VIKING SHIP DRAKKAR By Jerry - FINISHED - Amati Scale 1:50

[gjdale]

Jerry,

 

I seem to recall that Mobbsie built this model (might have been before the "great MSW crash"), and he used Celtic emblems (coats of arms?) for his shields - just to be a little different.

[Jerry]

Grant,

Thanks for the additional info...The article that I referred to in my above post did mention that the shield colors began to evolve from solid colors to coat of arms and other emblamatic symbols after the 11th century.  But the Draggar dates back to the 11th century so I believe the Viking Answer Lady is probably correct when she mentioned the shields were solid colors.  I really think Mobbsie has a point, however, and that is ...it's the boat owners perogitive to make the shield colors the way he/she wants to.  Thanks again for taking time to respond.

Jerry

[popeye the sailor]

build's coming along great Jerry...`````sail and rigging looks super 

[Jerry]

Hello Popeye....

 

Nice to hear from you and thanks for the compliment.  

 

I'm now trying to figure out how to split the 3mm dowels to insert the paddle part to construct the oars.  The scroll saw blade is too thick and the mini files are also too thick.  I have one thought and that is to hold the dowel in my vice with its end upright and try and saw a cut into it with one of my razor saws.  There are 28 oars to make and I have little spare wood.  But I've been through other situations worse than this so I will just give it a try.  Hope you are doing well.

 

Best,

Jerry

Edited May 31, 2015 by Jerry

[CaptainSteve]

Jerry,

Try wrapping the tips of your dowels in tape (or similar) before you put them in the vise. This should help to stop the ends from splitting.

[Jerry]

Captain Steve....Many thanks for stopping by and for the tip.  I'll definitely try that.

Thanks again,

Jerry

[Jerry]

Good evening everyone....

Another step in the constructon of the Drakkar has been completed today.  I have finished the 28 oars and added a touch of my own to keep track of the seven different sizes.  When the oars were deployed the shortest of the seven sizes were laid out at the widest part of the hull, the center.  Then the sizes were progressively larger as they went toward the bow and the stern.  Therefore when the oars were all in place they all reached the surface of the water at the same time.  To keep track of the different sizes I painted the paddles ot the four oars of the seven groups a different color.  It is really not my intention to put out the oars since the sail is unfurled and the oars will be stored in the two racks specifically designed for this purpose.  A few pictures of the oars construction follow.  By the way, I took CaptnSteve's advice and taped the ends of the dowels so they wouldn't split when I cut them...and they didn't...Many thanksCaptnSteve.   I hope everyone has a great evening and welcome any comments anyone m,ay have.

Best,

Jerry

Edited May 30, 2015 by Jerry

[gjdale]

Nicely done Jerry. Colour coding seems to make sense too.

[Jerry]

Gday Grant.....Thanks for the nice comment.  Good to hear from you.

Best,

Jerry

[Louie da fly]

Jerry, you can find probably the definitive information about the patterns on Viking shields at 

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~chrisandpeter/shield/shield.html

 

The Gokstad ship's shields were alternating solid yellow and black - i.e each second shield was either yellow or black.

 

The main site this comes from is http://members.ozemail.com.au/~chrisandpeter/and has a lot of stuff on the Vikings which might be of help to you.

 

Regarding the rigging of Viking ships, nobody knows for certain, as all that's been found are various wooden artefacts which are probably blocks, and some which MIGHT be deadeyes. Nothing was found in position, no ropes, no sails.  Contemporary pictures also give some indication, but it's really only conjecture and best guess as to what the rigging layout really was.

 

There have been quite a number of reconstructed Viking ships built and sailed, and it's possible a lot was learnt from them as to what is a workable rigging plan based on what was found in the ground. But it's still only educated guesswork.

 

Steven

[Jerry]

Hello Steven..

I sincerely appreciate the time you took to address my concern regarding the Viking Shields.  As you can read from previous posts of mine, I do indeed agree with you that the shields were probably displayed in alternating solid colors.  Yellow and black certainly appear to be colors of choice but according to other authorities  (The Viking Answer Lady, for example) other colors like white may have also been used.  I'm much obliged for your mention of articles where shield information could be found.  I must admit, however, that I have already reviewed the information in these articles and found much about the physical properies of the shields but very little regarding their decoration or color. Many thanks again for your interest and comments.

Best,

Jerry

[Louie da fly]

Yes, unfortunately the information about the patterns and colours on Viking shields is very thin on the ground, as so few shields have bee recovered. Even the colours on the Gokstad shields have now vanished, as the science of archaeological conservation was only in its infancy when the ship was discovered over 100 years ago.

 

And even then, the Gokstad ship was apparently a pleasure vessel rather than a warship, and as far as I know it's the only one that's ever been found with shields along the sides. So did warships have them? Not sure - perhaps the sagas mention them, but even the sagas weren't written down till centuries after the Viking period. The Bayeux Tapestry shows William the Conqueror's ships with shields along the sides, and some contemporary images of Viking ships (at https://www.google.com.au/search?q=viking+ships&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=685&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=cshqVeizJ4_m8AWp7oPIAw )

have them.

 

Really, your guess is as good as anyone else's. All you can do is look at the available evidence and judge for yourself what's right to put on your ship. At least if you do that, nobody can tell you you're wrong . . .

 

Best wishes,

 

Steven

Edited May 31, 2015 by Louie da fly

[Jerry]

Good morning, Steven...

It is interesting that definite evidence is not available to determine the sheilds (if any ) of the Drakkar.  As of now,  I am planning to use three colors, yellow, white and black;  the center or cores will remain copper as will the very outer ring.  I hope to alternate these colors starting with black, then yellow and then white.  There are racks for 14 sheilds on each side of the boat so the 14th shield will also end in black. Who knows, I may nott like what I see after the first application and change it.  And as you have said, where's the proof?  I hope you have had a great Sunday as I realize it's late at night there.  The day has just begun here.

Best,

Jerry

[Glenn-UK]

Nice work Jerry, I'm always impressed with your work.

 

I was on holiday last week but had no time in the shipyard as I had a major project in the garden to complete. Had a weekend away and ended up in a shop which had a large Model zone section so I ended up buying  the new Revell Spitfire 1/42 scale kit - I think they saw me coming!

 

I do like the Spitfire and will be a very easy build. I plan to return to the shipyard tonight.

 

Have a great week

[Jerry]

Good morning (Here) Glenn...

 

Nice to have a holiday now an then, isn't it?  We will have ours starting Saturday.  We are flying to Boston where we board the cruise ship and sail for two weeks through the maritime provinces to Montreal and then back to Boston.  So. I too will be away from the dry dock for awhile.  I am, however, close to finishing the Viking Ship.  I have to paint the dragon head and the shields and mount them.  I also have to add some coils and ties and a base for display.  I suppose I'll have something to look forward to upon my return.  And then????what's next???  There is the admiral's Bounty which she has left alone until returning from the holiday.  We'll see.  

 

I actually remember when the spitfires were flying during the war.  I was about 10 or 11 years old and vividly remember those pot belly flying machines.  I take it that the Revell kit is a static one.

 

Have a great week and many thanks for the visit and nice words.

Best,

Jerry

[Jerry]

Hello everyone..

 

Well, I began building the Viking Ship the last day of April and I'm happy to say that on this first day of June the Drakkar, except for mounting it in a display base, has been completed.  I sincerely enjoyed this build for a few reasons.  Of course I must admit, compared to the other ships I have built, this one was the easiest.  Afer all, in only took about a month to build.  The hull was far from simple but the rigging allowed the construction of this build to go quickly.  I enjoyed the challange of the clinker hull  (lapstrake) since it taught me another method i have never experienced.  When handling the 30 shields I felt as if I was sifting through antique Viking coins and that I was momentarily wealthy; and,  so all in all I'm looking forward to mounting the display and getting on to something new.  I will make one last post after I return from my holiday of two weeks when I hope to have the ship properly mounted.  Here are some pictures of the model with its dragonhead and shields mounted in place.

 

My best to you all,

Jerry

Edited June 1, 2015 by Jerry

[popeye the sailor]

great job Jerry.......she sure is a sweet looking build!   Hey!!!! now I know which end is the bow!!!!!    

[Jparsley]

Jerry have a great vacation Your girl turned out splendid for a simple quick build you definitely made her look like a dream Great job on her and can't wait to see what other magic you start

[Jerry]

Good morning, Lawrence and many thnaks for your visit and complimentary words.  We are looking forward to the holiday and hope the weather will cooperate.  Even though it's June, you know, better than anyone else, that I'd better have some warm clothes with me.  Talk to you right after we get back although i will have the notebook with me in case anythng pops up.  Be good and my best to Bernie..

Jerry

[Jerry]

Popeye...Happy to hear from you and that youi now know where the bow of the Drakkar is.  It takes a dagon to help one decide.  Have a happy day.

Best,

Jerry

[Jerry]

Thanks for the nice sendoff, JParsley.. It's good to hear from you and thanks also for your compliment.  I look forward to another ptoject but have no idea as to what it may be.  I still have supervision duties with repsect to the Admiral's build and I imagine that will involve some time.  Talk to you soon,

Best,

Jerry

[usedtosail]

That is a beautiful looking ship Jerry. Enjoy your vacation.

[Jerry]

Thanks for the good wishes, Tom.  I appreciate your visit and your comments.  We are looking forward to the cruise.

Best,

Jerry

[Jerry]

Good evening everyone and hello from Jerry's drydock...

 

Except for a nameplate which I will make in the near future I am very happy to say that the Drakkar is sitting on its stand waiting for a display cover.  There really isn't more to express than I have in the past except to reiterate how pleasant it is to have made so many friends here on MSW.  I wholeheartedly want to thank Keith again for the accessibility to his log for without with would have made my build much much more difficult.  I also want to thank those who dropped in to comment during the build who gave me much encouragement to press on to the finish.  I have now completed three build logs on this site and I have immensely enjoyed producing everyone of them.  I snicerely hope that someone in the future will be able to use this log to assist them when building another one of these interesting ships. A few more final photos appear here for anyone's perusal.

I wish everyone the

best,

 

Jerry 

Edited June 4, 2015 by Jerry

[gjdale]

Congratulations Jerry on completing another fine build. You can be justifiably proud of your efforts.

[Jerry]

Good morning, Grant..

Many thanks for your visit and for your much appreciated comments.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Best,

Jerry

[Keith_W]

Great work, Jerry. Followed it from start to finish. Thanks for sharing  

[Jerry]

Good morning, Keith..

Good to hear from you and many thanks for your comments.  There's no way this project would have proceeded without having reference to your log.  I checked your site numerous times and sincerely appreciate the ability to see it and learn from it.  I hope you have a great weekend.

Best,

Jerry

Edited June 5, 2015 by Jerry

[usedtosail]

Yes, thanks for sharing this work Jerry. Someday I may tackle one of these ships and I am sure this build log will be most helpful. Congratulations on a beautiful model.

[Jerry]

Hello Tom.

 

Thank you for taking the time to visit my log.  I'm happy that you enjoyed the progress of my build of the Viking ship and now I may have you recipricate.  I've been giving serious thought to making Model Shipways Constitution my next build although I haven't made up my mind.  I have been eavesdropping on your site and I love what you have been doing.  It seems to me that Model Shipways puts out a nice kit.  So, as they say, tit for tat. perhaps.

 

Have a great weekend.

Best,

Jerry