harlequin

work on the masts is now in full swing....plenty of work needed yet but setting a good pace.

On ‎2‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 10:32 PM, peveka said:

I have been following and admiring your project for quite a while now and she really is a beauty! I can't wait to start working on my own Bellona, if only she would arrive ...

 

Cheers

 

Pieter 

has it arrived yet?

bowsprit underway.

Bellona is beginning to look like a ship.

Progress on the fore and mizzen mast tops.

fabulous work......and the poor mans lathe has always worked fine for me too.

Well Bellona,.....your hull is complete. It has been a long journey old friend and just a coat of varnish to bring out your natural beauty. We nearly didn't make it this far and still a way to go yet before all your charms are revealed.

You have tested my resolve on many occasions and you do not know how close I came to turning you into pulp, but we have made it this far....the journey continues.

After nearly six years, apart from a few bits to be added whilst rigging, the hull is complete. I have added the lanterns and lots of eyebolts and now for the masts and yards.

magnificent.

hi bill24.....happy new year by the way.

Rugby.....my ultimate passion....my daughter got into the England U18s team a few years ago but doesn't play anymore....I just adore this most supreme of sports. It cost me a lot of teeth when I played and several expensive visits to my dentist but I would relive those days in a heartbeat.

On ‎1‎/‎31‎/‎2019 at 11:18 AM, bill24 said:

excellent work Harlequin, I have just re started with my build on the Bellona, will post pictures later, still struggling with the quarter galleys at the moment.

You have set a very high bar for the build standard.

 

 

Cheers Bill24.....yes post some pics and if I can help I will.....the quarter galleys I think I pretty much followed the corel instructions, it is such a long time ago now. I like you have seen many months between when I worked on Bellona and when I didn't to the point that I very nearly scrapped her altogether. I had reached a point with her that I couldn't get passed. I don't know what happened but I think I had a few days off work when I just got my head down and decided this was her last hurrah, if I didn't like what was happening that was it. Thankfully I kept going to the point where I think she looks ok....the hull is virtually completed and I am in a happy place with her.

not done a great deal on Bellona today....and tomorrow is the start of the six nations rugby so probably not much more will be done. The carronades need final fitting but the deck cannons are now in place. 

Deck cannons fitted.

constructo did a Pandora kit.

12 hours ago, Beef Wellington said:

You have a lovely ship going together here Harlequin, as others have said the wood tones are very pleasing and you've done well to make some of the lesser quality fitting really blend in.  Will be following from here on if I may...

cheers Beef Wellington.....been an arduous journey with her tbh….I am one of these that what is in the kit I work with....i'm a bit weird that way.....apart from the gun ports but that was a build or scrap moment.

decision made....this is the only rope work I am going to fit to the deck cannons.....the scale at 98:1 is a bit small for cramming the deck full of unrealistic looking ropes and pulleys. I am happy with this and it is enough of a suggestion to show how the cannon were fitted. First of only ten cannon and six carronade and the hull is virtually complete......anchors and lamps still to be fitted and cleats and hooks and eyes but Bellona is taking shape. 

Dead eyes fitted....need tweaking to get them in the right position. Corels fittings are sometimes so poor you would think they would do something about it. The dead eyes are so fragile I will have to be extremely careful later on. There may be trouble ahead .

starboard channels and supports fitted....the hull is getting closer and closer to completion now. I am not going to overdo the rope work on the deck cannons because there is just not enough space at this scale to include everything. The whole hull needs a varnish to bring out the natural wood colours. It is not long ago that Bellona nearly headed to the scrap yard such was my frustration at how the build had gone. It has languished with the odd part getting displaced and damaged. Now the frustration has been replaced with an optimism that she will be completed this year.   

I have been on the Victory several times and it really is an eyeopener to just how cramped it was on those ships. She used to fire a broadside every now and again but time is taking its toll on the old girl and I don't think they do that anymore.....the footage is available on youtube…..I read that Nelsons wound he received from the French sniper would not have been a fatal wound today, if they had known how to treat the wound he would have survived. Incidentally during the Falklands conflict with Argentina every soldier that was brought to the hospital ship survived their wounds. Surgeon Major Jolly saved every Argentinian and every Brit that made it to his ship. Sadly he died last year, a real hero of that short lived conflict. 

cheers Wallace....it has not been without its problems as with every corel kit.....it came so close to being scrapped as I just fell out with it. I have replanked it twice and swapped the gun ports for metal ones which was a necessary evil. Five years plus in the making to this stage and I quite like the old girl now.

How is your Victory getting on?

port side dead eyes and channels added, now starboard....very fragile metal parts so have to be careful with them.

16 hours ago, flyer said:

Hi Martin

 

Thanks. Those flushing toilets are an interesting subject. I didn't know they go back a few thousand years and were quite common in better houses in England 200 years ago. And on a man of war I expected chamber pots or buckets for the officers - but no, they went to war in style!

 

 

 

 

Hi Harlequin

 

Your Bellona is an extremely fine build and with your connection to the original myth Bellerophon would be a logical successor (you seem to react very well to challenges...)😉.

 

 

Cheers

Peter

thank you flyer.....it has been a very frustrating build has dear old Bellona......my next build funnily enough is...…..Pegasus...….bought it for pennies of ebay , it is a very old kit but apart from the plans which I can source it all seems to be there. 

I served with the Parachute Regiment for several years and our Peggy(Pegasus) badge has Bellerophon riding on Pegasus with a spear as he slays his enemies.... 

Hi vossy.....further to my previous post......the railings in this pic started out initially as you described, but using my method they ended up pretty straight. Cut the length of wire about a cm longer than you need and press firmly down on it against the flat surface leaving the other end of the wire free to flap about as you roll the dowel back and forth quite briskly at right angles to the wire, moving over the entire length of the wire until you achieve the desired straightness.