Soleil Royal by kpnuts - Heller - 1/100 - 17th Century ship of the line

[kpnuts]

Hi all here is the next update.

 

 

[kpnuts]

Hi all here is tonights bit, I've corrected another flaw of this kit There is a big gap in the knee of the head (which according to the experts would not hold the weight of the head and should have been filled with carvings of some sort ) here is the gap

and (since i'm no carver her is my fix, I know its not very elaborate but it fills the hole)

 

 

[mtdoramike]

I'm thrilled for you, because this is beautiful work. I want to ask if you are going to seal the gold leafing? I usually seal it when I finish to seal it and keeps it from flaking off.

 

 

 

mike

[kpnuts]

Hi mike yep I've already sealed it with shellac varnish so it should be ok, thanks for taking the time to look.

[kpnuts]

Hi all here is my next update.

Anchor ropes made and some of the superstructure made

 

 

 

 

 

[kpnuts]

Hi all here is todays efforts. The rear galleries should be open (in fact even on the boxart they are open) so I've cut them out(very nail biting as one slip and I could have ruined them) now I just have to do the floor on the 2 galleries.

[kpnuts]

Hi all here is tonight update

 

 

 

 

Here is the thing they suggest you mount this beautiful ship on

 

 

[foxy]

Lovely work KP mate.

 

I am sure you will find a better stand.

 

 

Frank/foxy 

[Ulises Victoria]

Beautiful. I have this kit in my "will-I-ever-build-this-kit" stash, and always had the idea of doing it and making it look like it was a wooden kit. You beat me to it.

I wouldn't use a too elaborate stand for this ship which might detract the attention to the stand rather than the ship. My suggestion is use the kit's stand, and give it the same treatment you did on the hull. Just my 2 cents.

[kpnuts]

Hi all here is the next update, I wanted to add some detail to the cannons which can be seen so, after a great suggestion from a member elsewhere on how to make them I made some eyelets for the tie down ropes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kpnuts]

Hi all here is the next update on this.

Made a little jig for putting the tie down rings in the same place every time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

yes I know I've missed some painting on the front of the decks but will sort that soon.

[EJ_L]

She is looking good! Very nice job with the weathering on the deck and hull. Gorgeous paint detail with all the intricate designs as well. This is one of the ships I'm considering for my next build after la Couronne. I want to build her in wood so there will be differences but this is a great preview for me. I look forward to watching the progress continue. Keep up the great work!

[kpnuts]

Thanks very much.

[kpnuts]

Hi all here is another update

 

 

[kpnuts]

Hi all well this kit comeso with no anchors for the boats so I've knocked some up, also there are no oars, I've checked a few builds not of the heller kits and they don't seem to have any either, were they stored below decks or should they be there.

Sorry my build rate has slowed so much, but I get some done when I can fit it in and am not feeling too knackered.

[kpnuts]

Hi all well still on this, not much to show, I seem to have lost any skill I had, this is looking so shabby, showed so much potential when I started it, I thought the wood effect was great (I know bit big headed but I did think it was a good effect) seems to have gone down hill since then, sorry.

[EJ_L]

She is still looking very nice. We have all built models that we are not as proud of for many different reasons. Making mistakes is natural and sometimes we also find ourselves in over our heads when it comes to the skills needed. Don't give up. At least not permanently. Sometimes a break can be useful to clear out thoughts or do something less challenging to improve skills or even boost confidence. I will still pick up a generic car model from time to time and build it just to relax and show myself that I can do something awesome when I feel bogged down by the complexities of my other hobbies.

 

Another thing I have learned, though admittedly I do not always follow, is to not compare your results to everyone else but instead only to your work. My dad, who restores classic Mustangs, always says that you are only failing if you are not improving your work. Of course this is coming from a man whose cars constantly win best of show awards.  Still he is right. If I only compared my ships to some of the breath taking work I have seen on here I would have never completed the first one. Heck, I never would have done a second car model back when I was a child as the ones my dad built were incredible. No, I plow on and I only compare my work to my previous work. Every time I see things getting cleaner, more detailed, and the mistakes less glaring I am happy. Of course I wish my work was as good as others on here and perhaps one day it will be. Till then I continue to practice skills, learn new ways and fail. Then I fail again and again till a different result happens. 

 

You are doing good work. I enjoy seeing the updates. I plan on building that ship next. Mine will be out of wood but a lot of the same elements and trouble zones will be there. Your mistakes can teach as much as your successes. Please keep going and your skills will return and get even better and this site will have yet another very nice completed ship to add to it's collection.

[Ulises Victoria]

Nicely put, EJ; I can not add anything to that!

 

Don't give up, kpnuts,

 

Ulises

[kpnuts]

Thanks all for the kind comments, I am at the moment building a 1/16 1934 Rolls Royce Phantom 2, I have stopped all other builds and am concentrating on just this one, I have told myself if I ruin this one I will give up (so far so good) I am feeling my confidence is getting better, we will just have to see, I'm struggling with alclad gold (the kit comes in red and chrome, I've done it green and thought I've seen Rolls done with solid gold on the chrome parts and thought it would go great with the green, but the alclad just keeps coming out looking like gold paint) apart from that, I've added details to the kit and it seems to be looking OK at the moment.

[EJ_L]

I built one of those a long time ago. I think it is in the collection at my dad's house now. Sometimes it is good to take a break a work on something you are more comfortable with. That when I work on my model railroad. Different materials and subject matter as well as difficulty level can like you have said, restore confidence in your own work as well as just simply provide a break.

 

Good luck to you and I look forward to your return!

[kpnuts]

Hi all well since I've finished the Rolls and a 1/8 32 ford I'm tentatively back on this, the first thing I noticed(which when I put it away I didn't was the jib was quite a bit off centre, no amount of gentle twisting would straighten it so I bit my lip and cut it off.

 

 

 

 

 

The guilding on the top rails was rubbish so that's been given another go, still not happy with it but will live with it for now also added a bit more deck furniture.

 

 

 

 

 

Removed some of the wash from the transom sort of better we will just have to see how I feel after I've lived with it for a while, I may still strip it, I'm feeling better about it anyway.

[EJ_L]

Glad to see you back! I was hopeful that your break would help you reset and give you new motivation to continue. Watching yours come together keeps making me want to start my wooden one but I have to wait till after the move. November can not get here fast enough!

 

I've had masts bend over like your jib has on past projects. I've replaced a couple with wood when I could not bend the plastic back straight. Other times I was able to straighten it out using the stays to hold it in place. I have also read an article about running a piece of metal rod up the center of the masts. This only works if they are hollow or if you can drill them out but it seemed to help stiffen them up. I think in your case if it will not straighten out then just replace it with a wooden one. Once painted it will blend right in.

 

Thanks for the update and I look forward to more!

[kpnuts]

Hi all well this is certainly leagues more complex and detailed than any ship I've built not sure I'm upto rigging this, for instance all the pulleys attached it the mast and crows nest, I've barely started on this one mast, I take my hat off to anyone tackling this complex a rigging not sure I will stick the course, I've not found an easy way to tie the pulleys. The 4von this mast took 2 hours and a lot of swearing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kelp]

Stick with the rigging!  You're doing a fine job and it would be a shame to give up now.  Just do a little rigging at a time and before you know it,  you'll have it completed.  Nice work.  I love the deck paint job-looks like real wood.

 

Don

[hof00]

Awesome Build!!

Love the way you have executed the "Timber" finish, fantastic!!

Gold Leaf, what can I say?

 

Just shows what can be done with the right amount of "Wherewithal."

 

Looking forward to more updates.

 

Cheers....HOF.

[hof00]

If it's any consolation, it took me the best part of four years to rig the Cutty Sark. (Much research, Trial and error.)

Used to walk into the "Ship" Room and walk back out if I did not feel or up to the task.

 

Cheers....HOF.

[hof00]

One more thing,

Rig "Aft and up."

Picked this up from "God knows where" but worked for me thus far.

(Braces are different, Aft, Top Down" but you'll get the idea.)

 

All the best and looking forward to your continuing posts.

 

(I'll get the Endeavour revved up soon.)

 

Cheers and Regards,

 

Harry. (HOF.)

[EJ_L]

Rigging is without a doubt the most complicated part of building these ships. The rigging of the 17th century ships even more so. They contain a lot of features that become obsolete in later ships such as the spritsail top mast. All of those blocks and deadeyes you are mentioning do get to be frustrating when you are trying to tie them all in place. Spending 10-20 hours just attaching them to the mast or yards before you even begin to pull your first rope through them is not uncommon.

 

An option to consider if you are looking to simplify the process is to only run the standing rigging. This would be the stays and shrouds that hold the masts in place. You could leave off the running rigging, the lines that move the yards and sails and also leave off the yards and model her as if she was in dock for refitting. This would still leave you with a complete model to display and if you ever felt like adding the yards later you can always do that.

 

Otherwise, practice is about the only thing that really makes it easier and it never really gets easy. There are several good videos on YouTube that show how to tie blocks that may help.

 

Good luck to you whichever you choose to do. Your ship does look really good. I am enjoying watching your build.

[kpnuts]

Thanks for the lovely replies I think this may become a slooow and steady build.

[EJ_L]

Nothing wrong with slow and steady. I've just rolled past 450 hours over almost 6 months and still have a very long way to go myself. However long it takes I will be along for the show. When I start my Soleil Royale this winter it will be nice to know someone else is building her too.