Where would you look for tiny ships and boats?

[Pingo]

Do people know of lines of very small (two or three inches, max) model ships and boats for tabletop combat? Or have favorites?

 

This isn't urgent, more of a "it would be nice" sort of thing. There's a game coming up likely to involve combat at sea, and actual little ships could help.

 

We can, of course, use Star Trek Battles and X-Wing ships. Or dice, for that matter.

 

But actual little ships would be fun.

 

They don't have to be perfectly historic; fantasy or steampunk ships are okay too.

 

Bonus points to anyone who knows where I can find a little paddlewheel steamship.

[Chaoswolf]

Distopian Wars has a fairly large selection of small scale ships available; I'm not certain of prices, though.

[SGHawkins09]

FRP Games has some that will work. I got them for use in my upcoming campaign. They are by Valiant and searching for Fighting Sail 1/2000th should get you what you need.

[vutpakdi]

The folks (Ares Games now) that make Wings of Glory also make a Napoleonic ship version (Sails of Glory).  Would those work for some of the ships?

 

Ron

Edited April 13, 2015 by vutpakdi

[Chaoswolf]

Also, GHQ makes a very wide range of small scale ships, in a variety of time periods.

[Bonwirn]

You could always try Renaissance Miniatures.  Then have several boats and ships made from laser cut MDF...

[Glitterwolf]

Aren't there railroad models for harbours and such?

[Doug Sundseth]

Broadly what period are you looking for?

 

The answers will be different for galleys than for Napoleonic ships of the line, WWI or WWII, or moderns. And of course fantasy/sf ships tend to come from different companies than do historicals.

[Broonkah]

Portsmouth Miniatures has 1/900 Napoleonic era sailing ships. Thoroughbred miniatures has some 1/600 scale american civil war era ships... including a riverboat transport and a rear wheeled steamboat. And if you want to go with oddness... look at old GW Man o War. Prolly have to go to evilbay for the man o war though.

 

Hope that helps.

[Jordan Peacock]

Pirates of the Spanish Main is still my go-to for ships (although I also invested in a box of Dreadfleet when I was able to get it at a significant discount).  Much later in their series, they seemed to be straining to come up with something new, so there were some "mega" models released, including a paddle-wheel boat (of the sort with paddle wheels on the sides supplementing sails, rather than the "river boat" paddle-wheel-only sort), but the trouble is that as the line progressed, the color schemes started to look more and more akin to Hot Wheels, with garish Photoshoppery rather than anything remotely plausible as adorning an honest-to-goodness period ship (even allowing for a generous amount of fantasy).

 

You might look around for Dystopian Wars from Spartan Games: resin-cast ships (and other vehicles, most anachronistic) in a sort of crazy steampunk/dieselpunk setting.  I've seen some online sellers put the Dystopian Wars ships in clearance, so the pickings might be slim by now, if anyone even still carries them.  Spartan Games also put out a fantasy-focused line of sailing ships, called "Uncharted Seas."

[TaleSpinner]

In a very small harbor.

[Heisler]

Here is a link to a blog that will most likely cover everything you want to know (that is if you are thinking of something closer to our 28mm "scale"): http://cianty-tabletop.blogspot.com/2008/10/setting-sail-collecting-ships-for.html

[buglips*the*goblin]

Wizkids made a collectible Pirates Constructible Strategy game that came in packs like CCG cards that you assemble.  There were a pile of them around here for a while when we were gaming, and the person took them with him.  Got them straight out of the bargain bin for like 10 cents a pack.  If you can find a stash of those for cheap, it'd be just what you need I think. 

[dsmiles]

Distopian Wars has a fairly large selection of small scale ships available; I'm not certain of prices, though.

Best ships ever.

[Auberon]

FRP Games has some that will work. I got them for use in my upcoming campaign. They are by Valiant and searching for Fighting Sail 1/2000th should get you what you need.

Valiant also sells another line called "Spanish Main" which is 1/1200 scale.  Still pretty small, though it looks like the larger ships are over an inch in length.