HMS Bellerophon by flyer - FINISHED - Amati/Victory Models - scale 1:72

[flyer]

Hi Björn

That's what I did. Not fully trusting the slots in the structure, I checked all mastheads for height over deck according to the plans.

 Cheers

Peter

[flyer]

main yard and course

 

The main course's area was also reduced by about 30% and the simplified sail then bent to the yard. (Easily said - but I had to knot about 90 robands.) Buntlines, bowlines and clue lines were added and the sail then furled. It sits perhaps not high enough on the forward side of the yard, but I didn't want to cover the studding sail booms.

 

Setting up the yard was started with the sling. Then again followed a process of balancing lifts, braces, jeers and trusses to get a horizontal yard, braced by about 20° and with no slack in the sling. How to set up lifts caused a bit of head scratching: With yards squared it is obvious how to lead them in order not to conflict the standing rigging. But with the yard braced you will have to set them up the same way and they will not run free anymore but bend around the standing rigging. And of course the yard itself presses onto the foremost shroud on lee side. Letting loose the truss falls a bit helps here.

 

Then I had to lead all the lines through the correct blocks to the appropriate belaying points. Some I had to improvise, such as those for the yard tackles and its gear.

 

For the buntlines I changed the run under the main top. I had installed additional blocks and each runs now through two blocks in succession, similar to the plans for the fore course buntlines, and so clear the yard.

 

Now I only had to fix and coil a zillion rope ends and voila - another tiny step towards completion was done.

 

Sometime during that step, when I had enough of lace making, I finished the stern lanterns.

 

 

main yard from above - the reduced sail area is marked in the plan below it

 

yard seen from below

 

sling, jeers and lifts as well as buntlines visible below the maintop

 

detail with truss

 

main yard from above - kink in lift due to the foremost shroud visible

 

Do you see the sailor in the maintop?  Those ships were huge!

 

foot of the main mast with bitts quite full

 

view along the deck

 

stern lanterns in place

 

 

she's taking shape

 

Edited December 23, 2022 by flyer
tie changed to sling

[Kevin]

Very nice indeed

[AON]

I'll be studying these pics much more closely!

[Beef Wellington]

Beautiful pictures Peter, you've done an amazing job on the hull and the sails and running rigging look fantastic.  The detail in the deck shots really show your workmanship.

Edited December 23, 2022 by Beef Wellington

[Blue Ensign]

Great set of photos Peter, she does look impressive.

 

B.E.

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Lovely work.  You’re living the dream!
 

I am not sure what a “tie” is in relation to the lower yards on a 74. It’s not the jeers/halyards?

 

Inquisitive Meriadoc

 

[Ian B]

On 9/7/2022 at 7:58 PM, flyer said:

spanker

 

The spanker was laced to the gaff and the mast.

The finished model should depict a situation where light winds from the aft port quarter just ceased for a moment (I don't want to show the sails swelled up because I consider  this rather difficult and additionally would mean Bellona couldn't be on an even keel). So gaff and boom are swung to starboard but the sail as well as parts of the rigging are hanging limp.

 

While belaying the various lines I found that although the belaying pins look a bit plump, the holes for them are still  too large and the pins have a tendency to jump out and get lost. On former builds I could push them into the holes with a little force and they were just jammed tight. Diluted glue was necessary here to keep the pins in.

 

 

spanker set

 

 

 

sail laced to gaff and mast

 

 

spanker viewed from port and starboard

 

 

Hi I'm now doing my spanker...going to do it the same as you..yours look fab ..I hope mine turns out just as 👍👍👍

[AON]

The tie or tye is the halyard that raises/lowers the lower yard.  Item 1 in this image from Historic Ship Models by Wolfram zu Mondfeld, page 310.

Edited December 23, 2022 by AON

[flyer]

Thank you all for the likes and the much appreciated feedback.

Alan, you should be aware that looking closer entails the risk of seeing a lot of botches and flaws.🧐

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Peter

 

[flyer]

Meriadoc and Alan,

 

Yes, landlubber me was confusing some nautical terms - once again I feel a certain kinship with Stephen Maturin.

 

Meriadoc, what I meant was sling. The log is now corrected.

 

Alan, you are right, of course, about the tie. On Bellerophon however I think I installed jeers. As I understand James Lees they complemented and finally replaced the ties in the 17th century.

 

Thank you very much and Happy Holidays!

Peter

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Of course, I had forgotten about the sling. Basically a kind of vertical truss to hold the yard up, removable like the truss. But the mighty jeers did the lifting. I did not know the halyard going from the knight was called a tie; that’ll come in handy I’m sure. 
Now to casually research when exactly knights fell out of use in the RN…

 

Musing Meriadoc

[flyer]

On 12/23/2022 at 8:26 AM, Blue Ensign said:

Great set of photos Peter, she does look impressive.

 

B.E.

 

Hi BE

Thanks a lot.

I'm using a rather old Cannon Ixus. The colours and brightness sometimes need reworking but the camera's lenses are still superior to anything smartphones offer.

Cheers

Peter

[flyer]

On 12/23/2022 at 12:54 PM, Ian B said:

Hi I'm now doing my spanker...going to do it the same as you..yours look fab ..I hope mine turns out just as 👍👍👍

 

Hi Ian

 

Thanks, but there is more than one reason to lower the image definition before posting the pictures...

 

I'm looking forward to see your spanker - in high definition.

 

Cheers

Peter

[flyer]

main topsail yard and sail

 

Sail making and -hoisting slowly became not exactly fun, but an acceptable routine. Or so I thought, until I spotted 2 broken crosstrees on the fore mast.  Turning the model to get access to both sides is tricky but necessarily quite often done. It must unobserved had happened during such a maneuver. This was not the first similar accident and I find that many - especially newer kits - have rather flimsy crosstrees, likely to break. I wonder if it wouldn't be more sensible to provide them as an photo etched metal part.

 

Anyway, I carefully drilled 0,5 mm holes lengthwise into the broken parts and the trestletrees , inserted very stiff 0,4mm copper wire as internal splints and glued with epoxy. So far it holds.

 

The main topsail probably is the largest and most complicated sail but routine helped in making it. Putting it up according to the kit's instructions went fine.

I rather like the look of those sails and of my Bellerophon.

 

result of an unwatched accident

 

 

after some plastic surgery

 

 

finished sail ready for the yard

 

 

views of the main top sail

 

 

the main bitts look properly crowded

 

 

sailing slowly away...

 

 

[flyer]

main topgallant yard and sail

 

This was supposed to be the easiest sail to set so far: No reef bands and only simple leech linings.

 

Well, I wasn't right.

 

The sail itself was rather quickly done and bent to the yard. But then I realized that the same amount of running rigging as for the other sails had to be set up and threaded to the maze of already installed lines. And having the yards braced made access from the starboard side more difficult. Sometimes I could work across the ship which however endangers what's already there. But the whole workforce finished the task accident-free, for once.

 

In one point I had to deviate from the kit's instructions. As confirmed by Lees, the buntlines should lead forward, through a sheave in the fore topmast aft trestletrees and down to the deck. I forgot to drill the necessary holes when setting up that top. After the near disaster with the crosstrees I didn't want to drill 0,5mm holes into a 1mm wide, flimsy plywood part. Fortunately Lees sais that earlier there were blocks lashed to the same trestletrees to carry the buntlines. A worried skipper and an old fashioned bosun then decided between themselves to set up the buntlines the old way.

 

Now, half of the sails are set and I'm quite positive that I shall indeed finish Bellerophon in this decade.

 

main topgallant sail set

 

main top with belayed topgallant sheets

 

the carpenter is also installing the missing lids to the portside gun ports

 

 

taking total view shots is becoming more difficult - Bellerophon is definitely outgrowing my work space

 

[Spaceman]

Beautiful work, as always.

[flyer]

main topmast staysail

 

Before setting up that sail I installed the stay tackles. And after all those years I finally found the correct and logical position of them: One over the main hatch and the other over the fore hatch. When not in use both tackles should be fixed to eyebolts on deck. To better show the complete tackles I hooked them to two eyebolts in the launch - the same that would be used to lift that boat. My explanation is that that the boats are actually not covered and will be  used soon. Therefore both tackles are already being prepared for the lowering of the boats.

 

Fortunately the sail itself is another rather simple one. It however potentially conflicts with the - yet to set up - braces of the fore- and the fore topsail yard. Therefore I attached most lines only provisionally.

Where to fix the whips (tackles) of the sheets needed thinking. The kit's instructions say to fix the standing part to an eyebolt 'on deck', while the running end is brought to the pin rail abeam the main mast. This looks strange, and would mean to fix a eyebolt near the pin rail which I dare say would cause quite a few stubbed toes.

Lees fixes one end to an eyebolt in the boat skid and the running part to the boat skid or a cleat close to the standing part. Boat skid? Perhaps this means the beams, where the boats are stored but that location is already a bit crowded. However this would be a different position, nearer to the centerline of the ship and probably a more logical position to operate the sheets.

As a compromise I bent both ends to the forward quarterdeck rail, as much to the side as possible.

 

Some time I pondered about how to bend the sail to the stay: Rings, hanks and robands in different forms are methods shown in my clever books. Finally I used robands in a figure of eight form as implied but not specified in Lees.

 

tackles and staysail added

 

 

fore hatch stay tackle fixed to the launch

 

 

main stay tackle

 

 

staysail with robands

 

 

where the port side sheet pendants are belayed

 

 

overview of the deck with port staysail sheet

 

 

in the meantime the carpenter also found time to fix all the gun port lids

[flyer]

bumpkins

 

While working on the fore course I realized that the bumpkins were needed now.  Installing as per plans was easy and the shrouds were such fun to set up that I did it twice. In the plans I found no information about their diameter. 1mm seemed logical as this was the same as the tacks. However, finished it looked out of proportion and I reduced to 0,75mm which looked better.  The bumpkins are not lashed to the rail. Lees states that with the introduction of the 2nd shroud (ca 1773) the lashing was omitted.

 

1mm bumpkin shrouds - too fat!

 

 

0,75mm - looking better

 

 

view from above

 

 

the bumpkins are not lashed to the rail

[flyer]

Fore course

While comparing the kit's plans and Lees' book I found that there seem to be too many buntlines in the kit's plans (also already installed for the main course). Lees mentions only 2 per side - a total of 4 - while the kit has 3 per side. The total of 4 is confirmed by several Books of the AOTS series. Therefore I reduced the number of buntline cringles at - and the number of associated buntline clothes on the fore course accordingly and could at the same time simplify the hole setup a tiny little bit. The 2 superfluous buntlines on the furled main course remain for now.

 

Making the sail, bending it to the yard and hoisting up the whole shooting match was similar to previously fabricated yards and sails.

The yard tackles were installed as on the main yard.

 

fore course with the 2 buntline cloths on the port side visible

 

 

the yard tackle is hooked into the futtock shrouds

 

 

 

I also took advantage of the moderate weather (it was neither raining nor raining cats and dogs nor snowing although it is still the month of April) and took Bellona outside for a few photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ian B]

Looks super 

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Lovely sail work!
Nice yard tackle. Where did you find that detail? I’ve never seen it before. 
Meriadoc

[flyer]

Many thanks for the positive feedbacks.

The yard tackles are very well documented in the kit's plans. You also find a description and an illustration on page 71 in Lees' The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625 - 1860, a treasure of information for working on our models.

Cheers

Peter

[flyer]

The dolphins strike back!

 

The dolphin striker broke 3 times (the original and twice a replacement made from the same plywood) and I started to wonder if this brittle part really did much good for the stability of the jib boom rigging.

 

I made a replacement from a sturdier piece of wood. A piece of  2x3 mm wood strip was worked to the rough form of the kit's  dolphin striker, and 3 iron bands (cartridge paper) hold it against the bowsprit cap.

 

the

raw dolphin striker with the 3 'iron' bands

 

it is a bit fatter but not too much out of proportions

 

to quote Mick and Keith: paint it black

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Bamboo is a good option for spars that will be under a lot of stress. (Got any old chopsticks?) In case it ever breaks again.. 

Meriadoc

[flyer]

fore topsail

 

This sail was made and attached in a similar way as the previous two topsails. The space to work on the running rigging gets narrower and narrower as more sails are set. However I still think that the working sequence according to Wolfram zu Mondfeld's advice is sound: start low and aft and work upward and forward.

 

Some maintenance work is also continuously going on. Beside the dolphin striker I had to reset some too lose lines and replace a broken cleat. Like on the real ship - no rest for the poor carpenter and bosun.

 

 

 

fore topsail set and drawing

 

those sails are pretty transparent

 

detail of the topmast head

 

[flyer]

fore topgallant yard and sail

 

The fore topgallant sail was again a reduced and simplified one as it was to be furled. Similar to previous sails all the lines were attached and then yard and sail hoisted and fixed with tie, lifts, braces and parrel rope.  However sometime during that process I found that the main topmast stay was broken. The eye around the mouse had somehow parted. After pondering about repair possibilities I had to admit that the cleanest solution would be to make a new stay. All this promoted of course the use of some creative language...

 

Fortunately my running rigging's belayings are fixed with diluted white glue which may be dissolved again with some water. The fore bits are quite crowded with rigging but most of the time I was able to untie the correct lines and other times I had to revert again to creative expressions. The new stay was set around the masthead and then threaded through the robands of the topmast staysail and led to the point above the bits, where a new block was spliced into its end. Now after re-belaying a zillion lines I could finish the topgallant yard.

 

fore topgallant yard with furled sail in place

 

 

 

 

 

 

hoisting the flag

 

Sometime during all that sail work I also made a flag to hoist at the mizzen gaff. I wanted to have a red ensign with the pattern after 1800, the one Napoleon might have seen, when he was aboard. Trials with an inkjet printer didn't work. It was not possible to print congruently on both sides of the fabric and, worse still, the ink would run with any liquid including something to seal it.

 

Some patience, textile paint and fiddling with masking tape brought an acceptable result. The flag is hand painted onto the same cotton I use for the sails.

Hoisting it was a bit difficult. Obviously the flag line leads through a block at the gaff but where to belay it at the deck? The kit's plans show a block at deck level with the ends of the flag line seemingly joined into a loop.  But no information where on deck that block was positioned. Information in my clever books and the web was also vague about the lower end of flag lines.

 

As the length of the loop of the line should be adjustable to the position of the gaff I decided to hook the lower block into a free ringbolt at the taffrail, and join the line ends with some spare length coiled and hanging there. I have no idea what the navy way was but that's the best I could come up with my way.

 

 

red ensign with the pattern after 1800

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by flyer

[AON]

You can always tell a real sailor by their colorful language...

8 minutes ago, flyer said:

All this promoted of course the use of some creative language...

You did a great job with the flag. Nice and crisp looking.

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

Lovely flag!

For what it’s worth- having to re-rig a split stay is at least a very authentic experience- frequently noted in ships’ logs matter of factly, but of course there would have been much colorful language expended in the effort to repair it. 
-Meriadoc

[aliluke]

I have only just caught up on this - completely extraordinary!!! I swear I am looking at the real thing under sail. Also, being an architect, admiring the backdrop of your concrete walls - very nice.