Soleil Royal by Hubac's Historian - Heller - An Extensive Modification and Partial Scratch-Build

[shipmodel]

Hi Marc - 

 

I finally got fully caught up with your excellent progress after some time away for life matters. 

Great work on the decorative details.  I can only envy your casting and molding success.  These are skills that I have never mastered. 

I agree with your decision on the capstan.   As far as I know it was a transitional time for this element and either style would be appropriate, but the earlier style is more 'stylish', IMO.

 

I am scheduled for surgery of my own - knee replacement - in January, so we can compare crutches.

 

Dan

[Hubac's Historian]

Thank you, Dan!  Although knees can be difficult to rehab, it is good that you are doing this sooner, rather than later.  In fact, once you have fully rehabbed, you will probably wonder why you waited so long.  To be free of that sort of pain is transformational!

[shipmodel]

At 75 I have survived all of the transformations that I care to.

I'll be happy if I can walk around the block at a brisk, non-transformational pace.

 

D

 

 

[Hubac's Historian]

I have decided to keep my momentum going, and I am currently in the process of designing and making my QD breast rail.

 

In a moment of pre-install vanity, here is the f’ocsle belfry placed:

I wanted to be sure that the scale of the thing looked right, although I did mock-up the main stay during the design process and the top of the belfry is well below it.  With the Louis Quinz model as my reference, I think it looks just about right:

photos courtesy of Marc Yeu

 

Continuing the theme of bringing the outboard details, inboard, I used the main deck level balcony rail as my design reference:

The wonderful part of this hobby is that you are constantly learning and refining technique:

In order to more uniformly draw the three port side lattice frames, I realized I could create a series of reference lines (diagonals and a mid-line) that would help me to layout these shapes in a consistent way.

 

I was lucky that I still had six oval cartouches that I could extract from the kit QGs.  It was necessary, though, for me to cast another name cartouche out of BONDO, which came out with perfect casted detail.

 

The oval cartouches are cast with tiny fleur-de-lis.  On each side of the central panel, I will engrave the central ovals with the crossed-Ls monogram of Louis XIV, while the outer ovals will remain fleurs.

 

Little by little, we are getting there!  Thank you for visiting the build!

 

Bonus - I found this amazing VdV portrait of an unknown Dutch two-decker.  I just love the beautiful silhouette these Dutch ships cut on the water:

 

[druxey]

Your posts always make me smile, Marc!

[72Nova]

It's been quite the journey thus far Marc, the amount of hand fabricated parts in a world of 3D printing is nice to see and has really brought your build to life!! That proverbial light shines brighter upon competition of every detail/phase. 

 

Michael D.  

[Hubac's Historian]

Thank you, Gentlemen.  I am continually amazed by what 3D printing now makes possible, however, I always like the slight irregularities of a handmade thing.  For me, this is the fun part of the hobby; you start out with scraps of sheet plastic, and at the end of it you have a super-detailed breast rail.

[scrubbyj427]

Lovely work Marc! 

[shipmodel]

As always, a great illustration of the powers of observation, innovation, and persistence.

Bravo.

 

Dan

 

[Hubac's Historian]

A number of you have reached out and said a lot of really complimentary things about the work on these railings, and the model in general.  That is very meaningful to me, and I really appreciate it!

 

I do want to take a minute, though, and talk a little bit about process, as there may be people watching along through all of this and thinking “well, I could never do anything quite like THAT.”

 

My resounding reply to anyone who may be feeling that way is that you absolutely can achieve these things.

 

While it is true that I have developed fine motor skills over the course of my lifetime, and they are essential, I think what is often considered “talent” largely boils down to one’s powers of observation.

 

Here is what I mean.  Whether it be 17th Century French warships, or 18th Century American longrifles, or Art Nouveau furniture - to name my three most passionate period interests - I think it is essential to constantly be on the search for previously unknown and increasingly better examples of these things, so that you can better appreciate what constitutes Good, Better and Best (Israel Sack’s guide to period furniture) examples of any given type.  This is why I love scrolling through Pinterest so much.  Every so often, the algorithm sends me a gift of something I had never seen before!

 

More than any other skill that I posses, I believe it is my ability to really home-in on, and scrutinize the details of a thing, that has enabled me to recreate them with reasonable verisimilitude to their times.  I really pore over drawings and photographs for excessively long periods of time, and often revisit them until I understand the details well enough to actually draw them.

 

This has always been my litmus test; when I can finally clearly visualize something in my mind’s eye well enough to draw it in a clear and detailed way - then, I absolutely know that I can make that thing.

 

Perfection is never my goal.  All aspects of this model, or anything I have made, are slightly irregular.  What I am trying to achieve, though, is the uniform application of my powers of observation, in concert with my dexterities to the object in-hand.  In other words: I am committed to maintaining a certain standard of execution.  The more contemporary models you look at, the more you will come to realize that they all have in-common these slight irregularities of shape and proportion.

 

This is why the project has carried on for as long as it has. Soleil Royal is a magnificently complicated vessel, and I have endeavored to include as much of that detail as I reasonably can.

 

The QD breast rail is emblematic of this process.  When you really study it, you can find all manner of a-symmetries:

However, as with painting, it is my habit to work an individual panel, for example; get it fretted pretty close to where I want it to end up; regularly flip the work from front to back to make sure I’m not cutting out of square; and, finally, to come back and re-work each panel so that they are as consistent as I can make them.

 

The secret to all of this is just time.  I enjoy the process, so the enormous amounts of time I spend whittling away don’t really matter too much.

 

In closing, all of these things you see me doing were learned right here in the process of making THIS very model.  My skills have improved tremendously over that span of time.

 

These things are achievable.  You can do them too, and the process of learning to opens doors to what you are capable of within the hobby.  You are suddenly no longer constrained by whatever kit manufacturers deem profitable enough for manufacture.

 

Thank you for indulging my reverie.

 

All the best,

 

Marc

 

Edited Thursday at 08:03 PM by Hubac's Historian

[druxey]

Very well articulated, Marc. While I agree with all you've said, I have to add that you have to have the will or drive to want to achieve whatever it is that pulls you.

[Hubac's Historian]

I am in total agreement, David.  If it feels too much like work, then you probably won’t get there.

[dvm27]

Also, for some people it is all about the building process while, for others, it is about completing as many ship models as possible during our short time here. Both approaches are equally valid and everyone gets to follow whatever path they choose.

[Hubac's Historian]

100%, Greg!

[Kevin-the-lubber]

9 hours ago, dvm27 said:

Also, for some people it is all about the building process while, for others, it is about completing as many ship models as possible during our short time here. Both approaches are equally valid and everyone gets to follow whatever path they choose.

I’m so glad you said that Greg, it makes me feel so much better about the paucity of finished models in my workshop! Clearly I’m a process man. Marc, that lovely discourse, coupled with something you wrote earlier, makes me think of very fine Persian rugs. I was once told there is always at least one mistake in there, even if it’s deliberate, because it’s that slight irregularity that gives the piece life. That’s one thing I don’t like about my 3D-engineered objects, but at least there are opportunities to breathe life into things through the painting.

[wefalck]

12 hours ago, Hubac's Historian said:

I think what is often considered “talent” largely boils down to one’s powers of observation.

To this I would add 'patience'. Patience and to be content with stepwise progress (and sometimes set-backs) is the key to success - as you demonstrate all the time.

[Some Idea]

Marc what a great post  - for me it's about enjoying the journey in all of its forms.  The end of the journey for me just means I cannot work on my favourite subject anymore even though hopefully I have crafted a decent enough ship.