Norse Longship "Brun Drake" Launched

A few months ago, I wrote about the dark ages miniatures I bought from my friend Dan.  Most of the figures were already painted, which was my prime directive in buying them, and included a mostly-painted Norse longship. 

While I admire Dan's initial paint job, I thought I'd add some finishing touches.

First, I bought a 5/16" dowel, which I cut and painted to use as a mast.  I don't know how long the mast should be, but I made sure it was no longer than the length of the ship.  Better for it to be too long and trim it down, than too short, right?

Anyway, I was relieved to discover I had a similar, if not exact, shade of brown Dan used to paint the ship's hull.  I then picked out several other colors and painted some of the boxes and gear on the rowing deck, so these items stand out better.

The fighting deck's paint showed some wear, so I spot-painted the bare areas with my trusty brown paint.   

In addition to all the Welsh figures, who made their ignoble debut at this year's Enfilade SAGA Tournament, my acquired collection also includes some Norman and Viking figures.

When I finished the ship's touch-up job, I selected some Vikings for a photo op:

Here's a close-up of the herald announcing the arrival of a fearsome Norse warlord...

...along with the rest of the Brun Drake's crew:  

(Brun Drake is Norwegian and Swedish for "Brown Dragon."  In Danish it would be:  Brun Drage).  

You may have noticed that all the figures are warriors brandishing weapons, and no one is manning the oars, let alone steering the boat or keeping the (non-existent) sail trimmed.

There's a simple explanation for this:  The rowers and deck crew are still in their package...

...which will be a project for some other time.  

Until that unspecified completion date, I still have a passable ship model for my Vikings to go a-viking.