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Having just finished 5 years or so building Amati's Vangard, I have decided to do something quite different: the bomb vessel Granado. There are a number of good logs for Granado on this website and I don't know if I can add much to them, but you never know. Most of the materials in the kit seem to be of good quality, though I am working on the first planking now and have found the wood strip splintery and cross-grained. The gun carriages could be improved and consequently I have substituted Syren carriages which are excellent though rather fiddly to put together (photos in my vanguard log). Here a few photos of the very beginning of the building process. I hope to have something a little more interesting soon. Having I hope, installed the bulkheads squarely The gunport patterns are next having given then a good soaking in warm water. The red-handled clamps are particulary strong and were necessary to made the pattern conform with the curved bulkheads Bulkhead 10 is rather more complicated than the rest. It has 4 extensions, two of which are at an angle, and is best completed off the model. Here is the bow. I have installed a balsa guides to help shape the wood strip around the bow. The screw-in clamps I find a far better than nailing the strip to the bulkeads. I have tried to upload a couple of other shots, but for some reason the uploads failed. I find that I have photographed one of the small drills I use mostly in preference to my Dremel. I have two of them and they save time and annoyance switching tools. Also shown are couple of the small pieces of wood strip with notches which help position the screw in clamps.
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Hi All, This is my first proper wooden boat build, I say proper because some time ago I began building the Bounty from those magazines that came every week (you may be familiar with them) and though she turned out reasonable enough (I'm about 80% complete, just the Rigging to finish) the instructions (there was no 'plan', just text with photos) left a lot to be desired and makes even the simplest task awkward. Last Summer I came across MSW and having read and followed many build logs I decided to buy a proper kit, in fact I bought 3 over the past few months! Sherbourne, Convulsion & Ballahoo all at 1:64 and all Smallish Vessels (This is just a personal preference) Anyhoo, I have decided to do Ballahoo first, and possibly stagger the others over the coming months. (The first time I opened the box and was hit by that pleasant wood smell, reminded me of those old wooden pencil cases from school Oh! and it was great to unfold 'actual' plans too!) Right lets begin.. Whilst the Keel and Bulkheads were still in their 'Matrix' (or whatever the wooden surround is called) I oriented the Matrix to the appropriate instruction sheet (in the Booklet) and numbered each piece, as some of those bulkheads may end up in the wrong slots on the Plywood Keel (am sure it would be easy to spot, but why take the chance) I then removed the Ply Keel and all the Bulkheads using a Jewellers Saw (tried using a craft knife but ended up having to apply pressure, which didn't sound like a great idea) All items once freed got a light sanding and were then 'Dry' Fitted (see Photos) So Far So Good.. I shall cut a Rabbet and Bearding Line etc (as per Jim Smits and his Ballahoo) though the Plans/Instructions do not call for them, it seems logical when you take the Ply Keel dimensions and 2 layers of Planks into consideration. Should anyone wish to offer advice, please feel free to do so.. it all helps and I would be very grateful. Take Care Eamonn -
Hello everyone, this is my forth kit build and my second build-log. I bought this kit on eBay for a very reasonable price some years ago because this model is one of some that forced me into the hobby and I hoped to develope enough skill someday to build it. So let’s give it a try. I wanted to build the Cheerful next but after building the Sherbourne and the AVS I got a little tired about modeling another single-masted ship. So returning to 1/64 scale - seems tiny in comparison to quarter-scale. The kit itself seems to be of good quality - except for the supplied walnut stripes that look awful. So I may replace that wood. I was also able to get an old copy of the AOTS book related to the Granado that might prove very useful for reference. First thing I did was to build the supplied rack to put the model on during the construction. Then I carefully released all the bulkheads to dry-fit on the keel. -
(Sorry for the mix up, I put it in the wrong category by mistake!) As the lockdown continues here in the UK, I have been steadily working on my Jalouse. Just finished the Ballahoo a few weeks back. Here are some pictures of both. I do hope this log can help future builders of the Jalouse as there seems to be no logs at all on this beautiful ship. Cheers, Tom Here is Ballahoo and the beginning of Jalouse:
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As the master studies finally reach an end (have to bring in the thesis next week) and I will have more time for the numerous hobbies, I have taken up the work on the cutter Sherbourne again, which I bought 3 years ago as a reward for the finished bachelor studies. Now, after three years of ripening I started the kit. It is my first wooden model, and I thought Sherbourne might be a good start, as it is not too expensive. As I forgot to take some pictures of the earliest building steps, I will just show you the current progress. During the first planking of the hull, I built some of the equipment (anchor, gun carriages and the gratings), but I have to admit, that I don't really like those gun carriages. It will possibly happen, that I do them all over again from scratch, as soon as I made a little CAD-drawing. The sanded hull. There are some errors in the 1st planking, but I hope the 2nd planking + whitening the underwater hull will hide them sufficiently. A lot of glue marks on the stern... Will be hidden under red colour I hope. Some pre assembled equipment. As already mentioned, I dont like the gun carriages. Regarding the anchor, I decided to fair the stock on the ends, as found in "Historische Schiffsmodelle" by Mondfeld. So far. As this is a weekend project, I hope I can provide you with more photos of new progress every week. I am looking forward for tips, maybe some encouraging words for a newbie in wood. Most of my modelling experience is strongly limited to plastic/resin kits. -
Hello all Now is the time to start my second build log since I have finished the Americas Cup Endeavour. I am more interested in warships of the age of sails so it feels natural to build Sherbourne as a second kit. The ship is not so big but still has all features of a period ship. The main purpose of this build is to learn as many skills as possible so I can not tell how the finished model will look like. I will scratch and replace many parts in the kit just to learn how to do it. The model will be of darker but better walnut than supplied in the kit. I bought it in a local hobby shop here in Helsingborg and I think it is Amati's replacement wood. As sources for the build I will use AOTS Alert, Rigging period for and after craft and other books that I find fits. I will also pick ideas from Chucks cutter Cheerful and of course from the very nice Sherbournes by Gregor, Dirk, Tony and Kester. I hope you don't mind I follow some of your ideas . Ps, Some of the pictures are to small. You will see the full photos if you click (open) on them.
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Hello - Thought I'd do a smaller kit so hopefully it will not take quite so long. The first steps done with the bulkheads. Next the balsa filler bits bow and stern plus a bit of support for the mast. The ply decking sheet dry fitted so as to lay the central planking with access to trim around hatches etc. It's good to see there are currently other Sherbourne builds going on at the moment so I'll be able to learn what to do. Thanks for looking in. Regards Doug
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Hi everyone! Last week I celebrated my birthday (53rd). From my wife I received HMS Agamemnon by Caldercraft. What a wife I have! To push me a little bit further I have decided to start a build log on my project in order to push myself and encourage others. I know there are so many skilled builders out there. I am perhaps not one of them but maybe I can help others avoiding the mistakes I eventually will do. I am a slow builder. I can be expected to put in 4-5 h a week into the project. The building instructions warns you to expect 1000-1200 h of building joy. With my tempo I will struggle for at least the next five years so be patient and enjoy my quest for the holy ship. So far I have dry fitted all the bulkheads on the false keel as well as lower gun deck and bevelled edges. The garage where I do the building is white with dust which slowly spreads in the house. I have to vacuum clean the garage before the wife retakes the birthday present… Whilst dry fitting I discovered that the upper side of the false keel is slightly banana shaped (not parallel to the bottom of the keel). It has its lowest height in the middle (around main mast) and the height by bulkhead 3 is different from that by bulkhead 14. I first thought this very strange. The height difference from the highest to the lowest point is slightly less than 10 mm. That is 64 cm in reality. Imagine dropping a cannon ball on a sloping floor like that. Sailors will lose their legs! Checking drawing 1 I realized the lower gun deck is bent into the banana shape of the upper side of the false keel. I cannot remember anyone commenting this on Caldercraft’s Aggy. I will now follow the drawings in hope that lower gun ports will be correctly located. Anyone who wants to comment on this? I suppose Caldercraft’s lower gun deck is not an exact depiction of the reality. Kind regards Henrik
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HMS Snake As requested by a user on this forum I will show all the contents of this kit, The other snake builds do not have this it seems. I ordered the kit with some extras (cannon balls, Snake paint set) and a few other things. I will start work on it in a few weeks, Just need to finish up the running rigging on the Sherbourne and make her a display case. All of the fittings are good quality and even the blocks seem to be of highers quality that what came with the Sherbourne. The Caronades are rough looking but the cast is aligned they just need a some work. The bag of copper plates is surprisingly heavy! The wood strips are so much better than what I had on my Sherbourne, they are all well milled and don't look like a dog chewed them. The dowels are mostly strait. The Tanganyika strips are a bit weird as in one side is darker that the other on most of the strips so I will have to keep that in mind while laying the deck. The plans are just huge and there are 7 sheets! The instruction manual is just a few pages though as it is one of Caldercrafts older kits, it's not to bad because it makes you reference the full size plans. The cutouts are one of the highlights I feel. The CNC cuts are good they just have a bit of fuzz in them but I think it beats laser cut char any day. The keel has just a slight bend which will be easily adjusted. Everything else is solid. And finally the paint set plus some extras I bought. I thought they would have been smaller given the price so I'm pleased. -c
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Hi all Got HMS Cruiser from stock clearance sale few weeks ago with really good peice (excuse for Admiral). It has been standing there for weeks now and decided to start with it. My first build was(still ongoing) Terror by Occre. Somehow Cruiser cought my eye with natural finish apperance-i really liked it. Also its advertised as so called simple build, so would be hopefully simple and fast build. So plan is to just sand and varnish it. Maybe paint or stain cannons cause plywood edges are visible. One other reason why i like it is that i seems big. Its little longer than Terror but a lot more wider. About the kit. Box is nice but inside is full of wood bust from cnc. Also the lines are still full of dust. First thing i used vacuum to clean most of it but eouting lines are now hardened and wont come out easily. Cnc part are nicely cut, didnt notice any errors so far. Fitting seem a lot better than Occre. Wood is good quality except planks-some quanitu has quite “hairy” edges after cutting. With little sanding it should come off. Instructions at first seem scary-7 sheets of drawings and few pages of text. Photo instructions make it mich easier. BUT taken into account experience with Terror and also im civil engineer then after checking i realised that drawings have much more info than photo instructions. Only problem is that they are so big-hard to keep them anywhere when you dont have workshop(like me). One problem with instructions is that none of the fittings have markings so it takes some time to find exact one and always double check to be sure. This build will be easier and also harder than Terror. Easier cause not so kany deck fitting but harder vause there isnt finished detail build log. About the start. Dryfitted bulkwarks on keel and they fit like a charm. Very little sanding needed. I also like that its 5mm plywood so it can bare little more handling. Glued bulkwarks to place and used cnc cut deck to position eberything to right place. With the experience from Terror i now look 3-4 step ahead and check how other parts fit also(keels etc). Problems that other builds had havent occured yet.
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Hi, By popular request, I start here with a buildlog from HMS Victory by Caldercraft. Please don't be so strict with me if the one or the other is not so perfect. This is my first ship I am building. I started doing it about a year and a half ago. The bulkheads, the main keeland the middle gun deck are already glued together. Here i painted it black and glued Filler Blocks in place Than i sanded it all To assemble the gunport I built small screw clamps I used small screws to keep the gunport 2 and 3 in position Than i startet with hull planking After sanding the first planking is finished So that the buildlog is not too long today, I'm taking a break. Cheers Helli
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Hello to everybody. Finally started the long voyage. I ordered HMS Victory Caldercraft from CMB and received it just a few days later by UPS, very well packed. I was a bit busy and could not start on it right away. Apart from that I was still undecided whether to install lights on it or not. In the meantime I prepared a rotating board to build it on and did some research on available led’s. I was also browsing HMS Victory Caldercraft builds on MSW. Very nice builds going on, congratulations to Gil Middleton, Seventynet, Rob G, Heinz746, Robert22564 and Dominic. I enjoyed going through their builds and tried to absorb some ideas. So my first decision to make was ‘lights or no lights’. If I opted for the lights I knew it was going to delay the start of my build as I had to do some planning beforehand. After some research on lights available and on builds with lights, I decided to go for it. I think the end result will be worth the extra effort. I sourced small 3mm yellow flickering led’s, candle effect and ordered some of them together with the resistors to see their effect. I dry fitted the keel and bulkheads and literally spent hours looking at it trying to plan how to put the lights in the lower and middle deck gunports. I don’t want the boat to look like the Titanic lit up for its maiden voyage. I decided to put a led in each gunport. I experimented a bit and tried to put the lights in a position where they give a very subdued light, as of course there is nothing to see in the lower gunports, except the dummy rails for the cannons. I wanted to create the effect of a very dim light where the gunports are still a bit dark but you can still see a very dim light with a candle effect. Finger crossed the final result would be what I am hoping for. I also planned from where to pass the wiring for them and for the upper decks. Another thing which was bothering me was the power supply for the lights. I do not want to use batteries as in the future I intend to put it in a glass case and it would be very inconvenient to have to remove the glass case each time you want to switch it on or off. On the other hand I do not want any cables showing coming out of the model. I decided to take out the cables from under the keel and through one of the mountings and base board of a future glass case. I drilled three holes under the keel, two to take the mounting rods and the middle one to pass the wires through. Now that I have visualised more or less how to install the lights for the lower and middle deck gunports I prepared the holes for the wiring in the bulkhead as it is much easier to drill them at this stage, painted the inside of the bulkheads black, and started gluing the bulkheads in place, taking care to have them all at right angles with the keel. Here goes a few images of my working table I prepared and the start of my build. It is going to be a slow start because of the lights. HMS Victory Kit arrived by UPS very well packed. Prepared a rotating working table for the model. Cut a tick MDF board, fitted a tv turntable to it and fixed to the table. The table is on wheels as well. Glued the walnut Stem and the front keelson to the main keel. Prepared and numbered the bulkheads. One of them was not pre-cut properly and repaired. Drilled the holes in the keel for the mounting studs and the hole through which the power will be supplied to the model. Fitted a nut inside the keel to take the mounting studs, and also reinforced the sides of the holes. Dry fitted the structure, sanding and making sure the joints fit without needing to use force. This is the method I used to bend the dummy barrel strips. I steamed the strip in a pot then put it on a flat surface and while rolling a jam jar over it, pull up at one end, repeating this process until the desired bend is achieved. Immagine there are better ways to do it, but for the moment worked fine. Started work on the lights. I cut small squares from a circuit board on which I mounted a led, resistor and a pair of wires. I drilled a whole in each gun port on the dummy barrel strips through which the led’s protruded from the back. This way I did not have to do all the soldering on the model, all I had to do in place was to loop the pair of cable to the next one. Each time I soldered one in place I checked all is lighting up so I don’t find any surprises later on. On the led’s if you switch polarity, it will not light up. Painted black and started gluing the bulkheads to the main keel making sure they are perfectly square. The middle gun deck is only dry fitted for the moment. I have to do the wiring for the lower gun deck first. Installing the lights. The red and black wires are to supply the upper deck lightings, which I still have to plan as I go along. Will appreciate any comments where I can improve, change or am doing any tasks the wrong way. Robert
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Hello everyone With God's help I started building the HMS Victory last week And I told myself that I must to make a build log this time I appreciate any comments and tips...thanks. Michael.
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HM Bomb Vessel Granado - 3rd build My third build I am actually doing in slight parallell mode to my HMS Snake. Both vessels are similar in size and so far it has been quite easy to do something on the first model and then the same to the other. I hope I havent taken on too much since I am also rigging my HMS Victory from Corel. I think the Granado is a really beautiful model with nice lines and also a rather unique look with the huge bomb throwers in the center of the ship. This will be a great addition to my other builds. History According to JoTiKa, 12 bomb vessels, including Granado (the sixth), were built at the outbreak of the War of Jenkins's Ear in 1739. Granado was ordered on September 14th 1741 and the keel was laid on November 18th 1741. Although it is uncertain who designed the Granado, it is commonly attributed to Thomas Slade, the naval Surveyor who oversaw the construction of the ship at Ipswich. Thomas Slade also went on to design famous ships such as H.M.S. Victory. Granado was unusual in that she was designed to be used as either a sloop or a bomb vessel, being constructed with a conventional square stern. Launched on June 22nd 1742, Granado was taken to Harwich, fitted out and put in commission as a sloop.An Admiralty Order on July 15th 1745 was issued 'to fit her (Granado) as a bomb' but this order was reversed on July 17th 1745 and Granado remained as a sloop. It was not until 1756 that Granado was fitted for the first time as a bomb vessel from an Admiralty Order on July 26th 1756. Between the launch of Granado on June 22nd 1742 and her fitting as a bomb vessel July 26th 1756 a number of changes had been made to Granado's configuration as compared to the original Admiralty plans the most noticeable of these are as follows: 1. Two extra 4pdr carriage guns were added (Admiralty order of June 20th 1745) bringing the total 4pdr carriage guns to 10. 2. Two bow chaser gun ports were added allowing accommodation of the extra guns either under the forecastle as bow chasers or at the fifth gunports. 3. The mortars as shown in the Admiralty plans are two 13 inch mortars however when fitted as a bomb vessel this was actually changed to 1 x 13inch and 1 x 10inch mortar. This is confirmed by the provisions list on March 30th 1757 which details 50 large and 50 small shells. Granado remained as a bomb vessel until the Admiralty Order to fit her as a sloop on March 20th 1760. It was during this period as a bomb vessel that Granado was involved in her most active role. On January 22nd 1759 Granado and the squadron under command of Commodore John Moore anchored off Basse Terre. The following morning the citadel and batteries of Basse Terre were bombarded. By January 24th troops had occupied the forts of Basse Terre and Fort Royal, the town had been devastated by fire caused by the carcasses discharged from the bomb vessels. On February 7th, the fleet moved to attack Fort Louis at the entrance to Cul de Sac Bay. The attack began the following day and by February 15 the bombardment ceased with the capture of the Fort. Granado was again converted to a bomb vessel in August 1761 and she remained as such until she was sold on August 30th 1763 for £575. During this period Granado was involved in the action of capturing Morro Castle and El Morro in the West Indies and the capitulation of Havana on August 13th 1762. The kit This kit is one of the newer from Caldercraft and that is very noticable. The plans and instructions are extremily good and way more describing than the HMS Snake. This kit is also has much more parts in it and seams to be much more detailly made. Its a much more complex build and probably not suitable as a first model. The wood was better in this kit however I think Caldercraft makes a bit of false advertisement when they only provide walnut for the second planking while all of the photos they have on this ship is made of a much brighter wood (probably boxwood).
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We all know the same story of the History Lord Nelson and HMS Victory. This Ship kit was not chosen because of the large amount of currant builds, but because of the pure beauty of the ship, and the fact it’s in my home town. I’ll will start this log with the prayer. May the great God, whom I worship, grant to my country and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious victory: and may no misconduct, in any one, tarnish it: and may humanity after victory be the predominant feature in the British fleet. For myself individually, I commit my life to Him who made me and may His blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my country faithfully. To Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend. Amen. Amen. Amen. And so the Log begins:. Mach 26th 2014.the order was given to start the biggest ship ever constructed. Length: 1385mm Width: 525mm Height 940mm Weight 0.015 tonnes Armament 100 guns: · Gundeck: 28 × 42 pdrs · Middle gundeck: 28 × 24 pdrs · Upper gundeck: 28 × 12 pdrs · Quarterdeck: 12 × 6 pdrs · Forecastle: 4 × 6 pdrs Cost approximate £750.00 Stirling Approximately 6000 branches are required and should arrive and arrive at dry dock Ten in Portsmouth on the 3rd of April 2014
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Hallo liebe Community, nachdem ich dieses Forum schon eine ganze Zeit beobachte, habe ich mich entschlossen, nun auch meine Victory vorzustellen. Ich bin noch ziemlich neu in diesem Hobby und habe mir mit der Victory von Caldercraft einen ziemlichen Brocken vorgenommen. Ich habe zwar bereits an einem kleineren Modell geübt, allerdings waren meine Gedanken immer bei dem Caldercraft-Bausatz. Im Dezember 2013 habe ich ihn mir nun gekauft, damit die liebe Seele Ruhe hat. Warum die Victory - ein Schiff, dass bereits 1000 x gebaut wurde? Und das von Menschen, die mehr davon verstehen, als ich. Ganz einfach: ich finde sie schön. Und es gibt jede Menge Fotos - teils vom Original, teils von anderen Modellbauern. Ich habe weder den Anspruch, sie in Museumsqualität zu bauen, noch dem Original in allen Details historisch einwandfrei zu entsprechen. Hierzu fehlen mir die handwerklichen Fähigkeiten, die professionellen Werkzeuge und das Wissen. Ich will sie so gut wie möglich bauen. Und wenn ich auf Fotos und/oder im Internet auf Details stoße, die ich mir handwerklich zutraue, dann werde ich versuchen, es im Rahmen meiner Möglichkeiten umzuseten. Ich freue mich auf eure Anregungen und Tipps. Und los gehts mit dem Rumpf... Moderator translation via Google Translator Hello dear community, after I been watching this forum for quite some time, I decided, now imagine my Victory. I'm still pretty new to this hobby and have made up my mind with the Victory by Caldercraft quite a chunk. Although I have already practiced on a smaller model, but my thoughts were always with the Caldercraft kit. In December 2013 I have now bought it to me so dear soul rest. Why the Victory - a ship that already 1000 x built? And this from people who know more about it than I do. It's simple: I find them beautiful. And there are lots of photos - some from the original, partly from other modelers. I have neither the claim, they build in museum quality, yet the original suit historically accurate in every detail. To this end, I lack the technical skills, professional tools and knowledge. I want as much as possible build. And if I come across photographs and / or the Internet to details that I trust my craft, I will try it umzuseten within my means. I look forward to your suggestions and tips. And there you go with the hull ...
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As I'm slowly approaching the end (or at least the beginning of the end) on HMS Snake, I gratefully received what will be my next installment for my birthday. Don't expect much progress as I want to keep working on HMS Snake as time permits, but I wanted to have the kit in my hands so I can start to do some planning ahead, and most importantly, get my order in for some upgraded wood. I also want to take advantage of the warm weather to get the larger sanding jobs done outside if I can. I plan to take the first planking slowly to avoid repeating errors and to hopefully ensure I can get the lines as close as possible to the plans. I had a great experience with my Caldercraft Snake, and after trying to evaluate other kits out there, decided to stay in the family due to the expected kit quality, interest in the subject matter and availability of aftermarket items. I've been vacillating between HMS Agamemnon and HMS Diana for some time, but what finally swayed me was getting a copy of the AOTS Diana book which I'd like to follow as closely as possible as skills permit. Initial thoughts on the kit and approach: I'm going to build her as HMS Jason, the 5th of the 9 built Artois-class frigates. Don't think this will mean any significant deviations, but I have downloaded the plans from NMM, and there is of course the narcissistic additional interest for me . This will require me to change the figurehead, I have thought through options. While not quite a beautiful as the Diana admiralty models with open quarterdeck rails, I do plan to build her as she was when completed with the build up quarterdeck bulwarks. My reading indicates that most, if not all, would have had this feature when actually launched as it was back in fashion. Wood - The supplied walnut does not look great, not a surprise and this seems to be a (sadly) common factor in CC kits. I have decided to upgrade/change the wood, and will probably go with boxwood for the external hull, and maple for the deck as I'll try to replicate the decking in the AOTS book which Ray so successfully handled on his build. I'll keep the walnut below the waterline where possible to save on cost as this will be coppered . Instructions - Poor, but as expected. I hope this won't present too many challenges, and hope my initial experience on Snake will get me through OK. Copper plates - The CC plates get a bad rap, and I don't think they are as bad as commonly perceived when looking at a completed hull. That being said, I would like to try to replace them with Amati ones which look very authentic if finances allow (on a "cost per year" basis, this is easier to justify given my slow pace) Armament - The HMS Jason plans show her with 6 identical ports on her quarterdeck, suggesting the original 9lb'er configuration. The kit provides a mix between carronades and cannons with differences in the gun port configuration and size. I may change this but we'll see. Quality - Overall, I do like the quality of the kit, CC do provide some high quality parts that are correct scale. Where I know the kit provided items will not be up to it, I'll replace/upgrade those (pumps, blocks, rigging line etc). The keel and bulkheads are very solid. I have plenty more thoughts, but will keep those to myself for now. Onwards and upwards! The box, manuals and part identification Frames and pre-cut parts The wood strips Photo-etch All of the really small bits still in box until inventoried -
Introduction It’s time to attempt something I’ve been wanting to have a go at for a long time. A frigate of the napoleonic era. Having spent a lot of time looking round, I decided that I had neither the tools, the time, nor the expertise currently to complete a fully-framed scratch build. I was drawn by Chuck Passaro’s HMS Winchelsea, not least because I am sure the instructions when they are released will be utterly brilliant and the builds look beautiful so far, however at the time of writing the prototype is not yet completed. Given these factors, added to the expense and difficulty in sourcing good quality wood in the UK, I came back to model kits. I hope to keep on dabbling in scratch building though, and I have a cross-section of Triton underway for that purpose. I wanted to build a model in 1:64, partly because it would give a good contrast to the boats I already have in the house, which are of the same scale. I looked at Victory Models, however, though there Pegasus and Fly models are very handsome in their own rights, I could not reconcile that they were not quite Frigate enough in my mind to fit the bill. Having built two of Caldercraft’s models in the past (HM Schooner Pickle and HM Cutter Sherbourne), I was keen to come back to the same manufacturer, as I have found their models to be rewarding to build, and to have a level of detail that is manageable, but results in great looking models. Sadly, HMS Surprise, though prototyped, has not been released by Caldercraft so that was not an option, though I am a great fan of the Aubrey / Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian. However, Caldercraft do have another Frigate already in their line-up. HMS Diana. An Artois-class Heavy Frigate of 38 guns. Having seen other builds of sister-ships on ModelShipWorld.com, and since I am married to a Classicist, my interest was piqued by the other boats in the class, and I settled on Ethalion – built in 1797. In part because I didn’t really want a scantily clad woman glued to the front of the boat when I finished it, and Ethalion brings the possibility of a dolphin. Once that was decided, it was time to break out google and a some books, and try and track down firstly, who Ethalion was, and secondly some of the history of this particular HMS Ethalion. -
Hello, and welcome to my second model ship build. As I wait on the arrival of some additional parts to finish my Jolly Boat, I though I would get a head start on my next project. As normal, There will be a bit of a preamble before the actual build log, so feel free to skip ahead to the next post. I thought long and hard about my next boat build and decided on HM Schooner for a number of reasons. Some of which are: a) It seemed like a good next build as it isn’t too complicated. b) Double plank on bulkhead construction (Jolly Boat is single PoB) c) As a smaller kit I should be able to finish it in a reasonable time frame (kit instructions say 1 month of evening work) d) Has a deck to plank and deck features to build including Cannonades e) Has slightly more complicated rigging but not too much of a step up f) Some other good build logs for inspiration g) Cheap (came in the same as my Jolly Boat) h) I like Caldercraft kits and have two more to build after this Having other quality build logs to follow really helped a lot with my first build. There are several for the Ballahoo that I have been looking at. I will using these as a reference and source of inspiration. I also learnt a valuable lesson building my Jolly Boat. I like smaller boats. I like the quicker build times and I like having room for them. I can built them in my office inside. Bigger boats may mean a move to one of our garages (which is another story...) I also like the look of a bit of paint. Paint hid a lot of my mistakes in my first build! Don’t get me wrong, I still hope to build Caldercraft’s Diana kit some day and maybe even the victory. But I am fully aware that my skills are a long way away from those dreams. Or the 8000 hours it can take to build one!!! So, here we are. Build number two... -
Testing.....
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Hello. I am comparatively new to modelling. I have made a few kits in the past: HMS SUPPLY by Caldercraft being the most adventurous, however I felt it was time to stretch myself a little and thus I have scaled up to the DIANA model: bigger, more complex (thus new skills required) yet also one that should give lots of fun. I have joined the site and been encouraged to start a build log so that if...when...I become stuck, I can seek advice from members much more experienced than me. This is the aspect I am most grateful for as I will inevitably drive myself up a modelling cul de sac and need help to get out! I have read all of Ray's log which gave an excellent blow by blow account of when he built a DIANA model a few years ago, what an impressive end result and this has spurred me on although sadly some of the photos wont display so I'll have to use my own nouse. I know can't replicate that quality but I am up for the journey; wish me luck as I head out on what will probably take me 18months or so; I have a busy job so have to fit in an hour or two here and there. I have already started so this log skips the first two months of work. 'Here's one I prepared earlier' as they say; I have kept some photos so I will add these int o give some of the back history and then some observations of my approach highlighting the bits that didn't go so well. OK - the first major step was to set the frames and chamfer the edges - first snag was the quality of the cutting which was a bit hit and miss. The team at Caldercraft kindly replaced them all.
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I have had this kit some time. The last few kits I have completed have been more like scratch builds so, especially with the review by Keith Julier, I thought this would be a nice relaxing quick build. Plan is to build, more or less, straight from the box. The Keith Julier review describes this as a new level of kit with no nasty issues described and everything fitting without any modifications required. So we will see. I was expecting a lot of these to be on here but a search has found very few examples. I also searched for Cruizer which turned up a few other examples. Out of interest there was a completely different class called Cruizer. This is my fourth build from Caldercraft. There was issues with HMS Supply so I am hoping this will be different. Kit has the usual set of caldercraft drawings and parts, I can photograph and post these if anyone is interested.
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Hi Folks, Yet another Victory model under way. My kit was an anniversary present (30 years!) from ‘the Boss’. I first became aware of this model through the pre-issue information in a popular monthly magazine but had to dismiss the idea due to its cost. When it was suggested as a possible gift I didn’t need asking twice. The early stages of this build were originally shown on another website that unfortunately had to close down. I think it only fair to point this out as the rate of progress this build log will initially show will not be truly representative. Progress has been sporadic in the least. To be honest it’s taken me the best part of six years to get to where I am now (planking the upper gun deck) – life, work, other projects etc. all conspire to hold up progress. Initial construction was fairly trouble free, with the exception of an asymmetrical bulkhead 15. Dry assembly showed where the problem was so a new one was fashioned from some scrap ply I had lying around the workshop. The next challenge was drilling the holes in the keel for mounting the model later. I decided to insert 1/8th diameter brass tubes, with ply re-enforcement where needed, and to use steel pins to locate it onto a display base (one day!) To do this accurately it made a drilling jig based on a traditional design I use at work. Chamfering the bulkheads was one task I was not looking forward to, and it was at this point I discovered the value of websites such as this. Black felt pen lines on the back edge of the bulkheads that needed shaping ensured that I did not go beyond the profile. Concerned about how the lower ply gunport patterns would bend around the bow I cut a block of timber to fabricate a press forming tool. A card template was cut to match the shape of the bow and this was then transferred to the top of the block and band-sawed. The double cut design allowed both sides to be shaped at once. The ply was soaked for an hour, sandwiched between the blocks and left clamped for a day. The photo shows the result of a test run using waste from the gunport ply sheets. The strips were still slightly damp and pliable when removed from the former 24 hours later. With hind sight this was definitely ‘over kill’ and I probably wouldn’t resort to this method again, but it did the job! Details of my experiences with the first planking will follow…….. Cheers for now, Charter33.
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Hello everyone Are we re-posting everything from start of the project, or from where we are at present contents http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/403-hms-victory-by-kevin-caldercraftjotika-172/ workshop makeover http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/403-hms-victory-by-kevin-caldercraftjotika-172/page-2#entry7118 beakhead chase cannons http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/403-hms-victory-by-kevin-caldercraftjotika-172/page-5
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Hi fellow builders, After 2 years of trying to build the HMS Victory, using the Caldercraft kit I think it's time to show some of my efforts on this forum. I live in Utrecht, The Netherlands, and I regard this as a 10-year project. Building is the fun part, time is of no essence as the fun is much less when the model is finished (speaking for myself). I chose the HMS Victory for several reasons: - The Caldergraft kit is essentially historically correct, although some research is still necessary. - The kit is technically very good, most parts fit without much adjustment - The "original" 1805 Travalgar version of the ship can still be visited in Portmouth and plenty of photo's circulate on the internet, therefore building a historically "correct" model is easier than of many other ships. - Many books can be found on the subject like Longridge, McKay and others. over time I collected a (very) small library on the subject. - There are some build logs of the Victory on the internet of excellent builders, notably Gil Middleton. In some instances my choices differ from theirs, but I will explain my choices as much as possible. In the weeks to follow I wil show the progress so far, which is as far as the 30 cannons on the Upper Gun Deck. Some basic facts about the HMS Victory: The HMS Victory was (and is) the flagship of the English Navy which defeated the combined French-Spanish fleet during the Battle of Trafalgar. Admiral Lord Nelson was mortally wounded during battle by a French sniper, but England won the battle. The HMS Victory is the 5th ship with this name and the largest by far. The ship was ordered in 1758. It is a First Rate Ship with more than 100 cannons. The design of the ship was completely devoted to firepower In 1805 (Trafalgar) ther were: - on the Lower Gun Deck: 30 cannons for 32-pound balls - on the Middle Gun Deck: 28 cannons for 24-pound balls - on the Upper Gun Deck: 30 cannons for 12-pound balls - on the Quarterdeck: 12 cannons for 12-pound balls - on the Forecastle: 2 cannons voor 12-pound balls and 2 carronades for 68-ponds balls(!!) The total length of the ship is about 70 meter, water displacement more than 2000 tons and almost 5500 square meter of sail can be carried. Some other numbers: 40km rope in the rigging, 1400 blocks, 300 tons of "potable" water, 50 tons of coals, 20 tons of wood, 50 tons of beer, etc. Index First and second planking Wales Gunports Coppering Upper gun deck, cannons and fittings Quarter Deck Forecastle Bow Poop Deck Stern Fascia Quarter Galleries Hull details First an impression of the progress so far. I will try not to bore you with every individual bulkhead and plank. Details will be provided on request (of course).
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