New to naval in 54mmm -some questions

Morning Chaps!
Last night Jan & I enjoyed a superb concert locally by Ade Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds and during the interval my thoughts briefly tuned to the current naval project here... I wonder if you could give me some pointers? Ok, I love the novels of Patrick O'Brian and John Biggins but I am all at sea with this naval stuff!

1. Can you suggest a good source of fittings for ships- I am not too concerned for the highest quality brass but rather sometime I can mount on the balsa superstructure I intend to build


2. Naval enthusiasts excuse my ignorance but were any submarines used in Lakes in WW1- can subs be used in such places as the Italian lakes? I have a conceit of San Martino having a rusty.unreliable one to give them an edge upon army(navy)red/white)


3. Cheap naval figures in 54mm - any ideas


4. Finally any tips from those who have tested the waters already in this modelling area- I intend to build fun,sturdy vessels for garden use rather than scale models

Finally apologies for the shameless puns and I look forward to your suggestions. have a great Sunday one and all!

Boats for San Martino and opponents

Our Joiner came today to remove a door and glass surrounds from the hall. I have posted before and after piccies...

More importantly
prior to leaving he cut out the basic shapes for my boats for San Martino and Army Switzerland.The photo shows them with 54mm fig for scale.The boats were cut from the cut out for the sink from time ago which I horded for such an occasion...

San Martino Aviation...

So light blue and white it is - thanks for voting! Can I ask for your advice further regarding the aviation of San martino...

Reconnaissance from the garden front...

Morning all! It has been a hectic week here at Army Red/White although not in the ways perhaps one would have wished. I have had paperwork deadlines this week coupled with a curriculum which expresses itself in terms of the worst of 1984's NewsSpeak and the excesses of complicated arcanely written wargames rules!


Firstly thanks to those who voted in the poll- I am most obliged to you all and will ask for you votes again very soon. We seem to be going down a light blue/white road which sounds excellent and reflects the way that San Martino seems to be moving towards being similar to a real country with a similar name. I liked the suggestion for the motto being "Anytime,anyplace ,any where.." and, as I am suffering from rusty Latin, leave it for you to translate for me!
My Austrian contact is working away to get hold of the aforementioned (in a previous post) book for me and I am grateful for his determination and endeavour. I will keep you posted. Thanks also for the link to some excellent uniform plates which have started me thinking about such matters on the painting table.
Finally I chose the picture included in this post partly to remind me to think of the San Martino Flying Corps ( myriad striped balloons flying over an ornate castle perhaps as the motto is sung as a sort of national anthem..) and also to have a look for where I put the 1/32 monoplane that is the Army Red/White air support so far!

Of Pictures and Polls...

As promised some pictures and data regarding the 1941 Swiss Lake patrol boat. It is accompanied by a rather inspiring print of Army Red/White of around 1914. Don't forget to vote in the poll please why you are here...

Background to the green waters...

I have been busy in quiet moments (if that makes sense) doing some background research into the Swiss army (sorry Red/White) and their preparedness to defend their water frontiers. Evidently they were not as well equipped as their neighbours prior to ww1 and did not remedy this until rather later. I will hopefully find out even more if and when I get hold of the book pictured here. I have been planning some input from San Martino too. More anon including a super ww2 vintage Swiss patrol boat in a couple of photos sent by a kind Swiss contact.

The green waters call in San Martino...

It was an excellent holiday weekend - the pomp and pageantry of a Royal Wedding and weather which enabled Jan & I to tend to the garden in terms of both food production and flowering plants. A tad less wind but one cannot complain...

I have posted a picture of an area of the garden which I have been musing upon much of late as I ridge up the potatoes and wait for trains to work. The lawn would lend itself well to being the green waters of a lake which marks the frontier between San Martino and the homeland of Army Red/White. On my Tradgardland I posted recently about the joys of planning and dreaming in the hobby too. I mentioned there too the influence of Mr John Ruddles and his garden whose pictures always inspired me...

I am still just planning, thinking and researching . I know I have many irons in the fire already but some al fresco gaming beckons to siren like. I shall continue to plan and will keep you posted!