Le Soleil Royal by EJ_L - FINISHED - Sergal - Scale 1:77 - 1669 Version

[donrobinson]

I like that shade of blue, should look good. Might be the picture but it looks like something is happening with the bottom wale at the bow, in the first picture. Good work. Any thoughts of a stand made of lego for her?

[EJ_L]

Haha! Honestly I hadn't thought of a display stand out of Legos but now I am!

 

That wale has been bothering me also. It is one of dozens of issues that are annoying me. I made a bad decision early on and that was to trust in the false keel and bulkheads to be where I needed them to for the kit bashing I wanted to do. I found out quickly that there were going to be problems and I worked them out one at a time in small picture views, (one row of gun ports or stern view etc.) instead of the entire ship. Had I really stepped back and looked more fully at the overall project I would have made the decision to do away with the bulkheads as they were given to me and instead I would have cut them out to resemble actual framing. I also would have done the same to the false keel so that the entire interior of the ship would have been hollow. This would have forced me to design my own framing for the decks but, it would have allowed the decks to sit where they are supposed to be.

 

I'm not saying the kit is no good. On the contrary, this kit can be made into a great model. What went wrong was when I started to detail out the interior cabins. The kit was never designed with actual interior decks in mind. Therefore the gun port layout and the wales positioning were not as important. When I designed the interiors it forced the exterior of the model to conform to actual interior spacing. This wouldn't have been such a big problem except that the false keel and bulkheads restricted where my decks could be placed which in turn has caused the gun ports to be re-positioned many times as well as the wales adjusted again and again. Hind sight being what it is, in order to build the ship the way I wanted to, I should have simply used the kit for materials and not relied on it for structure. This should have been basically a scratch build more than a kit build.

 

I'm trying to fix these bad spots that have developed. Some will happen others, it may be too late. It will come down to how much I am willing to spend on materials to make it right. In any event, this is definitely the end of using plank on bulkhead kit framing as is. I like detailing the interiors and it has now firmly set in that in order to do that, I will need to build the interior decking and framing myself. Whether that means I take the leap fully into scratch building or if my kit bashing becomes more intensive is yet to be seen.

[MichaelB]

EJ sorry to hear about the issues you are running into. Your ship looks fantastic and I wouldn't have known there were problems if you hadn't pointed them out.

 

Also thank you for sharing your thoughts on the kit and its shortcomings in making interior changes. As I one day hope to be able to add interior cabin details to a build this is invaluable insight.

[Robin Lous]

Don't feel bad about it EJ, kit bashing is sometimes like playing 3 dimensional chess with Sheldon Cooper.

 

Robin 

[EJ_L]

Haha! Robin, Michael thanks for the encouragement. This is by far the most intensive build I have done to date. I'm someone that learns best by doing and I have learned a great deal so far on this build. Maybe not exactly how to do it right but I'm learning ways not to do things in a hurry! Still, a lot of fun and with plenty more to do, I will get on with the build.

 

Progress update, I have taken some time to clean up the ship yard as it was needing it after months of saw dust flying. I was planning on starting to do some hull sanding this weekend but I've not been in the best of health the past few days so I think that is on hold till I can breath a bit better. I did start painting the planks the ultramarine blue for the upper hull. I'll try to get some pictures up in the next day or so.

 

Thanks for looking in!

[Hubac's Historian]

Feel better, Dude!

[BLACK VIKING]

Looking forward to your next update EJ but get yourself better m8 

 

Martyn

[yancovitch]

yep....and i'm still hang'n around ..........be well............vc

Edited October 24, 2017 by yancovitch

[kier]

Wow!....boy-oh-boy that's a big one. I wish I could have a model of her size. I myself suffer from epilepsy (controlled) and my medication causes my hands to shake, especially when doing small delicate work. The bigger the model the easier it is to me. There is one problem that gets in the way of going big is.......my builders yard is to small.           agh!  Dam. 

Please forgive me I am just jealous.

 

       You have a great build going there with a lot of great work involved.

         Stick with it E,J.

 

                               Kier

 

[popeye the sailor]

yea.......changing the concept of a kit can have it's problems.......I'm sure you'll figure something out and bounce back     a plank on frame would be easier though,  since there are no bulkheads to modify.   take care of yourself

[testazyk]

On ‎10‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 7:14 AM, EJ_L said:

Haha! Honestly I hadn't thought of a display stand out of Legos but now I am!

 

That wale has been bothering me also. It is one of dozens of issues that are annoying me. I made a bad decision early on and that was to trust in the false keel and bulkheads to be where I needed them to for the kit bashing I wanted to do. I found out quickly that there were going to be problems and I worked them out one at a time in small picture views, (one row of gun ports or stern view etc.) instead of the entire ship. Had I really stepped back and looked more fully at the overall project I would have made the decision to do away with the bulkheads as they were given to me and instead I would have cut them out to resemble actual framing. I also would have done the same to the false keel so that the entire interior of the ship would have been hollow. This would have forced me to design my own framing for the decks but, it would have allowed the decks to sit where they are supposed to be.

 

I'm not saying the kit is no good. On the contrary, this kit can be made into a great model. What went wrong was when I started to detail out the interior cabins. The kit was never designed with actual interior decks in mind. Therefore the gun port layout and the wales positioning were not as important. When I designed the interiors it forced the exterior of the model to conform to actual interior spacing. This wouldn't have been such a big problem except that the false keel and bulkheads restricted where my decks could be placed which in turn has caused the gun ports to be re-positioned many times as well as the wales adjusted again and again. Hind sight being what it is, in order to build the ship the way I wanted to, I should have simply used the kit for materials and not relied on it for structure. This should have been basically a scratch build more than a kit build.

 

I'm trying to fix these bad spots that have developed. Some will happen others, it may be too late. It will come down to how much I am willing to spend on materials to make it right. In any event, this is definitely the end of using plank on bulkhead kit framing as is. I like detailing the interiors and it has now firmly set in that in order to do that, I will need to build the interior decking and framing myself. Whether that means I take the leap fully into scratch building or if my kit bashing becomes more intensive is yet to be seen.

You just totally described my experience with bashing this same kit!  I started the project in 2009 and am not yet where you are.  I do think that the plans Sergal provides make it difficult to get an overall picture, but the biggest problem as you say is trying to retrofit the pieces you are going to use from the kit into the structure you want to create.  As the saying goes, if I knew then what I know now--so just think how good your next project is going to be!  Keep going and it's going to be beautiful.

[EJ_L]

Well, I may be finally out of the woods so to speak health wise. Doctors said I had a type of pneumonia but as of this morning things are looking up and hopefully I am on my way to recovery. With some luck I may even get in some shipyard time later this week. 

 

So so thanks for all the well wishes! I am looking forward to having some actual ship updates again! 

[Robin Lous]

Good to hear you're feeling better. To get back in shape...boil the salted meat for at least 2 hours, don't forget to tap your lump of stale bread on the table a few times to get the maggots out before eating and half a pint of rum.

 

Robin 

[EJ_L]

I'm back and healthy(ish) again! Better still, I have updates on the build! I managed to get the hull sanded and coated with a satin urethane. I also spent some time painting the planks that will be used on the upper bulwarks. While I know there will still be touch up paint needed after they are installed, this will eliminate a lot of the painting needed later which will decrease the risk of getting paint where I do not want it. Now I can continue onward and upward with the hull construction. Once all the bulwarks are topped out, I will give the entire hull another coat or two of finish to complete it. Enjoy!

 

[Robin Lous]

Clever idea to paint the strip before you put them in place.

I might copy that in the near(ish) future.

And it's good to hear you're feeling better.

 

Robin 

[donrobinson]

The hull looks great EJ, good idea with the planks

[Landlocked123]

Hi EJ,

 

She’s really looking great.  Did you use any stain or that beautiful color just poly over the walnut?  Thanks.

 

Best,

John

[BLACK VIKING]

Very nice idea with painting the planks EJ loving this build 

 

Martyn

[EJ_L]

Thanks everyone for looking in and the nice compliments and likes!

 

John, there is no stain. That is the natural color of the mahogany and walnut with a clear satin urethane finish.

[EJ_L]

Completed one side of the first blue band tonight. It sure feels good to be making forward progress again!

[Robin Lous]

The dark navy blue goes really well with the red brown hull. Nice!

 

Robin 

[donrobinson]

I agree, the blue looks real fine. Not near as bright as I first thought it was going to be, good stuff.

[popeye the sailor]

looking great E.J. !      glad to see your feel'in better!   sweet color blue   

[kscadman]

great work

EJ. Ill be following your build

 

 

Edited November 8, 2017 by kscadman

[EJ_L]

20 hours ago, kscadman said:

great work

EJ. Ill be following your build

 

 

Thanks! It's good to have another landlocked sailor with us!

[md1400cs]

So EJ,

 

Are you going to "bite the bullet" on this one and add sails, or just walk the plank -- haha

PS: As you've noted from my build it IS a chore - especially for first timers such as myself.

That said it is a great step forward in this hobby - for me it was. Along with excellent learning.

Either way your SR is great.

 

 

[EJ_L]

Michael, I do plan on attempting sails on this one. You build has inspired me to just go for it. I've never done cloth sails before so it will be a huge learning experience but, I need to start sometime! I will be referring back to your build a lot I'm sure and not only for the sails.

[EJ_L]

Well there she is. Finished up the planking on the port side tonight. Now her side profile can finally be completely seen and it feels good to have it done! Still have to match up the starboard side and then I'm thinking about tackling the thru bolts for the wales. Might have a drink or two before those bolts though....

[donrobinson]

That blue is a real killer!! Looks great EJ

[EJ_L]

Thanks Don! I'm real happy with the way it has come out. I may try to get some pictures of her outside this weekend if the sun can be bother to come out from behind the cloud cover we have been having. She looks better in the natural light!