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Rigging is complete!!! Wow what a relief to say those words!! I still have a few things to do such as the anchors and stern lights plus some misc. details like the rope coils but the huge mountain that is rigging is over. Took 297 hours out of the 897 hours on the build to date. A couple things bug me but overall I am happy with it. wont be long now and she will be complete! Then on to the next project! More to come one as I put the finishing touches on her! Enjoy and thanks for looking in!

Bowsprit rigging is complete! Sprtisail yard was added as well as the braces and now an area of the ship is complete. I've moved on to rigging the braces on the foremast yards now. They are fairly simple to rig just a lot of blocks to place first which brings me to a possible annoyance; I may be running short on blocks. I'm going to get a count on how many I still need and see how many I actually have left but as the drawer with the blocks for this ship is looking rather bare, I fear I may be short. At this point though I will probably see if I can rob some off of another kit or I may get lucky and have some of the right size in the extras cabinet. Worse case I can always make a few as I don't think I am going to be missing that many, maybe 6 or so. Casualties of the build as several were split or otherwise damaged beyond use, some were ate by the carpet monster, I'm sure some were lost during the move and who knows what else. Not the worst thing to happen just annoying at this point. Enough of all that, enjoy the pictures and I will probably have some more soon!

Cross sections can be a good starting point to judge if you will enjoy building a fully framed ship. Of course they still do not prepare you for all the trickier spots nor the overall scale of an entire ship but, they do begin to teach you the skills and patience needed. That is how I am introducing myself to full framed models is with a cross section of ship that I am finishing now. Passion for your project is very important so finding a ship that interests you is good to maintaining interest throughout the build. Another option is you could get a plank on bulkhead ship and replace the false keel and bulkheads with proper framing. Doing that you get all the materials you need for planking and decorations and only have to scratch the frames. With the plans and bulkhead pieces you will have guides for the hull shape which will guide you in making the frames. Worse case, you can always simply build the P.o.B. ship and still have a nice model.

Welcome to MSW Cliff! I do not know if there are any kits that would meet all of your expectations. I'm thinking it might be best to pick a ship you like and acquire the plans and any other drawings, pictures etc., that you can find on it and just go for a complete scratch build. The people on here will be better guides and instructions than what are found in most kits and that gives you more freedom to make sure you are getting the quality materials that you want to use. In any case, best of luck to you on whatever you decide to do and I look forward to seeing your build!

I always wait to drill the holes for the dummy cannons till after the ports are opened up and I can verify the position but before the lids are set. It is easy to reach in with a drill bit and make a hole where needed and then you know the alignment is right. Just make sure the blocks are positioned right! Bulkheads look nice and it can be easier to install them before planking the outside. I also like to plank my decks as much as possible before planking the outside. Makes it easier to work and gives a cleaner look along the edges.

Cheers Don! That rudder work alone is deserving of a drink or two in my book! Another excellent addition to you build.

Welcome to MSW Don! Best of luck to you on your first build.

Thanks everyone for the nice words and the likes! The major components left for the rigging other than that last yard are just the braces. While there are a lot of them to do, they are relatively easy to rig compared to what has been done already. Other items are the anchors and stern lanterns and I will also add all the rope coils at the belaying pins and on the deck where needed. May be a few other things I'm not thinking of but those are the main things to do.

I've returned to La Couronne's ship yard and work has progressed nicely with the rigging of the spritsail topmast yard. I also finished the last crows foot and am ready to rig the spritsail yard next. That will be the last yard to go on the build! I'm fairly certain that unless something derails the plans, I am on the final push to the end of this build and am planning on staying on this one with out breaks till she is done. That means lots of updates for you all to enjoy! I still have several things to do but the end is close at hand and I am ready to reach it. Exciting times ahead! For now, here are the latest updates.

Good start on you lower planking. Just be careful at the bow that the planks don't start climbing on you. It happens very easily and can throw off the entire layout. Best of luck and I'm looking forward to the next update!

Foremast rigging looks great! Ropes are nice and tight. excellent job!

God start on the fairing of the frames. Also smart to place those filler blocks at the bow. They will help put a lot when you go to plank.

Great work! The little details really bring the model to life.

Sjors, Marc, Don, Michael, thank you all for the compliments! I wasn't entirely sure what the intentions of the kit were with the original chase ports being so big. From what I have see on most ships, they were either the same size as the side ports or smaller as the guns for those ports were often a much smaller caliber or even just a swivel gun. If the instructions addressed it, I either couldn't find it or it was in a language I do not read and did not feel like translating out of laziness. The stern below the balconies has been a large mystery on this build as what little is shown of the stern all focuses on the decorations and not the structure. That is understandable to an extent as most people build this ship for her decorations and not those 4 chase ports or the rudder but, it would have still been nice to have a little more detail shown on one of the drawings.... Don, well I do not know if you will get your wish very soon as the next build that I plan on once La Couronne is done will be a scratch build cross section of La Couronne but, at least you won't have to learn how to spell a new name! The next full ship build that I am planning is looking like the Royal Louis. My plan is to show the evolution of French ships of the line during the 17th century. Royal Louis would make a great one to end the century on however, there is little information, drawings etc., for me to go off of to model that particular version well. The only kit available is of the Royal Louis of around 1779. While not of the 17th century actually about 100 years after Soleil Royal, I think this may be a better presentation. With the slow changes of ship building and rigging practices, the early attempts by the French are well shown now with Couronne and S.R.. Modeling a comparable ship that now carries the full range of nautical changes that have evolved of the century of time will, in my opinion, be a more dramatic display. However, that build is far down the road as the funding for that project does not yet exist and I do want to do my cross sections for each ship I build.

Thank you and a big welcome to Marvin and all the folks at Scale Hardware! Always good to see new sponsors and after taking a stroll through your online store I can see some great products that I'm sure I will be adding to current and future projects.

Port side gun ports are in place, hull is sanded and ready for the second planking! Started working on the stern below the cabin balconies. Framed up the stern ports and planked up to the balconies with the finish layer. Going to take a break on her for a little while now before I really dive into the second planking. There is a lot of it but the second layer tends to go faster than the first and once I get going on it, I like to see it to the end. So before that I want to work some more on La Couronne as she is nearing completion. I may push to finish her up before I return to this log so it may be awhile before there are any new progress pics on here.

Sal, Glad I found your log early as it is always nice to get in at the beginning. You are off to a good start on the initial framing. Kit looks nice and I'm looking forward to seeing this build as it is on my list of future builds so it will be good to see how the kit stacks up. Looking forward to the journey!

Hi Martyn! Good to see another S.R. build on here as I am building her myself at the moment. Looks like you are off to a great start on her planking. She is a beast of a hull to plank so i can understand wanting to break up the monotony of planking. Those boats turned out nice. I like how you decorated them. While I can't speak to historical accuracy, they add an interesting element that makes them stand out. That is something rarely seen on the ships boats as I think that many of us gloss over as a necessary part of the build but not one that gets a lot of attention. Nice to see something different! I got my seat pulled up and ready to follow along!

Sjors, Don't know how I missed the start of this build but I've found some room in the back and a little popcorn leftover so I'm ready to join in! Looks like you are off to a fine start on what should be a fun build.

Woohoo physical work! It will be nice to start seeing all your planning take shape. This is going to be a very interesting build as I rarely see builders mutilate their plastic hulls. By the way, nice shop!

Sjors, I use piping for a lot of storage. Wood strips, dowels and model railroad track all have their tubes out in the garage. That is originally what I was using for my ship wood as well until I got this cabinet. I meant to post this a couple days ago but I did finish up the starboard side gun ports and more sanding. She is starting to look good on that side now. The port side is also well underway and I am hoping to have the ports finished up in a couple more days and then more sanding on that side. Once both sides are where I like them I will build out the stern and the 2nd planking will start. If I can manage it at work, I am hoping to get a 4 day weekend this weekend and should be able to get in some long build days.

Those lights are very well done. The dissipated light makes a nice soft glow that looks like lantern light. Great addition!

Definitely do a log for it. That would be fun to follow along with. I'll keep an eye out for when you do get started.

Thank you everyone for the compliments and likes. The end is getting closer all the time and the next push on rigging will bring it even closer. Only a few major items remain, bowsprit yards, braces, anchors and stern lanterns. Some other minor things and maybe some rework depending on how I feel and she will be complete! By far my biggest build to date so I am rather excited to see the finished ship.

Very nice work. Your model is making a strong argument for doing furled sails at the minimal. I've never worked with cloth sails, only the plastic vacuum formed kind and truthfully I have always been afraid I would not do them justice so I don't model them. A furled sail like you have done though, that I feel confident I can do!