I've painted up my German S-Boats for Cruel Seas. This is a World War 2 naval war game focused on small craft published by Warlord Games.
These ships are nicely detailed and look very nice when painted up.
I decided to go with a simple paint scheme instead of some of the camo patterns I've seen others use. Simple paint schemes allow me to get models completed quickly and still look nice on the table.
I've painted 6 S-boats and these will be the core of my fleet. Next I'm going to be adding some larger ships. I've got some cargo ships and a couple Fairmiles to paint.
Next up, I'm going to show you how I go about assembling the German S-Boats for Cruel Seas from Warlord Games. You can watch the video here.
Below is a step by step guide showing how I built these ships. I am going to paint the ship before I glue the weapons on, but you can follow this guide to build the ship whether you paint first or not.
First, I printed out a parts list for the model sprue. I trimmed all the pieces off and placed them on the sheet to keep them organized.
First, I'm building the S-38. I took the cabin parts (pieces 11 and 12) and glue them together and then attach them to the hull.
Next, I put the 2cm flak cannon (piece 4) at the front of the boat.
Next, the 3.7cm flak cannon (pieces 5 and 7) needs to be assembled. I used a needle to apply the glue so that I can make sure I only use a little glue and it goes where I want it to go. Then it is attached to the rear of the ship.
I didn't get a picture of it, but last up is placing the torpedoes on the ship. One goes on each side and I placed them in the rear torpedo track on each side.
Next, I'm going to build the S-100. This one doesn't have a separate cabin so I start by attaching the 2cm flak cannon (piece 4) at the front of the ship.
Next, the twin 2cm flak cannon (pieces 9 and 10) is assembled. A small dab of glue needs to be applied to the pieces and then they are held together for them to dry. Once dry the gun is dry, it can be attached at the center of the ship.
Next, the quad 2cm flak cannon (pieces 6 and 8) needs to be assembled. Piece 8 has a peg that fits into the lower half. I trimmed the peg down a little so that it fits better into piece 6. Don't trim the entire peg off because it will help to line up the two pieces.
Finally, the torpedoes need to be attached, one to each side of the boat. I put them on the rear track on each side.
Some of the weapons are a little fiddly to assemble, but a little trimming should make them easier to put together.
I think these models are nicely detailed and will look great once painted.
I spent a little time painting some British Vosper MTBs for Cruel Seas. Cruel Seas is a World War 2 naval game focused on small craft published by Warlord Games.
The ships are nicely detailed and a simple paint job looks very nice on them, in my humble opinion.
A limited color pallet and a little time and anyone can paint these ships to a nice tabletop standard.
I've got 4 MTBs painted and will have more soon. Next I will be working on the German counterparts.
I picked up Cruel Seas from Warlord games when it came out, but have not had a chance to work on it yet. I've started building the British Vosper motor torpedo boats and put together a video showing how to build the ships.
Below is a step by step guide showing how I assembled the ships.
First, I printed out a guide showing what all the pieces on the sprue are. I trimmed all the pieces off the sprue and placed them on the sheet to keep track of them.
I'm building the Type I, Vosper first. I took the two pieces for the cabin and dry fit them to make sure they fit. The I glued them in place. Don't use too much glue as you don't want the glue making a mess.
Next, I took the attached the torpedo tubes. The back of each tube has a small bulge that should go to the outside of the ship. Be sure you attache the correct tube to the correct side.
Next, I attached the twin Vickers MG to the back of the boat. This fits into the circle at the back of the boat.
Next, the 20mm Oerlikon cannon gets mounted on the front deck. There isn't a hole for this, so just apply a bit of glue and try to center the cannon on the deck.
Last up is to attach the mast. I trimmed the bottom a little so it fits into the whole, added a little glue and put it in place. Be sure you get it in line with the ship so the mast isn't at a weird angle.
This is what your finished Type I models should look like.
Next up is the Type II Vosper. I took the two pieces of the cabin and attach them to the hull.
Next, I attach the 4 torpedo tubes. These have the same bulge at the back of the tube and these should be placed so they are on the outside of the boat.
Next, I take the two pieces of the twin 20mm Oerlikon cannon. Glue the pieces together, then attach the cannon by putting it in the whole on the front deck.
Finally, trim the base of the mast so it fits into the whole, add a bit of glue and attach the mast to the ship.
This is what this ship should look like when finished.
A little work and you will have your flotilla finished and ready for paint.
These models are pretty nicely detailed and now that I've got them assembled, I'm looking forward to painting them.
Stay tuned as I paint these up and assemble and paint the German MTBs as well.
