Bill Morrison

God Bless Michel and his family!  

Bill

26 minutes ago, Ulises Victoria said:

I just bagged my attempt at building Panart's SotS. Worst kit I have ever attempted, in my very personal opinion. Cheers.

I respect your comment.  But, what was wrong with the kit?

Bill

On 6/6/2021 at 6:53 AM, Avi said:

I will say, I was not overly pleased with how tightly the CA held the wood of the various parts (stem, keel, sternpost) to the hull. Both were sanded down very smoothly (I used ~400 grit for final passes on everything). It also was a newly opened bottle of fine CA, so not likely to be that it "expired". Without the pins, I am fairly convinced it would not have come close to holding.

 

I am open to advice on the matter, including links to more I can learn about using CA properly, or properly selecting brands (if it matters).

I have always used white glue on my wood ship models.  Any contact glue will work well. It's much better that CA when attaching wood-to-wood parts.

Bill

I also have a weak spot for the Soleil Royal.  To me, there is one real advantage of the Heller kit over the various wooden varieties; her cannons.  All wooden versions use the same size cannons on each of her decks while Heller provides cannons of three different sizes to match what she carried.  I know that the Heller cannons have received much criticism in the past for being undersized, but they match up to those drawn in Les Vasseaux.  In my opinion, Heller did a nice job of them.

Anyway, given that I rarely have a spare $1,000.00 to spend on a model kit, I will probably choose a different ship, perhaps Sovereign of the Seas.

Bill

She is stunning! I am most impressed!

Bill

On 2/12/2022 at 9:37 PM, allanyed said:

For $900 I would expect  a little reality from the kit producer.  The photos show belaying pins.  Belaying pins were not used on French (or English) warships in the 17th century, and if they had been they would not be the size of  bowling pins.  The gratings look nothing like gratings on a ship of any era.  The sided and moulded dimensions of the frames on the ship's boats are huge compared to what they would have been.  There are more items,  but in the end you are the one to decide if these kinds of things are important, or maybe consider doing a kit bashing to correct them.

Allan

There is also no ornamentation on the outboard side of the bulwarks, yet, the ship was well known for her rich ornamentation.

Bill

It's interesting that I have said that my belief is that the Heller kit is of the second ship named Le Soleil Royal. The first ship was built between 1668 and 1671 and carried 110 guns. She is depicted in Berain's paintings as solid blue with gold wales and decor.

The second was built beginning in 1692 and carried 104 guns. There is no documentation of which I am aware for how she was painted.  The Heller model is pierced for 104 guns, so it appears that the Tanneron model on which she is based is of the second SR.

The third was an 80-gun ship and is not depicted by any model.

Since there is little documentation about SR #2, it stands to reason that the paint scheme is up to the whims of the modeler.  It seems reasonable to go with the practice of the times.

Bill

On 3/2/2021 at 4:37 PM, John Clements said:

Thanks, Michael. I appreciate your comments.

At that size (and price) one really would expect Heller to have done a better job if this was to be their top French sailing navy offering but it does mean we can all use our imagination a bit, and it's really nice to see all the different versions on this site. Putting her afloat is certainly an option but I'm put off by the sheer size of it. We will see.

There is a fix to the waterline issue.  Sand off the molded-on waterline marking that Heller placed too low, and raise the waterline to the lowest wale. This is shown in the many drawings found in the book Vasseaux du Roi Soleil.   The lower hull then appears more reasonable.

Bill

NekO,

It's important to understand that there were three French ships-of-the-line named Soleil Royal, and that the original was painted blue and gold.  The available model kits probably come closest to SR #2, as does the incomplete Tanneron model.  I know of no sources that show the second or third ships.  I would love to see any sources that you may have.

Thanks!

Bill Morrison

Nice job so far!  I've had my eye on this kit for a while.  She's a beautiful ship.  You are doing her justice.

Bill

Welcome aboard, AL!

Bill

I retired from both the US Navy and from teaching.  It does go fast!  Now, I wish I had more time for modeling! Something is always coming up.

Bill

On 1/7/2022 at 5:47 PM, Bruma said:

Great to see another glorious revell kit coming to life! 

I also really like your 3d printed details! 

I agree!  I am modifying Revell's old CSS Alabama, making it very close to an accurate model.  Even Revell's smaller sailing ships can be made into decent models of the real ship.

Kevin is doing a great job on the Cutty Sark!

Bill

I spent from 1990-1996 at sea on several submarines and missed that news.

6 hours ago, James H said:

No wonder you struggled getting contact. 

 

That country hasn't existed since 1992 😆

Sorry.  It was a "brain fart".  He operates out of the Czech Republic.  

Bill

Please note that MS packaged the kits in White boxes "back in the day" but shifted to yellow in the 1960s.

I hate to say but you gentlemen have better eyesight than I!  The stern looked perfectly fine to me.  I saw no misalignment.

Bill

I have to go with the old solid hull model by MS. The photos above are of that kit if built in the '60s.  I once built it and now I have another.  It can easily be found online.

Of the two plank-on-bulkhead kits, either is fine. If you are familiar with Mamoli, go with that.

Bill

Chris,

One of the features that has often been criticized in the Heller Le Soleil Royal is the aft run of the hull below the waterline, which many believe is too shallow.  Another is the depth of the hull below the waterline.  Given the many models of SR and other French ships of the line of the era, I think that Heller is probably more correct than not.  Your model seems to confirm my point.

I have a copy of Les Vasseux du Louis XIV.  My French may be lacking.  The many drawings seem to confirm this as well.

Thanks again for a wonderful build!

Bill

Radek operates HiSModel.com out of Czechoslovakia.

Bill

It's interesting to see how much her lines resemble the Le Soleil Royal.  Your Saint Philippe is stunning!

Bill

I believe that I still have them.  I will check tomorrow and let you know.

Bill

On 6/25/2021 at 5:20 PM, Bill Morrison said:

Marc,

I might take the occasional sabbatical. but I am always following this build!

Bill

I'm back!  My sabbatical amounted to several hospitalizations and periods in rehab facilities due to breaking my left leg, knee, and hip following several falls. Those were followed by a stroke with hospitalization and rehab.  2021 was a year of misery for me.  

Bill

On 1/3/2022 at 5:00 PM, CRI-CRI said:

At right scale, a lot of work for not much visible result  :

 

 

The difference in the gunports is obvious.  Your St. Phillippe is outstanding!  Your work is worth it.

Bill

I am always amazed by your work!

Bill