Blue Ensign

Cheers Håkan, I certainly didn't have you in mind for this rare offer of rigging blocks😉 Post One Hundred and Forty-0ne From this point in the build I will be jumping around attending to bits and pieces as takes my fancy. One of the areas I thought could do with some enhancement is the gangway from the Poop to the Qtr deck. Prototype build photo. Beautifully crafted by James, but the kit arrangement seems to be a simplification having a couple of stanchions on the gangway with a rope guard leading down to the Qtr deck. This doesn’t reflect the more substantial arrangements in the 18th century as demonstrated on several contemporary models. To my eye there is an awkward gap between the Poop waist rail and the aftermost stanchion. 3569 3579 I made up newel posts from some Pear section and rails from 3mm pear strip. 3587 I have decided to varnish the newels and Poop rail posts rather than paint them. 3590 3592 3594 I think the arrangement looks more appropriate for a ship of this stature. B.E. 06/02/2024

Post One Hundred and Forty Thinking about Deadeyes The rigging on Indy is that of a Sixty-four, I understand that initial use of lesser rated masting and rigging proved unsuccessful. By reference to Steel, a Sixty-four had Deadeye sizes given as: Fore and Mainmast shrouds 16”, TM Backstays 10”, and T’gallant Backstays 6” Mizen mast shrouds 10” TM Backstays 8”, T’gallant Backstays 4” thimbles. The Indy Adm plan shows a deadeye. These equate to scale sizes of 6.35mm, 4mm, 3.2mm, and 2.4mm. The kit includes three sizes of Deadeye; 7mm, 5mm, and 3mm. 3561 These look good on the model, and I like that the delineation between the deadeyes for the shrouds and two sizes of Backstays. I am not sufficiently moved to start looking around for closer matches to Steel, but I may substitute a 2.5mm deadeye for the Mizen T’gallant backstay. The kit Deadeyes are the standard version, Walnut I think, but they are cleanly formed with evenly set holes. I can detect very little difference to the Pear versions except for the colour. 3566 I actually like the colour of the standard version, seems to suit my model. In my case there was little point in going for the more expensive Pear version as I wouldn’t be rigging the model. The standard rigging blocks are a different story; 3568 Not all modelers will be concerned by this sort of detail, but for me these belong to a bygone modelling age, blocky, single hole affairs not worthy of using on a kit of Vanguard quality. If the model is to be rigged then the Pear version will cost you an extra £140, a worthwhile expense in my opinion. Spoiling the ship for a ha’porth of tar comes to mind. Anyone want some bags of rigging blocks before I bin them? B.E. 05/02/2024

Post One Hundred and Thirty-nine Channels I made up the channels and trial fitted back in January (Post 127). 3194 Now that the inboard fittings have been done this is an opportune time to complete the job. 3543 Small weights are used to maintain the level until the glue sets. 3546 The brackets are added before painting, the underside of the channels were painted before fitting. 3548 3552 3555 3556 3560 A final tidy-up of the Topsides can now be done. B.E. 04/02/2024

Back in 2017 I used an ebony strip to represent the 'False' keel applied over the coppering. B.E.

Post One Hundred and Thirty-eight Poop Deck I had assembled the Mizen Bitts and Skylight earlier in the build, and they are now added, along with the Poop breast rail. 3531 3535 3539 Note: Before you fit the Mizen Bitts check the plans; don’t go by the Manual photos, they will lead you astray. Flag Lockers These have a nicely crafted core of brass etch sections that slot together seamlessly. An outer skin of laser cut Pear complete the units. 3540 I wasn’t overkeen on the engraved boarding on the top so I added a lead sheathing for ‘weather protection’. 3537 At this point the lead hasn’t been weathered, as I did with the Gallery roof. 3538 Not much more to do on the Poop, but I did think about the fittings for an Ensign Staff. The kit doesn’t include the fittings and few contemporary models show them. I don’t have any specific evidence for the type used on ‘Indy’, but I think she would have had them. These items are provided with the Sphinx kit, but a simple Cap-square and step for the staff would be fairly easy to make. Onto the Channels. B.E. 02/02/2024

Thank you rlwhitt, In the UK I obtained the ball bearings from a company called Simply Bearings. as per link below. 2.5mm Diameter Grade 1000 Hardened 1010 Carbon Steel Ball Bearings Simply Bearings Ltd They are certainly consistent and available in various sizes. I'm sure you must have similar suppliers in the USA. Regards, B.E.

Post One Hundred and Thirty-Seven Qtr deck Fittings. (Part six.) All that remains to do is the QD rail, and ladders to the Upper deck. The carronades can then be put into place. Quarterdeck Breast rail. 3503 This classically shaped rail for ships of this era is fairly straightforward to fit until the top slotted rail is fitted over the stanchions. 3509 This is a 0.6mm delicate rail thro’ which the Hammock cranes are fitted into the base. I found careful and gentle fettling of both rail and Crane was necessary to ensure that the cranes fitted thro’ without stress and risk of breaking the rail. I took the precaution of drilling out the fitting holes for an easier fit. The cranes should fit flush with the top. 3507 3515 The Cranes were used to align the capping rail but will be fitted later. They are notorious snag magnets. 3516 3519 3521 3522 3523 Movin’ aft to the Poop. B.E. 31/01/2024

Thank you Tom, kind words indeed, but I don’t think me in particular, or us Brits in general have a monopoly on detailing, not given the wonderful work on MSW from members worldwide, including many from our former colony in the Americas.😉 Regards, B.E.

Post One Hundred and Thirty-Six Inboard fittings (Part five.) Work continues on the Quarterdeck. 3472 Tiller ropes have been added to the ships wheel together with a representation of the sliding feet. The quarterdeck ladderway and associated items are the last centre line fitting to attend to. 3465 Not one of my favourite jobs assembling these delicate parts, but they are nice examples once the job is successfully achieved. 3467 3469 I have taken the opportunity to fine down the tops of the Head ledges where they meet the coamings of the after hatchways, something that has been annoying me for a while. The model has adopted hinged covers to the ladderway, a direct take from the NMM Amazon model. As far as I know the Amazon is the only contemporary model to show this feature, but without this facility working the Upper Capstan would prove very difficult. Otherwise, I suppose temporary Boards could be fitted when the Capstan was in use. The kit offering is a laser engraved Pear item with brass etched hinges. 3470 One of my pet dislikes in ship modelling is bent over eyebolts to represent ring handles. I replaced these with ring bolts. Another small addition to the covers is a rebate added to one cover for the other to sit on when closed. You will note that the Amazon model has iron stanchions around the ladderway. The kit doesn’t indicate use of these which is a little odd as all the other ladderways on the gundeck have them. I added stanchions using the same method as for the Gun-deck. 3477 They are made from ball headed steel pins of 0.9mm ø with a 1.3mm finial. For the eyes to carry the rail bars 0.3mm eyelets, (Caldercraft) are used. The eyes are silver soldered to the posts using two melt points. 3479 0.5mm ø brass rod is used for the rails. 3488 3492 3495 The covers slot into the ladderway framing but are seemingly unsupported. Were I rigging the model I would add an eyebolt to the headledges to lash the covers in the vertical position. 3500 3502 The next part should see completion of the Quarterdeck fittings. B.E. 30/01/2024

Thank you, Allan and Nils, @Allan – there is a lot to praise about Vanguard kits but I also comment where I think things could be modified or improved. All kits have limitations, but Chris has certainly raised the bar of kit quality and there is a decreasing need for bashing to enhance simplifications. (not to say that I don't enjoy a spot of 'modification'. @Nils - I have already started to add the tiller lines, there will not be any visible blocks, but the sliding feet will be included. Regards, B.E.

Post One Hundred and Thirty-five Inboard fittings (Part four) The kit provides two sizes of shot 2mm and 2.5mm ø in shiny black acrylic. The 2.5mm relates to the 24pounder longs and 42pounder carronades. The 2mm relates to the 12pounder longs. I didn’t really like the look of the acrylic balls, too black and shiny for my taste. I replaced them with blackened carbon steel balls of the same diameter. These were given an acid bath, followed by immersion in Aluminium blackening fluid (I didn’t have any for steel) but it seemed to work. 3400 The more muted colour of the blackened balls tones better with my build. 3415 The simplicity of these assemblies belies the time taken to complete and fit them. The Binnacle The design follows that as may be seen on Victory or Trincomalee. Laser cut from Pear; this little assembly is a delight. The mortises and tenons of the parts slot together beautifully. The unit is complete with brass compass rose and a brass chimney for the lamp or candle. Even so, I couldn’t resist making a couple of tweaks to the design. 3450 3451 3454 Glazing was added using a strip of thin acetate sheet, and the central section on the aft facing side was blanked out. Steering wheel. I liked the wheel provided on Sphinx and this one is of the same ilk only larger and double. 3429 A fully detailed brass etched wonder that gave me little incentive to consider a wooden replacement. The kit colour scheme of Red painted wheels with white spokes appears regularly on contemporary models. Deviations include All red, Black with white spokes, and all white schemes. The latter my be a reflection that Ivory was popular for the creation of ships wheels during the 18th century. I have decided to go with the ‘Red’ scheme with spokes ivory coloured. 3457 The brass etched wheels were assembled and primed with VMS Metal Prep 4K before painting. 3440 3441 Still pondering whether to add the tiller lines. In practice the centre of the tiller line was nailed to the centre of the barrel with 7 to 9 turns. Forward end to Starboard and aft end to Port. By reference to Steel the tiller line for a 64 is of 4” circ which scales close enough to 0.5mm ø line. 3442 3462 3461 Ladderways up next. B.E. 28/01/2024

Hi Dave, Having washed the guns, I use Vallejo surface primer followed by Matt black. I then use a dark brown weathering powder and buff off. When I first worked with the 24 pounders on 'Indy' I found that without painting, striations could be seen along the barrels. B.E.

Post One Hundred and Thirty-four Inboard fittings (Part three) Moving back to the Qtr deck. I start the procedure by fitting the after-most carronades. 3376 3377 As with the Foc’sle they are pinned thro’ deck. Slightly more difficult to drill the location holes because of the bulwark tumblehome. I then moved onto the gangboards for the Poop deck access. These are completed parts, but I had to over-plank them to match the boxwood decking. Tricky little beggars to fit; the two supporting brackets must be positioned carefully to meet the bulwark whilst avoiding the iron work for the carronades. 3384 The Gangway camber is also critical, I had them on and off several times before I was happy. I opted to fit the support brackets with the Gangway in place. 3385 It dawned on me during fiddling with these that I had forgotten to consider the position of the Poop deck ladders when cutting away the Qtr deck earlier in the build.🙄 Fortunately for me my fear was short lived as can be seen in the photos. 3387 Shot garlands are not usually seen on Navy Board style models, but they are present on the contemporary Amazon model which has the guns in place. Incidentally Amazon was part of Pellew’s squadron for some notable engagements. 3379 The Qtr deck bitts are fitted along with the Top-rope scuttles. I have replaced the kit provided gratings with solid boards. 3396 3398 3394 3395 Moving onto the remaining fittings. B.E. 25/01/2024

Cheers, Glenn and Andrew; @ Andrew - I used some stuff called Pewter patination fluid, I've had it a long time, but It is still available on the web. B.E.

Post One Hundred and Thirty-three Inboard fittings (Part two) The Belfry. Another resin depiction in the style of that on Victory, nicely made and detailed. 3322 I decided to lead the roof, which was then patinated for effect. I applied the same principle to the lead sheathing on the Gallery roofs. The lead foil is only of 0.1mm thickness. 3334 This is a convenient point to fit the Foc’sle breast rails, a quick and easy operation. If you happen to lose one of the rail support pillars (106) a reasonable replacement can be made using a spare cavel block which requires only a little tweaking. Always the way, a part for which there is no spare, pings off into the ether, but you never lose bits that have spares. A pair of Twelve pounders are provided as bow chasers which complete the ordnance for the Fo’csle deck. 3331 These are of the style developed by Chris with integrated cap squares. They look the part when completed but do require the gun to be installed early in the assembly. 3333 I did remove the engraved monograms and replaced them with the Syren version. 1820a I’m still of two minds whether I prefer the new system to the separate assembly of carriages, where they can be detailed without the gun being in the way. I did purchase a couple of Blomefield 9’ long 12 pounders from Vanguard, which are old school and have detailed etched cap squares which involve more work. This kit does not include the Quoin as shown below but they are quite easy to make. 1817a Blackening and fitting the cap squares, particularly the tiny joint bolts and key bolts are testy, so both systems have their drawbacks. Both versions make up into nice guns, I am a confirmed fan of resin barrels now. 12 pounder guns The Vanguard after-market gun kit is slightly smaller than the ‘Indy’ kit gun in terms of barrel length and diameter. The trucks on the after- market gun are a better fit than those of the Indy kit, due to slightly oversize square axles which require rounding. The ‘Indy’ gun (on the right) has rectangular axles leaving an awkward gap that is difficult to avoid. I think the axle shape need tweaking to a slightly larger square profile which can be rounded for a better fit. 3338 3340 The Foc’sle is now looking quite furnished, and not far from completion. B.E. 23/01/2024

Post One Hundred and Thirty-two Inboard fittings A necessary job before I start is to add the bulwark tackle rings for the guns. 3294 A ‘long pole’ drill is useful for clearing the pin holes. 3296 As with the Main gun-deck I have replaced the kit items with Amati fine eyebolts and 2mm rings to make ringbolts for the breechings. 3297 3298 Look better to my eye than simple eyebolts. 3301 3321 To complete the bulwarks there are belay racks, cavel blocks and cavel cleats to add. 3302 I did wonder about the set of three cavels on the Fo’csle, they do appear on the restored Victory but I could not find examples on Navy Board models of Frigates and other larger ship types. Even so, they do make useful additions for rigging of the model. Chris has allocated the aftermost cavel (31) for the Fore Topsail tye, the centre (39) for the Fore-yard lift, and Fore-most (87)- Main course Bowline. 3311 The Foc’sle carronades are fitted with brass nails into the deck which holds them secure whilst allowing them to swivel. A spare carronade slide is used as a template to mark the nail holes on the deck. 3305 The cowl for the Brodie stove is fitted with a length of copper rod which secures it in place whilst also allowing rotation. My preference with fittings is to avoid glue where possible. 3304 3309 The Foc’sle Bitts are completed. 3310 Still a way to go, with lots of fittings left to make. Onwards. B.E. 20/01/2024

Coming along very nicely Andrew, I like the replacement gratings. 👍 B.E.

Post One Hundred and Thirty-one Completing the Carronades. One of the most tiresome aspects of completing the carronades is assembling the iron straps and breeching rings. 2mm ø Amati rings were used. 3268 3272 These are tiny things attached to the side of the bed and I found it useful to hold the beds in an angled vice to perform the attachment, using ca. 3273 With the Iron work completed, the barrels are glued into place. I have set the bed to the inboard position as I prefer it to the ‘outboard’ look. 3280 3290 3287 3291 Following a test fit on the deck, the carronades will be squirrelled away as work continues. 3293 Relieved this tiresome aspect is completed, but more tedium beckons with the ironwork for the inner bulwarks. B.E. 16/01/2024

Just Beautiful Glenn, the harsh eye of the macro is testament to the quality of the your work. B.E.

Wonderful build Nils, I love your choice of subjects and artistry in creating them. You have a most interesting collection of ship models worthy of a more public display. Regards, B.E.

I can imagine Chris, and not worth the expense given the scale. Macros don't reflect what the eye sees at normal viewing, and this is a very minor feature. The winding bars are feasible, but even these are very small, they have to fit between the eyebolts for the port tackle. B.E.

Post One Hundred and Thirty Carronades. The 42 pounders are nicely made with resin barrels, Pear beds, slides, and etch fittings. They will be highly visible items on my build, without the distraction of top hamper. I had already made up four carronades for the cabin area, and those seemed to take an age to assemble with the multiple stages. 3230 Assembling the remaining 14 is an endurance exercise but it helps to set up a production platform. The iron work was chemically blackened, and the barrels treated with dark brown weathering powder after painting. I replaced the kit breeching ring with Amati 2mm rings and added the Royal Monogram to the barrels. 3236 These are available as laser board items in different sizes from Syren. Always worth having a supply on hand. 3233 The Monograms were applied before priming and painting. 3238 3241 Three days’ work to complete the painting of guns, beds and slides. My mind returned to the possibility of adding winding bars to the elevation screw. 3253 I played around using cut-down 0.6mmø pins for the screw to which tiny eyebolts are added for the winding bars. 3255 3258 I thought about representation of the threads. The smallest threaded bar I can find is M1 which at 1mm ø is too large, but at 1:64 scale such detail would be very fine, and barely seen. 3251 On balance it looks better to my eye with them than without. There still remain the iron work to attach to the bed and slides before I can complete assembly. Onwards, B.E. 14/01/2024

Very nicely done Daniel, it's always the eyes that give me the most trouble. B.E.

Thank you Daniel and Allan, I hope the resin gudgeon/pintle arrangement developed by Chris for 'Indy' is something he will adopt for his future kits, and even as a modification to the Sphinx set-up. Cheers, B.E.

A fitting presentation, to complete a great build, well done David. B.E.