fmartins

As for the gratings, I tried to make them in wood, but even the smallest I could do was so off in terms of scale that even I who don't really care for scale in this size wasn't pleased.
 
So, improvising as usual, i just printed the gratings....
 

 
Some more details added
 


 
the same for the second deck (still need to paint the stairs red like the parisian model).
 

 
I also started building some more detail at the transom.
 

 

More balsa and a few strips of scrap wood to make the arcade stuff (don't know the name     )...
 


 
The balsa pieces also help to form the gunports.
 
I totally forgot to take pictures, but I glued the gun carriages in to the their positions in the gunports (two of them may be seen from outside - more pics later...) under this second deck (      stupid me!).
 
This is was a prototype for the gun carriages (the cannons themselves were not included as I thought I would break them easily - they'll be glued in the final stages of the model - if it survives...)
 
First try - thick card. Not good.
 

 
Second attempt - wood veneer (no idea what wood this is... I just bought a pile of scraps...     )
 

 
Toothpick for the cannon...
 

 
A second set...
 

 
Both together...
 

 
Ruler for size... (out of scale but still cool!)
 

 
And my thumb for reference too...
 

 
It'd be much easier to turn the cannons if I had a lathe or a rotary tool (I'll try to purchase one, 'cause doing all these by hand will be too time consuming and time is one of my restrictions lately).
 
 
 
 
 
 

Yes... It's my first build... It's all pretty messed up but I'm loving it... I'm even considering doing something bigger if it turns out "acceptable" in the end... The problem with this scale and all improvisation is that I'm spending a lot of time thinking about the next steps or ways to correct the mistakes I made in the planning...

After a few attempts, I think that the deck planking was not so horrible...
 


 
The hole you guys see in the middle section was the fruit of my illusion to add some real miniature grating      ... All the gunports were also painted red. Due to the small size, I think I'll have to use CA glue to secure the bow planks in place, so instead of wood, I carved/sanded a plastic piece (to make it easier, I think...).
 
The same was done with the other decks...
 

 
With a bit of improvised weathering (yeah everything's improvised!!!      )
 

 
 

To fix the 'flexibility' problem, I also added some wood (balsa - I know it's not the best, but it was easy to find, easy to glue, and really easy to sand) between the bulkheads.
 

 

 

 
This made all the fairing thing much easier... (improvised sand block in the lastpicture...     )
 
The problem with the wood-covered styrene deck is that it's really flat. I could sand it to give it a more natural curve, but instead I thought of something else...
 
I had some thick card paper lying around so I improvised some deck planking on top of it... Also, it's not the standard deck planking pattern (I only found a tutorial on deck planking a long way after I had done it).
 
It's a bit out of scale but whatever, it's already pretty small for me      ... 
 
 
 

To deal with the fleixibility and to keep bulkheads at a 90 degree angle with the false keel, I glued a lot of rubber blocks between them... I also added the space for the cannon ports...
 

 
The decks, however, were not glued. It was just a dry run to see if they would fit. I also started fairing the bulkheads, but with extreme care because, again, it was a bit fleixble      ...
 
 
 

Before anything, English is not my mother language so please be kind to my mistakes (there will be too many I'm afraid) and lack of nautical jargon.
 
Well, this is my first build. You may think it's a pretty bold move for a beginner to model such an intricate ship as the Royal Louis but I fell in love at first sight with the model at the Musée National de la Marine in Paris a couple years ago. At the time, I had no interest whatsoever in ship modeling, which is a pity, and missed the opportunity of taking hundreds of pictures at the museum. Either way, that's the one...
 

 
The model at the museum is huge - I think it's larger than 2.5 meters (8.2 feet?). I wanted to build a model ship like everyone in the forum but I live in a small appartment in Sao Paulo Brazil so I had to settle for something smaller. I also didn't want to buy a kit (another risky choice for a rookie) so I got both model ship makers and historical plans to plan my build. In the end, I planned my little Royal Louis to have a 25 cm hull (9.8 inches?) and sit comfortably on a very small shelf when done. Another reason for the small size is that I don't have much time so, a larger model would take too much time preparing the wood, etc etc.
 
I'm no Lloyd Mccafery so my model will be full of flaws and probably horrible in the end, but I guess it's a nice experience and you can only learn stuff by doing it. I really hope I can learn something from it. Lots of stuff will be out of scale or I'll end up using inadequate materials/techniques, but in the end I'll have fun.
 
I used POB as a start as you can see in the next pic...
 

 
The bulkheads are really thin, so wood was not an option (at least for my poor skills). I tried with a couples different types of wood but all of them felt too brittle to my taste, so the internal false keel / bulkheads were all made of styrene. They do have some flexibility but at least I didn't break all of the bulkheads. So far, so good.
 
   

Amazing!     

While I cant really cut stuff (finger hurts like a m****r), I've been planning what I'm supposed to do with the side "railings" (again, don't know the name for that).  I mean these side thingies....
 

 
So far, the only way I thought about to attempt to simulate this (not with all the details mind you...) is by cutting to shape a very thin sheet of veneer add some vertical pieces of wood (again those pink cedar strips will come in handy!!) and add a top railing also in veneer (to try and keep it close to the scale)... se my incredibly detailed plan done on Paintbrush...
 

 
Here is a rough concept (it will be better cut to shape when my finger is not killing me)...
 


 
What do you guys think? Advice and ideas are always appreciated!!

Well... details repainted. I'm still working on a sort of underlying structure made of balsa to support the deck... balsa also offers the advantage of being easily cut so it wont be too hard to cut the ports...
 



 
However, the decks on the parisian model are a lot darker with some reddish shades... Maybe I could use some dying? Any suggestions? I know now that I should've chosen a better suited wood or planned for dying it before... c'est la vie...    

Having relatives over can be really stressful... they don't offer any help and expect everything ready at hand... My helper (cat) flees every time she sees a child... but I still managed to finalize glueing the wales... 
 



 
The dreaded planking will start soon, I'm still working on how to do it. I'm thinking abou doing it a bit more in detail and with care from the first wale up. From the wales down (waterline to be morw exact) I will paint it like the parisian model. So, just a good sanding and some Tamiya putty will make it look good. Has anyone tried this putty with wood? With my plastic models it works wonders...
 
I'll also finish the upper decks and glue them soon... just as long as my relatives don't kill me first... :angry:    

By the way, I never noticed before this detail (in green on the picture). Was it some form of double planking at the bow?
 


 
In this last picture I think it is a bit clearer, there is a significant difference in depth between wales and planks before this 'doube planking' thing...
 

Oh, and I forgot.... I promised before a picture of the carriages under the deck... It will be barely visible in the end, but I know it's there... and now you guys too     
 



 
So far so good..

Well, wales glued... since the gunports are not in scale, I had to start cutting a bit. According to the plans, a few gunports cut into the wales but not so many as in my model... now I'm gonna have to live with it... living and learning...
 



 
On my next model I'll be more careful about proportions. These bigger gunports make the boat look smaller overall instead of a larger ship as she was...
 
 

After a lot of sanding I was ready to the wales on the right (starboard?) side. With balsa wood pins would be pretty much useless so I resorted to use rubber bands and some tape to set the wales in place. I used  CA glue sparingly on the bow and transom, just a bead to make sure they would hold.
 




 
 

With the hull faired, I decided (wrongly I suppose) to glue the wales... I got a bunch of pink cedar strips lying around...
 

 
But I was afraid of not being able to curve them properly. I saw a couple bending jigs and tried the best with a plank of styrofoam, a side picture of the Royal Louis (covered in tape so it wouldn't glue to the paper) and a few ball-point pins. No need for water or steam as they are really thin.
 


 
A redimensioned side view of the ship to see if it would fit...
 

 
So far it looks good...

More balsa and a few strips of scrap wood to make the arcade stuff (don't know the name     )...
 


 
The balsa pieces also help to form the gunports.
 
I totally forgot to take pictures, but I glued the gun carriages in to the their positions in the gunports (two of them may be seen from outside - more pics later...) under this second deck (      stupid me!).
 
This is was a prototype for the gun carriages (the cannons themselves were not included as I thought I would break them easily - they'll be glued in the final stages of the model - if it survives...)
 
First try - thick card. Not good.
 

 
Second attempt - wood veneer (no idea what wood this is... I just bought a pile of scraps...     )
 

 
Toothpick for the cannon...
 

 
A second set...
 

 
Both together...
 

 
Ruler for size... (out of scale but still cool!)
 

 
And my thumb for reference too...
 

 
It'd be much easier to turn the cannons if I had a lathe or a rotary tool (I'll try to purchase one, 'cause doing all these by hand will be too time consuming and time is one of my restrictions lately).
 
 
 
 
 
 

After a few attempts, I think that the deck planking was not so horrible...
 


 
The hole you guys see in the middle section was the fruit of my illusion to add some real miniature grating      ... All the gunports were also painted red. Due to the small size, I think I'll have to use CA glue to secure the bow planks in place, so instead of wood, I carved/sanded a plastic piece (to make it easier, I think...).
 
The same was done with the other decks...
 

 
With a bit of improvised weathering (yeah everything's improvised!!!      )
 

 
 

To fix the 'flexibility' problem, I also added some wood (balsa - I know it's not the best, but it was easy to find, easy to glue, and really easy to sand) between the bulkheads.
 

 

 

 
This made all the fairing thing much easier... (improvised sand block in the lastpicture...     )
 
The problem with the wood-covered styrene deck is that it's really flat. I could sand it to give it a more natural curve, but instead I thought of something else...
 
I had some thick card paper lying around so I improvised some deck planking on top of it... Also, it's not the standard deck planking pattern (I only found a tutorial on deck planking a long way after I had done it).
 
It's a bit out of scale but whatever, it's already pretty small for me      ... 
 
 
 

Before anything, English is not my mother language so please be kind to my mistakes (there will be too many I'm afraid) and lack of nautical jargon.
 
Well, this is my first build. You may think it's a pretty bold move for a beginner to model such an intricate ship as the Royal Louis but I fell in love at first sight with the model at the Musée National de la Marine in Paris a couple years ago. At the time, I had no interest whatsoever in ship modeling, which is a pity, and missed the opportunity of taking hundreds of pictures at the museum. Either way, that's the one...
 

 
The model at the museum is huge - I think it's larger than 2.5 meters (8.2 feet?). I wanted to build a model ship like everyone in the forum but I live in a small appartment in Sao Paulo Brazil so I had to settle for something smaller. I also didn't want to buy a kit (another risky choice for a rookie) so I got both model ship makers and historical plans to plan my build. In the end, I planned my little Royal Louis to have a 25 cm hull (9.8 inches?) and sit comfortably on a very small shelf when done. Another reason for the small size is that I don't have much time so, a larger model would take too much time preparing the wood, etc etc.
 
I'm no Lloyd Mccafery so my model will be full of flaws and probably horrible in the end, but I guess it's a nice experience and you can only learn stuff by doing it. I really hope I can learn something from it. Lots of stuff will be out of scale or I'll end up using inadequate materials/techniques, but in the end I'll have fun.
 
I used POB as a start as you can see in the next pic...
 

 
The bulkheads are really thin, so wood was not an option (at least for my poor skills). I tried with a couples different types of wood but all of them felt too brittle to my taste, so the internal false keel / bulkheads were all made of styrene. They do have some flexibility but at least I didn't break all of the bulkheads. So far, so good.
 
   

Thanks EJ_L. I kinda feel stupid with this cut in my index finger. I'm usually much more prudent and careful. But, that's life. It's something to remind me I'm never safe around sharp tools and that I need to be vigilant all the time. I'm excited to put this bulwark (thanks!!) idea in place but my finger is really bad the cut almost severed a considerable part of my nail...     In a couple days' time I'll be back...
 
Hm... now I'm curious what is your job? If you don't mind my question...

Those side panels are called "bulwarks".
 
I think you have a good plan to build them. What you have designed is basically what most kit instructions would have you do so I think you are good to go!
 
Hope you finger heals well and quick. I've done similar injuries to myself over the years, hazard of my job and hobbies.

Thank you very much for the kind words. I am glad you enjoyed reading through and now can sit back and watch the new work!

Took me a while to reach the end, but it was well worth!! Incredible build EJ_L!! I'll keep following the developments in your ship. She is looking fine!!!! Congrats!!

While I cant really cut stuff (finger hurts like a m****r), I've been planning what I'm supposed to do with the side "railings" (again, don't know the name for that).  I mean these side thingies....
 

 
So far, the only way I thought about to attempt to simulate this (not with all the details mind you...) is by cutting to shape a very thin sheet of veneer add some vertical pieces of wood (again those pink cedar strips will come in handy!!) and add a top railing also in veneer (to try and keep it close to the scale)... se my incredibly detailed plan done on Paintbrush...
 

 
Here is a rough concept (it will be better cut to shape when my finger is not killing me)...
 


 
What do you guys think? Advice and ideas are always appreciated!!