9 November 2016

An old steamer gets ready for some dry dock work

The funnel has snapped off, the roof of the cabin and captains bridge have absconded and the missing
hand railing would be a modern day W H & S disaster. 
In the old days of Sudan gaming at the club everything was, with the exception of the figures, scratch built.  Buildings were carved out of refrigeration foam, coated with Polyfilla and then painted and based upon MDF bases and decorated with sand, sand coloured lichen and bush grass.


That also went for the first Sudan steamer at the club, lovingly put together by Phil Cook many, many years ago and based upon pictures from Wargames World, Wargames Illustrated as well as articles and sketches from Military Modelling.




A particularly poor photograph taken nearly twenty years ago showing the gunboat as it falls
into disrepair...damned engineers and missed maintenance schedules!


This saw a lot of action in the very early days of our gaming and though it was reasonably basic, it absolutely served a fine purpose in our battles.


We need to fix up the paddle wheel and fit this vessel to a base.

Nice steam engine on the main deck...very nice piece of heavy metal.

The life preservers and captains wheel were added by myself many years ago

Lovely shape and good bones to work on.


This particular vessel went into storage sometime ago and has been across Australia twice in moves over the years where, as you can clearly see, it has not fared as well as it may have under a different Captain.


However all that is about to change.


I have been working on a few scenarios where we need to have a couple of steamers/gunboats making their way up the cataracts of the Nile and this one is now getting ready to have a bit of work lovingly bestowed upon it over the summer months.


The newer gunboat - slightly flasher but willing to have a partner to patrol the waterways in the Sudan


We will keep you posted upon its progress before she sets sail again in the New Year.

17 comments:

  1. The title of this piece could so easily be me! I look forward to seeing the old girl sets off to do service for the Great Queen once more!

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    1. Very funny Matt - me too mate!
      Yes the model should look pretty good once complete.

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  2. Creative and wonderful job, and most impressive steam engine...

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    1. Thanks PHIL and yes, that steam engine component of the model really is quite impressive.

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  3. Lovely yes lovely..we have two over in the East and they can be very nasty when commanded well.

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    1. I also like the fact Nathan that they are so different in design and look as indeed the steamers and gunboats were in the Sudan. A nice plate mounted Nordenfeld could be quite nasty giving from the deck that's for sure.

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  4. One can never have enough gunboats. I built a new one not long ago, and have another to refurbish. Which reminds me, Carlo, did you ever read a piece in one of the wargames magazines some years ago, entitled "The Sneak of the Sudan?" It was a funny article about the author's attempts to beat a particularly crafty opponent by fielding a flotilla of gunboats.

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    1. Look forward to seeing your work AJ.

      No I never did see that article. If you can send me a reference that would be greatly appreciate as it sounds like something right up my alley!

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  5. Excellent ... i have to do another myself..

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    1. Cheers Dave - how did your Sudan demo how the other day mate?

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  6. Looking forward to seeing her shipshape once again Carlo and to have two gunboats in your collection has got to make for some fun wargaming.

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  7. Thankyou Pat - it will be nice to see them offering some beleaguered column some gun support...albeit from afar!

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  8. I'm getting riverine envy Carlo! Wonderful models...
    Best regards. Phil

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  9. Very good Phil. I could see one of these in your TSATF games mate.

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  10. rules question page 34 mahdist reaction result "L" withdraw out of range at Evade speed for at least 3 turns. I cant find this gem of info in the rules except in the example. is there any thing else like this missing. still enjoying the rules.

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  12. Is there a supplementary Rules sheet with thing like Steamers & Trains on - speed, capacity, rules to build railway, ground/unground on rocks, sandbanks, etc? Used at WHC in Dave Docs 2 games - but nothing in Book to use at home ?

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