Bill Morrison

On 6/19/2020 at 9:45 AM, harlequin said:

I can utter the immortal words......Bellona is COMPLETED...……..apart from the ensigns which I may or may not add.....after over 7 years of toil, Bellona and me are at one. It has been a journey full of angst and doubt. At one stage Bellona came within a hairs width of being scrapped. Pictures to follow soon.  

CONGRATULATIONS on an exquisite model!  Well done!

Bill

I have the Constructo HMS Pandora kit. It really isn't so bad.  The only issue I have is that the bow and forecastle look a little too sharp, but that is easily correctable if the builder desires.  I have also "heard" that some of the fittings might be overscale, but no one has answered my inquiries about which ones are so.  They all look good to me.  I am happy with my kit.  Once again, how did anyone deal with the very heavy transom?

Bill

Stunning work!

Bill

I think that Chris said it best when he called your Speedy "superb"!

Bill

Nice job! Beautiful job on the gun ports.

Bill

They are beautiful!

Bill

On 6/3/2020 at 8:44 AM, Robert Taylor said:

I actually think this more of a Spanish Galleon with the 4 masts and high decking. Revell didn't do much I think in the way of historical accuracy for this kit as they reproduced it with a few alterations from their original 1:96 Spanish Galleon kit.

I once read that Revell did the research for the Spanish Galleon version of this kit at MGM Studios, basing it on a model they once used in a movie.  Therefore, the author of that statement questioned the historical accuracy of that kit. However, given that there are so few historical records extant about most Spanish Galleons, no one can say with certainty.  The model does build into a beautiful model!

Bill

Chris,

From what I've seen, this is quite an impressive kit.  Well done, sir!

Bill

Stunning work!

Bill

1 minute ago, Bill Morrison said:

Derek, 

 

That's great to hear!  Again, I am most impressed with your model. You are doing a great job!  I contacted www.agesofsail.com and asked them if they can carry this line.

Bill

1 minute ago, Bill Morrison said:

 

4 hours ago, DelF said:

Hi Glenn

 

I’ve double checked and I’m ok 👍

That’s great Bill - I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Vanguard Models is a one-man band, and that man is Chris Watton. Check out his update topic on this forum (I’m on my iPhone so can’t provide the link). It’s great to follow Chris’s updates as he designs and produces new kits, and he’s always open to suggestions for improvements and new models from fellow forum members. 
 

Best wishes

 

Derek

Derek, 

That's great to hear!  Again, I am most impressed with your model. You are doing a great job!

Wow! This is the first time I have heard of Vanguard Models and I am quite impressed! Your HMS Speedy is beautiful so far.  Well done!  I just ordered my own . . .

Bill

1 hour ago, Jonathan11 said:

Many thanks Bill! Glad you like her. She not finished yet and will be awhile as sail building is a little slow to get all 28 done right and looking good.

Jonathan,

Believe me, I know.  I bought the HiSModel set for the Alabama to help ease the problem on mine.  I know, it is the easy way out!

Your Alabama is stunning!

Bill

10 hours ago, mtaylor said:

 

 

Ah yes.  Several people were about to jail time.   There's a document "Fouled Anchors - The Constellation Question" which reveals in detail what went on.  Things like stealing and destroying plans.  Altering plans.  They did nice job attempting to fool people.  I saw her in the early 70's when they had her full frigate mode and didn't realize it was pure BS.   

 

I bashed the daylights out the kit to make the 1854 version which I'm very happy with.  I've been told that there's only or two other models of the 1854 sloop of war.

The only other kit of which I am aware is the old Pyro/Lindberg/Life Like plastic kit.  

By the way, what changes did you make to the AL kit to convert it to the sloop of war besides planking over the spar deck?  I am curious because I might purchase the kit.

Finally, there is one small historical point to make.  Whereas the Frigate USS Constellation was the first ship of the USN, the Sloop of War USS Constellation was the last sailing ship built for the Navy.

I hope so.  I look forward to seeing some reviews or build logs of the refinements.  But, I remember a conversation I had with Dusek in which I recommended major revisions to their HMS Beagle kit; he said that that was beyond the scope of his planned refinements.

Bill

In case no one has noticed, Mamoli has started up again. Yippee.

Bill

Jonathan,

Those are beautiful photos of the original ship!  By the way, the profile drawings you provided were also once published in the defunct Seaways Periodical back in the 1990s, along with the equivalent drawings of the sloop of war.  The ships are in no way alike except that they both carried three masts and cannons.

Bill

Greetings!

First, you are doing a great job! I love your planking!

Second, you cannot build the original frigate with this kit. It represents the 1854 sloop-of-war, which was a very different ship that was being built as a new ship as the original frigate was being broken up.  They have different hull lines, the frigate had a square transom, not the rounded transom found in the model, a feature of the sloop of war.  The model depicts a separate  quarter deck and forecastle as in the frigate, but the sloop of war had a continuous spar deck.

The issue became confused when the current USS Constellation in Baltimore was advertised as being the original when it first opened as a museum ship.  That advertising continued into the 1990s in spite of much criticism and research disproving the premise.  It has since been advertised as the sloop of war.

Anyway, I mean no criticism of your model. You are doing a terrific job with it.

Bill

Jonathan,

Believe me that I was in no way criticizing your model. Indeed, I have used the same plans, and my goal was to get as close to an historical representation as well.  I also like the green bulwarks. They are quite striking.  But, I also like the yellow ochre that I have seen referenced elsewhere, and thought it possible that the CSN might have deviated from the apple green used in the USN.  I am deeply impressed with your model!

Looking at your photos, I did not see the rake. Perhaps this can be attributed to the angles taken in your photographs.

Anyway, I forgot to mention that I replaced the kit cannons with the Cottage Industry set specially made for the Revell model.  Well done!

Bill

Wow!  This thread  is a great find!  I have been working on these same conversions for the Revell model, although my paint scheme is somewhat different.  See the painting I use in my avatar.  I painted the inboard bulwarks yellow ochre. I also used the cloth sails and wood blocks and tackle from HiS Model, which are great! However, I have an autistic grandchild who loves my models; unfortunately, he broke my Alabama, and I have been gradually repairing the model. 

I do have one question. I notice that you did not step the masts with a pronounced rake as in the real ship. May I ask why?

Thank you!

Bill

Greetings!  Great job so far!  Have you made any progress in the last five years?  It would be a real shame if you haven't.

I have long since decided based on years of research that this model is supposed to represent the second of three ships named Le Soleil Royal, hence, it bears limited resemblance to the paintings by Berain.  Heller based the model on the Tanneron model in the Musee de la Marine in Paris, which was incomplete because of Tanneron's death.  That said, they made several mistakes from his model; the quarter galleries should be opened and the aft run of  the lower hull should be more full. However, I have seen drawings of French early 18th century ships of  the line had similar runs, so I can live with that with my own model. I did have to open the quarter galleries.

I also recommend raising the waterline almost to the lower wale according to most drawings of these ships of  the period. Otherwise, the lower hull looks out of proportion to the model.  Heller marked the waterline much too shallow.

Again, great job so far!

Bill

I look forward to it!

Bill

Beautiful work, Mark!  

Greetings!  Great job so far!  I know you are working on another build, but have you made progress on SR?  If I may, I'd like to recommend that you look at the build by David_K on the Fine Scale Modeler.  He did an outstanding job that answers common questions about this build.  You won't regret it!

Bill