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

[Hubac's Historian]

Welcome, No Idea!  Thank you for taking the

time to read through my build.  It was a slow-starting project, but now things are starting to come together.

[Bill97]

Marc I bookmarked your SR build and am enjoying reading about your build now that I have the Heller SR in my stash for after the Victory. Once I get into it I am sure I will look to your build for advice. 

 

Sorry to to hear about your dad. I understand completely as my family went through the same experience with my mother just a few years ago. 

[Hubac's Historian]

I appreciate the thought, there, Bill.  It’s difficult to watch someone’s mind disappear, yet he seems happier in his new home than he has in years.

 

I’ll follow your SR build whenever you get around to starting it.  As with Victory, the rigging is the daunting aspect.  RC Anderson is the best resource for figuring out all of that, but the biggest question is where, exactly, all the belay points should be.  I’m not convinced that Heller’s series of individual belaying posts is accurate.  It seems more likely that running lines were sheaved through a block, at deck level, and then belayed to either kevels on the bulwarks or cleats on the deck.  The St. Philippe monograph is also an excellent resource for figuring all of this out, but the rigging plans require close study to understand what is what.

 

Fortunately, I can kick that can down the road just a little further, as I still have plenty of exterior structure to deal with.

[Bill97]

You are so right Marc about your dad. I always thought it is much harder on the family than it is on the patient. They are happy in their mental world. Fortunately for my mother, if I can say that, she passed before she got real bad. I wish the best for you and your family as you deal with this. Hopefully retreating into your modeling from time to time gives you periods of respite. Hang in there my friend. 
 

On a happy note I will look at the new SR instructions and see what their belaying point diagram looks like. 
 

Bill

[Bill97]

Marc I pulled out the new Heller box instruction book for my SR. Attached are a couple pictures showing the belay point diagram and a Table of Roping. Does the diagram look any better than what is in the old instructions?  Looking at the table I am not sure if I understand it. I can see column 1 is the line number, column 3 is the thread length, and column 5 is the thread diameter. No idea what columns 2, 4, and 6 are. Instructions don’t say. May have to email Heller and ask unless one of my great friends here on MSW can figure it out. Of course a long time before I approach this. 

[Hubac's Historian]

Thank you for the new instruction notes on rigging, Bill.  You will see what I mean, eventually, about the single-post belay points.

 

The process of making new decks is somewhat complicated by the fact that the centerline reference for the line of the masts does not neatly correspond with the width of the decks, at any given point, owing to the hull distortion discussed earlier.  I make perfectly scribed half-patterns that correspond with the centerline of the masts:

 

 

 

Above, the deck length is over-long for the time-being.  Below, you can see how adding width extensions to the beakhead bulkhead resulted in a slight concavity that the deck must scribe to:

 

 

Here, you can get a sense for just to what degree the early bow extensions increased the width of the hull:

 

 

I use the stock decking to find the new scribe for the bulwarks, since the profiles are reasonably close; it only takes a little re-shaping to get the pattern right.  I then transfer that profile to my cardboard and refine each half until it is a perfect scribe.  

 

As a side-note, the painting on that kit deck was part of a tech demonstration I did for the 2018 NorthEast Joint Clubs demonstration.  I was showing how I wash and weather these two different base coats to arrive at the effect seen on the model.  The darker brown would be what the pristine, freshly painted deadworks would ordinarily look like.  The color is referred to, by the French as Ventre de Biche, or belly of the doe, in English.  The lighter tan is the base-coat for my decks. 

 

Here is the new deck, before layout and scribing, with the foremast properly located:

 

 

There will still be a mast plate and mast collar to follow, but the opening for the mast is, for now, as tight as it needs to be.

 

Little by little, we are getting there!  Thank you for the likes, comments and for looking in.  More to follow…

 

 

[Bill97]

Marc is making the new deck something you felt had to be done because the Heller deck sections were wrong or something you wanted to bash to improve it, but would not have to be done. Thinking about where I might be later. By the way does the Table of cords above make any since to you?

[Hubac's Historian]

Making new decks was necessitated by the extensions I placed to either side of the stem, which made the whole hull wide enough to include the missing sixth stern light.  Incredibly (considering how many I took), I don’t have pictures of this plastic surgery on my phone still, from before priming, but you can still faintly make out the join-line 5/16” to the left of the stem.  It runs right through the center of the near hawse hole:

 

 

In fact, you can see how I filled-in the outboard stock hawse hole because it was now too far outboard.  This was THE critical stage of the build because if it didn’t work convincingly, there wasn’t going to be much sense in moving forward.  It was tricky, but it worked out better than I could have hoped, at the time.

 

Anyway, what I was illustrating in the post above is just how much wider my new forecastle deck is, as opposed to the stock deck.  And, if one is going to go to the trouble of making new decks, one might as well include a ton of more realistic detail.  The timbering of the Heller decks is all wrong.  I mean, for an out-of-the-box build, it’s fine, but in real practice the deck strakes would not have been parallel strakes that disappear into thin points at the margin; they’d be a fixed number of strakes that tapered from wide, at mid-ships, to narrower at the ends.

 

I mapped out reasonable beam-locations, based on the deck openings; a realistic plank-butt shift; I included the scarfed, wider binding strakes; and I made cambered, instead of flat gratings.  The stock gratings, which I used anyway, were now too narrow for my wider deck, so I deliberately made wider hatch coamings to influence the overall perception of scale, since the hatches and coamings would all be painted red;  like many details on this bash, it isn’t exactly right, but it gives a more correct impression than the stock kit parts do.

 

As for the new rigging guide, I haven’t studied it too closely because I don’t think I will be referencing it much.

[popeye2sea]

9 hours ago, Bill97 said:

Marc I pulled out the new Heller box instruction book for my SR. Attached are a couple pictures showing the belay point diagram and a Table of Roping. Does the diagram look any better than what is in the old instructions?  Looking at the table I am not sure if I understand it. I can see column 1 is the line number, column 3 is the thread length, and column 5 is the thread diameter. No idea what columns 2, 4, and 6 are. Instructions don’t say. May have to email Heller and ask unless one of my great friends here on MSW can figure it out. Of course a long time before I approach this. 

 

Column 2 is the rig version; without sails, with all plain sails, with full sails including studdingsails.

Column 4 is the page numbers in the plan where that line appears.

Column 6 is the part numbers for attachment points for the line and the blocks needed for rigging.

 

Regards,

 

[Bill97]

Thanks Popeye2sea. I will review my new instructions to see if this makes since. 

 

Bill

[Hubac's Historian]

Leetle by leetle, Soleil Royal rises from the ashes.  This will be my best paint work, yet:

 

[druxey]

Eye popping!

[Hubac's Historian]

As long as it isn't eye-poking, then we are headed in the right direction, me hopes.

[Bill97]

Looks beautiful Kevin. Great painting job!

[FriedClams]

On 1/22/2022 at 7:03 PM, Hubac's Historian said:

This will be my best paint work, yet:

 

Dang -that is beautiful painting.  Very nice progress.

 

Gary 

[Bill97]

Marc I have to admit I continue to sneak a peek at your SR build even though I still have a very long time remaining on my Victory. Your SR build here will definitely be an inspiration for me when I start my build of that Heller ship. Beautiful job so far. By the way I accidentally referred to you as Kevin a couple posts back. Sorry to both you and Kevin 😊.

[Hubac's Historian]

Personally, I consider it a good thing to be confused with Kevin, so no worries there!

 

Thank you, Bill!  Lately, I feel as though I will never finish painting this last bulwark, but the devil’s in the details, so I will laboriously slog-on.

 

I am similarly inspired by your rigging efforts on the Vic, as to do it right is a true exercise in patience and perseverance.  I am sorry I don’t have much to contribute, there, as I am a novice to rigging, myself.

[Bill97]

No need to to be sorry Marc. It is comforting to know someone as talented as you is equally novice at rigging as I am. Kind of like when I miss a free throw in a pick up basketball game and then I see a NBA player miss one on TV. I say  Hey even the greatest struggle from time to time! 😊

 

I kind of wish I was brave enough, and had space enough, to work on both the he Victory and the Soleli Royal at the same time. I am getting close on my Victory where rigging, which I think is beautiful, will be the predominant activity. I know once I start my SR painting will be the predominant activity for a long time. Would maybe be a great change of pace to rotate between the two builds when I needed a respite from one or the other. I have to admit I am anxious to start the SR painting. 

 

By the way Marc if you don’t mind my asking, how is it going with your dad? Hope all is well for him and for you and the family dealing with this difficult and emotional issue I too know so well. 

 

Bill

[Hubac's Historian]

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that you are still hooping, Bill, with you being a native Kentuckian; the bluegrass tradition runs strong through your veins!  I had to stop competitively playing the greatest game ever invented, at 42, when I had my hip replaced.  I still love to shoot the ball, though.  In fact, shooting a basketball is a lot like shooting a Kentucky rifle; you have to be absolutely locked-in, in the moment, to be any good at it.

 

Thank you for asking about Dad.  Yes, he has settled-in really well at the new place.  He has made friends, and it’s a very comfortable and up-lifting place.  The food is really, pretty good and varied.  And, so far, keeping his dog has not been the issue I feared it would; I was imagining her sneaking out of the apartment and running crazy through the halls, bolting past unsteady seniors, etc.  We got him there, just in-time.  On a basic conversational level, he still seems fine, but he is increasingly incapable of holding onto any new information, and he quickly becomes confused.  He seems much more contented than he has for a long while, now, so that’s all that really matters.

 

As always, thank you for your thoughts and for looking in.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[Kevin-the-lubber]

I really don’t mind being confused with Marc either, I’ll happily take all the credit for his painting, but the mistakes (are there any?) are all his 😀. For what its’ worth, switching to the Cutty is the best thing I’ve done recently. I’m enjoying it a lot, largely I think because it’s a good balance between designing (all 3D for me of course), making and painting, so although all the bits are still in the factory, so to speak, I’m seeing it steadily grow without it ever feeling like doing the same thing day after day. I think if I’d slogged on with the Victory stern for much longer, the frustrations might have seen me call it a day. I’ll go back to it eventually, but just a bit at a time. I suspect I might find the same is true when I reach the rigging stage for the Cutty. I have no experience of this at all, half-dread it, but if so I’ll just start something new and rig bit by bit, as and when.

 

I guess most of us are seeing dementia at close quarters now. My hope is that it’s not a torment for those afflicted, that somehow there is still pleasure in life.

[Hubac's Historian]

Trust me, Kevin - there are bodies buried all over this model; I’ve just gotten better at disguising their appearance, or better - turning mistakes into features.  Just look back to when I nearly cut clear-through my mainmast at deck level because I fell asleep at the wheel, so to speak.

 

First, I filled the kerf with a piece of styrene sheet, but then I needed to mortise a dutchman to bring strength back to the mast:

 

 

 

 

 

I sometimes am tempted to have a side project, but I know myself too well - I won’t finish anything.  What I like to do is jump around within the model, and make mini- models out of certain aspects of the build just to keep my interest high.  The stove is a good example of that - it didn’t need to be nearly as detailed as it ended up being.  In the near future, the f’ocsle capstan will be fun bit of scratch.

[Bill97]

Oh no Marc I am by no means still playing. I was more meaning playing HORSE or something like that. My years of running up and down the court a long gone at 69 😀.  But yeah it is a giant tradition here in the bluegrass. Big rivalry between Univ of Louisville and Univ of Kentucky. I of course am a Louisville fan. Unfortunately my team has fallen on a couple rough seasons. Hope that gets back to normal soon. 
Glad to hear your dad is doing well. When we went through it with my mom we went to a few support group gatherings (not with her). We learned that your memory is like an onion. The outer layers (short term memories) leave first but the inner (long term memories) last much longer. I remember so well us taking my mother to church near the end when she barely rendered who we were but as soon as the service started she could say every response and sing every song she learned as a kid. There was a very moving show in TV the other night about Tony Bennet you may have seen. He did a concert with Lady Gaga. As soon as the lights went up on stage and the band hit the first note Tony’s eyes lit up and he was his old self. Sang every song with out sheet music from memory. Very soon after the concert was over he had no recollection of doing it. Such a sad and mysterious disease. My thoughts are with you my friend. 
Ok enough of that. Back to happy modeling thoughts😊.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

3 hours ago, Hubac's Historian said:

there are bodies buried all over this model

Reminds me of a pearl of wisdom shared by one of my senior co-workers years ago, when I worked in precision sheetmetal. I remarked that he always got things right first time, never seemed to have to remake anything. He smiled and said 'the only difference between you and me is I hide my mistakes better'.

 

[Bill97]

You know I have discovered a very interesting emotion (for lack of a better word) I experience now with my building. If I make a mistake, do something wrong, or am not completely satisfied with something, in the past I may have said the heck with it. I will just leave it like that, who will know. Now, I am often thinking as I am working on a task “what will Marc, Kevin, or Ian say when they see this on my blog? As a result I actually try harder to do things right.  I actually want to thank you guys for giving me guidance and incentive to try harder. 

[Bill Morrison]

Marc,

 

Suffice it to say that there are bodies buried in virtually every well-done model. I have long maintained that great modeling is the art of hiding the bodies . . .

 

Bill

[Bill97]

So glad and relieved to know there are hidden bodies on other’s models. I know there are several on my current HMS Victory which I will never reveal 😊.

[Ian_Grant]

1 hour ago, Bill97 said:

You know I have discovered a very interesting emotion (for lack of a better word) I experience now with my building. If I make a mistake, do something wrong, or am not completely satisfied with something, in the past I may have said the heck with it. I will just leave it like that, who will know. Now, I am often thinking as I am working on a task “what will Marc, Kevin, or Ian say when they see this on my blog? As a result I actually try harder to do things right.  I actually want to thank you guys for giving me guidance and incentive to try harder. 

I know exactly what you mean. I went through the same experience building my Victory while reading Blue Ensign's and Dafi's very informative logs on, all together now: "the old Pete Coleman Victory Modeling Site".  Mine wouldn't be a patch on how it did turn out without such inspiration. Even such basic things as the existence of Longridge's book; how ever else would I have discovered it?

[Ian_Grant]

15 hours ago, Hubac's Historian said:

I am similarly inspired by your rigging efforts on the Vic, as to do it right is a true exercise in patience and perseverance.  I am sorry I don’t have much to contribute, there, as I am a novice to rigging, myself.

Marc, I'm flabbergasted!!!  Viewing your brilliant SR's progress, I just assumed you had built many full-rigged ships in the past!

 

Fortunately, the SR's 17th century rig is nowhere near as complex as the Victory. On the other hand there are all the crow's feet to rig without distorting the stays 🤪.  Are you aware of RC Anderson's book to help rig her?

Edited February 11, 2022 by Ian_Grant

[t_corret]

An English carpenter threatened to sell a t-shirt that said, "I'm doing a Dutchman in the shed."

[Hubac's Historian]

Thank you, Ian!  Yes, I do have RC Anderson, and also James Lees.  Those two, together with the SP monograph should enable me to map out the particularities of French practice.