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

[Hubac's Historian]

Yes, these VDV drawings do appear in Les Vaisseaux du Roi Soleil, and they are invaluable.

 

My forensic reconstruction will focus on those Hubac-built vessels for which I know drawings exist:  La Reyne, Le Terrible, La Couronne, and Le Souverain (1678), Le Courtisan (Puget drawing) La Rubis (Puget drawing 1671), and Le Orgueilleux

Edited August 23, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[Bill97]

Marc I am probably breaking some commandment by peaking into SR builds while still working on my HMS Victory!  However, I just can’t help myself. The work you are doing is absolutely beautiful!  I can only hope to build my SR close to what you have done. I will most certainly read through your build many times before I begin and for sure save many of your photos for quick reference. I will imagine you addressed this in your blog so forgive me if I ask you to repeat. I am very impressed with your painting of the ship.  I have to ask if you painted all the detail by hand, and if so, how in the world did you do it?

[Hubac's Historian]

Hi Bill - by all means, the log exists for exactly this purpose.  I am flattered that you would take the time to read through it at all.

 

The overwhelming majority of the model is hand-painted.  The only exceptions are my use of flat enamel rattle cans for my primer base, and the red interior and lower exterior (along the run of main deck guns), which I airbrushed.  Also, I airbrushed the gun carriages, but I still had to brush paint these to get complete coverage.

 

My process is very methodical.  For the upper bulwarks, for example, I masked off everything first, that wouldn’t be airbrushed red; this red is a difficult color to paint over and it would have adversely affected the blues.

 

Following red, I moved-on to paint the larger cerulean blue areas, trying not to make too much of a mess of the frieze elements.  Then, the ultra-marine, and finally the yellow ocher, finishing off with the metallics.

 

Actually, before the metallics, I do my light distress wash with the walnut ink because this cuts the intensity of these colors, while providing a sense of depth and shading to the recessed areas.

 

The paint looks like it does because I am extremely patient.  I thin my acrylics so that they are self-leveling, even if it necessitates as many as 5 passes to get the color saturation I need.  As the work progresses, I do several waves of touch-ups, when I notice flaws in the work.

 

My over-arching thought is that I have spent so much time fabricating parts, that it would be a disservice to those efforts, if I didn’t make the paint as absolutely clean as I am capable of.

 

The paint work takes me a very long time, but I have never regretted the extra effort and attention to detail.

 

The other aspect of this kind of hand-painting is that I have learned to control my breathing and I have figured out how to hold parts and the brush so that I have a stable, and steady base for picking out fine detail.  That is a difficult thing to describe, but something I have arrived at through years of trial and error.

[Bill97]

Very impressive Marc. Great techniques for the painting I may practice and employ when I begin painting my SR. I primarily paint with Vallejo acrylics so I hope I can achieve something close to what you have done. 
 

I have a real curiosity about the Soleli Royal I wonder if you have an opinion about?  I have learned so much nautical terminology and rigging design of British ships while building my Victory. Prior to building the Victory I simply followed the manufactures building/rigging instructions on my other builds without knowledge of what parts were, what there function was, or how all the rigging played its part in the function of the ship. Now that I have nearly completed the Victory I believe I am much more knowledgeable of the ship workings. 
 

My curiosity is if there was a difference in English and French ship engineering?  I have learned all this very interesting science of an English built sailing ship and believe if I was to build another English ship of the same era the engineering would be the same, and that I could follow the same rigging sequence.  However, I know the Soleli Royal was a French ship. Did the French and English follow the same rigging engineering, are the nautical terms and parts of the English and French ships the same, or is it very much different?  Did the French ship builders have a completely different design or science in how they rigged their mast, yards, and sails?  I ask this because I am curious now that I have gained all this new knowledge about the building of the English Victory, I wonder if once I start the SR if that will all out the window and I will need to learn new terminology and rigging design

[Hubac's Historian]

Hi Bill,

 

This is a pretty involved question to answer, and I’ll return to this, in a bit.  I just found out that I’m definitely moving again, this September, so most of my attentions will be focused on that.

 

The quick and basic answer is that there were always country specific differences among the Dutch, English and French, with regard to their ship architecture and rigging.  That being said, there were overwhelmingly more similarities than differences.  Throughout history, One country’s navy would have been predominantly influential over all others.  Because of their shallow waterways, the Dutch architecture is unique to them.  The English and French, on the other hand, had a back and forth influence on each other, as successful ships were taken as war prizes, and those successful design elements were gradually incorporated into successive building plans.

 

Rigging a French 17th C ship is a thorny tangle, but the best guidance exists in the monographed works of Boudriot (L’Ambiteaux 1680), and Lemineur (St. Philippe 1693, and Le Francois 1683).

 

These monographs can be consulted in conjunction with Anderson’s Rigging in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast (which notes some of the specific regional differences), and Lee’s Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War.

 

I haven’t gotten to any serious stage of planning for that yet, myself, but am largely concerned with reconciling whether Heller’s profusion of single-line belaying posts has any authentic claim to French practice.  I suspect that it does not, or at least not to the degree that Heller presumes.

[Hubac's Historian]

Also, you will want to read through Popeye2Sea’s build of SR because his service on USS Constitution and knowledge of rigging make him eminently qualified for spotting non-sensical aspects of the standard Heller rig.

[druxey]

I agree with Marc that, for fine work, breath control is essential. It's a very zen and highly focussed exercise. A really good quality sable brush that 'points' well is another ingredient for success. Oh, yes, and patience!

[Bill97]

Thanks Marc. I will look to get some of the sources you reference. Glad to hear he French and English ship architecture is more similar than different. After learning to rig the Victory I have a sense of what lines should be where to do what. Will be comforting to know more about the SR will be similar than drastically different. 

 

By by the way where are you moving? Leaving New York?

[Hubac's Historian]

Well, similar within eras, but SR and Victory are over 100 years apart from each other, so the rigging is going to be radically different.

 

One can rig the Heller kit according to its instructions and end up with something reasonably representative.  There are, however, a number of details that defy common sense and/or any sort of reasonable fairlead.

 

If one wishes to hew more closely to real practice, it becomes a process of mapping out each line for it’s run and belay point.

 

As for moving, we are leaving Brooklyn to return to Manhattan.  A pretty ideal, semi-affordable opportunity opened up, and it’ll be MUCH better for my kids.

Edited August 27, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[Bill Morrison]

Marc,

 

I once read that there were minor variations between French and English parrels but that was years ago. It is a vague memory only.

 

Bill

[popeye2sea]

I think, in general, a ship is a ship in any country or Navy.  There is a very definite evolution in rigging practices throughout the age of sail, but for the most part within any given era most countries were doing the same things.  If a change worked for one it was pretty much appropriated by all.

The functions of any particular spar or line were the same for all ships.  That is why a trained sailor could be employed anywhere, for any country.

 

There were minor differences in the peculiar shape of things or the ratios of sizes.  In fact, there were differences from one naval architect, or shipwright, to another.  You would even find differences from one sailing master to the next on the same ship. Or one captain to the next.  That was the process of innovation. If what you tried worked well enough it would be incorporated into the next vessel.

 

Regards,

Edited August 27, 2022 by popeye2sea

[Chapman]

Hi Marc!

 

Have we already talked about the model of the Royal Louis in the Poogi Museum here?
I had found an older article about the old Poggi models in the German magazine Das Logbuch. Among the models is said to be a Royal Louis, which of the first two has not been clarified.

[Hubac's Historian]

Hi Chapman - I have, in the past, losted links to this model at the Poggi Museum.  It is difficult to say what time period this model represents, as it is a strange combination of primitive detail and approximately correct proportion.  It is, nonetheless, a fascinating record from the time.  I would love to read that article, if you can post it, or a link to it.  If not, what did the article have to say about the model?

Edited August 28, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[Bill97]

Marc I just picked up one of the references you recommended. 

Edited August 29, 2022 by Bill97

[Hubac's Historian]

Excellent, Bill.  This one book will hold you in good stead for correct 17th C. practice.  The illustrations are pretty basic, but it can all be navigated with a little determination.

[druxey]

There are two versions of this book. The earlier edition gives both French and Dutch practice as well as English, but the later one covers only English rigging.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

Bill, unless you’ve already done so, I’d recommend starting to play around with inks (and oils) about now so that you have less trial and error on the model itself. I think Marc seriously understates his considerable knowledge of painting and that is a factor in his results. I’ve loved the effects you can get with ink but think it does need a bit of practice, mostly so you make a mighty mess a few times and have to learn how to extricate yourself from that. Not that I’ve been too successful in that department. And although I’m not sure if Marc uses them, lately I’ve been using oils for the washes and feel this is a very, very good idea while I’m learning, because whereas with acrylics and inks you have a few minutes to get it right, with oils you have hours and hours and can even just wipe it all off and start again if it’s not what you had in mind.

[Hubac's Historian]

I think what Kevin is suggesting is a very good idea - to mock up some samples, so that you can play around with different mediums, and get comfortable with what they can do.  I did a lot of paint samples in the early stages, and that is where I acquired most of my knowledge about this kind of distress painting.

 

I can’t speak for the inks that Kevin has been using for his CS, but the walnut ink I’ve been using is extremely forgiving.  I apply it dilute, but strong, and simply cut it back with a wet brush until I like the way that it dries.  This is tricky to get just enough shading, but over time I’ve gotten the hang of it.  I continue to tweak the ink, with each new level of the stern, and will do so until it all gets sealed under a final coat of Matte clear.

 

As Kevin says, artists’ oils are amazing for creating depth and texture, and they are extremely forgiving.  I use them for my natural wood effects, and really like how the decking came out.  Van Dyke Brown (Windsor and Newton) gave my ventre-de-biche (raw sienna) painted sides (above the black boot topping) a pleasing patina.

 

You just lay it on thick and heavy and then wipe it back until you are happy.  I wrap q-tips in t-shirt scraps, so that I can get pretty far into recesses, but not all the way.  After wiping, I use a coarse chip brush (natural bristle) to even-out the effect.  I learned all of this from Herbert Thomesan of Artitec Modelbeau, in the Netherlands.  A lot of the Dutch builders use this technique and it is astonishingly easy, forgiving and produces excellent results on the first try.

 

My one piece of advice would be to do both hull halves at the same time.  I did one, and then the other after a period of time, only to realize that the second half was significantly darker.  The paint had cured by the time I really saw this in good light, so I had to wash the first half a second time to match.  On my model, the finished effect is darker than I would like, and most people mistake the effect for natural wood, but it is really supposed to represent a painted surface on the actual ship.  This doesn’t bother me, though.  I learned something.

 

Mostly, I learn from all of you.  Three projects stand out, in my mind, for their absolute fidelity to nuance and detail.  In no particular order, they are:

 

Michael, aka SafeMaster’s Reale:

 

 

Gary, aka FriedClams’s Stonington Dragger:

 

And Kirrill, aka Kirrill4’s Spanish Galleon:

 

At some point in the future, Kirrill will dive into his own Heller SR, and I’m really excited to see what he will do with it.

 

I have some idea of what I am doing with my particular subset of paints, but these gentlemen bring a very broad range of technique and knowledge of correct details and realism to bear on their projects.

 

Another master of painting technique, and scratch-building is Rex Stewart.  I don’t think he maintains a presence on MSW, but he can easily be found on-line.

 

Of course there are numerous other Uber talented builders and painters (Dafi, Blue Ensign, Moraine to name just a few more - I could go on, but the list would get very long), but the above really stand out for the breadth of techniques that they apply to each project.

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[Bill Morrison]

Marc,

 

I will also look forward to Kirill's work on SR! His galleon was outstanding! The SR will probably be magnificent.

 

Bill

[Bill97]

Thank you my friends for your recommendation. I am not at all familiar with the inks you are talking about. Would you be so kind as to tell me what to look for to purchase so I can practice?  Also do these inks work well with acrylics?  I have an entire spectrum of Vallejo acrylics, both brush and spray. Probably a couple hundred bottles and colors. Years ago I switched from oils to acrylics. I have pretty much just used black acrylic washes for any distressing I wanted to do. Here are a few pictures of my Man-O-War I did with acrylics. 

[Hubac's Historian]

Bill, I’d have to check the label for the brand, but the walnut ink is something I picked up at a local art supply store.

 

Yesterday, I took a brief break from painting the apartment to stop by the STRAND.  There I found an earlier (1963) hardbound edition of the R.C. and Romola Anderson book:

Inside, there was a slightly cleaner print of the Gilded Ghost portrait:

As compared with the more recent paperback edition, where I first saw the portrait:

The image is still fairly inscrutable, but hopefully someday I will find the painting.

 

Apart from carving the starboard headrail horse medallion, not much is happening on the model, and I’m afraid there won’t be until October.

 

Until then, be well and thank you for looking-in.

 

Best,

 

Marc

[Bill Morrison]

Marc,

 

Great find! I'm impressed!  That is a great drawing!

 

Bill

[Bill97]

Always a pleasure Marc!  Hope your move goes well. Since you are going into Manhattan will you be downsizing, or did you find a new place big enough for all your modeling goodies?

Edited September 5, 2022 by Bill97

[Hubac's Historian]

As far as space goes, the new apartment is marginally bigger.  My modeling life will continue as before.  The move was primarily about having a better neighborhood for my kids to enjoy the rest of their childhoods.  This is a much more family-oriented community.

 

I will tell you that this apartment paint job is not my finest work; 80+ years of paint build-up make for some pretty gnarly door and window casings.  Nevertheless, sometimes it’s just about pushing through and good enough is good enough.

 

We got almost the entire apartment rolled out over the weekend.  Very tired!

Edited September 6, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[mtaylor]

I do think all this work on the "new" place will be good for you and yours.   As for the work.... not fun at all and the the moving has to start.  Been there done that and have an appreciation.  My next move will be to the old geezer home and I'll get someone else to do all the work.

[yancovitch]

1 hour ago, Hubac's Historian said:

good enough is good enough....

good enuff is good enuff??...gads....sounds like me 

old folks apt. is a hoot!!...love it...no carrying bags of pellets up and down the stairs, splitting firewood, mowing large lawns ...etc etc.....you'll love it....then again ya might get bored ...

Edited September 6, 2022 by yancovitch

[Bill97]

My last move to mine and my wife’s current home was in 2005 after all three kids got married and moved on. Repainted the whole interior last year and hope that is the last time I have to do it. This 70 year old man has no business on a ladder painting high vaulted walls and ceilings. Will have to pay a professional next time, or threaten the kids and grandkids to do it for me. Yes good enuff is good enuff.

[Bill Morrison]

Marc,

I understand and empathize!  I averaged a cross-country or overseas move with my family every thirteen months for twenty-four years while in the USN.  Good neighborhoods are a joy in which to raise a family. I hope that you enjoy yours!

Bill

Edited September 7, 2022 by Bill Morrison
Spelling error

[Hubac's Historian]

Well, this came out well:

It only took a couple weeks of intermittent effort.  Time to glue it to the starboard headrails:

OH 😐🙁.  Oh, well, I guess I’ll have to re-do that one.  Silly mistake; sure it’s the starboard headrail, but I actually needed the port horse print for the inside carving.  Not a big deal, though.

Edited September 7, 2022 by Hubac's Historian

[yancovitch]

now..... every time i look at your creations, you remind me that......it's ok vic, take your time, you don't have to rush, you don't need it right away, you're not gonna die tomorrow, you're not a failure, don't be terrified of succeeding, don't be afraid of overcoming.....of perfection.....no one will hurt you if you fail.......ha...i had one of those fathers 😉...in other words...thank you for your inspiration, and so positive influence😃....