Fantastic.

The tree of Life is self pruning.

[Etranger]

Impressive work!

[Darkest Star Games]

Very nice!  Is it based on any particular real life location?

"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

[Rory McCreadie]

Dark Star Gamer,

The wall and gate was got from seeing the gate and walls around Portsmouth Harbour. The open spaces in the harbour also from Portsmouth. But it is not Portsmouth. The gate is right by the sea in Portsmouth.

Brian,

The harbour is the “Harbour set” plus. I have added an extra sea wall, more harbour base bits, two lighthouses (One with the top cut off) and the harbour/town wall. One long building is also a part of the wall. It is made up of lots of bits, so needed a base for it all. I had to decide if I wanted a set piece or keep it in pieces. I went with the set piece. I have seen a number of harbours on-line, photo’s and in life. It was always the base I did not like. It was the step that got to me.   So I thought of using a clear base. To thin and it bends with the weight of the models, to thick and the harbour looks as if it is floating in the air. That is why I went with the steel plate. Only wish I had cut it closer to the model.

I bought a number of buildings I think one of each for the town. I have seen whole model towns and cities with defence walls etc.  Frist more space in towns cost money. So unlike most models, towns are very small streets and lots of buildings. Seeing old towns and old parts of harbour towns made me see this. In Weymouth I could touch both sides of one street at once.

As I’m playing Naval games it’s sea I want not land. So in my mind my town goes on for a long way off the board. We see only a part of it.

I need a main road to the harbour gates (Wider) the rest close together. The angle gave me more sea space and less town space to model. I placed the buildings around and tried different ways. I had the idea I needed a church and an old castle (keep). I did not have enough buildings. I made the castle as a part of the harbour piece. So more space to fill!!!!! I got more buildings from Langton’s but used a lot more rows of buildings. I just filled the space. Think tight streets and think of the scale of the ships (Ships would not fit in most streets!). As I finished I saw I had a lot of space around the castle so made that area as the old town or fishing village bit. As it’s the old part that was the place for the church in my eyes.

Hope this helps you Brian.

Hi All,

Thanks for all the nice thing said about my harbour.

He who says he makes no mistakes, is making the biggest mistake of all. Or does bugger all. Rory

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