Blue Ensign

Post 36 A clean-up and further coats of w-o-p have been applied to the hull. The thwarts have been lightly glued into place except for the one aft of the Mast thwart which will allow removal for easier fitting of the mast step. 0378 0377 The thwart knees have been shaped and fitted as required. Careful bevelling is required particularly for the Bow thwart knees. Thole Pins. Innocuous little sticks you may think, easy to make, but quite tricky to fit uniformly into the pristine cap rail. The spacing between the thole sets, each aft of the thwarts, and the line along the cap rail need careful attention. There is no template for this, I think marking the positions on the plan drawing, would have been useful. The tholes are marked on the elevations, and a line can be struck between the two elevation drawings to transfer the positions to the elevation showing the thwart positions in place. 0391 This results in the positions relative to the frames. The tholes are placed ⅛” apart, which is the thickness of the Oar section. The ‘master’ version. I fitted the tholes by sight using the above and by reference to this photo from Chuck’s build. Pins were cut to 15mm lengths for chucking and allowing for a final fit of 5mm above the cap rail 3mm below. 0389 0390 I used a length of ⅛” section cedar strip to provide both the space between the pins and a square line between the two sides. 0396 A couple of the pins required re-positioning but once I was happy, they were glued into place and levelled by means of a 5mm section drilled to fit over the pin. 0402 The capping rail inevitably takes some wear during the fitting and gluing process, but I mask it for the final sanding and rounding of the pins. 0411 0415 0419 I have at least for the present decided to leave the pins bright with an application of w-o-p. 0437 I have included the thole pins in the cockpit area as represented on the contemporary open frame model. The boat is almost complete now, just a few bits and pieces to complete and tidy up. I’m not thinking of masting and rigging the model at this point but I do intend to make all the spars for inclusion with the display. B.E. 22/08/2024

Post 35 - Oars. As a small diversion I have been looking at the oars. The kit provides ⅛” square stock in cedar plus oar blade blanks for the oar makings. The oars require quite a bit of fettling to improve their authenticity. The oars properly consist of a handle, loom, shank, and blade, each of which has a proportion relative to the overall length. The kit oars have a scale length of 253mm which equates to a near 20’ When I built the 1:48 scale version of the Longboat I used the following formula to determine the oar length for double banked rowing. Divide the span by 2, and then add 2 to this number. The result is called the “inboard loom length” of the oar. Multiply the loom length by 25, and then divide that number by 7. The result is the proper oar length in inches. The span (breadth) between the tholes of the 1:24 scale boat is 130mm, scaling to 122.8”. Applying the above formula results in a figure of 226.50” =18.9’ overall length. Using Steel’s tables for a 19’ oar I calculated the requirements for the individual sections. Section L scale equiv Thickness Handle 10" 10.6mm 1.85mm Ø Loom 60" 63.5mm Thick: 4.1mm Depth: 4.1mm Shank 91" 95.25mm Blade 72" 76.2mm Breadth. Inner end: 3.2mm Outer end: 6.35mm Thickness Inner end: 2.91mm outer end: 0.92mm These are the proportions and finished sizes I am using. mm Handle Loom Shank Blade Length 10.5 50.8 95.3 72.0 Thickness 1.9mm ø 4.0 4–2.75mm 1.75 mm Inner 0.90 mm Outer Breadth 3.2 mm Inner 6.4 mm Outer The wood lathe is required for the turning and the sections are marked along the length. 0345 I am using a combination of files and sanding papers, but a light touch is required given the length and flexibility of the Cedar section. 0344 I am aiming to show the subtle thickness of the loom before it runs into the shank. 0347 It helps to have a simple card gauge to check the sizes at the different points. 0352 The Blade The kit provided blade blanks can’t be used with this arrangement they are too short. 0355 I remade the blades out some scrap 1.75mm Cedar. They are 72mm long with an inner breadth of 4mm (unfinished) and outer breadth of 6.4mm. 0357 The blades taper to a thickness of 0.9mm at the outer end, and a shallow curve has been induced to the blade. 0364 0360 The blades are glued into place before final shaping. 0368 0387 Compared to the plan, the swelling of the Loom is subtle but evident, and the blade is significantly narrower at the shank end giving a more graceful line. 0371 0373 Back to the main event. B.E. 21/08/2024

Vanguard Naval Figure set . I have long wished for a seated figure to include with my Navy board style builds that reveal interior detail thro’ the unplanked decking, altho’ I would use them even for a closed in deck, a little hidden secret of a model. Thankfully Chris has come up with such a figure, and I have taken no time to have a play around with this resin figure set. This is a pre-final production set. The set I am looking at is the 1:48 scale version. 0275 0279 The seated figure comes in two halves, and very careful removal of the supporting struts is required, it would be so easy to snip away part of the piece in error. The table is a separate part, and I modified it slightly for my purpose. 0313 The moulded in map was sanded flush, and one of the square shapes that represents a closed book, I think, was removed. For the woodwork I am using enamel paints rather than my usual acrylics. 0307 Here the table and chair have been primed using Humbrol Matt desert yellow 93. 007 To complete the wood effect I used Revell satin wood brown 382 darkened with Humbrol matt scarlet. For the items on the table, telescope, and inkwell/quill stand box, I used Vallejo acrylic paints. For the open book, and sea chart, I found images on the net; these were reduced in size on a word doc and printed out. I think a nicely printed out scale sea chart beats any moulded in feature. The sitting figure It made sense to me to paint the separate upper body part before attaching it to the lower body and chair. The sitting figure seems to be of a Senior Captain (double epaulets) wearing a style of uniform around 1812. It proved to be quite a challenge to pick out the detail and paint the uniform at this scale with its gold braid trimmings and brass buttons. 010 As an aid I printed out A4 photos of the figures, and the artwork on which they were based. Eight different colour shades of Vallejo acrylics were used to complete the figures. 0073 0077 For those curious about such matters the chart covers the English Channel and western approaches. 0083 0093 The very fine detail of these figures required many touch-ins, and I used interim macro shots to highlight deficiencies in my painting. 0118 1:48 scale figure I tend to only satisfy the macro monster to the extent of 9” viewing distance thro’ reading glasses. I moved directly onto detailing the 1:64 scale set which is somewhat more of a challenge. 0065 Here is a comparison of the two scales. 095 The 1:64 scale figures have been added to the Great Cabin of Indefatigable. Fortunately, access thro’ the skylight made this retro fit possible. The standing figure is spot on for scale, with the top of his head just below the deck beams. 0069 Whilst I was on a roll, I also completed the ‘Hornblower’ and ‘Pellew’ figures for scale comparison use on both Indy and Sphinx. If you like a scale figure on your models these Vanguard offerings perfectly fit the bill, finely detailed and I particularly like the realistic pose of the sitting figure. I think for a standalone tableau model I would opt for the 1:32 scale option which allows for more clear detailing. This is something I intend to pursue. B.E. 21/08/2024

Post 34 The Rudder A Cedar blank is supplied but requires some tapering fore to aft and shaping to get it to the finished article. The precise degree of taper is not covered in the guide, but the rudder piece is 4mm thick overall, and I am initially working to a 2mm thickness at the aft edge. Chuck’s rudder dimensions are a close fit to Steel, who for a 30’ Longboat circa 1800 gives the following. Breadth at heel. 1’10” - at scale =23.3mm Breadth at Hance. 1’3½” - at scale =16.4mm Breadth at head. 8½”- at scale =9.0mm The thickness of the rudder is given as 1½” but doesn’t say at what point, I have taken it to be the aft edge. 0227 To this end I temporarily fix a 2mm Pear strip to guide the taper. 0230 Gudgeons and Pintles. I have always been a fan of Chuck’s rudder fixings, and this is no exception. A neat if delicate little Boxwood set is provided. The standard setting for rudder set up on boats is a long lower pintle on the sternpost, with a long-braced gudgeon on the rudder. The upper set are reversed with a gudgeon fixed to the transom, and a short pintle to the rudder. This set-up facilitates easier removal and replacement of the rudder at sea, where it may need to be removed during anchor handling operations. Before I attached the fittings, I dry fitted them to make sure that the pintles would easily and properly engage. The trickiest part is fixing the Transom Gudgeon in position which is glued over the decorative pattern. As little movement as possible is desirable to avoid marring the decoration. 0233 My approach was to fix the lower pintle first on the sternpost, followed by the rudder fixing. 0236 The Gudgeon for the transom was then placed in position on the upper rudder pintle, held in place by tape. A smear of Ca was applied to the inner face of the Gudgeon, and having set the lower rudder gudgeon on the pintle the rudder was pressed into place keeping it vertical. 0269 With ca the set is quick, and the rudder can be removed leaving the transom Gudgeon in place. Tiller This is cut from a 2.5mm square Boxwood section. 0239 I couldn’t be bothered to get the large woodturning lathe out; this Heath Robinson set-up worked perfectly well for the size of the turning. 0242 0245 The tiller has a circular tenon shaped on the inner end. 0274 A Mortise is cut in the rudder to take the Tiller. This is of a 2mm ø Rudder finish 0303 The straps are thinned down on rudder and hull and fine brass pins used to represent the bolts. 0295 0302 The final part is to add the small decorations to the rudder head. I found these tricky little beggars to get a clean oval shape, and had several goes at it. 0311 I found that small, curved nail scissors worked best for me. 0328 0333 Moving on…. B.E. 17/08/2024

Well done Ivo, You have created a very attractive model, and a nice display. I agree with Bob, if you still have the desire you should continue, perhaps one of the smaller Vanguard kits. I'm well past my first flush of youth, and altho' I have completed my last large project (Indefatigable) I hope to keep my hand in with smaller less complex works. Thank you for the acknowledgment, I'm in very good company there. Regards, Maurice. (B.E.)

Thank you Glenn, I understand why Chuck included Cedar for the Windlass, a 10mm square section of Boxwood would be far more expensive. It is a preferable wood tho' if you can get it, and I quite like the colour shade difference for this fitting. @ Cisco - I use stuff called Carr's Metal Black for Brass, diluted with distilled water 50%. The brass is cleaned using fine steel wool, and a mild acid solution, before immersion for a minute or so. I then buff it using a cotton bud. It took well the first time, but I gave it a second immersion to deepen the tone. I think the main thing is making sure the brass is perfectly clean before starting the process. Regards, B.E.

Post 33 Finishing the mast thwart This particular thwart has supporting braces for the Mainmast. The kit supplies brass strip, to be drilled, shaped, blackened, and glued and pinned into place. 0169 0181 0174 I use a mast jig to form the clamp shape which is held in position by the thwart straps. 0183 0193 Once satisfied the parts are chemically blackened. The straps are not glued into place, held simply by cut off brass pins smeared with ca. There are also four belay pins made from some Boxwood strip. 02625a These are chucked in the Proxxon mini drill for shaping. 02607a 02616a 0216 Delicate hands required for this task, seven started, five completed, but a morning’s work and it’s done. 0220 0219 0218 0223 0226 The thwarts will not be glued into place until I have finished with the construction work, and completed the w-o-p finish. B.E. 13/08/2024

Thank you Daniel, Brian Lavery, Arming and fitting of English Ships of War writes that Longboats were equipped with a windlass, as did the Launch that largely superseded it. Whatever size of the ship the Longboat was the heavy work horse required to carry the kedge and stream anchors, and lift the cables of the main anchors. It is difficult to say whether the smallest Longboats (19' - 21' ) were fitted with a windlass, but the Medway Longboat according to W.E. May, scaled to a 28' boat and clearly had a windlass. Vanguard don't have a Longboat in their ships boats line- up, but in terms of modelling I would always include one, if for no other reason that they are an interesting fitting. Always more questions than answers, Daniel. Regards, B.E.

Thank you Ross, others have managed very well with the cedar, but Boxwood worked for me. Cheers, B.E.

Post 32 Windlass One of the most striking features of a Longboat is the Windlass, used for anchor handling. 0121 These can be tricky to make from scratch but Chuck has thoughtfully provided templates to set out the octagonal barrel of the piece. 0125 Cedar wood is provided for the makings, and early stages went well. 0132 I found it difficult to get clean square holes for the windlass bars. Repeated fiddling made the situation worse, and it all ended up like a dogs breakfast. As a significant feature I had no option but to reject it. Version two This time I went for Boxwood, being a harder wood I was content that it would hold a sharper edge and cleaner cuts. 0133 I was fortunate to have some very old English Boxwood of 10mm square section. 0135 Planed up, this wood is a joy to work with. 0136 0138 I used a No11 scalpel blade to cut the octagons, and a 3mm micro chisel to form the windlass bar mortises. 0145 To finish the windlass small spindles are created at the ends which are rounded. 0140 The windlass brackets are pre- formed and only require the addition of ‘nails’. They sit level with the underside of the adjacent thwarts and are fixed directly to the risers. 0141 I use a section of dowel to check the alignment before the glue set. 0149 Not given the w-o-p treatment at this point. 0150 0153 Satisfied I can now move on. B.E. 11/08/2024

Headworks are such an important part on a model, and she looks just great. Well done Glenn.👏🏻 B.E.

They had fallen out of use towards the end of the the 18th c. Victory may well have had them in her earlier years, but perhaps not after her great re-fit of 1800. I note that the Vanguard kit of Indefatigable (1794) has them as part of the rigging. B.E.

They are called Crows feet and were common on British ships also thro’ the 18th c. The purpose was to stop the foot of the topsail getting fouled with the mast top.

Post 31 Cockpit benches I found fitting the side benches of the cockpit somewhat tricky, and they took quite a bit of fettling. 0257 There is a lot of tweaking to get an acceptable fit. 0265 Several coats of paint were applied to the benches prior to fitting, but final coats will be applied once fitted. I couldn’t quite manage to get the aft end as close to the hull planking as I would have liked, but you reach the point of how much is too much, with the risk of taking it that one step too far and scrapping the whole piece. It is perhaps fortunate that this area is painted, as it allowed me to take a few liberties that otherwise wouldn’t have been an option. 0282 Side benches fitted and further coats of paint applied. The added support tabs for the central seat can be seen at the aft ends. 0285 The central panel has been fitted atop the stern post, and here the transom knees are tested for fit. I found it necessary to add small sections of wood to the knee ends to give a tight fit against the central panel. 0287 The final piece is the centre seat, this required a little tweaking to get a nice tight fit between the side benches. 0289 Additional coats of paint added, rubbed down with 1000 grit paper. The final coat will be applied once the whole area is complete. 0292 0293 0297 0298 0299 Starting to look like a Longboat now I think, the thwarts will be removed for the next interesting little construction. B.E. 01/08/2024

Post 30 Thwarts ‘n all. The next stage is fitting the thwarts, pre-cut in cedar and formed of two layers to create a reveal on the thwart edges. 0266 Five of the thwarts require notching to fit over the frames and sit cleanly close to the run of the hull planking. 0267 At this point I have also started to add paint to the cockpit area. 0268 0270 0271 Fairly straightforward with careful measuring, but I did use ‘false’ thwarts as templates. I am satisfied that nothing untoward catches my eye in either level or squareness. 0269 Nothing is fixed at this point and the thwarts have yet to be given the w-o-p treatment. B.E. 29/07/2024

A great planking job Ronald, well done👍 B.E.

Post 29 Mouldings and friezes I was going to move onto fitting the thwarts but decided this was a better stage to fit the friezes and fancy moulding. 0220 The paintwork of the cap rails was firstly re-done and the outer edges cleaned up. The decoration which follows the contemporary model of the Medway Longboat 1742, is probably an artistic embellishment. It is unlikely that a heavy workhorse boat would in reality have such fancy work, although she may well have had a plain painted topside and stern panel. Still, it makes for a nice enhancement on the model. 0217 Before cutting out the frieze patterns, they were sprayed with Artist’s fixative. This also brings out the colour a little. 0219 0221 The friezes were applied using slightly diluted pva. No issues in fitting, if only I could say the same for the Transom. Chuck has provided several slightly differing transom patterns to hopefully give a little leeway to compensate for slightly differing stern shapes. NMM Fully planked Medway Longboat The idea is that an evenly sized border is created around the pattern, formed by the hull planking at the lower end. NMM in frame Medway Longboat On this contemporary model the margin is apparent at the lower end of the transom where one otherwise might expect the planking alone to form that border. None of the provided kit patterns were a good fit for my stern so I converted the pdf to jpg and tweaked it by degrees on a word doc to create an acceptable fit. 0248 I followed the contemporary model by trimming the lower part to show a margin on the lower transom. I thought this was aesthetically more appealing. Decorative strip. The makings are provided in the form of Boxwood strip. I scribed a simple moulding using the Artesania Latina micro shaper set. 0211 One of the profiles is similar to the style used by Chuck; a 3mm x 1mm profile which fitted the strip. It requires 4 strips to complete the moulding run. I made the joins around 2/3rd along the hull from the bow. The forward section required edge bending to facilitate the round of the bow and a touch of lateral bending to take the spring out of the strip. 0230 The moulding is clamped to the hull and given the heat treatment to further assist the fit. 0238 I used spots of ca to attach the moulding to the hull. Care must be taken to avoid any spread particularly onto the frieze work. 0252 0251 0249 I can now clean up the outer planking and apply w-o-p. I think w-o-p can also be applied over both the friezes and stern panel to further protect them. B.E. 25/07/2024

Great work Daniel, a beautifully executed model, and excellent photo's. You should be very pleased with your work. B.E.

Post 28 Risers fitted Before gluing the risers I followed Chuck’s lead by applying the ‘nail’ heads using 10lb fishing line. 0179 I double checked the fixing marks before committing to glue and completed the Starboard side first. 0177 The port side rear riser was then clamped into place and the temporary thwarts used to confirm level and squareness. 0181 Moving onto the forward section riser on the port side. 0182 Multiple checks and re-checks are made to ensure that the thwarts are level. 0185 The temporary thwarts are used to confirm the levels at each point. I use the Proxxon vice to support hull and get a true level, and tweak as necessary. 0205 Forward portside risers glued into place, always relieved when this part is over. 0196 0207 Moving onto the thwarts proper. B.E. 19/07/2024

Very well done, a beautiful piece of work. B.E.

Post 27 Installing the Risers. This is always a tricky area; getting the risers at the correct height and ensuring that the thwarts sit level and square across the boat. 0173 Careful measuring is required and as with my Queen Anne Barge build I used a simple depth gauge to mark the positions at each frame along the hull. There is a degree of sheer to the risers and the position does vary slightly along the hull. Before I commit to glue I do a lot of dry fitting. 0177 0171 0169 This extends to making up dummy thwarts to check the alignment. At near midships the thwart sits 32mm above the footwaling. This equates to 30” at full scale. The thwart above the aft platform is 20mm equating to 19” In modern parlance this is about the difference between a desktop and a chair. The dummy thwarts allow me to use my ½” scale rower to check relative heights. The 1:24 scale figure at 70mm represents a figure of 5’6” height. 0153 0158 Something looks a little awry here, there seems a very long drop to the footwaling. 0151 0165 Except that is for the stern sheet section, where the fit is spot on. The thwarts can’t be any lower because that would throw out the angle for the rowing action. The conundrum is that the same figure used on the 1/2” scale Royal barge model fits well for a realistic rowing position. 01712(2) 01713 Note the stretchers sitting above the bottom boards. 02526 Royal Barge seating. Unlike the Royal Barge, there are no stretchers fitted to brace the rower’s feet. I don’t recall seeing stretchers or cleats on the bottom boards of 18thc boats. 0163 Even so he does look somewhat incongruous sitting there. Fortunately, I’m not thinking of crewing this model so the disparity will not be apparent. On with the show. B.E. 16/07/2024

Thank you Diver, I had more than a couple of card template goes to get the pattern that fitted. You will see that I have deviated from the kit pattern for the bow platform by notching it into the bow stem, which was a good fit for my particular version. The contemporary model of the Longboat, seems to have a different set-up around the inner stem and framing, with two platform notches before the stem, but there is no really clear photo of this area. Cheers, B.E.

Post 26 Bow Platform To make this platform, as suggested by Chuck you really need to start with a card template. The pattern of this platform is oversize so won’t conveniently fit between the forward frames to get a start with the notch for the bow stem. I found it necessary to indulge in a little origami to achieve the result. 0109 The pattern is folded in half and the notches marked and cut out on one side and when flattened out should fit across the board. The platform has to sit low down, a mere 16mm or so above the footwaling. 0098 I again used a height gauge to check the correct level of the platform. 0097 By these means I was able to get a reasonably close fit at the right level. Not out of the woods yet, with an open framed model there is no defining outer planking to guide the internal fitting. 0130 I used Tamiya tape to give a guide for the missing planking, to aid the platform final shaping. 0134 0136 0132 This shows the variation necessary to the basic wooden platform. (My build only, other builds may vary) 0137 0138 0148 Supporting beams were added as with the aft platform. 0143 I have not applied w-o-p at this point or fixed the platforms in place. I’m not even sure if I need to, the platforms are a nice snug fit. B.E. 13/07/2024

Thank you Ronald, at 390mm long by 132mm beam, she is quite a chunky model, and takes up a fair bit of room if masted and rigged. Just imagine how big the 1/2" scale model ship that carried her would be.😮 B.E.

Post 25 Platforms continued Modification of the aft platform has been made. 0095 The forward end has been trimmed to create a half notch and support beams added to fit adjacent to the aft sides of the boat framing. 0096 For these I use 3.3 x1.3mm strip that I just happened to have in stock. Each beam was pva’d into place and the nail points marked. 0111 Using 10lb fishing line the ‘nails’ are inserted, secured with pva. 0125 0124 0113 0116 0118 Regardless of any authenticity aspects I think the underside now looks acceptable. Still some finishing off to do but I’ll complete the bow platform first. B.E. 12/07/2024