md1400cs

Snug Harbor Johnny,
 
 Thanks, for your nice post as well as your comment/suggestions. Indeed, you are right I (we’ve) probably had issues with leaking Lithium AA/AAA batteries especially in remotes and in electronics that sit idle for extended periods of time.
 
I had originally wanted to add two CR2032 button cells – to be located just under the poop hatch grating cover for easy access, but those button cells only allow a maximum of 10 - 3V LEDs to work with a single CR2032. Had bought two, but decided that I needed more than 20 lights both steady and flickering ones as well. So -so long button cells.
 

 
Now it will be up to the two AAA holders as power sources; also going one step further – The lights being an afterthought, it would have been a mess removing the (to be constructed) case each time to turn the lights on/off. And I’m not prepared to go deep into the ship to drill holes for the on/off switches through the keel – or thereabouts then somehow add the on/off buttons and wires outside of the case.
 
Logged into Evan Designs, they have a remote control with sensors that will turn 3V lights on/off as well for dimming if I so desire (had no idea).
 

 
Perfect solution for when model will be housed in a Plexiglas case. This was suggested to me by a member of another forum – had no inkling of how this technique is so very popular with model railroad enthusiast. Yes, to your well noted point, I will indeed “keep an eye” on potential leaks.
 
Thanks for dropping by and your post – appreciated….
 
Kind Regards,
 

Thanks Frank - always a pleasure when you drop by.
 
Experimenting with locations of the three size lights; Nano, Pico, and Chip blending with some non-flickering as well –
 
This image iPhone was not up to the task (did not pre-set for correct image quality) – lights are not as intense as some depicted in images, but lights harmoniously blend nicely through those windows where I’ve temporarily placed some LEDs. Also, another dozen or so need to be inserted into proper locations.
 
I did determine that I will have to segregate the wiring.
All flickering lights will be connected to a specific 3V AAA power source. Non flickering will have their own AAA battery pack.
 
Evan Designs indicate that all 3V flickering and non-flickering can be sourced from the same power source. Yes, that’s right, they do all work - but I noted that as such, the flickering effect (of those LEDs) becomes much more muted, as to be almost “missing” when blended with non-flickering types.
 
Segregating all flickering onto one power source returned those light to their proper flickering “look”.
 
Having also removed the poop deck will allow me to “fix” an issue that I feel is not quite right – the sloping angle of that deck seems a bit too high at the stern. Other images detail my thoughts
 
Regards,
 

Hi Mates,
 
LEDs update
Lots of hours installing, so far, 29 LEDs some with flickering as well as some static (all warm white)
 
Eighteen others have been added to needed locations (balcony walkways, and for lanterns) but all need to be secured and positioned into their proper places. It’s also important to aim the LEDs for best visual effect.
 
PS: Evan Designs ROCKS!!
 
Still to do….
•install upper rear quarters ceiling into place (that’s next)
•attach its wiring looms for the seven lights,
•clean up the wiring jungle to make room for both AAA battery packs
•connect remote sensors to all lights and battery packs,
•attach two battery packs, to their permanent locations.
•make “candle looking” cylinders for the five stern lanterns,
•seal any light leaks to the outside,
•re-attach poop deck,
•cut two very small openings in rear facing stern upper panel for the remote sensors,
•make a magnetic connector to that rear panel as well (for easy access to batteries)
 
Thanks for dropping by, likes and comments all much appreciated.
 

Hi all,
 
Seems as if log had been "standing still".
That said the 40 LEDs have been installed - now just need to button things up. Next post will be when all is back together.
I will try to add a video that will show the really nice gentle flickering of the lights including the five lanterns. 
 
So appreciate your continued interest in this log.
 
Regards,
 

The issues with the SotS are that empirical data are not very informative, sketchy at best, and much of the ship's history have not been
well documented regarding how it actually looked throughout its long life no two artists have the same ideas - especially in comparison to, let's say, the Vasa of similar vintage (irrespective of its much later resurrection).  Though regarding Vasa accurate rigging requires some guessing according to Dr. Fred Hocker, whom I had the pleasure of spending an hour with at the Museum in 2018. He mentioned that for the running rigging of the 1/10th the English of the period were very helpful. Dutch information was/is sketchy at best during that period. And many nationals from other countries were hired during the build.
 
Many of us have seen stunning examples of the SotS in museum images and in scratch build logs. No two are the same in its infancy...  Given some "fog" that this ship owns, I for one have decided to add touches of artistic creative license to this current build. The Sergal, and the Deagostini being the only available kits from which to work also limit historically accurate work.
 
Regarding Deagostini I have read from a super accurate source who noted that the Deagostoni's images, from their listing, are NOT from their completed kit (stern) but, actually from a one-of scratch built project. Hmmm????
 
Build on - enjoy -  100% of my friends would have no idea of any errors of any kind... with the exception of my Admiral who seems to always find "something" that just doesn't look right. 🤣 😘 AND of course members here who so enjoy the intellectual and artistic foibles (accuracy) of this hobby. 
 
Regards,
 

Hi all,
 
Seems as if log had been "standing still".
That said the 40 LEDs have been installed - now just need to button things up. Next post will be when all is back together.
I will try to add a video that will show the really nice gentle flickering of the lights including the five lanterns. 
 
So appreciate your continued interest in this log.
 
Regards,
 

Hi all,
 
Seems as if log had been "standing still".
That said the 40 LEDs have been installed - now just need to button things up. Next post will be when all is back together.
I will try to add a video that will show the really nice gentle flickering of the lights including the five lanterns. 
 
So appreciate your continued interest in this log.
 
Regards,
 

The stern assembly
 
The intention is to achieve this

The plywood needs plastic surgery 😉

Glue the first part

second part

and the final last parts

The keel is adjusted.
And, it looks like on the drawing 👍

 
 

Hi all,
 
Seems as if log had been "standing still".
That said the 40 LEDs have been installed - now just need to button things up. Next post will be when all is back together.
I will try to add a video that will show the really nice gentle flickering of the lights including the five lanterns. 
 
So appreciate your continued interest in this log.
 
Regards,
 

Hi Mates,
 
LEDs update
Lots of hours installing, so far, 29 LEDs some with flickering as well as some static (all warm white)
 
Eighteen others have been added to needed locations (balcony walkways, and for lanterns) but all need to be secured and positioned into their proper places. It’s also important to aim the LEDs for best visual effect.
 
PS: Evan Designs ROCKS!!
 
Still to do….
•install upper rear quarters ceiling into place (that’s next)
•attach its wiring looms for the seven lights,
•clean up the wiring jungle to make room for both AAA battery packs
•connect remote sensors to all lights and battery packs,
•attach two battery packs, to their permanent locations.
•make “candle looking” cylinders for the five stern lanterns,
•seal any light leaks to the outside,
•re-attach poop deck,
•cut two very small openings in rear facing stern upper panel for the remote sensors,
•make a magnetic connector to that rear panel as well (for easy access to batteries)
 
Thanks for dropping by, likes and comments all much appreciated.
 

Hi all,
 
Seems as if log had been "standing still".
That said the 40 LEDs have been installed - now just need to button things up. Next post will be when all is back together.
I will try to add a video that will show the really nice gentle flickering of the lights including the five lanterns. 
 
So appreciate your continued interest in this log.
 
Regards,
 

Hi all,
 
Seems as if log had been "standing still".
That said the 40 LEDs have been installed - now just need to button things up. Next post will be when all is back together.
I will try to add a video that will show the really nice gentle flickering of the lights including the five lanterns. 
 
So appreciate your continued interest in this log.
 
Regards,
 

Hi all,
 
Seems as if log had been "standing still".
That said the 40 LEDs have been installed - now just need to button things up. Next post will be when all is back together.
I will try to add a video that will show the really nice gentle flickering of the lights including the five lanterns. 
 
So appreciate your continued interest in this log.
 
Regards,
 

Hi all,
 
Seems as if log had been "standing still".
That said the 40 LEDs have been installed - now just need to button things up. Next post will be when all is back together.
I will try to add a video that will show the really nice gentle flickering of the lights including the five lanterns. 
 
So appreciate your continued interest in this log.
 
Regards,
 

There are still distress washes to apply and some touch-up to do, but things are progressing.
 
The upper stern balcony is finally rounding into form:



The balcony rail completes my circumference around the ship with a band of ultra-marine.  Maybe I will get to fixing this part in-place tonight.
 
There is still quite a lot of work to do with the head and the head grating, itself, but it is all finally coming together.  Yesterday, I made a new pair of seats-of-ease, which are sized according to the space available to them, and reflect the imperfect geometry of my custom head structures:


I have subsequently drilled the waste holes in these, but I wanted to tweak their fit to the model before I did so.  Here they are in their places:


Here is the forward grating terminus in-place and re-touched:

Can anyone spot my homage to modern seamanship and navigation, from starboard:

to port:

It’s a little subtle on this side, but don’t overthink it 😉
 
My greatest satisfaction rests in the fact that I created enough space below the headrails to craft reasonable headrail supports:


As I often say, this is all something of an imperfect approximation, but it is a significant upgrade over the stock kit.
 
As a bonus, John Ott has put together a highly informative info-graphic on the statuary and colors of the stern:

As always, thank you for your interest, your comments and likes, and for stopping by.
 
More to follow!

I'm wanting to start on my Sovereign of the Seas that I bought in 2000. Looking to see what others have done. I haven't gone through your entire build yet but I'm thinking I may need a lot of help. I'm new to MSW and I like what I've seen so far. Thanks. 

Hello,
after I have my other yard more or les ready for spring, I'm back at the ship yard. 
The carpenters have build the basic scaffolding for the galley and I'm do now the masonry work. I think, it's easier doing it 1:1 

Painter is hungry…
 

Hello and many thanks for the nice comments and likes,
and some last masonry work around the galley. 

Hello,
the carpenters where very busy today and build the walls for the kitchen. So, when I made the pictures, they where at there way home.

Hi Mates,
 
LEDs update
Lots of hours installing, so far, 29 LEDs some with flickering as well as some static (all warm white)
 
Eighteen others have been added to needed locations (balcony walkways, and for lanterns) but all need to be secured and positioned into their proper places. It’s also important to aim the LEDs for best visual effect.
 
PS: Evan Designs ROCKS!!
 
Still to do….
•install upper rear quarters ceiling into place (that’s next)
•attach its wiring looms for the seven lights,
•clean up the wiring jungle to make room for both AAA battery packs
•connect remote sensors to all lights and battery packs,
•attach two battery packs, to their permanent locations.
•make “candle looking” cylinders for the five stern lanterns,
•seal any light leaks to the outside,
•re-attach poop deck,
•cut two very small openings in rear facing stern upper panel for the remote sensors,
•make a magnetic connector to that rear panel as well (for easy access to batteries)
 
Thanks for dropping by, likes and comments all much appreciated.
 

Patrick --- Just catching up - as always your research is top notch 👏
 
Regards,

ok...truthfully....i give myself a 70%ish all around.....and that's way generous compared to the pros around here 😄......now i've got to spend over $100 for glass to slide into the front of the cabinet........damaged one of the side stern lanterns, so i replaced them with a couple i had left over from a different previous kit.....
  oh....i put the figures at the stern, back up
where they belong, cause without them, the top of the transom reminded me of the slab in 2001 space odessey.....it needed company.......😄...sorry if i need to see humor in everything.......just a basic rigging......
   now i have to start rigging my revell constitution with the two sterns, and that's it.....may just do some clay sculpting after that's done...no more rigging...yea!.....so cheers to all 😀.......vic
   
    

As I prepare for our special dinner at Lasserre, a thought occurred to me in the shower:
 
There is a strong possibility that I will never find the “Gilded Ghost” portrait, and even should I be so fortunate - I will still be making broad leaps of inductive reasoning and artistic license.
 
My mother, as long as she lived, always called my daughter her “Shining Star,” and Mairead certainly is every part of that.
 
I try to remain mindful and sensitive to the true historians and arsenal modelers of the world, and that is why I think I may rename my conjectural SR 1670 project: “L’Etoille Brillant, a Conjectural Construction of a French First-Rate, Circa 1670”.  This would be in honor of both my mother and daughter and in keeping with a time-honored tradition of naming beautiful ships after beautiful women.
 
The name would also be a loose reference to it’s inspiration, Le Soleil Royal - the most brilliant star we can understand on this earth.
 
It’s just a thought, but I think there is some sense in that.

Patrick --- Just catching up - as always your research is top notch 👏
 
Regards,