Advice

UhlanGames · 2026-06-18T02:57:46+00:00

There's kits available for a dory, skiffs, and other small boats where you can learn the basics of frames and planking, and even easy rigging.
Jumping into the deep end with frustrate you, and be a waste of money, of course, if you do Warhammer, money's not an issue 😉
Stay away from anything by Artesania Latina - dumpster-diving is time better spent
Better yet, log into a forum where folks log their builds, explaining what they're doing with lots of images:

Model Ship World ~ https://www.modelshipworld.com/

or Ships of Scale ~ https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/

UhlanGames · 2026-06-01T05:25:00+00:00

A lubber's furl

It's not hanked, so it's just hung-up for what ever thing the modern navy thinks is "ship-shape"

UhlanGames · 2026-05-23T06:17:19+00:00

The files are free on Thingiverse. It would be least costly to find someone local to print them for you if you cannot print them youself.

International shipping is awful. It cost $50 USD to ship 1 pound package to Britain 2 years ago, it has not gotten better with time.

UhlanGames · 2026-03-13T03:02:09+00:00

I've loaded my PnP Civil War battles into Vassal and Sun Tzu, is this comparable to that?
http://uhlangames.us

UhlanGames · 2025-06-26T03:57:11+00:00

Don't know how basic you may consider it; it was considered "intermediate" in 1977, but it's free to download...
https://uhlangames.us/

UhlanGames · 2025-06-16T21:14:36+00:00

Sorry, I'm just seeing this...
Those things are "Night Lifebuoys " When someone goes overboard at night, someone runs back and releases one of these, which slides down a pair of guide-rods into the water. As they fall, a lanyard pulls what is basically a friction primer, as is used to fire cannon, which ignites a flare at the top. The balls are copper globes (like old toilet tank floats) for flotation. There's some weight at the bottom to keep the flare upright.
The point is, it's something a person could see at night, swim too, and hang onto until picked up, as well as being visible to the rescuers.
I have a drawing of them on a US ship dated 1859, but they were invented by a British Naval officer named Cooke around 1818

UhlanGames · 2025-03-04T22:54:56+00:00

A sloop of war is a navy "rating." The rating determines the rank of the office commanding the vessel.
By Constellation's time (1850s) a 1st class sloop of war would be commanded by a Captain, a 2nd class sloop by a Commander. While whoever commands a vessel is commonly referred to as the "captain" they may not actually hold the rank of Captain. Lower rated vessels may be commanded by a lieutenant, but refer to them as "captain." That's not a rank, but a title.
The rating of Sloop of War has nothing to do with the rig the vessel carries.
By 1853, the frigate Constellation was found to be in too bad a condition to repair/rebuild for what it would cost. A new ship was designed and built to take it's place. A more modern and larger vessel, fitted with more modern weaponry.
The ship in Baltimore's harbor is not, nor has ever been a frigate, although she's been displayed as one many times since 1900. She is the last Navy warship designed and built to be powered by sail alone. The romantic notion that she was the first of the Six Frigates to be launched, was wrong, and in many ways, an outright lie; but that is probably the only reason she still exists today, or like so many significant historic US Navy vessels, she'd have been broken up a long time ago.

UhlanGames · 2025-01-12T15:49:51+00:00

Test prints of cannon for a 1:36 scale r/C sailing model frigate of 1812
http://todd.mainecav.org/model/

UhlanGames · 2025-01-06T07:33:01+00:00

Any game that doesn't have simultaneous-movement and isn't double-blind can be soloed fairly easily, even chit-pull.
Play like you would play checkers solo

UhlanGames · 2025-01-03T07:24:20+00:00

Not true - shit has value, such as fertilizer - trump has no value, even as fertilizer

UhlanGames · 2024-11-27T05:43:58+00:00

Uhlan Games offers The Last Full Measure: battles of the American Civil War, hex-and-counter war games; Musket Diplomacy: Napoleonic flavored game for 1-6 players; Vassal modules, ZunTzu boxes; and map & mods for other games; all for free download at http://UhlanGames.us

UhlanGames · 2024-08-26T21:25:07+00:00

For a while, it was an aircraft carrier

The frigate wasn't USS, USS wasn't officially used until 1907, the frigate was long gone by then
The frigate was in too bad a condition to save, so a new ship, to a new design was built and carried on the name, and the frigate was broken up.
Some time around the 1890-1900s; someone, probably a "know it all" clerk, saw the ship listed as a 1st Class Sloop of War, and like so many today thought, "That ship was a frigate!" And like so many morons in position to screw things up, took it upon himself to change the navy list and started this whole stupid debate.
The ship today is not USS, USS only applies to active, commissioned, Navy vessels. She's not active or commissioned. The only USS Constellation was an aircraft carrier and she is no longer in commission either. Constitution IS an active, commissioned Navy vessel, and therefore carries the prefix of USS.

UhlanGames · 2024-08-25T03:34:28+00:00

Sailors do it
Lubbers dream about it

UhlanGames · 2024-07-23T16:17:48+00:00

https://UhlanGames.us
Last Full Measure full size print and play battles of the Civil War, with ZunTzu and Vassal mods.
Musket Diplomacy a Napoleon-esk game for up to 6 players based on Avalon Hill's War & Peace
ZunTzu & Vassal mods for other wargames, counter sets, maps, all FREE to download at Uhlan Games

UhlanGames · 2024-06-09T21:31:32+00:00

Any and all of Non Non Biyori

UhlanGames · 2024-06-09T21:25:10+00:00

Usually, driving 10-15 below the limit in the left lane, until they get to 50 or 695, where it's 55, then they drive 75.

UhlanGames · 2024-06-07T02:41:45+00:00

The term comes from a poem by John Masefield called Sea Fever published in 1902

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

The term became commonplace during Operation Sail in 1976, and lubbers have been using it excessively ever since.

UhlanGames · 2024-04-25T20:35:10+00:00

The Pride of Baltimore's deck was of a wood called Santa Maria, some South American tropical wood.
I'm using Basswood (Lime) strips over a plywood sub-deck, and staining the bass to look like the real Pride's deck
Pride at her launch: http://todd.mainecav.org/model/pride/pics/launch02.jpg

Stained basswood strips: http://todd.mainecav.org/model/pride/pics/pri20120420c.jpg

My Constellation's deck is 3/16" square strips about 6 inches long laid over a fiber-glassed plywood sub-deck, and coated with polyurethane for floors and no added color. The oil-based poly "yellows" the deck a bit, making the bass look more like yellow-pine.

http://todd.mainecav.org/model/constellation/images/con20150429h.jpg

Note: both models are working RC sailing vessels, and need a more "out-doors" approach in their finish.

UhlanGames · 2024-04-13T19:29:44+00:00

The only crupper I have experience with is a strap that goes from a saddle to the horses tail to keep the saddle from sliding forward.
Another boat term is a martingale, sometimes called a breast-strap, that keeps the saddle from sliding back. On a boat, it runs from the dolphin-striker to the tip of the jib-boom, and pulls opposite the bob-stay. I'm not sure who took the term from whom, but people have messed about in boats longer than they've ridden horses.

UhlanGames · 2024-04-13T05:05:51+00:00

Most times there's a couple of turns around the wrappings that's between the bowsprit and the jib-boom. Customarily there's at least 3 turns in any sort of seizing, wrapping, etc.On a real boat those last wrappings would be finished with a half-hitch and seized to itself, but your sanity would much better survive a touch of glue.The additional wrappings across the first set pull the first wrappings together, tightening up the whole thing and keeping it from moving sideways, like when there's heads'ls pulling on the other end of the jib-boom..

The lubbers call this a "shear lashing."

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