Sovereign of the Seas by Tallshiptragic - Sergal - 1/78

[donrobinson]

Having just recently getting a Cutty Sark, in full sail, tattoo on my leg I would highly recommend having those sails furled. 

[Tallshiptragic]

Haha but then kinda defeats the message 

 

Back to the Sovereign, I've started the port side second planking. 

[Tallshiptragic]

My gf threw an idea at me while I was looking at one of the paintings of sovereign from 1660 with a yacht alongside her and sails aback. She said it would be cool to see that as a diorama. Anybody have any thoughts or suggestions?

[granta]

Hi Anton

Here is Caldercraft's HMS Badger in a resin sea. Still unfinished and doesn't really stand up to close scrutiny. Really a trial to see how it looked. I do like marine dioramas that tell a story. I'd love to see a 17th Century  marine diorama.

Grant

[Tallshiptragic]

It does look good with the resin water. If I'm to go this route I'm thinking more of a build up of styrofoam, plaster then resin as a final top. I don't necessarily want to cut the hull down.

[MESSIS]

I look forward to see when the  work of the great ornamentations starts....

Christos

[granta]

The hull isn't cut down on the Badger. I placed a sealed plywood barrier about 2cm under the waterline around the hull, painted it blue/green and poured a  layer of resin over. Some experiments with textured water using something like Mod Podge to follow. There's a lot on the Web and YouTube on water based dioramas. Next time I'll add furled sails.

Your Sovereign would look awesome in a natural setting with those spectacular flags...

 

Grant

[EJ_L]

I would have to agree that seeing her in the water would be a great display. Ships take on a whole new look when you can see how they look in water. Sometimes it is hard for people to see how close those gun ports are to the water line and it also helps to see just how tall these ships are. 

 

I think the the idea of building up a base with styrofoam is a good idea. I would also recommend running a piece of tape around the hull at the water line to act as a bond breaker. Doing that will make removing the ship from the scene easier if you ever change your mind or do not like the finish. 

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks EJ yeah that was my plan well using something similar. Will also need to build a Jacht at the same scale now too

[Tallshiptragic]

Port planking coming along nicely  well I think so anyway haha

[Tallshiptragic]

To show a perspective on size, here is my sovereign beside my 1/72 Arleigh Burke flight iia DDG

[Tallshiptragic]

Port side second planking complete, now to clean up the gun ports to the correct size, ill then have to plank the transom but still yet to cut the four lower ports which will need to be done first.

[S.Coleman]

Arrrr tharr be plenty o waves to sail me hearties

[Tallshiptragic]

Just a touch of colour

 

The colour I've used is actually closer to midnight blue rather than just flat black paint. This is to tone the colour down a little otherwise I think it'll be too much. The lower wales I will however paint flat black. King Charles wanted no colour on the Sovereign apart from black on the hull sides above the upper wales as a backdrop to the gilded carvings. A little unfortunate as I think she would have looked amazing with those carvings painted to reflect reality as in the Dutch ships and that of the Vasa. I've seen a build on here where the whole hull is painted black saying it matches what King Charles wanted and that of the ley portrait however as mentioned the quote from King Charles was the black only above the upper wales. The dark hull of the ley portrait would be the black transom which I agree with and the dark tarred hull as most ships of this period would appear a darker brown colour as the more and more layers of tar where added to the hull sides. I will stain my hull a darker colour which is another reason I changed my hull planks to stop making the hull too dark after staining. 

 

An an interesting difference which I haven't seen in any paintings is the part works Sovereign models showing a dark red band of colour between the two lower wales... if anyone has build or is building the part works kit - do they give a reason to this colour? 

[Tallshiptragic]

Have started fixing bolts to the hull. Initial bolts represent the gun rigging eyelets from the inside of the hull. These are plastic bolt heads used in model train building and come in all sorts of sizes and types, again found these while building my modern ships. Also playing around some of the brass fittings from the sergal kit - what is suitable and what should be replaced. Some of the carved filigree carvings that would need to be replaced is so small I think I'll have to sculpt rather than carve to keep them fine enough. I wish these were painted on like the later vessels of the 17th century! I'd find that much easier to do.

[Tallshiptragic]

The start of a very long process of carving....

[BLACK VIKING]

Hi Anton I have built the Deag Sovereign and they didn't say why the red band on the lower hull ? So can't help you out on that one 

cracking work on your Sovereign by the way 

 

BV

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks BV, it's an interesting colour choice with a nice contrast. It's one very interesting ship and model to build even with the extra required effort to correct the sergal kit. However I'm having a blast

[md1400cs]

Anton,

 

Just catching up - nice progress looking good.

[Tallshiptragic]

Before I got too carried away, thought I should finish the lower hull. Still yet to decide completely whether to display her as a diorama or full hull..

 

The transom still requires a sand before painting. I've also started to cut away at the side of the transom for the footing of the carving that will be fixed to the arch of the transom. 

[Tallshiptragic]

As she sits tonight  the figurehead and great lantern isn't fixed, just wanted to see how she looks haha

[BLACK VIKING]

Lovely work on the planking. Just a thought you could use a sheet of Perspex with the hull sitting through it with water affect on top and you could see the hull underneath. 

 

BV 

[S.Coleman]

She's coming along beautify. The carvings will certainly be interesting.

I do love the darker colour above the wales. Good work. 

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks Scott, the flat black I've used for the lower wales are almost too black so will need to give it a wash to tone it down to my liking but overall I'm happy with her appearance. The white I'll have to adjust as I painted the white right up to the wale astern and therefore the bows also to match the Serb on the Ley painting, however on the Van de Velde sketch after re checking the white is clearly only up to the waterline so I'll mark out the waterline over the lower wales which will be over painted white and the white on the stern and bows will be covered in black to give the natural straight waterline. 

 

Thanks BV, I have considered that also but displaying one side as you mentioned and the other just full hull - similar to the Greenwich model of the Endeavour, without the cutaway hull obviously haha. I should make a decision soon as the more I build on her topsides the more fragile and susceptible she will be to damage. 

 

Back to the model, more 'iron bolts' added using the forementioned mode train nail heads for the larger bolts and drilled holes with black ebony wood filler for the smaller diameter bolts. So far both hull sides are at the same level of completion with the obvious bolt locations placed but I'm deciding whether to continue and add more bolts and then the treenails. I'm using the 1/10 Vasa model from the Vadamuseet and the Batavia replica as a guide for these and again happy so far. 

 

You'll also notice some more carvings added using a mixture of the sergal fittings which are actually upon closer study reasonably accurate. 

[Tallshiptragic]

Continuation of the hull. Have also planked the forepeak. The kit suggests that this forepeak runs continuously onto the beak head, but I've separated them and raised the level of the deck to match the Van de Velde sketch and other vessels practice at the time. 

[Tallshiptragic]

Using modeling clay (air dries without shrinking) to modify some of the kit carvings to match that of Van de Velde.

[Ulises Victoria]

Looking good, Anton. Love the treenailing in your hull.

 

ill keep watching. I'm trying to make this ship my next project!

[Tallshiptragic]

Thanks ulises, this is the first time I've used the ebony filler but am quite pleased with the results  and just like the Vasa the tree nails aren't in a perfect row. 

[Tallshiptragic]

For a change of pace from the decorations I've started some deck planking. Fore peak, f'cstle, quarter deck and poop deck are planked. The half deck and waist to go. I've imitated the caulking with black marker like the hull and the treenails with the ebony filler for the tarred ones. Once sanded down should come up nicely. What a difference the planked decks make!

[MESSIS]

Looks great!