Le Soleil Royal by EJ_L - FINISHED - Sergal - Scale 1:77 - 1669 Version

[popeye the sailor]

get better soon EJ !   

[EJ_L]

Thank you all for the compliments and well wishes. I am getting better. Still have a violent cough and tired so I'm trying to just rest this week after work and let the medicine do it's job. I am hoping to be back this weekend and able to resume working. On the plus side, I am getting a lot of good reading done!

[EJ_L]

Finally back in the shipyard this weekend. Added a couple more decorations and started to build the starboard quarter galley. Now I can even up both sides and move forward with the decorations. 

[Old Collingwood]

Glad your on the mend, take it easy though  I know from experience how a disablity or illness can really get you down.

 

Your build is really looking superb.

 

OC.

[EJ_L]

Decorations are progressing on both sides. 

[Old Collingwood]

32 minutes ago, EJ_L said:

Decorations are progressing on both sides. 

Looking great,  this is the stage I am at with my build.

 

OC.

[zappto]

Beautiful progress, nice gold fits rich dark blue so much! Good work!

[EJ_L]

I’ve made and installed a few more decorations today. Working on the ones for the opposite side now. Still have a lot more to go just on the roof! I might have gotten more done but I ended up spending some time on the floor playing with my dogs. They got a new toy that needed breaking in. 

 

As always thanks for stopping in, the likes and comments. More to follow! 

[EJ_L]

Still working away at the decorations. I have a couple more to go on both sides then on to the next piece. I know I’m not the best carver out there but I’m happy with the results. Definitely learning a lot! 

 

As always, thanks for the comments, likes and just stopping in. More to follow soon! 

And the other side.

Edited January 28, 2018 by EJ_L
Add picture

[Old Collingwood]

That is looking rather nice EJ  really nice build you have going on there,  the fact that you create your own carvings is even more credit to you.

 

OC.

Edited January 28, 2018 by Old Collingwood
spilling mushsteakes

[yancovitch]

great job.......congrats.........

[Baker]

EJ,

Best carver or not the best carver. It looks very good to me.

Well done

 

[BLACK VIKING]

Wow what can I say simply stunning my friend. 

Martyn

[EJ_L]

O.C., Vic, Patrick, Martyn, thank you for all the kind words and thanks to all those who have hit the like button. 

 

This is my first time carving the decorations as I have always used the kit provided ones in the past. Every model I always talk about wanting to makes my own but I never felt I had the confidence and skill to do them. Then there was also the time factor and often impatience would get the better of me and I would just use the kit decorations to get them done so I could move on. Nothing wrong with doing that as I have some very nice models that have use those decorations. What bothered me was seeing all these other beautiful models in which the builder has carved their own and trying to justify my excuses for not doing the same. So finally I have started to carve and now I don't think I would want to go back. Yes it takes a lot more time but, it is the pride in each piece when done that makes it worth the time and effort. I know that the quality will improve with time and practice and I have the time to give.

 

Thanks again for stopping in and I hope to have another update soon!

 

 

[Landlubber Mike]

Love the blue and the carvings.  Very nice job! 

[EJ_L]

Wow! Thanks everyone for all the encouraging comments and likes! I finished up the last of the minor carvings for the two quarter galley roofs. Obviously the large statues are not yet in place nor will they be for some time yet as they will not go on till towards the end of the stern work. Partially because I do not want to risk damaging them while heavy work is still ongoing and partially because I'm not really sure what they are supposed to look like. If anyone has clear pictures of these statues or can point me in the direction to where I can see something that clearly shows them that would be great!

 

Now I swing around to the balconies to finish building the upper balcony. This is a much simpler piece yet still covered in decorations so the next update may be a while but rest assured it is coming!

[yancovitch]

ha...looks better than those on many of the models i've built

[ChrisLBren]

Looks terrific !!!

[EJ_L]

The Captain's balcony is coming along at a slow but steady pace. I've finished out one corner as I wanted to see if I liked what I was doing. Now, I am building and installing the rest of the pieces. I've got a feeling that the remaining area will take up much of the next week's build time although I am picking up a little speed now that I know everything works.

 

As always, thanks for the comments, likes and just stopping in!

[Hubac's Historian]

I am going to tap lightly on the brakes here, EJ, to say that I think the outboard face of the stern balconies should run parallel with the angle of the stern;  the balconies, themselves, should rake aft, as opposed to plumb with the waterline.  I don’t think this would be a major fix, as you could salvage the entire aft face and just re-make the sides.  I raise the flag, here, because the inconsistency is visually jarring.

[EJ_L]

Marc, that makes sense and was one of the unclear items that had crossed my mind. Differences in drawings, paintings and instructions plus practicalities and visual appearance. I went with a more vertical approach from the practical perspective. If the rail is at a 90 to the deck, then it is better suited to actually keeping a person on the balcony vs. if it is at an outward angle, that person is more likely to go overboard as the rail already has them leaning outward. I guess that is my 21st century brain thinking of safety and not my 17th century brain.

 

Unfortunately, fixing the issue may not be as simple as just changing the side panels due to the way they are constructed but, it is still early enough that any damage and replacements would be a minimum. Good catch!

[Hubac's Historian]

Certainly, from a practical standpoint, you are right, EJ.  Everything I’ve seen, though, seems to show that function followed form, here.

 

I’m not sure who’s framing diagram this is - it’s probably Michel Saunier’s - but I think it’s a pretty good rule of thumb on this particular design issue.

 

Edited February 5, 2018 by Hubac'sHistorian

[testazyk]

Funny you should mention health and safety--a very common comment from people who look at my ships is that they wouldn't want to lean against the stern rails for fear of taking a dive.  It's absolutely no proof, but I've seen a lot of paintings of old ships that make it look as if they floated slightly lower at the bow which made the stern railings more perpendicular to the waterline.  But that would also have made the poop and gallery decks steeper so I'm not sure if that theory has any validity. 

 

 

[md1400cs]

EJ,

 

Been away from all of my favorite shipyards (as well as mine) for the last couple of weeks. Just catching up....

 

Your stern balconies have, indeed, become a conundrum.  Good luck with a resolution that pleases you, and won't be a distraction after

completing this build. 

[EJ_L]

Michael, welcome back! Life sure does get in the way of ship building sometimes. Been experiencing some of that myself the past few days.

 

To bring the log up to date, I decided to rebuild the stern balconies. I have removed the old ones and have new bulkheads and railings in place that match the ship's stern profile. While this was obviously frustrating as any redo is, it has given me an opportunity to improve the decorations as well. I will try to put up some pictures later tonight or in the morning of where I am at. Still have along way to go as the carvings have slowed me down to a crawl but all this work will be worth it when done.

[EJ_L]

Here are a few pictures of what is being done. I rebuilt the rails so they now match the stern bulkhead angle. I've also had to rebuild some of the trim and decorations as they either got damaged removing them, no longer fit or I didn't like their look and decided to replace them. Case in point are the vertical decorations in the center of the panels. While I liked the way I had the old ones, they were not what is shown on Berain's drawings which I am largely using as a baseline though obviously with some changes, namely in that I have full balconies and he only shows partial ones centered on the cabins. The decorations I have now made more closely resemble his details though they still need some cleaning up and are not a perfect match. Some changes had to be made in regard to my skill and scale. I have also come to the conclusion that I really need to buy better wood for carving. The basswood I have been using is way to soft for the fine details. These have not yet been glued in place just dry fitted. I do not glue my pieces until after they are painted.

 

More to follow, slowly but surely.

[yancovitch]

tear tear cut cut saw saw gouge gouge measure measure glue glue carve carve ....you'll make it work!!

[EJ_L]

Thanks Vic! That sounds like exactly what I've been doing lately. Slow and tedious work to be sure but that is what brings in the wow factor when done. 

 

I'm still building away on the balcony. Finished one corner and about halfway through the other now. Then the center and done. With the simple balcony... The plus side to all of this is hopefully the others will not have to be scrapped and rebuilt.  I was hoping to have pictures this weekend but of course I ended up being sick again and while not as severe as the last round, it still kept me away from the shipyard during a lot of prime build time. Having 50 degree temperature swings every day and a very dry winter is not helping with cold and flu season.

 

Anyway, I know this is a dull moment in the log as not much is being posted so thanks for hanging in there with me and I promise there will be something new soon!

[Hubac's Historian]

Feel better, EJ!  The balconies are coming along nicely.  Your attention to detail is really paying off.

[popeye the sailor]

it's all part of the process EJ........any progress is good progress     take care of yourself,  and by the time you make your next update....I'm sure it will be a biggie!