Force9

Folks - Apologies for the late response... long story... Popeye2sea - thank you very much for the insight... I think based on your response alone I am feeling comfortable with my direction for the belfry. I see you looking smart in your marine attire... I've entered the lottery for the July 4 turnaround cruise for a decade straight and have never gotten lucky. I did once have a chance to ride one of the tugs, but I fell ill at the last minute (ugh!). I think I may need to enlist in the marines myself and invest (what is probably a considerable sum) in a uniform and somehow acquire the skill and knowledge needed to earn my way on board. Now that I consider it, I think I have a better chance with the lottery! Thanks again for your guidance regarding the bell. Lambsbk - I did not cast my own bell. I had a 6mm bell from Model Expo sitting in my stash for a couple of decades... Finally put it to some use. I don't even know if it is still in their catalog. The folks at Bluejacket also have a scale bell in their catalog that will work. I see you worked through your own question regarding the direction of the galley funnel. I think most funnels were set up to allow them to be rotated depending on the prevailing breeze. Many include handles on the side (see HMS Victory). It is probably valid to point the funnel in any direction. Garward - thank you for the confirmation Lord Robster (Your lordship?) Thanks for your kind remarks... Third time's a charm? I'm sure you'd enjoy another round with this great kit - and feel free to utilize any of the approaches you see in my build. I'd be thrilled to think I've had a positive influence on other modelers willing to take some chances to bring something extra to this venerable box of plastic. I'm struggling with the boat chocks... Hope to post something more on the weekend. Thanks all for following along EG

Andy - Your build is terrific and will inspire many who follow. I would agree that the gaff seems a bit low - for what it is worth the general rule is to have the gaff at the same angle as the mizzen topmast stay. I'll say it again - many start this kit, few finish... Bravo! A great build and a great log! EG

Jose I am no where near that point in my build, but I intend to utilize Olof Eriksen's book for much of the rigging. The Olof Eriksen plan shows something similar - the spanker outhaul ties to a "gun tackle" purchase that is tied off to a cleat on the inboard end of the spanker boom. I wonder if we can see some posts of your build? Is the boom positioned at the correct height? The Eriksen plans don't appear to have the boom quite that high from the deck... EG

Lads - Thanks all for the compliments on my little smoke stack! Blue Ensign - you may have a point about the height being too tall. I might bring it down a notch to scale a bit better. I had made it about half again as tall as the kit provided piece without really thinking it thru... Now for another deviation: The Revell kit makes no provision for a ship's bell. This is likely because the historic Hull model does not show a bell - one of many elements that were omitted as the crew scrambled to complete the model in time to present it to Capt Hull before he quit the ship. I would think that a ship's bell would be an integral part of maintaining the shipboard routine in 1812 and needs to be included. The restored ship in Boston has the bell mounted to the forward face of the mainmast amidships via a small tripod bracket - this is the same solution offered by Larry Arnot in the Bluejacket kit instructions.: The restored ship had a belfry on the foredeck at one time. It seems like it was removed within the last decade or so and replaced with this version. There may be something official in the historical record to support this, but I can't find any references. Perhaps the c1820 Charles Ware drawing of the United States spar deck is the source: With the boats positioned in this manner, there is no room for a belfry in the traditional location. Perhaps the mainmast solution made the most sense. (BTW - this would seem to be the reference for the boat layout in the Revell kit). I don't like the main mast solution. I am thinking of adding a belfry and historical proof be d - m'd! This would also require me to reposition the storage of the boats, but that is easily managed. Have a look: Here also is a view down to the gun deck capstan: Thoughts from other modelers?

Here is a bit more progress... I'm not thrilled with the kit provided galley funnel (later called the "Charlie Noble"). It's not bad, but not good either. It is easily dismissed or overlooked on the foredeck. The Hull model shows us a short and stocky version: This is the way to go if I want to be strict with my sources and true to the most historical representation of her August 19, 1812 configuration. But here is where I may exercise some artistic license. If I lay out the boats in the OOB configuration, then this funnel points directly into the butt end of the stored cutter that spans the skids and foredeck. And I've seen several models of ships in this period that display a taller funnel. Even the restored ship today has a much taller Charlie Noble. This, I think, may be an opportunity to utilize something from the AOTS book that adds a bit more interest to this part of the deck. Perhaps not entirely accurate, but what the heck (and maybe I abuse Marquardt too much and should at least acknowledge his version of the ship in this small way). Here are the raw materials; .188 dia. solid rod styrene (Plastruct 90863), .188 dia.tube styrene (Evergreen 196), .188 x .188 styrene (Evergreen 196), some very narrow/thin styrene strip, and the wonderful Jotika .3mm PE brass eyelets. I glued a hunk of the Evergreen 196 to the base of the solid rod and then shaped the corners with a small file to blend the pieces. Then I cut the 45 degree angle in both the solid rod and the tube and glued them together. Finally I wrapped the funnel with some narrow styrene and added some eyelet "tie downs" around the perimeter. The end result: The baffle plate was easily made - I added a common paper hole punch to my tool box and snipped out a few discs from some thin and wide styrene strips. Certainly a more interesting element than the alternative. Later I'll add the baffle plate and some small tackle to hold the funnel stable in a heavy breeze. EG

Hello Jax I'm glad this has rekindled good memories of a great kit... I hope to see your version in the near future. EG

Friends... It is amazing how little is certain even with a famous ship like Constitution... Now that I've reached the spar deck, I realize that I will need to cherry pick across the various sources to choose different elements from conflicting information - and from here forward they will be very visible. With that in mind, I think it'd be appropriate to pause a moment and re-evaluate the sources at my disposal. My build still relies primarily on the Michele Felice Cornè series of paintings of the Guerriere battle and the "Hull" model - both in the Peabody Essex museum collection. Where possible I will follow these sources with a few bits of artistic license tossed in the mix (I've already deviated somewhat with the stern gallery windows). The works of Commander Tyrone Martin are a popular resource. I have most in my collection: I've already utilized his "Creating a Legend" to add interlocking deck planks on my gun deck. His "A Most Fortunate Ship" is the premier reference for the biography of the ship. Be warned, however, that his take on the Guerriere fight is controversial. Most "modern" historians have generally dismissed his version - including Margherita Desy, the official historian of the ship attached to the NHHC DET Boston. Here are some great books for model builders: The AOTS USS Constitution by Karl Heinz Marquardt is a common reference. His reconstruction of the ship, however, is questionable... It seems to be a concoction based on some historical influences mixed with the 20th century restoration. Not particularly useful for my attempt to recreate her August 19, 1812 appearance. Chappelle's History of the American Sailing Navy is a standard reference and includes the very useful drawings of the US Frigate President copied from British records made after her capture. I've used this for the layout of the various pumps on the gun deck. I've already referenced the Bluejacket kit manual. That is a terrific resource to have if you can only add one of these to your stash. Great overview of both the hull and rig - and it includes full 1/96 scale rigging plans. The book in the foreground is new and deserves more comment. My forum friend Marcus from Germany finally put me over the edge with his glowing recommendation. It is a very expensive purchase, but well worth it to me. Olof Eriksen built a very large stainless steel model of our ship and he went to extraordinary measures to thoroughly research every aspect - especially the rigging. He initially compared notes with Larry Arnot who then connected him to Commander Martin. Thru Martin's good offices he gained access to the Hull model and conducted a complete survey which even included micro-cameras inserted into the lower deck. Cmdr Martin also provided him with a copy of Midshipman Anderson's journal made when the ship was being restored to her 1812-1815 configuration in the 1830's. Additionally, Mr. Eriksen was able to make copies of the very rare The Naval Apprentice's Kedge Anchor. Young Sailor's assistant. (1st edition 1841) by William Brady. This reference allowed him to not only compare American practices against British, but also allowed him to compare between Brady, Midshipman Anderson's journal, and the Hull model to find consistencies. Practices that Mr. Eriksen matched across all three were likely to be very accurate and were incorporated in his model. We'll discuss some of these findings in more detail as we move along. More of the build shortly EG

Thanks for the kudos! I have a few more assemblies to make before I break out the airbrush - but I'm getting there! EG

PiperMat Great to see your wonderful Victory on this forum. Your example of useful jigs will help us all when we reach this stage (assembling and rigging the guns). Terrific work! Evan

More stuff for the spar deck... Next up is the double wheel. Early ship records show only two helmsmen assigned to steer, so it has been inferred that she originally only had one wheel. Records from 1804 clearly show four helmsmen to steer so the double wheel has been fitted. The restored ship in Boston has a beautiful double wheel with elegant pedestals and curved supports. The Bluejacket version replicates these details nicely, but I think it is a bit under scale. This is an instance where I prefer the Revell version. I did, however, take the trouble to add the curved supports to bring the detail up a notch. Getting a styrene piece to bend and keep a shape is no fun - especially when this detail will require two bends. The easiest solution is to laminate together two strips and hold them in a mold/pattern until the glue sets. I used .30x.30 Evergreen strip glued to a .10x.30 Evergreen strip. Here was my quick method: I made the laminated strips long enough to easily bend against the mold and then trimmed them to fit. After a count of 30 or 40 seconds they would hold their shape nicely. I had to make 5 or 6 (okay - maybe 7 or 9) to get four that were worthy. The final product (less painting of course): Thanks for following along

The Binnacles were also replaced with scratch built versions. I figured that the effort needed to clean up the kit versions would be similar to what it would take to build new ones. I raised the height slightly - I thought the kit originals were a bit low for the helmsman. I also thought it would help scale down the double wheels - which seem slightly big for this scale. (The smaller binnacles make the wheel seem even bigger) These will eventually be painted green to match the bulwarks (as shown on the Hull model) Thx

Folks... Work continues on the spar deck details. The fore fife rail has been cleaned up a bit along with the topsail sheet bits and I've replaced the connecting pin rails. The kit provided railing includes a nice curve to reflect the camber of the deck so I thought it'd be best to utilize it instead of making a complete replacement. The main fife rail is unique to Old Ironsides and is nicely executed in the Revell kit. I just cleaned it up and added the brass pins. I think I used a #72 drill bit for the pin holes: (Those folks building sister ships take note - you'll need to replace the main rail with something more conventional. And for that matter the Trysail mast has to go and the double dolphin striker will need replacement with a single. All are unique to the Constitution). The kit provided Monkey rail was also utilized after getting cleaned up. This rail is a bit shorter than the others on this deck... Sometimes modelers will think this is odd and replace it with a taller railing. It is intentionally shorter to allow for the "sharks mouth" that wraps around the main mast and supports the end of the mizzen stay: Thanks for looking

Lambsbk I think there is enough clearance for the companionway on my model... At least my test fit seemed fine. I did build up a platform for the gun deck capstan that lets me overlap the coaming slightly. Perhaps a slimmer ladder (Plastruct makes some suitable for the purpose) could give you a bit more room if needed... I'll try to update this post with a picture of my deck test fit. Hope that helps EG

Patrick - The Bluejacket PE is actually reasonably thick - especially compared to normal PE. I think it'll do fine once I sand the coamings with the PE gratings in place to make them look cohesive and eliminate the edges that may suggest that the gratings aren't thick enough. Radman - It has been at least 25 years since my last attempt at this kit (which you see in my initial post). I do vaguely recall filling some minor gaps, but nothing as serious as you suggest. Here is an underside view: I'm not sure I can be helpful, but I'd recommend working to align the bottom edge first and letting the rest of the stern piece fit in place. Notice that the thin white trim strips don't exactly align between the transom and the quarter galleries. That can be adjusted with some extra styrene. I'm a bit far from that step as yet, but I'll be a bit wiser if I can benefit from your experience once you've mastered it on your build. Thanks to you both for your continued interest.

Marcus - I'm finally recovered and glad to be back in the land of the living! Sea Dog - thank you for the praise. Somehow I've gotten caught up in the fun details of this historic ship. I didn't start out with many modeling skills under my belt, but my "craftsmanship" is bound to be improving as I go along. Here is my latest progress on the spar deck: All of the basic deck modifications complete - includes hatch coamings and shot racks: I dismembered the Bluejacket PE gratings to suit the Revell hatches: I've begun to work on the fife rails. The molded belaying pins are mostly bent or broken on these and could use replacements. There is also a lot of flash/seams that need to be cleaned up... Here is a splurge purchase - scale brass belaying pins (Bluejacket part # 119). I just couldn't resist. I'm sure something suitable could be put in place with small styrene rod with some blobs of glue on top. I think a complete set for this kit would cost about $40 US: Some test fitted railings and gratings: Thanks for following along Evan

Ahoy Rick! Thank you for hunting down my build log - I can use all the support and encouragement I can get! I've been laid low by that nasty virus that is going around... I hope to post more progress this weekend. Work continues on the spar deck details. Stay tuned! Evan

Hallo Marcus! I am an avid follower of the USS Constitution museum blogs and am familiar with the post you reference. Many great tidbits show up from time to time in that blog. I've also seen the Waldo deck plans in the reference CD produced by the Naval History and Heritage command. I can't make sense of those pump positions. I think the article suggests that the new brake pumps did not prove reliable enough - so it would be a surprise if there were no chain pumps at all by 1816. The pattern would not lend itself to any "normal" configuration of the chain pumps. I can't imagine that a ship the size of Constitution would have only three main pumps. It would also not make sense that the pattern shown would support six pumps. I've elected instead to follow the pump layout suggested by the Chapelle drawings of the USS President. What are your thoughts - will your build eventually only include three pumps? Good conversations - keep them coming! Evan

Patrick - Thanks for the encouragement... I just had a look at your terrific Niagra brig. Great work! In truth I haven't yet focused any time on the guns. I did purchase a few samples of the Bluejacket 24 pdrs for comparison. At first blush they look a bit more stout than the Revell versions. I kinda like it. I will, of course, be augmenting the carriages with the proper bolts and tackle. Might change out the trucks - at least on the ones that might be visible. I suspect that I will completely refashion the carronade carriages. They really aren't going to be too difficult and it will allow for including the elevation screws. That'll all be a few steps away. Up next are the spar deck rails and other details... Stay tuned!

Anthony - Good to see a log open up on the Bluejacket Connie... I've been utilizing some of the Bluejacket kit components for my plastic Revell Constitution in the same scale. I will be watching with great interest!

I'm caught up on the updates from my previous log... Now we are in new territory! I've started in on the spar deck hatch coamings... I thought I should build them up a bit and add some curvature to the surface. I started by adding Evergreen no. 144 (.040x.080) to the side edges of all the coamings. Next I added Evergreen no. 164 (.080x.080) to the front and back edges. This built up enough material to allow for shaping the curved edges: Then I prepared the patient for surgery by masking the decking to protect against random scraping as I used the file to shape the edges: I lined the hatch interiors with Evergreen no. 129 (.020x.250) leaving a slight lip for the gratings: Still need to finish off some more interior details and perhaps soften the curvature on a few of the hatches. Thanks for following along.

Marcus... I'll try to address a few of your questions: - The windows on the stern would probably be more accurate if they were taller and rectangular with 2x3 panes. Unfortunately it would require a major reconstruction of the stern that I have neither the skill nor the courage to attempt. I'm satisfied with just making the change using PE to add a bit of detail. - I did use some guidance from Tyrone Martin's "Building a Legend" when scribing the gun deck planks. You'll notice on closer inspection that I have made an attempt to represent the interlocking thick strakes that add longitudinal strength. I've scribed two rows of planking with wider planks and interlocked pattern. The actual ship shows this as well (you can see that in the stern cabin photo from my visit), but the joins seem to be closer together than what Martin specifies in his book. He says it spans about 40 feet. I've followed his guidance and spaced them out a bit farther apart on my deck. Of course, they'll show up better when paint is applied. I have never seen any source show a wishbone pattern to the deck - certainly not the Hull model. - I have never seen William Bass' book (which he wrote with his wife?)... I have stumbled across the mystery regarding the square features on the early Corne paintings. I don't believe those were the ends of iron bars that ran athwartships... that seems too weird to be true. Despite Tyrone Martin's theory, I think they were just early air ports for the berth deck that may have been removed at a later time and added back before the war. Or Corne just assumed they were there and added them to the painting. - I'm glad you did not throw away the Bluejacket parts list. Whew! As noted before, most of those parts are not available in their online catalog, but they'll let you order them separately. I'd recommend the larger resin boat for sure... In addition to the photo etch brass, i ordered some pins and eyebolts, etc. I also ordered a sample of a long gun and carronade just to compare. I did not order any cleats - I figure I can make those well enough. I have not yet ordered the blocks for the rigging. I'm sure it can get expensive if you order all of the rigging components at once. I might order them in phases to distribute the costs. Stay tuned - you'll soon see examples of my purchases. Thanks for your continued interest!

Great to see the Pickle show up in the forum! A sweet little ship with a firm place in history... Evan

Still plenty to do on the spar deck, but I'm going to divert some attention to the stern just to mix things up a bit - variety is the spice of life and all that... The Revell stern is a refined representation of the Hull model stern: The main guidance for my build is the series of paintings by Corne... Here is a close up shot showing good detail of the stern in the second painting: My first task, unfortunately, is to remove the CONSTITUTION name on the upper counter. The Hull model, the Corne series of paintings, the George Ropes jr. paintings, and the Thomas Birch painting all agree that it wasn't there... A scraping blade on the hobby knife along with some fine grit sandpaper does the trick in short order (Don't watch if you're squeamish!) Once eliminated, I came back and scribed some planking on the counter with a flexible straight edge and my trusty scribe tool: Next I determined to add some stern ports to the lower counter. The Hull model does not show these fitted, but the Chappelle drawing of the President does. I also think there is a faint representation of them on the Corne stern. The Ropes paintings clearly show them (with cannon poking out no less (yikes!) as well. The Marquardt AOTS shows them in all of the different iterations of the stern that are outlined in his historical overview. I just have a feeling that an American heavy frigate would have these in place... they are primarily for ventilation, but could also serve as loading access for small lighters alongside. More likely that the midshipmen berthed in the area would pitch trash out the back and watch it float away... I marked the suitable locations and drilled a small pilot hole to help align the larger drill bit: Next I used my trusty flat file to clean up the edges for the final outline: The stern gallery windows are next up. I want to show more panes to align better with the Corne version of the stern. The Hull model has the very simple 2x2 panes that are on our kit. The Corne paintings show more complex 2x3 window panes. The President drawings suggest 4x3. The Bluejacket wooden kit includes the PE stern shown in my earlier thread. This has the 2x3 pattern which only lends itself to an upright rectangular shaped opening. The Revell kit has perfectly square openings and I didn't fancy the idea of modifying those. So I needed a square pattern - basically 3x3. There are some model railroader windows available in suitable scale that could work in a pinch (with slight modifications/trimming), but I found a PE solution that worked great: It turns out that this PE mesh by K&S Metals is just the ticket. A 3x3 pattern snipped free of the grid fits EXACTLY into the openings defined by the Revell stern windows. I cut out the appropriate blocks of "panes", smoothed the edges with my small metal file, and slipped them neatly into the openings. BTW - If you'd like to pursue this solution yourself, I'd suggest you run - not walk - to your nearest Model RR hobby shop to grab the last of the K&S PE mesh in their inventory - rumor has it these have been discontinued. Here is the first window test fitted in place: Since that worked so well, I went ahead and completed the whole row: I'm well pleased with the result so far... Thanks for following a long dissertation!

Hallo Marcus! Regarding your earlier questions: - I used C. Nepean Longridge's "Anatomy of Nelson's Ships" for guidance on the pattern for the deck planking. The book is a detailed outline of the author's own model of the HMS Victory (which used to be in the Science museum in Kensington). He gives a very good overview of how to lay out a correct pattern including the joggling forward and aft. - The Revell kit does a decent job of representing the curvature ("camber") on the spar deck, but makes no allowance for any curve on the gun deck. I choose not to correct this on the lower deck since it would be a lot of work for any area that won't be too obvious. You'd really need to rebuild the entire deck to fix that. I'll spend those Units of Effort elsewhere! - I won't be turning this into a diorama... I've seen many fine examples of that approach, but in truth I am just interested in representing the design and configuration of the ship itself. At this point I am thinking of including the sails as shown in the Corne paintings of the battle. No rust or barnacles either... But I will use some washes and dry brushing to bring out the detail on the molded plastic. - I am almost caught up on my build log so you are coming in with plenty of time to help influence my future actions. Enjoy and please keep up the encouragement!

Hello James A very good observation on your part! The shot garlands/racks pose an interesting dilemma. The Revell 1/96 Constitution makes no allowance for shot storage so we are left to our own inclinations... The Hull model in the PEM does not show them at all and that probably led to the absence on the Revell kit. As you point out, Larry Arnot and Cdr. Tyrone Martin apparently invested much research into the Bluejacket kit and they suggest shot racks between all the guns but not around the hatches. I would think, however, that shot storage around the hatches would be a standard approach in 1812. Certainly many period models would show these included. But is there more justification? Here is my reasoning... Old Ironsides pounded HMS Guerriere to kindling in only 30 minutes. Evidence very strongly suggests that part of the reason was that the American gun crews fired TWO round shot on EVERY discharge during the battle. The data suggests that each gun shot @10 times in 30 minutes. That is a lot of cannon balls to have to haul up the companionways. Common sense would suggest that the crew pre-positioned most of that in shot racks before the shooting began - and they'd need plenty of storage. I suspect that there was storage around the hatches AND in between each gun - at least on the main gun deck. This would seem to be supported by the c1820 gun deck plan of USS United States made by Charles Ware which shows both storage options in place: Using this deck plan as guidance, I intend to include shot racks in between the 24 pdr guns on my model in addition to what you already see around the hatches. The spar deck is another matter... I will include shot storage around the hatches on that deck as well, but NOT include shot racks between the carronades. Despite the guidance from the Bluejacket manual and other representations (Gilkerson’s painting in the Gillmer “Old Ironsides...” book), I just don’t think that was a practical solution. Many of those guns have pin rails in between them and the necessary cordage dangling down would likely be in the way... The same deck plans of USS United States offer a solution. Here is the spar deck: This clearly shows that the carronades would have a tray of round shot close at hand for battle as well as shot stored around the hatches. There is also another clue that helps me justify my approach. If you were a famous personage back in that era, the most flattering compliment would be to have your portrait painted by an accomplished artist. This was a very expensive thing to do back in those days - often many thousands of dollars in an age when a good sailor made 10 bucks a month. The important businessmen in the City of New York commonly took up a subscription to pay for a commissioned work of military heroes after a great victory. They gradually built up a significant "Hall of Fame" collection in city hall. Here is the one done for Commodore William Bainbridge following his victory over HMS Java (still in the collection of the city of New York http://www.nyc.gov/html/artcom/html/portrait/portrait.shtml): We see the talented artist captured the Commodore’s famous arrogance and pomposity. He has also captured something else - look at the shot tray under Bainbridge’s boot. This is the approach I’ll take for the spar deck. (We’ll come back to this painting when it comes time for the carronades). I don’t mean to overly sway everyone in my direction. Unlike Cdr Tyrone Martin and others, I’m not an historian or professional researcher... Folks have to go with what works for them and this approach just feels right to me. Thanks for enduring a brain dump.