BLACK VIKING

They did do a 'White Shadow' which looked almost identical to the standard 'Rapide', but with the big 8'' instruments.
 
Here's some references; by picking out details lifts the looks.

SOLEIL ROYAL  - HELLER 1/100 (side project) 
At the moment I am refurbishing part of the house including my humble workroom. So atm I haven't technically been doing any major construction work regards to my kit.
This is a big project but A SIDE ONE for me as when my workroom and other refurbish are bk to normal I will be starting a main project in wood.
I actually started this a few weeks ago but didn't want to start a build log for obvious reasons, plus the fact even now I still don't have a true picture of where I will go with this, other than the fact I will be to a certain extent heavily improvising on her, which I have started.
I wanted to have wooden decks throughout so I meaured the sizes of the planking on the decks, calculated how much I needed and bought in 80 x1metre lengths 3mm x 0.5mm lime wood.
The planking has gone really well and I have now finished it all, I also stained this with a Dark oak stainer.
The Hulls I was unsure about but went with the kit instructions using Humbrol brown yellow and a lot of drybrushing, this came out darker than expected but realising this was because the mouldings of my kit Hulls are solid black(I used the same brown yellow on my complete Royal Louis but since that mould was in white hence the colour originally close to what it should be).
That said I was quite pleased with the darker finish and it gave it more of a weathered look. I thought the bottom of the Hull needed to be slightly darker though so I used a Humbrol Dark brown wash over the brown yellow and it really came up to what I wanted.
I have also drilled holes in the hull sides for the addition of pulleys for the Gunport Hatches.
Atm I am now just building and painting the guns. I've finished the 24lb(x24) and have just started the 18lbers. I was originally thinking to replace them all after sales but found it well nigh impossible to get the correct type of gun and in 4 different correct sizes, so I've had to stay with the kit supplied ones.
I have also bought in relevant wooden Deadeyes(triangular), cloth flags and rigging thread.
Looking a bit further forward I want to replace all the masts and yards with wood other than that I don't know exactly where I will go with her, other than keep painting and weathering parts, I may well add other things like metal anchors and Rudder chain etc...
Apologies for the long intro and in hindsight I probably should have posted earlier, but this will be a long drawn out build a bit like this post lol...
On to the photos.....

Very nicely done!
 
What is this?

Very cool!  Thank you very much for the information!

Thank you.
It's called a Niddy Noddy ( yes I kid you not). It's used for winding wool/yarn into skeins. 

Very nice! I used to do Viking period re-enactment, and those artefacts are pretty amazing.
 
I know what all of them are for except the little cylindrical thing in your hand(though I suppose I could make a guess - for spices, salt, something like that).
 
Steven

Few of the items I've made. Although not ships they are replicas from the Oseberg ship burial. 
I've included pictures of the originals where possible. 
I'm in the process of making a new bed from beech as per the original. The one in the photos is pine.

Well.... I could say that everything went as planned ..... but I'd be lying...
The widths of each frame were spot on, but a couple of them needed a bit of tweeking, trimming or packing to to get them aligned to an acceptable standard. Took a full day to get them set up and to cut and install the top ridge.

Today the side ridge spacers were slotted into place and finally the knees were fitted to brace frames and secure them to the side walls. All is now nice and rigid. Bit like making the tackles for every middle deck gun, the knees will all be hidden eventually, but we know they're there....



Next task will be to add the ply sheets. In the mean time the plastic sheeting and tarpaulin are back in place in anticipation of the heavy rain and thunder storms that have been forecast.
Cheers,
Graham.
 

Last I checked it was fairly quiet, might be one or two posts this year but none from Fred in quite awhile, the new beam obviously does not show any cleats, perhaps part of the original survived showing some signs of a cleat for him to mention that specific location? at any rate that's really the only logical place to put it for the fall to function properly as there's no room on the back side of that beam with the knee just about in line with the cathead. Thanks for pointing that out Kirill.
 
Michael D.

Excellent. Just what I wanted to know. Yes, I have an ensign so I'm going to hang it.
Thanks

OK, I have just finished what I need to regarding building up the new Speedy hull.
 
These pics will show what has changed. The old Speedy required planking all the way to the top of the bulwarks, also the inner bulwarks. 
 
The new version is completely pre cut from the main wale up, with spirketting added for the inner bulwarks, plus engraved planking and treenail detail for all surfaces. All channels, inner bulwark belaying racks and cleats now slot and glue into place, in pre cut slots, saving the need for pinning and gluing.
 
Please bear in mind that the model shown has no real finishing, no varnish etc. It was used just to add new pictures to the revised manual.
 
I will now spend the rest of the week updating the manual, ready to send to printers, and next week, start cutting the new sheets, so I hope to have this re released in around 2 weeks.

I have 1 figure coming in the mail, but I’m pretty happy with this so far. 

Small planking update.
 
With the experience already gained, much less has to be calculated and noted on the fillerblocks.
The dimensions of the other side are simply taken over on this side.

about half way

Drive sprockets are now assembled with the first installed. 
Scott

Thank you for the comments and likes!  A small start with the fuel tank box and gearbox.  Yes RGL I’ve started exploring what it out there and you’re right there is some interesting stuff.  I’ve actually ordered two other items which I’ll preview here when they arrive.  
 
Scott

Do you have a picture of the effect you are trying to get?  In the first pic below, you get the overall impression of parallel lines from a gentle breeze, but the lines themselves are not so uniform.   
 

 
Personally, I really like what you did in the bottom right corner.  I think that looks quite realistic so close to shore in a somewhat confined area like a shipyard.  Just my 2 cents though.
 

Metal eyelets and ropes around the foredeck railings and hand rope down the stairs to the lower deck
 
‘’ARRRrrr, there be safety here”
 

 

 

Slow progress with more deck detail – should pick it up.
 


 

I’ve been debating, for a little while, whether I can improve the scale of the Europe and Asia figures to better complement the shortened height of the stern.  After the initial round of fitting and back-fill, the figures look like this:

The problem I’m having with this is that these figures were designed to sit atop a taller backboard, and now the horse and camel necks seem a bit too long to me.
 
Fortunately, I have a number of spare parts with which I can experiment.  I had an idea that if you cut the animal heads at the right angle, the kerf loss and clean-up would reduce their head height just enough, and the rejoin could be easily faired.  I also, while I’m at it, wanted to see whether I could decapitate the continental figures, themselves, in order to correct the angle of their gaze; they should not be staring out blandly at Soleil Royal’s wake, but instead be lovingly focused on the carving of Apollo, below:

And, so, I put on my surgical gloves and got to work:


The horsehead is rejoined

And after filing an angle into her neck insert, so that her chin drops:


The differences are subtle, but the modifications are not difficult to make.  Now that I’ve seen that it can work, it doesn’t seem so risky to modify the figures that I’ve already invested a ton of work into.
 
I’m still cobbling together the head grating, in the evening.  That is all looking very promising.
 

Bit of progress  on this  folks  -  I  got hold  of a  tin of  microwave   safe  enamel  paint from a  microwave  repair shop,  its  supposed to  be the  exact same  type of paint  they  spray  the  inside  of  microwaves.
I turmed it off  found a good  place  to work on it,  then i  made sure  both  areas  to be painted  where  clean and  any loose  fragments  cleaned away,  then  using a small  brush  I started  to  put  some  paint layers  down, drying  them in between with a  hairdryer,   I  put about  Five  layers  down  untill  all  rust  dents  and  marks  where  covered.
I then  turned the  microwave  over  and did the  same to the  other  damaged area.
 
It  was  put in place  and  with the  door left  open  - was  left over night   before  testing it.
 
Hopefully  its  saved our microwave  and  our  health, as I am sure  radiowaves  bouncing off  rust  areas  can not be safe  with  microwaved food.
 
OC.

The port side anchor is in its final placement, I did redo the cathead block to a 3mm instead of the 3.95mm as it looked rather too large, the spritsail sheet pendant is .20mm line and is led trough a bullseye hanging from the foremost fore shroud and the anchor line is .88mm. Thanks for looking.
 
Michael D.

Some updates on the two sideline projects
 
The turquoise and pink biblical fishing boat is finished
 

 
 
The Lego rescue boat is going much slower

 
 
Look at what they put on my birthday cake. Lego rubberduck in a jar

Very nice work, mate!
 
That's brilliant! Now why didn't I think of that?
 
Steven

I am wondering, what footprints this girl tries to hide:

Photographed last Sunday in St. Pancras station, London.
 

Thank you, Michael.  If by castings, you are referring to the large continental figures, then those are actually just the stock kit parts that I have modified.  All of the blue ornaments were simply extracted from a spare stern plate.