Mark P

Hi Navymast;

Glad you like them.  I have posted all the pictures of her which I took during my visit.  It is not possible to photograph the bottom,  as the Museum staff handle the models as little as possible.

If any of the pictures are of particular interest,  I can send them to you at full size (all the ones posted here have been reduced in size to make them manageable for the upload software)

Alternatively,  if you are not too far away,  I can burn them to a disk and send it to you.

All the best,

Mark P

Hi Al;

A very nice model,  well made and looking good.  Scratch-built,  too!

All the best,

Mark P

Hi jpg;

You have made it look very realistic;  I especially like the canvas (or whatever it is) where the gun barrels enter the turret.

What is the deck made of that it looks so black?

All the best,

Mark P

Hi Skifflake;

Smart move!  You're lucky: to keep the peace I have to do up a full-size house!  I wish I could miniaturise it.

All the best,

Mark P

Hi Sak;

Thank you for uploading the pictures of your model.  It appears to be well-made,  and I really like the way that some of the paint is worn,  making it look like a real working boat.

Keep up the good work!

All the best,

Mark P

Hi there Archjofo;

A beautifully made set of boats.  Congratulations on your lovely work.

All the best,

Mark P

Please be advised that following comments from Druxey,  during a discussion on deck planking,  it seems possible that the planking shown here is not original,  and should not be relied upon for historical accurary.

Dear Gentlemen;

Thank you for your kind words.  I will keep posting photos as I take them,  in the hope that they will help as many people as possible with their own projects.

I will also post an enlargement of the figurehead,  as this seems to be attracting a lot of views.

Robin,  I will send you some larger pictures.

All the best,

Mark P

Hi Remco;

thanks for uploading these pictures.  It's nice work,  and it helps to see how you made it.

all the best,

Mark P

Thanks John;

I am very glad that they are useful.  I will be posting more photos in the future,  as my research continues.

Kind regards,

Mark P

Hi Druxey;

You may well be right.  The rigging certainly appears to be contemporary with the model:  the yards and tops are slightly warped,  rigging threads are fraying,  and many years of dust cover it all.

Hi everyone,  and thanks for the messages.  I am very glad to know that my pictures are of assistance,  especially to those who are too far away for much opportunity to see the originals.

I will keep on posting more pictures of other ships from time to time,  as my research is continuing.

Happy modelling!

Mark P

Hi Schooner;

This model may have been made by the same people as some of the Rogers' collection,  so your thoughts are possibly well justified.

Mark P

Hi Gary;

I am very pleased that they are helpful.  If you ever want them larger,  let me know,  and I can email them to you. 

I think the frieze work on the topsides is very well done.

All the best,

Mark P

Hi Alan;

Unfortunately not.  I arranged to view the models at the archive;  no-one I have spoken to has knowledge of plans to arrange a new exhibit. 

Kind regards,

Mark P

Hi Paul;

Thanks for the comment;  however,  and regrettably,  it is not my work;  the guys who made this have been dead a long time! 

It is a Georgian model in the Science Museum Archive in London.  I have posted the pictures to help other modellers with their projects or research. 

You're not the only one who thinks it is my work,  though;  the pictures are in the gallery for contemporary models in museums etc,  which is the correct place for them.  It must be possible to see them without going to the gallery first,  though.

Anyway,  thanks,  and all the best with your projects!

Regards,

Mark

Thanks Thomas;

I will be posting more periodically,  of different vessels,  as I am studying them before I choose a ship to model. 

All the best,

Mark

Hello Siggi;

Thank you for your comments.  You may be right about the ship being the 'Dragon', I cannot say for sure.  The NMM have it as the Hercules or Thunderer,  which were built to a slightly revised draught of the Hero.  All three vessels were ordered in 1756.

The Dragon,  Bellona,  & Superb were all then ordered in 1757 to a newly revised draught produced by Sir Thomas Slade (although the draught was not approved until 31 January 1758)

There should therefore be more differences between the later vessels and the three earlier ones than between the very first and the next two.  Again,  it is not possible to be sure.  The evidence of the design draughts should not be taken as necessarily representing the ship as actually built;  the master shipwright in each dockyard had a great deal of discretion in the final appearance of each vessel.  So a comparison of the draughts cannot be a certain basis unless it is an 'as built draught',  of which there are some,  but not enough! (And none for any of these vessels)

With regard to the dragons on the stern carvings,  all my original photos are larger than those I could post on the website,  and in these it is quite clear that they are actually dolphins,  having no arms or legs,  but quite clearly a fish's tail.  Dolphins were a common motif in ship carvings at all periods in the 1600s onwards. 

Certainly you are correct about the Prince of Wales's feathers.  The prince regent,  who became George IV,  had this as his emblem at the time;  but again,  it is a fairly common motif,  found on both ships and buildings. 

I know that my suggestion that the 'Hercules/Thunderer' is actually 'Hero' has been passed to the curator of ship models at the NMM.  I will pass on your thoughts also.  At the end of the day,  to my mind,  the clearest clue is the figurehead of the vessel in the photographs,  which is undoubtedly a woman;  in ancient Greek myth,  which was a favourite area from which to take names for ships in the Georgian era,  Hero was a woman;  hence my suggestion.

Regards,

Mark

Hi Tom;

Thanks for the comment;  but unfortunately I cannot claim any credit for the work on this model.  It is a contemporary Georgian model in the NMM in London.  I just took the pictures and thought that they would be useful for others engaged in the same research as me.

The wood used though,  is boxwood.

Kind regards,

Mark P

Thanks Bill,  and everyone else who has found pleasure in these photos,  for all your comments. 

I am glad that the pictures of these lovely old models seem to be so welcome.  I will be taking a trip to the Science Museum archive again next month,  to view their models of Warrior,  a 74 of 1781,  and Achilles,  a 60-gun ship,  4th rate,  of 1757.  I will post the pictures here.

Kind regards,

Mark P