11th century viking crew and freight in 1:25

[Scottish Guy]

I´m wondering if someone knows if there is a viking crew and freight in scale 1:25 available. Also it should be around the 11th century for my Roar Ege (Skuldelev 3). I tried to find anything online and here in the forum. I can´t really find anything matching. I could find some crew members but in a much smaller scale.

I also tried to find out how the freight could have looked like to create my own one, can´t really find much about the freight of a 11th century viking merchant ship.

 

So I was wondering if someone could contribute some knowledge about the look of any freight of this era and what kind of goods the viking would have transported.

 

 

Micha

[wefalck]

Can't respond on possible figurines. There may be something in 1/24 that could be converted with some effort.

 

As to any goods, this would depend from where to where the ship was sailing and in what mission: trade or loot (I gather the border between the two might have been a bit muddled at times ...)

 

Right up to the 19th century, perishable goods and those, where humidity either had to be kept in (say pickled fish, beer, wine, etc.) or out (metal ware, dried fish, cereals/flour, etc.) where stored in closed barrels, the containers of the time. A typical good of a ship sailing to Island or Greenland would have been wood, pitch and all sorts of provisions. Ships sailing from the Eastern Baltic would have carried inter alia pine-tar, pitch, wood, hemp etc. There were some major trade-hubs, such as Haithabu and Birka, where everything from agricultural produce, metal ware, luxury goods to slaves were traded.

[Scottish Guy]

20 minutes ago, wefalck said:

Right up to the 19th century, perishable goods and those, where humidity either had to be kept in (say pickled fish, beer, wine, etc.) or out (metal ware, dried fish, cereals/flour, etc.) where stored in closed barrels, the containers of the time. A typical good of a ship sailing to Island or Greenland would have been wood, pitch and all sorts of provisions. Ships sailing from the Eastern Baltic would have carried inter alia pine-tar, pitch, wood, hemp etc. There were some major trade-hubs, such as Haithabu and Birka, where everything from agricultural produce, metal ware, luxury goods to slaves were traded.

 

I thought about the barrels but I was thinking also of carrier bags / sacks and even bales (of fur or skins). I was thinking of a viking ship sailing from a hamlet to another or even from Denmark to Scotland / England.

 

 

22 minutes ago, wefalck said:

Can't respond on possible figurines. There may be something in 1/24 that could be converted with some effort.

 

Thank you for that, might try to find out something about 1:24 scaled vikings. I would even be happy if someone can provide 3D printable models (since I have two 3D printers).

 

Micha

[wefalck]

These boats/ships must have been very wet, think also of rain. So most goods would have be very carefully protected. Bales of skins could be an option. However, bales of cloth would have also been stored in barrels. Life animals might be another option.

 

[Scottish Guy]

3 minutes ago, wefalck said:

These boats/ships must have been very wet, think also of rain. So most goods would have be very carefully protected. Bales of skins could be an option. However, bales of cloth would have also been stored in barrels. Life animals might be another option.

 

True, they didn´t have covers to protect the crew or goods, so I agree, clothing wouldn´t be exposed to the weather, not even sure about bales of skin or fur. But sacks of seeds or fruits maybe. The rest I agree, might have been stored in barrels.

 

[Ian_Grant]

You can search for viking 3D files in many places. If you're very lucky you might fine something for free. I just had a quick look, but as in my search for Romans for my ship many of the Viking figures are for war-gaming and have those really stocky unrealistic builds.

 

I did manage to find a very good Roman Legionnaire for about $20, and he even came rigged.

 

Good luck!

[Scottish Guy]

4 hours ago, Ian_Grant said:

I just had a quick look, but as in my search for Romans for my ship many of the Viking figures are for war-gaming and have those really stocky unrealistic builds.

 

That is exactly my problem, most of them look very odd and are most likely not usable for a merchant ship but for a battlefield. But thank you anyway Ian for helping me to find a solution.

 

Micha

[Ian_Grant]

21 minutes ago, Scottish Guy said:

 

That is exactly my problem, most of them look very odd and are most likely not usable for a merchant ship but for a battlefield. But thank you anyway Ian for helping me to find a solution.

 

Micha

"very odd" LOL yes I looked for some Roman archers for my ship. Didn't find any but I could have had archers in the form of skeletons, orcs, elves, scantily clad bounteous women, crocodiles, etc.

 

I did see some pretty nice vikings but for tens of dollars for the file. Are you aware that if you buy a file of a "fully rigged" figure you can use the "Pose" function in Blender to manipulate their posture and their clothes etc will just go with the flow and adapt? You can then use the one file you bought to print as many figures you need in whatever poses you want. Even vary their heights a little. You can pose body joints in the arms and legs, head position, usually the fingers, and on some models even jaws, eyes, and eyebrows.

 

If you find a viking you like but which has that stocky build, and the file is free, try importing the file into "3d builder"which is a free microsoft app probably factory installed on your computer. I don't know how to do much in this app, but it does accept bigger files than TinkercAD will open and it is pretty simple to "scale" the figure on any of the x, y, or z axes; or all at once. I used it to scale things for my brother to 3D resin print.

 

I haven't tried the following in 3d builder but I thought of it after my Roman search: if you "shrink" the figure along the x and y axes it will get slimmer. Once it looks reasonable proportioned you can scale it up or down an all axes simultaneously to maintain the new proportions to get the 1/25 scale height you want. It might work!

Edited April 15 by Ian_Grant

[Scottish Guy]

44 minutes ago, Ian_Grant said:

I did see some pretty nice vikings but for tens of dollars for the file. Are you aware that if you buy a file of a "fully rigged" figure you can use the "Pose" function in Blender to manipulate their posture and their clothes etc will just go with the flow and adapt? You can then use the one file you bought to print as many figures you need in whatever poses you want. Even vary their heights a little. You can pose body joints in the arms and legs, head position, usually the fingers, and on some models even jaws, eyes, and eyebrows.

 

Unfortunately I´m not very good with Blender, never really got into it which I pay for now... I know folks that can do amazing things with Blender but I´m not one of those "nerds" lol... I adore folks that can use it, I really do

[cotrecerf]

Micha,

you might have a look here on tons of figurines ( for Vikings you need to adapt to style): https://www.ebay.de/str/3drifter

 

3D-printed figurines on printing supports, unpainted

 

greetings

 

Joachim

[Scottish Guy]

18 minutes ago, cotrecerf said:

Micha,

you might have a look here on tons of figurines ( for Vikings you need to adapt to style): https://www.ebay.de/str/3drifter

 

3D-printed figurines on printing supports, unpainted

 

greetings

 

Joachim

 

 

Thank you for the link Joachim, unforutnately the figures there are way to modern or most likely for the LotR universe, as long as I don´t want orcs on my viking ship ^^ it will be hard to adapt those to the viking style. Also I need merchants and not warriors which makes it a bit harder. Some of the figures would be easy to adapt as warriors but not really as merchants.

 

Danke fuer den Link. Leider sind die meisten Figuren zu modern oder eher fuer das LotR Universum ausgelegt und solange ich keine Orcs auf meinm Wikingerschiff moechte ^^ wird es ein wenig kompliziert diese anzupassen. Ich braeuchte Kaufleute und keine Krieger was es schwierig macht. Einige Figuren waeren ganz gut als Krieger umzusetzen aber nicht als Kaufleute.

 

Micha

[Cathead]

When I built my longship, I was able to find a whole set of 1:32 bare metal figures that were quite well done. That would be pretty close to your scale, most people can't tell the difference. I had a great time hand-painting them. Here they are displayed with my vessel, whose build log is linked below if it's of interest and use (there's more detail in there about painting them and so on, too).

 

[Scottish Guy]

8 minutes ago, Cathead said:

When I built my longship, I was able to find a whole set of 1:32 bare metal figures that were quite well done. That would be pretty close to your scale, most people can't tell the difference. I had a great time hand-painting them. Here they are displayed with my vessel, whose build log is linked below if it's of interest and use (there's more detail in there about painting them and so on, too).

 

Thank you Eric. Will have a look at your LOG.

 

Micha

[wefalck]

Talking about other people's projects: there is German colleague, I just remembered, who build a Viking-ship (the HAVHINGSTEN after one of the replicas after the Roskilde finds) in 1:25 scale and he had a whole boatload of 'Vikings' (or what he declared to be such). Not sure, whether you can see this without registering: https://www.segelschiffsmodellbau.com/t6718f20-Havhingsten-fra-Glendalough-21.html. He did a really good job in painting those figures.

[wefalck]

P.S. just asked the colleague from which manufacturers his figures came ... here his answer:

 

The figures were from 

- Scale 75
- Altores Studio
- Romeo Models
- Pegaso Models
- Mercury Models
- Revolution Miniatures

 

So you have to check on the WWW what is available currently.

 

Edited April 15 by wefalck

[Scottish Guy]

1 hour ago, wefalck said:

P.S. just asked the colleague from which manufacturers his figures came ... here his answer:

 

Thank you soo much @wefalck, will have a search and will annoy Google a bit lol

 

Micha

[Louie da fly]

It is indeed difficult to get Viking period figures who are ordinary people, not warriors or the rich. A site that gives a more realistic idea of what "normal Vikings" looked like is at https://sagy.vikingove.cz/en/the-interview-for-hella-the-viking-blog/

 

A well-off merchant might have looked like this - https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/137219119871448037/

 

While a really high status Viking (probably a member of the nobility) might have looked like this https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/948148527770532075/ (that cloak is copied from a real archaeological find, including that wonderful decorative border - click on the Pinterest link and it takes you to an article on the original find).

 

Sorry I can't help with figures ( I have to carve mine), but cargo would yes, be barrels, perhaps oiled leather bags (for waterproofing) chests (There's the Mastermyr chest, which contained carpenters' tools https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mästermyr_chest and https://www.angelfire.com/wy/svenskildbiter/Viking/vikchest.html, and is fairly typical, as well as the Oseberg chests https://loveevamk.life/product_tag/32008505_.html - but use those with caution, as they were in a royal grave).

 

For  my own nef - though it's from a few centuries after, ships hadn't changed all that much - I added a cargo of barrels - see post #193 and onward at 

Hope that helps. Nice to see someone doing a merchant ship instead of all the drakkars!

 

Steven

 

 

[Scottish Guy]

29 minutes ago, Louie da fly said:

It is indeed difficult to get Viking period figures who are ordinary people, not warriors or the rich. A site that gives a more realistic idea of what "normal Vikings" looked like is at https://sagy.vikingove.cz/en/the-interview-for-hella-the-viking-blog/

 

Thank you Steven for all the sources of information. I will have a look at all of those. I´m also reading in Danish and Norwegian history sites to find out how a crew of a merchant ship would have looked like. The regular crew were the Holumeen which were armed but not comparable to warriors (as far as I understood it).

But I will have a deeper look into it and it looks like I have to change some other medieval figures in 1:24 since there is not much available in 1:25 at all. We will see, maybe I have to carve my own ones (even if I`m not good in carving people). The last option would be not to build a diorama but leave the ship on a nice stand as display model. I rather would prefer it in a diorama, sailing along a shore line... but when there is no crew - there won´t be a diorama since ships need a crew to sail...

 

Micha

[Cathead]

You can build a diorama without crew...perhaps moored to a wharf, or pulled up on a beach with cargo unloaded?

[Scottish Guy]

15 minutes ago, Cathead said:

perhaps moored to a wharf, or pulled up on a beach with cargo unloaded?

 

Hi Eric and thank you. True and valid point even if an half unloaded ship without crew doesn´t make sense (to me) but moored to a wharf sounds more legit, the crew could be in a near tavern for a drink or some rest. Thank you for that ideas, my idea was just to display the ship in a rough sea close to a shore line... but ideas are not always possible to do...

 

Micha

[Cathead]

Even pulled up on a shore, you could have one armed guard (easier to source) watching things while assuming the rest of the crew are off refilling water barrels or taking care of other essential business. Lots of possibilities! I do think a wharf scene would look pretty cool, and same point about a single armed guard.

[Scottish Guy]

46 minutes ago, Cathead said:

Even pulled up on a shore, you could have one armed guard (easier to source) watching things while assuming the rest of the crew are off refilling water barrels or taking care of other essential business. Lots of possibilities! I do think a wharf scene would look pretty cool, and same point about a single armed guard.

 

Thank you for that idea Eric, sounds somehow reasonable and I agree, much easier to archive. The scene sounds even really cool when I´m honest... will give it a go, but first I have to finish the ship ^^

 

Micha

[Louie da fly]

Here's a figure 70mm high (equivalent to 1.75 metres or 5 ft 9" at 1:25 scale) - https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/fer-miniatures-january-new-release-changes-to-come-viking-warrior-gamla-uppsala-1087.76208/#google_vignette Get rid of the axe and the cross and he might do.

 

And you might be able to do something with the guy drinking from a horn here:

https://free3d.com/3d-model/viking-drunk-3d-printable-5188.html

He does have a helmet on, and his multi-layer skirt and his "cloak" are a bit strange, but he's not too bad. (By the way, try drinking out of horn with the pointy end above your mouth like that and you'll get a face full of beer - don't ask me how I know.)

 

Steven

[Scottish Guy]

1 hour ago, Louie da fly said:

Here's a figure 70mm high (equivalent to 1.75 metres or 5 ft 9" at 1:25 scale) - https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/fer-miniatures-january-new-release-changes-to-come-viking-warrior-gamla-uppsala-1087.76208/#google_vignette Get rid of the axe and the cross and he might do.

 

Thank you for that Steven, I like that one, positioned correctly on the ship it looks maybe really good. There is a way to do it, leaning against the mast for example. Really cool, thank you.

 

 

1 hour ago, Louie da fly said:

He does have a helmet on, and his multi-layer skirt and his "cloak" are a bit strange, but he's not too bad. (By the way, try drinking out of horn with the pointy end above your mouth like that and you'll get a face full of beer - don't ask me how I know.)

 

I get your point here lol and yes, drinking that way would be a bit... "wet" but hey ho as a sailor it always is wet hahaha

 

Micha

[Louie da fly]

On 4/21/2024 at 3:59 AM, Cathead said:

Even pulled up on a shore, you could have one armed guard (easier to source) watching things while assuming the rest of the crew are off refilling water barrels or taking care of other essential business.

It just hit me last night - I've been in the throes of writing the Great Viking Novel for as long as I can remember (may never get published, but hey, it's fun), and my hero goes on a trading trip in a knarr in 1065 to the realm of Jarl Thorfinn the Mighty, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorfinn_the_Mighty) whose base was the Brough of Birsay in the Orkney islands north of Scotland. Here's a wonderful map https://maps.walkingclub.org.uk/os/explorer/463-orkney-west-mainland

 

At the very top left of the "mainland" you'll see "Brough Head". Zoom right in and there's the Brough of Birsay, a small island cut off whenever the tide is full (sea-level changes dramatically with the tides), and that's where Thorfinn had his settlement. Brough is basically the same word as the Old English burh - a fortified settlement - which appears as "-burgh" or "-borough" at the end of many place-names in Britain.

 

The island slopes upward from almost sea-level at the eastern end where the settlement was, to high cliffs on the west. As far as I can see traders coming here could have pulled their ships up on the sandy beach at high tide and perhaps unloaded when the tide was out. Here's a video with really good views of the island -

 

 

 

I hope that is of some help to you. Maybe you could consider this as a setting for your Roar Edge.

 

Steven

[Gregory]

On 4/20/2024 at 9:43 AM, Scottish Guy said:

...the crew could be in a near tavern for a drink or some rest.

Except for someone left behind to guard the cargo?😁

[Scottish Guy]

4 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

I hope that is of some help to you. Maybe you could consider this as a setting for your Roar Edge.

 

WOW... I´m speechless and impressed. Sorry for the late response, I´m back to work after six month being home because of an injury. So my build will be slow down now a bit... but really impressive, really.

 

Micha

[Louie da fly]

Oops. I'd meant to reply to this earlier,  ut it somehow got missed. Very glad to be of help in providing a possible 'backdrop' for your knarr.

 

I'll  be interested to see what kind of setting you do end up giving it. I've been thinking seriously about dioramas myself recently (ever since I saw the endless lines of near-identical tanks and aircraft at the Ballarat Modelling Exhibition - interesting for enthusiasts but boring for the general public). I think a setting adds immensely to a model.

 

Looking forward to progress on this one.

 

Steven

[Scottish Guy]

7 hours ago, Louie da fly said:

I'll  be interested to see what kind of setting you do end up giving it. I've been thinking seriously about dioramas myself recently (ever since I saw the endless lines of near-identical tanks and aircraft at the Ballarat Modelling Exhibition - interesting for enthusiasts but boring for the general public). I think a setting adds immensely to a model.

 

Hello Steven, at the moment it slows down a bit. I returned to work after 6 month of illness and I returned to restricted duties only. I might face a surgery as well. So yes, building process slowed down a bit, but I might go for the harbour scenario especially since it seems to be very hard to get viking figures in 1:25 / 1:24 scale that are not warriors but merchants.

 

I will keep you guys updated for sure, just at the moment I don´t post much of the progress even if I should do. Will try to change my "attitude" for this.

 

Micha

[Louie da fly]

That's ok. Take your time and concentrate on getting well.

 

And when you get the time, you'll probably find the diorama work is good therapy in your recovery.

 

Steven