There aren’t clear records, however it is generally believed that larger scale figureheads began appearing sometime in the 1500s, and were prominent on British naval ships by the end of the 16th century. However, the belief that a carving or relief on the front of a vessel could ward off evil omens or serve as an offering to the sea dates back much further. One of the oldest museum models, The Coca de Mataró, features a Griffin-like head carving that served as both a symbol and a battering ram. Viking Age figureheads were not only weapons in and of themselves, but also perpetuated the notion that Vikings regarded their ships almost as living beings.
Regardless, it is undeniable that figureheads were of great importance and coveted and cared for by a ship’s crew. I wanted to give the Pegasus that same level of respect with her figurehead. While the resin cast figurehead that came with the Peg kit was fine, it had two issues I didn’t care for; I wasn’t impressed with the style of the wings, and it looked like every other Pegasus figurehead I’d seen on HMS Pegasus builds.
After spending weeks searching for solutions by looking at everything from ear rings to Christmas ornaments, I finally stumbled across this package of little toys at a hobby store that perfectly matched the scale.
I really dug the wings and the body, but obviously the cartoon-y head (and unicorn horn) left much to be desired. Also – there was no way the rear legs would work with the space available on the stem post. Finally, since it’s a little rubber toy – I wasn’t going to be able to manipulate it much and I was concerned about painting, etc.
So… I ended up creating “Franken-Peg” – a combination of the kit figurehead and the one I’d purchased. The rubber was really receptive to cutting and gluing it together – and looked even better after a coat of primer.
Some final adjustments needed to be made after it was mounted, but I’m pretty happy with the end look. I’ve seen some good looking wood color paint expressions on figureheads, but I wanted to stick with the traditional white that was most common to the Royal Navy. So “Franken-Peg” has several coats of different shades of grey and white to give her a carved look and some depth. Most importantly, it’s definitely not a figurehead that will be seen on any other ship
The Lehman Shipyard 