HMS Blandford by hamilton - FINISHED - from Corel HMS Greyhound - 1:100

[realworkingsailor]

Well... since you seem to have a good model train store, why not have a look at Preiser figures? At least as a starting point.

 

Grab a Walthers catalogue (Walthers is the North American importer) of have a look here: http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?manu=590&category=Figures&split=30

 

Dafi has used scale figures in his build, and performed some nice mad scientist surgery to make them look like they fit the period... a slice here, a little glue there... tada... Franken-figure...

 

There are even animals and the like, you don't need to stick with people...

 

Andy

[realworkingsailor]

Another thought, if you have a Michaels near you, have a look at the costume jewelry section, there might be something there too that could be useful..

 

http://canada.michaels.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-MichaelsCanada-Site/default/Search-Show?cgid=products-beads&srule=Newest%20first

[hamilton]

Thanks for the tips Andy! I took a look a while back through the miniature figures at the local train store, but none of them really seemed appropriate....I couldn't imagine adorning the stern of my Blandford with a grocer and a guy with a briefcase....some of the child figures might be turned into cherubs I suppose, but I'm not sure the results would merit the effort and cost required......I'll give it some thought....

hamilton

[realworkingsailor]

I know preiser figures are not the cheapest, but I'm of the opinion that if it can save me some time and frustration, then the cost is well worth it.

 

I think you could very easily turn a pair of prancing horses into unicorns to go on either side of the stern lights.

Maybe resculpt some people laying down to look like mythological characters over the lights..

Then have have a look at some costume jewelry, maybe there's something there to go on as some sort of central decoration.

 

Just a thought, anyway.

 

Andy

Edited June 22, 2013 by realworkingsailor

[harlequin]

Hi Hamilton......I used the metal supplied transom, with your permission I'll post a pic of what I did with mine. Anyway your Greyhound / Blandford is coming along splendidly.

Edited June 24, 2013 by harlequin

[aliluke]

Hi Hamilton

just catching up with your Blandford log. Great work and great tenacity on your part to work through problems and make significant improvements. I'm going to get going on Fly very soon - watching you and others has got the modelling juice needs flowing again. Inspiring.

 

Look forward to your updates.

 

Cheers

Alistair

[harlequin]

Hi Hamilton, took the liberty of uploading my transom. I used the hideous metal part supplied and turned it into this. Its by far from perfect but doesn't look too bad.

Edited June 24, 2013 by harlequin

[hamilton]

Wow Harlequin - talk about making a silk purse out of a serious sow's ear! My hands are nowhere near steady enough to get so accurate a finish! I have to carve out some time in the coming week or weekend to trawl through the local pawn and thrift and craft shops of Vancouver to see if I can't find some fixtures that could sub in for decorations on the Blandford...There is still quite a bit of work to do back there - but I needed to take a break from the scratch work and get back to some more straightforward parts of the build - the rails and frame ends/stanchions for the main cap rail...After this I'll move on to the stern again and to the decorative elements....a little worried....

 

My present solution to the decorative elements (using brass bare tree frames at a very small scale) is likely to produce an aesthetically "satisfactory" but not historically accurate result - unfortunately, my strategy for dealing with limitations in my craftsmanship is to pretend they don't exust by seeking out convenient solutions....at some point I will have to overcome my limitations by practicing (a novel idea)....!

 

Anyway, good to hear from you!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Alistair!

 

It's been a while! I'm happy to hear that the Fly is on the horizon - it will be a beautiful model no doubt!

 

The challenges with this build do not stop - in fact when I decided to move to what I thought would be an easy part of this build, I confronted yet another deep structural problem (albeit one that was produced by my adaptation of Corel's kit)....I think I've solved it in a way that is satsfactory to me, but it is essentially a compromise between the limitations of the kit, my attempt to adapt it, and obtaining a result which tends to sacrifice historical accuracy to a minimisation of aesthetically offensive results....sorry if this seems vague - my next update will document what I'm talking about. Anyway - great to hear from you - hope you're having fun down there! 

hamilton 

[aliluke]

Cheers Hamilton - Look forward to seeing the resolution of your next challenge.

 

Fun!? 200 kph (130 mph) winds last Thursday and 9 metre (27 feet) waves in Cook Strait (my new avatar gives an idea of what that's like)!!

 

Enjoy the summer.

 

Alistair

[hamilton]

Yikes, Alistair - I don't think my car goes that fast....try not to get blown away - and watch it on that kayak!!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Hello all:

 

I've now finished the rails (photos later) and though I thought they would be pretty straightforward I found myself having to come up with a compromise between the modification of the kit as the HMS Blandford and the structural aspects of the Greyhound kit as supplied by Corel - more on this later.

 

In the meantime, earlier in this log, I reported on my redrafting of the kit parts list, rigging tables and belaying plan. Foolishly, I did this before receiving the Lees and Goodwin books that I ordered to assist in the build....now I'm at the point where I'm adding the rigging elements on bulwarks, deck, rails and outboard hull. Looking at Goodwin (in particular) it's clear I need to re-do my belaying plan and rigging tables (and ultimately the parts list) to take into account the modifications I'm planning to the kit based on the Blandford.....

 

So the long and the short of it is that after tonight, I'm going to be draw away from the modelling table and back to the drafting board....At least for a couple of days. I don't know how big the job is going to be until I get into it - but I will not feel comfortable proceeding until I've worked out my "road map" so to say.....

 

Anyway, hope everyone is having a good time at the bench!

hamilton

[augie]

I'm sorry about the do-over.  I know you put an awful lot of work into your original rigging plan.

 

Hope the new one is everything you want.

[hamilton]

Thanks Augie - it's actually not that bad - it's about time I revisited this work anyway, since I'm at the stage when it's really going to start to guide my work. This final revision will make it almost like a kit-basher's tool kit for the Greyhound. 

hamilton

[mtaylor]

I think we'll all be looking forward to seeing what you come up with.  No rush.. we seem to be a patient bunch.

[DesertWolf]

The scratch built quarter galleries and transom look fantastic!  What an improvement over the kit parts.  The fact that it was done without detailed plans makes it an even bigger achievement.  Keep it up!

[mobbsie]

Hamilton, that is very impressive mate, I love the innovation with the stern windows, very clever.

 

well Done

 

mobbsie

[hamilton]

Thanks a lot Mobbsie and Wolf! Much appreciated coming from such great craftsmen!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Alright - the last time I updated this log seems an eternity ago! I have not, however been idle (unless you ask the admiral, in which case I am only ever idle...)

 

As I mentioned previously I have completed the rails. I've left off the decorative metal scrolls that Corel supplied and opted for something very simple - and closer to the representations in the Goodwin book. I also had to confront a structural problem that is very difficult to describe but that resulted in a situation where if I had followed the exact scheme of laying the rails as provided by Goodwin I would have had gunports that were 12mm wide and roughly 20mm tall!! Clearly absurd and to be avoided at all costs.

 

Goodwin's book shows Blandford with open bulwarks - the cap rail along the waist establishes the top of the gun ports and should be 12mm above the gun port sills to create a nice square opening. However, given the height at which the quarterdeck and forecastle sit, I could not build the bulwarks up in a way that truly reflected Goodwin's drawing. I might have been able to do this had I anticipated it back when I was building the framework - but that would have involved replacing and recrafting each and every bulkhead in the kit - something I am not equipped to do....so the structural aspects of the Corel kit are, in this instance, inadequate for reproducing the Blandford as depicted in Goodwin.

 

I needed to make some compromise - and what I chose to do was to make sure that the gunports were of normal dimensions. This necessitated making a little "step" in the main caprail both towards the forecastle and towards the quarterdeck. Goodwin shows the main caprail running smoothly from the break of the quarterdeck to the break of the forecastle...mine does not do so due to this unanticipated aspect of the Corel kit....

 

The results are not altogether awful, though they make the ultimate appearance of the vessel less satisfying than if I have been able to achieve the nice smooth lines of the Blandford....

 

Anyways, I'm trying not to get too upset about it....

 

Along with the rails have gone the frame ends in the waist as well as a set of sheave blocks situated in the open bulwarks for sheets and tacks.

 

In other news, I've also completed plotting out the belaying arrangement and re-doing my rigging tables based on information gleaned from Lees and Goodwin - the Lees book is quite amazing and will undoubtedly come in handy when I turn to the Bellona some time in the future.

 

I finally returned to actual building two days ago and have now completed the rigging details on the inboard bulwarks (cleats, kevel cleats and kevel blocks). The kevel cleats are a bit large for scale....but I am not entirely annoyed by their appearance....

 

My next step will be to shape & fit the catheads, add the knightheads and bow/quarterdeck timberheads, fish davit cleats, and some outboard details (ringbolts for rigging elements, fenders, ladders, etc.). Not sure how much I'll be doing in the next week since, though I'm technically "off" for the summer", Fall registration begins on Monday and as a program advisor for my department, I expect to be swamped with emails from anxious students about what they should be doing (should have asked a month ago!)....

 

Anyway, photos follow - hope you all are keeping well and happy 4th of July to our American friends!! Oh - and happy belated Canada Day to all the Canucks!

hamilton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ferit]

Hi hamilton,

The progress looks great, being detailed and painted...

[realworkingsailor]

A nice compromise. You've captured the essence of what the book describes despite the shortcomings of the kit. I still can't get enough of those quarter galleries you built either

 

Andy

[augie]

That's a 'different look' that you've created there blending the kit aspects with the Goodwin descriptions.  My bottom line is that it looks good!  VERY good.

[hamilton]

Thanks Ferit, Andy and Augie!

 

I have to keep remembering that the more the ship progresses, the more the little nuissances tend to fade into the background - not much can be done about the big nuissances (in modelling as in life!) but.....

 

The Goodwin and Lees books have been really great investments - Lees in particular, since his descriptions cover vessels throughout the classical age of sail and can be applied to many a ship model. Goodwin has just helped resolve the ample ambiguities of the Corel kit...

 

Anyway, I'm still wrestling with how to do the decorative elements on bulwarks and transom - haven't had time to follow up on Andy's earlier suggestions, but hopefully will have a moment or two on the weekend to poke around the local hobby and second hand shops for some workable trinkets and figures....I'm trying to delay this as much as possible but eventually I'll have to face it.....for now, more little jobs to do, maybe a rudder...

 

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

hamilton

[Blue Ensign]

Looking good hamilton you're certainly making her special. Love the kevels, I know they are tricky little beasts to make.

 

B..E

[Landlubber Mike]

Hi Hamilton, just wanted to say you're doing a fantastic job on this build.  It's very inspiring as for my next build (the Corel Unicorn), I plan to do a lot of similar kit bashing.

 

Not sure if you finished your transom or not, but one thing you might consider is buying decorative pieces from Cornwall Model Boats - here is the link to decorative pieces offered by Corel that they sell (click on other manufacturers for the decorative pieces they sell):

 

http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/corel-decorations.html

 

The Unicorn kit's transom and stern gallery tops and bottoms are cast metal, bulky and not all that nice looking.  I'm thinking of scratching the transom and galleries, and adding the decorative pieces separately.

[hamilton]

Thanks a lot BE - much appreciated!

 

The kevels were tricky...even though they are too big for scale, they are yet too small for me to have provided a real chamfered head for them...I also wish I'd taken some "in process" shots to document the construction...I can describe it for those interested....

 

I drilled some 4mm holes in 1.5mm x 10mm lime. I then rough drew the form of the kevel "horseshoe" around these holes, cut out the top and filed the inner part down. I then cut the piece out and filed and sanded down the outer edge.

 

For the cross piece, I took some 1.5mm x 5mm x roughly 15mm lime and filed two square sections out on each side in line with one another and positioned for the arms of the horseshoe part. I then trimmed the length on either side to something appropriate and then sliced the strip in half. This left me with two 1.5mm thick strips, each with 2 small sections filed out I then glued one to one side of the horseshoe part and the other to join with it fitting around the heads. Presto! An oversized bulwark ornament!!

 

Anyway, words probably don't do it justice - but they were definitely fiddly little bits to make....thanks again BE for stopping by!

hamilton

[hamilton]

Hi Mike:

 

Thanks for the compliments and for stopping in! The Unicorn looks like a really nice ship - generally I think Corel makes good kits (I've done the Toulonnaise, the Brittany Sloop and the Flattie and all were a lot of fun and very high quality - I also have the Bellona and it looks like a real beauty!). The Greyhound seems to be an exception to the general rule - though even before I discovered the extent of the badness, I'd already decided to bash the kit quite heavily.

 

Thanks also for the tip on CMB - I will check it out and see if there's anything at 1:100 that might work! 

 

I would strongly recommend you have a go at scratch-building the transom and galleries - despite some historical inaccuracies on mine (which you can avoid by being less lazy and more keen eyed than I am) I am much happier with (and prouder of) these results than I would have been had I stuck with the material supplied by Corel. Having said that - Harlequin's Greyhound build is proof that you can make a beautiful model even with a kit as desperately imperfect as this one!

 

Looking forward to the Unicorn and bye for now

hamilton

[mtaylor]

Hamilton,

 

Sweet.. love the open bulwarks.   Line still look great from the photos.  You're still doing Blanchford proud.

[hamilton]

Thanks Mark!

 

Since the last update I've made only a little bit of progress - even though I'm technically on "vacation" the last week and a half has been very busy at work, and the summer has finally kicked in out here in the Pacific Northwest....it doesn't last too long so it's important to take advantage!

 

Anyway, I've now finished up the following little things:

 

1. Catheads, knightheads, timberheads & fish davit cleats - pretty straightforward and not much to note here - timberheads arrayed at bows and along the quarterdeck rail.

 

 

 

 

2. Fenders and ladders outboard - I've had to deviate slightly from the Blandford plans here, since (once again) Corel's kit design does not allow the positioning of these exactly where Goodwin has them....In Goodwin, the outboard ladders are just aft of gun port 6, but I've had to be put just in front of this mark. Because of this I also had to reposition the double fenders which in Goodwin are just forward of gun port 6 - I've placed them rather absurdly just aft of gun port 4....anyway....

 

3. Outboard rigging details - drilled a bunch of holes (for the bowsprit, for the rudder, for a couple of sheave blocks); added a number of ringbolts for the standing ends of sheets, tacks, bowsprit shrouds, main course braces, jibstay tackle....); also the pump dale scupper at midships in the filling strake - a small yet significant detail!

 

 

 

4. The aft hatches and capstan platform - these took a bit of finagling to get to fit (lots of little swipes of the sanding block) but eventually they went in snugly.

 

 

That's it. Only a few photos - but they show all that there is to show - enjoy and take care all

hamilton

[Ferit]

Hi Hamilton,

"Since the last update I've made only a little bit of progress"

Do you say about this update a little bit?!

A big and nice progress...