NMBROOK

Yes mate,the pivot point.Yes I understand,essentially the pictured cannon is not one that fits on the kit carriages.I agree that Billings would have to make some educated guesses,especially at the time the kit was designed.I think they would have more likely produced a generic cannon enabling them to use this with Norske Love as well.As kit parts go though this is definitely one of the better representations on the kit market.
Kind Regards Nigel

A very good question Hans and welcome to the forum by the way.I think that really the only thing these two kits have in common is roughly the same number of guns.The Caldercraft Victory presents you with excellent instructions and good materials but perhaps limited scope for personalisation.Royal william on the other hand has minimal instructions,probably the best plans in the kit industry,excellent materials and an almost endless scope for modifications,additions and scratchbuild work.Euromodels plans include many details(including interior)relating to the original going far beyond the kit contents allowing modelers to take things as far as they wish.The Royal William does not have the sheer mass of laser cut parts you get with the Victory,instead expecting builders to fashion parts from solid timber themselves.For me,Royal William any day of the week but then again I am biased because I bought the Royal William plans for a future scratchbuild.
 
Kind Regards Nigel

Hello Eamonn you might want to add your garboard strake now before you plank yourself into a "corner".
 Kip

Looking good Michael  ,it is a shame about the holes,if you do decide to plug any and redrill then some small walnut pins made in the dremel 'lathe'should do the trick
Kind Regards Nigel

Yeah, the overall shape of the cannon is not bad, even if it is simplified and only in 2 versions, but I think it's expecting a lot to want all versions of cannons. Hopefully a descent paintjob will make them work well.
 
Carriages.The kit has 3 different kind of carriages, the one in the pic and one almost the same, only slightly smaller. The third is the old army two wheel carriage for the 2 one pounders. I do liked that idea, but I will use a carriage like the others, only slimmer (I have this option with my extra spare parts). That's the way the 1:10 has it, and it's the logical way to do it. It was hard to make cannons in the 1600's, but not to make practical carriages. The big 2 wheeler would be really impractical.
 
One of the cannons had no carriage and where just strapped to the deck. I will look into that and see how that would have worked.
 
/Matti

Hi everyone,
 
Here is the second part of the chainplates/deadeyes installation. Continuing from the first part, with the deadeye chainplates matter resolved, now it was time to shape, drill new holes (for the nails), then cut their lengths, thin their bulk where the nails would be added, and touch up with flat black paint. I decided to have that flatter look at their ends in order to make them appear more as flat plates, so Dremel-ed the front and back faces.
 
I then realized that the nails, though they had flat heads, were actually too wide. A bit of Dremel trimming and black paint resolved the issue. I added a comparison photo.
 
I then borrowed from Ferit's spectacular Berlin build and used his rubber band concept to align the chains correctly for nailing. This technique allowed me to drill holes into the wales at properly angled locations. Great idea Ferit a big thanks, again!
 
There are some errors, of course. The deadeye rings are not correct. They should be actual rings with longer lower lips that clamp to actual plates. Mark's Vasa (marktiedens) really captured that correctly! His looks perfect.
 
Also the deadeyes should be triangular as well. So it goes. Lastly, I was so concerned about sourcing deadeyes that had similar staining that I totally overlooked, what I now see glaring at me- in some of them the three holes are not properly spaced. These were all machined parts so I assumed (there's that word again) I will fill-in some of the worse offending holes and re-drill them. OK now onto the main mast, then the port side. Again, as always thanks for dropping by, its always so appreciated.
 
Regards,
 
Michael
 
 

Coming on well Eamonn,nearly there,then you get to do it all again mate.
 
Kind Regards Nigel

Fabulous work Matti   With your painting skills I should imagine it is immaterial that the carriages are plastic.Your scratchbuilt cannon barrels are wonderful and you would not buy anything off the shelf that looked like those.With the quality of your build,it is easy to forget that this is your first wooden build,exemplary work my friend!!!
Kind Regards Nigel

Hi everyone,
 
I have started construction on the stern. The first images show constructing the transom at the quarterdeck into which the vertical timbers will dovetail. When I taped it in place in the third image, I realized that there were too many parts in motion, and I would need a jig to keep it all aligned.
 
So the next images show a jig at the location of the stern lights. The most important thing to keep straight in this construction is the equal spacing of the stern lights.  The jig represents the windows themselves, with the correct round up and round aft, and the locations of the vertical timbers. I then cut slots for the timbers into which I could locate them while shaping them. I did not have to work very hard to create the right bevel; I just filed the aft faces flush to the jig.
 
You will also see that I initially mounted the jig on a right angle fixture over a slab of granite. This allowed me to use a flat, parallel surface from which I could construct the radiating lines for the vertical timbers with a drafting triangle. Once I found the correct angle on one side, I could flip the triangle and draw exactly the same angle on the opposite side. That kept everything perfectly symmetrical from the center. I initially tried to do this while the jig was located on this ship itself, and there were too many things in the way.
 
Still lots to do...
 
Mark
 

Hi Jan
I have to agree the addition of the black makes the world of difference and really brings your carvings to life,great work
 
Kind Regards Nigel

Dear visitors of my build,
 
here comes another update on the Sculpey ornamentation work on the RC.
 
I have mostly finished the starboard and I have recently moved to the port. 
 
I have not been completely happy with the plain gold color which made the ornaments look quite flat so I have made an attempt to improve the look. So I have used black color to make them more plastic and to get some patina effect. It still needs some improvements but I think it will hopefully be better...
 
Let me know your thoughts...
Thanks,
Jan

As work is moving well on the construction of my Caroline build,preliminary work is now starting on my next'bill paying' project.This is based on the Euromodel kit,but it is my intention to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with a kit.I shall be using construction techniques for the hull that have been developed by myself,specifically for this build.The completed model shall include the following details;
1/hull planking in boxwood and ebony
2/hull planking omitted between the upper wales with false boxwood frames,this is a feature on quite a few Navy board models which I am quite fond of and an alternative from a fully framed build.
3/Full hull interior,lower gun deck upwards,with planking sections omitted on the upper decks for viewing the interior.
4/Remodelling of the stern to replicate the drawing by Van de Velde the Elder.
This project will be a 'slow burn' until Caroline is finished,but I am starting this log now to avoid missing anything as work progresses.I am trying to avoid starting another log with a planked hull  
Some photos to wet your appetite

The box,rather heavy,given it's size

Mordaunt by Van de Velde the elder
 
Kind Regards Nigel

Thank you very much indeed Antony for your kind words I agree,I think she is a lovely vessel,I really am surprised that their are so few models made of her.Prince of 1670 seems to be the popular choice for the period,but I am prepared to wait and see what Chris Watton comes up with,before I tackle her.
Kind Regards Nigel

Thanks Nigel
 
I'm going to build a "trial" mould for another [smaller] ship out of wood and line in with aluminium high speed tape for the detailing. Will let you know how I get on!

Brilliant.. I'll nip out soon to a hardware store and take a looksee around.
 
Eamonn
 
Coming Soon to a Town Near You.. 'Eamonn's Glue & Filler One Stop Shop' .. as seen on MSW !

You are correct. here they are often referred to as carpenters glue and  have a short grab time and when cured an extremely strong joint.
Kip

I am going to try and get technical now and provide text with each picture  
The first step is to copy the drawings regarding the bulkheads.This is due to the between deck areas not be cut out from the factory.These were pasted to the relevant bulkheads to allow cutting out with the scrollsaw.Some areas were not shown,mainly the first and last bulkhead which will require some drafting to get the cutouts.

The design of the kit intends for a 3mm by 7mm stringer to be fitted each side of the hull.This stringer does not coincide with anything and to a certain extent will be in my way,so the bulkhead notches were filled with scrap timber.

These are pictures of the skeleton so far.You will notice I have cut my own notches out on the lower deck.These are for 5mm square stringers supplied by me.These provide support for the lower gundeck,which is the only deck that will have a plywood subdeck.The plywood additions to the structure are to incorporate dimensional stability and resistance to twisting.The triangle design makes the skeleton rigid,it is impossible to twist it for and aft.The lower hull will be infilled with lime wood.This triangular structure reduces the wood required and also prevents any distortion that can occur due to the moisture from the glue when fitting the infill.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
That brings things up to date for the time being.
Kind Regards Nigel

As work is moving well on the construction of my Caroline build,preliminary work is now starting on my next'bill paying' project.This is based on the Euromodel kit,but it is my intention to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with a kit.I shall be using construction techniques for the hull that have been developed by myself,specifically for this build.The completed model shall include the following details;
1/hull planking in boxwood and ebony
2/hull planking omitted between the upper wales with false boxwood frames,this is a feature on quite a few Navy board models which I am quite fond of and an alternative from a fully framed build.
3/Full hull interior,lower gun deck upwards,with planking sections omitted on the upper decks for viewing the interior.
4/Remodelling of the stern to replicate the drawing by Van de Velde the Elder.
This project will be a 'slow burn' until Caroline is finished,but I am starting this log now to avoid missing anything as work progresses.I am trying to avoid starting another log with a planked hull  
Some photos to wet your appetite

The box,rather heavy,given it's size

Mordaunt by Van de Velde the elder
 
Kind Regards Nigel

Hi Eamonn
Regarding glues,I find the deluxe materials alphatic (unfortunately not stocked by CMB) to be the most superior available in the UK.I have tried the Titebond range,but they don't seem to soak in as well as the deluxe materials version.I save normal PVA for building jobs around the house,it never dries hard like Alphatic does.You will notice the difference when it comes to sanding.
 
Kind Regards Nigel

Thanks Grant,your are welcome to follow along,there will be one or two tricks nobody has seen before I am afraid I won't be participating with the Popcorn,I am determined to loose a few more pounds before the cycling season starts  
 
Kind Regards Nigel

Now that is a Great Cabin!!! 

Heating white metal parts can be risky, as you do risk melting them. In the case of cast decorations, look into making a resin copy. Urethane resin plastic can be easily bent after a quick dip in boiling water, and will cool and harden again, without risk of melting the part.
 
Andy

Thanks Ollie & Lawrence, It will do no harm to have that Web Address Ollie (I'm sure it would be of help to others on here too, so Post away  ) BTW I recommend for anyone to nip over to Ollie's build and take a look at his final planking!!
 
I've been soaking the planks 6 at a time Lawrence and shaping them (Trimming them as I go) prior to Bending with a Plank Bender (A well handy bit of kit) I found that around half an hour soaking was great! they are 1mm planks, were yours thicker for that 'big ol' ' Victory?
The planks are taking the hull shape nicely, few gaps mind you but nothing too serious (not enough to put a dint into my warehouse load of filler  )
Remember Folks there are still some franchises left for 'Eamonn's Filler Shop'...
 
Thanks Again for Looking In Guys, and for the advice, and thanks too to everyone else who happens by..
 
 
Take Care,
 
Eamonn

Hi Nigel.
Looks a fine ship and with your quality of bashing it well turn out to be an exptional build.
Got my chair..IPad fully charged.. GO.
You got my interest and attention.
 
Regards Antony.

This looks like an interesting build to follow Nigel - think I'll pull up a seat too! Move over Sjors, and pass the popcorn please.