Le Soleil Royal by jack.aubrey - FINISHED - De Agostini - Scale 1:70

[jack.aubrey]

Monday, May 12, 2014

 

The work proceeds quite slowly. After I've finished installing the ropes to close the gunport lids on both sides now I started to apply the half-barrel guns. . activity much less boring than the previous one. Tomorrow I plan to complete also the right side. 
 
For the installation I built a simple tool that helped me to accurately position the drill to make the hole in the right position into the gumport background. In this hole it's then possible to insert the half-barrel of a gun. . . With this tool it was a mere matter of making holes with the drill of the appropriate diameter. 
The bonding of the half barrels was done using the two-component epoxy glue. 
 
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When I'll have finished installing the guns on the other side I will start the next activity that I think harder and more tedious: the two ropes above the gunport lid needed for its opening. See you soon, Jack. 
 
PS: I've taken these photos with my smartphone: they are significantly better than I did a while ago with the same equipment.  Maybe, after so many scribbles, I start to learn.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[SkerryAmp]

Continuing on quite nicely!  Detail is wonderful!

[jack.aubrey]

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

 

Work on the gunport lids is still ongoing . .
 
Today I fixed the gun half-barrels on the left side, using the same method tried yesterday on the right side. 
After this activity, I started to experiment the mounting of the ropes, on the external side of the lids, that serve to raise them. I think this is the most boring part of this group of activities. For today I have limited myself to work on six / seven doors to find the best method in terms of results but also in search of the more practical execution. 
I tried a couple of solutions and at the end I found what I prefer. For now I will only show three images of how the gunport lids look like once finished. As soon as I have more time I will describe the procedure in detail.
 
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Greetings to all, Jack.Aubrey.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[WackoWolf]

She is Beautiful. Excellent work, the detail is nice and crisp for the eye. Keep the pictures coming. I love this build. Thank you for sharing.

[jack.aubrey]

Many thanks to Wacko, Yves and all the other users that appreciate my work on this model.

Wednesday and today I'm working to prepare for the installation of an air-conditioner.

It's several years that I make plans for an air-conditioning system and now I've taken (or better my wife) the final decision. Here in Italy the prices of this kind of equipment are now four times less than in 2005, when I planned the first time to install them. Good news !!

I'm laying dedicated electrical wires from the electrical meter to the place where the external equipment will be placed: in practice I've to cross all the length of my house . . . good luck !!

Cheers, Jack.

[jack.aubrey]

Friday, May 16, 2014

 

Today I continued to work on the gunports and at the end I managed to finish the entire right side. I thought it was a longer work, however, using the "improved" method, it was smoother and faster. Below are some pictures (taken with the smartphone) of the ship side with all the gunport lids opened. The sight on the side seems to me considerably richer and more crowded with the new details . . 

 

Now that a good deal of work has been done and, above all, I optimized the method of working, I'll try in the next post to list all the necessary steps to complete a port lid like the ones shown, starting from the beginning. 

 

Sincerely, Jack.

 

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[fnick]

Hi Jack

 

Very clean precise work. I love the danish oil finish that I am hoping to use on my Le Mirage build. Looking forward to the tutorial for the gun port lids.

 

Nick

[jack.aubrey]

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

 

I finished all the activities for the gunport lids also on the remaining side. To work on the right side I developed a more practical, quick and "rope saving" method then the one used previously . . . it was much, much better. There are no aesthetical differences but the process was better on everything else.
 
I found also some time to fix the guns, or rather the half-barrels, of the upper deck. These guns are lighter than the same on the underlaying decks and the port lids are here substituted by a golden decoration which defines the outer edge.
 
I would say that 95% of the guns of the three decks are installed: there are now remaining four guns aft and two hunting. Regarding the sixteen guns located on the forecastle and the quarterdecks it is a totally different matter: these are completed with blocks, ropes and tackles. First problem: I need to use blocks of suitable size, similar to the ones used for the guns on the upper deck below the waist. Those provided by the De Agostini partwork are simply "enormous", totally out of scale. I have to find them. I raised an order to a model shop . . 
 
If these missing pieces will become available in a short time I'll probably start working on these 16 guns. If not I'll start working on the bow: head, figurehead, bowsprit, etc.
 
We'll see what next. Regards, Jack.   
 
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Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Friday, May 23, 2014

 

Today I finished the installation of the (half barrel) guns . . . Here below the two gunport lids and guns at the beakhead bulkhead.
 
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. . and here the four guns aft, installed under the lower gallery. Given their "uncomfortable" position it was more complicated to assemble the whole but after various body contortions it was achieved decently.
 
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Sincerely, Jack.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[WackoWolf]

Wow. This is beautiful detail work. Keep the pictures coming and Thank you for sharing this with all of us.

[jack.aubrey]

Sunday, May 25, 2014

 

Closed the guns parenthesis, I shifted my interest on the head and, at the same time, I decided to install at the end of each working session some new decorations. In fact, at this stage there are still many decorative elements missing; but their management requires quite a long time due to the long time needed for the epoxy to harden. So with this strategy every day I will apply something that will be able to harden during the intervals between one sessions and the next one, an average of 20/24 hours. 
 
Pinrails at the mizzen mast. The instructions provide for a different location for the pinrails back of this mast, but honestly, although there was enough space for its placement where indicated, it did not seem to me there was also the possibility of operating it "seriously". So I installed it on the deck immediately above, where its operation should be completely assured.
 
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Installing the bowsprit, or rather the stump of the bowsprit: also this mast must follow the fate of the other three. I think it is coming quite well. To get to the result seen in the two images, I needed two separate sessions: in the first I focused in creating the conditions for properly fix the mast and, at the end, secure it; in the second finishments, painting and fix the ropes that bind the bowsprit at the stem.
 
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Finally, some new decorations attached to the poop: I leave to more willing and eager of you the task (or pleasure) to locate them: once they have been positioned I cannot not touch the model until the next day . .
 
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See you soon, Jack.Aubrey.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[WackoWolf]

She is really a Beautiful ship. You have done her a great justice with the fine detail. Excellent job. Keep the pictures coming and Thank you for sharing.

[jack.aubrey]

Tuesday, May 28, 2014

Tuesday I could not do much more than just sticking some new decorations on the poop. Their position did not allow me to proceed further until glue was dried . . that is, until the next day.

Below the top four support columns, human shaped ? . . I do not know exactly what they represent . . which connect the intermediate gallery with the upper part. The left side has already been completed on Sunday.

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And here two other columns that have the same function between the upper gallery and the intermediate . .

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Finally, while I sat in silence watching the model without being able to touch it, I realized that I glued the two decorations on the transom in reversed order. The horse heads had to be outside while I've fixed just the opposite.
It's a big trouble now because I think it's pretty complicated, perhaps even impossible, to detach them.

Surfing the internet it seems that there is no treatment or solvent that can soften the epoxy glue once polymerized. The only alternative seems to be a mechanical action . . impractical in my case without causing not predictable damage. I'll leave the problem to settle, it will not run away . . within a week or more it will be still in the same place.

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Having nothing else to show and considering now completed the installation of the guns and gunport lids, I feel it's now the right moment to list the steps in the exact sequence used for their assembly.

1) - preparation of the wooden part of the lid; it is a work described some time ago; here it is useful to remember that on these pieces, reproduced in image http://forum.model-space.co.uk/default.aspx?g=posts&t=11962&p=8 October 13, 2012 - Gun port lids", I applied the two small copper bars simulating the hinges with some cyan gel glue;
2) - drill the three holes required to insert the eyebolts;
3) - bond eyebolts with liquid cyan glue; the outer two on the upper face and the center one on the bottom;
4) - glue the gunport lid on the hull; glue used: epoxy for robustness and cyan (gel) for fast fixing;
5) - drill the upper left or right side of the inner wall of the hull inside the gunport with 0.5 mm drill to insert and lock  a rope head;
6) - put the rope through the hole and let scroll it into for one cm. or more; then place a thin brass nail into the same hole; leave a small drop of cyan on the nail head and push it fully into the hole so that the glue holds the nail and the rope together; with a round brush touch up the tip of the nail head in black.
7) - fix the other end of the rope to the center bottom eyebolt, leaving the rope rather abundant; fix the knot with a dash of liquid cyan;
8) - drill the hole for the half barrel guns; to make the hole in every gun-port in the same place I have prepared a template that helps positioning; glue the half barrel, aged earlier, with liquid cyan glue;
9) - now it's the moment of the two ropes that are used to open the lid; first drill two holes of 0.5 mm where insert the rope;
10) - put the rope as in step 6, and then the brass nail, etc; connect the other end of the rope to the eyebolt and run a knot holding the rope taut; consolidate the knot with a drop of liquid cyan and step on the second rope of the lid in the same way.

All this for about 70 times . . I must also say that in order to develop this apparently simple approach I have tried different alternatives but the one here described, in my opinion, is the best.

Sincerely, Jack.

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday, June 7, 2016

 

Since last Saturday I was engaged by homeworks: installation of an air conditioning system and subsequent wall painting of the three "air-conditioned" rooms. Obviously I was not the "main protagonist", it is not my field of expertise, but it was enough to distract me for almost the whole week from any work on the Soleil Royal.
 
I'm currently working on the preparation of what in italy we call "serpi". Unfortunately I do not know the right english term but I hope the images will help. Shortly I'm writing of two pre-cut pieces of plywood of 1.5 mm. thickness. The preparation is trivial, but their installation at first sight has caused me a lot of doubts: the instructions recommend to well soak these pieces and then paste them. Undoubtedly the main problem is "weakness". In addition, you will have later to work for painting and applying golden decoration on the pieces: basically a "hard work". . with several difficulties. . 
I think it would be better to work on the piece not mounted on the hull, apply all the decorations, paint the whole and only at this point apply the resulting, finished piece.
 
In order to use this method I decided to reinforce the precut plywood (of not very high quality wood) pasting with glue a fine fabric on the inside. The idea is to avoid breaking when bending during the final bonding.
 
In the two photos you can see to the two "serpi", the one on the right is the outer part, the left shows the inner part treated with the fabric. On the whole a couple of coats of diluted vinyl and finally a coat of primer: the objective is to harden the wood as much as possible. Will it work ? I hope . .
 
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Finally, I worked on a "custom" version of two decorations located below the poop lower gallery. The decorations supplied by De Agostini are made to be mounted on a flat surface. On my model, unfortunately, this surface is absolutely not flat, so the piece does not fit at all. It seems that the problem is not only mine but many other modellers encountered the same. At the time I evaluated several solutions, which I have already discusse time ago and I don't want to repeat, but today I tried another solution. You can see it in the picture below.
 
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Immage disappeared
 
Unlike the original pieces, in the image pointed by link 04 marked with (2), this is in copper wire twisted and welded which can be modeled on the shape of the surface, and then adapted perfectly. It is aesthetically much more simpler . .  
 
All for today, it seems quite nothing but it needed a lot of time and efforts . . really. Regards, Jack.Aubrey.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Thursday, June 12, 2014

 

While I'm working on the preparation of the "serpi", that I decided to finish before mounting them on the hull (could prove a risky decision but so I decided ..) I work also on other tasks: at the moment I'm finishing the installation of the stern decorations. It is an activity that involves a lot of downtime because the epoxy glue. In fact, only for a few decorations I've been able to use the trick of using a small amount of cyano-acrylate together the epoxy . . for many this was not possible.
 
Here is a roundup from right to left of the stern, almost finished: the poop three lanterns and some other minor details are still missing. Only at the very end I will apply a light coating of oil or transparent paint to hide some few spots of glue that could not be, despite all my attention, avoided.
 
The two statues that sit on either side of the upper balcony should be treated with bitumen of Judea to age their color.
 
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See you soon, Jack.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[Mecheleir]

She's a beauty Jack,very nice work

[WackoWolf]

Dam now that is Beautiful. Nice detail work. Keep the pictures coming and Thank you for sharing this with all of us.

[jack.aubrey]

Thanks to Wacko & Mecheleir for their enthusiastic comments, I really appreciate you like my work. Thanks again . .

 

 

 

 

Friday, June 13, 2014

 

 

Today I finally installed the figurehead. . after . . the usual 24 hours waiting for the glue to polymerize . . Unlike the two statues of the stern, the figurehead has been already processed with bitumen of Judea. See you soon, Jack.
 
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Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[schnu]

I just read trough your build (well not everything, but almost). Are you going to make the whole masts and rigging, because the dipslay case seems a little small for the full rigging. The little boats you made look great, but if you are going to expose them on the side of the ship, wouldn`t it be better if you made all 10 rudders? (Not sure if I informed myself wrong, I only did a quickread of the build and will read it throughout tomorrow.) It looks really interesting

[jack.aubrey]

I just read trough your build (well not everything, but almost). Are you going to make the whole masts and rigging, because the dipslay case seems a little small for the full rigging. The little boats you made look great, but if you are going to expose them on the side of the ship, wouldn`t it be better if you made all 10 rudders? (Not sure if I informed myself wrong, I only did a quickread of the build and will read it throughout tomorrow.) It looks really interesting

 

I understand you may not have read all this topic, but somewhere I wrote that I'll not finish the model with the full masting and rigging.

I explained the rationale but I repeat here: the final dimensions of the model so completed are for me too big to be covered with a practical, manageable, display case.

I prefer to finish the model with only a mockup of the four masts and keep the final dimensions much more small.

 

By the way with this kind of presentation, which was used in a lot of Navy Board Models and other kind of model presentations, there is also the advantage to . . . save a lot of time forgetting all the rigging activities that may be a nightmare . . . personally I don't "love" this job.

 

Regards, Jack. 

[jack.aubrey]

Sabato 14 Giugno 2014

 

A couple on new small details at the poop . . 
 
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While at the bow I've added some "personal" details to improve some small areas near the figurehead. At the moment it is only an initial customization, still in the process to be finalized 
 
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Cheers, Jack.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[yvesvidal]

What a gorgeous ship! And what a waste when you think it is primarily a war ship....

But the King was bleeding the French people in those times, making them starve and suffer while he was indulging in a lot of unnecessary wars on land and on seas. Louis XIV knew how to live grandiosely: Versailles, Le Soleil Royal...and many other things.

Two generations later, the monarchy was no more....

 

Gorgeous Model Jack.

 

Yves

[jack.aubrey]

Sunday, June 22, 2014

In the three images below I want to show the two pieces of the "serpi", and then completely finished ready to be mounted on the bow of the Soleil.

The first two images show the "serpi" in the outer part, while the third shows one of these viewed from the inside, without any decoration and simply painted in blue.

As you can imagine this is not the result of a single work session, but the last of a long approach: it suffices to say that I started working on these details a fortnight ago.

Now it only remains to find the best way to mount them on the bow, which is far from obvious; for example if it happens to break the piece would really be a big problem. As often happens when I don't know how to proceed, I use to leave settle the problem and I'm going to do something else.

A couple of technical details: the decorations provided by De Agostini are bonded with epoxy glue, while the copper twisted wires are glued using cyanoacrylate, the one packaged with the brush. A final coat of clear matt varnish then aesthetically harmonized the whole.

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See you next time, Jack.Aubrey.

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Sunday, June 22, 2014

These days I worked also to prepare the three poop lanterns. Of course, what you see in the pictures here below presented is only the "virtually" final phase of the process. Who has already built for this model these lanterns knows how the whole thing was made up of several pieces to assemble.
In particular, there were two photo-etched elements that had to be folded and welded to obtain a cylinder with openings and a semi-cone on which to fix the other three, metal cast, elements.
To be honest the first two pieces were not prepared to match in measure the remaining three, but with some work with small files I managed to get an agreement with the rest.

However, it was another experience with soldering that forced me to face a total new problem.
In particular, the mass of the pieces in cast metal needed to heat these piece quite well to make tin melting. . while the photo-etched pieces, with a mass extremely limited, tended to make melting tin too early and detach themselves due too much heat.
However at the end I went successful, adding a new experience in this field: how to weld pieces of mass rather different.

The first two photographs show the three lanterns with a couple of coats of metal primer, applied with the airbrush. .

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The remaining show the same pieces with a coat of color, which at this time I would define as provisional, since I have not yet decided whether to continue with goldening or use a couple of other colors, such as blue and red, the colors already present on other details of this model. Honestly, I'm being tempted by the second solution.

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See you next time, Jack.Aubrey

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Friday, June 27, 2014 - The last cannon

 

The first image in this post shows the guns included by De Agostini in the weekly issues of Soleil Royal. Time ago I prepared them painted (the carriages) and burnished (the guns). In a few days they would have had to be installed on the upper decks of the ship. . .
 
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But. . . from the beginning I was not convinced about these guns and I started to perform thorough researches on the internet and in some specialized magazines to find references.

yet. . . I found nothing; this kind of gun seems to be present on almost all models from the Soleil Royal kits but I never found references on other more reliable sources.

An authoritative publication (ANCRE) about a vessel of the same historic age of Soleil Royal shows instead that all the guns available on it were with four-wheel carriages and especially they hadn't the strange shape that seems peculiar of the anti-personnel guns (swivels) fixed on the walls.

So I decided to discard them and use the configuration proposed by ANCRE for the french Ambitieux.

So instead of a single model of gun and carriage I decided to use three types of guns/carriages: eight of greater size (or weight of the ball), in any case suitable to be installed on high decks, four intermediate and four light for the highest decks. You can see the three types in the first image. Of course, the barrels are currently only positioned.

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The eight guns of larger size (brass) . .

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The four intermediate and light (iron cast). .

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In a few days I will probably start the activities to install them in place. Greetings to all, Jack.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday, June 28, 2014 - more details

 

In the meantime, I painted with gold some details that before I just sketched at the bow, this way they are much more remarkable and visible than in natural wood . .

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Even the poop lanterns are now painted in the final configuration, here I have deliberately limited the golden areas because it seemed to me exaggerated if totally painted with gold . .

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In addition I installed some new pin-rails, a little improvisation in the absence of more credible references and above all I have used metal pins (not the ones provided by De Agostini) from my personal reserve fixed to the rail with a thin film of cyano-acrylate glue.

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Slowly I'm approaching the conclusion of this shipyard: the biggest hurdle is the assembly of the "Serpi" and the installation of the poop lanterns; they are relatively risky operations and whom practical implications have yet to be deeply considered. . the risk may be remarkable.
Regarding the guns, instead, it's only a matter of time and, obviously, a lot of patience.
Sincerely, Jack.Aubrey.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[schnu]

I saw that you posted pics of the finished model in the galery, congratulations

[jack.aubrey]

I saw that you posted pics of the finished model in the galery, congratulations

 

Yes, you are right, thank you. They are old models I made many years ago. I started building ship models at about 17 years old and, after my marriage at 25, I had to forget this hobby until I retired from work, in 2006. These are models I made in that period of time. Their main enemy was the dust (and some time a cat), because I did'nt protect them with a proper anti-dust (and anti-cat) display case. Anyway they are still life and were housed at my mother's home until she died. Later I donate them to friends and now they are no more of my property. Only two are still at my home. I'll add them to the gallery in the next days.

 

Cheers, Jack.   

[jack.aubrey]

Sunday, July 6, 2014 - "Serpi"

 

During this week I could not produce a lot, due to multiple commitments to other matters not related to ship modeling. 
 
The major achievement of this past week was that I finally set at bow the so called "serpi". An operation that took me three working sessions spread over three different days. 
 
Day 1: I made two pieces of wood, carefully shaped, applied to the stem support of the bowsprit, exactly in the area where I would have to glue the front side of the "serpi". Their shape is designed so as to maintain the correct angle of the "serpi" in this area and provide a large surface of bonding. 
 
Day 2: I glued the first of two "serpi". The bonding is at both ends and was performed with the two-component epoxy glue. 10 minutes of work and one day of waiting. 
 
Day 3: same operation on the second day with the other piece. 
 
I also worked about some other small details that I will explain in a future post. For the moment that's all . . 
 
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Cheers, Jack.Aubrey.

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

. . continuation

 

A couple of views just in front of the ship, although rather similar . . .

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. . and the decks ready to receive the last guns and the last fitting.

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See you next time, Jack.

Edited September 5, 2017 by jack.aubrey