hollowneck

Making Water- Phase One Prior to cutting the large foam board that will be the base of the diorama's waves and model support, the bendable curve - shown in the previous post for gathered materials/tools - was placed along the hull of my model at the waterline level. HMS Camilla will heel at an approximate angle of 10-15 degrees, to starboard. This is important as the PORT waterline will thus, be slightly HIGHER and this must be taken into account for creating the waterline cutout template pieces shown here. Utilizing two pieces of foam board from an earlier project (2" ref thickness), the bendable curve lines taken from the model's hull were traced onto two long pieces of foam board and then trimmed with a utility knife to create two hull curvature template pieces: this is required to arrive at a "template" to trace and mark a reasonably accurate "cut line" into the top layer of the 1" foam board that will be the surface that holds the "waves." The two halves of the foam board template are marked so that stem and stern points aren't confused. The next step is to measure, cut and place a 1" thick sheet of foam board ("Pink Panther" insulation) into the case. This 36" wide piece is one of three (3) of 1" thick foam boards that will be stacked and secured into the case: the internal dimension height after stacking the foam board sections is a little over 3" high. The top piece shown here will be on the majority of photos that follow as it is the one to which the "water" shaping components will be affixed. The final step here is to use a black Sharpie to transfer the final cut line to the top layer foam board. After determining the placement of the hull into the case, a keel line is drawn. In this diorama, the keel will be diagonally across the case from opposite corners as shown. Once the keel line is drawn, the template pieces in the previous photo are used to locate the exact position of the model's hull, which is centered along this reference line. The next step is relatively straightforward; using a bread knife (important: it helps if it's a serrated edge because the thick foam board material's consistency makes it difficult to cut through with a utility blade, even a long one. My cutting action must take into account the 10-15 degree heeling angle of the model as I slice through the foam board. This is done by eye and is important so that the previous templating is followed as closely as possible, including replicating the different angles so the model's hull will sit securely in the resultant opening. Here is the first test to see how the model fits into the foam board cutout. Having done this a few times now, my cutting resulted in a near perfect width, length and heeling angle cutout in the 1" foam board's TOP LAYER. Note the angle of the model to the foam board. Zooming in close to the stem while the ship model is temporarily placed into the foam board, it's time to determine how the wave action will look relative to the ship's hull and wind direction. The diorama's wind is a following one, from aft. The wave action will not be strictly parallel to the ship purposefully so that the diorama's built-up waves will create some "visual tension" between the model and the sea. This purposeful "randomness" is a dynamic that is important and will be a recurring theme throughout this final phase of my Build Log. I'll do my best to note when this is a consideration in all the following steps. Moving down alongside the starboard hull, a slight mismatch on the hull is evident, a gap. This isn't critical because it will be covered-up in subsequent water building steps. However, the tighter the better to the previous waterline cutout step. This precision will help make the wave top detail as well as creating the foam wake along the hull much easier. This photo shows the two sides of the "wave material" I will use to shape all the wave action on the full diorama. The material is named "ShaperSheet" and from Woodland Scenics. It's a composited sheet of thin aluminum (a little heavier than regular kitchen foil) with a thin cotton backing adhered to it. It comes in 18" wide by six foot roll lengths. This material will be used to form multiple sections of waves that get placed onto the foam board surface and positioned tightly against the model's hull. The white cotton surface material will hold the plaster that gets applied after the wave sections have been formed and affixed to the foam board around the hull and to the edges of the diorama case. Here, I've made a first wave section: a large "rolling wave" that the ship's bow is meeting. It tapers off as shown -toward the lens- and is held in place with pushpins temporarily. The large piece has been cut from the ShaperSheet and manipulated with my fingers to form a raised section, all by eye - and yep, by "feel." The random front edge shown where it is pinned is purposeful. The black parallel location marks are important as several pieces of the sheet will be required and will need to overlap. My next post will show the development of these wave foil/cloth sections that will comprise the principal wave surface of the diorama's seascape.

One of my favorite hand tools is a velvety-soft sable brush.

Indeed. I’ve waited for years for these little gems to appear! As I’ve indicated earlier, the sculpts are superb and the 3D-resin printing (and high-quality) material allow one to finish paint them in a very realistic way. Note that over a “base” flesh color, I use darkening ‘tone” washes to bring out the minuscule details like facial features, even the space between little fingers! My paints are standard Vallejo brand acrylics. The washes are from a gaming company called Citadel (war gaming miniatures/U.K. But available in the U.S.). BTW: thanks. This ship has svelte lines and lots of subtle, understated decorative elements - as long as one doesn’t paint every one of them in Bright GOLD, these help to emphasize the beauty. This is sort of like jewelry on a beautiful woman, not necessary - but it doesn’t hurt!

Brian, Please look at the last photo of my post #349 in this thread. You’ll see the main tools I use for handling nearly all the rigging tasks. I’ve purchased most of these from Micromark. The scissors are from Germany, “Ginghher” brand, but acquired on Amazon. The original set of dental tools had several pointy things, but the wicked-looking one with the bent sharp point is the most effective for it’s main rigging purpose: hanging rope hanks in difficult to reach spots. The blue handled tool comes from a set of rigging tools designated as such on MicroMark; I’m not certain they’re still available. Spend some time on their site. I wouldn’t bother to go to dental tool suppliers: from my experience that is a deep rabbit hole and completely unnecessary.

Thank you, B.E. You’re correct. I got a little carried away on adding schmutz to the crew’s trousers. This Captain does have higher standards and certainly doesn’t have to mess with gun carriages, gunpowder, ropes- unlike his minions. I’ll give his britches a good wash before the muster is called. Wigglesworth’s man-servant has gone AWOL.

Camilla's Crew. My People. "Ready when you are, Capt'!" The 3D printed bases successfully removed with minimal orthopaedic foot damage. A limited palette of mostly subdued colors. Most can stand upright without the assistance of glue, but all will get CA'd to the deck in good time. Vanguard (Chris Watton) has indeed gone "above and beyond " with these superbly-sculpted, 3/D printed resin figures. The quality of the material is excellent and after a simple primer coat they take tiny paint strokes nicely. The hands and face detail is very convincing once a light accenting wash is used. A reminder: you're looking at 1/64-scale figures that are nominally 28mm tall across the range. These identical figures are available from Vanguard in smaller as well as larger scales. The legacy and standby Amati not-very-accurate-28mm (& 33mm)-scaled figures should now be retired to old fishing trawlers... However, we now also have Vanguard's scale-accurate and excellent fishermen figures at-hand. Cpt. C.W.Wigglesworth is ready to take command of His Majesty's Frigate, HMS Camilla. He's perched within the Vanguard official shipping container and its special cushioning. That sword is on it's own sprue and gets affixed behind his coat after painting. At Vanguard, this figure is known by "Lord Cochrane”..to avoid confusion at the website should others desire his presence on their model. "Could some bloke help me out with all this bloody rope?!" 80 rope coils completed. Three of Camilla's six-packed & sun-tanned cannon crew... Their linen trousers need a good wash, eh? - "After the day's gunnery practice," says Wigglesworth. ...and three more cannoneer brethren. " ...an extra pint all-round for you blighters!" says a pleased Wigglesworth after a particularly good gunnery session.

Ha-ha. I'm sorry to give fellow MSWer's nightmares - the wholly unintended consequences of my Build Log! Sorry, peeps. I no longer have house pets, but in an earlier life I had 5 cats (2 house, 3 barn), and two dogs*. The cats had a pet door, the dogs - cozy doghouses. But this was before my wife and I were empty nesters after raising a combined 7 children. Most of our children now have pets - for their children, who do get VERY CLOSE TO Gampy's ships on occasion! I'd NEVER seriously consider having pets with all my "open air" models. Well, maybe an iguana in a terrarium, or a fish tank, but no birds either! I'll now have nightmares dreaming about a pet parrot perched on a model's bowsprit! * not counting 4 horses and usually 15-20 head of heifers, but they never set hooves inside our farmhouse...😂

The gathering storm... Pretty self-explanatory. Most (but not all) materials gathered. A couple prelim tools. Of course there will be sundry hand tools like various paintbrushes and cutting implements like a hotwire foam cutter, breadknife (for cutting the insulation foam), etc. The insulation foam board is from HomeDepot and comes in 4 X 8 sheets like plywood. It had pre-scored cut lines so you can break it into sections so you can fit it in your vehicle if you don't drive a Ford F-250. I'll use multiple levels of this inexpensive material to build up the wave profiles. I also haven't shown various glue(s). The bendable curve was held against Camilla's hull (port and starboard and a tentative waterline profile for both was transferred to spare pieces of 2" thick insulation); these will be used to trace the outline of the cutout in the base foam board for Camilla's hull. This cutout will need to be careful "finessed" with additional hand tools to create as tight a fit as possible to the model's hull to secure it in the foam board's cutout. Various acrylic materials molded along her full waterline will act as adhesion components to create her hull's wake - and, naturally "disguise" the small openings ("cracks") that will appear around her hull after placement. Thinking about the case color in a natural wood finish. I'm leaning toward the right end of this cutoff piece of the case's millwork: oak stain with a chestnut stain (over-wipe) to fill the patterning. On the opposite end(left), the stain is chestnut only; at this point in time I feel it may be too dark. The ultimate decision will be made after the diorama is completed. To finish (and protect the wood) I'll use a Wipe-On Poly, and likely a semi-gloss. The bottom of the case will have felt bumpers.

Derek, one word (well, two actually): lovely display. Your Speedy looks impressive, with good lighting and the gilded mirror is a nice touch. I don't know about you but I do a "walkabout" every few weeks (no set schedule) with a can of compressed air and a small handful of long medical swabs - to reach some areas where the air blasts aren't enough to keep the dust bunnies from accumulating - especially on the rigging as #druxey has correctly noted. Frankly, this takes a couple hours to hit all my models but I get to be up close (again) with each one, noting where I could have done things better.🤔 And a by-product, the models stay mostly clean and still they tempt guests to closely inspect them. I purchase several cans of compressed air at a go: saves $. And I don't have to feel stingy when giving them air baths!🤣

Hey, Mike - big thanks, again. The quick answer is that the model's keel will rest on the plywood bottom and in this instance (depending on the depth of the wave action in her diorama), I may add a small "shim" of insulation foam board under the keel to raise Camilla up slightly. On previous dioramas I've rested the bare keel on the base. No adhesives required. The surrounding foam and resultant water texturing materials hold her hull firmly in the open cutout of the foam board. I'm posting a quick couple photos of preliminary diorama materials next as I'm jumping into this soon...

Thank you kindly, Derek. The larger "fighting sail" models many of us are fond of are space hogs when they're masted and rigged. My original plan for HMS Camilla was to also show her with stunsails! That is, until I measured what this would yield across her breadth. My extremely empathetic and supportive wife wasn't thrilled. I wanted to do it simply for the challenge of never having added these sails previously. I dreamed of replicating the look so many era painters have depicted of these beautiful ships under full sail. As it stands I'm very fortunate to have a large home that already has an even dozen of my models scattered about. My wife calls our home "The Neilson Ship Museum." There is room for Camilla (I'm thinking about purchasing what's termed here as a "hi-top bar table" to set her completed diorama on) since it is large and nearly square-based. There is even space for Vanguard's new Indy, somewhere...🤔 Lucky me, I can rig my models until the whales come home, so-to-speak. Go ahead, tell your wife a Yank made you do it. I'll take all the blame and bashing from afar. Just don't show her this photo of what greets our guests when they open our front hallway door! Cheers - Your Speedy model is a beauty, superbly rigged. Go Large as they say here: build Sphinx with a full rig. You know you want to do it.

Thank you kindly, Tom. I get very EXCITED having arrived at this next (and last) step. I certainly have ideas about what I want to create, but so much of this final phase is freeform, open-ended - seeing how the "Flow" goes. I've learned when "creating water," to remain open to the possibility of many happy surprises. This said, I do my homework by collecting a thick folder of water photos, and in this case (pun), the English Channel, which I've seen many times, firsthand. My challenge this time around may be to create "wispy" whitecaps on a troubled sea. We'll Sea.

You're correct, I WILL notice. I LOVE Dilbert. I'm certain he also builds model ships. Thanks for the levity. Us model makers tend to take ourselves way too seriously at times (methinks). Cheers Druxey!

Thanks Glenn, your comments are always appreciated. As is evident, I like all the elements you personally find uninteresting. I have built a number of models presented in the conventional manner on pedestals on baseboards. However, the ones that get the most excited reactions - and often, deep discussions - are my diorama models of the last few years. They also turn me on the most too!

Big Stuff this past week or so. Sawing, hammering, gluing, sanding, detailing...you get the picture. In my basement shop where I can make sawdust ( I have two air systems: a plain ShopVac for vacuuming, and a ceiling mounted 'ShopFox' for all the tiny airborne particles. HMS Camilla's diorama case completed. Tricky business to get the 4" high mitered corners precisely joined. Specialized 45/90 degree mitre clamps required. The model is positioned approximately in the case with an approximate list to starboard. The outside case measures 38" W X 28" deep. Height = 4" to case sides. The water may possibly be slightly higher depending how I create the wave action of stormy weather. Camilla will present herself considerably lower in the case once removed from the build clamper and resting her keel close to the plywood interior base - like all my other dioramas. The yellow tube in the corner is Stainable Wood Filler (MinWax); I used it on the case and also on the model. The name says it all. It dries out rapidly and getting it out of its tube is a pain, but it does take stain well because it's a (somewhat) malleable paste with actual ground up wood; the solvent carrier evaporates rapidy so you need to work it as soon as it pokes out of its nozzle. Fingers work best I've found. Another view. I am a model maker, and at best, an amateur cabinet maker. You know the saying: "Measure Twice, Cut Once?" I measured Thrice and still got it wrong! I had to salvage enough from cutoff pieces of the casing millwork to recover from this boob on the LAST side (of course). The yellow glue joints to a three-piece completed side rail are somewhat evident here. This will be less of an issue once I detail sand and then give the case it's final staining (I'll wait until all the water is complete and the model is in place before deciding the final colors for the millwork). The slight mis-match on the lovely Acanthus pattern of the case bothers my eye a little, but I'll be able to live with my imperfection(s). 3 sides out of 4 isn't too bad, right?🤫 Now, my next posts will be diving into the deep end: Camilla's water awaits!

Ah-Ha! Then the Legionnaire's armor will match her bottom...

Good idea. The reddish hue of bronze will better complement the warm wood colors.

Thanks! No other nearby vessels will miss this ship's service and allegiance!🤫 Yes, also called "bond" photocopy paper, typically indicated also as #20 lb multipurpose printer paper. As Brits might say: "Bog standard" but not literally meaning "The Bog." (which is the seat of ease to ship modelers...)

Thank You, B.E. Your commentary is always much appreciated. When I completed the flag and held it in place initially I was somewhat disappointed with the slight "sheen" of the paper. After touching-up the fold line with paints - but before tying it off to its halyard - I gave the flag a shot of dulling lacquer. Not knowing if it would react negatively with the inkjet colors, I had printed an extra sheet and tested the spray on it first to see if the lacquer would have an adverse affect. As they say in the French Navy: "Tre´bien!, No problemo!"

While waiting for the glue to dry on the model's case joinery, I made HMS Camilla's ensign, primed the new Captain and his cannoneers for their detailing and started affixing her 80+ rope hanks. The British flag is made from copier paper (folded over), inkjet printed. I carefully shaped the flag with my fingers utilizing three different sized dowels. The doubled thickness of the copier paper (and possibly some spray mount adhesive to hold the two sides together) holds its shape. A quick spritz of dull cote spray magically turns the semi-gloss printed paper into a convincing fabric. A single tackle block for the flag's halyard line was mounted to the gaff to haul the flag. HMS Camilla's diorama will show her with a strong following wind, hence the largely unfurled ensign at her stern. I have yet to make her Mainmast pennant which will also be made from paper. Because of the pennant's length, I'll mount a thin wire between the paper layers to retain its long waving shape (same wire used for the sail bolt rope shaping) The new 3D-printed Captain and his gun crew get primed prior to detail painting. The figure's thin base will be removed with a scalpel, not a disc sander this go-round! I believe the detail painting of the figures will be a little easier with them temporarily glued in-place on the cardboard sheet. Holding these with fingers - even clamping tweezers - gets tedious. There are jigs made expressly for holding small figures but I don't have them. A view of the rope hanks mounted to Camilla's mainmast shroud cleats (starboard). A little trimming and dressing remains. Essentially, this last stretch of the rigging is complete at this position.

This involves the water and math calculations of Archimedean physics: soak the tongues for another 24 hours and you'll possibly be close to their original configuration. If not successful, toss the whole lot and start over!😂

Thank You, much appreciated. For me, crafting the presentation is yet another extension of the challenges and pleasure I get making these beautiful models. I transition from intricate rigging with surgeon's and dentist tools to chopping up large sections of plywood with power saws, sanders, jig saws and large cabinetry clamps. Once Camilla's base is completed (but not yet stained and sealed), then it'll be time to make water... all in the endeavor to present the pinnacle of late 18th century technology: a fast-sailing frigate of His Majesty's Service. Post base-making with my power tools, the ship's new Captain and the balance of my 3D-printed crew will get their colors.

I only use poly sealers on my models (and base/cases). Fun fact: Shellac is made from the carcasses of beetles(“🎶…Yeah,yeah, yeah”).

Thanks Bob, much appreciated. I'm hoping my "wind up" is helpful since it really does set a proper stage for the creation of the water. I contemplated going "plain" on the base, but this ship needed a little something more for its dramatic presentation. There are layers of Home Depot house insulation (foam board) to glue together and shape which will get the process underway. Unusual tools for the first steps are coming up: bread knives, hot wire foam cutter, saw blades, etc.

Making rope hanks continues, tidying-up rigging continues too. Two days ago, the custom millwork I'd shown a few posts ago arrived for Camilla's base/diorama! About 30 coils made. 50 more to go. grrrrrrrrrr.... This is tedious, repetitive busy work, but necessary. I'll be very glad when I can start mounting these guys where they belong. Ta-da! the millwork for Camilla's base/diorama arrived. I temporarily set-up "shop"on my pong table to eyeball the proportions of the base in context with the model. I've decided to make the width an even 36" and the depth (port-to-starboard- more or less), 26". In this photo I've cut two lengths with their 45 degree mitres and temporarily stuck them together to get a sense of the completed base size. The architectural door casing wood came in two 7 foot lengths which will give me little room for error; there will be short length cut-offs I can use for experimenting with the color of the stain and the infill accent on the repeating acanthus pattern. The wood is poplar, medium soft, nearly knot-free and from experience I know it should take the base and accent stains evenly. A lower view of what the model will look like (sort of - since HMS Camilla will be quite a bit lower once she's placed into position in the "base" after the sides are affixed to a plywood base). The height of this casing millwork is 4". The nominal thickness is 13/16". "Nominal" because the shaped profile isn't uniform, patterned front to back: there is a 1/16" thickness variance across the section. This small difference required me to shim the stock when cutting the mitres so the 45 degree angled cuts wouldn't be skewed owing to this small disparity. Here is a mitered corner of the casing, before gluing, sanding and filling (if necessary). Because of the convoluted section profile, the mitre saw I own (power) required the stock to be securely clamped and shimmed while on the saw's platen before making the angled cuts. There is less than a 1/16" fudge factor to all the cuts; once glued and clamped any small discrepancies in the corner tolerances should come together without thin corner cracks showing. This process is similar to what custom picture framing shops do: precision measurements requiring very precise cutting. I use a 10.5" dia. narrow kerf blade in my mitre saw. Dramatic lighting, huh? 🙄...Hopefully, after I've glued the four sides to the ply base (the next process), all four corners should look like this. 🤞The play of lighting on the diorama's base will be very interesting once colored and finish sealed. Art history buffs will notice I'm shooting for an English "Georgian" period look to the overall base design. I'm about to dive into the English Channel's freezing water within just a few days. Most materials I need are in the shop - including some Earl Grey's tea, scones, clotted cream and raspberry jam. Mmmmmmmm Cheers Mates!