Beef Wellington

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks all for the "likes" and looking in.  Think a point has been reached where all of the known big challenges have been addressed, or at least an approach developed, so I can start to have a bit of fun tackling some of the other odd pieces on the deck.
 
I am starting to seriously consider not rigging this model... the reason being that I certainly still have plenty ahead of me (and I still haven't even finished rigging 'Snake' yet) even without rigging, also the size of the hull is already quite large and adding the masts and spars will increase the needed space significantly.  Curious on other's thoughts on this, hopefully it is not anathema.  The other consideration is that I would like to move onto another build sooner than I realistically would if I were to fully rig.  What this means is that I may spend a little extra time adding some details that I otherwise wouldn't, as I'm also wanting to leave my options open to possibly leave open some of the upper deck planking/scuttles.
 
4 additional standards have been added, 2 fore and 2 aft (still in process on larboard side) as these will be visible when the upper deck is in place.  You can see the kit supplied riding bitts in place.

 
The scale of these bitts is actually pretty accurate, but I didn't like the shape so decided to make up my own...and while I was at it also made up some fore riding bitts following guidance from TFFM as the AOTS book is a little sparse on detail.  These were fun little projects.  I believe the forward elm battens were nailed on for easy replacement but I haven't tried to simulate that, not sure how this would be done however, or whether this is a "less is more" situation.

 
Previous mods allowed the bowsprit to be secured within the hull on a bowsprit step so this was also constructed.  Going a little crazy some manger boards were also made up, these will not be readily (understatement) viewable but I think could add to the sense of depth when undergoing close inspection through a gun port , and help mask the obvious edge of the bulkhead against the deck.  The dimensions of the bowsprit step are a little ambiguous, in retrospect I would have made it 2-3mm narrower, but given the likely visibility, this will not be redone. 
 

 
The placement of the bowsprit step is a little dependent on some of the foremost beam, to be obsessive this should be a little further forward, but think it will be just fine where it is.  The foremost deck beams required modification to work around some of the other alterations made up to this point but this was simple enough.

And with everything in place a couple of deck shots to get a feel for things...

Cheers gents.
 
Christian - I'm being consistent in using the Admiralty paints yellow ochre which I quite like.  Constant handling of these parts seems to be no match for any paint and paint rubs off the high spots despite an undercoat.  Should not be a problem to get looking OK when the time comes.
 
Cannon Conundrums (or "Armament Angst")
 
I felt I needed a bit of a change of pace while continuing to work slowly on the stern, and decided to get a head start on the cannons as I foresee these being a rather repetitive activity.  Psychologically, it feels like I'm getting a head start on things a little by commencing work on these now rather than waiting until I have to do them.
The first decision was to finally decide on which barrels to go with.  Photos below show 3 options, specifically left to right, Chuck's Syren offering, RB Models and the kit supplied barrels.  I know I posted these pics in Andy's Diana log, but can't remember if I did here so pls forgive any repetition!
Kit provide barrels - Painful as it is, the kit provided ones just don't cut the mustard with the bore being too large, the muzzle not being the right shape and the pommel just way too big. Chuck's barrels are very nice indeed, while the length certainly works, the bore seems a little small and for a 1:64 18lb'er and overall the barrel is a little dainty to my eye RBs Models (44mm) are also very nicely shaped and to my eye seem to fit the needed proportions best.  Each barrel is also supplied with a scale precut trunnion of high quality, so some labour would be saved there.
Next up, carriages.  I had ordered a set of Chucks Syren carriages a while ago and finally got round to building one up in addition to a kit carriage for comparison.  Pictures are self explanatory and show the kit carriage with kit barrel (left) with Syren carriage and RB models barrel (right).  Making these up allowed all the possible permutations to be tried, but these are best comparison.  Note - these were built over a number of very brief 10 minute sessions when I could escape to the boat yard, i.e. very quick and dirty, with quick paint job and no fittings. 
 
Couple of things are apparent:
The kit walnut is not great, being very splintery with pronounced grain, and would require a lot of work to get an acceptable finish.  The carriage is noticeably a little more squat, and the 2mm thickness of the ply looks less substantial, and the trucks a little on the small side. Similar level of finish work on the Syren laser cut parts gives a much better result.  Dimensions all around look a little more pleasing to my eye.  
The width of the Syren carriage were made slightly wider than the plans indicate to try and better scale to the RB barrel.
 

 
Final comparison was to place in situ.  The RB/Syren combination seemed to sit nicely mid port.  Placement of a quoin will need to be thought about as the barrel is probably already at approximately the right elevation.  Feel the RB/Syren combo is  clear winner, despite the additional investment that will be needed my view is that this will ultimately provide a more enjoyable building experience, especially as 28 of these puppies will need to be made up...
 

 
 
 
 

Gents - this is why this site is so great, everything has suddenly become clear (or at least clearer), so thank you!
 
Carl - All beautiful, but maybe a little fancy for the late 18th century and undoubtedly beyond my ability to carve!
 
Dirk - I see you had the exact same 'problem'.  Despite being an avid follower of your beautiful Confederacy I somehow missed that, so shame on me!  That shows the situation very clearly and was a huge help in thinking this through.
 
B.E. -  You raise a good potential issue with the arm, I think the casting is sufficiently soft to allow that to be bent, but experimentation will be needed.  In photos below you can see I've bent the arm tentatively, will need more attention but I want to wait until final profile is known to reduce the risk of it breakage due to repeated bending.  BTW, I repeatedly admire your custom Pegasus stern and added figures - much better than the kit provided knights - but maybe a little too ornate for these later frigates (I may be wrong, but I believe the Artois class may have been among the last 5th rates with full figureheads)
 
Photos of a quick-and-dirty proof of concept, so think I know where I'm going with this...trying to ignore the horrible paint finish on the casting but there is no point in making it look good at this point...
 

Not much progress, but I want to ask a question, so felt obliged to post  a few photos 
 
Progress made on the upper and lower counter rail.  These need to follow quite a curve, more so than they appear, and were pre-bent to shape using a failed counter template I had kept.  Seems very important visually to get a smooth curve.  The ends of these rails will need to butt up against the side gallery rails and so were angled to approximately 45% in preparation.  Using a single pin amidships proved to be the ticket here ensuring that the rail could be consistently placed while the ends were fine tuned - the small hole should be pretty easy to mask afterwards with filler.  The top rail is not glued in place yet, but its possible to get a feel for the run of these rails.  Overall, I'm rather relieved and pleased with how this turned out with the name placement.  
 

 
So, to my question.  The Diana kit provides two 'ladies' at either side of the stern fascia which are pretty good castings (represent the goddesses Hera and Athena from Jason's story) which I'd like to use.  The tafferal is quite thick, and when compared to the AOTS diagram, the female figures appear to have some depth.  I thought that by this time, complex carvings in the round would not be in vogue for economic reasons, so I'm wondering if what is illustrated is a simpler relief carving on an angled corner.  If so, then the approach could be to simply angle the corner.  The hesitation here is that after so much work on the stern, I'm wary of making a mistake...but I do like the more 'fitted' look in the AOTS picture as it seems to gradually transition the thickness of the tafferal in a visually pleasing way.  Angling the corner would be easier with the upper counter rail off, but until that's decided its a roadblock to moving forward with the rest.
 
Opinions, thoughts and recommendations sought...
 

Thomas, Bob, Eamonn, Pat and Mark (nice to have you back!) - thanks for the comments guys and the likes, I very much appreciate your interest.
 
The upper counter and the proof of the pudding...
 
Finally plucked up the courage to attach the stern fascia, really have done about as much on this as I can before fitting, and any final adjustments should be done in place to get a proper feel for the various lines and angles and how this will fit with the side galleries (esp. out edge and gunports).  Epoxy was used for maximum strength, so it better be right.  It all went pretty painlessly as the placement had already been determined.
 
Then comes the upper counter...this should simply fit between the edge of the upper counter and the stern fascia.  I have been planning to use a single piece of 1mm pear for this (I think the kit instructions indicate for this to be planked) and I didn't relax for the whole weekend while I worked on this part.  Philosophically, it is what   it is at this point as I had done everything I could think of to ensure this fitted well. 
 
After making a template for the upper counter and leaving material to allow for fine tuning, the lower edge of the stern fascia (where the upper counter rail will go), was chamfered back to receive the upper counter and ensure the correct angle to the vertical along its length.
 

The edge of the upper counter was then gradually chamfered to meet this angle.  I found using a razor blade scraper a very effective way to do this as it kept a nice flat profile and allow the angle with the stern fascia to be followed easily.  I had painted the upper counter prior to this process to give a better feel for the shape during this process.  (The lower edge was simply masked so the lower counter rail can be glued more easily as I prefer to use PVA glue).  The profile at the end shows how this fitted together.
 

Only one potential problem remained.  The face with the join needs to be the same width as the upper counter rail (3mm) which required many, small adjustments.  See photo below for how the various rails will be positioned.

This is not glued yet, but the overall I was very happy with the way this turned out, and 2 small pegs are all that's needed to keep it in position.  Before this is attached I need to figure out how to apply the name, at this point I'm leaning toward painting this.  I've been playing with some templates made in Powerpoint to just get a sense for size and alignment.  This is Time New Roman, 50pt font with y-rotation of 340% and 100% perspective adjustment.  I now feel I have proper ship under construction.
 
As always, suggestions welcome!
 

 

Carl, Rob, Christian, Niles and the likes - thanks for your kind words, encouragement and patience on this slow voyage...
 
Jesse, Dave - Of course you are right, but no matter how many times I tell myself that it doesn't help...I probably have one of those personality disorders along the lines of "well he did it, so why can't I?"   And yes, its gets me into trouble with those fixes around the house that I maybe shouldn't be tackling.. 
 
Anyway a little update as I really can do no more to the bow at this point, which means I need to get back to the stern...then I remembered that that was basically the reason for me taking a break and starting work on the bow...There are a couple of questions at the end.
 
Once the cheeks and the rails were done, I needed to tackle hawse holes and the bolsters.  These had me really thinking, but first step was once again to shape from some thick stock, only this time I had to take it even slower as pretty much the entire interior face needed to fit tightly against the hull because any errors would be really obvious once the holes were cut.  The balsa filler blocks were also removed (Interestingly, you can see the outline of the recess that I had put in a long while ago to try to introduce a void behind the expected hole placement to look a little more authentic...seemed a good idea at the time but they would have been in slightly the wrong place)
 
The holes themselves are ~6mm in diameter, and taking a drill bit of that size was clearly out of the question.  The hole centers were estimated and I drilled with a 2mm bit in a hand drill.  This was large enough to get a round microfile in to gradually enlarge and then use a larger round file.  Once the holes were approx. 4-5mm and still quite rough, some tapered dowel was used with sandpaper around to again gradually enlarge until they were approximately the right size.  All the time doing this, the bolsters were held in place with fingers so everything would align - I didn't want to commit to gluing in place just yet.

Once again, I knew I'd be making my own out of castello, but continuing the trend I think the kit supplied parts are way undersized.

One other item to take care of is the Gamming knee, the kit supplied part was generally oversized, but it was necessary to cut a new piece because the back of the knee was undersized.  Not sure how much of this will be visible, but it fun to make.  The hole is for the mainstay collar, some alteration will likely be needed on the head timbers but that is for another day.  This is not attached yet.
And the final results...these pieces seem to really bring out the face of the ship and to my eye really add some character.

 
Some questions:
The bulwark are considerably thinner than they would be in scale, and although the photo makes it more obvious, this is apparent if you look for it.  Also, I know that the hawse holes were lined in lead, but I'm not seeing this as a feature standing out to me looking at models, in many it seems these were just painted ochre...would welcome other's thoughts and suggestions here.  I'm leaning toward a 'lead like' grey just on the inside of the bulwark but not extending over the bolster. For fellow Diana kit builders.  I placed the waste rail on the starboard bow side only as it seems to me that this could cause problems with the fitment of the bow grating against the hull - anyone have any experiences on this?  
 
 

Wow..Christian, Doug, Pat, Harvey, Carl, Tom, Wayne, VACorsair, Eamonn, and the likes, thanks guys for interest and the overly kind words.  Narrative below will explain more, but think I've irrevocably stepped off the 'being happy with kit parts' ledge...this can only mean even slower progress...but perhaps more fun
 
I know I'm bouncing around a bit so apologies for that, but continuing foundational aspects which seem easier with the ship careened over on a towel.
 
Challenging Cheeks:
 
The kit supplied cheeks are hair rail are not that great.  The cheeks themselves come nowhere near to fitting the hull, and I'm pretty sure the hull form is correct.  The only option was to scratch my own cheeks.  Aside from the fit, they are also seem rather undersized.

The next consideration was the hair rail and lower cheek, and decided to go whole hog and redo these as well.  Given that there needs to be two of everything, I cheated and sparingly glued with PVA glue some 3mm sheet together and then cut to shape.  The pieces were then separated using rubbing alcohol, and voila, 2 matching parts with the work of 1!  These parts are still very slighty oversized to allow them to be fine tuned once other parts are made - necessary given I don't have any true plans to work from and that these pieces form quite a complex shape. 
 
Photos below show hair rail prior to separation.  The difference in dimensions is quite evident to that appearing in AOTS which I used as a guide for the scratch piece.

As a side note, the quality of the walnut parts are just not good, the main/false rail would need a lot a work to get presentable so suspect these will also be remade at some point.

The cheeks themselves took a long time (days) to get right due to the angled concave curve and lack of plans.  Pretty happy with the results, though the parts still need some fine tuning as the rails are a little thick still I think.  I'm hoping to use a scraper to give a profile to the edges, and a quick test shows that this should work OK even for a quick test.  This also commits me to what will probably be my first simple carvings on the scrolls, but that's for another day.
 

Side by side comparison of scratch vs kit supplied pieces..

BE, Pat, Joe, Michael, Nils, Wayne, JPAM  and the likes - thanks so much.
 
Ron - I'm hoping to make it, would love to see your fantastic Diana in person, my challenge is always football/soccer as I coach my sons team and that takes a big bite out of weekends at this time of year.  If I could just arrange a game in New London then I'd be set!
 
Small update, I've been missing making posts but I have a little to share and hope pictures make up for it.  Continuing to work on the more foundational aspects as I can.  Paint has been applied to the upper hull - I used Tamiya matt XF-18 medium blue.  I applied many layers of watered down paint and corrected larger imperfections, but left the slight imperfections from planking visible.  I'm no painter and have limited experience with modern acrylics!  Watering down the paint gives a nice smooth finish, but at the expense of surface uniformity - this should disappear completely once a clear sealer is applied so not concerned.  I found that using a brush the undiluted paint dries so quickly that brush mark are inevitable.  Lots of touchup to do which should be pretty easy, but I want to get a protective coat of poly onto the boxwood to reduce the risk of mishaps.
 
The waist rail has been applied on one side and the side steps added.  I left gaps for the fenders, after having already cut these roughly to shape - using boxwood of course adds the number of pieces that need to be fabricated to keep consistent.  I wont attach these until later.  Steps were made using 2x2mm boxwood strip and a different profile scraper to the side molding and then cut length and shaping the ends.  These hopefully give more of an impression of the fine molding as keeping that to scale was just too much for me.  The upper and lower 2 steps are not glued yet.  I think they pass the scale test with the assistance of Able Seaman Lewis.


I've also made up the anchor lining bolsters, not identified in the kit plans but approximated from AOTS and TFFM.


And the usual 'all over' shot of where things stand..

 
 
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Thanks for all the 'likes', and Greg, Pat, Mike, Christian, Bob, Tom, Hamilton, Michael, Mobbsie - I really appreciate your thoughts and interest, the good news is that I don't need to decide right now.  I got a little over-obsessive on Snake using the kit supplied materials which bogged things down a bit, I'm sure I'd enjoy rigging more with better quality line and be happier with the result.  What I'm hoping is that I can leave my options open even after things get closed up when the quarterdeck and f'csle go on (e.g. mast stumps that could easily be replaced with full masts and yards at some point)
 
BE - your Victory, despite just looking fantastic, presents yet another interesting alternative.  I too like that look a lot.
 
Coamings
Moving on a little, have started on the coamings and gratings.  I had ordered some of Chuck's gratings some time ago and these were relatively painless to make up.  The coaming dimensions were taken from AOTS with a few small adjustments to ensure the edge of the coaming met the wider binding strakes as illustrated.  I did go the whole hog and build these as per TFFM which was good practice, if not slow.  Not really much else to say.
 

 
Where the companionways are, I did do bit more fiddly work to try and simulate the beams and carlings that would be visible.  I'm sure there must be a better way, but the approach I took was as follows:
Build up the bottom of the companionway coaming by 1mm to account for the thickness of the deck (as coamings would sit on the beams/carlings, not the deck) 0.5mm sheet was applied to the side faces to simulate the recess on the interior face Boxwood sheets and strips attached to simulate the beams/carlings.  This was not hard once the approach had been figured out as this all still needs to slide in through the holes in the deck (which had to be enlarged a bit).  I did decide to paint these black, as is shown to good effect on the contemporary Winchelsea model.  I was tempted to leave these natural, but as I had made these out of pear, I felt that another wood tone would be distracting.  In any event, black appears to have been quite commonly used toward the end of the century to aid safety by making the companionways more visible against the deck. Bit of a Frankenstein's monster from underneath, but to my eye looks convincing enough when in place. 

 
All the coamings and gratings have been made up and just need some finishing.  I was pleased that the coamings lined up with the butt pattern of the planks, because as irregular as they looks, they do correspond with the theoretical placement of the beams below.
 
The third photo shows the difference in appearance with the added depth in the companionway, vs the coaming simply sitting on the deck for comparison.  The last photo shows everything in place.  One slight fudge I'm making here is to put a grating into the foremost of the two rearmost openings.  This should really be a companionway down to the wardroom, but the keel former realistically presents this being represented, and given that this will barely be glimpsed, a grating went on top instead.  The kit plans omit this feature entirely.
 

Hi Jason,
 
Catching up on your log mate and WOW, absolutely beautiful.
 
With regard to full rigging or not is totally dependant on the display area, Like Bob I really love the rigging process and so am prejudiced and would ( with the bosses permission ) make space available. It's not always possible and can increase expenditure regarding the case. Good luck with that decision mate.
 
Love what your achieving.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie