GrandpaPhil

Very cool, Alan!

Thank you very much!

I had a lot of fun with this model.

The ratlines are looking good!

Cornwall Model Boats has them too.

Thank you all very much for the comments, for following along and all the likes!

I had a lot of fun with this build and learned a lot!

I built it from the base kit, which comes as a booklet.

I paid $35 on Amazon for it.

From Orel’s website, this kit runs about $20 plus shipping.

Orel Models is operational again and back in full production.

They also have upgrade sets for this kit, like laser-cut sets, photo-etch sets, masts and decks.

I did not buy the upgrade kits, because making and fabricating parts is my happy, and how I relax.

Shipping takes a while because Orel is based out of the Ukraine and the current situation there.

I used aftermarket deadeyes and leftover blocks from my bits box for the rigging.

Eyebolts came out of annealed steel wire.

Masts, yards, gaffs, and replacements for a couple cannons that I accidentally destroyed, came out of dowel rods, bamboo kitchen skewers and toothpicks.

Lessons learned and notes about card models in general:

The ends of toothpicks are great for rolling tiny parts.

Be very careful grabbing small card parts with tweezers, they are very easily crushed.

Take your time.

Monte Mart glue works great and doesn’t cause the problems that American white glue causes, like warping.

Edge paint and seal everything as you go.

For future models, I will just copper the hull.  It’s not difficult and only takes a day or two.  It looks infinitely better.
 

Don’t be afraid to bash a card kit, it is a lot closer to a wood kit than you would think.

Don’t be afraid to try a card kit, it is a lot closer to a wood kit than you would think.

Don’t try to build a model in card if you would not build it in wood.  Card models and wood models are very similar.  You will run into the exact same issues that you will with a wooden one.

Card kits are easily rescaled to suit.

Card kits make great templates for wood models if that is your inclination.

Card models are cheap, so you aren’t really out much if things go wrong.

Lastly, I like card models, from scratch or from a kit.  The tooling is a lot simpler.  They make less mess and they look as good.

Thank you all very much!

And, 15 months and 400 hours later, done!

It’s not perfect, but it’ll do.

I never intended to finish the 1/200 version.

I intended this as a learning tool to learn about ironclad construction and design, in which I succeeded marvelously.

The Admiral wanted this model, so I finished it for her.

This is the third card ship that I have built, but only the first card ship kit that I have built.

Building from a card kit had its own unique difficulties, like matching paint colors, and worrying about losing detail if you had to repaint something.

On the whole I enjoyed this build quite a lot.

Thank you very much to everyone who followed along, commented and hit the “like” button!

Thank you very much @ccoyle for starting me down this road with your HMV builds!

Mizzen gaff sail is rigged!

Mizzen top stay sail, coming soon!

Five blocks to rig it with:

The main mast is fully rigged and the mizzen gaff has been glued in place!

All I have left is rigging the gaff sail, installing the mizzen stay sail, and then one pennant, which will be the last thing I do to this model.

Main course is up and rigged!

Main top sail is glued in place and awaiting rigging.

Main gaff is up and rigged!

Quick lesson learned from previous builds, always install and rig the gaff sail, or gaff, first, before proceeding with square sails, or yards, on that mast.

That way you’re not trying to lower a gaff, with or without a sail, through a cage made from the braces.

Also, always work one mast at a time.

Thank you very much!

The foremast is fully rigged now!

For the scale, this model has a lot of rigging.

The last time I rigged a barque (Mamoli 1:100 Endeavour), it took me several months, without sails.

This one has about half of the rigging that a fully rigged model would have, but at this scale, the deck gets crowded QUICK.

So, I’ve been belaying to anything I can find.

The foretop sail is up and rigged!

The fore top gallant sail is glued, drying and awaiting rigging!

The fore course is up and rigged:

All sails are prepped for immediate installation along with their yards or gaffs!

I went ahead and assembly lined the blocks on the rest of the yards and gaffs.

That includes pre-installing the vangs on the gaffs.

I should have been treating this model like any other model, all along, and assembly lining where I could.

So, next, I’m going to pre-install the rest of the blocks for the yard-arm braces in the forestays.

Then, I’ll cut out the rest of the sails, attach blocks where needed, and glue them to their yards.

Due to scale, sewing them to the yards won’t look right and I have already tested glueing them with the first gaff sail.

Thank you very much!

Fore gaff sail is on!

Nine more to go!

Thank you very much for the comments and for all the likes!

Both jib sails are on:

I am trying out the paper sails that came in the kit.

I was going to make silk span sails, but I took the inspiration to use these, which are very nicely made anyway, from the paper sails on the Great Republic by @rwiederrich.  
 

They looked phenomenal on his model!  

The Great Republic is one of the best models that I have ever seen!

The first jib sail is on and rigged:

Tying off to the deck and the rails is really difficult at this scale.

I am using the sails that came with the kit.

I sew mine from muslin linen with standard sewing thread for my 1/72 scale and larger models.

They look good on the models that they are on (to me anyway).

I built this kit nearly 25 years ago.

It was the first wooden boat kit that I ever built.

I had a blast with it and learned a lot!

I used an ink wash on the deck after drawing in plank lines.

It worked reasonably well.

I got an idea from a conversation at work today.

My buddy collects action figures and was talking about the LED lighting for his display cases that he installed recently.

I looked at it and realized a variant of it might work for the interior of a model ship.

This model is a prime candidate for lighting because of its design and phase of construction.

I’ve seen some of the interior lit models on this forum, and in museums, and they are beautiful.

I’d kind of like to have one.

If it works out well, some of my future models will also get lighting.

I’ll make the final decision when I get back to construction on this model.

Maybe using a heat gun with the former?

If you heated slowly and applied pressure gently, it might take the new shape.

All yards and gaffs are made:

They still need paintwork, sealed and blocks installed, but at this point, all the wood parts are made.

I used an old dowel rod I found laying around, a kitchen skewer and a couple of toothpicks.

They are all carved with a scalpel.

I laid them out in order as I was making them.

Right to left it’s foremast, main mast and mizzen mast.

I already sealed all sails and flags.

Those will be cut out, have blocks installed, glued in place (at 1/200 scale, I am not sewing the sails to the yards, due to scale) and rigged, sequentially.

As with any other vessel I make, yards and gaffs will be installed with sails already attached, and rigged in place, one at a time.

I like to work fore to aft, bottom to top.