F is for Follow-up - Pirate Ship

Of course, I should have left the pirate ship 'till TLAPD, but I wanted to let people know it was out there in case they wanted it, as it happens there are still several in my local Poundworld Plus, so there was no panic!

However, in the meantime Peter Evan's I think had gone for the figures (which were quite good) and had a Toy Bank / Pirate Monkey ship (via ITP Imports) to donate to the blog, so we can have a proper look at it.

Figures added to the ship on the left, I was going to populate it with the Eastern figures we looked at last TLAPD, but they were a bugger to dig-out, and it was an equal bind to put them away, so I grabbed Washington's tricorned troops of treachery from Airfix for a quick crew.

As you can see they go very well with it, the wheel is hideously over scale though, as are the two deck-guns and the 'party shop' sails probably need work first! The masts are clip-in and can be turned through about 30°; 15° each way from facing front, to catch wind from either direction. The ornate decorations on the sails are removable vinyl stickers, but the stripes are stencil-sprayed and will need a scrubbing!

There is a little black cannon-barrel sticking out of the hull and when you press it various lights and sounds are effected, with the two big deck guns going mad and various different messages shouted over war-sounds! Two other - white - lights by the wheel and in the bow also light-up for extra oomph!

Detail shots, the rat-lines could be properly woven and attached to the rather truncated chain-plates/chains (that here look like small, paired-cannon!) rather than relying on the stiff and over-scale, clip-on, polyethylene ones, as supplied. I also turned the anchor up the other way, I just thought it looked better, and imagine it would now swing forward and away from the vessel when released.

The figurehead - which is a clip-on - reminds me of the 30mm chap with a goose under his arm from the old 1960's Faller (?) powered/working fountain!

The bowsprit (if that's what the front sail's called!) was not bedded-in properly and while taking it all apart and putting it back together; I shoved it home properly and removed the little spruelete (top right) hanging underneath it!

There are floor-wheels which have a cleaver gearing or a slip-clutch which allows for pull-cord power through pulling the toggle at the back of the ship, but will also tolerate grip-the-ship pull-back-and-go motive power without damaging the cord's mechanism . . . I tried! However; the wheels are quite shallow, so it's vinyl or wood 'oceans', but not carpets.

Although put together in the factory (or at the wholesalers), it has a large number of removable bits and for those thinking of a quick paint-conversion to something more realistic for small-scale war-gaming - the two cannon on the deck can be removed, the wires could then be sealed-off with insulation tape, or the power removed with battery extraction. If the rat-lines went as well, you'd have a very useful little 14-gun whatever . . . brig? Sloop? I think it's a brig as it has two masts, square-rigged? [He says! After a quick Google!] Perfect for 1:76/72nd scale figures. Makes you realise how huge vessels like the Victory were, 10-18 guns was normal!

Thanks as always to Peter. They're still out there if you want a couple! Poundworld-plus and probably larger Poundlands.

21-03-18 - A similarly boxed medieval set has turned-up in Russian [Cyrillic] Graphics, only a matter of time before it appears here?