Spike1947

The plans actually show no gun tackle at all. They only call for the breeching lines drawn tight to the bulwarks. This is a very unrealistic use of the breeching lines and, based on the comments in the forum, one that should never be shown/used. I decided not to add the train tackle that the inboard eye bolts and rings you mention would be used for but I had not considered adding those as a fixture. The photos I've seen of the L'Hermione modern replica don't show the train tackle or even the deck attachment for that train tackle. The illustrations of the 6-pounders on the main deck appear to have attachments for the train tackle at the rear of both sides of the gun carriage. This suggests that there would be be two train tackle for each gun. I've seen some indications that the French used only a single train tackle. Can anyone comment on the preferred or correct answer to this; is it one or two train tackle on French war ships of the late 18th and early 19th centuries?

Well, after researching as much as I could from the many contributors to this and other forums regarding how cannon should be rigged I made the call. For the main deck 6-pounders I went with breaching lines and frapped block and tackle. I made the choice to coil a small amount of line at each side of the gun rather than try to have all the line taken up with frapping. Unfortunately I went with french coils next to unfrapped block and tackle on the 10 cannons that are visible on the gun deck. I guess I'll just need to direct any inspecting admiral to the gun deck as quickly as possible. I had used zip seizing on the block and tackle on both decks. That worked well and looked okay on the 12-pounders that didn't have frapped lines but it would have been better - and easier - to leave that seizing off the rigging that was going to be frapped. I think the look on the main deck is more of a ready-for-action look than the coiled lines. I plan to bend sails to some of the yards and have some furled or perhaps on clewlines. My hope is to give the appearance of a ship at sea rather than at anchor. Richard Current Build: AL L'Hermione

Hi Chris. The plans and instructions are included with the kit on CD/DVD. They same information is also available from the AL website for those that are working from a tablet or phone. However that website has been down for several weeks which would not be OK for those trying to access the instructions in that way. Richard

Thanks to Chapman for the detailed and informative reply regarding Obusiers versus carronades. That's what I love about this forum, there are people here that know something about just about any topic. Chapman is correct about the inexpensive nature of the AL Hermione kit. With all it's shortcomings it got me involved in wooden model ship building and I am enjoying the climb up the learning curve. AL could have made it easier is all I would say. So it looks to me like the 1780's Obusier that would be period appropriate is similar but not identical to the 1/96 3D printed carronade I mentioned above. I'd like to get some opinions on whether it would be appropriate to try to make that substitution or I'm I better off just staying with the 6-pound cannons supplied with the kit? 3D Printed Carronade Obusier ca 1787 I also agree with RussR and Mark about the general disregard AL seems to have about accuracy and instructions. I have spotted several instances were dimensions and measurements were missing. I'm sure I'm not the first to spot these errors and if nothing else the PDF format of the instructions lend themselves to updates and corrections yet I get the sense that that kind of thing is unlikely to happen. Richard

I have come across 3D printed carronades that are made to 1/96 scale here: https://www.model-monkey.com/product-page/1-96-us-navy-32-pounder-carronades-with-carriages. The AL Hermione is at 1/89 scale. It seems like I should be able to get away with using those 1/96 scale carronades for the Hermoine. Richard

Thanks to Mark and Allan for your quick replies. I'm just a beginner here so I hesitate to be too critical of AL but the kind of inaccuracies noted by you guys plus the very poor PDF instructions have put me off of AL kits. Is for the question of the Hermione guns I think Allan's reference to the drawings included in this PDF from Ancre - http://www.ancre.fr/ancre_ANGLAIS_20_P.pdf - give me much of the information I'm looking for. It looks to me like Plate 21 shows 26 12-pounders on the main deck - including the two in the captain's cabin, six small caliber long guns on the quater deck along with four carronades, and just two long guns on the forecastle deck. It looks like the aft-most gun ports on the quarter deck and the forward-most gun ports on the forecastle deck are unoccupied. This seems like pretty good documentation and seems to be more or less how the modern replica is configured. So the only question left is, why didn't AL follow that information. Richard MSW Member

I working away on AL's L'Hermione. When you look at information about this ship - wikipedia for example - it's described as a 32-gun frigate. When I look at the mode I'm building I count 26 open ports on the main deck, 12 gun ports on the quarter deck and 4 gun ports on the forecastle deck. That comes to... wait a minute, I can do this... 42 guns, plus the pivot guns which probably don't count. The L'Hermione is also described as being armed with 12-pound cannon yet the guns on the main deck are clearly a bigger gun than those on the upper decks. Can someone help my understand this apparent discrepancy?

There is a non-expanding version of "Great Stuff". That said, my experience with this stuff suggests that it might be difficult to shape. It's also very messy to use and a can is only good for one application because everything locks up as the foam hardens. It's use once and throw the can away.

This a great forum. I am very glad to be part of it. I am new to wooden model ship building and I'm enjoying it. I come to historic ship model by way of the Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin saga, I don't think I'm the only one. Now in my seventh decade I have been a model builder much of my life beginning with plastic model spaceships and airplanes as a child and moving on to WWII and Cold War armored vehicles on and off after that. I'm also a developing woodwork I have obtained a few transferable skills. In ignorance of the sound advice from the Moderator I took on Artesiana Latina's L'Hermione as my first project. All I can say is that Chris is right, there's a steep learning curve and I only discovered this forum after much of the planking of that project was completed. My woodworking experience lead me to several solutions that were readily available in this forum. I am still enjoying the experience and about to move from the deck railing to the deck furniture. I have learned a lot about patience - generally in short supply - during this project. "Do overs" are definitely a part of my experience - as it is for many others. I think that this forum has provided two important lessons that will probably keep me off of Chris's last-time builders list. The first is that the amazing level of experience of the forum members and the willingness to share the triumphs and failures has given me the perspective I've needed as an apprentice builder. The second is that "you can fix that" is a part of the experience, for nearly everyone. I recently had to redo a household project and my wife was surprised by my somewhat Zen attitude. I told her that I owe it to my wooden ship building experiences and the advice of the many good people in this forum.

It looks like the Dilbert55 shipyard has been shut down for a while. I am also building the new AL version of Hermione. I appreciate the problems that have been encountered regarding the AL instructions. I believe Messis spotted a few as well and made some helpful suggestios regarding the assembly order for the uppermost planking above the main deck. There's a note in this builder's log about the two different versions of the profile of the uppermost planking and how the railing is configured. I am currently paining the railings in preparation for installation so that piece of information is very timely. Dilbert55, I hope you are continuing with your build. Please update us when you can.

I'm a first time wooden model ship builder - AL's Hermione - so I'm still trying to find the best way to do pretty much everything. I bought one of the electric plank benders but never got it to behave well. I saw the hair curler idea somewhere in MSW pages and "borrowed" one from my wife. I set it vertically by clamping it into a hole drilled into a small piece of wood. I found it to work well and quickly with a lot of flexibility about amount and angle of the bend. It works well when trying to add a twist to the planking. I've also had some recent success with soaking to wood to be bent in ammonia. It seems to allow for tighter bends and there doesn't seem to be as much "rebound" after the initial bending has been done and the ammonia has dried.

Well, after many conversations with myself and as much research as I could absorb I was able to attach some rigging to the 12-pounders on the gun deck of Hermione. I used the valuable Syren resources for the needed 2mm single and double blocks as well as the breaching lines and the rigging lines. I used a lot of the tips and tricks presented in this forum as well as much from Hubert Sicard's invaluable "Wooded Ship Models for Dummies". I'm pretty happy with the results. Both the starboard and larboard gun crews may be due for a few lashes for not getting the Flemish coils the same size but they/I will get better at it. They are now partially hidden as the main deck is installed but enough can be seen to be appreciated.

I'm new to this forum and new to model wooden ship building. I'm impressed by the expertise of the many contributors and a bit apprehensive about joining in. Everyone seems to have a good attitude of collaboration, so here goes. I'm building the Artesania Latina Hermione. The hull planking and painting are done and I'm about to install - ship - the ten cannons and carriages that are visible on the main deck. The AL instructions and illustrations show the installation of line that passes through the carriage (breaching line?) and is attached at both ends to the bulwork. As I look through various illustrations of the modern replica Hermione it's clear that there is at least one other rigging set present. That set is a line that passes through a set of blocks and is used for returning the cannon to its firing position. I'm thinking that would be a nice detail to add to my project. But, as I research this rigging a third set is often shown that extends from the rear of the cannon toward the midship line. What is that set for? I rarely, if ever, see that set in other models. Lastly, I'm I right in thinking that the French used a different arrangement than the British for how that breaching line is attached?