Le Soleil Royal by Nek0 - 1/72 - Marc Yeu

[yancovitch]

oh neko..........if you would like some dental burrs, if you should be so inclined, not that you need them :), i have a bunch, which i'll never use that i could send you ....the only thing is, it would be nice to have a really small dremel type drill to drive them, which won't be unwieldy....but some artists are attached to the manual method, which may add more soul to the work :)....

Edited September 22, 2017 by yancovitch

[Nek0]

Thank you for your appreciation of my work. I try to do my best. The pear wood is from "Arkowood", a shop based in Germany. The first order I received was great, but the second was a lot darker and "red", I don't know why... For the carvings, I use european boxwood. It has incomparable fine grain, is very hard and dulls the blades very quickly, but you can sculpt even the smallest details with it. 

Blakeny, as a good beginner I first bought a set of mini chisels, but but quickly realised that they were much too big for what I had to do. So I grinded some sewing needles, as shown below.

Gaetan, I had never carved anything, but I always did some drawings. I suppose it really helped me with the proportions and the "artistic" sens. I think I have a quite good 3D vision too, all I have to do is to learn the job of a sculptor properly, and learn the style of the XVIIe century. My point is, you may never know exactly what the Soleil Royal looked like, the architectural point, while not "false", may not be historically perfectly accurate. So the only real (historical) interest in building this ship is to do great carvings that respect the Berain drawings and the style of this time. This is my goal. So I began using rotary tools (as for the sitting sailor), but I quickly felt I was more comfortable with chisels, that really have neat cuts and add more nerve to the work. Also the edges are more clean with chisels (because the figures are so small) and the renderring with light is better, in my humble opinion of course. And last but not least, with chisels I can carve the way a ornamentalist sculptor would do with the same steps and same moves. 

The better example is my second and third attempt to sculpt a figure: a mini admiral Tourville. The first mini Tourville was made entirely with rotary tools, while the second was made with chisels. I think the surface condition of the wood, the edges and the cuts are more neat on the second version. 

So, Yancovitch, I really thank you for your proposal but I think I will stuck to the chisels.

Of course, I talk as if I were greatly experienced in carving which is not the case, I only try to exprim my little experience as good as I can in a language that I don't master very well, so I hope my answer seems not rude and my point of view is well understood. 

Anyway I take all the advices you would like to give me, and while I may accept or reject them in a first place, I always take them into consideration and may accept an advice I first rejected a few days, weeks, or even years later. I never forget an advice ! Thank you ! 

 

[Nek0]

Here is my first admiral Tourville, made with rotary tools. The proportions are ok, but the wood surface is quite everage and overall, the global aspect I find it's not satisfaying.

 

[Nek0]

And here comes the second Tourville, made with chisels. While not perfect, I like it better. (the calfs were too big, so they were reduced in the last picture)

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2017 by Nek0

[md1400cs]

Nek0,

 

Just found your log - BRILLIANT; Hull, carvings all superbly talented work,

[yancovitch]

 a holy man i met once said.......''a strong man revels in his strength....and a weak man wonders how he got it''...........well ...you can go ahead and revel deservedly, and i, contently,  remain here scratching my head ....thanks for the experience............

    and oh....you're obviously right about the chisels........

Edited September 23, 2017 by yancovitch

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

 

There is no good or bad answers in choosing cutter or rotary tool, it remains a personal choice  a matter of preferences.

 

Which ones will produce cleaner edges,  gives more nerve to the work? Only knife  or both?

 

Here is an example of rotary work :

 

https://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/15340-74-guns-ship-by-gaetan-bordeleau-124/&page=9

 

[Hubac's Historian]

I agree with Marc that knives and chisels provide a better, more nuanced finished surface; the small details can be more easily picked out with a knife/gouge/chisel.  I like to use the rotary tool, on the other hand, to waste away the outer excess, and then define shapes up to the point where the larger details like Tourville's hat, his face, the folds of his coat, and the overall shape of his limbs and boots are roughly defined.  Then, I'll come in with the knives and refine everything.

 

As Gaetan mentioned before, good carving begins with good proportions; If the layout/figure/whatever doesn't look good on paper, within the framework of the ship, then it doesn't matter how skilled a sculptor/carver you are.

[Nek0]

I'm glad it is of some interest for you.

Gaetan, it's a great example of good carvings with a rotary tool, but as you wrote I suppose it's a matter of personal choice and preferences.

Marc, I still sometimes use rotary tools too when there is a big outer excess, but I would not call it a "carving step".

 

[Amalio]

FANTASTIC.

[Nek0]

Thank you ! 

 

So, I suppose the important point about a one hundred and four guns first rate warship is... the guns ! Here is what I did for the 36 gauge guns. At first, we had the opportunity Michel Saunier and I to work with Alexey Baranov, an ukrainian based craftsman, that could mold us the guns. Indeed, the guns of Le Soleil Royal were in bronze, not iron. It means they were prestigious pieces that were highly decorated. 

One of these guns still exist nowadays and is displayed in a french town called Le Croisic. In fact, it is a gun recovered from the wreck of the second Soleil Royal, but it may have belonged to the first one. 

So Michel and I send the documents to Alexey with our specifications and Alex did a marvelous job, 1/48 for Michel and 1/72 for me, by using the method of lost wax. 

The question was, let these guns in a "new bronze" shape, or weather them with a verdigris patina ? I chose (so did Michel) a verdigris patina, because of some informations found in period books such as "La Varende: Tourville en son temps" that says "admirable pieces made of green bronze" and "it was not in the usage to scrub them to make the oxidation disappear". At last, I did not make the guns but the painting is my personnal touch. (And I searched for a loooooong loong time to get the correct color, using an aerograph, very diluted lavis, and a final layer of protective oil) 

 

At first, let's have a look at the gun of Le Croisic. (don't look at the carriage which is a modern reconstitution and is completely false...)

 

 

[Nek0]

Below is what I've done. (the plan for the carriage is from the monograph of L'Ambitieux)

 

[Nek0]

And here are the finished 36 gauge guns, with one exposition gun.

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by Nek0

[Tigersteve]

Amazing!

Steve

[Derek C]

😳 wow ! Simply marvelous Nek0

[yancovitch]

gag.............breathless.......................

[Nek0]

Thank you !!

Victor Yancovitch, in fact I know your work from many years, and it's one of my favorite. I like to get the detail done as correct as I can, but I try to always think of the overall aspect of the finished model. Your models are a source of inspiration from this point of view. Perfect proportions, perfect curves, great harmony of colours, excellent carvings that perfectly merge with the rest of the ships, and incredibly realistic and poetic "in situation" pictures... Your work is one that I have in mind when I think of the final impression/feeling that I would like to achieve with my SR. 

Hervé Sasso posted a few pictures of your work in a french forum in 2011 and I was stunned. 

Below are some pictures of your models that I particularly love.

 

[yancovitch]

well ...my gosh, i'm truly honored!!!.........yes....i mainly build to create a mood....a romantic vision .......i just cannot do what you do, which, like i said, is breathtaking!....you will likely combine the two......and that is an accomplishment!!!............i pray herve is well....lost contact.....i think he had some difficulties in the past......i'm so enjoying this log..........cheers.....

Edited September 27, 2017 by yancovitch

[Hubac's Historian]

Exquisite work on the guns, Marc!  I agree with you, also, that Victor really captures the essence of what a sailing man-o-war must have been like, on the water.  To me, his ships are perfect miniature recreations.  And on launch day, your miniature Tourville will spring to life and take command of his reborn Royal Sun.

 

Well done, my man!  Well done!!

[mtaylor]

This build is taking my breath from me.   All I can utter is "wow"!!!!!!!

[md1400cs]

Truly amazing work Nek0 !!

[JOUFF]

Very nice log Marc ! I love this way of explaining the genesis of things: sculptures, guns now ... all this for a future model of exception. A big congratulations to you for this very inspiring subject.

Patrick

[Richard Griffith]

oooh WOW.....

 

I'm questioning my skill level...

 

Lot's more to learn, better get into the shop...

 

Merci beaucoup Nek0.

 

Duff

[Ernest Lwazo]

Hi all,

My friend Nek0 is a good guy and a very good modeler ! I enjoy the Marc's jobs.

 

A special Hello for Victor Yancovitch:

Victor my old friend, I'm very very happy to meet you again !

Cancer lost and I won. I'm still there !

I will try to contact you by email if your address still works. I no longer have your phone number.

Herve

 

Note : It is Jouff (Patrick) a friend of mine who told me that you were present on this forum.

Thanks to Patrick

Edited September 28, 2017 by Ernest Lwazo

[yancovitch]

fantastic herve!!!....all the power to you......sent address.........ha....now back to googling and ogling at this  build

Edited September 29, 2017 by yancovitch

[Nek0]

I'm back for the following pictures. Today I show the very boring step of planking the hull. One have to be very patient and very precise in the assembly of the different pieces to achieve a good result. At first I drew the planking on the hull to be sure it looks good. Then I drew the frame so I can place the nails where they should be. And the began the very long process of the planking !

At last I dyed the waterline with ebony color, which is not black but a very good looking dark brown.

Hope you like it !!!

 

[Baker]

Very beautiful and thoughtfully done 

 

Félicitations à vous !

[John Allen]

All I can say IMPRESSIVE. Kudos on a scale from 1 to 10 a 15 

[Hubac's Historian]

I was kind of hoping you would disappoint me - even just a little bit - so I could feel a little better about my relative talents and abilities 😉.  You know - maybe, a slightly open seam, or worse - the use of off-color putty as filler, or maybe an errant fastenner or two.  Maybe a weird dip or bump in the hull.  But nothing.  Nope.  Nada.  Zip!  Just a seamless work of utterly awesome perfection 👏👏!!

 

Marc, I can see a little better the arc of your sheerline, in these pictures, and I think that it looks really very good.  Maybe it could drop a liiiiiittle more, but it is not as straight seeming as I thought before.  It's just a problem of perspective, where none of these pictures focuses on the rise of the sheer, so it is difficult to perceive.

 

One little bit of fun, is to use the screen margin of my phone, to scroll down (on several pics) so that the ship appears to sit on her waterline.  The figure she cuts in this view is absolutely a convincing portrait of a 17th Century first-rate ship.  Even without all of the ornamental embellishments, one can see where this is headed.  And that is not to minimize the form of the lively works, which display perfect symetry and a sense of draft befitting of such a heavily armed ship.

 

BRAVO, Marc!!

 

[ofencer29350]

Hello marc.

It's good to sée you here ans follow tour build.i hope to sée you an other day at Châteaulin or Lorient.

 

Edited October 11, 2017 by ofencer29350