As already explained in another thread (https://rulesforcommonman.uk/index.php?topic=2915.msg37119#msg37119), the transit from June to July was quite calm for me, from a business point of view - calmer than expectable, honestly -; so I took advantage of it for finishing up a bunch of ships I had kept in pipeline for some months.
One of these (already shared in the thread above) was this small 14-gun xebec from my own brand Minairons, that you can see here:
(https://www.wargames.cat/soldadets/naval/catalans/m_xabec1_04.jpg)
But there were some more, mostly lateen rigged ships too. I'd like to share them now:
(https://www.wargames.cat/soldadets/naval/generics/m_xabecs_01.jpg)
(https://www.wargames.cat/soldadets/naval/generics/m_xabecs_02.jpg)
All three belong to the same design by one Henry Turner, who sells his 3D creations online; they're apparently based on a historical large 26-gun xebec or xebec-frigate. Each of them shows a different rigging configuration, for added variety; and only one of them shows fix flags, while the other two show bare flag poles, so as to allow the ships to perform varying roles depending on scenario.
(https://www.wargames.cat/soldadets/naval/generics/m_xabec1_01.jpg)
Model itself if very well detailed for a 1/600 scale thingy. I only discarded original masts and sails, because I suspected they would be too fiddly for wargaming duties, so replacing them by styrene rods and plasticard; all them were added a few Peter Pig crewmen, of course. This one above shows all three sails toward the same side, as if catching the wind from starboard.
(https://www.wargames.cat/soldadets/naval/generics/m_xabec2_01.jpg)
Otherwise, this other one shows a sails configuration known as "orelles de ruc" (=donkey's ears), where each sail is traversed with regard to its neighbours. Such was the technique for lateen rigged ships to catch the wind from stern.
(https://www.wargames.cat/soldadets/naval/catalans/m_pollacra1_01.jpg)
And last (for the moment) is this other ship showing a hybrid rigging, with lateen sail on foremast and square rigging on the rest of masts. This kind of ship was called polacre, and obviously was an evolution from xebecs - allegedly intended to outperform these, although I suspect that with no spectacular effects. It was apparently created in France, or Italy perhaps, by mid XVII century.
(https://www.wargames.cat/soldadets/naval/generics/m_xabecs_04.jpg)
Hereabove you can see both a small and large 1/600 scale xebecs, next to a full rigged warship from PP. As you can see, they all seem quite compatible to each other despite theoretical scale differences.
Cheers,
Lluís
Very nice, Lluis and thank you for the explanation of how the sails were used to catch the wind.
Best wishes,
Martin Buck
You are building up an amazing fleet Lluis, I hope you are having some great games with them.