Posto di Combattimento by bryanc - Panart - 1:23 - Battle Station

[puckotred]

On my first build I blackened all the tiny PE hooks (20 of them I think) in one go. I spread them on the cutting mat and took a cup of coffee. Then I forgot all about them and cleaned up the workspace. The next day I discovered I had brushed them all in the garbage while cleaning.... My kids learned a lot of so called powerful language that day. I had to order new from England and wait 10 days for them...

[cobra1951]

On my first build I blackened all the tiny PE hooks (20 of them I think) in one go. I spread them on the cutting mat and took a cup of coffee. Then I forgot all about them and cleaned up the workspace. The next day I discovered I had brushed them all in the garbage while cleaning.... My kids learned a lot of so called powerful language that day. I had to order new from England and wait 10 days for them...

 

:o

[donrobinson]

Hate when that happens......the boat gods need to be fed once in awhile too

[bryanc]

Hate when that happens......the boat gods need to be fed once in awhile too

 

Yes your right, a sacrifice has to be made to those gods once in awhile. There's no chance I can get under my freezer so the gods have possessed them!

 

I'm only reassured others make the same occasional blunders as me :-)

[bryanc]

Another update as things are proceeding apace, and without any major trauma (there I go tempting providence again!).

 

 

I’m relatively pleased the fitting of the gun port lids didn’t cause the usual head banging on table that they usually do. Probably because of the larger scale involved, things proceeded relatively calmly and according to plan. I’m admittedly beginning to regret my decision regarding the ladder, but only because I elected to place it on the wrong side. As it is whichever way it faces it’s going to (theoretically) foul the brace. But that’s only a minor detail really.

 

 

I also shouldn’t have used the thicker black thread for the port lid rigging, and I don’t really know why I did. I even had to fashion new pulley blocks to accommodate it! I think I perhaps wanted to make sure it could be seen easily, given the trouble it took to do it!

 

The cannon are complete but not yet in place as there are lots of small “incidentals” to create and put in place. The table and benches are now under construction, and of course sooner or later I'm going to have to decide just what I do regarding the upper deck planking. Obviously the plan proper is for only a few more planks than I have already completed, to "reveal" the deck beneath. But in reality of course it would be completely planked over. I can sense a compromise approaching...

 

Bryan

[cobra1951]

Gun port lids look great

[bryanc]

I just thought I'd better do a quick update as things are nearing completion! This is likely to be the penultimate post on this build log.

 

 

Added the stairwell and stanchions to suit (all bashed as they don't appear on the original build). I think I've made them a tad too large a scale, and, as mentioned before, in retrospect I would have positioned them on the opposite side of the model, and conceivably facing down the length of the build, but they serve the intended purpose well; adding a little more interest.

 

New from last time are the fittings on the inner hull; table and benches, porthole lid inner rigging, and shelving etc. The latter did have additional fittings (to stop things falling off as the ship hit heavy swells), but they looked ungainly so they went.

 

 

The last additions are the hammocks and the shot racks (there is an additional rack still to be added). The hammocks were really awkward to assemble - talk about sticky fingers - and in my case extreme sniffles as I was obliged to use superglue! In the original plan, its intended two hammocks were to be left "open" whilst two tied up. I decided they looked best all hanging loose.

 

 

Yet to do; fit the cannon, already built and rigged, fabricate and position all the cannon "tools", and fabricate all the barrels and sundry deck fittings (which are probably going to tax me as much as anything has!). Finally decide exactly what I'm going to do with the upper deck planking. For reasons I'll explain later, I tend to think I'll create a sort of "cutaway view". Not the best solution perhaps, but one forced on me! (Sorry to be so cryptic, all will be explained). 

 

One thing has become obvious; what a pleasure it is to work with a kit which is complete with good instructions - OK so the plans contradict the manual sometimes, but that's still infinitely better than no instructions at all, as with my last build.

 

 

Bryan

Edited October 30, 2016 by bryanc

[Keith_W]

Wow, it's so realistic. It gives me the feeling I remember when I walked through HMS Victory. 

[cobra1951]

Nice job Bryan

Those hammocks are definitely a bit of a pain, mostly because of the folded edges making them stiff

The reason the plans and booklet differ is the plans are from the original kits, when they did an update they added the booklet but did not change the plans to reflect the changes they made, but it all works out in the end as you have found

[bryanc]

Wow, it's so realistic. It gives me the feeling I remember when I walked through HMS Victory. 

 

Thanks Keith, now that really is the best compliment anyone could make! I'm envious you have had the opportunity to walk through the Victory for real, something I hope to do one day!

[bryanc]

Nice job Bryan

Those hammocks are definitely a bit of a pain, mostly because of the folded edges making them stiff

The reason the plans and booklet differ is the plans are from the original kits, when they did an update they added the booklet but did not change the plans to reflect the changes they made, but it all works out in the end as you have found

 

Thanks Bob, yes those hammocks really did cause some grief, but it was worth it, they add a lot. Sadly I now realise why the outer set of hammocks were folded; I assume they will foul the cannon tools when they are fitted. I should have realised. If I can get away with it I'll leave them, but I suspect they will have to be folded.

I didn't realise that's why there were the few discrepancies between the plans and the manual. That would explain it. As you say though, they could all be worked around.

Edited October 30, 2016 by bryanc

[aviaamator]

I am sure that it would be better to use an array of pear instead of plywood, like in this project...

Edited October 30, 2016 by aviaamator

[cobra1951]

Thanks Bob, yes those hammocks really did cause some grief, but it was worth it, they add a lot. Sadly I now realise why the outer set of hammocks were folded; I assume they will foul the cannon tools when they are fitted. I should have realised. If I can get away with it I'll leave them, but I suspect they will have to be folded.

I didn't realise that's why there were the few discrepancies between the plans and the manual. That would explain it. As you say though, they could all be worked around.

 

I hung my hammocks on the 2 hooks furthest away from the cannon tools and i made the ropes a bit longer so they hung lower away from the gun port rigging. That way i was able to leave them all in the open position as the look better to me open and they did not foul the tools

[bryanc]

Thanks guys.

 

Praise indeed Paul re. the ladder, considering it was your work I pinched the idea from! Again the larger scale make things like the ladder that bit easier, but I am pleased with it.

 

I take your point(s) guys regarding the hammocks. Some ideas to bear in mind for other projects. I might just get away with it (hammocks not fouling the tools too much) but we'll see. Currently struggling rigging the cannon - especially on the "inside"!

 

Thanks again.

 

(BTW has anyone come across any similar large scale kits? I'm really loath to move back down to a much higher (lower?) scale again! There's a 1:90 waiting in the wings which I'm frankly not relishing. I may have to investigate building from scratch, but fear I'm just not skilled enough).

[Keith_W]

I may have to investigate building from scratch, but fear I'm just not skilled enough).

 

Don't sell yourself short! Judging by the quality of what you have done here, you are totally ready for it. 

[cobra1951]

No 2. on his list are Breaching ropes

[bryanc]

Hi Bryan

 

Rig the cannon up outside, then juts move it into position and hook it up. My method, 

 

1. Put cannon in position desired, I staggered mine

2 Measure Canon rope ends  that go around end of cannon ( no idea what is called yet and make sure they are same length. Add the hooks to the ends

3. take out cannon

4, Make up  tackle and  put  pulleys and ropes on cannon Put it back and place in final position

5. I glued it into place PVA on wheels

6 Hook ropes over hull hooks with tweezers

7 Hook loose  tackle onto hooks , and pull tight,

8 glue tackle rope ends  to floor in desired position ( no coil on rope)

9 repeat other side,

9. Make up fake coils and place in postilion on rope.

10 Done.

 

Thanks paul, I had already done most of what you suggest, apart from the fake coils. Now that is one to remember!

[Mike40]

The deck planking looks great Bryan including the pencilled tree nails and the outside planking too. Putting aside purist thoughts, the tree nails do look nice. When I was a kid my parents bought a new house that the builder was originally intending for himself. The beautiful wooden floors were all ebony pegged looking much like your model, and as much as we all admired them my mother wanted wall to wall carpet. 

[bryanc]

Finished!

 

Well this last post took infinitely longer to appear than intended, but to be honest I’ve deliberately dawdled over the last couple of weeks, partly because I’ve enjoyed the build so much and was reluctant to admit closure, but mostly because I have no new kit to move onto! Well, that’s not strictly true, I have the Occre Santisima Trinidad Cross Section waiting in the wings, but I fear it will be waiting for some time, as I’ve little or no enthusiasm for beginning another tiny scale kit (1:90!) after the pleasures of working with a wonderful 1:23 scale. It’s the greater detail I so love as I’ve said before. And it’s adding, and embellishing, that detail that has made this build so enjoyable – frustrating at times of course, but that’s part of the enjoyment!

 

 

But finding another, similar kit is proving near impossible, and believe me I’ve scoured the Internet! One option is a scratch build, but I genuinely doubt I have the skill set required, at least not yet, and anyway haven’t a clue where to start; finding plans, working out the methodology etc. etc.!

 

But, onto the build details of this one;

 

 First to explain the “cutway” view mentioned cryptically earlier on. The original kit design is simply to leave the upper deck planking incomplete, so the lower deck is completely visible; fair enough, when the majority of the painstaking detail of the kit is on that lower deck. However I wasn’t comfortable with it, it just strikes me as unreal, so I’ve compromised, and laid the upper deck planking in a way that left “cutout” views of the deck below. (Note this is not an original idea, an Ian Lawrence – ianlawrencemodels.com, did the same thing).

 

 

Another reason for doing this was my coup de grace; a “real” flickering lantern illuminating the lower deck! To disguise the installation of this required more timbers above it than the plans allowed for. I had the idea of doing this almost as soon as I saw the kit, it’s almost begging for it. The completed model now even has a push switch, hidden beneath the upper deck grating! Again I knew I wanted all this, but was clueless on how to achieve it, and do have to acknowledge the invaluable help offered to me by Jennifer Smith of jsminiatures.co.uk who provided me with exactly what was required.

 

 

I’m hoping to be able to post some videos showing this in all its flickering glory – it’s really impressive – but I’m not sure if the forum can facilitate this. I’ll find a way if not. I have however posted some photos which give an idea.

 

 

The cannon were already assembled and rigged, it was just a matter of fitting them in place, awkward, but that’s to be expected. Then all the deck furnishings, barrels, sacks etc. (Those barrels and buckets! Assembled stave by stave, they took weeks in themselves). The table fell out during one tricky fitting operation, and I took the opportunity of embellishing it further before replacing it. It now has plates on it (square of course) and little mugs!

 

 

I think the last thing I worked on was the rolled up hammocks placed inside the netting on the upper deck. Only a few hammocks were catered for in the plans, but I decided to fill the entire length of the deck netting with them, as would have been the case in reality. The netting incidentally proved very tricky, and I’m afraid it does look a little tatty in places. It ended up being made of muslin cloth after I spoilt the original supplied netting, and I’m not sure the muslin was the right material.

 

But there she is; imperfect, and a tad tatty in places but in an odd way, all the more authentic looking for all that.

 

Bryan

[bryanc]

Videos

 

I should just mention I did a couple of videos, primarily to show the wonderful flickering lantern light! Sadly it fails miserably to do so, obviously flickering lantern light is best viewed in the dark, but videoing in such lighting conditions is near impossible, at least with the primitive kit I've got. They do give a vague impression though.

 

However I've gone on to post them both on YouTube. They are quiet novel, and even quite atmospheric, but do note they are not intended to show my modelling prowess, which would be very difficult to do!

 

You can view them following the links below.

 

https://youtu.be/4WlGBJXbNUE

 

https://youtu.be/Mgi9B5m1JPc

 

Thanks

[cobra1951]

Nice little build you have ended up with Bryan   I like the upper planking idea you went with, still lets in enough light to the lower areas.

The light is a nice little touch as is the details added to the table,

Nice creaking sound affects on your videos too :)

[Keith_W]

Great work! Perhaps you could do a Halloween version, with blood and severed limbs everywhere  

[bryanc]

Just to show I’ve not completely dropped off the radar I’m tentatively showing what I’ve been up to whilst desperately searching for a new large scale cross-section kit; the Mantua French Carronade - here

 

I've established there are no further large scale "cross section" or "diorama" kits currently available, or if there are I can't find any. Which really only leaves the "scratch build" option. I'm prepared to have a go, but am concerned one really needs to expensively tool up for such an enterprise, which isn't easily done.

 

As an introduction I am tentatively looking at NRGs "Battle Station" - yes, yet another battle station, but scratch built, and which should be a more gentle introduction to scratch building. Plus there are a few build logs of it on here, including the excellent  NRG Battlestation by Doc Blake here