HMS Victory by paulb - Caldercraft - 1:72

[Heinz6672]

Thank you so much for that fantastic video!!!!

 

[paulb]

Thanks Graham and Heinz, it's a pleasure.

Time for an update of the Poop Deck.

Time-consuming work, but fun doing it.

 

First I spent some time figuring out what the flag locker looks like. Fortunately "HMS Victory, 1765-1812 (first rate ship of the line) Owners' Workshop Manual by Peter Goodwin, has many nice pictures, one of them showing the locker:

I like the Roman numbers, probably indicating where the signal flags were supposed to be stored. They used the Popham signal flags, each flag signifying a number from 0-9. 

Another feature is the covering of 4 holes, where the outer transom knees appear.

 

This is my version of the locker, flags will follow:

 

The overview of the Poop Deck shows a few modifications from the manual:

- the timberheads (the ones that stick out) should be round, rather than square, and should have a sheave.

 

- in between the inner transom knees, at the bottom, there should be an extra piece of timber, holding the flag mast. 

- the outer edge of the Poop is constructed in a certain way, which is not very clear from the manual:

 

This is the original. The edge of the Poop runs straight, but the moulding runs from the quarter round edge aft and upwards to meet the Poop edge behind the deadeyes.

I tried to (sort of) copy this structure:

 

Next: the skylight. Contrary to the manual, the skylight has a rounded roof, which follows the curve of the deck: 

 

As you can see I added 2x2 sheaves in the Mizzen Topsail Sheet Bitts. This required 2 newly made bitts from scratch, as the original ones were too thin to accommodate the sheaves.

 

Then the fire bucket assembly. The Poop Deck Barricade Rail follows the curve of the deck. 

I followed the suggestion of Gil Middleton and first glued the buckets to the decorative beam. The beam provided by Caldercraft is hardly decorative, and is too short (it fits between the Poop Ladders).

 

Originally the beam runs along the whole Poop plank sheer, as one can see here:

I know, it is risky to compare the original ships with macro's of the model. Please ignore the dust.

 

The buckets were made brownish with Krick Brass Brown fluid. In some pictures on the internet the buckets are brown, in others black.

I used decals to put the King George Monogram on the buckets. The yellow was completely transparent on the decal, so I put a bit of yellow paint on the bucket, and then put on the decal.

 

For the fire bucket handle I used two brass eyelets and 0,25mm black rope.

 

Finally I glued the Poop Ladder Assembly in position.

 

Next chapter is the Stern Fascia.

Edited January 17, 2018 by paulb

[paulb]

 

 

I was not happy with the clumsy skylight which came with the kit, and so weren't some of my Dutch forum friends.

Decided to make one from scratch.

I made a small cage from 3x3 and 2x3 walnut. On top strips of 0,5x3mm.

The window frames I made from styrene, which I painted black, the skirting are styrene as well, painted brownish.

 

The window frames on top I made from photo-etch scrap material.

 

 

 

And some merciless macros.

 

 

 

[zappto]

Beautiful scratch build, always nice to give own touch!

[Rich.F]

Great work so far look forward to updates

[paulb]

Stern Fascia

 

Thanks for the nice comments.

Later than expected an update,Rich.

 

I finished the work on the Stern Fascia. Lots of details, especially the trophy of arms.

 

Let's start at the beginning: fitting the window frames.

I followed the suggestion of Gil Middleton: "Placing the windows from behind (opposite from instructions) gave much better definition to windows."

Therefore I cut out the rabbets at the back of the sheet (the non-exposed side):





The result:





Global painting:



And painting the loose ornaments

and gluing them:



Next: painting of the Trophy of Arms : roughly the black and white:



and more detailing



and gluing:



The black rectangles between the window frames are cut from styrene strips and painted black. This gives well defined edges.

I decided to copy the HMS Victory as good as possible, so I included the striped black/yellow pattern on the sides of the stern fascia



I used 0,5mm styrene strips, and painted their sides in the right colour:



to get this effect:



The end result: 







About some details: some edges above and below the baluster patterns have been thickened with quarter round strips. This gave the whole thing a bit more body.
Additionally I included 4 eyelet below the baluster patterns. You see them on the present HMS Vistory.

Next project: the quarter galleries

Edited March 20, 2018 by paulb

[paulb]

Quarter Galleries

 

The quarter galleries indeed. And I thought the bow was difficult...

I started with the starboard gallery. It was only now that I realized the lower three window frames were sloping up towards the stern.

 

After doubting for a long time I decided to cut out the lower windows, and refit them, starting on the port side.

 

And refit this panel and redo the strips and paintwork 

 

 

Now the same process on starboard.

 

The gallery on starboard has also been changed

 

 

Edited February 28, 2019 by paulb

[mort stoll]

hi paul,

 

just discovered your build log - very impressed - and having just completed the diana am about to start on the caldercraft victory. question about the stern fascia. you built the entire piece on your work table and then glued it onto the stern?

 

thanks,

mort

[mort stoll]

hi paul,

 

i have a question if you can recall. on 3/23/16 post #2 are parts # 105 and 106 the stern inner and outer extensions even with the ends of the gunport patterns #270 etc? they appear to be and I would think they would be.

 

thanks,

mort

[paulb]

HI Mort,

I'm glad you like my build. Unfortunately I can't find yours on MSW. Would like to see it.

About the stern: yes, the stern fascia has 2 blades, the first one is mounted quite early in the process.

The outer fascia I prepared completely on my work top, and then glued it onto the inner one, but I added some styrene strips to mimic the striped pattern on the sides.

If I understand your 2nd question correctly: yes, the rear edge of parts 105 and 106 are flush with the gun port patterns. In that way the inner stern fascia remains straight (as does the outer one).

I hope this answers your questions.

Good luck with your Victory project!

[mort stoll]

perfect, great thank you.  did not do a build log for the diana. if you send me your email in a pm I will be happy to send you some.

 

thanks very much,

mort

[Kevin]

stern gallery looks very different with see through glazing, where as i used PVA Glue

[paulb]

Hull details

 

Next are the side entry, with steps, the fenders and chesstrees.
The painting of the side entry port was a nice painting job. I covered the passage with walnut.
The steps were somewhat of a hassle. It was only now that I found out that the lower gunport pattern was placed too far towards the stern, No idea how that happened. Anyway, I had to shorten the steps to make them fit nicely.
Another problem was the distance between steps. In order to get the right step near the side entry I had to make the distances of the lower steps a bit bigger than the upper steps. Unfortunately the elm tree pump tube lining was not in the black section.







Also the fenders can be seen here.

The chesstrees serve as a protection of the hull when lowering the anchor. In the Caldercraft kit it is curved on the outside in order to follow the curve of the hull. Both McKay and in the original Victory the outside is straight, so that's what I did. Additionally I noticed that in McKay and in the manual the chesstree butts up against the underside of the waist capping rail, unlike the situation on the original Victory. I decided to follow McKay.



I included a sheave to accommodate the tack.







Next: the port side 

Edited February 28, 2019 by paulb

[paulb]

I have to make a correction, following some discussion on Kevin’s log. 

The chesstree has nothing to do with lowering the anchor but has a sheave for the main sail tack, which then passes through a sheave in the hull, and then to a giant cleat on the gun deck. 

Apparently the forces on this tack were enormous, and the chesstree was therefore very heavy. Fortunately I have included all the appropriate sheaves😅

[mort stoll]

hi paul,

 

the hull steps I think look fine. the entry port is nicely done. where did you get the sheve.

keep up the great work,

mort

[paulb]

Thanks Mort.

I bought the sheaves on-line in Holland: but I guess you can find them in any good shop for ship modelling.

 

A small addition regarding the chesstree: I found this picture on a Dutch ship modelling forum. It confirms what Frankie mentioned: the chesstree is mainly, or purely, a fairlead for the Tacks (chesstree is halsklamp in Dutch, eeuw means century).

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2019 by paulb

[mort stoll]

thanks very much

 

mort

[Patrick Haw]

A lovely build Paul.  I shall keep referring back to it as I get back to work on my own Victory build after a few years off!  Thanks!

 

Patrick

[Harry Anderson]

I so hope someone reads this.

Name is Harry.

New at all this.

Please let me know the correct way to post any questions I may have on a Caldercraft build of HMS Victory.

Essentially just started and have completed the 1st planking, filled, sanded, and smooth.

Do I really have to install walnut over the 1st planking if I intend to apply the copper plates?

Or, does the 2nd planking begin where the 1st ends and proceed upward.

Confused, and would appreciate guidance.

I can't really tell from the excellent pictures whether it's 2nd planking over the 1st or if the first was just stained to match.

Thanks in advance.

Harry

[Chuck]

You should really start your own build log where folks can see photos of your progress and comment on any questions you might have.  Be sure to read the topic on how to start one of your own.  That is the best and easiest way .  Welcome to the forum.

 

See here...

 

 

Chuck

[paulb]

Following almost one year of relative inactivity (in terms of building the Victory☺️), things have started again.

First the channels and chain plates. 

The channels are lined with styreen half rounds and the studding sail boom bracket and support are fitted as well as the channel support brackets.

 

 

It is important to observe the direction of the chain plates and the dead eyes. The chain plates have to be lined up with the shrouds. Also the dead eyes should be rotated in the right position: the eyes of the lower dead eye (fitted now) should be positioned directly opposite the eyes of the upper dead eye (the one which connects to the shrouds). In that way the forces of the shroud will be evenly distributed. By putting a thin ribbon from the position of the lowest top over the dead eye the direction of the chain plate and the position of the eyes in the dead becomes clear.

 

 

Edited January 30, 2020 by paulb

[paulb]

Then the gun port assemblies.

I finished the lower gun deck gun port assemblies on the starboard side.

First I had to thicken part of of the gun port lids in order to follow the thickening of the wale, when closed.

The gun ports lids are all different that way.

The gun port lids of the lower gun deck have scuttles. The hinges are glued on top of a veru thing piece of styreen to indicate the scuttle.

On the inside of the scuttle there is a latch, to keep the scuttle closed. I used two eyelets and a short piece of brass wire to mimic this.

 

Before fitting the gun ports, I glued the rigols in place, after blackening them with brass black.

 

According to the manual one is supposed to glue the upper end of the hinges directly unto the hull. This I found less appealing because there is no knuckle to be seen.

I decided to use a bend nail and glue it to the hinge. Then it was just a matter of drilling two holes in the hull, and glue the pins in place.

The gun port lids shown are from the middle gun deck.

 

 

Then the ropes to open the lid; two for each lid. Or are they called chains??

To mimic a splice I followed the suggestion by Middleton.

I thought that just drilled holes in the hull to pass the rope through is not historically correct.

Therefore I punched styreen rounds to mimic the disc on the hull of the real Victory, and, using 0,5mm silicon tubing used in recreational angling, I mimicked the protective tubing.

 

 

Edited February 7, 2020 by paulb

[NateB]

Wow, this is amazing!I am defintely gonna be following this build from now on! What a great log, love the real photos, gives someone like me who has never even been on a ship something to see in comparison. 

[Robert29]

Good to start seeing your beautiful work again Paul.  My progress on the Victory is still a bit behind you so its very interesting following your log.  

 

Robert

[Icelandman]

Just want to say WOW!  Absolutely stunning.  Congratulations.

[paulb]

Thanks Nate, Robert and Mr Iceland. It's been a while, but it's getting colder and darker in Holland, so there is some progress on the Victory again.

 

First the guns. Or actually the dummy barrels. The challenge was to get them all at the same height, and level.

I made a small metal jig, width of the gun port, with a hole at the right height. I put the drill bit through the hole, after fitting a spirit level on the drill.

 

This is the result: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next the rudder.

Following the advice by Middleton, I raised the notch at the back of the rudder, in order for the spectacle plate to be above water level.

 

 

Fortunate I had a picture of the actual rudder in Portsmouth, allowing me to copy some details.

 

 

Above the spectacle plate there are two pieces of metal, one against the rudder, the other separate and rounded on top. I added those as well.

 

 

Additionally I added 2 eyelets on the spectacle plate to accommodate the chain.

 

Coppering the rudder.

 

 

 

 

After doing all this I realized that if the front edge of the rudder and the rear edge of the stern post are both flat, and flush against one another, the rudder has no way of turning (that is, in real life). A close look of the real rudder shows that the front edge of the rudder is pointed. That make a lot of sense. I decided to cut the front edge of the rudder and make it more pointed.

 

 You can see it here on the finished rudder.

 

That left me with fitting the hinges and rudder straps on the rudder itself. The straps on the hull will follow. I used small nails, used for model train rails, for the straps.

 

 

Cheers, Paul

Edited November 1, 2020 by paulb

[tracey odd]

hi paul where did you get those decal for the buckets thank's

 

[paulb]

Hi Tracey

I took an image from the internet, photo shopped away all colours, and replaced them with brown and yellow only. Then I printed it several times on decal paper.

Maybe the following attached image helps: 

 

 

[paulb]

Gradually I am moving to the completion of part 1, the hull.

First the rudder: attaching to the stern post. I made sure the pattern of the copper plates continued on the rudder.

This, however, although visually appealing, may not be historically correct.

McKay draws the plates like this: 

 

 

No relation between the plates of the hull and those of the rudder. However, I leave it like this. The damage may be bigger than the correctness.

 

 

 

 

 

The rope between the chain and the mizzen channel serves to operate the rudder in case the original steering mechanism fails. 

 

 

Lashing of the hook and seizing the rope.

 

 

The rope is too light to "hang" nicely. I inserted a very thin, easy to curve wire in the rope. I guess that did the trick.

 

Paul

 

 

 

 

 

 

[paulb]

The anchors.

 

This took quite a bit more time than anticipated.

 

First smoothing the surface of the metal.

 

 

Then gluing  the stocks, with the anchor in place. This leaves a very small gap between the two halves of the stock, which, according to Longridge, is correct,

Next fitting the bands. I used heat-shrink tubing (used in wiring). It helped a lot to achieve a tight fit.

 

 

 

Gluing stock to anchor, and several coats of dull black paint. 

 

 

The rings with black thread as puddening and white extra's.

 

 

 

 

 

And the finished product:

 

 

Note the simulated rivets.

 

Paul