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Hubac's Historian

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  1. Hubac's Historian
    Wow, Dan - that really makes a difference. You know, I’m still on the fence as to whether I should represent the top stern balcony (quarter deck level) as a small “Juliette” balcony, spanning the center two windows, or a wider balcony that spans all six windows and ends at the ship sides. Both this drawing and the original strongly suggest that the Juliette balcony is the way to go. Tanneron did not believe so, though. As I’ve stated before, though, my personal belief is that Tanneron pulled from a variety of mid-17th century and late 17th century sources to create a composite of what SR may have looked like at the time of her launching in 1670. That would explain the open quarters, the open lower stern balcony and the very tall stern. It might also explain the presence of the sort of heraldic ornaments, in the quarter gallery openings, that we see between the middle deck guns in early portraits of the Monarque and the Dauphin Royal. As so much of Tanneron’s model is missing, or incomplete though, it is hard to know why he did not continue with the ornamental program of the ship sides, and why he did not complete the structure and ornamentation of the head. Although only a glimpse of them is visible behind the feature model (Frolich’s Ambiteaux), the bow structure of Tanneron’s L’Agreable and Brillant can be seen (not really, actually - sorry) Clearly, he knew that the head rails had to be supported from underneath. Although, the head rails you are seeing are actually of Capricieux, I know that the head structure of Le Brillant and L’Agreable is complete. (photos, courtesy of Marc Yeu, aka Neko). Anyway, I’m leaning towards the Juliette balcony both because there is a plausible argument to be made for it, and also because it would be a representational choice that has not been put out there yet. Maybe doing so will spur debate. Ultimately, I keep returning to the Monarque, where I believe the Juliette balcony is what is being depicted. It makes sense to me that this relationship between the middle and upper balconies may have carried over into the near Second Marine reconstruction of SR. Berain’s drawing is, after all, “l’Apres Puget,” or in the manner and style of Puget.
  2. Hubac's Historian
    The tops look fabulous, EJ. They convey the sense of scale that I’m after, myself.
  3. Hubac's Historian
    So, this is a work in process, and probably the most challenging reconciliation between Berain’s intent and the pre-established Heller kit architecture. I’m using a black and white reproduction of the original drawing as my guide because the detail reads more clearly; it somehow seems easier to gauge the relative proportions of elements and their true line. As I expected, my lower gallery windows are taller appearing, but the frames and openings more closely match the original drawing: I will continue onto the starboard side and fill in the ornamental cartouche that is placed at the top center of each frame. I just wanted to get a sense for the impression of the thing before I continued drawing. Along those lines, I realized it would also be a good idea to begin sussing out what the aft profile of the quarter galleries will be. What I have arrived at, so far, comes pretty close to Berain, but the less sloped tumblehome of the Heller kit makes it impossible to get much closer than this. Bear in mind that none of the projecting mouldings of the railings are drawn in, so that makes the following comparison a little difficult to imagine: What all of this does allow for is enough depth, outboard from the hull, to taper down the QG lower finishing. I will also have a reasonable perch for the figure of The Americas to sit upon. Of course, everything above the middle balcony rail (the small Xs) remains conjectural until after I have attached the upper bulwarks and can take exact measurements. One contemporary drawing that will be useful for gauging overall perspective is this unknown portrait of a three-decker at Rochefort: Some of the most useful information about the aft edge of the lower finishing, is completely obscured, but the sense of slope and projection from the hull are useful guides, as the structure of what I am trying to replicate is so very close to this design. To be continued...
  4. Hubac's Historian
    Well, whatever happens - I am looking forward to it. Bon travaille, mon ami!
  5. Hubac's Historian
    I agree - his speed is astonishing, but then he works full-time as a professional. That being said, I put anywhere from 2-4 hours a day, most days, and I am very sloooow! That Rex can work so quickly and to such a high standard is truly impressive. I will also be attempting paper sails from ModelSpan tissue. I am keenly awaiting Johnathan11’s efforts on his Alabama build to see how readily he adopts a particular method - which seemed relatively straight-forward, but I’m sure is not so easy. I really liked your silk sails on the bomb-ketch. They had a very natural appearance in such a small scale.
  6. Hubac's Historian
    The Heller Royal Louis is a terrific model, and much can be done to add missing detail. Will you be starting a build log for her? I’m gonna PM you on a separate matter.
  7. Hubac's Historian
    Ah, okay George! It has been a while, and so I forgot that I had subscribed to this thread, as well. So, now it seems, you will be resuming work on this fabulous build? Are you familiar with another pro modeler named Rex Stewart? He does small-scale scratch work, often in the mould of Donald McNary, but also very good and detailed dioramas. He has a Flikr page with some of his work. More recently, he finished an amazing Airfix Sovereign - I mean truly incredible - so that he could learn the nuances of that type of rigging before attempting a larger model from scratch. He’s a real talent, in his own right. Check it out:
  8. Hubac's Historian
    Thank you so much, George! What else are you working on these days?
  9. Hubac's Historian
    Happy Friday, MSW! Over this past weekend, I was browsing through builds I hadn’t seen before, when I found this: The log is brief and the model is complete, so it is not likely to receive much future traffic. It is so outstanding, though, that I figured fans of kit-bashing would really enjoy seeing this, if they haven’t already found it on their own. This guy George Kapas is a true pro!
  10. Hubac's Historian
    Hi Dan! Thank you for the kind words. This is another interesting approach. For stand-alone windows, I think this would work really well. In my opinion, part of what makes the Berain stern drawing so successful is that there is hardly a line out of place - even with respect to the mullions. Horizontally, they follow the camber, while running a consistent line from one pane to the next. Vertically, they run a widening taper that follows the tumblehome, and increasing width of the panes, from centerline to outboard. The beauty of the scribing approach is that I have already made a camber pattern that I can use to scribe horizontally, across the window panes. Last night, I revisited my original drawing, in order to map out the available space for the window layout. This was an interesting exercise, considering my initial approach to laying down the first drawing. I gained some useful insight into what I supposed the profile of the stern would be, as opposed to the reality of what I am building. What’s good is that my windows do increase slightly, in width, as the transom becomes wider. Mostly, I anticipated the correct height of the stern balconies, beneath each tier of windows. I did realize, though, after examining my QG cutout, against the hull, that I will need to increase the height of my QG windows at the lowest, middle deck level, by 1/16”, in order that my main deck QG rail will rise to the top of the upper main wale, where the amortisement begins. Doing so, will provide the dimensional consistency, in window height, that is crucial on this level because the windows wrap from stern to quarter. My other main observation, though, was that the space available between the plank ends of the ship sides tapers to an 1/8” less, at this middle balcony (main deck) rail, than I had originally accounted for in my drawing. This actually has a negligible affect on the space available for my window layout, but I do have to make some slight adjustments at this lower level. Anyway, I’ll draw a layout for the lowest tier of windows, for now, because I know exactly what the available space is there. Eventually, when I attach the upper bulwarks, I will draw layouts for the middle and upper gallery windows. No matter what, I will end up with a closer approximation of Berain’s intent than what the Heller kit provides for. My lower tier will appear taller than Berain’s, though, and that is simply one of the constraints of the kit architecture that I can not avoid. I’m still detailing the quarter and poop deck gun carriages. Once those are complete, I will focus on this lower tier window layout.
  11. Hubac's Historian
    Backer - thank you for the compliment and for the link to your fine build. You really achieved excellent and highly realistic results with your approach. Considering the sheer number of windows that I have to make, though, I am inclined to try the less labor-intensive approach first. Both methods require scribing the pattern, but wiping away excess acrylic should be fairly easy and provide just as good a result. Sometimes, as I did last night while continuing to plank my stern, I think to myself: “Damn! This sure is a whole lot of extra effort just to include the roundup detail and an extra tier of stern windows.” Then I remind myself that it is the completely modified stern that will become the focal point of the finished model, and what transforms it from the familiar Heller kit into something entirely different. If I can pull off the stern, that should minimize attention to those aspects of the kit that I can not modify and/or correct. The progress is slow, but the effort still feels well worthwhile to me. If nothing else, I have developed a much deeper appreciation for the guys that make everything from scratch. We are getting there - one little bit at a time.
  12. Hubac's Historian
    Oh, this is excellent! Thank you Jan. The more I consider it, it will forever annoy me if the stern windows don’t match the windows I make for the quarter galleries. Dan Pariser always describes this project as my attempt to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear. In some ways, I suppose he is right about that, although I happen to think a little more of the Heller kit. I would certainly be trending towards the latter, though, if my windows are obviously mis-matched. I apologize to those of you who have sent me extra stern plates for the sake of using the windows, but do not despair. I will still be extracting all of the really delicate bell-flower ornaments on the pilasters between windows. Also, the Zodiac symbols from the taffrail cornice.
  13. Hubac's Historian
    Oh, okay - I like this idea! The thing about making all of the windows from scratch that intimidates me is the mullions. So, David, is it a matter of painting the grey acrylic over the whole surface and then wiping away with a non-marring solvent (I guess, water, in this case) or is it bleeding acrylic into the score marks with a very fine brush?
  14. Hubac's Historian
    Hello, Chapman! Yes, thank you for the reference. I recently saw a review of this book on Les Trois Ponts: https://troisponts.net/2019/11/04/les-saint-philippe-et-les-vaisseaux-de-1er-rang-de-louis-xiii-a-louis-xiv/ This does, indeed, look like one for the collection.
  15. Hubac's Historian
    So, David, I’ve been thinking about your proposal for making the stern windows from scratch. With just a little drafting, I can layout windows for all three levels that are a seamless transition in window width, both vertically and horizontally; i.e. on each level, the window width should increase from the center to outboard. Heller has minimized this variance. My thought was that I could scribe my window layout into 1/32”, or slightly less, styrene sheet and cut the mullions directly into that base sheet level. I would then cut a secondary layout into a separate 1/32” sheet for the window frame surrounds. There will most likely be some degree of moulding/shaping these window surrounds. Finally, I could “glaze” the windows with that liquid glazing compound that you brush on, after painting. The major benefits of this approach would be that I wouldn’t have to attempt to heat-bend 40+year moulded styrene to conform to the roundup, nor would I have to uniformly file the mullions thinner. The thin styrene sheet will glue easily to the bulkheads. I would still recycle the bell-flower pilasters between windows, though. My construction approach would more or less mirror what Tanneron did on this damaged model of L’Agreable:
  16. Hubac's Historian
    WOW - this is spectacularly well done! You are a builder after my own heart. This should be a magazine article, as it so perfectly illustrates what is possible when it comes to broadening the subject matter that is available to plastic builders. Very, very impressive!
  17. Hubac's Historian
    Wow - EJ - your standing rigging really looks amazing, and appropriately scaled. All of that extra time is really paying off!
  18. Hubac's Historian
    Okay, so I just caught up through the first page, as well. This model is more impressive than I thought, at first glance. Jusek, you do a great deal of hand-work, without always relying on a mill for your joinery. You have tremendous skill and finesse with the tools!
  19. Hubac's Historian
    Well, this looks to be another fantastic Fleuron. I will happily follow along with what is becoming a very fair hull. Fantastic work, so far, Jusek!
  20. Hubac's Historian
    You are probably right about that, David. I am going to have to pattern the QG windows, anyway, so it will be better if these lower windows match, as they wrap from stern to quarter. We shall see - I’ll do some preliminary experiments, when the time comes, and I’ll see where to go from there.
  21. Hubac's Historian
    Thank you to everyone for your likes and comments, and thank you MD! Yes, EJ, the process of making and fitting bulkheads seemed okay, theoretically, but I was a little skeptical about how my planking would ultimately resolve into the plank rebate, along the hull sides. In the end, I will have to file the outer hull flush with the new transom planking and re-scribe the joints into the plank ends, but that’s a small price to pay. The next big litmus test for this build will be - as Druxey notes - planking the stern counter, which is a subtle reverse curve. And I will likely be modifying the profile of those false balcony extensions, once again, to match the profile I drew for the quarter galleries. It is that shape I drew, after all, that will be used to pattern the upper bulkhead formers that are spaced between the stern windows. After that, though, I get to see whether I can re-cycle the kit’s stern windows to make up the six-window span. At the moment, I have no fewer than three stern plates to cut from, thanks to Henry and Guy. That will give me enough spare stock to figure out how best to bend the windows to the round-up curvature. As Daffy has done with his Victory, I will also be thinning the window mullions down so that they don’t appear so heavy. Hopefully, if all goes well the new windows will look like this photo-copy cut and paste job: In truth, a part of me would prefer to make the lowest tier from scratch, in order to achieve a closer fidelity to the size and shape of what Berain drew. There is also the consideration that the windows of the QGs will all be made from scratch, and will be slightly different from Heller’s version. I’m not sure that bothers me enough to ignore the time-savings of recycling. The other variance with what was likely the reality of the ship would be the placement of the two stern balcony access doors on the middle and upper balcony. The following survey drawings were made of the ship’s actual interior, in 1688, while the re-build was well underway: Perhaps I can do a little surgical gymnastics to match this, or just bash the doors from scratch, into their proper locations. I just haven’t put any real thought into it yet.
  22. Hubac's Historian
    Johnathan, your Alabama looks amazing, and she’s really rounding into form. You’ve commented frequently that the masting and spars are extremely fragile. Is this particular kit a very old pressing? The plastic kit I’m working on is almost as old as I am - well over 40 years - but I have found the plastic to be as supple as if it were cast yesterday. I have the benefit of knowing where the kit has been, all that time though, and that it was properly stored. Funnily enough, I remember that my neighbor also had an un-built Alabama in his stash, but I think his oldest son took that one, after he died. His wife passed Soleil Royal on to me because she understood my obsession with the ship. Anyway, I have very much enjoyed your willingness to take it to the Nth degree, and the high quality results you are achieving are testament to your sense of craft and respect for historic accuracy. You give us plastic builders a good name! I can’t wait to see your work with the sails.
  23. Hubac's Historian
    Ya know? - just spectacular! I haven't read this log in detail, yet, but I will. Who doesn't love an awesome Bismarck? The decking is particularly good, but does not outshine any of the other excellent detail work. I will follow along with great interest.
  24. Hubac's Historian
    I kind of like the imagery of your head on a seagull’s body, Vic. Please - just don’t bomb the ship!😂
  25. Hubac's Historian
    Baby steps. Baaaby steps 😀

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