Le Renommee by Ponto - EuroModel - Scale 1:70

[piratepete007]

JP - thanks for that correction. Like you, I am currently building this ship and often struggle with various aspects but revel in the delightful challenge that such a build presents. None of this standard kit stuff - the Euromodel La Renommee sticks its nose out and shows what a slight excursion into scratch building is like. Thankfully there are companies like Euromodel that offer such kits. Their builds are not necessarily difficult but they do make you think and so different builders come up with different approaches... and yes, there will be criticisms because of that very fact of opening up the mind.

 

So let's not hijack this wonderful build - on with the work JP (and again thanks for that honorable correction)

 

Pete

[Ponto]

  After the the drama of my last posting I decided to switch gears and initiate the first planking.  At the pace I build, I need to go back to the drawing board and teach myself techniques and pour over the many resources offered at this wonderful site. The images show my progress  to date. When the hull is filled in up to the gun deck, I will turn my attention to the deck planking and its fitting out.

 

Thanks for looking in......

 

JP

[Landlubber Mike]

Looking great.  The Le Renommee is a gorgeous ship and I look forward to your updates!

[Ponto]

Very neat work JP  I assume you are familiar with this build  http://www.shipmodeling.ru/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5116&sid=1ac3fd793561b00364498ca1112888a1

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

Thanks for the link Nigel. With all my googling, that is one that I missed. I have a couple sources for the finished build but one can never have enough resources for technique. The log  will come in handy as I often struggle interpreting the supplied plans.......much obliged.

 

JP

[Ponto]

While my intent is not to direct anyone from this site, I would recommend the link supplied by Nigel as an additional source of reference........for those interested in the Le Renommee kit, the Russian builder  was quite ambitious and did carve his own ornamentation and spent some time on the kit before completion.  I use the build log often since  for support since the Euromodel  step by step instructions are sparse.......

I promised myself I would tend to the weed "issues" in the yard today but now it is raining so may as  well spend time in the shipyard ... how convenient...LOL......Anyway, here are some progress shots for those interested...........

 

***I recently learned that the waterline is not necessarily parallel to the keel... it needs more than one measurement from the plans and in this case, is "shorter" towards the bow. Also, and it may not be apparent from the photo, I did taper the keel according to the plans,...the width is narrower toward the bow and stern while the bulk of the width is found amidship.

 

Thanks for looking in and enjoy.........

 

JP

[NMBROOK]

Excellent work JP It is the same case with Mordaunt,the keel slopes 17mm in relation to the waterline.Easiest way I found to draw the line was to place a pack the correct height under the bow end of the keel then use the conventional block of wood with a pencil taped on at the required height.

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[Ponto]

"... place a pack the correct height under the bow end of the keel then use the conventional block of wood with a pencil taped on at the required height.

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

Well, I must be doing something right, ...(but only after double and triple checking my initial effort).  While the linked build log took 4.5 years to complete, it's interesting to note that similar challenges were encountered during the initial stages of construction....namely, the suspect accuracy of  a number of the supplied bulkheads. Future Le Renommee builders should be prepared  to address this.

 

After all is said and done, I'm quite sure that no two of these Euromodel kits would end up looking the same,... and I suppose this is a good thing from where I stand. I wonder if this is unique to the Euromodel brand or just a general result of wooden ship models?

 

JP

[NMBROOK]

I haven't come across a kit yet JP that hasn't required some tweeking to the bulkheads.Mordaunts were good but not perfect.I have come to expect not to take things for granted and always check both the deck sheer and fair run for the hull planks.Time at this stage pays dividends in the long run and avoids use of copious amounts of filler if any before second planking.

I do agree that the Euromodel kit style,i.e. lack of a plethora of lasercut parts results in the builder producing a model very individual to them.I concur,this is no bad thing

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[SimonV]

Hi, J.P. Great progress, can't wait too see hull fully planked. I really like her lines  .

If I am honest, I have started on my La Renomme kit a few months ago, and quickly find problems you already mentioned. Problems with bulkheads are easy to solve, what really disappointed me, with such a expensive kit, are hull lines/dimensions on plans which are all different on each plan, not to mention they are also different to actual false keel etc. But I quickly "recovered"  and decided to redraw hull on CAD program and make this project even more interesting  .

I attached image of scanned ribs-hull lines with actual bulkheads. There could be seen major problem with bulkhead nr. 8. and some minor problems with others.

Yes, Euromodel kits are unique and there will be a lot of scratch building (after I complete brig Mercury to gain more experience, especially with rigging).

And yes, even two finished Euromodel ships are not the same. I like that  .

Looking forward to see progress on your La Renommee.

[Ponto]

Hi Simon,... thanks for looking in.  I understand the "issues" with the supplied bulkheads can be overcome with some effort, but, having said that, I'm thinking that I didn't get very good value for what the kit cost me initially.  Compared to my investment on Corel's WVH  ( I caught it on sale) and what that kit entailed, .... I think I over paid for the Euromodel kit!

 

You're definitely correct with your assessment of the plans ,... they are inconsistent and can be quite frustrating. I'll try to keep my gripes to a minimum however, and will not give up on her........stay tuned for my rendition of the Le Renommee   ---- it will be one of a kind!

 

JP

[Ponto]

Thanks everyone for your likes and patience with my rants. The first planking is complete aside from the stern which needs to be buttoned up after some test fitting with the supplied castings. I'm quite happy with the symmetry and the shape along the hull from all perspectives.  At this point, only the gun deck is glued in place and the other decks fit accurately with my preliminary  pin placements. I suppose my next plan of attack is knocking out the  openings for all the fire power.........and then fitting out the gun deck ---- I don't know if there is any advantage to finish the final planking with wales or to complete the gun deck beforehand..............

 

JP

[piratepete007]

JP - I cut out the Gun Deck positions through the first planking (well, a little roughly so as to allow for a fine bit of trimming after the second planking) and then used them to determine the wale positioning, fix that and then on with the second planking. So many do a complete second planking and THEN add the wales over the top. The provided timbers allow for my method which is historically correct and anyway helps with the second planking positioning.

Pete

[Ponto]

On with the Gun Ports....the full scale plans were used as a template to transfer the openings and after measuring and remeasuring (and remeasuring) ...the gun ports were knocked out with straight edges and a scalpel.     The holes were expanded to accommodate the inserts which will eventually allow for final planking and the rebates allowing the gun port lids to open and close.

 

Some preliminary ideas on color scheme are being tested... The wales will definitely be black and I thought the brass cannon set on the black gun port sills might be attractive. Probably  not too authentic but I let that ship sail long ago.....I'm using soft basswood on the gun port sills and debating switching too something a little more  durable... the basswood is easy to work with but not very forgiving and shows every little mishap.

 

 

LOL... still working with the text and image placement --- I hope it all makes sense --- and thanks for looking in.....

 

JP

[NMBROOK]

Excellent work JP I like your prefab gunport linings,I did something similar myself on Mordaunt.The only issue with basswood is it's inherent fuzzyness.You may end up making extra work for yourself when it comes to painting these.Lots of coats and rubbing down to get a satisfactory finish on something that isn't the easiest for access.That is the only downside you may experience,pear or boxwood,although a pain to trim etc,would make the painting so much easier

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[Ponto]

Le Renommee stern  is underway,......after many hours of viewing the plans, viewing endless  related images found in other logs and  those of finished builds, ... and trying to sort out ways to temporarily affix the assorted components,......I think I'm closer to overcoming a hurdle that seems to baffle me with every build.  The supplied castings  are quite well done for the scale but need some planning and a lot of trial fitting and tweaking. The metal is soft and easy  to modify. The following images should help future builders and depict my method of madness........JPattachment=266114:SCALE STENCIL OVERLAY.JPG]

[NMBROOK]

Great work JP I like your methodical approach and also the marquetry deck I dare say,with some careful painting,the castings should look well if you decide to leave them as is.

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[Ponto]

I really like the rich, dark tones found above but some liberties were taken

with the placement and fit of the castings....I'm not too sure if the ornamentation

would have been left floating as depicted and the deck is also cropped at both corners

of the hull..;

 

 

This particular build is closer to the plans offered up by Euromodel......I think my plan is to combine the two

efforts and shoot for something in between.

 

***Links to these builds can be found earlier in this thread.***

 

JP

[Ponto]

 

 

I started a scratch build model of the 1744 version of LA RONOMMEE, which I never completed, but hope to after complete my present project. I used the Harold Hahn version of hull construction, which I find more accurate. The Euromodel cast metal parts on the FALMOUTH East Indianman kit that I am now building, were bulky and difficult to apply to the model surface. I put these metal pieces aside and scratch built wooden replacements. Perhaps, you to will find the same problem with your metal parts, and might have to make copies of these pieces as I did.

 

Montani semper liberi   Happy modeling

    Crackers   

 

 

Good Luck with your scratch build and I'll be sure to follow along when you revisit the build....You're right about the bulky castings and I'll be reducing the bulk  (especially on the railings) before they're finally attached.  I don't  think I have the skills necessary for carving my  own components  and am no where near attempting a full blown scratch build.... but I really appreciate the efforts of those that do.

 

JP

[mtaylor]

 JP,

 

Here's the gallery (rear and side) from the ANCRE monograph if that helps any.  The style of the kit and Crackers wasn't used until about 1770 or so when they became closer to the English style than the French.   But go with what works for you... mon capitaine.

 

 

Edit:  Change date as I had it wrong.

Edited October 12, 2015 by mtaylor

[mtaylor]

If you'll go here:  http://maquettes-marine.pagesperso-orange.fr/renommee/renommee.html  there's two photo galleries.    They did start simplifying things as time went on to more like the English practiced.  That stern that you're looking at JP is not free floating or open like it shows.  That's basically what I trying to point out.  The galleries themselves were a bit more elaborate than what's in the kit.

 

But as I said:  But go with what works for you... mon capitaine.   It still makes a great looking model.

Edited October 12, 2015 by mtaylor

[Ponto]

If you'll go here:  http://maquettes-marine.pagesperso-orange.fr/renommee/renommee.html  there's two photo galleries.    They did start simplifying things as time went on to more like the English practiced.  That stern that you're looking at JP is not free floating or open like it shows.  That's basically what I trying to point out.  The galleries themselves were a bit more elaborate than what's in the kit.

Thanks for the link Mark,...another example of skill on a whole other level. I do believe that the Euromodel kit represents a ship of a different time. These images depict three different takes on the kit that I'm currently working on if I'm not mistaken.

[Ponto]

Looks like it's been awhile,...... but, I have been busy with the build. I 'm fairly happy with the progress on the stern as everything fits to my satisfaction. The planking has been completed below the main wale and I even got to try my hand at some spiling. Some current progress shots to follow .........

 

JP

[Ponto]

Le Renommee update,... slow but steady progress. I'm more or less happy with the build as a whole but unhappy if I focus on specifics (if you know what I mean....). For example, I constantly struggle to maintain perfect symmetry when port and starboard are compared. The minor differences tend to disappear as I step back and appreciate my efforts......

 

JP

[Keith_W]

Welcome back! She's looking good. Although personally I would have painted the metal pieces before installing them. Are they dry fitted?

[ofencer29350]

mark, this picture is one of the famous build from éric lémaillet ,who being world championship two time,

and a friend..

[Ponto]

Hi Kieth,... the castings are secured and will have the black as a base. A gold value will be dry brushed over the high points later. I may pick out the window frame details in a white if I feel steady enough....LOL.

 

JP

[Ponto]

mark, this picture is one of the famous build from éric lémaillet ,who being world championship two time,

and a friend..

.... which "picture" are you referring to...?

 

JP

[mtaylor]

I'm thinking it's one of these from éric lémaillet's webpage:  http://maquettes-marine.pagesperso-orange.fr/renommee/renommee.html The other models are just as stunning.

[Ponto]

Thanks again for the link,......the work is superb!  I'm wondering if Euromodel took some liberties with the stern castings as all the links seem to show varying version(s) .....?

 

JP

[ofencer29350]

i'm sure

boudriot's monography is the real draw...

he took her source on th SHD from vincennes who is the archives of french marine since COLBERT!