Bill Morrison

Good day Michael,
Yes , correct - this is iron transfer sheet, but as final coatiing I don't use varnish but artist acrylic paint of the same colors as main flags colors...
This additional coating iliminate some glossy after iron transfering...

So you're using an iron transfer sheet?, onto what fabric?, and then coating it with varnish?, is that correct Kirill?, they do look amazing!!
 
Michael D.

Michael,
This is very nice place for working and for making foto - this white box - good idea!!!
 
Today I hung the flag on the mizzen ...
now all the masts with flags!
Tomorrow I will be engaged with stern flag and later on banners - pennants ...
and 6 more flags on the deck)) need to be installed !
total there will be 10 pennants and 6 deck ...
ps
after flags pictures thermotransfering, each one need to be repainted by hand brush (acrylic) at least big colored area need to be threated - transfering film has some glossy effect and repainting solve this glossy on fabric
 

A beautiful presentation, Kirill!

Dear friends, colleagues in hobby,( all said bellow - google translated -have fan ! :)))
I hasten to share joyful news! )) For me, at least for sure! The other day I painted the stands for this Galleon model,
the idea that I had a couple of years in my head, probably, finally got its practical embodiment so to speak ... I ordered the elements of the decor of the stand on the "shop of the masters"( there is site in Russia where we could get some artistic hand made things of all kind  , if we could say that),
I cut the excess a little, so that it would more or less fit into the concept "stand holders " for the Galleon model ... .. about the photo shoot - I shot Samsung on the phone, and the quality of the photos ... in my opinion, as if very not very much , if not worse, but my just "normal "camera "Nikon" is bent unfortunately - I can’t insert the batteries into it - it gets out that the wrong battery system !!! :, and there is no other alternative yet ... In addition to quality, also the background, is not homogeneity as it should be for good model representation? but for the moment this is all I have ...
Wish you all the best of the best!!!   
Kirill
 

Kirill4 your Spanish Galleon is so frequently mentioned in comments throughout MSW I had to search for your build and read through it. What a fantastic job you did with this model. Your painting skills are second to nobody. You should be very proud, and I have no doubt you are. I will definitely refer to this build for inspiration during my current and future builds, regardless of the ship being built!

@kirill4 On a fishing trip? that must be exciting! I am just glad you're too old to be drafted. You're OUR Kirill, not the Kremlin's. Eventually you'll get back home to a (hopefully) warmer city, back to your family, your house, and your wonderful Galleon. 
 
Making a model is one thing, teaching someone else to build the same model is something different. 

Good day,
Thank You very much for your attention and kind comments!:)
I m glad You like my little galleon experiment . 

I'm just curious; when did Sergal produce this kit?
 
Bill

I'm just curious; when did Sergal produce this kit?
 
Bill

Hi again,

Work intervened and I have now only just got back to this.   I have now built the first replica box (for the fittings) and this process is shown via the photos below.   The process results in an extremely strong box that's near identical to the original but about equivalent in strength to fine plywood.   It's quite an involved process, but not that expensive and if it ensures the stash survival of the model, then it's worth it.  The description is detailed so that you don't have to invest the learning and bad language time that I have put into establishing this process.  I will follow this with the other internal components box, and then the main box.  I have now completed all the reconstructive artwork for these and got the things printed. 
 
So here is the photo essay:  
 
This box is a composite, involving multiple parts.  The final box has 26 separate components to it, firmly glued together to make a massively strong integrated structure.   The tools required, you will largely already have - rulers, knives, glue sticks and white craft glue.   What you may not have is a graphics package and top-end colour printer that can print out up to A0 , but the former can be substituted by PowerPoint, and the latter is available in most stationary shops these days.  Remember to 'print out' your work as a .pdf file from your PowerPoint programme or whatever, and load this onto your USB, as this can be guaranteed to print accurately when you take it down to the print shop.  That's why it's called a .pdf (portable document format) file.  Most of the files are too big to send as E-mail attachments, but can be transferred by file sharing if the USB doesn't work for you .    
 
The first task is to make up the image for the shell of the printed box lid, which is the most complex component.  This involves taking the measurements off the original and then mapping them out in a graphic design package.  In this case, the package is CorelDraw, but with a bit more mucking around Powerpoint can be used.   Any images (in this case the black roundel with the ship) are then scanned (at the printshop) and digitised as jpeg files.  These are then digitally repaired, basically by cutting bits out of undamaged areas the design, copying them and using them to repair damaged parts of the image.   the shell framework is then 'coloured in' using these repaired .jpeg  images and the fill tools in the package.   The 'Sergal' logo and the writing was recreated from scratch using the graphics package.    The final result is shown in the photo below.   The shell is printed out on it heavy paper or very light card.  This is usually around 200gsm grade.  
 

 
 

 
Just a couple of details. Do NOT put a black outline around your design, as it will wreck the final effect.  If  it's coloured use the colour boundary as a cutting guide, if it's white use a very pale gray outline.  The card will have to be scored so it folds cleanly - The score guides are black, but the they are placed around the periphery of the design (See photo below).  This means that you should score the card up BEFORE you cut it out (and cut the guides off).  Use a ruler and a blunt dinner knife (thieved out of the kitchen and returned before the domestic authorities realise it).  Make sure that the dinner knife is blunt, smooth  and rounded  - the slightest serration will cut the surface of the card and the design causing the colour to split and open up as the card is folded.   The cut and scored component is shown below.  Note the tightly spaced double score lines - this is where the shell will be folded over the bottom of the lid and the ticker card sheets that form the sides of the box.  This is done in two very close 90 degree bends to avoid 'lift' and splitting of the  shell.  
 

 

 
Now you glue the shell together using the four tabs that you have included for this!   Use craft white glue for this and use a ruler to press the tab tight into the corner as it sets.  The glued shell is shown below.  At this point it is very light and floppy.
 

 
Once it is dry cut a piece of heavier (1/16" or 1.5 mm) card out to tightly fit the bottom.  Do NOT attempt to 'pre-cut' this.  Even the most carefully mad ebox will be a mm or so out, and these errors accumulate - from now on we will be custom-fitting parts to this initial measured shell.  So take the measurements off the shell once it is complete.   Stick this base card in with a glue stick.  Do not use craft glue as the liquid will cause the shell to expand, wrinkle and disintegrate.  Make sure that every square mm is covered with glue stick glue - press and hold until it has stuck.  Do the same with thick card squares to the sides and the end of the shell.  Cut to fit each component to the main structure (see photos).
 

 

   

 
The next stage is to install the inner shell of the box.  This is made out of the same heavy paper/ light card as the outer shell, but is made of multiple components (base and four sides) that are cut to fit the existing structure.
 

 
 
 
As can be seen the four flaps of the outer shell now stands 20mm proud of the internal shell and the stiff card side and ends of the box.  If you recall, there are two lines scored here, 2mm apart, that will now allow us to easily fold these 2omm flaps down and around he bottom of the  box  and glue them to the inside of the box, thus completing the structure (photo below) - Use white craft glue for this as the glue stick will not be strong enough.  This thing should now go 'bonk' if you bang it on the table.
 

 
You now do this all over again to make the bottom of the box.  Take the measurements from your existing lid.  The outside of the bottom should be 3mm shorter and 3mm narrower than the inside of the top, thus allowing and easy but snug fit.  The bottom should be around 5mm deeper as this allows easy lifting of the lid.  The bottom is made in exactly the same way as the top.
 

 

 
The completed box alongside the original
 

 
See future postings for further excitement - Nerdy - Nooo!

This  looks  like a  Really nice  kit.
 
OC.

Indeed,  the only items missing may be the 2' x 3' wall poster of the finished model (not needed to build the kit, but perhaps a visual aid) and the castings set (pictured below - sorry for the camera flash in the middle).  Most of the bits in there are fleur-de-lis ... which may be available on the secondary market - and are conjectural as decorations.  The 3 key castings missing are; 1.)  the monster head to go on the prow, 2.) the crown to mount on the bowsprit, and 3.) the grappling anchor suspended from the bowsprit - which might be available somewhere as a part (and some sort of crown may be as well).
 
  There are also the curved knives to mount on the fore and main course yards (supposedly to cut enemy rigging when drawing alongside in battle) - visible on the Anthony Roll, but those shouldn't be too difficult to model in some medium ... or simply left off.  The rigging rope in my kit is on spools (and looks like scale rope), thus the lines pictured (if original to the kit) were re-wrapped on holders.
 
  The Sergal Great Harry kit can be built 'out of the box' to make  a fine (if large) model 'as-is', but a few modifications to the castles might bring it more in line with present scholarship and marine archeology.  My challenge was to translate the hull pieces from about 1:65 (provided) to 1:88 (with some corrections in hull lines based on the Mary Rose that has been preserved), to be compatible with the scale of the brass cannons in the kit - and also to build less of a 'beast' in terms of model size and case ultimately needed.  Its all a matter of personal preference, and sometimes a larger presentation fits the scale of the environment in which it will be displayed.
 

Hi,
 
The subject of this posting is the large scale (1:50-1:64) Sergal model of the Great Harry/Henry Grace a Dieu.  This example appeared at a local auction house in Dunedin New Zealand.  I paid about 45USD for it.  As it dates to 1975 or thereabouts I may well be its third or fourth custodian.  The photo shows the state that it is in.  The box is wrecked, but the kit itself appears to be complete and undamaged, bar the castings and the large colour poster of the completed model, which are entirely missing.  I posted some information about this in my new member’s introduction post (Hello from New Zealand). 
 
I said that my intention was not to build this large and rare model, but to restore it so that it was capable of surviving in my own (or somebody else’s) stash until it could be built.  This build thread is thus a project that will return the kit to as close as is possible to its ‘as sold’ condition.  So it’s a bit different.
 
The response by members to this idea on the new member’s page was that the model was more incomplete than I imagined.  Maybe it is, so I am going to start by posting a very long series of photos that represent a complete record the kit and its ‘unboxing’.  This may serve to see if the dream is real or I am wasting my time. 

The box was absolutely full and the photos run to 44 images.  The two internal parts boxes are shown closed, then open and then their contents item by item.  The plank bundles were packed separately with elastic bands.  In the photos they have notes next to them indicating plank dimensions and numbers.
 
All comment is thus very welcome.  Particularly if any members have any idea what was in the three mysterious (and empty) plastic tubes that came with the model!
 
44 photos follow:
 

Very similar - they are both 3-masted extreme clippers. Arrangement of deck furniture is a little different.
FC - 225 ft, built 1851 Boston by McKay
RJ - 251 ft, built 1853 Rockland by Thomas

Two coats of wax on all of the copper - about 10 plates needed to be reinforced or remove and recemented - but waxing is done. Next is varnish. I’m sure the wax provides more than enough protection, but the sheer “pointiness” and “edginess” of the plates means something is going to get stuck on an edge or corner and yank a plate off, or bend it, no matter how long it’s been there. A few coats of varnish will provide a thin layer of sealant, like a tight raincoat or wetsuit, on the whole thing. 

Placed the piece of wood for the false keel on the keel, measured it so that it extends from exactly where the stem curve starts to the end of the ship (technically, flush with the sternpost). Sawed it down to length and then sanded it. Then added a small angle so that it really is flush in line with the sternpost, which is angled to the keel, not 90°. 
 
Took the rudder, measured against the ship. Similar to the false keel, the bottom of the rudder is closer to 90°, which makes it stick down on an angle. Sanded it down until it’s aligned with and extends the keel. Used a long metal ruler to check it. 
 
Put on two coats of primer on each all over, paint is next. I’m painting the false keel copper, and the rudder copper until the waterline and then black above, which matches what I did on the hull. If I did it correctly, I will have one strake of copper over black paint, the rest over copper, just like the hull. 
 

It actually was interesting. I don’t think I’ve yet painted anything that the entire piece needed to be painted. I held the rudder from the top, primed the whole thing except for the handhold, waited for it to dry, did another coat. Only after that dried could I hold the now-primed part to paint my former handhold. Same thing for the false keel, except there I held it right in the middle. 
 

And coppering is complete!
Picture of the rudder and false keel. The fully coppered side you see of the false keel is the bottom side. I didn’t fully copper the side facing the keel, as that will be attached anyways. 
 

Next steps, I plan to go through the ship and strengthen any plates that need it. Then I’ll wax (2-3 coats), varnish (2-3 coats), and attach false keel and plank. Finally, I’ll drill the holes for the stand. Get those in before I turn the ship back over and work on the decks. 
 
 

A ship has a keel is its structural backbone. A false keel is that piece of wood that actually sits under the keel to protect it and the heads of the bolts holding the main keel together. If a ship hits rocks or a reef or the damage from sea worms, the false keel takes the brunt of the abuse. It can be replaced so no harm comes to the main keel.
 
For the USS Constitution, I have not seen model maker attach a false keel to their model, probably because it is only 6” thick full scale. At 1/96 scale that would be 0.0625” or 1/16” thick on your model and would be covered with copper plate.
 
Jon

Interestingly, I cannot get consistent info on the false keel (aka keel boot). I have a memory of seeing somewhere that it should be coppered independently and attached to the bottom of the keel, such that it doesn’t run smoothly into the stem (like the real keel does), ending just below it. But I’m not sure. 

Quick update. Found time for a few sessions this week. I finished the dressing belt on the port side; hoping starboard next week. Then I’ll post some pics. 

I haven’t been quite free to work on the ship, with everything going on around here (to put it mildly), not to mention keeping a business running. 
 
I found some time today to focus on it again for an hour, and found something interesting. 
 
I pulled out those copper plates on which I’d tried varnish and wax. Take a look. 
 

the varnish appears to have darkened the copper plates materially. This is only about 6-7 weeks since I did it, so it’s quite striking to see.
 
Clearly, wax will be my choice for protecting the copper. 

That brings me back to my original plan. I will varnish the planking topsides, then put on the dressing belt overlapping it, and, when finished, wax the copper. 

True. Although as the varnish is just brush and apply, it isn’t a big deal. 

Two sets of two short rows of copper plates each, one with CA, one with contact cement. Intentionally messy, as described above, to see the effect of the coating on the copper but also on the glue. 
 
The right row in each set has two coats of Vallejo Satin Polyurethane Varnish. The left has Renaissance Wax. 
 
All look good, I don’t see any unexpected interaction or discoloration due to the glue and varnish or wax. Which means either should work fine.
 
The BJ manual says 2-3 coats of varnish should help keep the plates in place “forever”; I wonder if it does add longevity and stability to them as an outer coat, and if the wax will do the same thing 🤷‍♂️ 
 
For the curious, here’s info about the wax. 
 

Hi @g8rfan and welcome (from Florida? I’m guessing based on the “gator”).
 
My apologies for the delay in posting. I haven’t been on here much as summer work and travel kept me from making progress worth posting. I also seem to have stopped getting alerts about notifications, so I’ll need to check. 
 
I don’t fully recall at the moment. At the time, I was having a very difficult job shaping it. Once I read that people just remove it and build it up later (based on the official - if challenged - BJ manual and posts here), I researched to see that it was doable, and then promptly forgot it until I got there. I’m still coppering, done about 85% of starboard and 60% of port sides, give or take, so I’m a long way to go. 
 
From the bit I do recall, using wood and putty to build up below and to the deck, then planking, but I’ll have to take serious research once I get there. 
 
I would check the build logs of the master builders on here, the great logs linked to from here.