How many of you have reached the point where you figure you have enough miniatures in your collection to last a lifetime? With 29,000 in my collection, I think I reached that point. Every once in awhile, I see a few figures that I just have to have, and I can't resist painting them. But now I no longer have the same desire to paint that I once had, though I still have a passion for Vikings! That is where I am now. An important part of any Viking lovers collection are Viking Ships. I already have a nice sized fleet for my 15mm Vikings. But for my 25mm Vikings, I needed something that looked like a decent sized Viking ship, not a rowboat with a dragon head mast on it.

Those of you who have Miniature Wargames #70 from March, 1989 can find an excellent article on making Viking ships in 15mm scale with a photo copy machine. I have to thank the author D.A. With for contacting me a few years aback when I was looking for advice on where to Viking ships. 19th Century Miniatures also carries a good line of resin cast Viking ships for 15mm. At one point Minifig USA was making Viking ships in 15mm and 25mm scales but from what I have been told, they are no longer in production.

The Sea Dragon is a good 20" long at the waterline and 4" wide. There is a central gangway down the center 3/4" wide and raised decks on both ends of the ship. My favorite construction material is artist matteboard.

After cutting out your ship you need to give a partial cut that does not go down the sides where you are going to fold the sides for the ship walls. Cut a notch in the ends of your ship. You need to bend the ends of the outside strips so they come up to the prow pieces. I use Sobo glue and paper clips to hold everything together. When dry, I remove the paper clips and trim the ship walls where they meet the prow pieces. If you are a cheap and lazy wargamer, your ship is now done. If you wish to add more detail, there comes the next step. Cut out the fore and aft decks and place them on each end. Trim so they fit on top. Also, cut out the central gangway. Score the edges of the central gangway you are going to fold. Next, you glue down the fore and aft decks and the 6" long strips with about 1/4" below the raised decks. When these dry, take your central gangway. It's edges should go under the raised decks.

To embellish the Sea Dragon further, I cut out a pair of oars out of matteboard and glued them on. I also cut a forked tongue out of an index card and glued it in the mouth. Stuffed full of Vikings, it makes an impressive sight!

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