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Golden Hind as Kalmar Nyckel? (Kitbashing)


Brenticus

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My fellow model shipwrights,

 

I want to build a model of the Kalmar Nyckel (http://www.kalmarnyckel.org/), but apparently none exists.  I lack the skill to build a wooden one from scratch.  However, since I am going to crew her this year, I am absolutely champing at the bit to have a model of her.

 

The Kalmar Nyckel (a pinnace) looks a lot like a galleon and is of that era, so I thought maybe a galleon could be modified to look like her.  The Revell Spanish Galleon was out, since its aftercastle is too high and the stern itself has two balconies.

 

The Golden Hind, however, looks pretty close.  The plans of both are attached for comparison (My thanks to KeithW for the Kalmar Nyckel plans).

 

The Kalmar Nyckel has a shallower draught, especially toward the stern.  The wales up above the weather deck are entirely different, and the gratings are in different locations.  The quarterdeck/poop (whatever you call those on a older vessel like this) is in a bit of a different location.  The balcony on the stern is different, as well.

 

It seems to me that all of this (except the draught, might have to live with that, I don't know) could be overcome with some sanding, cutting, and kitbashing.

 

TL;DR: Can I use kitbashing, sanding, and cutting to make the Golden Hind into a presentable (though certainly not perfect) approximation of the Kalmar Nyckel?

 

What do you folks think?  Is this feasible?  Do you all know of another kit that would work better?

post-10055-0-61580700-1425651058_thumb.jpg

post-10055-0-64817200-1425651117_thumb.jpg

Edited by Brenticus

Cheers,

Brenticus

 

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"Jack, you have debauched my sloth!"

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Completed Logs: HMS Patrician, frigate, 32 guns (converted Lindberg Jolly Roger 1:150)

Completed Build Gallery: HMS Patrician

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You're welcome Brenticus. 

 

As for the feasibility ...it's wood. Anything is feasible. Bear in mind that the Golden Hind has a much higher forecastle, quarterdeck, and poop. The angle of the transom is much steeper in the Hind. All this will be laser cut into the bulkheads if you buy a kit. You can, of course, modify the bulkheads or cut your own, but then you are venturing into scratch territory. And don't forget that you have to come up with the carvings yourself, because (probably) no kit in existence will have carvings that will match the Kalmar Nyckel.

 

This is what I suggest: 

 

- send a PM to member rshousha. He is an MSW sponsor, and he is able to render drawings in CAD and laser cut the bulkheads for you. 

- buy the planks from Crown Timberyard, and the fittings from Amati, RB Model, Artesania (etc) - take your pick. 

 

To be honest I don't think there is enough information in those plans to make a model. It might pay to write to the owners of Kalmar Nyckel, explain your situation, and ask for better plans. 

Edited by KeithW

Regards, Keith

 

gallery_1526_572_501.jpg 2007 (completed): HMS Bounty - Artesania Latina  gallery_1526_579_484.jpg 2013 (completed): Viking Ship Drakkar - Amati  post-1526-0-02110200-1403452426.jpg 2014 (completed): HMS Bounty Launch - Model Shipways

post-1526-0-63099100-1404175751.jpg Current: HMS Royal William - Euromodel

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Also bear in mind that there are no plans of the actual Kalmar Nyckel, however well-researched the replica was. In other words, you might as well use plans/kits for any other Dutch pinnace and bash it. There's a thread about Papegojan, another Dutch-built pinnace from the very same period that also was acquired by the Swedes at the same time as Kalmar Nyckel. There are plans (and even a cardboard kit) available for that one. Haven't seen any wooden  kits, but it might be possible to find.

Edited by Matle
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Thanks for the replies, but I actually meant kitbashing a plastic kit into the Kalmar Nyckel (that's why I posted it in the plastic area, unless I did something wrong). 

 

I can see how doing a wooden one would be much more feasible, but I've never built a wooden kit yet, so I really don't have the skills to do something like that.

 

What I am thinking about would involve sanding down some of the wales, adding custom gratings, and kit-bashing the balcony and beakhead, as well as gluing the decks in different positions (which I'm sure would require sanding them down).  And other kitbashing parts of course.

 

I don't know how feasible it is in plastic, though. 

Cheers,

Brenticus

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Completed Logs: HMS Patrician, frigate, 32 guns (converted Lindberg Jolly Roger 1:150)

Completed Build Gallery: HMS Patrician

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi! If you decide to go for a wooden kit you could perhaps use the Berlin kit as I think it's fairly close to the Kalmar Nyckel in shape, at least with some reworking.

 

Don't fear the wood kits. I don't think it's harder, just different and with more stages. On the other hand it leaves lots of room for tweaking and making the model the way you want. A big plus for an idea like yours

 

The carving would be some work, but if I did this, I wouldn't make as many sculptures like the Kalmar Nyckel replica has. My guess is that thee are far to many for a basic ship like Kalmar Nyckel. The odds of her being blue is probably slim also as it was expencive to make blue paint. Just my opinion though.

 

 

/Matti

Edited by NAZGÛL
post-3739-0-77091900-1412108706.jpg

 

 

 

 

Billing Boats Vasa

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Take a look at this thread

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/9996-ships-of-the-late-16th-century/

 

I have many similar plans of that era. Abel Tasman's ships. Dutch 17th century merchant ships.

Marc

Current Built: Zeehaen 1639, Dutch Fluit from Dutch explorer Abel J. Tasman

 

Unofficial motto of the VOC: "God is good, but trade is better"

 

Many people believe that Captain J. Cook discovered Australia in 1770. They tend to forget that Dutch mariner Willem Janszoon landed on Australia’s northern coast in 1606. Cook never even sighted the coast of Western Australia).

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@ Nazgul:  Thanks for the recommendation!  The Berlin does seem strikingly similar to my (less discerning) eye- especially below the waterline (which seems to be the difficult part to find).  I'm not so much afraid of wooden kits in general (in fact, I am dying to do one), so much as I don't think my skills are at a place where I could pull off such a complicated build before getting more experience.  I'll probably do a nice Rattlesnake or maybe a simple brig first, and then move onto the Berlin, as it really does seem very similar (aside from the stern, but that's just aesthetic).  I'm very sure indeed that you are right about it being easier to modify.  You make a good point about the carvings and the paint...the amount of carvings makes more sense on something lie the Vasa or the Wappen Von Hamburg (not Dutch, but a pretty prestigious warship, from what I gather). 

 

@ Marcus: Thanks for the link!  There was some really interesting info in that thread, and I am looking forward to reading the thread on the Vasa forum that was linked within there.  One of the guys said his dissertation was on Dutch ships, I believe (just skimmed it).  That should be an interesting read! 

Cheers,

Brenticus

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Completed Logs: HMS Patrician, frigate, 32 guns (converted Lindberg Jolly Roger 1:150)

Completed Build Gallery: HMS Patrician

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Brenticus;

If you need help with the translation of Dutch to English, let me know, I can help with that.

I am a Dutchman living in the US.

Marc

Current Built: Zeehaen 1639, Dutch Fluit from Dutch explorer Abel J. Tasman

 

Unofficial motto of the VOC: "God is good, but trade is better"

 

Many people believe that Captain J. Cook discovered Australia in 1770. They tend to forget that Dutch mariner Willem Janszoon landed on Australia’s northern coast in 1606. Cook never even sighted the coast of Western Australia).

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  • 3 years later...

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