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Hubac's Historian

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  1. Hubac's Historian
    I follow John’s build with great interest.
  2. Hubac's Historian
    Well, Bill - the thing about the Heller SR is that it was an attempt to bring a famous museum model into peoples’ homes in it’s completed form (the Tanneron model is famously incomplete), at a reasonable price. In my opinion, Heller did an admirable job of filling in the blanks. As long as you are primarily concerned with making an attractive model, then building straight out of the box will be more than enough. NOW - HAHA!! The fit.. of.. parts.. There will likely be some degree of warp in your lower hull, but this should clamp out fairly easily. The real bear in this kit is fitting the upper bulwarks. The first time I built this model, I did not do nearly as good a job of fitting them, and instead I had a heavy 1/32” of filler all along the outside seam, and even more filler along the inside seam. It was fine. The model is still perfectly intact and living at my buddy’s house. This time, I really took care to seat the glue lip into its rabbet on the lower hull so that I would have maximum bond. This process taught me the meaning of the word fettling. Not satisfied with that, I added styrene glue tabs across the joint, in places where they would not be seen. Not even satisfied with that, I realized I could add styrene spirketting over the joint in the waist, where it would be seen. This killed two birds with one stone; it added a correct construction detail, while concealing the heavy 1/6” gap you will be left with along the entire lower edge of the rabbet. It won’t matter how carefully you fettle the bulwarks home, you will still be left with this ugly gap. Oh, and the other irritating thing about this kit is that the depth of the rabbet, inboard/outboard, varies tremendously along it’s length. In order to establish a good bond across the joint with my spirketting, I found it necessary to sand this rabbet to a more or less consistent depth. The next big bugaboo is that the whole head assembly is likely to be fairly warped and ill-fitting. My advice here, as with anywhere on this kit, is to go slowly; dry-fit everything to the hull multiple times so that you fully understand what’s hanging you up, before you begin removing material. Lastly, the quarter galleries are unlikely to conform neatly to the tumblehome of the hull. If you do as many have, to remove the raised relief panels, thus opening up the galleries, you should have an easier time fitting them to the hull because the QGs should be less rigid. I recommend doing this, anyway, as it significantly lightens the appearance of the stern structure, and historically it is more consistent with actual practice in the 1670s. I have an early pressing of the kit from the 70’s and the plastic is of a very high quality - even to this day. I’m not sure whether newer pressings are of the same quality. Now, despite all that I have said, here, don’t be discouraged. It is an amazing challenge to put this kit together well, and very rewarding when you do. Just take your time and it will come out well.
  3. Hubac's Historian
    As far as space goes, the new apartment is marginally bigger. My modeling life will continue as before. The move was primarily about having a better neighborhood for my kids to enjoy the rest of their childhoods. This is a much more family-oriented community. I will tell you that this apartment paint job is not my finest work; 80+ years of paint build-up make for some pretty gnarly door and window casings. Nevertheless, sometimes it’s just about pushing through and good enough is good enough. We got almost the entire apartment rolled out over the weekend. Very tired!
  4. Hubac's Historian
    Bill, I’d have to check the label for the brand, but the walnut ink is something I picked up at a local art supply store. Yesterday, I took a brief break from painting the apartment to stop by the STRAND. There I found an earlier (1963) hardbound edition of the R.C. and Romola Anderson book: Inside, there was a slightly cleaner print of the Gilded Ghost portrait: As compared with the more recent paperback edition, where I first saw the portrait: The image is still fairly inscrutable, but hopefully someday I will find the painting. Apart from carving the starboard headrail horse medallion, not much is happening on the model, and I’m afraid there won’t be until October. Until then, be well and thank you for looking-in. Best, Marc
  5. Hubac's Historian
    I think what Kevin is suggesting is a very good idea - to mock up some samples, so that you can play around with different mediums, and get comfortable with what they can do. I did a lot of paint samples in the early stages, and that is where I acquired most of my knowledge about this kind of distress painting. I can’t speak for the inks that Kevin has been using for his CS, but the walnut ink I’ve been using is extremely forgiving. I apply it dilute, but strong, and simply cut it back with a wet brush until I like the way that it dries. This is tricky to get just enough shading, but over time I’ve gotten the hang of it. I continue to tweak the ink, with each new level of the stern, and will do so until it all gets sealed under a final coat of Matte clear. As Kevin says, artists’ oils are amazing for creating depth and texture, and they are extremely forgiving. I use them for my natural wood effects, and really like how the decking came out. Van Dyke Brown (Windsor and Newton) gave my ventre-de-biche (raw sienna) painted sides (above the black boot topping) a pleasing patina. You just lay it on thick and heavy and then wipe it back until you are happy. I wrap q-tips in t-shirt scraps, so that I can get pretty far into recesses, but not all the way. After wiping, I use a coarse chip brush (natural bristle) to even-out the effect. I learned all of this from Herbert Thomesan of Artitec Modelbeau, in the Netherlands. A lot of the Dutch builders use this technique and it is astonishingly easy, forgiving and produces excellent results on the first try. My one piece of advice would be to do both hull halves at the same time. I did one, and then the other after a period of time, only to realize that the second half was significantly darker. The paint had cured by the time I really saw this in good light, so I had to wash the first half a second time to match. On my model, the finished effect is darker than I would like, and most people mistake the effect for natural wood, but it is really supposed to represent a painted surface on the actual ship. This doesn’t bother me, though. I learned something. Mostly, I learn from all of you. Three projects stand out, in my mind, for their absolute fidelity to nuance and detail. In no particular order, they are: Michael, aka SafeMaster’s Reale: Gary, aka FriedClams’s Stonington Dragger: And Kirrill, aka Kirrill4’s Spanish Galleon: At some point in the future, Kirrill will dive into his own Heller SR, and I’m really excited to see what he will do with it. I have some idea of what I am doing with my particular subset of paints, but these gentlemen bring a very broad range of technique and knowledge of correct details and realism to bear on their projects. Another master of painting technique, and scratch-building is Rex Stewart. I don’t think he maintains a presence on MSW, but he can easily be found on-line. Of course there are numerous other Uber talented builders and painters (Dafi, Blue Ensign, Moraine to name just a few more - I could go on, but the list would get very long), but the above really stand out for the breadth of techniques that they apply to each project.
  6. Hubac's Historian
    As always, Frank, the work is impeccable!
  7. Hubac's Historian
    Incredible work all around!
  8. Hubac's Historian
    Excellent, Bill. This one book will hold you in good stead for correct 17th C. practice. The illustrations are pretty basic, but it can all be navigated with a little determination.
  9. Hubac's Historian
    Please keep me posted 😀
  10. Hubac's Historian
    I see what you are referencing on the Berain drawings, which from the stern view also suggest that this lower walkable stern balcony wraps to open walkable quarters; if that were the intent, it would seem that the false window tier, on this level of the quarters would be mounted close to the ship, but that is not what Berain’s quarter drawing suggests. Berain seems to be showing closed lower quarters, but then - why wouldn’t he show a false light from the stern to indicate that the quarters are closed around the functional seat of ease? This is a good example of the inconsistencies that often exist among known sets of Berain drawings. One is left to make an interpretation based on what else is known of the times. It seems to me that Boudriot/Frolich made the right call: photo, courtesy of you, Marc 🙃 Interestingly, Der Admiral managed to incorporate Berain’s lower finishing, despite the shortened false lower balcony: But, he does not model the waste-pipe mascaroons. Another great example of these weird Berain inconsistencies is his failure to indicate a forecastle on his bow drawing of SR: That SR always had an armed forecastle for the first two ships is not in dispute, as far as I am aware.
  11. Hubac's Historian
    Hi Chapman - I have, in the past, losted links to this model at the Poggi Museum. It is difficult to say what time period this model represents, as it is a strange combination of primitive detail and approximately correct proportion. It is, nonetheless, a fascinating record from the time. I would love to read that article, if you can post it, or a link to it. If not, what did the article have to say about the model?
  12. Hubac's Historian
    Well, similar within eras, but SR and Victory are over 100 years apart from each other, so the rigging is going to be radically different. One can rig the Heller kit according to its instructions and end up with something reasonably representative. There are, however, a number of details that defy common sense and/or any sort of reasonable fairlead. If one wishes to hew more closely to real practice, it becomes a process of mapping out each line for it’s run and belay point. As for moving, we are leaving Brooklyn to return to Manhattan. A pretty ideal, semi-affordable opportunity opened up, and it’ll be MUCH better for my kids.
  13. Hubac's Historian
    Also, you will want to read through Popeye2Sea’s build of SR because his service on USS Constitution and knowledge of rigging make him eminently qualified for spotting non-sensical aspects of the standard Heller rig.
  14. Hubac's Historian
    Hi Bill, This is a pretty involved question to answer, and I’ll return to this, in a bit. I just found out that I’m definitely moving again, this September, so most of my attentions will be focused on that. The quick and basic answer is that there were always country specific differences among the Dutch, English and French, with regard to their ship architecture and rigging. That being said, there were overwhelmingly more similarities than differences. Throughout history, One country’s navy would have been predominantly influential over all others. Because of their shallow waterways, the Dutch architecture is unique to them. The English and French, on the other hand, had a back and forth influence on each other, as successful ships were taken as war prizes, and those successful design elements were gradually incorporated into successive building plans. Rigging a French 17th C ship is a thorny tangle, but the best guidance exists in the monographed works of Boudriot (L’Ambiteaux 1680), and Lemineur (St. Philippe 1693, and Le Francois 1683). These monographs can be consulted in conjunction with Anderson’s Rigging in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast (which notes some of the specific regional differences), and Lee’s Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War. I haven’t gotten to any serious stage of planning for that yet, myself, but am largely concerned with reconciling whether Heller’s profusion of single-line belaying posts has any authentic claim to French practice. I suspect that it does not, or at least not to the degree that Heller presumes.
  15. Hubac's Historian
    I feel you on this one; it may or may not be worth your energy.
  16. Hubac's Historian
    Looking at other builds of this kit, on-line, it appears that the intent of the kit is to show an open, walkable lower stern balcony. This differs from the Frolich model, which shows a false balcony, which would be more correct for the times, as I understand it. Will you construct this detail, as the kit maker intended, or modify to make this detail more correct?
  17. Hubac's Historian
    Does the hull get a final veneer layer of planking. If so, to what degree do you plan to accurately plank the lower hull?
  18. Hubac's Historian
    So many improvements to the stock kit. I really like what you did with the guns! The kit has good lines.
  19. Hubac's Historian
    The castings really do look very good on this kit. I will enjoy watching this project take shape, Marc. I’m glad to see that you are finding time to build again!
  20. Hubac's Historian
    Hi Bill - by all means, the log exists for exactly this purpose. I am flattered that you would take the time to read through it at all. The overwhelming majority of the model is hand-painted. The only exceptions are my use of flat enamel rattle cans for my primer base, and the red interior and lower exterior (along the run of main deck guns), which I airbrushed. Also, I airbrushed the gun carriages, but I still had to brush paint these to get complete coverage. My process is very methodical. For the upper bulwarks, for example, I masked off everything first, that wouldn’t be airbrushed red; this red is a difficult color to paint over and it would have adversely affected the blues. Following red, I moved-on to paint the larger cerulean blue areas, trying not to make too much of a mess of the frieze elements. Then, the ultra-marine, and finally the yellow ocher, finishing off with the metallics. Actually, before the metallics, I do my light distress wash with the walnut ink because this cuts the intensity of these colors, while providing a sense of depth and shading to the recessed areas. The paint looks like it does because I am extremely patient. I thin my acrylics so that they are self-leveling, even if it necessitates as many as 5 passes to get the color saturation I need. As the work progresses, I do several waves of touch-ups, when I notice flaws in the work. My over-arching thought is that I have spent so much time fabricating parts, that it would be a disservice to those efforts, if I didn’t make the paint as absolutely clean as I am capable of. The paint work takes me a very long time, but I have never regretted the extra effort and attention to detail. The other aspect of this kind of hand-painting is that I have learned to control my breathing and I have figured out how to hold parts and the brush so that I have a stable, and steady base for picking out fine detail. That is a difficult thing to describe, but something I have arrived at through years of trial and error.
  21. Hubac's Historian
    Here’s John:
  22. Hubac's Historian
    Don’t forget John Clements, as well. Happy 70th, Bill!
  23. Hubac's Historian
    Yes, these VDV drawings do appear in Les Vaisseaux du Roi Soleil, and they are invaluable. My forensic reconstruction will focus on those Hubac-built vessels for which I know drawings exist: La Reyne, Le Terrible, La Couronne, and Le Souverain (1678), Le Courtisan (Puget drawing) La Rubis (Puget drawing 1671), and Le Orgueilleux
  24. Hubac's Historian
    All things considered, I think Heller did a commendable job of filling out the upper bulwark ornamentation. What they show is a reasonable, if simplified, representation of the Berain/Vary alternating shell and fleur frieze. For a commercial kit in the 1970s, there was nothing else that even came close, hence the Prestige series.
  25. Hubac's Historian
    Hi Bill! Yes, what you are saying about Dutch construction is true; they constructed ships of flat bottom, and shallow draft so that they could navigate their relatively shallow coastal waterways. The upper works were also comparatively lightly framed to further reduce top hamper. While the Dutch built 10, or so, ships for the launch of Colbert’s navy, those ships were constructed to French dimensional specifications. In the early First Marine, the French built relatively beamy ships, with rounded live works, and a generally deaper draft, aft-wards than the Dutch and English. French ships were also significantly heavily timbered. Laurent Hubac was one, in particular, who constructed broad, stable ships. This is evident in the sheer mass of La Reyne, for example: When comparing the dimensional characteristics of ships from different nations, one has to keep in mind that the French pied was bigger than the English foot, for example, so that if both nations had a ship on their lists at 164’ long - it would be the French ship that was bigger by a factor of 1.066. Relative to their contemporaries, the French just built bigger. They were aware, however, of the significant advantages that the Dutch and English had, in terms of maneuverability. Colbert sent his son Seignelay and Etienne Hubac on an espionage mission to Holland and England to see in what ways the French could improve upon their constructions. This exercise in revision consumes the 1670s and 1680s before finally arriving at reliably efficient designs, across all rates, in the 1690s. The Dutch influence in these early First Marine constructions can particularly be seen in the breadth of the stern, and the more protuberant head structure. The head on La Royal Therese, here, is definitely more beak-ish: One aspect that is particularly French, though, is the pronounced early tumblehome, with the so-called “duck’s breast” shape at the rounding of the bow My conjectural reconstruction will reflect all of these early particularities.

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