st george
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st george reacted to chris watton in Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates
OK, I have now finished with the 'pre-prototype' model, and have all the info I need. A lot of small changes have been made, so this model shows (many) mistakes that the prototype model will not have. What is shown is around 95% of the hull laser cut parts and the castings.
For the boat beams, the U shaped brackets presented a problem. I was going to do them in PE, but wasn't happy with them, as they protrude above the gangway by around 1.5mm. So, these are now perfectly scaled 3-d printed parts, using a very tough resin, and are the kit versions. A very small detail, but happy with the result. The gangway has changed since these pics, with the widest part nearest the quarterdeck moved back a few mm, so the ladders are in between the cannon.
The slots in the quarterdeck were moved back a lot further, in order to show the chequered deck pattern in the aft cabin. Ladders are cut in 0.6mm pear, and look much better, scale-wise. The catheads are made from 5 laser cut and engraved parts each, otherwise they would have looked pretty basic..
Al PE is done and sent off to Italy to be produced for the prototype model, and I now have the task of part numbering everything and doing a full parts list, followed by starting on the CAD drawings for plans...
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st george reacted to BobG in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
I just got caught up on your wonderful build log. I want to add my sincere condolences to you on the loss of your husband. I can only imagine your grief. I would be like a small boat adrift in the vast sea if my wife were to pass away before me. I do believe that time helps to heal great wounds and I hope you will find inner peace in due time...
As for your magnificent model, it is simply a masterpiece of art and is certainly one of the most beautiful ship models I have ever seen. Your creativity and skill has few peers. You are indeed one of the finest ship modelers the world has ever seen.
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st george reacted to dvm27 in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
These are magnificent examples of mixed media use in ship model building, Doris. Do they not have dust in your country? I wonder how you keep these masterpieces in pristine condition without being encased.
Whatever will you do next? I hope you will share it here. We talked once of your publishing a book based on your techniques. Did that ever come to fruition?
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
General view and details of decoration on the stern section...
Have a great time and enjoy the pics.
Best regards,
Doris
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
Night shots and interior of the great cabin:
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
Dear friends,
I am very grateful and honored reading your kind words and feel your support. Thank you all very much, I do appreciate your feedback a lot.
Th Royal Katherine has been finished a few days ago, this build took me almost four years and approximate 7000hours of work and studying.
I am sorry that my husband could not see the completion of the model, but he supported me a lot in my hobby and shared the successes and joy of building models with me.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have helped me and followed my work through this forum.
A few days ago there was a nice report about my work on card models on Czech television. It was also dedicated to my husband, with whom I wanted to say goodbye for the last time. You can watch the report here, but it is in Czech languauge:
https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10805121298-gejzir/221562235000005/video/819958?fbclid=IwAR1I97p0dLk-BvV_dO7SQtBYOl3AFps7K9qI9gWhKSZ4TEeRVBBPsp-3zy0
And here you can see plenty of pics of my largest finished model - the Royal Katherine - I consider her the best ship of all I have ever created:
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st george reacted to chris watton in Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates
OK, just took a few pics of the pre-prototype model of Sphinx, so you can see where I am up to.
Please bear in mind that this model is disposable, no paint, no varnish, it has been dropped a couple of times, as the starboard forecastle bulkhead can testify, and no PE as yet, which is why I have just use brass rod for the chain pump handles, just to make sure all holes for this align correctly. This is just to make sure designed parts fit, and if not, changed and replaced.
Today I glued the forecastle and quarterdeck beams in place, and finished the final deck engraving designs for the forecastle. I think once upper decks are fixed, my only real design job is for the inner upper bulwarks.
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st george reacted to ccoyle in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
This is not to be unexpected. It reminds of me of Neil Peart, the late drummer for Rush. After his wife passed away, he took a long hiatus from the band, but he came back to it eventually. If you are passionate about something, as your models clearly show, you will return to it at some point. But time away for grieving is something none of us would begrudge you.
Take care of yourself,
Chris
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st george reacted to Hubac's Historian in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
CCoyle could not have said it better.
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
Dear friends, I do appreciate your comments and support. Thank you all very much.
Well, I am not sure I will start with new projects in future. I have lost motivation and enthusiasm, always shared it with my husband and created the models also for him - he supported me a lot and loved what I did. Now I'm finishing my best model - the Royal Katherine and definitely don't want to give it up.
I added the bonnet under the fore course to achieve another detail for better realism. A followed these drawings from Lees´ book:
Now I am working on four anchors, they will be made of card.
Best regards,
Doris
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st george reacted to chris watton in Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates
OK, Jim (Hatch) has put together the three mini coat kits that will be standard for the Sphinx kit, a 22' yawl (£24), 24' launch (£25.50) and 28' pinnace (£28.50). And he has done a marvellous job, I think.
I am hoping to have a few of each in stock next week, to buy individually, as Jim is doing a little online (PDF) build manual for each.
The 18'cutter is also getting a small revamp, in keeping with the new releases. The boat kits will have extensive laser cut parts, in pearwood (0.6 and 1mm), including laser cut pear oars, thwarts/stern sheets and gunwales if applicable, and MDF bulkheads and building base. The keel for all new boats is 1mm pear, to keep the scale look, plus a PE sheet for the finer detail (floor/gratings and 'iron work)
A little later, I will have a 36 and 34' launch, 32' barge and 32' pinnace, and finally a 36' admirals barge, which will be suited for a larger model with the single boat on/in the waist
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
Thank you all for your condolences and kind words, dear friends. Life has brought me terrible suffering, and the pain in my heart is unbearable. I know, it is necessary to go on, I try to finish everything I started, and hope that one day it will be better again.
I finished the flags, inspired by Sailmaker's painting of the Royal Katherine:
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
All that remains is to add anchors and flags.
The crew was originally supposed to be on the model, unfortunately I was struck by a very cruel life event, when my husband died a few months ago and it changed a lot in my life. There will be only two figures on the model that will symbolize me and my husband, it is a remembrance and a tribute to the best person I have ever known and spent with him more than 20 years. He had a wish for me to successfully complete the Royal Katherine, and I want to fulfill his wish as best as possible.
Doris
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
And here are already finished sails (made of cloth), including other rigging:
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
Preparation of paper templates for making sails:
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
Almost complete running rigging:
Here you can see how big the model really is - towards its builder:
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
Running rigging and completing the yards...
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
Hello dear friends,
First of all, I want to wish you all the best in the new year.
Thank you also for your comments and kind words.
I am currently completing the model, almost all the rigging is already done and the ship also has sails.
Here are several photos from the process of tying the ropes, as well as some examples from the books I followed and used on the model (Andreson and Lees).
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
Backstays and topmast + togallant shrouds.....
And other rigging.....
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st george reacted to DORIS in HMS ROYAL KATHERINE 1664 by Doris - 1/55 - CARD
And finally it was time for the rigging ....
Here I have started with top-ropes. Wooden blocks are also modified to achieve more realistic look as it was on 17th century English ships ......
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st george reacted to chris watton in Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates
First planking complete and sanded smooth. This is 1mm thick x 5mm wide limewood, much easier to work with than 1.5mm thick lime (Took a day to plank and 20 minutes to sand). Hull lines are quite planking friendly, so not much overlap to sand. No changes needed for the bulkheads, as all planks sit just right on each, so this means I have no more work to do on main skeletal structure. No gun ports to mark out and cut out, too, they will just need a slight file so they are flush with the main frames.
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st george reacted to chris watton in Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates
I have the more expensive Tamiya Yamato kit, and it is so much better than the standard older kit.
As it's snowing heavily here today, I won't be going to the workshop to sand the prototype hull. Instead, I thought I'd dry fit another critical area, the bow. This is made up of 14 parts and, as with Duchess and fishing boats (and all new future kits), it has the rabbet worked into the prow and keel parts. Again, these are just for checking and are throwaway parts..
The figurehead is the kit version. Each kit will have a 3-d printed figurehead with zero trimming required. The 20 x 9 pounder short cannon barrels will also be 3-d printed in a matt black colour, an example of which is shown. I have given Jim two sets of carriages, a set with and a set without the cap squares pre-cut into the cheek. I think the pre-cut cap squares may win the day. Ladders this time will be laser cut and etched in 0.6mm pear, making them more to scale, thickness-wise (5 ladder sets altogether for Sphinx)
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st george reacted to chris watton in Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates
I do not know yet, but am hoping for April/May release. If I get furloughed again, maybe sooner!
Just dry fitted (not glued in place until outer hull planked) forecastle and quarterdeck beams, all seems fine..
ETA - All upper deck beams will be in pearwood
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st george reacted to chris watton in Chris Watton and Vanguard Models news and updates
Just thought I would mention that it looks like I will have an Australian distributor soon, Modelers Central. I think they will be placing an order in the new year.
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