hollowneck

Photography is very good too! Nicely lighted, decent depth-of-field. It's amazing quality from the new iPhone.

Superb build, your care with all the joinery puts this model in a very high category. It appears you've made the launching materials from the same boxwood as the model. Extravangant, but effective!

Very nice model. I especially like the presentation. you spent a lot of time to build the launching ways with great detail and accuracy - and it shows. This is the best presentation I've seen yet of this model.

Nice. Perfect spot for your nice work.

Thanks!

Your Avatar suggests to me that you like wildlife, for example, Geckos... I'm sure you noticed the porpoise pair frolicking at the stem of the Tiger. But did you notice that the captain is pointing to them - and, her "significant other" with long blonde hair is at the tiller?

Thank You, Nils. I like creating my dioramas as much as building my ship models. I started turning to making dioramas for my ship models over the last two years when I also took up learning how to make realistic-looking sails and all the associated rigging that accompanies them. The "next step" was to investigate how to place my models (with sails) into realistic settings; I'm now "hooked" on taking this approach for future models I plan to build. I should point out that I have a professional photography and graphic design background and am, by definition, extremely visually-oriented.

Again, Thank You for your nice comment.

Ron

This picture shows the completed model at my regular model club meeting; note that it wasn't necessary to plank the hull all the way to the keel.

Yes...the Femme pointing to the porpoise is Le Capitain!

I like what appears to be the deckled-edged parchment paper "nameplate" floating on the wooden plaque;" I also like your cursive Cyrillic text - I can make out the "1811" but little else. I'm assuming the words are straightforward and indicate the ship's name, Da?

Ron

Very nice model, good and detailed realism on sails and a superb presentation plinth. Will you please share with members the scale of this model? 

Ron

I agree! Excellent work, the detail is very nice (wood color variances) and I also like the use of blue felt on the baseboard; very clever and effective.

Ron

It's crazy how good an iPhone camera is! Love all those dockyard details: the stonework, the moss, the various bits n' pieces. I even love the dirty grey/green water in the berth!

Nice job! What a great way to display the Diana. Just wait until that coppering gets a dark brown patina! You'll then need to consider her in "dry dock" for repairs 😂. The Diana was my first Jotika/Caldercraft build and it remains one of my favorites. I'm now doing dioramas for all my builds. Great fun.

Thanks Taz!

Jim,

It's a pretty straightforward, but complex process with a selection of ordinary materials from Home Depot and items from an artist's supply store (Like Michael's). I've written a step-by-step, detailed "How To" article about how I created what you see here and it will appear in the NRG Journal in the next couple months (as Part 2 of a piece that has appeared in this Fall's first digital issue; it's entitled, "HMS Swan"). In this same piece, I also describe a step-by-step on making realistic "set" sails.

I's like to tell you more, but my "water" tutorial is 2,600 words with 18 photos! Apologies I can't go into more detail here. If you're an NRG member, you'll see it later this year - online and in the magazine.

Ron

Thank you. I learned early-on that making water had to be scale - accurate to be credible, just like the many details of a ship. That thought had never really been in foremost in my mind UNTIL I was faced with the task of actually doing it! Real-looking ship, real looking set sails....real looking H2O.

Thanks again,

Ron

Thanks Jim.

Ron

The nameplate mounted on the display base reads: "HMS Swan "Crush Those Seditious Rebels!" Halifax to Boston -1775

Excellent work! Very nice upgraded stern carvings. The Fly and Pegasus kits make wonderful subjects for challenging one's skills.

Ron

Nice well-lit pics with overall good depth-of-field for excellent clarity.

Nice. I like it.

Good photo work too.

Thanks Angarfather  - and dave teel, I am humbled that my model can provide some inspiration for you.

Ron

Thank You. You are correct: I used boxwood for the upper hull and stern planking and for all the masts and spars. I did use the kit's walnut for the lower hull as well as the "tanganyika" for the deck planking. Most of the deck furniture was made from scratch. This is an excellent kit to upgrade; the kit's plans were good. Also upgraded all the rigging with genuine rope (SyrenShipModel) and high-quality blocks (Lloyd Warner's - unfortunately, no longer available). This is one of my favorite builds, completed in 2012.

Thank you. This model was fun to build. I bashed an excellent kit from Victory Models (Amati).

Ron

Thanks!

Ron

MikeB4 & Chasseur:

Thanks! Much appreciated. This was a fun kit to bash; I especially liked doing the unique, decorative painting. Rigging was fun too since on this 4-master there were two (2) lateen-rigged sails!