Plotting a Hatch (or two)

"Hatches"

Despite the problems of the lack of space for doing anything substantive I have managed to progress my piratey project quite a bit this week. My good friend Stu who runs Captian's Jack's Locker  (find hin on FB) gave me a few bits and pieces when I visited him before Xmas.As can be seen there is some  variety, though the deck hatches were made as windows and I had to file the,frames down. I also filed the reverse so that they'd fit a little more flush to the decks of my ships.

Oversized chests

In yet another fit of enthusiasm (strange I know), I was inspired to do something with the oversized 'pirate treasure chests', probably prompted by the arrival of all my greenery!

Taking the chests apart gave two lids and bases.
The bases, to me looked very suitable as the type of concrete planters that can be seen in a lot of towns and cities (hence the greenery connection).
I've added some scraps of foam-board, then filler and a sprinkling of sand - they just need undercoating, painting and of course some plants added.

Composite picture of the cylinder

The lids didn't escape my attention either, the two lids, after being cleaned of all their excess bits were glued together, to make some sort of reinforced cylinder, that can be painted up as either wooden (maybe with metal straps) or as metal throughout. Perhaps as some form of water barrel or gas cylinder.

Pirate with Lantern ?

In another attempt to utilise what I could from the Pirate ships sets I was drawn to one of the accessories of the pirates themselves.
The accessory in question can be seen in the photograph I've taken it to be a lantern and in its current form is obviously too large for 28mm figures (he stands about 60mm tall)

The three lanterns

Dowels spars and yards (boring ship bits)

I've cut the bases and handles off and they've become the ships' lantern - a large and prominent lantern mounted on the rear of sailing ships. They were hollow too which made the fitting of a support fairly easy, but you'll have to see if you can spot them on my ships (below) as I failed to take any photographs of them solely.
I've also been busy on the ships too, adding spars and yards (I'm tole that's what they are) in various combinations to give a bit of variety. I did have to buy 2 meters of 5mm dowel (£1.50) for the purpose,  but did also use the mast tops (minus their pennants) provided with the sets.

Plastic mast tops )still boring)

One end glued on with extra bit along the dowel

All three of my ships have also had work done on them the pictures illustrating all the various bit added , the hatches, the yards, the rear lantern etc.. The three photographs following, show the three steps of how I do my 'rigging'. I haven't a clue as to how sailing ships are rigged, so I just try and get some impression of rigging, whilst at the same time allowing for easy access to the decks for figures.

Glue the other end on once the first bit has dried thoroughly.

Use thr thread to wrap around the other bits

I've used embroidery cotton for all the rigging, gluing one end to where the line (or rope) is going to go, allowing it to dry then gluing the other end.
I get the aparent tightness of the lines by wrapping more thread around the thread alreadyin place, this also allows me to tighten up the rigging slightly.
You'll hopefully have noticed a couple of the hatches on the models, the read lanterns and the crow's nest - the latter now being able to take a figure.
The model shown on the left was going to have it's "pulpit" on the rear deck left in  place but as I thought it abhorrent even to my non-nautical eyes, I removed it! This was the only one of the three that I also left the horn-like ornaments around the gun apertures, the others were removed.

Since writing up this lot,I've finished the rigging and undercoated two of my vessels, so just one left  to rig and undercoated before I put the sails on  all three and paint them up!
I feels like I've been a man possessed this week and made more progress than I thought I would or could - and I haven't even mentioned the related building plans I've been working on!

That's it then for another week (hopefully it'' be another one as productive as this last one has been.), I hope you've found something of interest and as always your comments are both welcomed and appreciated.