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

[Hubac's Historian]

Alright, so this settles it for me.  Super simple, and this two-color application produces a nice transitional effect.

 

I applied the grey in a dabbing manner for a mottled appearance:

Once this enamel wash was dry, I applied a thinned-down coat of the  ver-de-gris, blow-dried the surface, and then applied a few successively heavier coats, drying in between.  The body gradually becomes a deeper green, towards the tail.  As long as I could still see the grey mottling beneath, then the effect would work:

I finished painting the rest of the figure, and now this looks like the thing I was after:

EJ, I can’t thank you enough for steering me in the right direction.  I’m going to prime the actual figurehead and I’ll get busy painting it.  I had thought I could paint after installation, but it is exponentially easier to paint before, and touch up later.  I’ll have to touch up, anyway, when I re-attach the knee extensions.

[popeye2sea]

I like the look of your tack fairlead.  Looks like a perfectly reasonable holdover from an older style.

 

Regards,

[EJ_L]

Beautiful figurehead! That is exactly what I had envisioned as well. She will look majestic at the bow of your ship.

[Hubac's Historian]

So, I was just surfing around, as I often do, and I found this diorama gem of the Heller kit:

 

I thought this might be a fun opportunity to play “HOW MANY MODIFICATIONS?!”  

 

Whomever can accurately identify the most kit alterations/additions (even if technically wrong), will have their likeness modeled as Tourville, on my model - to the best of my ability, in 1:100.

 

GAME ON!!

 

Side note: personally speaking - this is a fabulous model, and only a very few things jumped out at me as “huh?”

 

I love so many things about this model - particularly the sails!  How often does a modeler successfully represent a furled sail?

 

2nd side note:  deviations from standard paint orthodoxy count!

 

[PietFriet]

Including the positioning of blocks I go for 37😁.

[Hubac's Historian]

Ha! - Rigging is my weak spot.  I may ask you to substantiate that.  Then again Piet, or should I say Tourville?, you may win by default, if no one else ventures a guess.  

 

I will say that the rig looks mostly correct to my, as yet, untrained eyes.  The glaring exception is the triple gammoning.

 

This will be the first model that I am trying to rig in a fully authentic way, and will be referencing Popeye2Sea’s log quite a bit for that.

 

One can see, though, just how dramatically improved the model is by cutting her down to the waterline.  This builder did not even opt to raise the waterline, which helps even more with the impression of stability.

[shipmodel]

Hi Marc --

 

No guess as to the number of different structure/detail/rigging choices I might have made.  There are a bunch, though, especially if you count each individual gunport lid.

I tip my hat to Piet for even trying to quantify them.

 

As for rigging, the book by R.C. Anderson, The Rigging of Ships: in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast, 1600-1720 (Dover Maritime) , available from Amazon for a few bucks, was a godsend when I was rigging the Sovereign of the Seas and the Queen Anne's Revenge.  He presents not only the basic English style, but also shows how French {Continental} practice differed.  I took it a page at a time and tried to understand each line before moving on to the next.  It was slow going, but working from the gammoning up and aft it was doable.

 

If I haven't said so before, that figurehead looks great.

 

Dan 

[Bill Morrison]

Marc,

 

I love what you did with the figurehead!

 

Bill

[PietFriet]

Ok, this is probably the point where I have to admit it was a fairly wild guess.

In a previous life I worked as a conceptual engineer and if somebody asked for a number, I got them a number! I would worry later about substantiating.

So Marc, I fully accept not being selected as the winner. It was an honour to participate🙂.

[Hubac's Historian]

What are you worried about Piet?  You’re still the front-runner!  I’ll give it til’ Sunday, 12 midnight, EST.

 

If no one else responds, then you’re the Man!

[mtaylor]

7 hours ago, PietFriet said:

Ok, this is probably the point where I have to admit it was a fairly wild guess.

In a previous life I worked as a conceptual engineer and if somebody asked for a number, I got them a number! I would worry later about substantiating.

So Marc, I fully accept not being selected as the winner. It was an honour to participate🙂.

 

Wasn't that called a "SWAG"?  Scientific Wild A** Guess?

[popeye2sea]

On 7/23/2020 at 9:57 AM, Hubac's Historian said:

Ha! - Rigging is my weak spot.  I may ask you to substantiate that.  Then again Piet, or should I say Tourville?, you may win by default, if no one else ventures a guess.  

 

I will say that the rig looks mostly correct to my, as yet, untrained eyes.  The glaring exception is the triple gammoning.

 

This will be the first model that I am trying to rig in a fully authentic way, and will be referencing Popeye2Sea’s log quite a bit for that.

 

One can see, though, just how dramatically improved the model is by cutting her down to the waterline.  This builder did not even opt to raise the waterline, which helps even more with the impression of stability.

 

Well I guess if you are planning to reference my build for rigging details I better get cracking on it. 😲

 

Regards,

[ClipperFan]

This is a spectacular vessel. Thanks for sharing. As for counting modifications, I will leave that to the professionals. I can say though, that it appears there's only one guy on that entire ship! 

I too agree that your beautiful reinterpretation of the figurehead is a welcome change to standard use of gold. In light of both the kaleidoscope of natural colors revealed by Wasa and the incredible, possibly wasteful use of genuine gold leaf in mass quantities, this approach is probably more accurate to the actual ship. Restrained use of Gold leaf actually heightens impact better.

[Hubac's Historian]

You’re in plenty good shape, Henry.  I have some main deck line leads to figure out (if I remember correctly, you already addressed this topic in your build) for the main tacks and sheets, but it will be a longtime before I advance beyond that point.  It will be cool to make use of the chesstrees (sp?) that I added to the upper bulwarks.

 

CF, I totally agree with you about restrained use of gold - that is, indeed, my strategy.

[Boxbuilds]

Marc, 

I am new to this thread. I saw your pieces on carving and admired it so much that I copied it and created a single doc that I can use as a reference. Hope that's ok.  

 

The artistry demonstrated in this topic is about the best collection I've read. I am working on Sergals SR.  I have completed the planking. I am framing the insides of the lower 2 lines of gunports.  So I am not too far. I have had a bevy of challenges and I think this topic will give me better insight about approaching the next steps. 

 

I thank all all of you on this topic for sharing your experiences and expertise.  

 

John 

boxbuilds

[Hubac's Historian]

That is more than okay, John.  I am gratified that you are getting useful insight from it all, and I really appreciate the kind words.

 

I am happy to help others, as so many, here, have been extremely helpful to me.  In large part, that is what this hobby is all about.

 

You should check out EJ_L’s fine Soleil Royal build.  I believe it is also the Sergal kit.  EJ chose to make all of the ornaments from scratch and he made a fabulous first effort of it.  

[md1400cs]

Mark,

Parenthetical question - one of your images above shows a sail with a hole in it, as in the image below. Certainly you would know why this was done. Any thoughts? - my guess is to make the sail "flap" less hmmm....

 

PS: Can't give credit to this amazing example - found in Google Images, with no credit - though it was from a builder in the UK.

 

[Seahawk1313]

Hello,  Looks like the Spritsail,  I believe the "hole" was to help drain water out of the sail.- Hal

[druxey]

That's true, but seen at a later time when the steeve of the bowsprit was less steep and the foot of the sail was much closer to the water.

[md1400cs]

Thanks mates - 

[Hubac's Historian]

I did not know this.  So, Druxey, is it incorrect to show this sail detail in the latter half of the 17th Century?  The bowsprits of French ships, at this time, are pretty steeply raked.

[popeye2sea]

I think it would be safe to include it for SR.  The steeve of the bowsprit actually got lower over time so that the area for the jib sails got larger.  The spritsail was gradually superceded by the jibs.  For most vessels that carried spritsails the sail probably took on water.

 

Regards,

[druxey]

If the foot of the sail is about 5' 0" above water or more, I doubt if those holes were necessary.

[Seahawk1313]

Hello- 5  feet above the water isn't much in a rough sea,  been there, done that- Hal

[popeye2sea]

5 ft sea is only a moderate to fresh breeze.  Easily spritsail weather and a good wave can soak the head.

 

Regards,

[Hubac's Historian]

Given these reasonable arguments for keeping the spritsail holes, and given that Lemineur shows them in his monograph for the St. Philippe, I would be inclined to represent them for this time in 1689.  There’s a good chance, though, that my diorama won’t have the spritsails unfurled, so it is a moot point for this model.

[Hubac's Historian]

I’m enjoying a very pleasant and relaxing family vacation in Dennis Port, Cape Cod.  I was close to finishing up the amortisment crowns, so I brought them with me.

I had to simplify the design a little bit; the fleur-de-lis are really tiny, so while the design calls for three, I found I could only really make a good relief for the central one.

 

I’m also attempting to layout the trailboard, but it is difficult to reliably draw something so complicated onto styrene - the pencil skates across the surface.  Even if I don’t come up with a polished design, I can at least work out the rough parameters, while I am away.

 

Once I get home, I can layout the final onto vellum, photocopy it and then transfer the design to the part.

 

The layout hinges upon the aft-most fleur, which is centered between the gammoning.  You can appreciate, now, how the scale of the fleurs increases, as you move forward - this, owing to the tapered space between the knees of the head.  Although, I would prefer to have three fleurs, I think that I will be hard-pressed to make that look good, in such a small space.  I feel that a better impression of the original design, in this case, supersedes absolute fidelity.

 

I can eventually align one headrail supporting timber with the aft fleur, but I won’t upset myself if the forward fleur does not neatly align with a headrail supporting timber.  The Berain/Vary portraits show the headrail supports in-line with the shells, but that arrangement would mean that the fleurs are mostly hiding behind the gammoning.  As a symbolic decorative element, it seems to me that the fleurs should be the most visible, and so, I have chosen to reverse that arrangement.

 

As is sometimes the case with this modification project - the mere inclusion of missing details (trailboard, headrail supports) is an upgrade, even if they can’t be realistically rendered as a unified whole, where everything is in its proper place.

[Louie da fly]

I haven't checked this build for a while.You've made tremendous progress in the meantime. I particularly love the paintwork on the figurehead!

[Hubac's Historian]

Thank you, Louie!  Just wait until you see the actual stem/figurehead; the paint work in that really is the best of my ability.  In particular, there is a greater depth of grey-shade on the white portion of the horse.

 

This looks so good, IMO, that I have decided that the four continental figures will be done in this fashion; grey-shaded white flesh with gilded vestments.  The Four Seasons figures will have natural flesh tones with gold leaf vestments, and possibly silver leaf washed with translucent green for the foliate head-dresses.  I’ll have to see what that looks like.  The Pixies will have natural fleshtones, gilded hair and bellflowers, and the same mottled green/grey tail treatment that I gave the figurehead.  If the silver base/green wash effect looks good, I can use it for some of the smaller ornaments of the frieze.  We shall see.

 

I glued-in the stem before I left, and now need to get this trailboard patterned and carved, so that I can continue constructing the head.  I did a little more rough sketching, last night.  I’m close!

 

As always your interest and support are greatly appreciated!

[Hubac's Historian]

The stem and figurehead in place:

This is the trailboard layout that I have arrived at:

I find that it is much easier to neatly draw something on vellum because you can mark-out reliable reference lines, and the paper has tooth.  You can also erase easily and forever on vellum which, in the case of something like this, is extremely helpful.

 

My layout of the Berain design was going very well until the foremost section, in front of the big fleur.  The essential problem is that Heller threw a wrench into the design with the way that the tail of the figurehead resolves.

 

In Berain’s drawing, the tail resolves between the knees of the head, and fully forward of the trailboard lattice:

Perhaps because Tanneron did not address the figurehead or the trailboard, Heller took some creative license.  The Heller tail resolves mostly below the trailboard, but the upper lobe of the tail intrudes into the trailboard space in a very inconvenient way.

 

This small semi-circular intrusion is a design disrupter!  Rather than attempt to continue the lattice in an unsatisfactorily asymmetrical way, I chose to take a little creative license, myself.

 

To my mind, leaving the space open and unsupported would not make any structural sense.  I considered adding one larger shell to this forward space, but there was no way to do that without it looking grafted on - an afterthought.

 

Ultimately, I chose a year marker for the rebuild - not because it is plausible historic convention, but because it adds something of historic relevance and context to this particular depiction of Soleil Royal.  I employed a similar rationale for the inclusion of the motto banner on the lower transom.

 

The statement, however imperfectly, that I am trying to make with this model is that these Berain/Vary portraits represent her refit appearance in 1689.  And so, this will be my time-stamp signature in the trailboard.  Also, numbers have a wonderful malleability for filling odd spaces.