Barbossa

Thanks Patrick and a thanks for all the likes. As from the start of this project it was always the intention to paint the model, for two reasons 1)Lack of patience and talent 2) Quality wood ( boxwood,...) is as good as unavailable First pics are some experiments : I'd like to insert black or darkgrey paper between the planks in the gunport area. Following pics : a careful start ( wood = ramin ) Last pic I took from the additional monography ( Franco Fissore ) raised some questions and I submitted this color scheme to French MSW-colleagues ( forum actif 5500 ) and Mr. G. Delacroix himself was so kind to answer that the color scheme was an artist's view and a bit a questionable one as everything under the waterline should be coppered. In addition French frigates don't seem to have this distinctive black belt ( wales ) you often see on their English counterparts. On the contrary : the black painted area seem to continue till the waterline ( La Renommée, La Belle Poule 1765,... if painted of course ) Even more : The Boudriot Monography shows the front side ( towards the bow ) the first gunport included in black color. This is convenient as the bow area describes funny curves ( see point 1 in this post 😅 ) . But this is the path I intend to follow.

Last update : painted the inside of the gunports with AV Flat Red 70.957 Later on I would like to submit some ideas about the color scheme

I forgot to mention in my previous post that the blue lines above the gunports indicate the position of the channels. Now a word about the stern : to obtain a proper fit, I had to reduce the camber by < 2 mm. This was the unavoidable consequence of my doubts regarding the correct heigt of the gundeck. In my opinion this is a minor setback and it is be hardly noticeable I also applied the first plank of the second planking and it is a crucial one as it dictates the position of all other planks that are to follow Meanwhile some plankbending using what we may call " the chuck-method" ( including ironing )

Hello, another update concerning the finalisation the shape of the gunports + checking their transversal position other content is to follow

Thanks Patrick and all members showing interest. I'll post some pics showing Venus' present status, in a few days Also happy X-mas and many shipbuildingfun for 2020 for all MSW-staff & members ! About Fluffy ( "Pluis" in Dutch) : she's up to her 17th birthday ( in 2020 ) We had two cats, the eldest passed away this year ( 18 years ). " A cat has servants" : I agree 100 %

You're welcome Edward, here's a (last) few pics to bring us back in real time, so updates will be less frequent. The area under the stern is delicate : lateral planking (wales,...) and bottom planking : it comes all together. Off course : "Fluffy" couldn't care less😃

Yet another update : 1) continuation "filler method" : the advantage of this approach : no drilling for the gunports 2) and measuring 3) next update : the stern arera, which is (always) delicate

Hello, It may (perhaps) help to start every different part as a separate project, e.g. the mizzen mast or one gun carriage,... Having said that, once the hull completed, starting the rigging part is IMHO the turning point and one I'm a bit reluctant to do....

Great work. I assumed this type of vehicles were only available in a 1/35 scale, which makes this achievement even more impressive.

Wonderful lines...pure elegance Well done

Hello G.L. You're more than welcome. Don't hesitate for input or feedback. Made some additional measurements, gunports required some minor extra filing & adjustments. According to plans position of the gunports coincides now with channels and the 3 masts, at least at the portside . While I'm at it, why not post the continuation of the filling-up proces ? I guess the pics speak for themselves, to connect the blocks, I had to pivot the sawtable

Hi ETNZ, The eternal story of pro's & con's, I guess. The advantage : the dimension of the blocks I inserted between the bulkheads ( except those in the bow & stern area) allowed me to follow the shape the hull is to receive after ( minimal) sanding. To avoid any warping : I alternated the inserting process port & starboard side Aside from that, you have noticed that the position of some bulkheads obstructs some gunports. Related to present approach, this is but a small inconvenient ( cfr. last pic post Friday 22, nov. ) Although I have no clue , but designers must had good reason for this.

and here's the bow section. As we all know, a straight wooden strip tends to lift upwards while applying on a spheric shape. If you force the strip in a unnatural horizontal position, a gap becomes unavoidable once you want to fix an adjecent strip. Thus I obtained a solid base for the final planking in the future. I agree, the second planking will require decent soaking/bending, but a have a solid base to work with That's all for the moment folks. Back to the workbench, see you next WE

Previous post : the only reason why the ends of the bulkheads were connected was for strength purposes. Made some reinforcements Another thing that confused me while studying the plans . I was not sure if the width on the drawings included two layers of planking, assuming I would apply a double planking above the bulkheads. Aside from this, I felt uncomfortable with the use of filler blocks especially in the bow and rudder sections. I felt insecure if I were to achieve identical shapes on both port and starboard sides. For this reasons, I decided to try out a different approach, a step by step filling method. The bulkheads, the closest to bow and stern were to be filled up with soaked and bended double planking 1,5 x 5 mm ( lime or birchwood, I guess). So in total 3 mm to make sure I had enough material while sanding and realising the curves in the delicate area ( stern & bowsection) The central bulkheads were filled with blocks that had to fit inbetween. (thickness 4 mm and height 9 mm). The latter were cut out from 2,4 meter strips , 18 mm width and 4 mm thickness). Again, all this would not have been possible without an electric saw machine. You can find these strips in every DIY-store, at least here in Belgium Was this time-consuming ? It definitely was, but I'm satisfied with the result. French modelling expert B. Frölich's book was a true source of inspiration

Another update (I have the unpleasant feeling, just as if I'm spamming) Assembling the false keel Removed the unecessay wood from the bulkheads, above the gundeck line. This process took some time : every seperate bulkhead, I had to remove and reinstall the sawblad of my Proxxon tool. The gundeck : first produced a fake one from card to make the necessary measurements ( alignment & position gunports....etc)