robboxxx

A very good build log. Since paper modeling always interested me I will follow this log with great interest.

Yes, found it..... That is the same solution as I came up with. But I thinking more and more in the direction of a kind of "decks". I have to determine de lowest point of the 2 gun decks and build just under that point a ledge/platform on which I can mount (trough the gun port) blocks with the gun attached to.

Hi Nigel Thanks for the input although I couldn't find the link you refer to I can imagine what you mean. I also came up withe that idea. I'm also thinking about some sort of "sub" decks. On these I can mount blocks with the gun barrels attached. By filing more or less material of the blocks I can precisely position the height of the barrel. This was the method used on the Mantua Victory I build a long time ago.

Yes, thats a beauty. I have the kit also. I will start the build after the San Felipe

After a lot of thinking on how to solve the wrong gunport locations I finally had the guts to tear out some planks for the 2nd time! This is how it looks now. I also ripped out the pieces you're supposed to mount the gun barrels on. Whatever I tried I can't get the mounts and the gun ports aligned. I'm still thinking of a method but since I'm a bit stuck, suggestions would be welcome.

Buy the kit you fancy, because it doesn't matter which kit has the best instructions.. There are so many good books out there and here at the forum there are a lot of people willing to help or guide you trough your build.

Hi Chris. The Royal Louis crossed also my mind. I have the Royal Louis kit from Mamoli (funny story how I got it) but the resemblance between the two models is far apart. Personally I don't think that this is the case. However; the Royal Louis has some features (like the live stock pens) that got me thinking.

The scale is 1:75.

Yes. But they are cut half way trough.

I found some extra parts that I ordered. I completely forgot about them. I ordered them at Double O laserservice. I now they had lots of parts for other models as well. At the moment they are not listed at their site so I don't now if they are still available. The parts are laser engraved wood and replace the etched brass parts. I think they look great.

I thank you. Birthdays are good for your health. Studies have shown that people who have more birthdays live the longest!

I thank you Anja

I spend last week making the fore deck. On the left you can see the kit part. The new deck with the new gratings is not yet glued into it place. It needs some more work. The kit deck planks were of a low quality. Not all the strips were straight and all of them had fuzzy edges. I ordered at Online Hobbies (out of business) new 3mm wide strips and got razor sharp edges. (photo made with my iphone) After a lot of experimenting with caulking methods took some time before I was satisfied with its results. Downside: have a drawer full of pencils & leads. TIP: don't sand your decks when using pencils for caulking; scrape them instead. I used a single edge razor blade And got a glass smooth finish! The first planking with the (re-done) gun ports. They are still not in the right place. So parts of the planking and gun port cutting will be re-done. I'm still thinking about the method.

Looking at the kit. The first time the San Felipe, in this form, is mentioned is by ship modeler and historian Vincenzo Lusci. He produced a model and drawings of a ship he called the San Felipe. All later drawings and kits are based on his "mother drawing". There is a huge controversy about the model, see my previous post. However, if one looks away from the historical accuracy it is a very nice model. In the beginning I came across a book (in German) that featured a model built by S. Verbeeten and was built according the Lusci plans. Studying this article's photos and the Lusci plans (which I don't have, but are reproduced in a pocket size book by Lusci) I found some things that are different with the Panart (Panart is a sub-division of Mantua) kit. Two pictures from the Verbeeten model, scan from a book. I decided that since the San Felipe probably never existed I would use the kit to build a "general" Spanish ship of the line and make some changes and enhancements based on the Lusci plans & Verbeeten model. Some points that I'm changing: Fore deck: If one looks the the gratings on this deck and the position of the guns I can only conclude that the guns couldn't be loaded or fired. The recoil would smash them agains the gratings. There is simply not enough room. So, should there be gratings in the first place? It seems so. They were needed so the smoke from the guns a deck lower could disappear (thats my opinion). So I decided not to make them according the instructions ON the deck, but IN the deck. Flush, so the guns could roll free and there was room to pull them back to load them. Colors: This model is often presented with a bright/light blue upper part. This is completely wrong, not only on this model, but on all models that represent a ship before the 1800's. Before the 1800's chemical colors, as we now them, were unavailable. Color was made by mixing natural pigments with oils or fat. These pigments were difficult to obtain, expensive and would quickly fade in the harsh sunlight. Especially blue was a notorious color. It was for a long time one of the most expensive colors available. The only "blue" available was Indigo. Indigo is a very dark blue (it leans to black). Your jeans is colored blue with indigo. So a bright blue on the ship is highly unlikely. If it was blue, it should be a very dark and dull blue (look at Anja's Half moon, she has it right). A greenish-blue would also be possible. But to paint such a large surface would be extremely expensive, so the most likely color would be black. There are some models presented this way. The guns: the guns on the upper deck are way to "decorative". The carriages will be changed to a much more practical form. Other issues: the mid-deck should be longer and the forward gun ports should be positioned more outward. As are the outhouses and some other small details.

Very, very interesting. I just discovered this blog and since paper modeling and the Royal Caroline have my interest I'm more than average interested.

I have this book for some time and for some reason forgot about it. A week or two ago I "rediscovered" it again and am reading it again. After all the years I have it I'm still amazed about the detail and information found in this (English version) book. Well worth the price.

For painting in general: Ik can recommend magazines like "fine scale modeler" they are aimed at plastic modelers and have a lot of airbrush and solvent/acrylic paint articles. I read them whenever possible and found there some great tips.

I'm not talking about Windex. That's fine to use, although I had sometimes issues with light colour shifts. I was talking about the remark "I will also use a straight ammonia"

Solvent free paints like Acrylics can be mixed with water and can be cleaned up (when wet) with water. This leads to the misconception that water is the carrier of the paint particles. Therefore a lot of people recommend water as thinner. Using rubbing alcohol is far more better. The reason for using Acrylics over solvent based paint is the odour and health issue of the solvent based paint. If you are going to use Ammonia on acrylics the whole odour and health issue is down the drain and you should ask yourself if you are not better of with solvent based paints. They are still superior to Acrylics (before you are going to argue on this, ask professionals). I would go for rubbing alcohol. Just my 5 cents.

The San Felipe kit. As I look at the build logs on various ship model forum the kit had had an overhaul and I have the older version. In my opinion that is the better one. First something about the history of the ship: To make a long story short; there isn't one. Chances are that the ship as presented never existed! Also the title Flagship of the Spanish Armada 1690 is completely based on fantasy. There was no Armada in 1690! The Spanish Armada sailed out in 1588 and the flag ship was the Santa Ana and later the San Juan. None of the Armada ships looked like the San Felipe. They were much smaller (think size and look like Galleons like the Golden Hind) For more info see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada. If the Spanish had ships like the San Felipe the outcome would have been different. For more about the historic authenticity of the ship I can recommend the website: http://www.modelships.de/San_Felipe_1690_authenticity/San_Felipe_1690_authenticity.htm So far the historic part. Next time I will analyse the kit itself.

Yes you did. I like the Mamoli Bounty. It is a nice kit

That is a very nice saw. However, Are you sure the Proxxon FET got the negative reviews and not the PROXXON KS 230? I ask this because I'm also shopping around and read only good reviews about the FET. The KS 230 gets the bad reviews.......... just wondering

Sherry I'm working on my build log but I am extremely busy at the moment.

I've just found a good review of another Corel kit. This gives you an idea what to expect: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/659-review-corel-frigate-berlin-140/