Jump to content
MSW Spring Donation Drive

Rick01

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    637

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Rick01

  1. Rick01
    Much better idea - I've a nasty little problem where my cap rail doesn't sit neatly with the transom as the latter was fitted first and ended up positioned a fraction low. 👿 Rick
  2. Rick01
    ... and how long before all the surfaces are covered again! 😉 I never seem able to keep my work area tidy for more than five minutes. Rick
  3. Rick01
    I'm working on the prow and have attached the belaying pin rail but had to add a brace each end as there was insufficient room on the capping rail to attach according to the plans. Note also the reinforcing bar is running prow to stern not port to starboard. Just about every ship of this size I've seen has had the mainstay braced by lines through a block or heart down to 3 or 5 holes in the prow not to a single pin. Tip here use a heavy black cartridge paper soaked in PVA glue easier to work and looks just like a metal reinforcing strip. Given the pressures involved I prefer to use this system. I've also started on the blocks for the carronade tackle, look a little rough close-up but when finished they should be reasonable. Rick
  4. Rick01
    Looking good there - it's surprising what a little paint will disguise but from what I can see I don't think you need worry about them not being presentable. We're all going a little stir crazy at the moment but this sort of occupation does help keep us sane (sort of). Rick 🙂
  5. Rick01
    There's not a lot out there that I can find, however both these secondary sources state that the cutter is pierced for 14 guns. 10 carronades (as supplied) plus 4 4lb guns see https://www.modelboats.co.uk/news/article/le-renard/602 and http://renard.dechorgnat.com/artillerie.html (Google will translate this page). I only had a couple of correct size cannon spares so the captain must have a couple of them stowed below for some reason 😉. Catheads - really bad design, way too thin and poorly set up for the lifting rope. I've doubled the thickness and drilled the top with four holes to represent pulley wheels as per this illustration. Next is the binnacle which I've fitted further from the companionway so that the doors on the companionway can actually open! I've chosen to treat the upper sections as if they were glassed in - I can't see why they would be cupboard type if the helmsman needed to see a compass. I may also add tie downs to the binnacle as it's my understanding that this would be stowed below in battle (fewer splinters to fly around). I'm also not happy with the length of the bars on th deck to steady the helmsman's feet - they look disproportionately long to me. My 3mm blocks arrived today so next job it to sand the edges down to give a rounded appearance then construct hooks and add rope - eyestrain here I come! Rick
  6. Rick01
    When you come to fitting the gun tackle you may want to try smaller blocks than those provided. I've used 3 mm and also added the restraining rope to the carronade itself. Still not as good as I'd like but I just can't handle 2 mm blocks! I've also dug up a pair of 6lb cannon left over from another build and will add these at the prow. I haven't completed the tackle yet as I'm waiting on a mail order - we're in complete lockdown so it's mail or nothing at the moment. Rick
  7. Rick01
    Have you offered up the carronades to see that they all clear the ports? I found that I'd slipped the gunwales down a fraction and the barrels of the central two guns fouled the ports and needed the slide base sanded down a little to allow them to fit neatly. Rick
  8. Rick01
    Deck layout I'm using. A number of items have been omitted as they appear to be requirements on the replica. Items at the bow not yet installed as a couple of 4lb cannon need to be built and space needs to be checked.
  9. Rick01
    Inspired guess here. Block/wedge under the keel, then ropes from the eyebolts in the gunwales that would secure the cannon/carronades, over the hull and across to eyebolts along or near to the centreline. These latter should be there anyway to pull the cannon inboard. Rick
  10. Rick01
    I recall that when I was researching my version I saw a note somewhere that one of the boats was "broken down" and stored below. However I can't now recall where that was. By the way the instructions with the kit are not the best with the deck furnishings not positioned as per King's sketch and in particular the topsail yard should be "flying" and the halyards for the gaff also not per the sketch. There are some other problems but I can't remember them at the moment. 😞 Rick
  11. Rick01
    Tip of the day. Cut the hole for the rudder (page 41), BEFORE fitting assembly K (page 23). Less chance of splitting decking planks or finding the rudder post binds against the transom. Not saying this may have happened to me , however ... Rick 🙂
  12. Rick01
    Quick tip for you. If you haven't put the bars in your deck furnishings yet, get a long .6 mm or .75 mm drill and run it through the holes that the bars fit in. I found that the holes didn't line up perfectly and had problems fitting the bars until I ran the drill through and effectively lined them up. As for the bars themselves I just heated them up til they glowed then cooled them, it gave an authentic iron colour without having to paint! Should add that I'm using a roll of .75 mm steel wire instead of the supplied item - you can afford to make a lot of mistakes cutting correct lengths when you've got 10 metres of it! I'm a couple of steps ahead of you at the moment having just finished the hull painting. Rick
  13. Rick01
    Hi - I've built one ship from Modellers Shipyard, HM Cutter Mermaid. Ideal for you with it's Australian history, regretfully it's not the most accurate kit given how much information is out there but there are a number of good builds on this forum that detail this little cutter well and it's not at all hard to alter the kit slightly to become a truer model. It was my second build and I found it straight forward and gave a pleasing result. Rick
  14. Rick01
    If you check the companionway here you can get an approximation of the side profile and it should really only be wide enough for a man to get down the steps/ladder. It looks as if the binnacle here has a slightly sloped top and the compass and oil lamps at the top. Rick
  15. Rick01
    Don't know if you've found this site http://renard.dechorgnat.com/index.html which covers some of the errors that appear in both the Soclaine and AL kits. Also there is no windlass and the anchor cable appears to go into the hull rather than onto the deck then down to the rope locker via a windlass. There wouldn't be room for a windlass below decks on a cutter so hoisting the anchor via a windlass or by hand appear to be the only option. Another possible error is with the siting of the various deck furnishings. Coming forward from the stern there's an item that may or may not be the binnacle housing for the compass almost directly after that is a companionway. These are sited so close together on the plan that you would not be able to open the doors on the companionway fully, in addition the binnacle is fixed to the deck but my understanding is that it would be lashed down and could then be stored below decks during any action. In fact the AL kit seems to be a copy of the replica with its amendments to comply with current regulations not of the original. Rick
  16. Rick01
    I've always used a dilute PVA glue on knots, likewise a very dilute solution used to soak the flags allows you to move them into any position you want. This is best experimented with beforehand to get the correct solution - sorry but I can't remember the ratios! Rick
  17. Rick01
    Have you looked around at previous builds of this model. There's a very good one by Vossiewulf ( although unfinished) that would be worth your while looking at. Easy way to hold the false deck down it using a number of heavy duty rubber bands. Rick
  18. Rick01
    Literally just started this kit a week back although I haven't started a build here. It seems to be a fairly accurate model of the replica rather than the original as far as I can tell. Instructions are not the best either! It'll keep me busy but I feel that I'll have a fight most of the way. If you want a cutter and are prepared for a bit of bashing then look at H. M. Cutter Mermaid, there are a few builds here and plenty of historical detail out there to enable you to take the basic kit and turn it into a nice reasonably accurate model. Rick
  19. Rick01
    This may not be the case. If you position them that way you effectively block all fore/aft access due to the position of the companionway. When it was carrying a full complement of boats I'd have thought one would be hung off the stern and another two nested one side or the other to allow a speedy movement of crew either port or starboard side. Rick
  20. Rick01
    On the cutaway it's pretty clearly half way between the windlass and the bow and would have to be off-set to allow access for the crew. I'm very doubtful about using a grating style as it's not exactly waterproof without some type of cover which would make crew accessing it pretty cumbersome. The one you've illustrated behind the bowsprit is actually an access to the rope locker and you can see the anchor cable going through it. To provide waterproof access I can't see any other option than a sliding hatch given how tight space is in that area. Rick Ps It's funny but I was only thinking of you two a few days back and wondering why you hadn't come back given how well you were both doing!
  21. Rick01
    For positioning of the various furniture items you do need to refer back to King's cutaway drawings as the model plans are pretty dismal in that area. I see you appear to be thinking of putting a hatch forward of the windlass - won't work as the bowsprit comes back over that area.🤔 Rick
  22. Rick01
    A lot of the plans I checked seemed to tuck the windlass under the bowsprit and braced to the fore of Samson posts. Still looking!! Rick
  23. Rick01
    Not that one although that does illustrate the conundrum. Go to the page I tagged then click on 'Support de bout-dehors" this brings up a photo of the actual bowsprit support on the modern Renard. Just checked 70 odd cutter plans on National Maritime Museum from the relevant period and only found one that didn't show a windlass - it was a 43ft cutter captured on Lake Champlain so at that size and in fresh water I doubt the anchor(s) would need anything more that a few hands to pull them up! Rick
  24. Rick01
    This page clearly shows the bowsprit support and it's exactly like the AL box illustration! So no help there I'm afraid. http://renard.dechorgnat.com/mature_details.html Looks like more investigation needed yet! Rick
  25. Rick01
    Thanks everyone - it confirms my feelings about the windlass. I'll head off to search more photos of the replica and work from your model Frankie plus whatever I find online. As for moving the bowsprit - if a 1 metre pole is put in to the holes either side then a couple of crew get behind them and push I'd expect that it would slide reasonably well. Rick

About us

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

SSL Secured

Your security is important for us so this Website is SSL-Secured

NRG Mailing Address

Nautical Research Guild
237 South Lincoln Street
Westmont IL, 60559-1917

Model Ship World ® and the MSW logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,929,264 & No. 6,929,274, registered Dec. 20, 2022)

Helpful Links

About the NRG

If you enjoy building ship models that are historically accurate as well as beautiful, then The Nautical Research Guild (NRG) is just right for you.

The Guild is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to “Advance Ship Modeling Through Research”. We provide support to our members in their efforts to raise the quality of their model ships.

The Nautical Research Guild has published our world-renowned quarterly magazine, The Nautical Research Journal, since 1955. The pages of the Journal are full of articles by accomplished ship modelers who show you how they create those exquisite details on their models, and by maritime historians who show you the correct details to build. The Journal is available in both print and digital editions. Go to the NRG web site (www.thenrg.org) to download a complimentary digital copy of the Journal. The NRG also publishes plan sets, books and compilations of back issues of the Journal and the former Ships in Scale and Model Ship Builder magazines.

Our Emblem ®

Modelshipworld - Advancing Ship Modeling through Research

Nautical Research Guild ® and the NRG logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,999,236 & No. 6,999,237, registered March 14, 2023)

×
×
  • Create New...