jfhealey

Beatiful, beautiful, beatiful. I love it. The only problem I have with it is this. I look at your work - and Siggi's and Johann's and Chuck's to name a few and I think: "B*****, I am going to take up gardening or ball room dancing or something....."

Best wishes

Fred

Johaan - would you post a few photos of the whole ship as she stands - as distinct from close ups of your extraordinary rigging? This truly is a remakable build. One for the ages.

best wishes

Fred 

Especially folding the friezes around the chesstrees and achieving continuity in the pattern. 

I love it. Really nice work.

Best wishes

Fred

10 minutes ago, scrubbyj427 said:

Will be posting an update soon.

Good-oh

Hi JJ

I'm sitting in the early evening sunshine with a beer thinking about model ships - and the absence for the best part of a month of an update from you on your wonderful Portland project. Any news?

Fred 

Wonderful - simply stunning.

If, now I have retired, I take up international burglary for a pastime, your house (and those fellows Siggi and Archjofo in Germany and Giampieroricci in Italy to name a few) is one I plan to visit. Would you be very kind and send me your address and a list of any days you will be away on holiday?

Many thanks

Fred

It's diffficult to see how it would be possible to build a finer version of Cheerful. Nothing, as far as I can see, could be improved. Superb.

Fred 

Thanks Thukydides. That is hugely impressive painting. I am only just discovering (a) how hard it is to paint and (b) how doubly difficult it is to paint direct on to the ship. So hard,in fact, that I've given up on my feeble attempts to paint acanthus leaves: a loy more practice required. Instead I'm using the Syren friezes albeit the wrong ones - I know its inaccurate but I prefer the look and I won't be the first to say: "It's my ship........"!

I painted over the friezes a bit to add a few highlights. Probably a mistake but still....Curiously overpainting the friezes has been a good learning excercise in painting. I think I'd make a better job of acanthus leaves next time around. But overall, and looking at what others have achieved with this model i just wish I had 10 years more experience at this hobby than I have. Still, onwards and upwards as they say.

Best wishes

Fred

That looks fantastic.

Incidentally I agree with your analysis of the rake of the masts posted on my log. On re-measuring I think there is a very small aft rake on the foremast, a little more aft rake on the main mast and still more on the mizzen.

I bought the Enterprize plans from Cornwall Model Boats which ships internationally I'm sure. They are actually produced by www.model-shipyard.com in Poland so they should be readily available. I do hope you rig: I shall follow with keen interest and learn!

Fred

Thats wondeful metal work. Making one can't be that hard. Making six identical parts takes a skilled and patient hand. 

Fred

I had a go at acanthus leaves. I might leave things overnight and see what I think in the morning. Just at the moment I'm not completely convinced. I painted a continuous string of acanthus. I think it would look better broken up into shorter lengths with a small division between. And I don't like the bit over the third gunport from te stern: funny how little things that you know will get lost in the bigger picture have the capacity to bug you disproportionately.

Thank you Thukydides. Yes, it is a big expanse of blue. The dustsheet of the Swan Class books, which I followed closely-ish, shows two tassels - I guess to avoid the issue you identify. I originally intended to include two but thought they might be much harder to paint than turned out to be the case. I may think on it further though, that said, when the model is in its cradle that lower transom area is not conspicuous because of the overhang.

The Syren friezes break up the blue with a sort of subtle smokey - both black and white smoke - effect which I like but I don't see how that can be effectively painted except with an airbrush. 

Thanks for your thoughts.

Fred

The QGs and in particular the scraped fancy rails proved a right old trial for me. I could not get the rails either to sit correctly on the compound  curves of the lower portion of the QG or to follow a nice line. I ripped off the QGs twice and eventually settled upon filing the upper edge of the lower portion more or less vertical. That was the only way I could get the rail to sit nicely. Then I didn't like the join between the rail and the adjacent former.

So I cut a piece of very thin boxwood to cover it. I think it finishes off the rail nicely.

I wanted to paint the lower transom. I followed the design shown on the dustjacket of Antscherl/Herbert's Swann Class Sloop: I just liked the look of a lion's head even if that forsakes historical accuracy. I also followed the painting directions found within that work - though without success. Painting direct on to the ship is very diificult. Here I am transferring the design using transfer paper.

And here is the lion's head ready for paint.

And here I have painted the transom.

But I dont like it. So I painted the design on paper and stuck that on. It's much easier.

I used the Syren friezes. I had intended to paint the figures but it proved far too difficult. Instead I painted on a few highlights and lowlights intending that that should give a bit of a hand painted feel. A cheat I know.....

I also painted went over the letters in yellow and the blue background  to match the lower transom. Its all actually quite uniform though the pictures suggest otherwise.

Far from perfect - I think my lion looks anxious/sad rather than terrifying and the right hand drape is a bit of a mess - but I will stick with it.

Thanks for looking in.

Fred

Hi Frank

Thanks for your message.

I located the masts by reference to both the markings on the false deck and the plans which show the mast and bowstrip stubs. As far as i can tell (and this is what I worked to) the main mast is vertical - 90 degrees to the waterline) while the mizzen and fore mast are raked. I took the angles from Chuck's plans.

The plans for the Enterprize are available from Cornwall Model Boats. Here is the box and the plates for the masts. I took the plans down to the local copyshop to scale them up to 1/48.

I do not know how accurate the Enterprize plans are for Winchelsea. The 2 frigates are 10 years apart so more or less contemporary. I also have HMS Diana from the Anatomy of the Ship series. To my un-schooled eye the Diana masts look pretty much the same as those shown by the Enterprize plans. At all events these are the best I have and good enough for me! 

Looking over some of the build logs I am lost in admiration not only at the skill levels others achieve but also by the depth of scholarship others possess. 

Best wishes

Fred

I love, in particular, the last photograph with the light coming through the starboard gun ports. Wonderfully atmospheric!

Do you have any pictures of each stage of making the port hinges? I would love to understand how you achieve that level of consistency.

Best wishes

Fred

That really is looking very fine indeed.

Fred

Thanks Chuck. I appreciate you taking the time to offer sage advice.

Fred 

Glenn - Yours is one of my "go-to" logs because (a) it appears to me you are a bit of a perfectionist (b) you are clearly a wonderful photographer and (c) you are always willing to take the time to help  - so thank you.

I think I probably need to line up the upper hair bracket with the top of the stem (as you have done) and fiddle the fit of the bottom layer of the upper cheek. If I do otherwise I fear I may run into problems with the rails.  If I splosh a bit of paint around I suspect all will be well. 

Thanks

Fred 

Thanks JJ and for the likes.

I've started on the cheeks and hair brackets and run into a problem. If I sit the bottom segment of the upper cheek on the top of the black strake - where it should be - the hair bracket sits a little too low against the stem. If I move the cheek up a coupls of millimetres I'll get a better fit with the hair bracket but have an awkward gap with the ends hawse hole pieces when they go in (if you see what I mean). I am inclined to go for the latter and put  a little filler sliver above the black strake to fill the void. Any sugestions would be very welcome.

Here is  a picture of the bottom segmentsitting on top of the black strake but see how low the hair bracket is.

Here is the middle segment filed and sanded to fit.

And here with the top segment. The Syren one was a little tioo thin to fit so I used it as a pattern and cut a new one from slightly thicker boxwood. The whole is held together by prit-stick glue so its no problem to move.

Subject to finalising the position and a little more delicate sanding I think I'm ready for a bit of CA and to splash a bit of paint around.

Fred 

Thanks for the comments chaps.

Here is an update. I have completed the deck. That seems a big milestone - with the hull and deck planked all the repetetive donkey work is behind and now its the fun fiddly bits.

To plank the hull I fixed a battern with a curve that looked something like it and then tick stripped and planked from the outside inboard. I know its not the approved way but it works for me.

I glued the deck fittings down with a prit-stick - is that what you Americans call rubbber glue? - so I could pull then up to sand the deck easily.

I left out the captain's chequerboard floor. I'm not quite sure why. I suppose I slightly prefer plain old planks. What, I wonder would the chequerboard be made of? Patrick O'Brian has Captain Aubrey rolling his up when calling action stations I seem to recall so I guess its a waxed sailcloth ?

I mad the fixed blocks up on my Proxxon mill.

 And here is the present state of play:

All the best everyone

Fred

2 hours ago, Thukydides said:

I could ever fit this thing in my house

I shall address this problem by not telling my wife what I'm up to!!

18 hours ago, druxey said:

I thought that they were a bit smaller than yours

I guess a rough sea could compromise your aim so a larger target area would be wise if little accidents are to be avoided. 

4 minutes ago, dvm27 said:

Maybe the carpenters were using the hearth to keep warm while fitting out the ship in those cold winter months

Or to make a nice cup of tea and a bacon sandwich.

absolutely gorgeous work.

Fred