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Hubac's Historian

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  1. Hubac's Historian
    As always - great work Frank, and Happy Thanksgiving to all. I think that loading cannon balls from the front may be the key; there would be no need for haul-out tackles in that scenario. One would only need the haul-in tackles after firing. As I know really nothing about these Galley ships, I wonder whether they are equipped with a hatchway on this short beakhead deck, through which cannon balls and cartridges might be passed.
  2. Hubac's Historian
    Yes, I agree that that is an interesting problem. Presumably, the name would be in white, but there are a lot of relatively fine white lines in the frieze. I think the finer the lettering, the better, but I suppose it would really depend upon where the individual letters fall in the frieze. Also, maybe a light but complementary yellow ocher would give enough contrast without overpowering the frieze. I guess it comes down to something you have touched upon in this log; is it better to be wholly accurate, including every detail, or to leave some detail out, in the interest of cleaner aesthetics? That’s a tough one!
  3. Hubac's Historian
    All good and well. Thanks for the insight.
  4. Hubac's Historian
    On a separate note - I recently asked another noteworthy modeler on this site about the historic precedent for false windows in the quarter galleries, themselves. His particular specialty was also the 18th Century, and so, he wasn’t so sure about that tendency for the 17th century. I am wondering whether you have some insight into how far back the practice of faking quarter gallery windows goes.
  5. Hubac's Historian
    Hi Chuck - this is all fascinating to me. Your quarter gallery tutorial could not come at a better time! The frieze is really interesting. I’m assuming that it’s printed through some process or other. What I wonder at is that - even with laser-cut parts and a very incisive group build-log, which accounts very nicely for variable results - there are going to be variable results. So, I wonder at how one maps out something with a specific artistic framing - like a frieze - so that it can accommodate a multiplicity of outcomes. All I can say is - this is incredible! I’m not asking you to tell me your secrets, but I just wonder at the engineering of the thing. The results are superb!
  6. Hubac's Historian
    You’re as nimble on the computer as any GEN-Zer I’ve ever seen. That is dynomite, Dan, and pretty perfectly illustrates the way that I look at these images. Also of note is the fact that both of these stern and quarter drawings are labeled, above, in the same style - as is the bow drawing (admittedly sans forecastle). This does not explicitly, in and of itself, make them all a matched set, but it would seem to indicate that the images were catalogued at the same time, and therefore contemporaneous with each other. As ever, thank you!
  7. Hubac's Historian
    Yes, Dan, going by the shadows, that is also a strong argument for the middle balcony. I’m inclined to follow the wrapping open walk structure, with a shallow ornamental amortisement above, that is often in evidence for ships of this later Second Marine, though. The trouble is that Berain shows the figures of Autumn and Winter at the ship’s sides and just before the quarter galleries. Now, when you consider both the black and white quarter drawing, as well as the color quarter portrait by Vary, this figure of Winter is clearly supporting the middle balcony. At the very least, then (if you accept the premise, as I do, that these stern and quarter drawings belong together), the middle balcony extends at least to the ship’s sides. Perhaps the middle balcony ends at the ship sides and does not wrap to the quarters. The reason that I do not think this is so, however, is that the archway upon which the side figures of Africa and the Americas sit, is shown as an open archway, as opposed to a glazed opening. I believe that this open archway is a pass-through for the open walk to the quarters. Essentially, this is what Lemineur depicts with his model of the St. Pilippe. Also of interest on the St. Philippe, there is no upper balcony, but merely the ornamental fretwork of a balcony rail. So, that further lends credence to the idea of a vestigial Juliette balcony on the upper level, if at all. All that being said, these are just a few of the ambiguities that make modeling this ship so difficult.
  8. 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.
  9. Hubac's Historian
    The tops look fabulous, EJ. They convey the sense of scale that I’m after, myself.
  10. 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...
  11. Hubac's Historian
    Well, whatever happens - I am looking forward to it. Bon travaille, mon ami!
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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:
  15. Hubac's Historian
    Thank you so much, George! What else are you working on these days?
  16. 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!
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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?
  21. 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.
  22. 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:
  23. 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!
  24. Hubac's Historian
    Wow - EJ - your standing rigging really looks amazing, and appropriately scaled. All of that extra time is really paying off!
  25. 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!

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