This will be the first, of what I hope to be many columns, from Chuck Duggie on the naval aspect of our hobby. Ed. Naval gamers that are interested in 15mm naval skirmishes, be informed that I have found a company advertising 15mm and 25mm ships in cast in solid (not foamed) resin. The company: 19th Century Miniatures 13595 Green Street Grand Haven, MI. 49417 (616) 846-4764. The models include six types of medieval Cogs, a Viking long ship, a Saxon ship, Norman ship, seven types of ancient galleys, and six types of renaissance period for the battle of Lepanto. For 25mm aficionado, I know our editor is one, there is the medieval Cog and the Viking longship. Prices are not bad - a 15mm Greek trireme is $12, or $16 with crew. Crew figures are manufactured by different companies, Chariot., Gladiator., Two Dragon. Cogs & Soldiers supplies figures for the ancient and medieval period, while Minifigs are used with the Renaissance/Lepanto period. The list also shows that the company supplies mast kits, organ guns, bombards, catapults and ballistae. There is also a rulebook From Oars to Cannon Naval combat from 500 BC to 1570 AD. I have ordered these rules and seven ships, which I will review for our readers in a later issue. More new items: I received a box of goodies from Langton Miniatures. The real jewel among the items is their 1:1200 castle, modeled on Middlehain Castle in the British Isles and is the best miniature building that I have seen in my 25 years of gaming. It is beautiful detailed with perfect casting, no air bubbles or holes that one usually finds in resin casts. It is ready to paint, though I suggest it first be washed in dish soap to remove the silicone release agent. There was also an assortment of buildings both resin and metal- from Langton's new "buildings and dockside structures of Toulon" range. Langton designed an 8 x 4' diorama of Toulon, France for the 200th anniversary of its 1793 siege. His structures are based on the historical buildings of the port, but could be used for almost any European port. Langton Miniatures also produces a line of 1:1200 scale Napoleonic ships, which ranges from a 130 [Theaantissima de Trinidad? Ed.] down to ships boats. Each hull may be given masts with nine separate and distinct sail positions from furled at anchor to set full sail including studding sails. These are excellent models priced in the GHQ ship range [$6.95-$10.95, Ed.] Langton also has Clear for Action a computer assisted sailing ship damage system. All players do is move their ships, the program allocates and keeps track of damage for minimal book keeping. I received this program recently and I plan to review it in a later column. Rod's address is: Langton's Miniatures North Trendeal, Ladock, Turio Cornwall, United Kingdom TR2 4QQ. As an aside, ordering from English Companies is not difficult if you are aware of two things: First, specify and pay for Airmail Postage otherwise it could take 4 to 6 months for the surface mail [They send it by a Viking Longship, Ed.] Second, and most important, pay by credit card. You will be charged actual postage instead of the inflated 30-40% listed. You will also save on dollar conversion fees. We seemed to have caught up with other the hobbies in this information age. There is another computer program for naval miniatures, ArmorSoft's Shipbase III. This covers naval actions from 1890-1945. The program has a strategic search program including aircraft that I have needed for naval battles for years. It works on a simple level, but after playing 30 games with the system, there are definite problems. First, more detailed "chrome" is needed before it will truly satisfy me. Ships go down too easily from torpedo hits, and there is all arbitrary size limit of 100,000 tons (no H44 class German BBs allowed). Armor plate is limited to 20" max, while AA fire for the '45 variant is not deadly enough. The game does includes aircraft. Because of these obstacles, I have written to the designer with some questions. I will share his answers (if any) in a later column. Their Newsletter mentions that there will be a Shipbase.OV, covering the ancient period up to the 1890s. By linking these two, one may fight any naval action up to the end of WWII. [I would like to see the Sailing ship vairiant, Ed.] According to the newsletter, this is in the works be to be released later this year. This program has improved since its first release, and gives good value for the money. Game is available from: ArmorSoft Inc. PO. Box 323 Bloomsburg, PA. 17815. Meanwhile back on the home front, I will be moving in about 4 weeks, trekking two blocks. My number will be the same, (818) 446-3886. Sometime after all this, gaming will resume at Chez Duggie. [I will believe it when I see it, Ed.] Chuck Duggie is a naval gamer par excellence. He has every ship and most naval rules. (He even has the obscure sailing set I worked on: Beat to Quarters) When I save every ship I'm not exaggerating, who else do you know who has most of the heavy naval units of WWII in three scales? Back to Table of Contents The Messenger June 1995 Back to The Messenger List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1995 by HMGS/PSW. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com