Force9

Here is a link to a discussion on this in my log:
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/270-uss-constitution-by-force9-revell-plastic-revisiting-the-classic-196-kit/page-2#entry8763
 
Evan

There is much to unravel when attempting to lock in her appearance on any given date - especially August 19, 1812!!!
 
Very nice start.  I will sit in the first row to watch.  
 
Evan

There is much to unravel when attempting to lock in her appearance on any given date - especially August 19, 1812!!!
 
Very nice start.  I will sit in the first row to watch.  
 
Evan

Here is a link to a discussion on this in my log:
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/270-uss-constitution-by-force9-revell-plastic-revisiting-the-classic-196-kit/page-2#entry8763
 
Evan

There is much to unravel when attempting to lock in her appearance on any given date - especially August 19, 1812!!!
 
Very nice start.  I will sit in the first row to watch.  
 
Evan

I'm in!
 
Evan

I'm in!
 
Evan

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!

Jerry - Thanks for posting those more detailed photos of the McNarry model in the gallery.  It really has to be seen to be fully appreciated.
 
Markus - Chapelle has a nice overview of the rudder differences in his "History of the American Sailing Navy".  I'll look for the page references. As I've indicated in my earlier post, Chapelle thinks the US Navy was an early adopter of this new rudder type - much sooner than the European navies. 
 
I have not been working on my model lately - it is too hot in my garage work space for comfort.  We Californians are wimps in regard to summer heat waves...
 
I do think I'll be back in action this weekend as the weather begins to moderate.
 
Thanks all
Evan

Jerry - Thanks for posting those more detailed photos of the McNarry model in the gallery.  It really has to be seen to be fully appreciated.
 
Markus - Chapelle has a nice overview of the rudder differences in his "History of the American Sailing Navy".  I'll look for the page references. As I've indicated in my earlier post, Chapelle thinks the US Navy was an early adopter of this new rudder type - much sooner than the European navies. 
 
I have not been working on my model lately - it is too hot in my garage work space for comfort.  We Californians are wimps in regard to summer heat waves...
 
I do think I'll be back in action this weekend as the weather begins to moderate.
 
Thanks all
Evan

For whatever it is worth... Some contemporary depictions:
 

 

 
Crew clambering up rigging:

 

 

For whatever it is worth... Some contemporary depictions:
 

 

 
Crew clambering up rigging:

 

 

For whatever it is worth... Some contemporary depictions:
 

 

 
Crew clambering up rigging:

 

 

For whatever it is worth... Some contemporary depictions:
 

 

 
Crew clambering up rigging:

 

 

Apparently the crew referred to these as "Spice Boxes" (presumably because they resembled a common household item) and they were commonly included on the larger frigates for the convenience and privacy of the ships officers. It is tough to determine how permanent these were... You'd think they were flimsy screens that were easily removed when clearing for action.  It seems that they might've been more solid fixtures... Captain Stewart ordered them removed prior to the battle with Cyane and Levant to give better clearance for the forward gun crews.  They were not reassembled after the battle - probably because they were removed with an axe. On the cruise home the British officers began to grumble and get very surly about the lack of private facilities for the gentleman.  (Apparently the were used to having these on Guerriere) They felt that it was very undignified to have to relieve themselves using the leeward channels like common sailors.  One of the American Lieutenants finally got fed up and remarked loudly to one of them something to the effect that the prisoners were well positioned to attest that American officers cared more about their gunnery than about their round houses... Presumably that ended the trouble.
 
Here is my representation:
 

 

 
A fun detail that will get buried once my spar deck is in place.
 
Evan

Ahoy...

Apologies for the long interlude... Had some computer issues and had to upgrade my system to get back on track.

I have made some progress on cleats, dead eyes and such and will post some pictures soon. In the meantime, I had a nice visit last week to the US Naval Academy museum... They have the other set of the Michel Felice Corne paintings of the Constitution vs Guerriere battle that were commissioned by Captain Hull. These are exquisite and I think I stared at them for at least 30 minutes:

The series is hung in a bit of a jumble, but very visible.








Here are some details of the stern. The ventilation ports under the counter are clearly visible - I'm glad I added those to my version.




Rigging detail:



Here is a detailed view from the Corne painting of the Tripoli campaign:


The basement of the museum contains the gift store and the model maintenance workshop. It turns out that if you stare through the viewing window long enough (it helps to have a forlorn puppy dog expression as well) someone in the workshop will take pity and invite you inside for a tour. Jack was extremely generous with his time and showed me all the projects and some of the terrific tools - including a very nice rope serving set up and a clever/inexpensive micro-torch he built for detailed solder work.

At some point I mentioned my own "learner's" project on the Revell Constitution and I was invited into the Curator's office to have a look at a "small Constitution" model kept on top of a file cabinet.





It should be readily apparent that this is no ordinary model. In fact, this is a Donald McNarry masterpiece showing Constitution's early appearance. The pictures don't give a true perception of the small scale... I'd think it is 1/192 or thereabouts (less than half the length of my project) and each element is executed with unfathomable detail. The guns, boats, wire rigging, etc. are all incredible. I urged The curator to find a way to get it on the display floor, but he explained that there is not much room in the current display area for all of the incredible models in the museum collection. Gawd only knows what the thing is worth - especially after the passing of Mr. McNarry.

The museum is a true treasure trove of American history. The collections include the original "Don't Give Up The Ship" flag, the actual table (and tablecloth) used for the Japanese surrender on board the USS Missouri (it was a mess table quickly adapted for use after the beautiful wooden table provided by the British turned out to be too small for the surrender documents), and the spur that snapped off the boot of John Wilkes Booth when he leaped off the balcony and got caught on the flag bunting - breaking his ankle on the landing.

Folks should make the effort to visit Annapolis if at all possible - well worth the side trip from DC!

I'll post some more project pictures later this week to catch everyone up on my progress.

Thanks
Evan

So... A couple of comedians!    Don't people remember that she was called "Old Ironsides"???!! - She never absorbed any damage!  Everything bounced off!!!  Well, at least it all bounced off for my model.
 
 
Here is the latest...
 
It is amazing how many holes need to be drilled into a sailing ship model!  I've been busy with the mini spiral drill and #76 bit for the past few weekends.
 
It is also amazing to uncover the various nuances that go into these builds.  I've been drilling the many small holes for the Jotika eyelets that will be installed around the interior of the gun ports.  
 
Most references indicate the breeching terminating on a ring bolt positioned near the trucks in line with the bottom of the gun port.  The outhaul tackle, however, is often shown leading at an angle to an eyelet positioned about midway between the two guns.  It would seem to me to be more efficient if this tackle ran more parallel to the gun barrel - no waste in lateral effort when hauling on the tackle.  That would seem to be the arrangement on most of the contemporary ship models... An eyebolt for the outhaul tackle positioned about midway up on the gun port and near the opening.  The ring bolt for the breeching rope positioned directly below in line with the bottom of the port.
 
We can also see this type of set up on the remarkable War of 1812 wrecks of the Hamilton and Scourge that lie preserved at the bottom of Lake Ontario. Both were swamped by a sudden squall and lost at the same time.  (Actually the wrecks were once remarkably well preserved but have now become encrusted with an invasive species of mussel):
 

The boarding cutlasses are very cool.
 
Here is the approach I took:

 
None of these eyelets are glued in... Just a sample of positioning.  I'll blacken them and glue the upper eyelets, but I'll attach the lower ring bolts to the breeching rope when I rig the cannon off the ship before attaching these to the bulwarks.
 
Evan

Cheers Frank and Popeye!
 
Folks -
 
I've reached that point in the build where there is nothing more I can do to delay the inevitable... I have to start accounting for the rigging and making sure that I've incorporated the necessary end points into the half hulls before I start to glue it all together.  
 
I consulted the usual suspects:
 
1. The Revell rigging plans
2. The Bluejacket kit manual and rigging plans - Larry Arnot/Tyrone Martin
3. AOTS USS Constitution - Karl Heinz Marquardt
4. CONSTITUTION - All Sails Up and Flying - Olof Eriksen
5. The Charles Ware 1817 Sail plan (National Archives)
6. The "Hull" model in the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) collection.
 
I've been poring over these different representations of the rigging layout of Old Ironsides for many months and have started to form some sort of plan.  For the most part I will follow the guidance of Olof Eriksen, but fall back on the Bluejacket plans in some cases.  Eriksen's work is focused on her 1815 configuration, so I'll try to insert some 1812 era modifications wherever appropriate - mostly using the Hull model for corrections.  Ultimately this is all going to involve a fair bit of guesswork and intuition tempered by the realities imposed by the Revell model itself. In some cases the molding of the hull will impose limitations that are more than I'm willing to modify - I'll just roll with what is there.
 
Here is my first compromise:
 

 

 
Some may recall that I eliminated the chesstree included in the kit and filled in the holes at the gun deck level that originally allowed for the Fore Sheet and Main Tack to enter and get tied off within... I just feel that by 1812 these lines would've been led to the spar deck to allow for better control and coordination.  Eriksen shows the Fore Sheet entering thru a sheave in the spar deck bulwark just forward of the last carronade before the break in the bulwark at the waist.  The Revell kit does not have much of a bulwark at that point.  I couldn't widen it because the "entry port" is situated here with the cleats/steps leading up the side.  I was not willing to move that stuff over with all that scratch building... Marquardt offers a solution.  He shows a sheave added on the waist for the Fore Sheet to pass thru and tie off to a cleat mounted nearby on the deck.  Do I think this is historically accurate?  Nah... But it suits my purpose.
 
The first eyebolt near the sheave is the tie off for the Fore Sheet.  The eyebolt mounted forward on the waist near the fo'c's'le bulwark will eventually have a block mounted for the Main Tack to lead inboard. I still need to drill the hole just aft of the fore channel for the Main Tack tie off point.
 
Here is the sheave I cut into the spar deck bulwark for the Main Sheet:
 

 
I mounted a cleat on the inside to tie off the Main Sheet:

 
More to come shortly
 
Thanks for the interest
 
Evan

Hello all...
 
 
I have the basic painting and most of the details done on the spar deck - just a bit of touch ups and fine tuning remain.   Here are some sample views:       The spar deck was given a base coat of aged white (no tinting like the gun deck) and individual planks were picked out with Vallejo Wood mixed with Vallejo aged white, Vallejo Aged White mixed with Microlux Reefer White, and straight up Vallejo gray wash.  After 24 hours everything then got a quick smear with Vallejo Sepia wash that was immediately wiped down with a soft clean cloth leaving a nice wood tone and coloring the seams between the planks.   Nothing is glued down and the brass is yet to be blackened, but I can now move on to painting the half hulls.   Hope folks are still following along - I'm sure the World Cup is more interesting!   Evan

Chris -
 
I was wandering the fields of Gettysburg during the big anniversary in 2013 and came across a guy in his Union Lieutenant uniform and struck up a nice conversation as we walked thru the wheat filed... turns out he was some sort of attorney involved with helping the Civil War trust reclaim battlefield land... In the distance we could hear cannon booms from the neighboring farms where the reenactment events were in full swing.  Added an appropriate ambiance to my touring of the hallowed ground that day!
 
Good to know you haven't sunk beneath the waves somewhere... hope to see some of your work posted soon!
 
Evan

Thanks all for the LIKES...
 
Dave - I did generally follow the guidance of the Hull model for the paint scheme:
 

 

 
We see all of the rails and coamings painted green.  I used Vallejo Air Gunship Green for my treatment.  It is slightly darker than ideal, but it is pretty darn close in my estimation to what we see on the Hull model.
 
Markus - I followed a similar approach to the gun deck capstan.  That process is highlighted earlier in my build log.  After a coat of primer, I sprayed on a foundation layer of Vallejo Air Aged White.  Then several thin coats of Vallejo Air Wood smeared in one direction using a fine brush to simulate wood grain.  A few of the whelps were given a brushing of gray or black wash to darken them and break up the uniformity. The whole was given a final coat of Vallejo Sepia wash that was wiped down leaving a woody tone with some darker detail in the seams.
 
Pete - The very nature of your question about the boat rudders suggests you are putting in a nice effort to attend to the details... I'm sure your build will be terrific!  I assume that the rudders would be unshipped and stowed in the boats when not in use.  We don't see the rudders attached to the boats in many of the contemporary ship models, and the Corne paintings show them removed:
 

 

 

 
Tim - Thank you for following along.  I hope I've come close to turning plastic into wood via Vallejo paint!
 
Thanks again to all who've hit the LIKE button!
 
Currently working on the gun stripe.
 
Evan

Dan - an incredible result that I followed in stealth mode (along with many others I'm sure).
 
Just to be overly crisp... The painting you cited was a knockoff... Here is the actual Thomas Birch painting of the Constitution/Guerriere battle:
 

 
Quite a difference!
 
Evan

Dan - an incredible result that I followed in stealth mode (along with many others I'm sure).
 
Just to be overly crisp... The painting you cited was a knockoff... Here is the actual Thomas Birch painting of the Constitution/Guerriere battle:
 

 
Quite a difference!
 
Evan

Dan - an incredible result that I followed in stealth mode (along with many others I'm sure).
 
Just to be overly crisp... The painting you cited was a knockoff... Here is the actual Thomas Birch painting of the Constitution/Guerriere battle:
 

 
Quite a difference!
 
Evan

Dan - an incredible result that I followed in stealth mode (along with many others I'm sure).
 
Just to be overly crisp... The painting you cited was a knockoff... Here is the actual Thomas Birch painting of the Constitution/Guerriere battle:
 

 
Quite a difference!
 
Evan