Elijah

permission to follow your build please, this will be my next purchase 

Thanks for the kind word Carl and welcome...I certainly hope everyone enjoys this voyage! I know I am! 
 
Cheers,
 
Nigel.

Seems I keep on running behind ... so too with your build Nigel. Some good progress ... looking solid!!! I'll bet the onlookers will enjoy themselves as much as with your previous build, so I'll be joining the crowd!
 
Cheers

Hi Don,
 
I certainly hope the fairing work pays off...this is a very big hull for any planking redo's! 
 
Hi Dave.
 
Thanks for stopping by and your extremely kind words.  I totally agree with your comments on the wonderful kit design, instructions and plans. They are the major reason I felt I could take on a build this size  along with simply loving the way this model looks when completed as your Confederacy and the other builds here on MSW show so well.  
 
Cheers,
 
Nigel.

Off to a great looking start Nigel. You're going to really enjoy this incredible set of plans and the beautiful job Chuck P did with the step by step illustrated instructions.
Pulling up a chair to watch another great Confederacy come together by a very fine modeler.
 
Cheers
Dave

Lay out line down the center of the deck from bow to stern. Then start your planking in the center of the deck working out to the sides. Never start your planking form the bulwarks or sides and go towards the center. Sorry, but looking at the pictures, I ain't seeing no bend or warp.
 
 
mike 

Thanks Antony and Clare for your advise the only thought I had was that the deck would look odd if where the planks were nibbed intp the margin plank they would be out of sync port/starboard
but i think that would be less noticable when covered by the guns etc than the centre furniture not looking correct
 
Sorry Antony I havn't done a build log I have some photo's so maybe I should
 
Thanks
Andy

Hi Andy.
I gotta go with Clare's advice.
Will only be noticeable when viewed fron the Bows or Stern of the ship.
Did you have a build log ?
 
Regards Antony.

Andy a photo would help us understand what you are describing....otherwise very confused.
 
Tom

Hi Ben,
 
nice that you`ve fixed the warp, it would have looked at you ever after if not.....
The planking now is coming nicely.
For the planking ends I would choose  version 1 (overlap the transom) so you see the planks against the transom in view from aft. If the transom also has a structural planking, the side planking would also end up overlapping with the stucture-planked transom
 
 
Nils

Hi Ben,
 
Glad you got that bend sorted. I'm not sure if I've understood your question and can't exactly remember what I did here except for these photos from my old build log if thats any help?

Okay; the keel correction worked and turned out almost perfect, thank you very, very much for this Nils!!;
Onwards with the planking;
I have another question, and I don't find an immediate answer anywhere, so here goes:

 
Do I cut of the planks so the ends touch up with the transom and are flush with it (see red drawn option 2),  or
do I cut them off so they overlap the transom (See red drawn option 1) and therefor, if you take a stern view, you can still see the individual planks on the sides of the transom?
 
I realise that in most ships you have a rabet line to solve this issue, but AL has seen fit to let you plank the ship (both layers) first) and only then fit the keel sections on there, so I do not see how exactly to proceed.
 
Or is this a matter of taste? I think not, but I don't find this in the books or manuals I have...
 
Thanks already!

WOW, great build and a really cool looking boat.  That stern is very high.  Were there any problems with the boat being top heavy?
You're off to an excellent start.
Cheers.

Planking has continued and has now climbed over the lower gun ports on the starboard side. I have paused it there as I have had to build out the stern cabin spaces and gun ports. I temporarily set the upper decks so I could verify the spacing for all the openings in the hull. I'm also making sure I have everything in place that needs to be before the planking covers it up. My plan is to bring the planking up to the upper gun deck then I will start detailing out that deck before I continue the rest of the planking. 

Thanks Lukas 
 
Do you have a log on your kit or maybe some pics for curiousity. For the next couple of days im away I need to work so no progress in the next couple of days. I'll update hopefully soon.

Hi Ray,
 
good luck with this kit! I'm building le superbe from heller, almost identical to le glorieux and it's great. Just take your time with it and I'm sure your model will come out just beautiful.
 
Best regards,
Lukas.

Hi All,
 
Yesterday arrived this nice kit and I thought let make a build log from my progress. I havent seen this kit here on the forum yet so maybe it fun for other to see how much I'll struggle to get this job done. And maybe others will give me some ideas and recommendations.
 
It is my 3rd kit that im going to build and seems pretty difficult. And most probably its going to be more difficult when I will start with the rigging as far as I can see I will have to make some modifications to get that job done. I think I will order a dremel or such thing to drill some holes where needed, but thats for later. In the next couple of days I will start with some primer on the decks and hull and start painting the canons (there are 74). I will try (as I im trying to do with my Revell Bounty kit as well) to make the ship look like its used.
The kit the Heller develloped is the Le Glorieux at the time it was still from the French. This ship has been in a war in the Caribean during the time that the French and Spanish tried to conquerer Jamaica. But the English won and took the Le Glorieux in the fleet (so far about the hostory of this ship)
 
He some pictures of the kit:
 

The box
 

The hull
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

The sails, I'm not sure if I will use these. I like to make real sails but this kit is from plastic and I dont know if the masts can handle the weight of real sails. 
 

I printed some drawings in A1 format for a nice reference
 
Well I hope everybody will enjoy following this log. I will try to show the first progress soon.
 
Grtz Ray

Water and Heat are your friends when it comes to bending wood Phill. Everyone has their own preferred method for this, but mine is to soak the wood and the apply heat from an old steam iron. Sometimes, just soaking the wood and then clamping in place on the hull while it dries, is sufficient. Bend to shape and allow to dry BEFORE applying glue.

Thanks Grant, now I have to workout how to fix the transom as there is no instruction.  I have to bend the wood to fit so I will do a few trials on some spare timber of the same type.  This will be interesting.
 
Phill

Looking good Phill.

Well I finally glued the two halves together. They came together reasonably well but it highlights a problem with the type of build, that is, building one half at a time.  The end result was, whilst I ensured that the deck came together well, the hull had a very slight bow in it.  However, as I was using filler as my base for painting I was able to fill any gaps in the hull easily and after about four hours of sanding and refilling and further sanding I now have a hull that is in good shape for painting when I get to it.
 
I also had to make a couple of ad hoc repairs to a  couple of small pieces that I broke, but they came up OK.I also managed to break one of the planks that come around the stern of the boat so I will have to think about fixing that down the way. It is one of the problems with this build that requires the top three planks to overhang the stern and they are open to damage and sure enough fumble fingers damaged a piece. Ah well I am sure this won't be the last mistake I make.
 
My next move is to attach the stern pieces and to do this I think I have to bend the planks slightly around a stern piece that I am yet to find,  The instructions in the book are sadly lacking consisting of five paragraphs and the plans.  I also have a book by Keith Julier called "The Period Ship Handbook 2" in which he discusses, briefly the building of 10 ships, Yachts and a canoe. It offers some hints but even then there still is a dearth of info.
 
One of the things he suggests at this stage is to build the stand as one can place the model on it to work, unfortunately he does not advise how he builds it and neither does the Billings build information. There is no way that the pieces in the kit will hold the boat as the upright stands are too small and I note that Mr Julier shows an additional block of wood above the kit stands for his build. Unfortunately the kit does not have this extra timber so I shall have to decide what to use and how large it should be as well as how to ensure it is strong enough for the ship.
 
StillI I am happy where I am and once the stern and bow is completed I shall fill, sand and be ready to add  strakes, portholes and propellors etc And  then start to paint.
 
Phill
 
PS.  The shape of the hull at the bow in the third photo is not as enlarged as it appears in the photo...sort of like Scnozzle Duarante's Schnoz.  It is better in actuality and due I think to a foreshortening effect of the photo position.....at least I hope that it is. Also the unlike the first photo the hull is actually quiet straight.
 
l

Phill, you are correct, the wood is very soft and crumbly! I am starting to think of purchasing some styrene and using that for templates. It would make cutting easier, and it wouldn't crumble! Maybe I can make a trip this weekend…

This kit already looks fantastic!

Wonderful Pete, she's like a sparkling jewel!
 
Cheers,

Sweet, Pete.