BLACK VIKING

Keep in mind that these reconstruction drawings are modern interpretations, and I for one can't see any evidence to justify these 'prows'. I like your way of doing it far better.
 
I think the angle of the bowsprit looks far closer to the Anthony Roll depiction than those of the two modern reconstructions. So go with it.
 
The height of the bulwark above the deck - one metre - is what is specified here in Oz for any structure such as a railing on a raised floor/balcony etc. So I think you're on the money there.
 
The triangular 'cabin' surprised me a bit. I would have thought the Anthony Roll shows the walls parallel to the sides of the forecastle. But this is very open to interpretation, and I'm by no means going to say you're wrong in doing it this way.
 
Overall, I'm gobsmacked. You're doing a beautiful job!
 
Steven

Excllent work,  I still  remember the  day when she was lifted in the Solent -  what  an event  on the tv.
 
OC.

I'd be interested in your research - though I've already added in my interpretation of the drawings I have for my model 😉 I hope your vacation is going well!
 
Here's today's update. After taking off the clinker over the gunport holes, I turned my attention fully to the forecastle this week.
Well, sort of fully - here's my 3D-printed bronze cannon, now painted bronze.
I'm very happy with how these have turned out. For the paint I used Army Painter Weapon Bronze, followed by a wash of Citadel Nuln Oil and a drybrush of both Weapon Bronze and Citadel Leadbelcher. I was tempted to add a little verdigris with some weathering powders I have, but I think that might be taking  it a little too far!
 
Here's two of them in place:

 
So. Forecastle.
In a previous post I mentioned that I was unsure about how to deal with the delta-shaped top of the lowest deck of the castle where it meets the second deck. In the end, I simply planked over it. This looks similar to some of the reference images I'm using, and I'm pleased with how these planks have fit together.

You can see here the offset hole I've cut for the bowsprit and the slight divot I've taken from the front supporting post to accomodate it as well.
 
And here's my solution for the pavisade gunports - I'll be replicating this on the sterncastle as well, though slightly differently as the ports are spaced slightly closer together there.

In McElvogue's book he has a lovely illustration of how these would have fit together, and I loosely copied that. The ports need a bit of cleanup in this photo, but they're far better representations of the various media than what I'd done before. Also in this photo note the white band across the middle where I'll be painting the yellow and red stripes depicted in the Anthony Roll. I used white painter's gesso for this as it's designed for use on wood and provides a very solid base coat - another layer still required.
 
For the top layer of ports I've created a similar pattern, but as these are smaller in the various sources I have I resorted to a bit of improvisation. Later on I filed out a little groove in the top of each port to create the same 'dimpled' shape as the lower ones.
 
Here's a couple photos of it in situ:


 
You can also see a sneak peek at my sterncastle progress - I stuck in the four cannon and have begun the pavisade gunports there too, but I'll update that properly in the next post. I'm happy with how the forecastle looks here, and though I am a little concerned about the height I think it does match the historical sources quite well.
 
Now onto the main issue that's caused me consternation over the last few days. First, let's look at the Anthony Roll's depiction of the forecastle:

 
And then here is McElvogue's drawing of it:

 
And Marsden's:

 
So my questions were mostly around the top 'cabin' and the two 'prows' that extend over the top deck and the cabin's roof. In McElvogue's work they're extremely pronounced, whilst in Marsden's they're nonexistent. I can't believe that Anthony Anthony would have added the slight curve forward in his illustration if it wasn't there, but it certainly doesn't feel like a sharp point is what we're working with here.
 
Additionally, both of the archaeologists have omitted any kind of railing on their top deck here, implying that there was no access to this point on the ship, and yet to manage the masts there must have been a need to climb up here. Certainly health and safety wasn't what it is today, but I'd be surprised if there was nothing at all, especially when looking at the Embarkation painting, which definitely has a pavisade-style railing, much like in the waist of the Mary Rose:

 
Here's my creation with the bowsprit in place against one of Marsden's drawings:

As you can see, the bowsprit on mine is at a much steeper angle - I could change this still, but it does appear to have been steeper based on the various historical sources, and McElvogue's book has it at around a 40 degree pitch.
 
For the prow, I initially experimented with creating something similar to McElvogue's work, bending a plank to meet a very pointed 'stempost' at the tip of the castle:

I think that if I'd got this to work, it would have looked quite nice, but after a lot of struggling I just couldn't make the planks sit right, and it didn't feel like the Anthony Roll's depiction at all.
 
I moved on to a slightly less prominent 'prow' (forgive me, I have no idea what this point should be called).

And this is what I've decided to go with - it still expands the top 10mm or so of the castle without creating a major headache of plank bending, and looks a lot more like the Embarkation painting.
 
Here's a view of the inside:

The two planks here raise the height around 10mm above the deck - that's just over 1 metre to scale. My plan is to have this as the railing of the top deck, and build up the cabin at the back of this structure.
 
So that's what I did:

Here's the cabin, with three supports to estimate a good height. This is 20mm above the railing planks, which I intend to lower slightly. You can see that I've planked over these with a very thin sapelli veneer; this will be the base for another strip of white gesso before I paint on the stripes.
 
And some walls on the cabin:

I again used some of the precut boards from the Caldercraft kit for this - I believe that these would have been part of the original forecastle, so it's nearly accurate 😉 I'll put in some more interesting planking around these once I'm happy with the basic structure.
 
And here it is on the ship:

 
And from the front:

 
I'm sure that this is deviating wildly from known historical evidence at this point, but ultimately it is a model, my first semi-scratch build - and I'm pretty damn pleased with how this has come out.
 
Do let me know your thoughts.
Thanks for reading!
 

oHalle

Port side of Fore Mast ratlines "done".
 
Not as disagreeable as I remembered but then this is only about 15% of the ratlines required.
 
Hopefully I will get better with more "practice" as I see several places where the line should have been shorter.
 
These are all clove hitches now that I have a detailed picture to go by. Somehow pictures (which I got from NRG) seem to help more than words.

I am hoping the gentle curve of the forwardmost shroud is an optical illusion because of the camera angle.
 
 
 

AFTER ANOTHER 3 HOURS
(Total 6 hours)
 
Progress is made. What amazes me is the detail of this model.
I've added what I think is going to be the quarterdeck, cannons, stairs, a larger boat with lashings, and more 'other' things.
 
 
 

 
Thanks for your encouragement and 'likes'.
Cheers,
Peter

We had that much snow last week but we then had what we call in this part of Canada “a chinook”  wind and now snow is all but gone.  The winds are warm blowing east off the Canadian Rocky Mountains, with temperatures some times going from -40C to + 15C in less than 24 hrs.
 
In other news as luck has it I found a Canadian 1 cent penny stamped “1976”  the year I graduated high school and the year of my deployment to Germany for a NATO fall ex.  A “2013” 10 cent dime the year I retired Both as a Reserve soldier (37 yrs) and as a Defence Science Bio/Chem Tech. (34 yrs).  And as luck would have it a “2024” 25 cent quarter with King Charles III on his first Canadian quarter as king. For those who may not know the profile for each monarch changes direction when one becomes king…or queen.
 
Today I laid a temporary keel rib layout using cardboard on the actual keel to work on hull form, plus get a feel of the size. Some of my art work in background.
 
My usual interuption by my little fur buddy “Gary” named by the grand sons. Wife wanted a small lap dog and we ended up with a neck dog LOL.

 
 

Thank you, guys!  The hospital cleared him to go home yesterday.  His kidney function returned to normal, and he’s no worse for the wear.  Thank you for asking.

and here it is cleaned up.
 

 
I would like to thank all those builders whose logs helped me along the way, of course Thunder @Thunder who without his help, I would not have even started this build. There are too many others to mention them all.
The Cutter cheerful, which is pretty close to this cutter 'Speedy' was one of the designs that helped me a lot, so I must give a special thanks to Chuck and his very clean design and his prototype build log. Thanks @Chuck your design and build log have been an inspiration to me, and will continue to be so for the rest of my build.
Then of course there is Crazy Craig @iMustBeCrazy who is a constant help with his wisdom and know-how.
 
This forum / website is such a brilliant resource to have found.
Tim

The model is painted and sealed:
 



The base is also made.
 
It is time to add the decals and paint the figure.
 
Then I’ll seal the model again and figure out how I’m attaching the upper wing, lol.

According to the instructions, the upper deck gunholes are installed at a later stage. However, after some consideration, I have decided to attach all the wooden parts to the hull now, completing as many steps as possible at this point

Managed to get the shrouds installed today. Not too much rigging to do on this model. Time to start working on the sail. 


Tom
 

Leaning to this line drawing version of the GH with slight change with added bow ports, mini guns on main deck and swivil guns on the other decks.  The colour plate  looks good  but minus the extra mast.

Sheet materials (Part 2)
 













 
More soon...

I’m building a second Eddie Rickenbacker diorama for another friend of mine.
 
This time I am building Captain Rickenbacker’s Spad XIII, with which he got the majority of his kills.

A few notes about the kit.
 
This one has been a completely different experience than the Nieuport.
 
That one went together relatively well, except for the top wing.

This model, on the other hand, has been a stark lesson in adapt and overcome.
 
I am over 40 hours into this one and have just finished assembling/building the subassemblies, and priming the majority of the model black.



I painted the interior but ended up cutting most of the engine out to fit the top piece of the fuselage on the model:


I had the same problems that Modeller Masa did with parts fitting.
 
I actually deliberately broke the top piece of the fuselage to make it fit and then glued it together in place, after unwarping it failed.
 
The axles and some of the piping is made of wire and straight pins because the original plastic pieces were too short or made wrong.
 
When I get to the plastic struts, they will have steel pins put in them to attach the top wing to the bottom wing (lesson from the Nieuport).
 
However, the hard part is done now.  
 
It is time to paint the model after everything dries black overnight.

Oh, I don't think I ever showed the harpy box label. My step son, who works in marketing, asked if he could have a go, so most of this is him, a little more minimalistic than normal...

HMS Harpy 1796 by Blue Ensign – Vanguard Models 1:64 scale.
Since completing my Indy build my desire for ship modelling  has waned somewhat, partly I think because I have been struggling to find a subject to excite my interest.
That is until:
I looked at Chris’s forthcoming Harpy kit. Once again Mr W has piqued my interest as he did with Alert, Zulu, Fifie, Sphinx, and Indefatigable.
Harpy has all the elements that get my creative juices going;
Below deck detail, providing intriguing options to detail the cabin areas.
Fine lines and a hull length I can accommodate.
I am pleased to see at last a round-up to the Head ledges, something I have had to modify on all my builds.
I note also the Capstan step is included another authentic detail.
 
Apart from the schooner Pickle, I don’t have a two masted ship type in my collection, and a Brig sloop will fill that gap nicely.
I am also interested to try out Chris’s latest innovation in kit development, and as a bonus Mrs W has offered to buy it. (that's my Mrs W , not Chris's)
Not entirely altruistic on her part, I suspect; having me ensconced in my office, with my mind occupied, rather than prowling around the house getting under her feet, is a prime consideration.
I obtained the relevant plans from the NMM in advance of the kit release, but it’s never too early to start thinking about possible enhancements, and I do have the very clear photos provided by James in his excellent prototype build log.

0488
Plan ZAZ4491 = Lines and Profile.
Plan ZAZ4492 = internal detail, Upper and Lower deck plans.

0483
The deck plans include details of the cabin layouts and purposes which will be of great use for any modifications that may come to mind once I get into the project.
 
Looking forward to receiving this latest offering from Vanguard, but in the meantime I have been doing some of the preliminary research.
 
B.E.
02/12/2024
 

Almost done with the project. I added lots of details to my main acts, like a syringe made from clear plastic sprue and metal rods and a tiny push disc, dipped into clear green. The mask of the pilot was hanging out of his cockpit by it´s tube made from an old guitar string and many more.
The threaded rod, holding the Neuspotter was painted in sand color and surrounded by dry grass from my garden to hide it a bit and simulate a hovering effect.
Then I glued the Kampfanzug in place on it´s stone and used AK´s desert sand paste to design the ground. With a wet brush, I formed the typical sand ripples and amassed the sand on the front right side, where the blasting storm came from. 
Next, I pressed the weapons, the pilots helmet and all the empty squeezed water bottles into the paste and added very fine real sand on top.

I used the sunny day to get some really harsh lighted outdoor shots, but will later add some from the photo box, when finished.







































Cheers Rob

This time I tried some new methods, such as sponge weathering and liquid masking. All of these methods were unsuccessful, so I'll try another ways next time.
 

Hope to enjoy your night flight.  
 

Looking good Andy I am doing the Trumpter 1/48 P-40B in the same camo the Middlestone in your first pic looked light to mine but your fourth pic we are dead on.The Dark Earth mine has a tad to much red in it used French Earth it looks ok.

Here is a pick of the first off (trial prints, not production) with the integrated fore and aft gratings - I had 2 files, one with and one without gratings, and I have chosen this one for production hulls. (Also has integrated coxwaines seats at the stern)
 
Next to the 2 test print hulls is the 14 foot yawl hull!

Thanks for the comments and likes guys.
I'm already finishing Six Pounders for the Qdeck...

 
 

Three good coats of matt varnish have now been applied. Before intalling the light switch and wall sockets it was time to complete the porthole. 

It's held securely place with four 20 mm dia. coach bolts that pass through the wall frames and are hidden on the outside by the cladding. The remaining ten holes in the flange need 'dummy' bolts for washers and domed nuts.
First task was to drill 3/4" dia. holes through the mounting holes into the cladding and underlying timber framing. I converted some short softwood offcuts into dowelling using a rotary plane....

.....and after adding a taper with a second, smaller, plane the domed nuts were twisted on and the dowels cut to length......


A wipe of PVA and these were tapped into place with a soft faced mallet.

Last task now is adjusting the aluminium that lines the recess. The thickness of the cladding has left a small gap and the whole thing needs the addition of some weather proof sealant. Persistant heavy rain, plus a bit of sleet, made this impossible today but the forcast is dry for the next three days so I hope to have this completed by the weekend.
Electrical work next......after a bit of a tidy up!

I'll be moving in soon 😁
Cheers,
Graham