I finished my Tartana! Nothing fancy but I have it ready to sail.
I used four basic browns for the hull. I primed it withstand can of Army Painter Leather Brown and left that as the base color for the outside of the hull. Foe the deck, rudder,bowsprit and inside walls I used XV-88 (the same color I use for model bases). For the trim I used Dryad Bark with a drybrush Of Sylvaneth Bark.
I covered the entire hull, inside and out with Agrax Earthshade to bring out the cracks and details. For the hatches and bow I used a brighter brown (Balor Brown) shade over the XV-88.
I think I gave the outside of the hull two coats of the wash.
Properly attired for the project!
After the Agrax I used Typhus Corrosion for heavy weathering at the waterline and the lower part of the inside wall and areas of the deck. I also put this around the gun ports along with some darker Nuln Oil.
I glued the masts together with white glue over several sessions. Be careful or you’ll end with your sails at different angle… like me. I’m not sure what I did but they’re all cattywampus.
I did some research and found that the gun ports weren’t always covered so I’ve been leaving the hatches off on some of the smaller ships. I find them a bit of a pain to deal with anyway!
After spray painting the masts, I glued them in and sprayed the entire ship with a couple coats of clear lacquer finish before moving on to rigging.
Rigging a Tartana Model for Blood & Plunder
The rigging guide found in the downloads section on Firelock Games website is helpful but it doesn’t seem entirely to scale. That back sail goes way further back in this diagram than how mine turned out.
My rigging tools. I used a heavy texture scrapbook paper for the sails this time. It’s easy to work with but isn’t stark white like the sheets of thin foam that I’ve used before.
I don’t get too ambitious with my rigging. I like using elastic bracelet thread because it’s easy to keep tight. I added a couple more lines than in the diagram but I didn’t go crazy.
All finished! I don’t think I spent more than 2 hours on the entire project!
Tartana Model Analysis
I put some Buccaneers in there and got some pics on a mat. I got something messy on the front sail so I had to patch it up with some paint.
There’s 24 models on this ship and there’s still plenty of room for more.
I don’t think there’s a faction that can actually run this list… Enter Ploeg, Sea Dogs, Boucaniers and Forlorn Hope/Les Enfants Perdue and a French Commander.
I’m really looking forward to using those 4 Swivels in the front deck. This ship isn’t as fast as the Privateer Sloop, but 4″ speed and 4″ turn and no windward penalty is pretty good.
I appreciate the two equal decks as well. The back deck on a sloop is fairly small. This ship can hold 4 good sized units.
This was a quick project! I didn’t go crazy adding too much detail or weathering but it’s also just a simple model. There isn’t any windows or ornate details like you find on the larger ships.
It feels good to have another ship finished! I have my Frigate started, then I have a Brigantine and I want to paint and rig up as a Sloop of War, a second Bark, another Sloop I want to build as a Heavy Bark and the monster Galleon is still begging for attention as well! Plenty to do!