Should models boats include the crew?

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

What does the team think?

 

Personally……………..I say yes!

 

Imagine an RC model motor cycle without a rider?…………..I rest my case!

 

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

The crew adds interest?

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

My stance is (possibly) well known on the subject. Crew add a third dimension to any vessel, lifting it from being a bookshelf lump of carved wood to being a living breathing boat. O.K, I overstate the case, but i do like to see some figures on a boat/ship. It certainly adds interest and to my mind gives a sense of scale to a vessel as well. On certain types of vessel, crew should by mandatory, such as speedboats, barrelbacks and the like. A speedboat or cabin cruiser without crew looks silly going along on the water with no  driver. I dare say a lot of you have seen that book on modeling the Titanic, by that German modelmaker chap, you know, the 18 foot Titanic (everyone should have  copy of the book, the ship is staggering). He has included ONE figure on the boat “for scale”, an unpainted white figure. Wasted, all that effort, a few dozen painted figures on that ship would have livened it it up and given you a full sense of the size of the ship….the funnels towering overhead, the size of the plating, the lack of lifeboats.     Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Bob / Ashley

 

I agree that warships, liners and even lifeboats are improved by the addition of a few or even a single figure but putting Action Man or Barbie into a speedboat just looks daft and reduces a fine model to a mere toy.

 

Paul

 

 

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

For years I resisted, until I got the urge to equipe a model lifeboat  I had built ,with crew, but none being around or available for that era of boats I made somemoulds for them. My boats wouldn’t be without  a crew  nowadays.

neil.

Edited By neil howard-pritchard on 06/06/2009 10:18:35

[The Long BuildParticipant @thelongbuild]

To a point I agree with you Paul, However I have seen a speed boat regulary attending shows with a couple of Barbies or some such figures in being towed to the water by a Rc car,  when this is going around the lake it actualy looks a lot more realistic than if it went around empty, also a model jet ski looks daft without a figure, yes these may be more of a toy but they don’t half get people watching, and at the end of the day if you build a model boat and sail it , it by defintion becomes a toy, albeit possibly an expensive and sometimes delicate toy but none-the-less, a toy.

 

As for only including 1 figure on an 18 foot Titanic , that is a model which would benefit from 100’s of figures

 

Larry

 

Ps the idea of the Titanic has given me another thought , I have always been intending to build the Titanic (Long before Camerons Film)  , I have thousands of the old airfix soldiers  , might change the idea to one of the sister ships and add all the soldiers as a troop carrier

[mickParticipant @mick]

 in my opinion  like the other members i hate to see a finished model ?

without figures large or small  there are loads out there to be modifyed 

to suite most boats  its great to see a finished warship or tug with crew

on deck i never have a boat without  figures 

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Dear all

 

The only figure that I would put in the barrel back would be Hawley Griffin (1897) ….he had the right idea.

 

Paul

Edited By The Fat Controller on 06/06/2009 17:21:10

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

I saw a model Liberty Ship last year at one of the shows and it was the reverse of Larry`s idea……………….it was represented into today`s guise as a tourist ship and it had something like 500 trippers on it!

 

Bob

[David WooleyParticipant @davidwooley82563]

This is an interesting question and one that is probably as old  as  the  building of  boats models. In fact if my memory serves me correct, there have been reed boats models complete with crew found in ancient Egyptian burial tombs .  .Adding a crew or the odd figure to provide “life”   or   a sense of the real is difficult as it can render a model toy like on the one hand or a lifeless hulk on the other.  In reality you seldom  see a    real ship devoid of life,   but you seldom see static models with any crew.  The answer could be if a model calls out for the addition of crew then so be it.   Ted Parr’s astonishing 1:144  Nimitz aircraft carrier  is full of life just as you would expect to see aboard the full size vessel. The scale is such that you really need not be concerned about the accuracy of the garb or facial features. On the other hand at 1:24th scale crew member would perhaps need  to  have some resemblance of being human.  A difficult subject and one I have seen carried out with great skill that brings much more to the model than just the model.

Dave Wooley

Edited By David Wooley on 07/06/2009 11:40:07

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I agree, modelling human beings is more difficult than mere boats, but that shouldnt stop you trying ! I am happy with the small dolls purchased for the Fantome, as thats what the manufacturer pictured the boat with. Perhaps this is a subject that needs somew more attention. After all, how many build articles have you seen in , (for instance) MB mag, and how many “how to make crew members to bring your boat to life” articles?  Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Good idea Ashley

 

If you start writing now it could be ready by tomorrow night.

 

Paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

This model is certainly animated!

 

Etherow club member….Martin Sutcliffe, built it and is now building a similar FULL SIZE machine………………..Watch this space!

 

Alway`s a crowd puller at the regatta`s!…………………Bob

[Andy HustlerParticipant @andyhustler32076]

Having just started on the italeri pt boat in 1/35 and it would just not look right without the crew ,the same goes for my big leander i’ve just given the Revel u boat crew a coat of paint and hey presto you have a ships crew dressed in tropics gear .

Well thats my two pennys worth !!!!!!

[Mark HawkinsParticipant @markhawkins71181]

I believe there is a case for not having crew on models if they are for static show in a museum environment, but if it is a working model then it must have crew on board to finish the effect.

 

The other benefit of having a crew I have found is that they bring scale to a model, many members of the public when viewing a large ship at a small scale need a known item to be able to put things in perspective and the only thing they are guaranteed to know the size of on a ship is the crew.

Scale figures should not be a problem as long as you take your time.

 

Edited By Mark Hawkins on 10/06/2009 08:40:32

[Andy HustlerParticipant @andyhustler32076]

Mark .I totaly agre with you that by adding a few figures really sets the model off as the boat looks like a” ghost ship” without any figures.As i said in my last message a bit of imagination and some paint and the occasional trim with a sharp blade and the next thing you know you have a crew.

The u boat crew are so easy to alter as their uniforms are quite similar to the british royal navy and all i did was to paint them white all over then flesh colour for the heads ,arms and a small section from the knees to the calves and a touch of black for the shoes and hey presto a navy crew in tropics gear !!!!

I would think with the smaller boats may be the figures from an N gauge railway set or similar would do nicley .

Have a good one and keep on boating

best wishes and from cardiff

[Mark HawkinsParticipant @markhawkins71181]

Hi Andy,

 

The figures I used above are from the Deans Marine 1/96th figures set. They are White metal and can be modified/re-possed very easily.

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

The addition of figures does give an excellent idea as to the true scale of warships etc but when working at 1:6 scale unless a figure is convincingly human like in anatomical appearance and clothing it will detract from the quality of the build.

The eye of the viewer is naturally drawn to the figure where they will be disappointed to find a shabby rag doll and a poor attempt at humanising an otherwise acceptable model

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Paul, I would not necesarily agree with that statement. In regards to a larger boat, containing an action man, for instance, everyone knows what an action man is and would I think be pleased to see such a figure driving a boat and not simply view the figure as the main attraction. Oddly enough an action man is a good base for a “conversion” into something better but I have never seen any attempt at “enhancing” an action man for extra realism (but i used to use plasticene when I had one as a small boy…)  Obviously the choice of larger figure is limited, in fact, other than some quite decent 6 inch action figures there is not much other that an A>M to choose from, but I think the attempt should be made!  I agree an article on modelling crew is long overdue, not me though, needs someone who has studied the human form…one of the most difficult things to get right. Ashley

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

 

My opinion is that to put an action man in the Barrel Back would be akin to my throwing sand over the fresh wet varnish and trying to pass it off as a perfect finish.

This is just my opinion as I think any attempt would be just that….an attempt…. and not worthy of inclusion in any model as it would only detract from the value of the work.

 

I realise that I am going against popular opinion and whilst I respect other members points of view I can’t bring myself to put a figure in the boat so we will have to agree to disagree on this subject.

 

Paul

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

How about a simple shape?………………no clothes…….no face etc……………..just something to take away the lack of driver effect?

 

Just speeding by…………………..Bob

[Mark HawkinsParticipant @markhawkins71181]

I have seen some very good action man figures on boats over the years and they have looked very good, I have also seen some that look very bad and usually this is because they have been used out of their normal context and the tailoring of their clothing is not done to the same sort of scale workmanship as the rest of the model.

 

This can also be said of some of the other scales between 1:24 and 1:6, I have seen a lot of nice woolly naval jumpers that have been knitted with normal wool that would be more suited as a tea cosy.

[ARHParticipant @arh]

Some of mine do, but not very many.

[ARHParticipant @arh]

A few more,

[Author]

Posts