tlevine

The jeer tye blocks are suspended from the mast head, pass through the opening in the center of the top and hang below the top.  A rope, the jeer tye, comes up from below the yard, runs through the jeer tye block, down to the jeer block , up to the other jeer tye block and back down towards the deck.  These pictures shows the location of the jeer tye blocks and the jeer tye forming the letter “M”.
 
Cleats are located on either side of the masthead for the lashings that secure the jeer tye strop.  These were made the same way I made the yard cleats.   The sharp outer edges were rounded over and they were installed onto the side of the masthead between the battens and below the upper metal hoop.
 
The jeer tye blocks have a double strop.  Steel states that all block strops greater than 4” are served.  These are 17” blocks and would have had 5” strops.  However, Antscherl, in TFFM, Vol 4, page 100, shows jeer tye blocks stropped with unserved line.  Without a clear direction to take, I chose to leave them unserved.  The block hangs below the top a distance equal to the length of the block. These blocks were stropped using the same process used for the other blocks except the two legs are the same length.  The block was secured with a throat seizing and loops were seized on both arms.
 
 
The starboard jeer tye block was installed first.  Seven turns of lashing went through the jeer tye loops and the opposite cleat.  It was then wrapped around itself and secured on the aft side of the masthead.  The port jeer tye block was installed the same way and the lashing was adjusted so the two blocks hunt at the same level.
  
 
The jeer tye (the line than runs through the three jeer blocks) has a double block for the jeer tye falls on each end.  According to Steel, the tye should be the length of the mast, 56 feet.  “Falls” describe a pully arrangement with a heavier line (i.e. the jeer tye) stropped to a block with lighter rope running between this block and another block attached to the deck.
 
The easiest way I found to attach the blocks to the tye is to strop a block onto one end of the tye and then pass the tye through one of the jeer tye blocks, down to the jeer and back up through the other jeer tye block.  The line was threaded through all three jeer blocks until the  jeer tye block came up to the jeer block.  This gave me more room to attach the other tye block.  I passed the jeer tye back through the jeer blocks until the double blocks were level with each other. 

 
 
 
 

@druxey
Thank you for your interest and everyone else for the LIKES
Continuation: throat halyard – Drisse de mat
We continued with the manufacture of the block strops for the throat halyard. The hook was tied into the lower double block with a thimble. The halyard with a diameter of 0.46 mm (ø 2 mm in the original) was attached to the block strop of the upper block using an eye splice.
I then quickly attached the gaff to the finished throat halyard, as can be seen in the following pictures.


To be continued...

Stirrups are lengths of tarred line attached to the yard with an eye-splice at one end.  The number and location vary based on the length of the yard.  On this model, the stirrups are located between the two buntline blocks and at the end of the stub yard.  The footropes (or horses) are also tarred and pass through the eye-splices in the stirrups.  They are fixed to the yard near the opposite clueline block and at the end of the yard.  The scale difference between the two ropes is slight enough that they were made from the same diameter line.  The stirrups wrap around the yard three times and extend three feet below the yard.  In practice, the free end of the stirrup would have been nailed to the back of the yard, but these were glued.  They hang behind the yard.  The picture shows the length of the stirrup relative to the yard.  To install the stirrups I marked their locations on the yard and removed the buntline blocks.  I made an eye splice on one end and wrapped the stirrup around the same diameter dowels three times.  The wraps were coated with dilute glue.  After they were dry I installed them and replaced the bunt blocks.

The horses have an eye splice at one end just large enough to allow the line to pass through it, forming a loop.  The loop is tightened down around the yard just outside the opposite side cleat.  It then goes through the loops in the stirrups. 

It can be difficult to get the horses to have a pleasing curve.  I shaped these by painting them with clear flat acrylic finish and letting it dry on plastic wrap.  The horses were left free at the end of the yard as they would have continued further along the yard.  The yard rigging is now finished. 

At this point, most of the deck structures were installed, including the pumps, windlass and pin rail that fits over the windlass.  The guns were made of bronzed metal, with good detail.  The carriages were simplified as was the gun’s rigging.  This would be another place where some research and scratch building would take this model to the next level.  The pins are nicely shaped and to scale.  Again, everything was painted before installation.  I could not figure out how to install the leeboards from looking at the pictures in the manual.  I looked at Angarfather’s scratch build log of Utrecht and was able to see how it was rigged.

 
The anchors were added next.  The hawser cable runs below the windlass and passes to below deck through a hatch behind the windlass.  I chose to show one anchor hauled in and the other hanging free.

The masting and rigging were next.  The two halves of the mast were glued together and weighted down until the glue had cured.  However, the two mast halves were warped in the plastic fret and even with weighting the assembly, it was warped.  I was able to partially correct this later with the rigging.  On this boat, the topmast bends forward and has a sheave running through it.  This can be seen in the round black bulge halfway up the topmast.  The pictures show the forestay, fore preventer stay, backstays and shrouds installed.  The manufacturer chose to show tarred like for the shroud and mainstay lanyards.  Again, I went to Hartmut’s build log for direction and he shows untarred line for the lanyards.  Additionally, the five hole block for the forestay should have eight holes, with a corresponding number of holes on the stem.  The instructions have nicely detailed sketches of the various knots and methods to rig the blocks and deadeyes.   In the last two pictures you can see that the port top rail and timbers is missing.  This broke off the model and fell into a floor register, never to be seen again!

The ratlines were installed next.  I used the same number of rows of ratlines shown in the instructions and was very frugal with the amount of line left at both ends.  There was not enough line provided to finish the ratlines.  I had line that was almost the same size and used that to finish them.  Since the model was not going to be moved much more, I installed the rudder.

 
The rigging for the gaff and yards was straight forward.  Each block is color coded, making it easy to select the correct block for the line.  These are very nicely shaped blocks, including the fiddle blocks used to haul in the gaff.  Sorry, but I forgot to take any more pictures until I started to work on the sails.
This is the premium version of the model, so it came with pre-sewn sails.  The instructions include full-sized templates for making your own sails, along with directions for installing the tabling, bolt ropes and cringles.  The fabric of these sails was of good quality but the hem was sewn very poorly, and there was fraying in several areas.  As this was an OOTB build, I did not resew them.  I would suggest to someone doing this build to not get the premade sails.  Make your own from cloth or silkspan and add the details.  I added the bolt ropes, cringles and metal rings to the sails. 

The sail rigging diagram was a bit difficult for me to follow.  There were instances where I could not tell whether a particular line was on only one side or both port and starboard.  There was one other minor issue; there was insufficient line to finish the model.  Specifically, the natural 0.25 line.  Again, I had line left over from an old kit which was almost the same diameter and used it as a replacement.  My estimate is that 50% more line was needed than provided.   I used 24-gauge brass wire inserted into some of the sail hems to give the sails some life.  Nothing was applied to the sails to otherwise stiffen them.
Finally, the flags were installed.  I cut them out and moistened both sides with dilute white glue.  While still wet, I shaped them and let them dry overnight.  They were hoisted and their shapes were tweaked by moistening them and holding them in position until dry.
 
So here she is finished.  As I said at the beginning, this was an as-built kit review.  There are a lot of nice things about this kit.  Hull, bulkhead and mast detailing is very sharp.  The resin decorations, including the figurehead are wonderful and fit perfectly.  The blocks are high quality.  There is a lot of room for improvement and correcting the inaccuracies.  As far as improvement is concerned, better quality control would have seen the miscast head timbers and the warped mast.  A modern kit should not require as much filler as this one did to correct gaps in the hull.  The photoetch windows were nice but the ringbolts should have been supplied as just that, ring bolts, not flat pieces of brass and white metal.  And finally, the inadequate supply of line is inexcusable.  If you are a plastics modeler trying to decide whether to start building ships, you are not going to have a stash of line to supplement the kit supplied material.
 
For someone who wants to detail a kit, this is a great option.  Even with the problems, she builds up into a pretty model.  There are a lot of small things that can be done to make the boat more historically correct.  The first two would be to purchase Ab Hoving’s book on the Utrecht and find pictures of the replica on the internet.  The pictures will allow you to use the correct paint scheme.  Other areas for detailing include hand laying the deck, correcting the inboard leeboard connections, properly rigging the guns, using the correct types of line for the rigging and making your own sails. Thanks for following along for this kit review.

 

At this point, most of the deck structures were installed, including the pumps, windlass and pin rail that fits over the windlass.  The guns were made of bronzed metal, with good detail.  The carriages were simplified as was the gun’s rigging.  This would be another place where some research and scratch building would take this model to the next level.  The pins are nicely shaped and to scale.  Again, everything was painted before installation.  I could not figure out how to install the leeboards from looking at the pictures in the manual.  I looked at Angarfather’s scratch build log of Utrecht and was able to see how it was rigged.

 
The anchors were added next.  The hawser cable runs below the windlass and passes to below deck through a hatch behind the windlass.  I chose to show one anchor hauled in and the other hanging free.

The masting and rigging were next.  The two halves of the mast were glued together and weighted down until the glue had cured.  However, the two mast halves were warped in the plastic fret and even with weighting the assembly, it was warped.  I was able to partially correct this later with the rigging.  On this boat, the topmast bends forward and has a sheave running through it.  This can be seen in the round black bulge halfway up the topmast.  The pictures show the forestay, fore preventer stay, backstays and shrouds installed.  The manufacturer chose to show tarred like for the shroud and mainstay lanyards.  Again, I went to Hartmut’s build log for direction and he shows untarred line for the lanyards.  Additionally, the five hole block for the forestay should have eight holes, with a corresponding number of holes on the stem.  The instructions have nicely detailed sketches of the various knots and methods to rig the blocks and deadeyes.   In the last two pictures you can see that the port top rail and timbers is missing.  This broke off the model and fell into a floor register, never to be seen again!

The ratlines were installed next.  I used the same number of rows of ratlines shown in the instructions and was very frugal with the amount of line left at both ends.  There was not enough line provided to finish the ratlines.  I had line that was almost the same size and used that to finish them.  Since the model was not going to be moved much more, I installed the rudder.

 
The rigging for the gaff and yards was straight forward.  Each block is color coded, making it easy to select the correct block for the line.  These are very nicely shaped blocks, including the fiddle blocks used to haul in the gaff.  Sorry, but I forgot to take any more pictures until I started to work on the sails.
This is the premium version of the model, so it came with pre-sewn sails.  The instructions include full-sized templates for making your own sails, along with directions for installing the tabling, bolt ropes and cringles.  The fabric of these sails was of good quality but the hem was sewn very poorly, and there was fraying in several areas.  As this was an OOTB build, I did not resew them.  I would suggest to someone doing this build to not get the premade sails.  Make your own from cloth or silkspan and add the details.  I added the bolt ropes, cringles and metal rings to the sails. 

The sail rigging diagram was a bit difficult for me to follow.  There were instances where I could not tell whether a particular line was on only one side or both port and starboard.  There was one other minor issue; there was insufficient line to finish the model.  Specifically, the natural 0.25 line.  Again, I had line left over from an old kit which was almost the same diameter and used it as a replacement.  My estimate is that 50% more line was needed than provided.   I used 24-gauge brass wire inserted into some of the sail hems to give the sails some life.  Nothing was applied to the sails to otherwise stiffen them.
Finally, the flags were installed.  I cut them out and moistened both sides with dilute white glue.  While still wet, I shaped them and let them dry overnight.  They were hoisted and their shapes were tweaked by moistening them and holding them in position until dry.
 
So here she is finished.  As I said at the beginning, this was an as-built kit review.  There are a lot of nice things about this kit.  Hull, bulkhead and mast detailing is very sharp.  The resin decorations, including the figurehead are wonderful and fit perfectly.  The blocks are high quality.  There is a lot of room for improvement and correcting the inaccuracies.  As far as improvement is concerned, better quality control would have seen the miscast head timbers and the warped mast.  A modern kit should not require as much filler as this one did to correct gaps in the hull.  The photoetch windows were nice but the ringbolts should have been supplied as just that, ring bolts, not flat pieces of brass and white metal.  And finally, the inadequate supply of line is inexcusable.  If you are a plastics modeler trying to decide whether to start building ships, you are not going to have a stash of line to supplement the kit supplied material.
 
For someone who wants to detail a kit, this is a great option.  Even with the problems, she builds up into a pretty model.  There are a lot of small things that can be done to make the boat more historically correct.  The first two would be to purchase Ab Hoving’s book on the Utrecht and find pictures of the replica on the internet.  The pictures will allow you to use the correct paint scheme.  Other areas for detailing include hand laying the deck, correcting the inboard leeboard connections, properly rigging the guns, using the correct types of line for the rigging and making your own sails. Thanks for following along for this kit review.

 

Well said, Schmidt.  Like I said in the beginning, if someone wants to do some research and kit-bashing, this is a very nice kit.  When I took it to my local club, a couple of the guys had trouble believing it was plastic.

At this point, most of the deck structures were installed, including the pumps, windlass and pin rail that fits over the windlass.  The guns were made of bronzed metal, with good detail.  The carriages were simplified as was the gun’s rigging.  This would be another place where some research and scratch building would take this model to the next level.  The pins are nicely shaped and to scale.  Again, everything was painted before installation.  I could not figure out how to install the leeboards from looking at the pictures in the manual.  I looked at Angarfather’s scratch build log of Utrecht and was able to see how it was rigged.

 
The anchors were added next.  The hawser cable runs below the windlass and passes to below deck through a hatch behind the windlass.  I chose to show one anchor hauled in and the other hanging free.

The masting and rigging were next.  The two halves of the mast were glued together and weighted down until the glue had cured.  However, the two mast halves were warped in the plastic fret and even with weighting the assembly, it was warped.  I was able to partially correct this later with the rigging.  On this boat, the topmast bends forward and has a sheave running through it.  This can be seen in the round black bulge halfway up the topmast.  The pictures show the forestay, fore preventer stay, backstays and shrouds installed.  The manufacturer chose to show tarred like for the shroud and mainstay lanyards.  Again, I went to Hartmut’s build log for direction and he shows untarred line for the lanyards.  Additionally, the five hole block for the forestay should have eight holes, with a corresponding number of holes on the stem.  The instructions have nicely detailed sketches of the various knots and methods to rig the blocks and deadeyes.   In the last two pictures you can see that the port top rail and timbers is missing.  This broke off the model and fell into a floor register, never to be seen again!

The ratlines were installed next.  I used the same number of rows of ratlines shown in the instructions and was very frugal with the amount of line left at both ends.  There was not enough line provided to finish the ratlines.  I had line that was almost the same size and used that to finish them.  Since the model was not going to be moved much more, I installed the rudder.

 
The rigging for the gaff and yards was straight forward.  Each block is color coded, making it easy to select the correct block for the line.  These are very nicely shaped blocks, including the fiddle blocks used to haul in the gaff.  Sorry, but I forgot to take any more pictures until I started to work on the sails.
This is the premium version of the model, so it came with pre-sewn sails.  The instructions include full-sized templates for making your own sails, along with directions for installing the tabling, bolt ropes and cringles.  The fabric of these sails was of good quality but the hem was sewn very poorly, and there was fraying in several areas.  As this was an OOTB build, I did not resew them.  I would suggest to someone doing this build to not get the premade sails.  Make your own from cloth or silkspan and add the details.  I added the bolt ropes, cringles and metal rings to the sails. 

The sail rigging diagram was a bit difficult for me to follow.  There were instances where I could not tell whether a particular line was on only one side or both port and starboard.  There was one other minor issue; there was insufficient line to finish the model.  Specifically, the natural 0.25 line.  Again, I had line left over from an old kit which was almost the same diameter and used it as a replacement.  My estimate is that 50% more line was needed than provided.   I used 24-gauge brass wire inserted into some of the sail hems to give the sails some life.  Nothing was applied to the sails to otherwise stiffen them.
Finally, the flags were installed.  I cut them out and moistened both sides with dilute white glue.  While still wet, I shaped them and let them dry overnight.  They were hoisted and their shapes were tweaked by moistening them and holding them in position until dry.
 
So here she is finished.  As I said at the beginning, this was an as-built kit review.  There are a lot of nice things about this kit.  Hull, bulkhead and mast detailing is very sharp.  The resin decorations, including the figurehead are wonderful and fit perfectly.  The blocks are high quality.  There is a lot of room for improvement and correcting the inaccuracies.  As far as improvement is concerned, better quality control would have seen the miscast head timbers and the warped mast.  A modern kit should not require as much filler as this one did to correct gaps in the hull.  The photoetch windows were nice but the ringbolts should have been supplied as just that, ring bolts, not flat pieces of brass and white metal.  And finally, the inadequate supply of line is inexcusable.  If you are a plastics modeler trying to decide whether to start building ships, you are not going to have a stash of line to supplement the kit supplied material.
 
For someone who wants to detail a kit, this is a great option.  Even with the problems, she builds up into a pretty model.  There are a lot of small things that can be done to make the boat more historically correct.  The first two would be to purchase Ab Hoving’s book on the Utrecht and find pictures of the replica on the internet.  The pictures will allow you to use the correct paint scheme.  Other areas for detailing include hand laying the deck, correcting the inboard leeboard connections, properly rigging the guns, using the correct types of line for the rigging and making your own sails. Thanks for following along for this kit review.

 

At this point, most of the deck structures were installed, including the pumps, windlass and pin rail that fits over the windlass.  The guns were made of bronzed metal, with good detail.  The carriages were simplified as was the gun’s rigging.  This would be another place where some research and scratch building would take this model to the next level.  The pins are nicely shaped and to scale.  Again, everything was painted before installation.  I could not figure out how to install the leeboards from looking at the pictures in the manual.  I looked at Angarfather’s scratch build log of Utrecht and was able to see how it was rigged.

 
The anchors were added next.  The hawser cable runs below the windlass and passes to below deck through a hatch behind the windlass.  I chose to show one anchor hauled in and the other hanging free.

The masting and rigging were next.  The two halves of the mast were glued together and weighted down until the glue had cured.  However, the two mast halves were warped in the plastic fret and even with weighting the assembly, it was warped.  I was able to partially correct this later with the rigging.  On this boat, the topmast bends forward and has a sheave running through it.  This can be seen in the round black bulge halfway up the topmast.  The pictures show the forestay, fore preventer stay, backstays and shrouds installed.  The manufacturer chose to show tarred like for the shroud and mainstay lanyards.  Again, I went to Hartmut’s build log for direction and he shows untarred line for the lanyards.  Additionally, the five hole block for the forestay should have eight holes, with a corresponding number of holes on the stem.  The instructions have nicely detailed sketches of the various knots and methods to rig the blocks and deadeyes.   In the last two pictures you can see that the port top rail and timbers is missing.  This broke off the model and fell into a floor register, never to be seen again!

The ratlines were installed next.  I used the same number of rows of ratlines shown in the instructions and was very frugal with the amount of line left at both ends.  There was not enough line provided to finish the ratlines.  I had line that was almost the same size and used that to finish them.  Since the model was not going to be moved much more, I installed the rudder.

 
The rigging for the gaff and yards was straight forward.  Each block is color coded, making it easy to select the correct block for the line.  These are very nicely shaped blocks, including the fiddle blocks used to haul in the gaff.  Sorry, but I forgot to take any more pictures until I started to work on the sails.
This is the premium version of the model, so it came with pre-sewn sails.  The instructions include full-sized templates for making your own sails, along with directions for installing the tabling, bolt ropes and cringles.  The fabric of these sails was of good quality but the hem was sewn very poorly, and there was fraying in several areas.  As this was an OOTB build, I did not resew them.  I would suggest to someone doing this build to not get the premade sails.  Make your own from cloth or silkspan and add the details.  I added the bolt ropes, cringles and metal rings to the sails. 

The sail rigging diagram was a bit difficult for me to follow.  There were instances where I could not tell whether a particular line was on only one side or both port and starboard.  There was one other minor issue; there was insufficient line to finish the model.  Specifically, the natural 0.25 line.  Again, I had line left over from an old kit which was almost the same diameter and used it as a replacement.  My estimate is that 50% more line was needed than provided.   I used 24-gauge brass wire inserted into some of the sail hems to give the sails some life.  Nothing was applied to the sails to otherwise stiffen them.
Finally, the flags were installed.  I cut them out and moistened both sides with dilute white glue.  While still wet, I shaped them and let them dry overnight.  They were hoisted and their shapes were tweaked by moistening them and holding them in position until dry.
 
So here she is finished.  As I said at the beginning, this was an as-built kit review.  There are a lot of nice things about this kit.  Hull, bulkhead and mast detailing is very sharp.  The resin decorations, including the figurehead are wonderful and fit perfectly.  The blocks are high quality.  There is a lot of room for improvement and correcting the inaccuracies.  As far as improvement is concerned, better quality control would have seen the miscast head timbers and the warped mast.  A modern kit should not require as much filler as this one did to correct gaps in the hull.  The photoetch windows were nice but the ringbolts should have been supplied as just that, ring bolts, not flat pieces of brass and white metal.  And finally, the inadequate supply of line is inexcusable.  If you are a plastics modeler trying to decide whether to start building ships, you are not going to have a stash of line to supplement the kit supplied material.
 
For someone who wants to detail a kit, this is a great option.  Even with the problems, she builds up into a pretty model.  There are a lot of small things that can be done to make the boat more historically correct.  The first two would be to purchase Ab Hoving’s book on the Utrecht and find pictures of the replica on the internet.  The pictures will allow you to use the correct paint scheme.  Other areas for detailing include hand laying the deck, correcting the inboard leeboard connections, properly rigging the guns, using the correct types of line for the rigging and making your own sails. Thanks for following along for this kit review.

 

At this point, most of the deck structures were installed, including the pumps, windlass and pin rail that fits over the windlass.  The guns were made of bronzed metal, with good detail.  The carriages were simplified as was the gun’s rigging.  This would be another place where some research and scratch building would take this model to the next level.  The pins are nicely shaped and to scale.  Again, everything was painted before installation.  I could not figure out how to install the leeboards from looking at the pictures in the manual.  I looked at Angarfather’s scratch build log of Utrecht and was able to see how it was rigged.

 
The anchors were added next.  The hawser cable runs below the windlass and passes to below deck through a hatch behind the windlass.  I chose to show one anchor hauled in and the other hanging free.

The masting and rigging were next.  The two halves of the mast were glued together and weighted down until the glue had cured.  However, the two mast halves were warped in the plastic fret and even with weighting the assembly, it was warped.  I was able to partially correct this later with the rigging.  On this boat, the topmast bends forward and has a sheave running through it.  This can be seen in the round black bulge halfway up the topmast.  The pictures show the forestay, fore preventer stay, backstays and shrouds installed.  The manufacturer chose to show tarred like for the shroud and mainstay lanyards.  Again, I went to Hartmut’s build log for direction and he shows untarred line for the lanyards.  Additionally, the five hole block for the forestay should have eight holes, with a corresponding number of holes on the stem.  The instructions have nicely detailed sketches of the various knots and methods to rig the blocks and deadeyes.   In the last two pictures you can see that the port top rail and timbers is missing.  This broke off the model and fell into a floor register, never to be seen again!

The ratlines were installed next.  I used the same number of rows of ratlines shown in the instructions and was very frugal with the amount of line left at both ends.  There was not enough line provided to finish the ratlines.  I had line that was almost the same size and used that to finish them.  Since the model was not going to be moved much more, I installed the rudder.

 
The rigging for the gaff and yards was straight forward.  Each block is color coded, making it easy to select the correct block for the line.  These are very nicely shaped blocks, including the fiddle blocks used to haul in the gaff.  Sorry, but I forgot to take any more pictures until I started to work on the sails.
This is the premium version of the model, so it came with pre-sewn sails.  The instructions include full-sized templates for making your own sails, along with directions for installing the tabling, bolt ropes and cringles.  The fabric of these sails was of good quality but the hem was sewn very poorly, and there was fraying in several areas.  As this was an OOTB build, I did not resew them.  I would suggest to someone doing this build to not get the premade sails.  Make your own from cloth or silkspan and add the details.  I added the bolt ropes, cringles and metal rings to the sails. 

The sail rigging diagram was a bit difficult for me to follow.  There were instances where I could not tell whether a particular line was on only one side or both port and starboard.  There was one other minor issue; there was insufficient line to finish the model.  Specifically, the natural 0.25 line.  Again, I had line left over from an old kit which was almost the same diameter and used it as a replacement.  My estimate is that 50% more line was needed than provided.   I used 24-gauge brass wire inserted into some of the sail hems to give the sails some life.  Nothing was applied to the sails to otherwise stiffen them.
Finally, the flags were installed.  I cut them out and moistened both sides with dilute white glue.  While still wet, I shaped them and let them dry overnight.  They were hoisted and their shapes were tweaked by moistening them and holding them in position until dry.
 
So here she is finished.  As I said at the beginning, this was an as-built kit review.  There are a lot of nice things about this kit.  Hull, bulkhead and mast detailing is very sharp.  The resin decorations, including the figurehead are wonderful and fit perfectly.  The blocks are high quality.  There is a lot of room for improvement and correcting the inaccuracies.  As far as improvement is concerned, better quality control would have seen the miscast head timbers and the warped mast.  A modern kit should not require as much filler as this one did to correct gaps in the hull.  The photoetch windows were nice but the ringbolts should have been supplied as just that, ring bolts, not flat pieces of brass and white metal.  And finally, the inadequate supply of line is inexcusable.  If you are a plastics modeler trying to decide whether to start building ships, you are not going to have a stash of line to supplement the kit supplied material.
 
For someone who wants to detail a kit, this is a great option.  Even with the problems, she builds up into a pretty model.  There are a lot of small things that can be done to make the boat more historically correct.  The first two would be to purchase Ab Hoving’s book on the Utrecht and find pictures of the replica on the internet.  The pictures will allow you to use the correct paint scheme.  Other areas for detailing include hand laying the deck, correcting the inboard leeboard connections, properly rigging the guns, using the correct types of line for the rigging and making your own sails. Thanks for following along for this kit review.

 

At this point, most of the deck structures were installed, including the pumps, windlass and pin rail that fits over the windlass.  The guns were made of bronzed metal, with good detail.  The carriages were simplified as was the gun’s rigging.  This would be another place where some research and scratch building would take this model to the next level.  The pins are nicely shaped and to scale.  Again, everything was painted before installation.  I could not figure out how to install the leeboards from looking at the pictures in the manual.  I looked at Angarfather’s scratch build log of Utrecht and was able to see how it was rigged.

 
The anchors were added next.  The hawser cable runs below the windlass and passes to below deck through a hatch behind the windlass.  I chose to show one anchor hauled in and the other hanging free.

The masting and rigging were next.  The two halves of the mast were glued together and weighted down until the glue had cured.  However, the two mast halves were warped in the plastic fret and even with weighting the assembly, it was warped.  I was able to partially correct this later with the rigging.  On this boat, the topmast bends forward and has a sheave running through it.  This can be seen in the round black bulge halfway up the topmast.  The pictures show the forestay, fore preventer stay, backstays and shrouds installed.  The manufacturer chose to show tarred like for the shroud and mainstay lanyards.  Again, I went to Hartmut’s build log for direction and he shows untarred line for the lanyards.  Additionally, the five hole block for the forestay should have eight holes, with a corresponding number of holes on the stem.  The instructions have nicely detailed sketches of the various knots and methods to rig the blocks and deadeyes.   In the last two pictures you can see that the port top rail and timbers is missing.  This broke off the model and fell into a floor register, never to be seen again!

The ratlines were installed next.  I used the same number of rows of ratlines shown in the instructions and was very frugal with the amount of line left at both ends.  There was not enough line provided to finish the ratlines.  I had line that was almost the same size and used that to finish them.  Since the model was not going to be moved much more, I installed the rudder.

 
The rigging for the gaff and yards was straight forward.  Each block is color coded, making it easy to select the correct block for the line.  These are very nicely shaped blocks, including the fiddle blocks used to haul in the gaff.  Sorry, but I forgot to take any more pictures until I started to work on the sails.
This is the premium version of the model, so it came with pre-sewn sails.  The instructions include full-sized templates for making your own sails, along with directions for installing the tabling, bolt ropes and cringles.  The fabric of these sails was of good quality but the hem was sewn very poorly, and there was fraying in several areas.  As this was an OOTB build, I did not resew them.  I would suggest to someone doing this build to not get the premade sails.  Make your own from cloth or silkspan and add the details.  I added the bolt ropes, cringles and metal rings to the sails. 

The sail rigging diagram was a bit difficult for me to follow.  There were instances where I could not tell whether a particular line was on only one side or both port and starboard.  There was one other minor issue; there was insufficient line to finish the model.  Specifically, the natural 0.25 line.  Again, I had line left over from an old kit which was almost the same diameter and used it as a replacement.  My estimate is that 50% more line was needed than provided.   I used 24-gauge brass wire inserted into some of the sail hems to give the sails some life.  Nothing was applied to the sails to otherwise stiffen them.
Finally, the flags were installed.  I cut them out and moistened both sides with dilute white glue.  While still wet, I shaped them and let them dry overnight.  They were hoisted and their shapes were tweaked by moistening them and holding them in position until dry.
 
So here she is finished.  As I said at the beginning, this was an as-built kit review.  There are a lot of nice things about this kit.  Hull, bulkhead and mast detailing is very sharp.  The resin decorations, including the figurehead are wonderful and fit perfectly.  The blocks are high quality.  There is a lot of room for improvement and correcting the inaccuracies.  As far as improvement is concerned, better quality control would have seen the miscast head timbers and the warped mast.  A modern kit should not require as much filler as this one did to correct gaps in the hull.  The photoetch windows were nice but the ringbolts should have been supplied as just that, ring bolts, not flat pieces of brass and white metal.  And finally, the inadequate supply of line is inexcusable.  If you are a plastics modeler trying to decide whether to start building ships, you are not going to have a stash of line to supplement the kit supplied material.
 
For someone who wants to detail a kit, this is a great option.  Even with the problems, she builds up into a pretty model.  There are a lot of small things that can be done to make the boat more historically correct.  The first two would be to purchase Ab Hoving’s book on the Utrecht and find pictures of the replica on the internet.  The pictures will allow you to use the correct paint scheme.  Other areas for detailing include hand laying the deck, correcting the inboard leeboard connections, properly rigging the guns, using the correct types of line for the rigging and making your own sails. Thanks for following along for this kit review.

 

I spent the week making 17 belaying pins using my Dremel tool.  While it's not too difficult to make one belaying pin, trying to make a bunch that are identical proved to be impossible.  Glad I'm done with that step!  They turned out pretty good anyway.  I remind myself that once all is said and done, there will be rope placed around all of them, so any variations in shape that are visible now, won't be able to be seen then. 
 
Erik

I'm continuing to raise some frames while cleaning and assembling other frames.
 
Here are five "tall frames in place with the two "short" frames waiting their turn. 
You'll notice the blocks for the sweep ports there too.

 
The two short frames have now been added and the sweep port blocks have been roughly shaped. More fine tuning is needed.
I'm also checking the frame locations with the supplied templates and my height gauge to check the sweep port and gun port locations.

Making the guns..
 
There are 8 cannon.
 
First sand the char off both sides of each laser cut sheet of carriage parts.  Do this before removing the parts.  Its just easier.   Then proceed to remove the char from the edges of all pieces.  Dont sand too much.  Just a light touch is needed.  The two sides or the "brackets" of teach carriage are laser cut with all the holes for your various eyebolts etc.
 

Then if you intend to paint the carriages...do that on all parts before assembling.  Its just easier.  Note the axle are left bright as well as the wheels (trucks).
 
In addition, this chapter will come with a carriage jig.  It is a simple jig.   Add the center piece of the jig first.  Then it is best to add the two axles in position so you can better position the other two jig pieces.   Position the two jig elements on the far sides of each axle so they can be easily slipped in and out of the jig.  Dont make it so the axles are too tight in the jig and hard to remove.   Finish up the the jig with the final fourth piece which is used to secure the brackets at the correct width apart from each other.   
 

Then you can glue the two brackets to the axles....after they dry remove this assembly from the jig and you can repeat for all eight carriages.
 

Next up...add the front (transom) and the back (bolster) atop each axle between the brackets.  Note the stool bed and quoin ready to go in the next step along with some 3/64" dia brass rod.  
 

Insert the longer brass rod (not included) through the carriage.  The stool bed will sit on this.  The two smaller lengths simulate the transom bolts.  Normally this would go through the transom from one side to the other.  But in our case they wont.   They are just cosmetic.  Just fill the hole so it looks like it does.  They can be be blackened.
 
Then I glued the quoin atop the stool bed in advance.   Then glued this on top of the bolster and long brass rod.  See the photo.

Small eye bolts were made with 24 gauge black wire and inserted according to the plans.   Many of you will be familiar with this repetitive task.  I also made ring and bolt for the breech line.  Even though the photos show it on the carriage, they will be removed for now.  It is easier to add them to the breech line itself and then insert them into the carriage sides.  That is if you intend to rig the guns which I do.  I also turned the quoin handle from some scrap 3/64" boxwood strips.   But you guys ,ay choose a commercial option of using a belaying pin...if they dont look too out of scale and huge.   Which they almost certainly always look out of scale.

To finish up the carriages I drilled the holes along the stepped sides of each bracket.  I inserted 30 pound black fishing line to simulate the bolts.  I also added the the trucks (wheels).  To finish up the trucks a small length of either 24 gauge black wire or even 25 pound black fishing line can be used to simulate the truck keys.  The keys are run through the laser cut holes in each axle.

The cannon are resin...they are cleaned up and finished with some weathering powder as I usually do.   The trunnion were sanded shorter to match the width of each carriage.
 
The capsquares are interesting.  I hate making these. So this time around I spent basically an entire day figuring out how to laser cut them.   Thats right....laser cut.  No 3d printing or casting.  I designed and laser cut the capsquares in one piece.  They do have some 3 dimensionality to them.   I am quite pleased with how they turned out.  It took many many failed attempts.  Just clean them up and weather them if you like.   Then glue them on....

 
The finished product...
 

 
 
 

Questions or comments are always welcomed.

I am working on the cannon....will have a step by step very soon.  The cannon will be fully rigged since I will be rigging the entire model.  Four down and four to go!!
 

 
 
 

I've been building the same model since the beginning of the year, and I've faced the same problems so far. Sometimes I have found similar solutions, sometimes different ones. Although I bought the premium version, I haven't used the veneer deck because I don't like the grain that goes across the planks. 
Basically, it is to be welcomed that a new manufacturer of plastic models has appeared on the market. It has been many years since one of the big companies last invested in the construction of an antique sailing ship (Vasa, Batavia). I would have liked a different kind of ship. There are kits of the Utrecht in wood and there was one in resin. But the HIS company probably relied on the attractiveness of the existing prototype in the Netherlands. I hope they will continue and that there will soon be kits based on more unusual ships. On the whole, I think the beginning is quite successful.
Schmidt
 

The directions indicate adding the sternpost and rudder at this point.  I did and the rudder was promptly broken off, so this will be added at a later point.   The fit between the sternpost and the hull required a lot of filling. 
 
The stern assembly was partially  painted off the model and then installed.  I don’t know whether the problem was myself or the kit but the rudder opening in the transom did not center on the sternpost.
 
The bulkhead and quarter badges were painted off the model and installed.  Veneer was glued to the quarter deck and installed.   This would have been a painted deck, not natural wood, on the actual vessel and is painted on the reproduction.
 
 
On Utrecht there is a painted metal plate on the stem.  This was used as an anchor for a mast stay and bowsprit lashing.  This was provided as two photoetch parts which simply needed folding and nailing to the stem.  It was well-shaped but was made from a white metal that did not like to bend well.  Since this is painted, I would use the provided triangular piece but replace the larger piece with something more malleable, such as softened brass or copper.

The rest of the stem parts were installed next.  The head timbers were molded to the top head rail.  This was glued to the lower rail and installed.  The starboard head rail/timbers were nicely molded and fit reasonably well.  The port side had molding problems; the foremost head timber was missing and the middle one was misshapen. 

The figurehead is a resin casting to which a brass crown is added after painting.  The only problem is that it looks quite different from the figurehead of the replica Utrecht.  The body is realistic but on the replica figurehead, the lion looks fierce and the kit version looks comedic.  A crown is molded onto the resin fitting and looks better than the applied brass crown.  The picture on the left is the replica figurehead.
 

The directions indicate adding the sternpost and rudder at this point.  I did and the rudder was promptly broken off, so this will be added at a later point.   The fit between the sternpost and the hull required a lot of filling. 
 
The stern assembly was partially  painted off the model and then installed.  I don’t know whether the problem was myself or the kit but the rudder opening in the transom did not center on the sternpost.
 
The bulkhead and quarter badges were painted off the model and installed.  Veneer was glued to the quarter deck and installed.   This would have been a painted deck, not natural wood, on the actual vessel and is painted on the reproduction.
 
 
On Utrecht there is a painted metal plate on the stem.  This was used as an anchor for a mast stay and bowsprit lashing.  This was provided as two photoetch parts which simply needed folding and nailing to the stem.  It was well-shaped but was made from a white metal that did not like to bend well.  Since this is painted, I would use the provided triangular piece but replace the larger piece with something more malleable, such as softened brass or copper.

The rest of the stem parts were installed next.  The head timbers were molded to the top head rail.  This was glued to the lower rail and installed.  The starboard head rail/timbers were nicely molded and fit reasonably well.  The port side had molding problems; the foremost head timber was missing and the middle one was misshapen. 

The figurehead is a resin casting to which a brass crown is added after painting.  The only problem is that it looks quite different from the figurehead of the replica Utrecht.  The body is realistic but on the replica figurehead, the lion looks fierce and the kit version looks comedic.  A crown is molded onto the resin fitting and looks better than the applied brass crown.  The picture on the left is the replica figurehead.
 

The directions indicate adding the sternpost and rudder at this point.  I did and the rudder was promptly broken off, so this will be added at a later point.   The fit between the sternpost and the hull required a lot of filling. 
 
The stern assembly was partially  painted off the model and then installed.  I don’t know whether the problem was myself or the kit but the rudder opening in the transom did not center on the sternpost.
 
The bulkhead and quarter badges were painted off the model and installed.  Veneer was glued to the quarter deck and installed.   This would have been a painted deck, not natural wood, on the actual vessel and is painted on the reproduction.
 
 
On Utrecht there is a painted metal plate on the stem.  This was used as an anchor for a mast stay and bowsprit lashing.  This was provided as two photoetch parts which simply needed folding and nailing to the stem.  It was well-shaped but was made from a white metal that did not like to bend well.  Since this is painted, I would use the provided triangular piece but replace the larger piece with something more malleable, such as softened brass or copper.

The rest of the stem parts were installed next.  The head timbers were molded to the top head rail.  This was glued to the lower rail and installed.  The starboard head rail/timbers were nicely molded and fit reasonably well.  The port side had molding problems; the foremost head timber was missing and the middle one was misshapen. 

The figurehead is a resin casting to which a brass crown is added after painting.  The only problem is that it looks quite different from the figurehead of the replica Utrecht.  The body is realistic but on the replica figurehead, the lion looks fierce and the kit version looks comedic.  A crown is molded onto the resin fitting and looks better than the applied brass crown.  The picture on the left is the replica figurehead.
 

The directions indicate adding the sternpost and rudder at this point.  I did and the rudder was promptly broken off, so this will be added at a later point.   The fit between the sternpost and the hull required a lot of filling. 
 
The stern assembly was partially  painted off the model and then installed.  I don’t know whether the problem was myself or the kit but the rudder opening in the transom did not center on the sternpost.
 
The bulkhead and quarter badges were painted off the model and installed.  Veneer was glued to the quarter deck and installed.   This would have been a painted deck, not natural wood, on the actual vessel and is painted on the reproduction.
 
 
On Utrecht there is a painted metal plate on the stem.  This was used as an anchor for a mast stay and bowsprit lashing.  This was provided as two photoetch parts which simply needed folding and nailing to the stem.  It was well-shaped but was made from a white metal that did not like to bend well.  Since this is painted, I would use the provided triangular piece but replace the larger piece with something more malleable, such as softened brass or copper.

The rest of the stem parts were installed next.  The head timbers were molded to the top head rail.  This was glued to the lower rail and installed.  The starboard head rail/timbers were nicely molded and fit reasonably well.  The port side had molding problems; the foremost head timber was missing and the middle one was misshapen. 

The figurehead is a resin casting to which a brass crown is added after painting.  The only problem is that it looks quite different from the figurehead of the replica Utrecht.  The body is realistic but on the replica figurehead, the lion looks fierce and the kit version looks comedic.  A crown is molded onto the resin fitting and looks better than the applied brass crown.  The picture on the left is the replica figurehead.
 

As mentioned in my previous post, the deck beams are not thought out well.  They are very flimsy pieces of plastic less than 1/8” thick after sanding down for the wood veneer.  There are tiny tabs on both sides of the beams which insert into notches in the hull.  The idea is to flex the beams to insert them into the notches.  When I attempted this, something very disconcerting occurred; the two hull halves separated.  I sanded the joint line and glued the halves together again.  The next day, the joint was still not solid.  I took some scrap pieces of sprue, sanded them flat and tried to cement them together.  I could break the joint.  I then looked at the hatches and pillars.  A tiny bit of pressure and the glue lines separated.  I don’t know if it was the cement or the composition of the plastic that was causing the problem but from this point onwards, everything was glued with medium viscosity CA.

The deck was installed next.  It slides into the hull from the open aft end.  There is no glue involved.  The deck is theoretically held in place by the inner bulwarks.  I was not comfortable with this concept and glued the deck to the aft deck beam after it had been slid into the hull.  After the finish was applied, the diagonal striations in the deck became even more apparent.  For someone building this model, I would suggest a hand-laid deck from thin veneer.  Apply the planking to the deck before inserting the deck into the hull.

 
The inner bulwarks were installed next.  They were painted before installation and include a waterway molded into them.  This is what holds the deck onto the beams. 

 
It is now time to start the outer hull painting.  I apologize for the poor paint job.  I had difficulty with the brush applications.  Later on, I used an airbrush for the body of the hull and it became apparent that the paint was designed for airbrush application, not brush.  Lesson to be learned is if one is dealing with an unfamiliar product, experiment using it in a place where it will not be seen (inside the hull before it is glued together, for example) before applying it to the outer hull.  After the painting was completed the bulwarks were installed.  The kit came with a laser engraved basswood base, as seen in the next picture.  The slot for the keel is too wide and the outline of the base does not conform to the shape of the hull.  I would suggest using the outer pieces but make new cross-pieces that fit the shape of the model.

The lower transom is installed next.  It was not a good fit and required a significant amount of sanding and filling.

 

I hope to have the build log started shortly.  Until then, this is the completed model.

The directions indicate adding the sternpost and rudder at this point.  I did and the rudder was promptly broken off, so this will be added at a later point.   The fit between the sternpost and the hull required a lot of filling. 
 
The stern assembly was partially  painted off the model and then installed.  I don’t know whether the problem was myself or the kit but the rudder opening in the transom did not center on the sternpost.
 
The bulkhead and quarter badges were painted off the model and installed.  Veneer was glued to the quarter deck and installed.   This would have been a painted deck, not natural wood, on the actual vessel and is painted on the reproduction.
 
 
On Utrecht there is a painted metal plate on the stem.  This was used as an anchor for a mast stay and bowsprit lashing.  This was provided as two photoetch parts which simply needed folding and nailing to the stem.  It was well-shaped but was made from a white metal that did not like to bend well.  Since this is painted, I would use the provided triangular piece but replace the larger piece with something more malleable, such as softened brass or copper.

The rest of the stem parts were installed next.  The head timbers were molded to the top head rail.  This was glued to the lower rail and installed.  The starboard head rail/timbers were nicely molded and fit reasonably well.  The port side had molding problems; the foremost head timber was missing and the middle one was misshapen. 

The figurehead is a resin casting to which a brass crown is added after painting.  The only problem is that it looks quite different from the figurehead of the replica Utrecht.  The body is realistic but on the replica figurehead, the lion looks fierce and the kit version looks comedic.  A crown is molded onto the resin fitting and looks better than the applied brass crown.  The picture on the left is the replica figurehead.
 

The directions indicate adding the sternpost and rudder at this point.  I did and the rudder was promptly broken off, so this will be added at a later point.   The fit between the sternpost and the hull required a lot of filling. 
 
The stern assembly was partially  painted off the model and then installed.  I don’t know whether the problem was myself or the kit but the rudder opening in the transom did not center on the sternpost.
 
The bulkhead and quarter badges were painted off the model and installed.  Veneer was glued to the quarter deck and installed.   This would have been a painted deck, not natural wood, on the actual vessel and is painted on the reproduction.
 
 
On Utrecht there is a painted metal plate on the stem.  This was used as an anchor for a mast stay and bowsprit lashing.  This was provided as two photoetch parts which simply needed folding and nailing to the stem.  It was well-shaped but was made from a white metal that did not like to bend well.  Since this is painted, I would use the provided triangular piece but replace the larger piece with something more malleable, such as softened brass or copper.

The rest of the stem parts were installed next.  The head timbers were molded to the top head rail.  This was glued to the lower rail and installed.  The starboard head rail/timbers were nicely molded and fit reasonably well.  The port side had molding problems; the foremost head timber was missing and the middle one was misshapen. 

The figurehead is a resin casting to which a brass crown is added after painting.  The only problem is that it looks quite different from the figurehead of the replica Utrecht.  The body is realistic but on the replica figurehead, the lion looks fierce and the kit version looks comedic.  A crown is molded onto the resin fitting and looks better than the applied brass crown.  The picture on the left is the replica figurehead.
 

To prevent damage, the top rail was made last.  There are four balustrades that fit into the holes previously made in the top and a top rail.  The rail extended almost to the edges of the top and is 4” wide.  This was cut from 1/32” sheet wood and the edges were smoothed over.  The rail was placed on the top’s gunwale and the locations of the balustrade holes were transferred to it. 
The balustrades are two feet long and 2 inches square.  The two ends of the balustrade are square and the center section is round.  You can see the transition marks for the top and bottom pins, and between the square and round sections drawn onto the wood.  I used an 11 blade, files and sandpaper to round the center section.  The transition from square to round was shaped with a half-round file.  The end pins are square.
  
 
The balustrades were inserted into the rail after enlarging the drill holes.  Then they were glued into the holes in the top.  The rail is angled 90 degrees to the water line.  Once dry, the protruding pins were sanded flush with the rail. 

As a final step, I applied mahogany veneer to the exposed frames.  All that was left was to clean things up.  Thank you for following along!

 
 

Completion of the gaff with throat halyard - Corne avec drisse de mat
As already announced, I am currently working on the gaff rigging. To do this, it is necessary to add additional equipment to the gaff. I already made these some time ago. However, in addition to the metal block (signal haylard block) for the flag line on the gaff peak, a sheave for the sheet of the gaff topsail had to be installed, as can be seen in the following picture.


I also had to fit the jaw of the gaff with a heavy eyebolt. 
  
This eyebolt, which is under tension, was secured from below with a wedge.
 
According to the information available to me (monograph, pictures of the Paris model), the throat halyard of the French corvette looked as follows:

 
The twin blocks required for the throad halyard have a length of 5.6 mm. As before, I use real disks for this size. I have also tried to reproduce the block axis as in the original.


 
I will continue soon ...