CharlieZardoz

You mean Chapman?   I recall reading somewhere, he wasn't so much a designer but for lack of a better word, a manager of a shipyard....???   He was well traveled for his time and made lots of drawings of the ships he saw and apparently, when he could, copied drawings.  His book is basically types of ship. I really have no idea if they're accurate or not. 

So the Barbados is the Scourge you are saying? Suits me fine the name sounds cooler, I am however curious if she was a sister ship to Rattlesnake as they do bear a similarity. Here's the model and admiralty plan.  How might one reconstruct the figurehead if the one Rhodes drew is wrong?

Ah now that's being harsh. What did the HMS Diana do other than sail to Egypt and get sold to the dutch?  Doesn't make her any less of an impressive model but one could easily rationalize a USS Congress 1841 kit or USS Hartford both with very relevant historical significance and would make equally excellent models.  I think (without trying to sound rude) that there is a bit of prejudice attached to the last age of sail kinda like the age where all the majesty went away (no more figureheads, gildings all that piratey looking stuff) and things got weird (paddles, smoke stacks and various Frankenstein ideas). I mean one cannot argue the works of art that British ship of the lines like Victory or Vanguard were/are and how they make gorgeous models but maybe I just have a thing for the underdog I happen to find all that 19th century tech fascinating as well. 

Here's a shot of the deck blocking for bitts, hatches, pumps and companionway to under the quarterdeck.
I'm doing individual planks so need landing areas for the ends and edges of the plank.

Ah now that's being harsh. What did the HMS Diana do other than sail to Egypt and get sold to the dutch?  Doesn't make her any less of an impressive model but one could easily rationalize a USS Congress 1841 kit or USS Hartford both with very relevant historical significance and would make equally excellent models.  I think (without trying to sound rude) that there is a bit of prejudice attached to the last age of sail kinda like the age where all the majesty went away (no more figureheads, gildings all that piratey looking stuff) and things got weird (paddles, smoke stacks and various Frankenstein ideas). I mean one cannot argue the works of art that British ship of the lines like Victory or Vanguard were/are and how they make gorgeous models but maybe I just have a thing for the underdog I happen to find all that 19th century tech fascinating as well. 

I think the controversy is largely settled now.  And the way the she looks in Baltimore now is a lot closer to her original appearance than ever before so really I imagine a kit could be made using original plans and reference her current appearance. I do believe that the majority of model builders who sell kits to the companies have a personal preference to ships in that 1750-1810 bracket which is of course considered the high age of sail and anything after sort of gets the shrug lol.

Ah now that's being harsh. What did the HMS Diana do other than sail to Egypt and get sold to the dutch?  Doesn't make her any less of an impressive model but one could easily rationalize a USS Congress 1841 kit or USS Hartford both with very relevant historical significance and would make equally excellent models.  I think (without trying to sound rude) that there is a bit of prejudice attached to the last age of sail kinda like the age where all the majesty went away (no more figureheads, gildings all that piratey looking stuff) and things got weird (paddles, smoke stacks and various Frankenstein ideas). I mean one cannot argue the works of art that British ship of the lines like Victory or Vanguard were/are and how they make gorgeous models but maybe I just have a thing for the underdog I happen to find all that 19th century tech fascinating as well. 

I just can't leave it alone. Worked on the colors, put the correct number of window panes this time, and test fitted the cast pieces. Getting closer...

 
I'll try try fitting each of the 8 windows with clear styrene squares, and maybe won't get glue spots on the panes this time.
 
Oh yeah, and I made the window panes with thread that was reinforced with super thin cyano.

Part of the problem with the Constellation is the some drawings were burned (allegedly) when the Brits burned Washingtion  and then others were destroyed by that group in Baltimore.  No one is really sure what happened to all of them.

"a personal preference to ships in that 1750-1810 bracket"
Well, I do, fer shure.  There is probably a marketing bonus if you can say 'the famous ship of the war of 1812' rather than 'the last purely sailing warship built to use up excess timber stocks in 1853'.

The Hms Unicorn is based off of an admiralty plan (or at the very least a convincing reconstruction) for the Lyme class frigate of 1748 and considered one of the first "true" frigates. But here is an example of a kit where the source is identifiable and at least there is some rationale as to it's creation though you may be right Mark a lot of these kits may be based on Chatham drawings as well. As for Constellation I am at a loss as to why no one has built a better kit of the sloop of war she gets no love, lol.

I think the controversy is largely settled now.  And the way the she looks in Baltimore now is a lot closer to her original appearance than ever before so really I imagine a kit could be made using original plans and reference her current appearance. I do believe that the majority of model builders who sell kits to the companies have a personal preference to ships in that 1750-1810 bracket which is of course considered the high age of sail and anything after sort of gets the shrug lol.

I have framed the doors in Ebony using a machined angle profile.They have been given a coat of poly.I am varnishing as I go as,if nothing else,it protects the boxwood from Ebony dust which can mark the boxwood and requires sanding to remove.
 
I have fitted four of the gallows?brackets under the balcony.There are two more still to fit at the transom sides.These will be shaped later as it is much easier to make sure the compound shapes line through.
 
The rear of the doors have been shaped where they fit to the existing planking.These have been epoxied into position.The upper section will be faired later before the planking continues upwards.
 
There is a dubious sheen to the matt poly at the moment.A later coat sprayed on will kill this and produce an even finish
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

As I am organised for a change,I can provide pics of the box contents including one of the rather substantial exemplary drawings.The only thing not pictured is the false keel,one sheet of laser cut ply,a few assorted laser cut items and some blocks of wood.There is not massive amounts of laser cut plywood parts like other manufacturers,it is down to the builder to fashion parts from solid wood
Kind Regards Nigel

There has been so much controversy about Constellation's appearance that it isn't that surprising there has been no kit of her.  For years there was a group pushing for her inclusion in the 'original' frigate club, in competition with Constitution.  If the link above (which didn't work for me) is the 'Fouled Anchors' article read it and you will find this group forged documents in their attempt to legitimize their claims.  Part of the work of this group included remaking the hull into a 1790s frigate.  In doing so, they butchered up the hull.  Now that it has been settled that the vessel currently at Baltimore is the 1853 vessel, the curators are trying to restore her to that appearance.  With all that going on, possibly manufacturers were reluctant to invest in a vessel in flux.  There is a kit by one of the European companies, but I'm not sure how faithful it is to any version of the ship.

The Hms Unicorn is based off of an admiralty plan (or at the very least a convincing reconstruction) for the Lyme class frigate of 1748 and considered one of the first "true" frigates. But here is an example of a kit where the source is identifiable and at least there is some rationale as to it's creation though you may be right Mark a lot of these kits may be based on Chatham drawings as well. As for Constellation I am at a loss as to why no one has built a better kit of the sloop of war she gets no love, lol.

The Hms Unicorn is based off of an admiralty plan (or at the very least a convincing reconstruction) for the Lyme class frigate of 1748 and considered one of the first "true" frigates. But here is an example of a kit where the source is identifiable and at least there is some rationale as to it's creation though you may be right Mark a lot of these kits may be based on Chatham drawings as well. As for Constellation I am at a loss as to why no one has built a better kit of the sloop of war she gets no love, lol.

"Shine looks sort of like the armed Bermuda sloop yet has two masts."
 
Entirely possible.  It wasn't unknown for a cutter or sloop hull to be remasted and rigged as a schooner or brig.
 
BTW The smallest fully rigged brig I can find reference to was only 50' overall and it worked for a long time as a merchantman around Britian.

So, with the Harriet Lane nearing completion and the Emma C. Berry moving along, I figured it was time to start a whole new adventure. 
 
This Aeropiccola kit dates to 1974 (according to the drawings, at least).  It is a very solid POB kit, plans are in Italian but a brief translation provided for the labels into English.  No instructions, just the plans. My intent is to work through the plans, referencing the Model Shipways instructions for ideas.  I will also be using the Hackett plans and the redrawn version by William Baker provided in The Frigate Essex Papers (1974).  I also have The Anatomy of the Ship The 32-Gun Frigate Essex by Portia Takakjian, as well as several articles from The Nautical Research Journal and Model Ship Builder Magazine (Seaways Publishing).  I have ordered a copy of Portia's plans for the Essex and the Model Shipways plans as well.  My goal, over the time I am building this beastie, is to take it slowly and try to combine the best from all sources available to me.  We'll see how that works out!
 
This is quite a change from the Harriet Lane - 1:70 scale as opposed to the 1:144 for the Harriet (and 1:32 for the ECB). This one measures about 27" stem to stern for the framer - total length when finished will be 43 inches long, 13 3/4 inches wide and 29 inches tall with the rigging. The kit includes all the rigging, including material for sails.  That decision is a long time off, so no idea yet whether to include the sails or not.
 
Here, then, is the obligatory photo of the box (note this is one of the kits Maryann was selling last June).

 
Some of the contents
 

 

 

 
The Bulkhead framer and bulkheads laid out for inspection
 

 
And, the bulkheads dry fit - all slid in slick as could be.  I did have to file the fitting between the central portion of the framer and the bow and stern pieces.
 

 
No glue has been harmed as of yet, but the first bits of saw dust have been made.
 
So, welcome, pull up a chair, and look forward to seeing how this goes!

Prince is 64th scale, same as Victory, but being almost 100 year's older, it is somewhat smaller. In fact, it is almost identical in length to the old original Amati Prince (which was given a scale of 1:78...). So no larger than the kit that was available over 40 year's ago! (Just a little more accurate and, hopefully, a lot easier to build).
 
Also, because of the spritsail topmast and no long mizzen boom protruding over the stern, it is a lot shorter than Victory.
 
As for Victory, there are many kits available at smaller scales, but I think this is the first at 64th and to have full lower decks detail, complete with a full compliment of cannon and scale carriages.

I think many are based on the drawings Chapman.   The HMS Unicorn is based on them and company's history for her says that he designed it in 1700... A bit of a stretch... but it looks to be a mix of a late 1700's English "Unicorn" and the French "Licorne" as for awhile she was listed in some records as the translated "Unicorn".

I'm glad you had a good time.  Wish I could be there with you.
David B

Last (for now) we have the Golden Star by Mantua. Again lets have fun with this, a bit of detective work could help determine the intent of these modeler's of yore.  Also feel free to contribute other kits that you may be curious about though a few have been discussed in prior postings

Then we have Mamoli's Hunter which could very well be a generic cutter similar to the Sherbourne however again curious what plan this one was based off of if any.

Next up is HMS Lyde by Euromodel which is supposedly 1/70 scale at 34" yet looks very much like the Halifax which would only be like 19" at that scale.  Another one where I can't find any info on.