Tigersteve

1: 64 HMS Surprise prototype build - Vanguard Models

Before we can tuck into a plate of 'eggs 'n bacon' next year, we have the not very small matter of HMS Surprise to attend to. We believe this kit will make many, many folk very happy indeed! There's been so much interest in this that it was about time we saw it released in typical VM style. This is the build which will feature in the instruction manual and here you'll see mostly images that will appear there, plus maybe a few other less polished photos which show the clutter that I really surround myself in!
 
Here's an in-progress profile that Chris is currently working on, of Surprise. This will feature in the plans, along with a whole ton of extra folding paper for you to study.
 

 
This extremely heavy box arrived about an hour ago. This isn't the complete kit either, but there are two sets of everything to build the hull up to and including planking. Chris has used an Indy box to ship this in, so those of you who've built Indy, will recognise this behemoth of a packing box. So far weighing in at around 12kg.

 
A statement? A fact?
Definitely one of those.

 
I'll shortly be digging through all of the contents and doing a few iPhone photos for this build log.

...coming very soon 🤪
 
 
 

Bulwark templates are secured to the hull. I’m glad to have this step finished. 
Steve

Below quarter deck stanchions complete. These were spaced with a 5/16” strip. I also installed the first beam across the great cabin bulkhead. I am constructing the stanchions in two parts, above and below the quarter deck, to avoid having to notch the waterways. (Yes, another “hack” from Stuntflyer!)
Steve

Below quarter deck stanchions complete. These were spaced with a 5/16” strip. I also installed the first beam across the great cabin bulkhead. I am constructing the stanchions in two parts, above and below the quarter deck, to avoid having to notch the waterways. (Yes, another “hack” from Stuntflyer!)
Steve

Below quarter deck stanchions complete. These were spaced with a 5/16” strip. I also installed the first beam across the great cabin bulkhead. I am constructing the stanchions in two parts, above and below the quarter deck, to avoid having to notch the waterways. (Yes, another “hack” from Stuntflyer!)
Steve

Below quarter deck stanchions complete. These were spaced with a 5/16” strip. I also installed the first beam across the great cabin bulkhead. I am constructing the stanchions in two parts, above and below the quarter deck, to avoid having to notch the waterways. (Yes, another “hack” from Stuntflyer!)
Steve

Below quarter deck stanchions complete. These were spaced with a 5/16” strip. I also installed the first beam across the great cabin bulkhead. I am constructing the stanchions in two parts, above and below the quarter deck, to avoid having to notch the waterways. (Yes, another “hack” from Stuntflyer!)
Steve

Below quarter deck stanchions complete. These were spaced with a 5/16” strip. I also installed the first beam across the great cabin bulkhead. I am constructing the stanchions in two parts, above and below the quarter deck, to avoid having to notch the waterways. (Yes, another “hack” from Stuntflyer!)
Steve

As it turned out, the 3-D misprinted/broken recoil rope eye bolts for are a moot point as I had to remove all of them anyways. They were very fragile, delicate, and broke when I tried to attach the required ring to them. The plastic is very stiff, inflexible, and will snap if any stress is applied to them.
 
Each of the 20 carronades required seven 1/32” eyebolts, one each for the two tackles per side, one for the recoil rope per side, and one on the rear of the gun slide. The recoil eyebolts have a ring passing through their eye through which the recoil ropes are threaded. These were replaced with trimmed eyebolts bent 90° with the attached ring.
 
All 20 carronades were dry positioned on the spar deck ready to be rigged. First, I need to fabricate the two long guns to complete the spar deck’s armament.

As I reported, I enjoyed a weekend in Sweden with the main goal, the Vasa Museum. https://www.vasamuseet.se/cs
I had been preparing for this for about 40 years and it was worth it. When I arrived, my watch reported increased blood pressure and heart rate... I spent over 4 hours here, I could have stayed longer, but I took into account the company of my son. I walked around the ship several times and compared the beams and planks with the strips from which we model them... Having the ship about three meters away from each other is unreal. I tried to look at and photograph every detail. Simply indescribable, at the end a very long viewing with contemplation..🔥

I've made some progress on the boat. Front and main tackle finished, I'm tuning the Stays and the Schrouds are waiting for me..

All is looking really good. I like the black on the base. Gives a nice accent without distracting from the model. 
Steve

All is looking really good. I like the black on the base. Gives a nice accent without distracting from the model. 
Steve

Thank you all for the kind words, these are really appreciated and inspiring!
 
I’ve been busy making my stand fit to the hull and put some WOP on it. The lowest edge had some ugly spots so I decided to paint it very dark brown, almost black to cover that up. With a last layer of WOP this will look very natural I hope.
Also I finally put the glass behind the windows on the sides of the quarter galleries.
The rudder section is not yet finished  as you can see ofcourse.
 
Frank.

Still working on deadeyes and straps.  Made a little more progress.  The starboard side is complete.   Now to complete the other side.
 

 

Upper deck stanchions complete. Same procedure as before only this time I used a spacer when I installed. 
Steve

Poop deck stanchions complete. Same procedure as with the forecastle. The transom did need to be raised about 1/16” to accommodate the pre-planking. I noticed in Mike’s log that he had to do the same. More sanding was done on the bulwark templates to get them to 1/32” thick. One photo shows how I measured the thickness.
 
The smaller pre-planking pieces were custom shaped. 1/8” x 1/16” strips did not fit the space proper. One photo points to this area. Just like with the forecastle, there were many redos on this part. Forward progress still outweighs the setbacks. 
Steve

Completing the forecastle stanchions and pre-planking was tedious and required planning and concentration. I’ll outline what I did to assist those few building this kit. I started by sanding and applying Wipe On Poly to the 1/16” x 3/32” strips. I measured 1” sections and cut them using the mini chop saw that I used earlier in this project.
 
The corner stanchions were installed first so I could plan the spacing of the rest of the stanchions. I created tick-strips out of scrap basswood to mark even spacing for the appropriate number of stanchions as shown on the plans. Make sure you check the plans carefully here. Pin rails will be mounted later to specific stanchions. 
 
I taped the tick-strips to the deck so I had visible reference points while installing. This was absolutely necessary to line up the stanchions. Using spacers did not work for me here so I adjusted them by eye. I remounted several along the way. It took several days to figure out this method. 
 
The pre-planking was prepared and sanded before cutting to length. These were not treated with WOP as they will be painted later on. I installed the fore and aft pieces first. This helped when mounting the side pieces. See photos for this and the method I used to bend these pieces. Hot water then bending as shown. 
 
Excess lengths were cut using a sprue cutter. I tried a rotary tool first, but this was a mistake. Sanding sticks were used to polish the rest. I will round the stanchions after the rest are installed on the poop and upper deck. I hope these methods provide useful to others. 
Steve 

Upper deck stanchions complete. Same procedure as before only this time I used a spacer when I installed. 
Steve

Upper deck stanchions complete. Same procedure as before only this time I used a spacer when I installed. 
Steve

Upper deck stanchions complete. Same procedure as before only this time I used a spacer when I installed. 
Steve

Completed gratings on the third attempt. I ended up orienting them so the top of the battens run port to starboard instead of bow to stern. (Hope that makes sense. It’s hard to explain.) I am shocked the transom is still attached after all the deconstruction. 
 
I deleted the redundant posts on this update as well. How many photos of this grating debacle do we need?
Steve

It’s been a day so why not undo some of this work. Uggh! I haven’t been pleased with the handles for these doors so I decided to add some black paint with a toothpick. This did not improve the appearance so after some fidgeting I had to remove some parts. 
 
While I was at it I removed a wonky part of the main deck. The tools used for deconstruction were the exacto knife to open the groove and steel ruler to pry the pieces carefully. Patience is key. 
 
I’m considering redoing the gratings but I would need to purchase more gratings and I’ve spent enough $ on the wood for this project already. I think they will be fine under the ships boat. This is still up in the air. What do you guys think?
Steve

Upper deck stanchions complete. Same procedure as before only this time I used a spacer when I installed. 
Steve

Upper deck stanchions complete. Same procedure as before only this time I used a spacer when I installed. 
Steve

Poop deck stanchions complete. Same procedure as with the forecastle. The transom did need to be raised about 1/16” to accommodate the pre-planking. I noticed in Mike’s log that he had to do the same. More sanding was done on the bulwark templates to get them to 1/32” thick. One photo shows how I measured the thickness.
 
The smaller pre-planking pieces were custom shaped. 1/8” x 1/16” strips did not fit the space proper. One photo points to this area. Just like with the forecastle, there were many redos on this part. Forward progress still outweighs the setbacks. 
Steve