AnobiumPunctatum

As far as I remember right, you can print the drawings on 8.5 x 11''. Make sure, that you print the PDF with 100% scale.

Welcome on the Triton shipyard. I will follow your log with interest.

Really nice review. Can't wait, to get my kit - it's currently at customs.

Looks really nice, Chuck. Will you add some treenails? I think that this is a nice detail, especially at the model with visible frames

As far as I remember right, you can print the drawings on 8.5 x 11''. Make sure, that you print the PDF with 100% scale.

Welcome on the Triton shipyard. I will follow your log with interest.

Really nice review. Can't wait, to get my kit - it's currently at customs.

Looks really nice, Chuck. Will you add some treenails? I think that this is a nice detail, especially at the model with visible frames

Hello,
 
it is done, the cheeks are mostly ready. First some pictures before I have painted them.
 

 

 
Here I started painting them. That was from the feeling more work then building them. But this is only the basis paint  The real hard work begins tomorrow,  all these small acanthuses.
 

 

 

 

 
 

Amalio, Michael, thank you very much.

Really nice review. Can't wait, to get my kit - it's currently at customs.

Really nice review. Can't wait, to get my kit - it's currently at customs.

1/2” Scale Queen Anne Style Royal Barge 1705
Syren Ship Model Company
Catalogue # SKU QABK01
Available from Syren Ship Model Company for $225.00
 
 

 
A royal barge is a ceremonial barge that is used by a monarch for processions and transport on a body of water. Royal barges are currently used in monarchies such as the United Kingdom, Sweden and Thailand. Traditionally the use of royal barges was of high importance in southeast Asian monarchies such as Siam, Burma, Brunei, Riau and Cambodia. The River Thames in London was a regular thoroughfare for the Sovereign until the middle of the 19th century, on state occasions or between the Royal Palaces of Windsor, Westminster, Hampton Court, Greenwich and the Tower of London. In the UK, there is currently no State Barge in active service, but until 2017 the Royal Nore, owned and maintained by the Port of London Authority, was used whenever a member of the Royal Family travelled on the river Thames for an official engagement.
 
Royal barges are typically elegant in style, and those built in the period of Queen Anne were still striking, despite their relative simplicity in relation to other vessels of the same stature. Resplendent in ornate carvings and decorative panels, these barges provided a comfortable and stylish method for the monarch to move between their residences and their courts.
Edit courtesy of Wikipedia
 
The kit

This is my first experience of dealing with Syren Ship Model Company, and of course, the Royal Barge kit is designed and produced by them. My kit took around 9 days to reach UK shores from New Jersey, via USPS and Royal Mail. Of course, I got hit by the obligatory import duty, but it wasn’t too bad. After paying their ransom, I picked up the package a couple of days ago and now spent some time flicking through the contents. The kit itself is packaged into an extremely sturdy corrugated cardboard box with tabs that release so you can flip up the lid.


With the lid open, the plans are the first thing seen, and these are gently curved over the components underneath, along with a contents checklist which has been manually marked to show the contents are indeed in there. A nice system that gives peace of mind to the buyer. I’ll look at the plans further down the review. With these lifted out, some very soft packing foam is included so stop the contents rattling about. Inside the box, there are two robust clear sleeves which contain all of the timber planks, three narrower sleeves with strip and dowel, a card box with resin, wood, wire and black fishing line, a length of thick black cartridge paper with laser-cut elements, a packet with friezes for the interior of the barge plus some decorations for the sweeps, and two flags.


Onto the sheet timber. Syren has produced all of the main parts from a superbly milled cherry wood, and the finish is silky smooth. The quality of the wood is also amongst some of the best I’ve seen since I started in this hobby almost 20yrs ago. The colour, which I hope I’ve captured in most of my photos, is a very pale golden colour which looks quite muted. The grain, as you would expect, is very fine. Laser-cutting quality is also on a par with the best kits I’ve seen, with almost zero heat effect, and small tags that only just hold the parts in position. Edge scorching is also very minimal, and it’ll only take a few swipes with some sandpaper to remove them totally. You will of course need to do that thoroughly as this model is only partially planked, as it the style of barge models of the era Circa 1700. Cherry was also chosen because it best replicates the colour of the wood used on these models and allows the kit to be affordable too. 



Also among the thicker sheets of cherry wood is a two-part building jig which needs to be assembled. The zig-zag edging of this will make the job easier. Each frame slot is also numbered so there’s less chance of human error. When the model is later released from this jig, it will be modified to accept the keel for the remaining construction, using more supplied parts. This is probably the time to explain roughly how this model actually does assemble, and I’ll add a few images here to illustrate things. Each of the frames has an infill piece still attached, and this is what will slot into the building jig. When the outside planks are added, this can later be carefully cut away to reveal the interior of the barge which then needs to be fitted out. Before slotting those frames to the jig though, you will need to add the floor frames. The position for these is finely engraved onto the waste material within each frame. You can use a straight edge along this and then fit the floor frame up to this mark. This way there’s no reason to use pencil on the parts faces themselves. This technique is superbly illustrated here by Rusty, in his MSW build log: https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/17889-queen-anne-barge-by-rustyj-syren-ship-model-124/
 


Looking at the timber, you can see that just about every shape is either cut with laser or engraved for reference. All planks for this are supplied spiled, need bevelling from the laser-etched line. These planks are supplied in suitably thin sheets of cherry, and for extra clarity, each sheet is labelled PORT or STARBOARD. The keel is built up from scarfed sections, as the real thing would be. Very impressive. The rabbet is created my inserting thinner keel parts on the inner edge of the keel, creating a recess into which the limited planking will sit. When it comes to the thwarts, these are also laser-engraved to create the stepped edges to them. 

Also included with the laser-cut parts are the mounting pedestals (you just need a nice piece of polished/varnished timber to use as plinth), and also the sweep (oar) racks so those can be decoratively mounted on the plinth, adjacent to the barge. 





Now, this model has some ornate and intricate carvings adorning it and these are provided as laser-cut items for which you can try your hand at carving. Does that sound scary? If so, don’t worry because also available for this kit is a set of resin-cast carvings which are more or less all ready to be attached and provided as an upgrade set which you can buy either at the same time as the kit, or later if you struggle with the boxwood blanks. The resin parts are supplied in a small white box to protect them. With this sample, they were supplied directly in that small box that sits within the main package, and the extremely delicate filigree parts were packed into two zip-lock wallets. Very little clean-up is required with these, and to give them a nice natural appearance, weathering powders are suggested. You can also airbrush them and apply an enamel-based wash which would bring out the details superbly. It’s all a matter of preference. These carvings include the scrollwork for the port and starboard side, the quarter-based figurines and the Royal monograph. They really are superb to look at.








Other parts were included inside this box. These include some extra boxwood parts for things like the internal panelling that the friezes will sit within. Extras are included in case you screw up. There is a length of wire and also some black 20lb fishing line that you will use to simulate the black nail heads on the planking. 


A length of resin-impregnated black card is also to be found in this kit, and like the timber, all parts are laser-cut. Parts here are provided for the keel banding and rudder straps etc. 


Three sheets of colour-printed paper are included that hold the parts for the friezes and the ornate decorations for the sweeps. These will need to be carefully cut out with a fresh blade and then attached to the model using a very dilute PVA or children’s glue stick. 

Two period flags are also included, printed on thin tissue paper and with good colour definition. Note the union flag, minus the diagonal red cross, which is of course accurate for 1705. I’m presuming the quadrant flag is either of the period or even related to the monarch of the period. It should be quite easy to make these drape realistically due to the thinness of the paper. Certainly easier than some of the materials some companies use for their flags.



Two large plan sheets are included, clearly depicting construction in clean line drawings, and of course, the images are at full scale for any measurements you need to take. Please note that no instruction manual is included with this release as it helps to cut down on price. It also helps reduce weight for shipping. There are three manuals for this, in full colour PDF format, and these can be downloaded from the Syren Ship Model Company’s website. These are extremely comprehensive and beautifully describe the whole build process, including hints and tips for your project.
 
Conclusion
I’m not usually the sort of guy who gets enthused by barges and narrow/longboats etc. but the sheer beauty and ingenuity of this kit appealed to me instantly and I followed the kit development here on MSW. The kit is just exquisite, with beautifully milled timber and laser-cut parts, printed materials etc. The construction process has been made as easy as possible at every stage of construction with such things as the laser-shaped thwarts and planks that have been spiled ready for you to shape. An amazing kit, intelligently designed, and with the very best in materials. Syren has this model on sale for $225.00 and I think that represents excellent value for money for what will give many hours of building pleasure and a real ornate stunner for the display shelf!
 
My sincere thanks to Syren Ship Model Company for sending this kit out for review on Model Ship World. To purchase directly, click the link at the top of this article.
 
 

 

Thanks guys...and Michael its just good to have you along for the ride.  I would love to see one of your past builds made into a group project by the way.  Maybe we can talk about it at some point and put something together.
 
Anyway,  progress continues.
 
One piece frames are pretty straight forward.  For the two piece frames, there is an etched line for reference on the top half that contains the top timbers.  The floor is resting on top of it in the photo below.  Note how thin the kerf is on the laser cutting.  You can hardly see a difference between the lightly etched line.  Compare it too the MS kit version....which is actually smaller so the kerf is just a sloppy mess.  That is just a comparison of proper laser cutting vs. not so proper laser cutting.
 

 

These two pieces must be assembled for 15 of the 20 frames.  This can be done by just placing a straight edge or ruler on that line as shown below.
 

Then apply some TitebondII to the top timbers only.  Be careful not to get much glue near the cut lines that separate the center.  Once dry it will make removing the center more difficult later.  But dont skimp on the glue either.  Use enough to ensure a good bond with the floor piece.  Especially on the tips of the floor and top timbers.  Add the floor and align with the straight edge along the etched reference.  Once dry you are all done and can assemble the other two-piece frames. Easy peasy!!!
 

I am moving along pretty good here and only have the last five frames to laser cut and assemble then its time to fair the hull.  I will make a recommendation.  Dont forget to use the tape to help reinforce the center before you start fairing.  Also, only work on one frame at a time so you dont mix up the parts from one frame to another.  Once you complete each frame, test its fit in the build board.  I have made the slots for the two tabs on each frame very tight on purpose.  More than likely you will need to sand the two tabs thinner for a good "press fit"   This is important because you dont want the frames too loose so they fall out on their own.  You dont want them too snug so they are difficult to remove.  We will be removing the jig after the planking is completed.  So the fit should be just right....if you cant easily remove the frame then its too tight.
 
I would rather sand the two tabs thinner than try to make the slots wider.  This for me is easier and takes just a few seconds.  If you sand too much and the frame becomes too loose, that is no problem.  Just add some blue painters tape to the two tabs to thicken them up so they fit really good.  You can see that I had to do that with one frame so far.
 
In addition...test the bottom of the frames for a similar fit in the notches of the keel.  I do this as soon as I finish each frame.  Here is what the model looks like today.  Hopefully the frames will all be completed over the next few days.  Then I will glue the keel into position permanently. I will describe the process when that time arrives.  But if you want a sneak peak and plan on joining this group once it starts.  I would also recommend that you read the monograph on building the barge.  It describes the process as well.  Just in case you cant wait.  Here is a link...
 
https://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com/royal-barge-kit.php
 
 
 

.

Hi,
Finally managed to get the all clear to get back to the workshop after five months of convalescence. My Triton build is now in the process of being resurrected - just breaking myself in with some more of the more straight forward frames from mid-ship while I try to get my head around the convolutions and challenges of the hawse and bollard components ..........
 

 
Graham.

Couple of pictures of my slow progress with painting, I’m not very good at it and have to use many thinned coats.
I will start with the spreaders and then the Thwarts next.
 
You will also see my Confederacy build in the background, she has been cleaned off and some repairs were made to her from our house move a couple of years ago, after the barge is completed I will be working on her alongside Pegasus.
 
ben

A little more work completed on the Barge, the flooring and platforms were marked for height and installed, also work on the rear seats has begun.
 
Thought i I would show a pic next to Pegasus just for fun even though the barge is double the scale.
 
ben

Here is the inboard side sanded down to 5/64 thick and ready for floorboards.
 
ben
 

Really wonderful, Rusty. Is just another masterpiece from you

Thanks Christian. I look forward to your building this too!
 
Next was to make the 20 thole pins or oar locks. These are tiny laser cut pieces and thankfully
Chuck supplies extra. A couple disappeared into the black hole of the shop floor.
 

 

 

 
As you can see they are small. They were glued in place per the plans and then painted.
 
Next up is the rudder.
 
 

Some close up images of rigging details from the  replica under sail......
 

Really wonderful and impressive pictures. I am already looking forward to the project

Really wonderful, Rusty. Is just another masterpiece from you

Really wonderful and impressive pictures. I am already looking forward to the project

Sorry, that was a calculation fault of mine. I thought on the Model Shipways kit as I wrote my last thread.
1/24 is also a really nice choice. It's the same scale as your pinnace models.