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Sad news indeed. Curious to see that the poster on the art forum had only a single example of James' work to share, but here at MSW we have dozens, if not hundreds. He was prolific, and he did very good work.

I had been hoping to see more of Jim's fine work, but found from another artist site he has passed on last year:-
 
James Rae a.k.a. vegaskip - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists
 
Sad news, but we have this glorious catalogue of some of his work here on MSW to treasure.  
 

Last elements before starting with the masting: the nets of the gangways.
I used a cardboard holder of a suitable size, threading very thin cotton thread diagonally between the cuts and then using another thread in the opposite direction by tying knots in it
 

All gun port lids are complete. The next stage is to make the channels and chain plates.

All upper lids have been completed, I am continuing the construction of the lower lids.

I'm back at the shipyard for a few days and took the opportunity to start making the gun port lids. I will leave the lids in the open position.
I didn't add the lid hinges since they wouldn't be visible anyway. I glued the lids directly to the top of the ports.

@Richard Braithwaite
Hello Richard,
Thank you for your interest and the nice comment.
I made the ropes myself from silk yarn on my rope walk.

Continuation: Fore yard – Leech lines and bunt lines / Cargo-fonds et cargo-boulines
I'm still wondering how the leech and bunt lines were secured without sails to prevent them from slipping off the blocks. After further research, I've now come across a stopper knot called the figure-eight knot (French: Noeud de huit).
This seems to be the ultimate stopper knot, especially well-suited for temporarily tying lines, such as leech and bunt lines without sails. When attaching the sails, it can be easily untied, even when attached to a block. It's stronger than a bowline and easier to control.
This is also how it is described in principle in "The Ashley Book of Knots" with reference to the Lever's Sheet Anchor, as the following excerpts show.

Source: The Ashley Book of Knots
 

Source: The young sea officer's sheet anchor; Darcey Lever, 1813

The French call this knot a "noeud de huit."

Once again, as so often with specific, detailed questions, G. Delacroix provided me with expert support. When I asked about the figure-eight knot in connection with leech and bunt lines, he told me that these knots are generally referred to as "stopper knots" in historical descriptions, and he could imagine that the figure-eight knot would have been quite suitable for this purpose and that its use is not uncommon.
As for L'Egyptienne 1799, the loop-shaped knots should be viewed with skepticism, as the rigging is likely questionable in terms of restoration.
 
In summary, I have come to the conclusion that I consider the figure-eight knot to be a completely historically credible variant for my model and will implement it accordingly.
 
To be continued...

Continuation: Fore yard – Leech lines and bunt lines / Cargue-fonds et cargue-boulines
Among other things, I am currently preparing to attach the leech lines and bunt lines to the fore yard. The corresponding blocks are already in place both on the yard and in the form of guide blocks under the fore top.

Since I am rigging my model without sails, these ropes must be secured against slipping from the corresponding blocks. Knots have been tied to the lines for this purpose, as seen on many models, including contemporary ones.
However, what I have also occasionally seen in illustrations of these on models from the Musée de la Marine in Paris are loop-shaped knots, presumably buntline hitches, but could also be bowline knots or similar. The leech lines and bunt lines are then securely attached to the corresponding cringles of the sail using buntline hitches.

Source: Manual of Seamanship, Vol. 1, 1951
 
In any case, a knot that can be easily untied when the sails are hoisted back up.
Here, using the example of L'Egyptienne from 1799, the "loops" are clearly visible upon closer inspection.

Source: Image detail from the original model of L'Egyptienne 1799 in the Musée de la Marine in Paris
 
A third way to secure the bunt lines against slipping out of the blocks would be to simply tie the ropes, as can be seen on the original Paris model of La Créole.

Source: Image detail from the original model of La Créole in the Musée de la Marine in Paris
 
Three possibilities, which naturally raise the question of which one is closest to historical reality.
 
Therefore, I would be very grateful if you could share your expertise with me.
I look forward to your contributions.

@shipman
@SaltyScot
Hello,
Thank you very much for the nice comments.
I'm very happy. Thanks also to everyone else for the many likes.
 
Continuation: Fore yard – Bowlines / Boulines
I've also since read up on the arrangement of the bowline bridles in the contemporary specialist literature "Manuel de Greement" by F. A. Coste from 1829, starting on page 167, and it fits. The only thing is that it refers to thimbles through which the individual rope limbs are threaded.
I also looked again in Marquardt, which also covers the rigging of French ships, although again only up to the end of the 18th century.
If I now incorporate the aforementioned contemporary illustrations from the early 19th century and models from the Paris Museum into my considerations, I come to the conclusion that the bowline bridles on my corvette could well have looked the way I have since attached them to the fore yard.


I can't clearly verify the attachment of the bowlines without sails for the French, as shown in the K. Schrage's book – Rundhölzer, Tauwerk und Segel – . But I think it's quite realistic that the French did it the same way as the British.
I'm currently building a jig to make rope coils for the belaying pins.
I imagine it might look like this:

More on that soon...

 

@jdbondy
Yes, the Paasch is really very helpful for translating old nautical terms.
I can therefore recommend it.
 
Continued: Fore yard – Bowlines / Boulines
Since I don't equip my corvette with sails, the question inevitably arose as to how the bowlines are attached. Originally, I intended to simply tie the bowlines around the yard, like on the original Paris model, without bridles. Since I was naturally interested in how bridles work, the next question arose: What happens to the bowline bridles when the sails are taken down?
I found the answer to this question in K. Schrage's book – Rundhölzer, Tauwerk und Segel – on page 144. There, you can see an illustration of how the bridle legs are attached to the yard with timber hitches when the sails are taken down.

Source: K. Schrage – Rundhölzer, Tauwerk und Segel – p. 144
 
Since I find this arrangement very logical, I decided to show it this way for my model. Regarding the number of bridle shanks, I'm guided by the monograph, as diverse variations can be found in relevant contemporary illustrations.
I intend to implement the bowline bridles as in the original, using real eye splices. The bowline bridles in the foreyard had a diameter of 19 mm (1:48: ø 0.35 mm – 2 x 3 Kimono Japanese silk yarn). Splicing the thin ropes is now very easy.

In order to finally attach the bowline, I still had to tie the guide blocks to the bowsprit, as shown in the next picture.

I'm also currently working on the correct mooring of the running rigging.
But more on that soon.
To be continued...

@SaltyScot
@ccoyle
@wefalck
 
Hello,
Since I can't be held responsible for my dear colleagues getting headaches ...😁... , I've tried to translate the terms.
I hope it's more understandable now.👍

@albert
@SaltyScot
@Keith Black
Hello,
It's nice to see that there's still interest in my model after so long.
Thank you and everyone for the likes.
 
Continuation: Fore braces / Bras de misaine
Before installing the fore braces, I revisited my question regarding the attachment of the standing parts to the stays and tried to gather further information on this topic.
Ultimately, based on advice from colleagues in relevant forums, I came to the conclusion that a rolling hitch seems quite appropriate here. In French, this is called an amarrage à fouet.
Before attempting the model, I tried tying a knot on a piece of rope. The loose line was secured to the stay using seizing.
I find this solution plausible and will therefore implement it accordingly on the model.

 
In this context, there was still a need for clarification regarding the routing of the fore topsail braces, since, according to the monograph, their standing parts should also be attached to the mainstay, where the fore braces are also attached.

 
However, the original Paris model shows the routing of the fore topsail braces differently than in the monograph. The standing parts run upwards to the main topmast stay where they are tied, as shown in the following illustration.

 
The aforementioned routing of the topsail braces was obviously quite common at that time. It should also be noted that the ship models from around 1800 in the Musée de la Marine have split foremast braces, i.e., the running parts run downwards via blocks on the mainstay for mooring, and the standing parts are attached to the main topmast stay.
This is also how it is shown and described in the Harland. Therefore, I am once again following the Paris model and not the monograph.

 
To be continued...

 

This what I wrote when I installed them on my model. Here are some pictures that might help
 
Jon

I am manufacturing and attaching the structures above the gun ports, the name and function of which I do not know. Later, I will paint them black.
 
After flattening 1 mm brass wire by hammering, I bend it with a jig and glue it to the board I prepared before.

I was just reviewing the Royal Caroline build log and came across the picture of the parrot on its back and the ensuing comment and thought I could maybe add some insight as to the birds' peculiar behavior.  We had a parakeet awhile ago who would do the same thing but was generally just looking for some attention or wanted to play. 
    Here he is with his favorite toy.  He could spin it around, throw it away, chase it down and repeat several times. (Maybe he was in a circus in a previous life?)  

 
 
 
 

I finished the figurehead:
 










 

First wing fixed:




 
 
The second wing:

first wing:





 

I painted 2nd rails black, added white stripes and glued them in place.

I decided to do this because I was convinced that I could produce the supports correctly by making precise measurements on the model. It seemed to me that bending the rails to fit the supports would be more difficult.

Continuation: Fore yard - Lifts / Balancine
I have already reported in detail on the design and attachment of the La Créole's lower yard lifts in a few previous posts.
For their final installation, the only remaining question was how long the lift tackles should be to enable the required maneuvers of these yards.
Despite intensive research, I was unable to find any decisive information on this. Accordingly, I based my work on the description in Jean Boudriot's monograph on La Créole.

For the tackles I had already prepared some time ago, all I had to do was pull the ropes through the swivel hooks and attach the seizings.

The tackles were then attached to the channels using eyebolts. I secured the lanyards, which were routed over redirect blocks, to the inside of the bulwark, as shown in the following photo.

Next comes the attachment of the sheets and tacks for the fore yard, which I still have to make as so-called Grelins (in English, cablet: left-handed). Whether I make them only as left-handed hawsers or actually as a cablet is still open. With a diameter of approximately 0.6 mm for the model, the rope would probably be too stiff as a cablet, which I discovered in my initial tests.
 
But more on that soon...

@albert
Hello,
First of all, I would like to thank you for your interest in my model building.
 
Let's continue with a small detail:
 
Continued: Running Rigging - Seizings
Before I continued rigging my French corvette, here the lifts of the fore yard, I asked myself the fundamental question of how and with what I should perform the required seizing of the running rigging.
In my search for an example of original rigging, I found what I was looking for in the replica of the L'Hermione. This appears to be the fore topsail halyard, a similar situation to the one used to attach the tackles for the lifts.
As discussed several times in another forum, the running rigging was also lightly tarred, as was the spun yarn for the seizing.
In the following picture, I have compared three possible seizings for my model with the example from the L'Hermione.

Accordingly, I'll opt for the top option, as I believe it's closest to the original.
As already mentioned with the standing rigging, the need for thimbles for a sailing ship model is enormous. This, of course, also applies to the running rigging. Therefore, I'll have to make some more thimbles.
To be continued...

I covered the  hull with flax oil and put it aside to dry. It's time to do the spar.