HMS Pegasus by Blue Ensign - FINISHED - Amati/Victory Models - 1:64 scale

[Blue Ensign]

The Quarterdeck Upper Capstan

This is quite a prominent feature on the Quarterdeck, and bears some tweaking.

There are too many Whelps around the kit version and they are too thin.

Six are required and by gluing two whelps together a more realistic size is achieved. (I had to fabricate a couple of extra whelps from spare walnut sheet)
Fitted towards the top and bottom of the Capstan and between the whelps are the Chocks. (Amati simply have a ring fitted around the bottom of the Capstan.)

The chocks are made from some walnut strip shaped to fit between the whelps.
An interesting feature of these chocks is that the upper ones are convex in their outer profile, and the bottom ones concave.
Around the top of the drum head is fitted an iron plate, here represented by a card circle, and the domed central top is from the central cut out from the walnut rings used in making the drumhead.

The two Capstans are now aligned and connected as they should be, or at least will be once the Quarterdeck is installed.

The completed Capstan fitted inline and connected to the Upper deck Capstan beneath the Quarterdeck.

 

The Binnacle.
At least the kit provides one but it is of a style as fitted to Victory.
Greg Herbert in ffm suggests a simpler affair taken from a sixth rate contemporary model which I agree is more appropriate for a modest vessel such as Pegasus.

Note – no chimney just holes bored to allow escape of the smoke.

 

 

The light compartment has a solid door rather than glass to stop extraneous light catching the Helmsman’s eyes.

 

The Wheel
A brass etched job and quite nicely done, built up by the addition of outer rings and centres. The assembled wheel does then have to be painted to replicate a wood finish.
In the kit the stanchions that support the wheel are shaped with splayed legs but appear to be the correct height. It is a style of wheel support that I have seen in the Bounty aots book but to my eye it looks a little cumbersome and I think a plainer boxwood version suits better.

The kit barrel which is made up of walnut discs which fit together over the central spindle also looks a little over-scale and chunky. There should really be only a rim on the aft end to prevent the tiller ropes riding over the barrel.
A new barrel was turned out of Lime dowel with a rim incorporated at one end only.

 

Note: since this stage of my build Chuck has produced a very nice wooden wheel that I would probably have gone with.

 

The Tiller
The provided Tiller is a simplification, the wrong shape, the wrong fitting to the Rudderhead and looks a tad short to me extending only 32.5mm , I calculate it as 38mm to reach the steering wheel stanchion whilst allowing enough space to fit a Binnacle between the Mizen mast and wheel.

Square in profile I made a replacement tiller out of boxwood section mortised into the tiller head. An iron band with eyebolts set into it is fastened around the outer end to take the tiller lines.
Rudder head cover
The long narrow style of the kit provided cover doesn’t particularly appeal to my eye and the open end seems a little narrow to allow for adequate swing of the tiller. Two different versions are shown in the ffm; initially I tried a simple triangular affair.

I thought it too utilitarian for pretty little Pegasus so I made a second octagonal shaped version.

As it has to be painted with a tarred roof covering I made this version out of styrene, here still in an unfinished state.
I think it looks more in keeping with the Georgian age.
Before the Rudder head cover is fixed, one small item remains;

Another tarred coat is fixed around the rudder head to prevent water ingress. This is represented by micro-porus tape.
 

[Blue Ensign]

Rigging the Ship’s wheel
The job needs to be done now before anything else gets in the way of fitting the tackle blocks .
Trickier than it looks to rig the wheel as it will keep moving about; five turns of the line (0.4mm dia) are required, and this needs to be put on to determine the position of the forward rigging blocks set into the Quarter deck spirketting.
The process is started by using ca to fix what will be the third (central) turn of the rope to the top centre of the barrel.

Starboard and port turns are then taken starboard forward, port aft.

The lines are then weighted over the bulwark of the ship square to the central line and the position of the forward rigging blocks is marked.
The rigging blocks (3mm) are stropped to the eyebolts before fixing to the spirketting and the eyebolts are then ca’d into the pre drilled holes.

The wheel rigging completed, first use of the new Morope, I’m quite pleased with it.
My rigging differs from the kit suggested arrangement which is more complex and appears to be based on that of the Bounty as detailed in the aots book by John McKay.
Notably additional blocks are utilised at the base of the wheel to direct the tiller lines down to the deck before feeding thro’ the spirketting blocks.

This seems to have some logic to it as the tiller ropes are less exposed and are less of an incumbrance across the deck.
However, David Antscherl specifically makes the point in the ffm that the arrangement of the blocks and lines are as shown on the original plans for HMS Vulture.
The centre line fittings of the Quarterdeck are now complete.

The new replacement Rudder head cover for the replacement rudder head cover is in place and the Binnacle is secured to the deck.

The 'tarred'  canvas cover for the top of the Rudder head cover is that useful standby Microporus tape.

B.E.
 

[Blue Ensign]

Fitting out the waist

Gun tackles in place and Range cleats temporarily fitted.

 

The Fore and Main Hatches have now been fixed along with the Stopper bolts and relieving tackle bolts in the deck.

The three stopper bolts adjacent to the ports do not line up exactly with the port centres but are slightly offset aft.

A ladder has been constructed for the Fore Hatchway; another little indecision, does the ladder lead to the port or starboard side of the Upper deck? On instinct I have gone with the Port side, but nowhere in my ever burgeoning collection of books could I find whether there was a standing arrangement in the Georgian Navy.

I think I will leave the hatch open as it gives depth to the model, but there is also a grating that can be put into place.
 

Gun Rigging – Part One – The Breechings
Five days of unbridled fun, surprising how long it takes to add the breeching ropes to eight guns.
I have already fixed the breeching ringbolts in the bulwark.

There are two options for seizing the breechings to the bulwark ringbolts, on or off the model.

I have always preferred to rig the guns when they are fixed in position on the deck, rather than fiddle with inserting the ringbolt stem in the receiving holes drilled in the bulwark, after the gun is rigged.

Either way it is a fiddly business.
The breeching rope is 4” circ = to 0.5mm ø line, and three times the length of the guns bore which at scale measures 81.3mm.
When I was playing around with the ‘hidden’ guns I decided upon 0.70mm ø (JB models) hemp line which was ‘spliced’ around the button fed thro’ the breeching ring bolts on the carriage and secured to the bulwark.
The breeching rope should be attached to the bulwark ring using a half hitch and seizing, but this looks too big and clumsy, so I’ve gone for a simple seizing using ultra fine silk thread secured with diluted pva.

So here’s the result.

 

 

This JB cotton line is very soft and pliable, and naturally sits where you put it.

Onto the side tackles......

B.E.

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Gun side tackles
The gun tackles were fitted with 1½” circumference rope which scales to 0.19mm ø line. I’ve used Morope 0.15mm ø line which is pretty close and provides a nice size contrast with the breechings and the 2mm size tackle blocks. The blocks are around 6” = to 2.38mm.
Stropping the tackle blocks
My trials with stropping the 2mm JB blocks with line resulted in too heavy a look; seizing the bulwark block to the eyebolt also reduced the distance between the tackle blocks which doesn’t look good.
For ease of fitting I am using a tackle with a hook on both blocks rather than seizing the bulwark block to the eyebolt.
Using separate hooks seized to the block strops also resulted in a much reduced distance between the blocks, and gluing a hook into the end of a very tiny block resulted in destroying or interfering with the sheave.

The blocks compared to a normal 2mm eyebolt and a 0.3mm brass etched eyelet.
I have therefore stropped the blocks with 34 gauge copper wire the ends of which are formed into a hook. The lanyard is attached to the strop of the bulwark block with a small knot.

The set completed, the wire tails now have to be formed into hooks.
This departure from authenticity is acceptable to me given the scale, and is much preferred to the over-scale side tackle set-ups seen on many models.
The down side is that the strops and hooks have to be painted, but once all in place they look authentic enough.
As with the breeching ropes I rigged the side tackles on the model although it was a bit of a pain.
Stropping the blocks and rigging four guns has taken a week to do.

The process begins.

The tackle falls are frapped.

One side completed apart from line trimming.
On my Pegasus there are no Flemish coils, (cheeses) frapping is my method of choice to display the tackle falls. This also does away with the need to stick anything to the deck.
The Port side now to do and then onto the deck fittings.

Port side all frapped and tidy.

Thankfully only eight ‘show’ guns to do.
 

For the sake of completeness I include the details of the other tackle stuff involved with the guns.
Gun Tackle eyebolts
In scale 0.4mm ø with 0.70mm ø internal size.
Set vertically just above the Breeching ring bolts.

Training Tackle eyebolts*
These were used when traversing the gun left or right
Same size as the Port Tackle eyebolts, set at the same level but mid way between the Sweep ports.
*Note:
With regard to Pegasus these were not fitted as she was lost in October 1777, and they were not featured (according to the Swan book) until 1779.

Train (Relieving) tackle
Attached to an eyebolt at the rear of the carriage and hooked at the other end to a ring bolt in the deck.
I have not fitted these on my build, I don’t like too much clutter across the decks.

Onto the Gangways and Gangplanks.

B.E.

 

[Blue Ensign]

Ganging up on Pegasus

Before any further deck fittings are put into place I need to attend to the short Gangways that extend from the Quarterdeck forward to allow access from the Upper deck, and outboard of the ship.
Plywood shaped blanks are provided in the kit to form the gangways, and they are a match to the dimensions given in the Swan book.
Once again in this build I am faced with a problem, the drop from the Qtr deck to the gangway seems too much even allowing for the provided step (a small section of walnut)
With the kit arrangement the gangway fits beneath the Qtr deck forward beam and is rebated to fit around the bulkhead tab. This gives the forward end a position just below the waist capping rail.
According to the TFFM the gangway at its inner end was bolted to the underside of the Qtr deck breast beam and at its forward end supported by a bracket, as with the kit version.
The difference is that the gangway according to TFFM should just sit slightly above the capping rail at the waist.
The position has a bearing on the more interesting question of the fitting of Gangplanks between the Quarterdeck Gangways and the Foc’sle.
These would need to fit beneath the forward end of the gangway to come level with the top of the waist capping rail.
Use of gangplanks does seem logical given that they were in use a fair time prior to Pegasus, and without them ladder access from the Upper deck to the Fo’csle involves positioning ladders at an unnaturally steep angle.
Access would seem to involve squeezing around the number two gun, added to which the ladders would also foul the proper operation of that gun.
The deciding factor for me is that relating to the Gangway the original plans for Pegasus label that feature Fix’d part of Gangway implying that there was another part; ie the gangplanks.(Antscherl Tffm Vol 11)
The Gangways
I decided to modify the Gangways by removing the part that fits around the bulkhead tab, and raising the gangway a little, fitting the aft end on a bearer glued to the face of the breast beam.
The Gangways are angled to match the Quarterdeck camber to allow water to drain outboard.

To enhance the gangway I have fitted a frame simulation around the edge on the inboard side.
In the slightly raised position the need for an additional step is removed.
The Gangplanks
These are the width of the fore end of the Gangway and comprise two planks supported on knees fixed along the bulwark.
A little shaping was required to match the curve of the waist rail, and I fixed the planks atop of a wider strip to bulk up the thickness of the plank to scale.
The length of the Gangplanks works out at a 28’ scale feet, Just about within the bounds of length without butts.
Four brackets support the gangplanks along the bulwark, and are angled so that the planks slope down towards outboard at the same camber as the fixed part.
So the Gangways are in place.

The slight raise above the capping rail is evident in this shot.
The range cleats fixed to the bulwarks and once again the paintwork is marred to provide a better glueing base for the brackets and gangplanks.

The block beneath the Gangway is to keep pressure off the bracket whilst working.

The supporting brackets are fitted.

The next step is to position the gangplanks with a tight fit against the waist rails and with the correct camber.

 

 

 

I found it quite tricky getting the supporting brackets at the correct height as they would keep falling off the bulwark as pressure was put on the gangplanks to fit them.
On the downside use of Gangplanks does obscure the waist guns a little, but then there are two less ladders to make, and I never could resist the temptation to deviate from a kit plan.
A little more fettlin’ before I am completely happy with the set up on the starboard side but then with the method proven I can move onto the Port side to completion.
 

B.E

[Blue Ensign]

The Gallows atop the Main Topsail sheet Bitts.
I have touched on the subject of the Gallows top a couple of times earlier in the build.
The proportions seemed all wrong to me and the provided top is of a shape and length I cannot find any information on. It has the look of a Chinese pagoda roof about it in profile, and a scale length of 12’ 6”

Looking at many contemporary models the shape has little resemblance to the kit item and the gallows top is invariably shorter than the kit version.
The ffm book gives the dimensions as 9.0’ long, 7” wide, and and 11” deep.
This equates to a length 42.9mm, a width of 2.8mm, and a depth of 4.4mm
I decided to bin the kit gallows top, but I have used the provided gallows uprights. These have been tapered a little for scale and reduced in length so that a new top would sit at the correct height- level with the Quarterdeck.

 

 

Still wip and I’ve yet to sort out the Rhodings and decide the colour scheme, but at least now I’m happy with the style and size.

 

Rhodings, Winches and Axletrees.
There seems something not quite right about setting up the pump winches with this kit.
In the instruction drawings the Rhodings (represented by a brass etched piece) sit just above the bitts cross piece.
This brings the winches (cranked handles) down in front of the cross piece and when in the lowest position are perilously close to the Main Hatch cover. A scrape your knuckles job if working the pumps.
In the ffm the Rhodings are much higher up the gallows uprights and the winches crank down above the cross piece, which brings them higher above the hatch cover.
According to ffm the rhodings should be centred 17.5mm (scale) above the deck, in practice on the model it works out at 12mm.
It is somewhat academic tho’ because the Rhodings are fixed by the height of the pump cisterns to which the pump rhodings are attached.
So we are where we are.

Finishing off the Bitt uprights.

These have already been tapered, now cheek blocks are added (to take the clew Garnets) and sheaves cut into the uprights to take the Topsail sheets.

Rhodings.

I dispensed with the provided brass etched items which lacked a certain realism and replaced them with rhodings made from spare capsquares fixed to block spacers to line up with the Axletrees.
Axletrees
The kit suggests 1mm brass wire bent into shape to form both axletrees and winches, running from the pump cisterns to the stanchion supports forward of the Main Hatch coaming.
At 1:64 scale I think an improvement can be made to this rather basic arrangement.

I have used 1mm ø brass tubing for the Axletrees, running from the pump cistern rhodings to just forward of the bitts cross piece where it ends to take the cranked square section part of the Winch.
Winches
For this I have shaped 2x1mm section styrene to fit over the end of the Axletrees and connect with the round section of the winch, again 1mm ø brass tubing.

There is a similar arrangement at the forward end where the winch is secured to the stanchion.

Before the pump stuff is all put into place some thought about placing eyebolts around the Main Mast to take rigging is required.

The important ones are for the jeer falls and the truss pendant tackle.

There is a difference in layout between the kit plans and the ffm plans, and also the belay points for various lines.
From this point on I will be using the ffm backed up by Steel to position the required deck fittings, so they won’t necessarily appear as per the kit rigging plans.
A real puzzler are the Main Jeer tackle falls. They should of course belay at the jeer bitts. These support the Quarterdeck and sit right behind the pumps. The pumps as can be seen block the sheaves for the jeer falls.

The two loops of cotton pass thro’ the jeer bitt sheaves, and I hope to attach the falls to these and pull them tho’ at the appropriate time.
The kit plans appear to show the jeers belayed at the Topsail sheet Bitts which gets around the problem.
A few overall shots.

The Brake Pumps are in place here.
These are not provided in the kit, but commercial scale versions are available.

 

 

The completed effect, the Gangplanks have also now been fixed into place.

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

The Quarterdeck  Breast rail
The kit arrangement consists of five wooden stanchions and three rails. 2x2 strip is used to make up the lower part of the stanchions below the middle rail.

The provided stanchions are the typical turned bottle shaped column affairs.
These should really be complete, passing thro’ the rails, with sheaves let into the lower part which is square in section.

The sheaves are important because of the many lines that belay to the Breast rail.

Two turned boxwood? newel posts are provided but are poorly finished and look ridiculously heavy for the scale. In addition they are too wide for the hand rail that is supposed to sit atop them.

Another instance I suspect of Amati using generic pieces from their fittings range without proper consideration for scale or suitability.

I approached the job by fixing the base rail to the quarterdeck; this allows the Middle rail which also includes the hand rail running to the newel post on the Gangway to be trial fitted before it is permanently fixed.

One slight puzzlement there are two base pieces (121) exactly the same, but there is no indication that they have to be fitted as a pair.
Once the base rail is fitted the height of what should be the lower part of the stanchion is determined and a sheave is drilled thro’ each one.

In practice I made no attempt to form a proper sheave, two small drilled holes will suffice to carry the lines which will then hide any detail anyway.

These were then glued into place followed by the middle rail. At this point the projecting handrails need to be checked for alignment with the point on the fixed gangway where the supporting newel posts fit.

The turned columns are then glued followed by the capping rail.

 

Not a particularly secure arrangement this and I may come to regret not going the distance and making complete stanchions to fit thro’ the mortises in the rails.
I am undecided at this stage whether to fit the Hammock cranes across the top of the rail, not seen any contemporary Swan model with them, or indeed any mention of them in the ffm books.

Finally two newel posts are made to support the hand rail on the Fixed Gangway. The kit supplied parts were binned.

Cmdr Gore gives scale to the completed rail.

Eyebolts have been added to the Breast beams of the Foc’sle and Quarterdeck.
Not quite sure what they are for at the moment but I work on the principle that you can’t have enough attachment points on a Square rigger, and they would be awkward to retro fit.

I have made the ladders for the entry steps to the waist and the fore hatch.
I considered the Amati provided steps (strip assembly) not very convincing, and a little puny for the model, again I suspect they are generic stuff rather than kit specific.

I did give some thought to the enticing winding steps version promoted in the ffm, but I think I would need a little more machinery to do a decent job of cutting the slats for the treads at the slightly different angles involved on the left and right stiles.
So it is straight ladders for me but better looking ones I hope.
 

 

B.E.

 

[Blue Ensign]

Stern Gallery, fixing and modifications

 

Chris Watton has obviously given a deal of thought to the decoration of the stern gallery.
Separate stern facia and Tafferal pieces and built up etched decorations provide for relief and make for a great looking stern area. Having said that I do have issues once the stern gallery is attached.
Although the instructions suggest that the basic facia be attached to the hull before the tafferal with its decorations are attached, I decided to complete the stern gallery in part off the model.
The first decision is the colour scheme.
I have decided to go with the blue ground as used between the rails and pick out the cove below the tafferal in red. This was a common feature on ships of the period.

The cove by all accounts had a textured finish, which I reproduced simply by pricking the surface with a fine point. I mention this in case it is mistaken for poor sanding on my part.
Much of this will also be covered by decoration.
Card templates were made for each of the window openings in the stern panel to match the window glazing.
Before dressing of the gallery can take place the stern part needs to be checked for fit against the hull and a little gradual shaping of the bulwark ends is required. Trial and error is the order of the day but any minor discrepancies will be covered by mouldings and internal planking.
The stern gallery is one of the critical build areas and the fixing strategy needs to be worked out well before final painting and the adding of the decoration.
The gallery piece is kept clamped over a curved surface to impart some round to it which will make fitting easier.

Holes are drilled in each of the two central window pillars to take brass pins to better secure the facia to the hull. Two more are drilled to secure the top of the tafferal to the bulwark ends, all this will be covered by decoration. Elastic bands secured around some dowel passed thro the Quarter light space will assist to pull the facia to the hull whilst the glue takes.

Tape is used to ensure that the facia sits centrally during fixing.
The gallery can now be removed for fixing of the window.
The brass etched windows were metal primed and painted with thin coats of matt white humbrol enamel rubbed down with a feather touch using P800 wet and dry between coats.

The kit guide suggests fixing the frames first and then adding the clear acetate windows afterwards securing with epoxy resin. This is the method I followed.

The window frames are fixed, a little touching up required after handling, and the acetate ‘glass’ is installed using the card templates as a guide.
Before fixing the gallery to the stern the cove decoration was added, and then the assembly was glued and pinned into place.
The removal of the stern bulkheads and the opening up of the Great Cabin, has had the desired effect of giving depth thro’ the gallery windows and some indication of the interior.
There has been one aspect of the stern gallery that has bugged me from the start.

It is the way that the gallery piece overhangs the hull and sort of just stops there.
There is a brass etched decoration piece that runs down below it against the hull and over the wale but it just doesn’t sit easy with my eye.
I can’t believe that Georgian style and elegance would just leave it like that.
It seems that Chris Watton may have omitted a lower quarter piece, but even if he didn’t I think there needs to be a piece that finishes off the gallery and links down to the wale.
This Lower Quarter piece is quite a complex shape and I laminated three strips of timber to give me the required thickness and width from which to carve the form.
It has to curve down and a little forward to meet the wale and be thinned to the wale thickness at the lower end, to allow the decoration to run over the wale.
The upper end has to meet the stern overhang and fair against the hull.
Easy to say it, but a sod to make; It had to be shaped by trial and error and I scrapped several attempts before getting something I could live with. Fortunately this area is painted so filler can be used to make up any deficiencies in the carving.

 

 

Here primed to check the final shape.

The moulded rails above and below the lower counter are fitted.
The next post will concern the completion and fitting of the stern decoration.

B.E.

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

The decoration and relief figures have now been applied to the stern.

I have also started to form the Rudder coat but this won’t be completed until later.

The provided brass etched lettering for the name looked too puny for the counter space, the lettering should be as large as the counter would allow at the time period in question, and the name in any case should be painted on the counter and not stand proud.

My preferred method is to use dry rub transfer lettering which gives a more muted effect.

 

The lower Quarter piece decoration is now in place, this is a modification that really need to be done in my opinion to improve the aesthetic look of the stern.
A capping rail which runs over the Tafferal is yet to be fitted.
 

Onto the Quarter Badges...

These are also resplendent with brass etched decoration, but a point to ponder is the flat profile of the Badge given that there are two small side windows in addition to the central main arched light.

Many of the Quarter Badges on Swans are canted so these two additional small lights would make sense, giving an oblique view forward and aft. With a flat profile the lights simply cover the hull planking to no good effect.
I have decided rightly or wrongly that these two little lights would be false and so I have backed them with painted board rather than glazing.

This was also the point to finish off the Quarterdeck bulwarks and fix the capping rails. The inner Tafferal has also been boarded over.

I have had a change of mind about the relief decoration colour having studied some contemporary models. This has now been re-coated in ochre on the Tafferal and Quarter badges to give a darker bolder profile, which I think sits well with the boxwood hull planking.

Will still be adjusting with darker and lighter tones to try and improve the effect.
The bulwark decoration which would have been painted on I have left with the paler more muted colour as I don’t want it standing out too much, part of the that decoration can be seen in the first photo.

 

This modification sits easier with my eye, those incongruous Norman Knights hanging in mid air I simply couldn't live with.

However, this is not the end of the story, when I received the Pegasus plans from the NMM my imagination was set racing as you will see in the next post.

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Stern Gallery Modification Mark 11

My eye kept drifting back to the  stern decoration on the NMM plan

The decoration is classical and is related to Pegasus. Not that what appears on the drawings would necessarily be reflected on an actual ship, but it does make sense.

 

In the centre of the Tafferal is the ships namesake (as with the kit) Top left and right the head of Medusa, complete with snake hairdo. On the Port side of Pegasus is Perseus holding the severed head of Medusa, and to the Starboard the headless body of Medusa, from whence Pegasus sprang.

On either side of the stern gallery on the Upper Quarter piece, where the Norman Knights reside on the kit, stands Perseus, and below him sea creatures presumably representing the watery kingdom of Poseidon, the father of Pegasus.
Note also the space between the hull and the Upper Quarter piece on which the figure of Perseus stands. I rather think that the standing figures are facing slightly outwards and are carved in solid relief.

 

For those of you who didn’t study Classics at school - A little bit of Greek mythology.
Pegasus was the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea, so quite appropriate for a ships name. His Mother was the Gorgon Medusa and Pegasus sprang from her neck when she lost her head to Perseus.
Medusa was apparently a bit of a looker, but the sort that knew it; She attracted the carnal attentions of Poseidon, which upset the Goddess Athena who gave her a snake hairdo and a look that could turn men to stone.
As for Pegasus he took up an association with a likely lad from Corinth called Billy Ruffian but it all ended badly for Billy whereas Pegasus found a comfy billet in the Olympian Stalls and was given a job in logistics by Zeus collecting and delivering his lightning and thunderbolts. Slightly bigger bangs than the six pounder pop guns on his namesake the Sloop Pegasus.
The whole family have been well represented in the names of British Naval ships, Gorgon, Medusa, and Poseidon, (if you stretch a point and use his Roman name Neptune). There never was an HMS Poseidon as far as I know, but the unfortunate Billy did get remembered. So there you have it Classics in a nut shell.

 

The Upper Quarter piece tapers down to the lower quarter piece which fays into the Wale at its lower end and on the kit is decorated with a sea serpent much as shown on the plans.

Decoration is also shown on the top outer edge of the Tafferal
The profile of the Quarter badge also seems to be flat but the decoration is closely followed by the kit.

 

All this mythology stuff started to dwell on my mind and my aversion to the stern decoration finally got the better of me and I took the scalpel to the stern.
Early attempts to create three dimensional figures using Fimo had not been a success, but given a lead to Preiser 1:87 scale figures, provided me with suitable candidates to replace the incongruous 'Norman' Knights that featured on the stern Quarter pieces.

Some in this Adam and Eve set looked to have potential for my purpose, providing I can get them to look right on the model.
I have modified a couple of the standing figures to represent Perseus.

Here for the Port side Quarter piece, Perseus is depicted holding the severed head of Medusa.
The figures are 22mm high which match the 'Norman' Knights but the Norman Knights extend above what would be the Quarter piece onto the Transom. This presents a problem in fitting a three dimensional figure without performing some radical surgery on the transom as a whole.

Firstly the Upper Quarter piece is cut back and the transom is notched to take the head of the figure. The lower Quarter piece is modified at its upper end to form a platform for the feet of the figure.
For this three dimensional 'carving' the idea is to give the impression that the figure has been cut from the solid.

Having created a platform to support the feet of Perseus the figure is super-glued into place.
All looking pretty rough at this stage.
Work then proceeds to infil with timber strip and filler to 'bond' the figure to the Quarter piece and give it more of a hewn look.

 

 

 

Still a lot of tweaking and cleaning up to do, but the project is coming together as I envisaged.

Moving on ....

The Starboard stern works receive the scalpel treatment.

All looks a bit scary, particularly as I'm sort of making it up as I go along.

The Starboard Quarter figure has now been modifed. This one again represents Perseus with the shield given to him by the Goddess Athena to deflect the gaze of Medusa

I have started to infill around the Portside figure.

May be a tad grand for a simple Sloop but who's to say; even Eighteenth Century model makers grandified the decoration and there are examples of contemporary sloop models with decoration that probably never ended up on the vessel.

The next post should see the completion of the stern bash.
B.E.
 

[Blue Ensign]

 I now turn my attention to the figures atop the Transom.

Having assembled a pair of comely maidens it transpires that they are also the same size as the brass etch versions across the top of the tafferal, albeit much fuller in figure.

They can represent no other than the Princess Andromeda rescued by Perseus during his journey home with the head of Medusa., so they tie in nicely with the legend.
I had originally thought that I would carefully sand back the Andromeda figures and simply fit the flat inner profile to the stern face, but given their delicate nature I have changed my mind.
Having marked out the rough position and shape of the figures on the Taffarel I carefully drilled the outline and gradually deepened the recess using a drill bit by hand.

Trial fitting Andromeda.

Fair bit of tidying up and blending in to do and then work out the rest of the decoration.

Before I go any further I think I need to clothe Andromeda.
For this I am using Model span tissue which should produce a sort of diaphanous Chiton (it's amazing where ship modelling takes you at times)
Cut to shape and draped over Andromeda with diluted pva then applied.
I use Winsor and Newton's Heavy Carvable Modelling Paste to infill around the recesses and to add minor detail.
I have decided to use just two pieces from the figure etch provided with the kit to decorate either end of the Taffarel. The etch figure of Pegasus I will leave as a 'badge' emblem afterall he is represented in full glory at the head.

 

That leaves two spaces inside the Andromeda figures. I couldn't quite decide what the original etch in this area represented ; a couple of ill defined small figures and a cornucopia perhaps.
 

Continuing the classical theme I decided to include half figures of Poseidon (the father of Pegasus) and Athena (who helped Perseus in his quest to kill the Gorgon.
.

I have primed the figures to show up any areas requiring attention, there seem to be a few to keep me busy for a while, but I think it's coming together ok

Capping Rail - I used 0.25mm x 4mm styrene.

 

I am also thinking about the Lower Quarter pieces and have been playing around forming sea creature figures out of Fimo.

For the lower Quarter piece decoration I finally decided on a fimo version of the etched brass kit item.

This was made simply by pressing the etched item into the clay and trimming around to fit. Because of the stern mods the length had to be adjusted.

Starboard decoration in place.

 

 

Finished modification

The old and new modifications

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Fo’csle  Planksheers, Catheads, and Headworks.

The planksheers of the Fo’csle are pre formed but look to require a little persuading to fit the bulwark line.

One thing worth mentioning in this area are the Catheads. They fit between the bulwark and the rail but the instructions suggest fitting the rail first.
I think the bulwark is better cut before the rails are glued in place, easier than trying to cut a 3mm deep mortise out later beneath the rail.

It is important to get the position of the catheads correct as they have a direct bearing on the Main head rails which should butt up to the Cathead on the inner side, and also the Eking rail which is a continuation of the Cathead supporter.

To this end I cut a template of the Foc’sle from the drawings and marked the locations with Tamiya tape, before attacking the bulwarks with the razor saw.

Main Rail temporarily attached to check position of Cathead.
A note of warning for any prospective builders, check you have the cathead the right way up, I have seen at least three notable builds on MSW where they are upside down.

The wrong way to fit the Cathead; the sniped end of the cathead piece as shown here on the Starboard side should be deck down to provide the required stive at the outer end, and represent the cathead passing thro’ the deck to fasten to the cat beam below.

The correct way to fit the Catheads.
These are replacement Walnut sections, yet to be cut to length and have the sheaves added to the outer end.
I wasn’t too impressed with the provided walnut for the Catheads; the snipe is also at the wrong angle to fit properly beneath the rail, possibly why some modellers have installed it upside down.

Proved a little tricky to get the Foc’sle Planksheers to fit due to minor differences in the hull profile and the pre-cut rails. Soaking and pinning of the parts was required, and a re-do of the paint resulted.

Took a whole day of fiddling to get the job done.
The catheads can now be fitted.

There is no mention in the kit of the sheaves that should be at the outer end of the Catheads, but a Cathead without sheaves would just be silly.

 

I had made replacement catheads using 3mm walnut section, but 3mm square looked a little on the thin side to my eye so a second set was made using 3.5mm boxwood.

Working with Boxwood is far easier than the kit walnut, particularly when it comes to sheaves.
Cutting the sheaves required use of the drill stand with 0.4mm dia bit. The catheads had to be fixed at an angle in the vice so that the drill holes were vertical rather than following the stive of the Cathead.

A little bit of deception and jiggery pokery was required to get the catheads to fit beneath the rail and onto the deck, whilst maintaining the appearance of full section both inboard and outboard of the bulwarks.

The Catheads were glued into place and for additional security treenails were fixed thro’ the rail and heel of the cathead into the deck.

The knock-on effect of replacing the kit catheads was that the Cathead supports had to be scratched to suit.

As an aside, old boxwood carpenter rules make excellent stable timber to make small fittings and can be picked up on e-bay quite cheaply.
Planed up they are a useful size of a timber that is very hard to get hold of these days especially of the quality used in Rabone Chesterman rules.   

 

B.E.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 

[Blue Ensign]

The Headworks - scary or what

Perhaps the most critical area of the build, and probably the most complicated aspect of the kit; If it doesn’t look right it will look soo oo wrong.
It consists of multiple fragile, subtlety shaped pieces that should have a flowing grace, but which on so many kits looks clumsy and crude. The basic arrangement on Pegasus looks quite good compared to many kits but a fair amount of trial fixing is required to try and assess the finished look before committing to the glue pot.
I already note that one part of the assembly consists of a strip of decorative metal that is supposed to represent the Eking rail which fits between the Cathead supporter and the Lower rail. This I believe is to simplify what would otherwise be a very tricky piece to manufacture from wood, but that’s no reason not to have a go.
There now follows an exercise in pure frustration.
I will go into the assembly in some detail which may assist anyone contemplating the build.
The kit instructions for this part of the build are quite simplistic, glue this part number to this etc; what they don’t impart is the relationship between all the parts involved and the need to view the overall assembly before glue is applied. A fair bit of shaping and cutting is required on parts beyond the cheeks which need bevelling to give them the upward inclination to meet the rails properly.

Part One

A drawing with the main parts of the head construction marked may serve to clarify.

The three head timbers which slot into the top of the stem and are notched to take the lower rail look a tad thick to my eye and I thinned them down to just over 2mm.
Assembly sequence
Head timbers (25,26,27) are fixed in place on the stem.
The Hair Bracket (127) fixes along the underside of the Head timbers, in conjunction with the Upper Cheek, but the Figure of Pegasus also comes into the equation here to check that there is room for his tail.

Once satisfied with the flow of the Hair bracket and angle of the cheek, and that the Upper cheeks (54) both Port and Starboard match from the bow view, they are glued into place.

The Lower cheeks (54) are then also glued into place checking the relationship with the Upper cheeks and the cheek extension piece (126) which should meet the flying back hooves of Pegasus.

If all this sounds like a plate spinning exercise, well it is.
The cheeks are delicately shaped with fragile tips and Walnut is not the best of timbers to be chamfering and bevelling and true to form tiny bits flaked off the ends.
At least these items will be painted black so they can be made up with a little filler.
Blue tack comes in handy here as it is necessary to rough dry fit to get an idea of how the whole arrangement hangs together..
With the cheeks in place the Hair Bracket can be fayed into the cheek timbers and be glued in place.

Minor blemishes are rectified with a bit of filler and the Upper cheek/ Hair bracket can be painted.

The kit provided rails thus fitted are supplied long to allow for variances in individual builds, but very careful measuring and cutting is required, there are no second chances unless scratch parts are to be made.

Progressing the Head works Part two – where it gets really scary
The first job is to fit the previously made Cathead supports. I am quite pleased with the new Cathead/support replacements, far better than the kit walnut.
With the basics fitted I can now move onto the headworks proper.
 

Hawse holes and bolsters
This is a good time to attend to this job before other stuff gets in the way .
The Hawse holes are 10½” ø equating to 4mm at scale (ffm). The anchor cables are 13” circ = to 1.65mm ø.
A formula exists for determining the size of the hawse holes; diameter of cable x 9/4 = 3.7mm. Always best I think to start small and work up.

The task of positioning the hawse holes and bolsters proved quite tricky and somewhat tense with the risk of a slip with the Minicraft drill.
Even so little bits flaked off from the surrounding planking, and I could feel my stress levels rising until I had the four holes completed.
Not too sure about the kit arrangement or the shape of the Hawse bolsters (120). I don’t want them fouling the lower/ekeing rails and I suspect that the kit set up is too far in towards the stem, and that the two holes are too far apart.

Here the relative positions of the walnut kit bolsters and the actual holes can be seen.
With the kit set up the inner hole would foul the Bowsprit step and be inside of the lower rail.

scratched replacement bolsters from boxwood strip, a little deeper and thicker to allow a round to be put on the face.
The Main Rail
This terminates as a timberhead against the Cathead on the aft side and curves gracefully down and then up to the inboard side of the Hair Bracket, attaching to the three timberheads as it passes.
This is another area that my eye tells me looks not quite right. The rails looked a little thin so I beefed them up with a Boxwood facing which also had the effect of adding a little strength to these quite fragile pieces, and at the same time giving me the timber match to the rest of the hull.

Getting the timberheads level is a critical job if the set up is look right, here the Starboard rail has been fixed and the Port rail temporarily drilled and pinned.
It quickly becomes apparent that the timberheads need to be angled on the faces to allow the Main Rail to sit flat against them. Not a particularly easy task given the small sizes, plywood construction, and confined space.
Again this aspect is not mentioned in the instructions, but I guess they thought the modeller would find this out for themselves soon enough, and it’s not a job that can be done before the parts are fitted.
Sanding the angles on the timberheads needs to be done with ‘soft hands’ these are fragile items and you don’t want a breakage.
So the Main Rails are fixed; glued and pinned thro’ the bulwark by the Cathead, and ca’d to the timber heads.

 

At this point I deviate from the basic kit arrangement.
I suppose it must be a kit simplification but there is nothing between the Main Rails except the timberhead pieces to which they are attached.
No beams, no knees, no carlings, no gratings, no seats of ease, and whilst I have to work with the arrangement given I think some improvements can be made to enhance this area of the build.

Firstly the head beam is easily fixed across the top of the first Timberhead to butt up to the rails. A pair of knees will support the head beam on the aft side.
Secondly a cross piece can be fitted across timberhead three. These will be part of the grating support system.
Thirdly the carlings which run fore and aft between the beams also support the gratings.
These are made from a bit of 1.5mm square stuff and have a curve to match the upward sweep of the head rails.
When fixing these it was necessary to check there was sufficient space between the carlings to allow the gammoning to pass.

Next up the position of the Seats of Ease needs to be determined. For this the lower rail has to be temporarily attached to check that the discharge tubes from the SoE clear the rail.

Forming the framing around the Seats of Ease.

The discharge tubes were made from some ⅛” square styrene tubing, and the seats from boxwood strip. For those interested in matters lavatorial the SoE’s rise 15” above the gratings and the seat is 14” square with a hole of 7” diameter.

The position of the seats also needs to be checked in relation to the Boomkins which won’t be fitted until much further along the build. Don’t want to find that they run across the top of the seats.
The final part of this modification is to fit the gratings. These are made from 1mm x 1.5mm boxwood strip.
Firstly I utilised some spare grating strip to form the battens into which the grating strips fit.

Grating strips have been fitted to one section on the port side.

The knees supporting the head beam are in place here.
Further grating strips are required between the hull and the head, and battens are required to be fixed to the bows.

A fair amount of fine sanding and tarting up still required, but this simple modification is one that I think improves the basic kit, and is fairly true to the style given that it’s worked around the existing kit set up.

The next part will see wrestling with the Ekeing rail and completion of the head. I hope

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

The lower rail
Another very fragile piece, but with the position of the SoE discharge pipes established these can next be fitted.
The pre-cut notches in the head timbers seem too large for the rail and so required a little packing.
I made replacement lower rails out of laminated boxwood strip; what little sods they were. Just as I would get close to finishing one, a bit would break off and another hours’ work went down the tubes.

The photo also includes a roughed out False Rail that comes into the picture later.
Still after several attempts the objective was finally achieved but even so the thin end of the port rail splintered a little but the situation was saved by the use of Super phatic glue which wickes into the fibres, and is supposed to be stronger than CA.

Here the lower rails are fixed into place and the Ekeing rail is trial fitted.

The Ekeing rail
In the kit the Ekeing rail is represented by a decorative white metal strip that simply has to be curved to shape and cut to size, attaching to the bottom of the Cathead support and joining with the Lower Rail.
OK as it goes but it lacks the subtle shape of a true Ekeing rail being only on one plane, not fitting well to the adjoining timbers, and lacking a good match to the other timbers. As it has to be painted it is any case of no use to me as I need all the rails to match in natural boxwood finish.
I don’t think the job could easily be done with walnut, and it wouldn’t be easy to include a laser cut version in the kit because this rail has to be fettled to suit the shape of the bow which in practice would vary slightly from build to build.
The metal strip does however provide a good template to assist making a wooden replacement.
Firstly a piece of the metal strip is cut and shaped to size, it is then transferred to a boxwood blank, and the shaping can then begin.

Metal strip on right used as a template.
I used a Jewellers saw to rough out the shape, and from then it was a question of sanding and whittling away until the desired shape was achieved.

 

The piece was soaked and then clamped to give a round to the lower end.
Once the plan shape is achieved the face is then tapered down from where it meets the Cathead support to finally fay into the Lower rail.
The back of the Ekeing rail needs to remain flush with the hull to which it is glued, which means that a little trial and error shaping is required. The face tapers evenly down from the support and as it turns across the round of the bow it is progressively thinned and tapered to meet the thickness of the lower rail.

A fair bit of scarring to the paintwork during the course of rail fitting.

Seem to have taken a chunk out of the stem during the proceedings, fortunately the Pegasus figure will cover this.
Not as formidable a job as I had imagined, patience and a fine grained wood does the trick. I didn’t cut the rail with a built in lateral curve but relied upon the thinness of the timber plus a little water based bending to achieve the end result.
The trickiest part is fixing the rail to the hull, there is no easy way to clamp the rail whilst the glue sets. I glued it by degrees and pinned at two points.

The Ekeing rail just cuts across the top of the Hawse holes.

The grating set up between the Main rails now completed, needs some fine sanding before a varnish.

I have also added a Breast hook over the Bowsprit, courtesy of Rabone Chesterman, and the piece was fixed into the bows using eight iron bolts.
Below it can be seen the Bowsprit partners raised above the deck planking level.

Still some way to go before I’m sufficiently happy with it and Part Four should see the final additions.

B.E.

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Covering Boards
There are covering boards that fit over the faces of the Head timbers once the lower rail is in place, and the head timbers require one more bit of tweaking.
This is to impart a slight concave surface to the timbers so that looked at particularly from the head, they appear to curve gracefully in towards the stem.

Have a look here at Victory, a little of that effect is what is required.
On many kit builds these boards look too flat faced or even convex.

There is not a great deal of scope for imparting curve to the Pegasus head timbers due to the short length, but it is possible to impart a slight concave profile which I think improves the look.

I used boxwood strip of 0.6mm thickness for the boards.
The kit arrangement includes a fair bit of bling on the head timbers and rails which looks too ott to my conservative eye.

I therefore left the head timbers plain with a simple blue panel.

The gratings with the SoE’s now fixed.
 

The False Rail
This decorative board has a very mundane function to cover the aft SoE’s where fitted.
Not provided in the kit one can be drawn on the plans and a template made. The version shown in the ffm books is quite fancy, but often they were much plainer – this is what I decided upon.
I hope it will also impart some strength to the Main rail.

In fitting the False Rail the angle of the Boomkins has to be considered so these are temporarily fitted so the position where they cross the FR can be determined.

 

The prototype False rail pattern is seen here with the boomkin temporarily in place.

Those sharp eyed amongst you will spot one of my able dockyard shipwrights checking the downward angle of the Boomkins.

 

Another step backwards
Ever since I did the Ekeing rails (Oh no not them again) my eye has been drawn to the starboard rail which I felt had a small but noticeable difference to its Port neighbour, something to do with the angle of the curve I think.
Having stared at it over a period of days, trying to convince myself it looked ok, I finally couldn’t live with it any longer and off it had to come.
An afternoon spent carving another with the hope that this time my eye would not detect any difference, well maybe the teeny tiniest difference may pass muster. Once again the ekeing rail (Mk three or four is it) was coerced into shape having been soaked and clamped for twenty-four hours.

I’m now sufficiently satisfied with the new rail, and I can move on.

I also decided to remodel the False Rails.

The grooves for the Boomkins need to be cut but this will be done once the rails are fixed.

 

The False Rails can’t be fixed until much later in the build, after the Bowsprit and gammoning are in place.

B.E.
 

[Blue Ensign]

Pegasus - a flight of fancy.
Well a white horse is a white horse, but a thin wash of slightly less than white was applied to bring out the shadowing of the wing feathers.

So I sez to Mrs W how do you like Pegasus;
Why is it so white sez she;
because Pegasus was a white horse sez I.
Oh, sez she, obviously far from impressed, then added it doesn’t go at all,
looks like a piece of plastic stuck on the front.
Never shrinks from offering a bit of positive encouragement Mrs W.

 

Now every Pegasus kit build I have seen has a white Pegasus, but she did get me wondering whether it looked a little stark against the muted scheme of the hull and whether it would be more in keeping if I toned it in with a natural wood finish, afterall most of the contemporary boxwood models seem to have a natural finish, and I am trying to reflect that look on the model overall.
Only one way to find out.
For this I am going to use Artists oils.
This is the effect after a couple of coats and I’m sold on it already.

The beauty of oils is that you can rework and blend tones almost endlessly. The downside is they take half a lifetime to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

So there will be no white horse on this Pegasus.

B.E.
 

[Blue Ensign]

Quarterdeck Bulwark rails
Firstly the timberheads are fitted into the slots in the capping rail, and provision made for two additional timberheads adjacent to the Quarterdeck rail and the gangway.

Mortises cut to take timberheads. The kit version only has one.
The support stanchions for the Quarter rail or Roughtree rail as it is also called are fitted next. These will help in coordinating a fair run of the swivel gun mounts.
Two additional fixed blocks are also required; for the Main sheets and Main braces. These are not included in the kit which has the Main brace feeding thro’ a block at the extreme end of the QD spirketting,(OK) and the Main sheets feeding thro’ a hole drilled in the spirketting opposite the Mizen Mast. (Not OK)

These fixed blocks fit around the timberheads on their aft side.

The Fixed blocks were knocked up from a bit of Boxwood square section, and sit atop the rail in a similar manner to the Fish davit and cat snatch block on the Foc’sle.

All installed and given a coat of Black paint.
Next to consider the swivel gun mounts and Rough tree rails.

B.E.

 

[Blue Ensign]

Swivel Mounts
The most interesting and potentially most tricky feature along the Quarterdeck rails are the swivel gun mounts. A little bit of work to do here as replacements to match those on the Foc’sle are required.
There are five running along each side and they follow the sheer line getting shorter as they go aft, but maintaining a level top line.
At least I had worked out the method of making the mounts when I did the Foc’sle swivels.
These mounts also need to be worked in conjunction with:-
The Roughtree Rail (Quarter Rail)
The kit provided part for this is quite substantial scaling to 12” wide and 3¾” deep. It is designed to fit in notches in the provided swivel mounts.
Steel reckons it should be 6” wide and the ffm suggests it was bolted to the swivel mounts, so the kit version is probably a simplification to aid construction.
This was in effect a safety hand rail so 12” width seems excessive and looks heavy to my eye. A rail of the proportions adjacent to the Gangway looks more in keeping.
I decided to keep the provided rail but reduce it in width so that the swivel mounts fitted into notches in the rail rather than have recesses cut into the mounts into which the rail would fit. (as per the kit arrangement)

The difference in width of the Roughtree rails can be seen here.
The rail was next pva’d onto the supports; this needs to be fixed in order to take off the heights of the mounts.

I fixed the foremost mount first to get the run of the rail correct, then numbers three and five followed by two and four.

I had a slight concern that the fixing arrangement wouldn’t be as rigid as the kit set-up but my fears were unfounded.

So the Quarterdeck swivel mounts are all made and fitted; not such an onerous job as I first thought.

The reduced in width rail looks far better to my eye.
I also decided to make the rail endings a little more stylish rather than simply use a piece of walnut strip angled downwards.

These were carved from a bit of Mr Rabone’s ruler.

To complete the basic fitting of the mounts the iron bolts were secured thro’ the mounts and into the hull which gives added stability.

 

The thinned down rails are evident in this shot.

This all but completes the work on the Quarterdeck, time to move back to the hull.

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Port lids
A slightly contentious issue; how many should be fitted and where.
The kit indicates four each side, the foremost port and the aftermost three.
Antscherl suggests three, the foremost port and aftermost two.
Contemporary models vary, the Atalanta shows two aftermost, the Sphynx shows three, as do several other contemporary models of Sixth rates.
I have decided to follow the Atalanta model with two aft. (any excuse to avoid work)
The foremost port beneath the Foc’sle is a Bridle port and according to the Admiralty plans should be somewhat narrower than the regular gun ports..
Too late for me, I had already cut a regular size port and I am not at this stage prepared to mess with the boxwood hull planking to change matters.
Besides, the contemporary painting of Sphynx shows her with a regular port.

Well that’s my excuse......

If you want to go beyond the simple rectangular walnut squares that represent them in the kit, the ports need to be made from individual planks, horizontal on the exterior, and vertical on the interior.
A reasonable representation of the lid straps is provided in brass etch, with the rivet heads already moulded in. To my eye they look a little on the small size for the lids involved. The straps have tails which I suppose are intended to be inserted into holes in the hull above the port to hold them in the open position.
I decided not to use the kit provided straps.
On the subject of straps the kit indicates a single tackle ring bolt fitted to the lid rather than two attached to the straps, which is the arrangement given by David Antscherl in the ffm.
I rather think the kit arrangement is correct with a single ring bolt for a small ship such as Pegasus.
All the photos I have of contemporary models of sixth rates show the single arrangement, and Lavery in Arming and Fitting suggests this was applicable to
small ships.
Interesting little job port lids, but as with many other aspects of the build working out a strategy for making and completing them is a major part of the exercise.
Each one requires a card template to fit the port exactly and this is transferred to a blank which is then planked with boxwood strip and fitted to the port and any final adjustments made.

The lid is then sanded back to the thickness of the port rebates so it sits flush with the outside of the hull.
A rectangle of wood is then added to the back of the lid to plug the space within the port. This is scribed with vertical planking lines.

The straps are applied to the lid and secured with rivets. (cut off pins)

With the port lid in place the port tackle hole is drilled in line with the lid tackle ring bolt and 0.25mm line is threaded thro’, knotted and pulled back.

Still working on how to best represent the hinges which in practice are only really relevant to a closed port.

I would really like to have the aftermost port closed so the hinges are a feature but I’m struggling for ideas at the moment.
The foremost port I currently have as top hinged.

I have a slight concern that with the port open it may foul the anchor rigging later in the build, so I am toying with the idea of split side hinged doors ala Victory.
I need to sort out the port lids before I can move onto the Channels.

The port hooks ( hinge brackets) are in place for the closed ports, and the lanyards rigged.

The port lanyard tubes fashioned from short sections of telephone wire insulation, and painted to represent leather.

Aft lids in place.

 

 

Bridle port lid.

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Topside decoration
I had pondered for some little time as to whether to apply the lower layer of brass etch decoration to the Topsides, or leave it plain blue.
On balance I decided to fit it as it was in keeping with the look of the contemporary models I am trying to reflect, but even so I have not used all the decoration, most notably leaving off that which would be applied to the Headworks.

 

A little bit of manipulation and shaping of the etch was required to get the fit.

One of the drawbacks of using etched decoration is that minute bits of paint are lost during fitting which then show up bright under direct light.

Similarly there are shiny spots where any ca has got on the surface of the background paintwork.
I suspect a long process of touching up will ensue as bright spots are revealed as the light catches the topsides.

 

On reflection looking at the photo's above my light and shading efforts were too timid so I have taken a bolder approach using Artists Oils.
For the Highlights I have used Soft mixing white with a touch of yellow ochre.
For the shading I have used Raw Umber mixed with Indian Red, and toned down with white.
Both mixes thinned with distilled turpentine to quite a thin consistency.
 

Port Stern Qtr natural light indoors
 

Port Stern Qtr LED ceiling lights
 

Starboard Stern Qtr natural light indoors
 

 

Starboard Stern Qtr LED ceiling lights.

This is a result I think I can live with.

B.E.
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

The Fish davit
I have been fretting for some little while about the Fish Davit.
The davit is not provided for in the kit but as they do in fact provide the Fish Davit cleats, and the ffm provides details of the davit, the temptation was too much.
However, once I had roughed out the davit to scale I had trouble getting my head around the proportions.
I did raise the subject on MSW but the many Swan builders on that site showed no interest in the subject whatsoever, or at least in my question, but thanks to Daniel who gave me a lead by providing some very useful photo links to contemporary models with the Davit rigged.
Firstly the Spanshackles are fitted, at this date one each side of the centre line are fitted.

These hold the inner end of the davit.
Given the length of the davit one of the problems I had was in deciding whether the inner end fitted into the opposite side spanshackle.
Daniel came to the rescue with this shot of Lowestoft 1761

The double spanshackles are shown and the davit is fitted to the same side shackle. The Davit looks long enough to span the Foc’sle.
Note how far the davit is extending outboard.
The Pegasus Davit

The length is the width of the Foc’sle with the ends resting on the Fish Davit cleats.
Antscherl refers to the Galley cowl obstructing the passage of the davit across the deck, as it happens it doesn’t foul the cowl on my build.
The davit is made from some 4mm square boxwood section, it is tapered slightly towards the ends.

Set in the top are two eyebolts for the Topping Lifts, and along the sides hand ropes to manipulate the beam.
A necking is fashioned at each end to take the Fish Tackle.

 

The davit extends quite a way outboard.

Excuse me ain’t we been ‘ere long enough, at my age I’m only supposed to work a few hours.
Onto the Channels.

B.E.

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Channels.
The kit parts are standard walnut jobs but the proportions seem ok.
The main difference to the ffm style is that Antscherl shows the Fore Channels are sniped towards the aft end, apparently to facilitate anchor stowage.
I can’t identify this arrangement either in contemporary models or my books, so I will leave the channels as per the kit design.
A little bit of shaping was required to fit the Channel to the hull line on the inner edge. Cut off brass pins were used to secure the channels to the hull.
Because I wanted the Channels to match the boxwood hull planking the tops were planked with boxwood strip.

 

One modification I am making is the fitting of standards (brackets) to the upper side of the Channels and the hull. These were fitted to counter the upward pull of the shrouds. There are three on the fore channels, four on the Main and two on the Mizen.

A pair of ringbolts are also fitted to the Fore and Main channels, and on the Main, an iron gooseneck and eyestrap for the stun’sl boom. None of these fittings are included with the kit.
The stun’sl fittings were made from a strip of 1mm x 0.5mm brass.

There were quite a few failures en route to getting a full set of standards, but I think the model looks better with them.
Next up Deadeyes, chains, and preventer plates.

B.E.

 

[Blue Ensign]

Deadeyes, Chains, and Preventer plates
 

Deadeye sizes according to Steel.
Fore & Main channel shroud deadeyes 10” ø (scale = 3.96mm)
Backstay deadeyes 7” ø (scale 2.78mm)
Mizen channel shroud deadeyes 7” ø (scale = 2.78mm)
Topmast shroud deadeyes Fore & Main 7” ø (scale 2.78mm)
Mizen topmast shroud deadeyes 5” ø (scale 1.98mm)
The kit provides two sizes of deadeye, nominally 5mm and 3.5mm.
In practice these ‘nominal’ sizes range between 5.15mm - 5.28mm and 3.88mm – 3.94mm in the samples I checked.
To my jaundiced eye the channel deadeyes do look way over- scale, the 10” deadeyes actually scaling to 13.3” and the 7” to 9.8”.
An accurate set of three sizes 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm would have been better, but it looks like Amati have supplied the kit from their standard after market range.
Having said that, what joy to have all these splendid little etched parts that make up the deadeye fittings. So nice not to have to make them from scratch as I did with the Heller Victory.
The deadeye strops, chains, and preventer plates were finely formed, best I’ve seen in a kit .
Took some little time to blacken them all though.
Having played around with the deadeyes I’m finding it difficult to accept the provided 5mm+ ø deadeyes for the lower shrouds.
The nearly 4mm smaller deadeyes look better to my eye for the shrouds, and 2.5mm versions (nearer 2.7mm) for the backstay and Mizen channel deadeyes.

 

The top portside photo shows 3.5mm and 2.5mm deadeyes
The bottom starboard photo 5mm and 3.5mm deadeyes.
Note how crowded the shroud deadeyes on the starboard side are.

I’ve ordered some samples of different size deadeyes to trial before I proceed.

4mm Occre deadeyes are in the range 4.24 – 4.27mm diameter.
This scales to a deadeye of 10.5”ø
The Amati 3.5mm dia actually measure 3.8-3.9mm = to 9.8” ø at full size.
Here the sample range.
from the left, 5mm deadeye as supplied: 4mm Occre deadeye: 3.5mm Amati deadeye: 2.5mm Amati deadeye:

The Occre 4mm are a great improvement on the provided 5mm size deadeye but then we are left the problem of size differential, insufficient if the 3.5mm size are used to represent the Mizen and backstay deadeyes ,or too much if the 2.5mm size is used.
The Amati 3.5mm ø are closer to proper scale and so they will be the lower Main and fore channel Shroud deadeyes.

So the Mizen and backstay deadeyes will be represented by the Amati 2.5mm deadeyes, (actual measurement 2.7mm) which scales to 6.8” ø, close enough for a 7”ø deadeye, and with a clear size differential which is important for the proper look of the thing.
Now the decision is made I can proceed with a bit of stropping.

 

Chains and plates.
In setting up the deadeye chains and plates consideration has to be given to the line of the shrouds which the iron work should as far as possible follow.
To this end mast lengths have to be made in order to check the angles with lines temporarily run to the deadeyes.
As I said in my earlier post the etched chains and plates are the best I have seen in a kit.

One point to be noted; both preventer plates and the associated chain loop are recessed where the upper bolt is fitted so the fitting lies flat. A nice touch that.
Fixing the fore channel was no problem with the plates sitting just above the wale on the black strake (which happens not to be black on my Pegasus)

 

The Main plates proved less easy, because with the standard fitting the preventer plates came down over the wale. Quite why I’m not sure as the wale position and channels look to be placed correctly.

Fitting thus entailed shortening the first link so that plates sat along the wale top .

This was a bit of a fiddly time consuming exercise with over 30 to do but necessary.

The same applied to the Mizen chains which also had to be reduced in length to sit in the correct position.
In addition to the supplied channel/shroud iron work, there should be:-
Preventer bolts
These are eyebolts set in the ships side for securing the shrouds with a jury rig should damage or loss be sustained.
They are set between the chains -, four each side on the Fore and Main channels, and two each side on the Mizen.

In addition there is a Swivel bolt set in the Main Wale below the Mizen channels for securing a ships boat to the side.

I wasn’t entirely happy with my first stun’sl eyestraps so I re-jigged them. I also had to mock up a stun’sl boom with the hook in the forward end to gauge the outboard extension of the strap.

The lower stun’sl booms do not form part of the kit, but the proportions are readily available in Steel.
This concludes the long saga of Deadeyes and Chains.

B.E.

 

[Blue Ensign]

Stanchions and stuff
The kit version of Pegasus has hammock cranes running along the waist rail, but then the kit version doesn’t have gangplanks.

My version has stanchions fitted with a roughtree rail, very necessary as a safety barrier when moving between the Quarterdeck and Foc’sle. Netting will be attached along the waist.

 

Stanchions are also required along the Foc’sle but of less height.

The ffm also indicates Hammock netting stanchions along the QD rails. These are not of the ‘U’ shaped design as on Victory but are a half ‘u’ shape to allow a 7.5” space between the stanchion and the rough tree rail.
How this would work in practice unless netting was also strung between the roughtree rail and the Qtr deck capping rails I don’t really know, and if it was put in place it looks to me that it may interfere with belaying of lines to the Rail and timberheads.
I haven’t seen any examples on models of sixth rates of this arrangement so I remain undecided, it is all getting very crowded around the QD rail area.
The stanchions are natural snag magnets so will be removed until much later in the build.

B.E.

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Bolsters, Billboards, and Linings.
A bit more non standard kit stuff here.
The Billboard is a run of planks protecting the foremost chains of the Fore Channel from the anchor flukes, when the anchor is being raised.
The Bolster is a beam that supports the Billboard, and also provides a narrow platform that allows a crewman to stand and take a sounding.
The linings are a run of planks fitted over the Main Wale again to protect the timbers from the anchor.

Starboard Lining.

Port Billboard completed.

The Billboards are simply planks nailed to two wooden stanchions that fit between the bolster and the channel.

B.E.
 

[Blue Ensign]

Anchors for Pegasus - yet another conundrum

According to Steel a 300 ton Sloop of 14 guns would have carried five anchors:-
20cwt anchors (3) 7cwt stream (1) 3cwt 2qtr Kedge (1)
The given dimensions:-
20cwt Bower
Length of Shank 13’ scale @1:64 = 61.9mm
Length of arms 4’ 4½” 20.8mm
Breadth of palms 1’ 9¼” 8.6mm
Outer Ø of ring 1’ 9¾” 8.6mm
Thickness of ring 2½” 1.0mm
7 cwt stream
Length of Shank 9’ SCALE @ 1:64 = 42,9mm
Length of arms 3’
Breadth of palms 1’ 4”
Outer Ø of ring 1’ 4”
Thickness of ring 1¼”
3 cwt kedge
Length of Shank 7’ scale @ 1:64 = 33.3mm
Length of arms 2’ 4”
Breadth of palms 1’
Outer Ø of ring 1’ 1”
Thickness of ring 1¼”
I seem to have a problem with the kit supplied anchors; these are four 40mm size anchors (No 4015/40) The kit part list indicates 50mm long anchors (No 4015/50)
Maybe they put the wrong size in the box but even so the sizes still appear to be seriously under scale..
I have mocked a 20cwt Bower up to Steel proportions and this is the result compared to what Amati have supplied.

The provided stock of the Amati anchor is but a poor thing with all the attributes of a dry biscuit.
Those who intend to use it are advised to take great care when enlarging the hole to accept the anchor shank.
However once fitted to the ship.........

The Steel dimensioned anchor looks way too large.

Whereas the Amati 40mm will probably fit the bill for the Stream anchor.
Jotika do a 1:64 scale 20cwt Bower at 57mm. another one at 54mm , and a 3.5cwt kedge at 36mm.
I placed these on order so I can assess the relative sizes, and how they suit my eye on the model, and in the meantime I have checked and re-checked the scale anchor proportions according to Steel, and also the ffm Vol 1V and the scale drawings in several AotS books with appropriately sized anchors. I have also looked at many contemporary models, and these Bower anchors do appear large in relation to the ship.
The result is still the same the Amati anchors whether 40mm or 50mm are seriously undersized.
Still the Jotika anchors have now arrived, they are designated by scale and period, unlike the Amati items.

These are white metal affairs with a wooden stock. The good news is that the stock comes in two halves as it should be, although will need some tapering on the fore and aft faces to reduce the overall width to around half at the ends of the stock.
The 20cwt anchor (circa 1750) has a 57mm long shank and comes with separate palms which have to be glued on. The hole for the anchor ring has also not been drilled.
The 21cwt anchor (circa 1770) is somewhat shorter at 54.5mm shank length which is also slightly thicker. On this anchor the palms are already attached and the ring hole pre-drilled.
On both anchors the stocks are a big improvement over the Amati offerings, but the separate palms are a bit of a pain to attach firmly even with c.a.

The small relative size of the supplied Amati 40mm anchor is evident in this shot. The cynic in me gives cause to ponder whether Amati chose their ‘generic’ anchor sizes to suit the Fore channel length.
The stowage arrangement of the anchors as shown on the kit Plan (sheet 6) does not work with re sized anchors, and is in any case not necessarily accurate having the palms of both anchors secured on the Fore channels.
Having fiddled with the anchors I have come to the conclusion that the Jotika 21cwt anchor is the best compromise and gives the best scale effect.

The Amati anchor is a near fit for the 7cwt Stream anchor, but would require a new stock. The deficiencies in the provided piece are clear to see in this shot.

In reality the Stream anchor would be fitted to the Portside Fore channel.
So this is the plan.
Jotika 21 cwt bowers will be attached to anchor cables and held in place by painters secured to the timberheads both port and starboard. The port Bower is designated as the ‘Best Bower’. Behind the Port bower on the channels will be secured the 7 cwt Stream anchor.
The Starboard Bower designated the 'Small Bower' I may suspend from the Cat Block. The third Bower designated as the 'Sheet Anchor' is secured along the Fore Channel behind the 'Small Bower.
The 3cwt Kedge Anchor will be lashed to the third bower (Sheet Anchor)
The three bower anchors despite their different names are all the same size. In the next post I will get down to assembling the anchors. 

B.E.

 

[Blue Ensign]

Fettlin’ the Anchors Part 1
The procedure will be the same for all of them so I’ll report on one of the Bowers.
I am using a Jotika 1:64 scale 21cwt anchor of a style circa 1770.
The stocks
These are of Walnut, pre shaped with the taper from below and with the notches to fit around the Shank pre cut. The stocks are supplied in two halves as were the originals.
To improve the authenticity the stocks also need tapering from beyond the centre portion to the ends on the fore and aft faces, being reduced to about half the width on each piece.

Holes are bored in the centre section to take what would be iron bolts, and three further holes along each side of the stock for treenails.
The uncut end of blackened eyebolt stems will be used for the iron bolts.
Four iron hoops also hold the two halves together once fitted around the shank.
At scale these hoops are a mere 1mm wide and 0.2mm thick.

Here being formed around the stock.
Note the relative difference between the central hoops and the oversized Amati supplied brass hoops for their much smaller anchor
For Treenails I am using boxwood strip reduced to fit the 0.7mm holes.

The colour difference should provide a subtle indication, no point doing it if nothing shows.
The next step is to fine tune the fit of the iron hoops now blackened.

The treenails now trimmed.
The Anchor
I had been attempting to chemically blacken the white metal anchor.

This was done using some stuff called Pewter Patina.

But the result is patchy at best.
I prefer a sort of darkish iron grey for the colour but before I resort to painting I have ordered some Carr’s Whitemetal Black which I hope will give an improved coverage.
New Blackening trial on the anchor.
So I tried the Carrs Whitemetal for black and it had absolutely no effect on the white metal anchor. The only thing that seems to darken it is the Pewter patina stuff, but not a sufficiently good cover to stand.
Has possibilities tho’ for a weathered anchor complete with reddish rust stains and salt deposits.
I resorted to using Humbrol enamel No 67.
So here’s the completed set.

 

The ring
The outer diameter of the Bower anchor rings should be 8.6mm and the thickness 1mm. Quite often these are far too small on kit supplied anchors.
Puddening
When I get around to it I will be using 0.25mm dia line equiv to 2” circ rope for the Puddening, and 0.1mm dia line for the seizings.

The Stream Anchor (top) and Kedge (bottom)
Stream Anchor
For the Stream I have used the Caldercraft 12cwt bower, a pretty good match for the 7cwt stream, only a couple of mm short in the shank length.
The supplied stock is too large at 50mm, at a 9’ length the required figure is 44mm. The maximum depths and thickness also need reducing by a couple of mm. all round.
The Kedge Anchor
Another Caldercraft offering; at 36mm. A couple of mm. over long in the shank, but acceptable in relation to the others.
I thought about modifying the anchor to have an iron stock, but in the light of the Swan book went with a wooden version. This again had to be scratched to suit the scale.
The anchors have taken a surprisingly long time to complete, not least because of the multi processes on each one.
 

Now for a little tip given to me by an MSW member.
Anchor stock bands.
I had struggled to make these ‘iron’ bands from blackened brass fret, a frustrating exercise involving much trimming and re-blackening.
The tip involved using Heat shrink tubing to form the bands; cut into strips, the tubing was placed in position on the stock and heat applied to secure it.
I got a supply off e-bay and did a trial using a spare Caldercraft 20cwt anchor.
Here is the result.

 

My main concern was that the tubing may have looked too rubberised, but it has the right look of a dull iron band, and is so much easier to apply. I used a hairdryer on full heat to shrink the bands on.
I wasn’t over-careful on cutting the strips on the trial but I like the look of the effect so much that I intend to replace my blackened brass fret bands.

B.E.

 

[Blue Ensign]

The Stern Lantern
I have had a couple of previous attempts at making a lantern using the Caldercraft etched lantern set for their 1:72 scale Victory model.
The main issue is that the style and number of glazed sections within the octagonal shape are too many, and the octagon shape is not quite the style. From around 1707 the standard pattern on British ships was hexagonal.

This is the larger central lantern from Victory, unmodified, and I put it together to get a feel of how the thing would look. I don’t like it and it will not stand. Slightly too big and too many glazing bars to sit comfortably with scale.

The side lantern at 21mm high is pretty fair for scale to suit the Pegasus at 1:64. Here with reduced glazing bars. For this I trialled using acetate windows fixed with epoxy. Messy business and the result was an unholy mess.

 

I  persevered with various versions.

I think the size sits well with Pegasus, and the style doesn’t look altogether out of place, but I'm still not entirely happy.

The execution could have been better but the principle is established as basis for modifying the Caldercraft Victory lantern to better suit the Swans at 1:64.
But..... just when I thought I would have to settle, a saviour rode out of the West.

B.E.

 

[Blue Ensign]

..... His name was Chuck, Chuck Passaro, and he designed the sweetest lantern in the West.
An hexagonal lantern that is just right for Pegasus.

http://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com/

I could no way match this so my own feeble efforts were quickly put aside.

 

What a great little lantern this is.

This photo shows the lantern at near real size and just how small it really is.

 

The moment of truth – a trial fitting on Pegasus......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A vast improvement in the look from my previous effort and the style suits Pegasus so much more.

Well done Chuck, and thanks for  designing this fine little lantern kit.

B.E.

 

[Blue Ensign]

Rudder coat and Chains
Not the prettiest fitting on a model, but required for the sake of realism rather than have the gaping hole of the helm port on show.
I had already fitted a rudder coat made from finest handkerchief cotton, but it needed finishing off.
They are tricky things to get right for the shape and to allow sufficient ‘bag’ in the coat to allow for rudder movement.
The ffm describes the attachment thus:
The wider end is nailed around the inside of the Helmport. The excess loose canvas hangs down allowing the rudder to move freely.
I’m not clear whether this means the canvas hem is nailed thro’ the edge of the boards that make up the lower counter or the inside face of the counter boards which would be tricky for access.
I had originally coloured the coat as below but have since gone off the brown colour.

The hem for nailing around the helm port is made from shaped micro- porus tape pva’d around the coat edge, here in an unfinished state.

Painted the coat an off black colour and took the opportunity to tidy up a couple of things on the counter.

Noticed I had also lost the eyes to the Spectacle plate, now replaced with slightly more robust versions.

 

 

Much more satisfied with the new look coat.

Rudder chains
These are shackled to the Spectacle plate, run up to and along the lower counter and have the Rudder pendants attached to them to aid steering in the event of problems.
This is another area where size information is scant. The ffm does make mention of the chain, but David Antcherl supposes in the absence of contemporary information that the links are of 1” iron 3-4” in length.
At scale, chain is usually described in links per inch or length/width of the links.
Those measurements would equate to a scale chain of 0.4mm diameter with links of between 1.2 – 1.6mm in length.
Deciding on the chain gauge for a model can be tricky and result in multiple purchases to get one to suit, minor differences in given sizes can look quite marked when fitted.

This sample has 16 oval links to the inch with a 0.3mm dia and 2.3mm in length.

It was obtained from
http://www.scalelink...aSLCH03#aSLCH03
They call it Medium light chain.
Nice chain, Looks ok, but borderline acceptable for scale, strikes me as just a tad heavy.

Here the Scale link chain is on the port side, and an alternative Artesania Latina 1.5mm oval chain, on the Starboard side. The scale link chain by comparison has a flatter profile and is of a heavier gauge.

Here is the AL chain fitted to both sides in close-up. There are 19 links to the inch with a diameter of 0.3mm. and a length nearer 2mm than 1.5mm. The width of the links is 1.6mm. The code number of the AL chain is AL8608.

Overall I think it has the edge, and this is the one I will use.
Three hooks are set along the counter onto which the chains are secured when not in use.

B.E.