Blue Ensign

Hi Nils, I suppose if you go with gangplanks the ladderway is not needed. Having a ladderway in that position does solve the practical problem of gun fouling, but doesn't the deck beam foul access to the Fo'csle? - or are you intending to modify the beam by the addition of ledges and carlings to form the hatchway?
 
The swivel gun modifications are looking good, those hooks I modified for the mountings are available as a separate purchase so you don't need to use up the kit supplied ones.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.

Detail shots of the completed model


Long boat with the sheep pens beneath.
 

Activity on the Qtr deck, the crew are converted ‘N’ scale rail figures.
 

Poop deck detail.
 

 

Crew ascending the Main shrouds.
 

Fore deck detail.
 

Crew at the Fore Topmast head.
 

 

Head details.
 


 

 

Stern Qtr details.
 
 
Full shots of the model
 


 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Secure in her protective case.
 
I think this has been the most exacting build I have undertaken due to the small scale and my
less than good eyesight, I am very pleased with the result but I don’t think I
will attempt another at this scale.
 
I am much more comfortable with 1:64 scale, as with my current Pegasus build.

B.E.


 


 


 
 
 
 
 


 



 
 
 


 


 


 
 


 


 
 


 


 


 


 
 


 
 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Continuing:

Details of the sails.




These were drawn from the plans of Boudriot and are made of Modelspan
tissue .
 



 



 
Attaching reef points nearly destroyed what little was left of my sanity.



As did the ratlines using 125g copper wire.
 

Almost done.


 


 


 

 







 

Little update due to extreme weather conditions (>30°celsius), even holding a paintbrush makes me sweat. However… we waited that long for this summer.
The figurehead : I wanted to obtain an effect just as it was carved out of the wood, perhaps an extra layer of satin varnish ? The figurehead is still dry fit. The figurehead received one layer of white foundation and one layer of goldbrown
In the meantime a little experiment for the gunports : I’ve cut out of some sparewood a port with the same dimensions and fixed a rectangular smaller piece out of a 0,5 mm sheet and overpainted it with a glossy red color, the fored holes are to receive the eyebolts at both sides.The upper side from the gunports is made from the same yellow wooden strips as applied to the hull ( above the wales)
 
Oh yes :regarding "the sailing frigate", Amazon told me it is on its way
 
to be continued

Thanks guy's
B.E. your right and Remco also told me about the size, which of couse I didn't do. I did go back and changed the breeching rope along with the tackles to a right  size and thank you both. The breeching rope is now .047 inch and the tackle is .017. Thanks for the infor on the gun and it's parts. As many times as I have looked at them and study all the parts to install on the carriage, you would think I should know them by heart. Here are some new photo's of the cannon but this time mounted on board Montagu . Enjoy the photo's guys. Gary

Beautiful looking gun Gary, nice work on the carriage. What size line did you use for the breeching? 7" circumference rope was used on a 32 pounder. I'm not sure that was the way the breeching rope was secured on a non Blomefield pattern gun. I think the breeching was either taken a turn around the neck of the cascable from one side to the other, or was spliced around the cascable.
 
ps On this side of the pond we call those plugs that fit in the muzzles 'Tompions', and the iron work that secures the trunnions the Cap Squares. The key is secured through the Joint Bolt over which the hinged cap square fits.
 
I would need to think a little about the messenger cables and its getting late. Daniel (Dafi) has done extensive research on the messenger set up and a visit to his Victory build may be beneficial.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.

I had the opportunity to practice with the Proxxon lathe.  It's really nice little machine and I am delighted with it. Over the weekend I completed the parts of the three topmasts where turning was necessary.  Without the lathe the job would have been very difficult indeed. Now come the hard parts where the masts are squared or octagonal. I am waiting for delivery of the extra lathe bed (as suggested by BE) and will work on the longer masts/spars when it arrives.
 
In the meantime here are some pictures of the figurehead, though I see now that the pictures are larger, there is still a bit of touching up to do. As well, I belatedly discovered that the hole for his sword is not deep enough which is a nuisance.  A suggestion/reminder for those who have not so far began painting their figurehead; give it a good wash with something like acetone to help the paint adhere. Unfortunately I forgot.  A tip given to me by a (portrait) painter is to dip brushes in linseed oil and wipe off  after washing them in mineral turpentine.  They become even cleaner and it preserves the bushes really well.
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 

Hello Nils, what a fascinating approach to building Pegasus working up the full frames from the Amati bulkhead drawings, no mean feat.
 
What did you use as reference for the internal fittings which of course are not given in the Amati plans? but which add such interest to your build.
 
I note that you have added metal rims to the trucks of your gun carriages and lifting bars (Dolphins) to the guns. You may of course be adopting a stylistic approach to aspects of your build, which is fine, but those features were not actually fitted to British naval guns of the period, if you are seeking an historical approach.
 
An appealing build Nils, I will follow your progress with much interest.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.

You're in good company Daniel with our King Alfred, he had trouble with ovens
 
A realistic result and a great solution, best I've seen.
 
Cheers,
 
M.

Thanks Andy and Mark - so I have not yet given up on the bulwark decorations, but I have put them on pause for a bit...To pass the time while turning my mind around my latest approach to that problem, I've decided to make the rudder and the cannons - it's fortunate that with projects like this there's always something else to do while you're figuring other stuff out!
 
I made the rudder three times. The first was out of 4mm x 4mm beach that I had left over from another build. This didn't work out - I messed up carving out the slots for the pintles and gudgeons. The second was from 3mm x 3mm lime, planked with .5mm lime. This didn't work because the shape was off. The last one was from the same material as number two, but I used a template to get the correct shape and it worked out quite well. Finished in white, Golden Oak and Red.
 
For the Pintles and Gudgeons, I abandoned the metal parts supplied in the kit and used 1/16 x 1/64" brass strip, blackened. I had thought of installing bolts, but at this scale and with only a pin vice to work with I decided against it. I did add ring bolts for the rudder chains.
 
No photos of the cannons yet - I'll save that for another post later....In the meantime, here's the rudder....Bye for now - hope you're all enjoying the weekend.
hamilton
 

 

 

 

 

Detail shots of the completed model


Long boat with the sheep pens beneath.
 

Activity on the Qtr deck, the crew are converted ‘N’ scale rail figures.
 

Poop deck detail.
 

 

Crew ascending the Main shrouds.
 

Fore deck detail.
 

Crew at the Fore Topmast head.
 

 

Head details.
 


 

 

Stern Qtr details.
 
 
Full shots of the model
 


 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Secure in her protective case.
 
I think this has been the most exacting build I have undertaken due to the small scale and my
less than good eyesight, I am very pleased with the result but I don’t think I
will attempt another at this scale.
 
I am much more comfortable with 1:64 scale, as with my current Pegasus build.

B.E.


 


 


 
 
 
 
 


 



 
 
 


 


 


 
 


 


 
 


 


 


 


 
 


 
 


 


 


 


 


 


 

Completion of head
 
I managed head construction as depicted above. I’m thinking result is not bad and feeling relieved to finish this difficult section.
 




Photos above are of close-up of bow rails. BTW vertical sections of beakhead balkhead columns (part 418) are replaced by Evergreen channel strip because moulding direction of kit photo etched part is inverted.
 
 

Photo above is showing entire model.
 
These are all I can upload now. I'm now preparing guns for the model. I really hope members enjoy my building log
 
Regards,

Cathead support
 

Cathead support is one of most difficult parts to determine its shape. Not only its own graceful and complex 3 dimensional curve it should also fit on bow flare with minimum gap. Photo above is of pattern cut from black card.
 
 
 

transferring of outline from pattern to 0.5 mm maple sheet.
 
 

Maple sheet is cut following pencil line transferred from pattern.
 
 

2mm walnut piece is sandwiched by maple. Lower section between two maple sheets is also filled with walnut piece.
 
 

Rail connecting cathead support and middle head rail was built from pair of 1 X 1mm strip. It is far easier to bend pair of 1 X 1mm strip than 2 X 1mm strip. Bent them with steam and heat from kettle, then after desirable curves were gained, the pair of strips is glued together.
 
 

Photo above is showing connection between middle head rail and cathead support on its position. It was moulded with metal edge pattern and cut to appropriate length and glued to its position.

Continuing of head construction
 

Photo above is of gluing of upper rail.
 
 

Middle and lower rails are installed. These rails are 2 X 1mm amarillo strip and bent with steam and heat from kettle. I also add moulds to them with metal edge pattern.
 
 

Photo above is of covering to V shaped timbers. They are 3 X 1mm amarillo strips. I add some moulds to these covering strips as shown on pictures.
 
 
 

Installation of lower cheek
 
 
 
Symmetry of both sides are checked from directory forward. Perhaps small asymmetry would be discovered by careful examination, but I’m satisfied with the results.
 
 
 
Photo above is showing painting of catheads. Blue areas are represented by gluing thin strip shaved from amarillo and painted in blue.

Construction of head
 
Construction of head would be one of most difficult stage of sailing warship model building because of its complex mixture of curved timbers. Fortunately curves of most of these timbers are 2 dimensional and I believe head construction can be achieved with some care and patience.
 
Now let’s start actual consequence with pictures and depiction.
 
 

Photo above is of dry fitting of figurehead. Before starting of head construction, I had to adjust jointing of figurehead and head. Figurehead provided in the kit are hard cast metal, so cutting of wooden head is only resolution. It is desirable to fit figurehead to head without any gap, but I had to rely on putty. I hope usage of putty will be sealed with black painting.
 
 

Photo above is of preparing of amarillo sheet. Because of usage of amarillo strip on hull planking, I determined to use same timbers for head construction. I don’t have electric circular saw and had to cut them by hand saw. Section after hand cutting are very poor, and I want to buy table saw someday.
 
 

Transferring outlines of rails from kit parts to amarillo.
 
 

Photo above is of cutting sequence.
 
 

Head parts cut from amarillo.
 
 

Photo above is showing construction of V shaped head timbers and gratings. Initially I put aft end of aftermost grating on the prow deck. But after some discussion with Arthur, I noticed aftermost grating should be even level with prow deck. Anyhow I recommend to careful test dry fit before gluing of parts.
 
 

Upper cheek is glued. I noticed that it is easier to construct head rail by settling model at upside down position.
 
 

Photo above is of hawse hole pattern construction. Holes are drilled to bow. I add thin wood strips to backside of patterns for perfect adjusting to stepping of thick stuff.

Other stern parts
 

Photo above is of lower finishing and drop scratchbuilt from excess of 5 mm walnut host sheet in the kit. Unnumbered MDF parts are also contained in the kit as upper and lower finishing as well as metal drop parts. But I preferred walnut for uniformity of material. Difficulty to shape metal drop parts to their positions is another reason to give up using them.
 
 

To ease to give appropriate curve to PE balcony rail, I cut lower rail. Moulded amarillo strip replace it.
 
 
 

I used White Ensign Models RN buff paint for painting of PE parts. This paint has very resembling colour with amarillo.
 
 


Dummy tiled roof of upper finishing are thinly sliced 2 mm plastic rod.

Quarter figures
 
When I decided to build Bellerophon from three options, I decided to represent quarter figures as 3D pieces whilst those of the kit are represented as mere relief. L. G. Carr Laughton writes that quarter figures or “strong men” of ships’ stern became merely vestigial by the order of 1796. So quarter figures of the kit may be correct if actual ship had received repairs on these decorations after that date. But I prefer 3D quarter figures than mare relief and I determined to improve stern decos in some way.
 
 

Initially I tried using 1/72 Roman warrior figure released from Itareli for quarter pieces and it isn’t bad idea. But I noticed that stern decos of model are occupied by too much male motifs. So I decided to carve goddess quarter pieces by myself from boxwood.
 
I downloaded google image search results with keyword “Bellerophon”. I determined to settle Athena to starboard. I don’t know who is she but I determined to settle goddess figure based on another google image search result to port side. Maybe she would be Stheneboea or Philonoe. I resized downloaded images to desirable size for carving templates.
 
Absolute desirable finish is natural wooden finish, but carving from boxwood is my very first experience and I broke their neck and arms sometimes. I decided paint quarter pieces to conceal their vestiges. Also leaving quarter pieces with their natural colour requires further carving for other decoration motifs to match their colour finishes. I adopted easier way but I’m quite happy with results.
 
 

Photo above is of start of carving from boxwood.
 
 

Photo above is showing quarter pieces on carving process and their templates downloaded from google image search result and resized to match model. Neck of port side goddess is broken and it was repaired later with reinforcement of brass rod.
 
 

Photo above is of port side goddess nearing completion.
 
 

Photo above is of finished quarter pieces carving.
 
 



Photos above are of decorations seen from several angles

Stern decoration improvement
 
As I had written several times, stern decoration metal parts contained in the kit are source of trouble difficult to solve. Die-cast stern deco parts provided in “initial batch” of Vanguard kit are very hard to give adequate gentle curve of taffrail. I understand recent batches are improved by provision of more flexible resin deco parts.
 
One of solution is asking Chris Watton or Amati to send resin replacement parts which is easy to bend. One of other solutions is curving them by myself and another is duplicating kit parts with copying materials. Finally I decided to duplicate taffrail decoration with copying materials.
 
I understand designs of decoration parts in the kit are best guess works by Chris Watton and completed model using them can’t be claimed as “100% historically accurate model” comparing other 74s of which original plans containing decoration details. But this is my model and I want to add some changes to Chris’s design utilizing my “artistic licence”. While Chris Watton is suggesting using taller taffrail for Bellerophon and Elephant in his instruction manual, I decided to use shorter taffrail prepared as option for Vanguard and protrude head of Bellerophon from top of taffrail as can be seen on some of contemporary models.
 
 

Photo above is showing how to copy kit deco parts. Kit stern deco parts are pressed to thermoplastic moulding material (“Katadorikun” sold by Muto Shoji Co Ltd. in Japan).
 
 

Photo above is of completed mouldings and kit parts. BTW I didn’t copy quarter figures because of my preference to more 3D appearance.
 
 

Photo above is of duplicated deco parts with “Plarepair” which is also sold by Muto Shoji Co Ltd.
 
 

Photo above is of copied deco parts removed from backing then dry fitted to taffrail.
 
 

Photo above is of painted decorations. Colour decisions are completely owing to my artistic licence.
 
 

Photo above is showing gluing of ship name letters. As can be seen on this image, I used photocopy of kit stern deco plan drawing as template. I made slits between each letters of photocopy and glue PE letters one by one from centre sections to each ends.

I thought you might like to see a few more pictures of the (slow) progress on my Sherbourne. The pictures were actually taken about a month ago, and my wife and I are now at our cottage, so work won't resume on her until the autumn.
 
I've now finished the shrouds apart from the ratlines, which I'm leaving off for access until later, and have in place some of the running rigging, including the burtons, top rope, boom topping lift, and throat and peak halliards for the mainsail. The latter is bent to the gaff and brailed into the mast:
 

 

The port side...

4 / 5 of deadeyes...

The standing rigging on the main mast was now finished.
 
Amati’s 2,5 mm deadeye with a single hole seemed worth a try as wooden thimbles. They look ok.
 
 
 

The bosun is happy about the new thimbles.
 
Installing the crowfoot on the main top I saw that I had made 2 mistakes on the mizzen: First I took the wrong (0,2) thread and for the euphroe block I only took one photo etched part while you better use the two identical parts together, glued back on back. I will have to rig the mizzen crowfoot again.
 
 

Main top with finished standing rigging
 
 

Ascending to the main top
 

Main topmast trestletrees
 

Foot of the foremast with topmast stay and preventer stay
 

I am so glad your back!!!!   you've created such a great looking build....I've missed not seeing any progress!  these would be called cannonades......am I right?  ........I gotta get me a ship with cannons    they're very well done,  and set in place,  they look even better!
 
   I try and put stuff off as well.........the admiral and I have an agreement though.......she's more than willing to let me show my inner child,  but I have to keep my chores up too.  if I don't,  I can't get the bling and baubles I need for my ships.  she can't use the  'kit card'  on me anymore........she knows I can scratch build Hee....Hee
 
a poem came to me,  when I saw your post
I thought I was seeing a spectoral ghost
I clicked on it to read your text
and quite surprised at what I saw next
 
pictures,  pictures,  came to view
of lovely cannons, shiny and new
all set in place,  in neat little rows
which bolstered me to write this prose
 
we all know life likes to get in the  way
of the modeling we'd love to do every day
words become jumbled, causes me to say
 
pay the piper...'n...keep the peace
'cuz the more you pay........the more it's worth
 
AHOY!  from New Hampshire

Hi, Mark! Thanks for your visit!

As promised, here is something new: guns. Typical XV century's weapons: slight caliber and charging at their back. In this kind of guns, the back part of the gun was removable and in that "tin" was placed the gunpowder; after its stuffing, it was inserted in the gun barrel and blocked on the gun carriage with a piece of timber. At this point was ready to fire.

The aft deck's weapons are a bit larger than fore deck's and stern's ones, so they have two wheels for their moving. I had to do the guns at this building point, because the next step was the placement of upper decks and it would have been impossible to place them after.
 
Cheers
Alex

Nice work on the head Michael, I think you have given your Wasa a great period look, a wonderful build.
 
B.E.