Little Toot's Tiny Brother

 My son loved having the book Little Toot by  Bernhard August "Hardie" Gramatky, Jr.

Running across the beloved book on my son's old bookshelf, I knew I needed a generic tugboat to service the harbors of the various nations. So, I built one:

It pre-dreadnought days, the tugs did not have old tires for bumpers (technically, they are called "fenders"). Instead, they used braided ropes that they draped across front and sides of the boat. 

It did need a little lifeboat to complete the picture, but I couldn't squeeze it in. 

I tend to get sidetracked on projects, so back to building battleships.

Battleships work in progress

 Finally, the big guns of the Avalonian fleet are starting to take shape. And by big guns, I mean big guns. I am building my impression of the Royal Sovereign-class battleships. They have 12" exposed guns on barbettes. Unfortunately, I used a way too thick 16 gauge floral wire. I should have used the 18 gauge that would have make them less exaggerated. 

The back story is that these are older ships, though not as old as the central battery ships. 

Artistical shot of two Avalonian battleships.
A modern frigate having nothing to do with
this pre-dread university is in the background.

Pre-dread Progress

 The various shipyards across the planet Nauticar Prime are ramping up ship building, though in a rather random unplanned way. Its as if it is the whim of some unseen hand that is guiding the construction of various vessels with no strategic plan. 

The old central battery ironclad Turkanesque and her sister-ship Djinn get upgrades. Sadly obsolete compared to other nations' warships, it is a stopgap until the Sultanate of Metamora can receive the battleships it purchased from Krackovia to defend itself from the Zordanian Empire.

The Turkanesque getting rebuilt in
the chaotic shipyards of Krackovia

The Djinn on patrol at sea

Flush with patriotic fervor from its surprising victory over the Commonwealth of Avalonia, Krackovia begins a major expansion of its navy, starting with several battleships. 

An unnamed Krackovian coastal battleship in the lead
of two other unnamed Krackovian battleships. 

Meanwhile, fiery debates rage on in the Avalonian parliament over the loss of two battleships and several freighters to the Krackovians in what is now known as the Hob-Slobia Incident. Some MPs refuse to fund any new naval projects until there is complete accountability for the incident. Others counter that this is an example to expand the fleet and build more modern battleships to counter both Krackovia and Laramidia.

The Cantankerous along with her sister ship the
Curmudgeon represent the aging and increasingly
obsolescent warships of the once mighty Avalonian navy

Secret interference by Avalonia convinced enough members of the small, but scrappy Republic of Cerviche's government to nix any leasing deal with Laramidia for guano mines. So, Cerviche was not able to procure the armored cruiser Arkandelphia. Cerviche settled for several, overpriced seagoing monitors, one of which is shown below.   

The monitor Cebolla steaming behind the light
cruiser Chupacabra. Both built in Laramidia

 Avalonian diplomatic corps scored another diplomatic victory by transfering several obsolete warship to Cerviche's rival, Escalona. In return they get rights to build a naval refueling base on Escalona's southwest coast obstensively for Escalonia's navy. 

Ex-Avalonian monitor Hobnob now Escalonian  Areias de Cascais