Linus Spjutsberg

I was not happy with the water, so I decided to redo the whole base plate. New version is a resin mold I made. Much happier with this look. I hope you agree, if you check previous post with my old baseplate. I also added spars to the masts. Finally I began painting HMS Speedy as she might have appeared in her disguise as a Danish ship. I also did some more work on the base with cannon fire missing speedy and splashing in the water.

I have tried working on some furled sails using UV reactive putty to sculpt details . I worked on details for the masts of both ships also adding foot ropes. I was also unhappy with the water sp redid that. It's now better but needs more work. First picture is before, second updated colors and third as it stands now.

Short update. I am still working on HMS Speedys's masts. Added half rings to the the gaff and boom, my eyesight is bad enough that I can see this without magnification. Still I want this one to have as much detail as I can. I also made some cross trees. The smallest brass is just 0.1 mm here. And added the yards to. Next will be the foot ropes.

Happy you find it interesting. As for crew, that's what I usually do for ships I spend more time on. (see attached) For game pieces though, I have found you don't notice much. It only really shows if you are taking pictures for a battle report or a video. Check out my channel in the link (the first post) as I do many of those. Still these are my most detailed yet and for a diorama, so there will definitely be crew on them, and lots of them for El Gamo.

Hi all, I’m starting a new 1/700 scale diorama project based on the famous encounter between HMS Speedy and the Spanish xebec-frigate El Gamo, and I’ll be documenting the build here as it progresses. Both hulls are 3D printed, but I’ll be making several modifications along the way — using photo-etch parts, scratch-built details, and entirely custom brass masts for strength and realism at this scale. The diorama is intended to capture the dramatic moment just before the boarding, with El Gamo’s heavy shot passing over the deck of HMS Speedy, a detail mentioned in firsthand accounts that highlights the incredible difference in size between the two ships. HMS Speedy (launched 1782) was a small 14-gun brig under the command of Thomas Cochrane. In July 1801, she engaged and captured the much larger El Gamo (built circa 1795), a 32-gun xebec-frigate of the Spanish Navy. The odds were stacked against her, but through deception, maneuvering, and a well-timed boarding, Cochrane pulled off one of the most audacious single-ship victories of the Napoleonic Wars. Paint Scheme & References I’m basing El Gamo’s appearance on a painting by Antoine Roux titled "El Gambo" — most likely a misspelling, but the ship depicted is a xebec-frigate and matches the general rig and form closely enough for adaptation. Speedy will be shown in disguise, painted as a Danish merchantman with a warm grey hull and a thin buff streak. However, her British colors will be visible, marking the moment just before she drops all pretenses and launches the assault. Build Notes This is still very much in the early stages. So far I have: Gotten both hulls printed in resin, they are designed by Turner Miniatures Begun fitting photo-etch deck details Started work on brass masts and spars Planned rigging layout and sail plan based on period sources Right now I am palnning out the layout of El Gamo. Since most of the hard planning, source work and decisions are done, and the fact that I am on hollidays I suspect that the rest will go fairly quick. Photos of the current stage are attached below. I'm very open to feedback, and would love to hear from others working at this scale or anyone who's tackled a similar diorama setup. Thanks for looking and more to come! Linus Spjutsberg I will be making a video on the build and upload it to my channel when done. There will be more.on the earlier stages there. I figured since I did not start this log at the beginning, I would post my current progress only. Please take a look at the channel if you would like: https://youtube.com/@linusnapoleonicshipyard?si=GqJ1XjEXdi8wnM2X

Yes at 1/700 scale space for maneuvering is a premium. We have sloved it, by moveing everything 50-70 cm away from the edge if we get to close. It works, but breaks the immersion a bit.

Another one done. A brigs at this scale is tiny. HMS Curieux was a former French brig captured by the Royal Navy in a daring cutting-out raid at Fort Royal, Martinique in 1804. Renamed HMS Curieux, she served as a fast and agile brig in the Caribbean. One of her most notable moments came in February 1805, when under Lieutenant George Bettesworth, she fought a fierce single-ship action against the larger French brig Dame Ernouf. After a brutal 40-minute battle, Curieux forced her opponent to surrender, despite suffering heavy casualties. She continued her successful career capturing enemy vessels until she was wrecked off Guadeloupe in 1809. I have used a 3d printed hull and fighting tops from Turner Miniatures, masts were scratch-built built from brass rods. Sails are from warlord games, but cut to fit the smaller than standard warlord sized masts.

Thank you!

Thank you so much for your kind message, and for taking the time to check out Linus' Napoleonic Shipyard on YouTube! I'm really glad you liked the Chesapeake—yes, it is indeed a Turner Miniatures hull. His designs have been a huge help in making small-scale Age of Sail modeling more accessible, especially with 3D printing giving us so many new options. Great to hear you enjoyed the Beat to Quarters review! That’s such a shame about your copy—and Ship-of-the-Line too! Sounds like your friend made off with some real classics. Definitely a frustrating bit of history, but I’ve heard similar stories from others… seems to be a common tale among longtime wargamers. Thanks as well for the recommendations. I’ve heard about War by Sail and Captaincy but haven’t tried them yet. Captaincy in particular sounds fascinating, especially for smaller scenarios where sailing and positioning really matter. It’s nice to see rules that dive deep into the sailing side of things instead of just focusing on gunnery. Might be worth tackling that learning curve! If you end up trying them out solo, I’d be very interested to hear your impressions. Always looking for new systems to explore for future videos.

What a gem! You did great and I really like when a ship is displayed like this in action. Your diorama base must be quite large? The HMS Sphinx is a large model. Very inspiring, thank you. Now I really look forward to getting started this summer.

So usually I put my buildlogs on my youtube channel. This is for the tiny 1/700 scale ships so far. Would it be ok to post some of those here? If so were? This is my channel link again if anyone would like a look. https://youtube.com/@linusnapoleonicshipyard?si=z1SsASNnxS_R1v3q I also dona bit of history, tutorials and battle reports on there. Also some good news. I will be starting my first wooden ship model in June. So looking forward to this. It will be one of the vanguard models brigs. Haven't decided on wich one so far. Picture is my latest build, the Chesapeake in 1/700 scale.

Lovely! A glass of wine with you! A work of art!

See other post. But I make little brackets in brass sheet and drill holes for the yardarms. Super stable.

I use thin brass sheet to cut supports for the yardarms. That way they are very stable. Check out my video on the shannon or constitution forn ideas.

Very nice! Yes for smaller ships I use Turner minitures as his are straight 1:700 scale. Also tend to build my own masts.