Wasan 1628 by Nazgul - FINISHED - Billing Boats Vasa 1:75

[NAZGÛL]

HI, Im Matti from Sweden. Ive been inlove with the Vasa ship since young age. For a long time I wanted to make a replica, and now decided it was time.

 

I decided to go with the BB kit. It will be out of box, but some changes like open gun ports and some details changed.

 

Having not built wood boats before I know its a hard model to start with. But I need the passion for the subject to keep a big project going. I have done some scratching before so hopefully I can use thet knowledge when building this. 

 

Ok, so here are some pics from start to where Im at in the build.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to the Vasa museum a few weeks back and took a lot of reference. Right now Im trying to figure out how to plank this area:

 

 

Cheers

 

 

/Matti

Edited April 21, 2013 by NAZGÛL

[BRiddoch]

Great start Matti.  Looks great and this is one ship I would also like to build.  I will be watching.

 

             Cheers,

                Bob R.

[Keith_W]

Valkommen var MSW, Matti! (I hope I said it right). Great photography - black background, well lit, no visible support for your ship. Do you have a studio at home? Also, what company is BB? The only company I am aware of that makes the Vasa is the Corel one. This ship is on my to-do list as well. 

[md1400cs]

Matti,

 

Your start looks so good. The Billings kit will allow you to build the Vasa very close to the original. Several of us are building this ship at this time. I noticed that even near the poop deck you have the benches on each side of the entry door. PERFECT just as it should be (Corel has stairs).

 

I will enjoy following your build. You may already know about this, but here is a link to the 1:10th from the museum. Many of the photos are super HD so you can enlarge them several times to get super close up details. Good Luck. Your start is really beautiful. I also visited the Vasa museum; What an Experience SO interesting....

 

http://www.modelships.de/Museums_and_replicas/Vasa-Museet-Stockholm/Photos-Vasa-model.htm

 

Michael 

[enemeink]

I just posted this in another Wasa thread. this may help you out.

http://www.wasadream.com/Index/indexenglish.html

[mtaylor]

Matti,

 

Looks like you are off to a great start.  I see that you're already scratching things like gratings.    As I recall, the Billings Wasa had plastic ones.

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks for all kind replys!

 

Thanks Bob. Go for it, she is a beautyful ship and there is all kind of info. Fred Hocker, working at the Vasa museum is very nice and helpful with any questions about the real ship.

 

Amfibius, thanks! You come a long way with black background, sunlight and Photoshop to correct the brightness. Billing Boats is a Danish company that makes all kinds of ship models. This kit is what the Vasa museum recommends for wood models. The shape is nice and close to the original. The sculptures are made of plastic. The gunports are glue on squares so I have made my own solution to that. The instructions could be better I guess, but with some thinking and planning it builds well. Info about BB here: http://www.billingboats.com/

 

Michael, thank you. I just read through your corel build and its very inspiring and looks very, very nice! I might need ask you some questions later on if its ok. Thanks for the link also. Im a fan of the 1/50 sinking model at the museum and have some reference pics if anyone needs them.

 

Enemeink, thanks for the link. Ive seen it before, but its really great!

 

Mark, thanks. I have the latest version of the BB. They are made of lasercut wood in it. Judging from the plans included it seems they made some improvements. I will make a list of what I changed/scratched when its finished, so people can judge if they want to try them.

 

Brian, Im not sure what fittings you mean. The figures, canon hatches and the "akterspegel" is made of plastic. I dont mind them really as the shape and design is pretty good. I wasnt aware of wodden figures being offered though, so it could definately be an option. Being new in the wood model area, where could I find the wooden figures?

 

 

Thanks again everyone!

 

 

Cheers

 

/Matti

[JanV]

Hello Matti, 

 

good to see you here also. I followed your discussions on the Yahoo-group with FredH

Once seen the Vasa in real gives you a virus for building almost an equal model. I am building the Corel version at this time with several modifications. I am sure you will check my buildlog also. 

[Shipyard sid]

Hello matti

You have chosen a lovely ship to build. Every time I go to visit my sister I see this gorgeous billing boat model on display in her house. My father built it in the late seventies. I remember all the bulkheads had to be fretted out and you had to buy the fitting kit separately .

Enjoy every minute of your build. It will be a joy to follow. DAVID

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi Matti!

I'll be following along on your build. I have an older Billings Wasa on the shelf but I want to get a bit more experience before taking it on. Your off to a really good start -it looks really good! I don't know if it is just my connection, but the last picture where you said you were trying to figure out how to plank that area is not displaying. Can everybody else see it?

Brian C - Since there are different versions of this kit out there I thought I would mention that my kit is a #490 which includes fittings and has a 1982 date on the side of the box with the bar code. This was an eBay buy at half the price of a new one. This kit has plastic figures and carvings,as well as plastic grates. All the blocks and deadeyes are wood. The bulkheads are pre-cut, but all the other parts are printed on wood and must be cut out. I'm actually ok with that, but I'm odd that way!   

[NAZGÛL]

Jan, good to see you too. Ive seen your nice Vasa allready, and even have a pic saved of yours while being planked named "Example of good planking". You are doing very good work and its educational to follow it. 

 

David, thanks. Im glad my kit have lasercut parts.

 

Buck, thanks. Ill fix the pic. Good find on the kit! I got my new from the local hobby store for around 300 $. Fittings are included. Being used to Starwars stuff its almost a bargain.

 

Brian, sorry for my missunderstanding. The deadeyes in my kit looks like wood. I will not paint the sculptures gold, but multicolor.

[md1400cs]

Matti,

 

For your bow detail, try this. I cut some small pieces, glued them at an angle, and then drilled very small holes to have the appearance of nails. Close up in this pic it looks "weak" but just looking at it through normal vision the poor quality effort sort of goes away.

 

PS: I almost totally missed this small detail on the ship. After looking at so many photos I realized that the Vasa had these planks to allow the water sto slip under the bow. Your photo is spectacular the best I have seen. Please post more pics of your visit, I'm sure that they would be great to see.

 

Michael

[Salty Sea Dog]

Matti - Thanks for re-posting the pic. That is a great shot.

 

Michael - That looks awesome!!

[Salty Sea Dog]

Brian,

 

The different size nails are how it really is. Here's a link that shows the model at the museum and the real Wasa behind it. Michael has 'nailed' the look perfectly!

 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vasa_stern_color_model.jpg

[NAZGÛL]

Michael, thanks for the tip. I hadnt decided on using nails, but man you got so much of her look through them!

 

Ok, here are the most interesting pictures I managed to take. I tried to get pics that I missed looing for reference. Its really hard to get good pictures at the museum. Almost no light and the ship being so dark makes it difficult. I have worked with the pics contrast and brightness alot in photoshop, so dont take the colors as gospel.

 

First are hull and planking pics. The weather deck and some other details.

 

 

 

/Matti

Edited April 22, 2013 by NAZGÛL

[NAZGÛL]

And finally are pics of the 1/10 and the sinking 1/50 model. I really love that one. So full of life and weathering is perfect imo.

 

Well, back to planking the model.

 

 

Cheers

 

/Matti

 

[md1400cs]

Need to pull those largest ones out...

Michael,  I am puzzled to why you used such big nails on your model.  Is that the first planking ?

Brian,

 

Hmmm you are right. these large timber nails are too large. My brain never saw it. Thanks. I'll pull them out and size them down. Now that "I see it" it irritates. Seen in full perspective they somewhat loose their out-of-scale" look but, good eye on your part thanks for pointing it out.

 

Michael  

[md1400cs]

Matti,

 

Great new pics. !! I added some to my files for later (poop deck detail) from the 1:10th. I was at the museum in the mid 90s. I understand that it was closed and has been enlarged and re-modeled. I also read that engineers had to add 1000s of new hull bolts to the ship. It was deteriorating too quickly.

 

One thing that puzzles me. I have never seen an example of a Vasa stern lantern. I don't intend to use the Corel example, and I will certainly not anchor it to the middle of the poop deck. I have some ideas, but the examples available for sale are mostly from English or Spanish kits. Well that's for much later....If any of you have some thoughts that would be excellent.

 

Regards.

 

Michael

[NAZGÛL]

To my understanding the original got detroyed during the years under water. I havent decided if I will let my model be without one. Heres how the CG lantern looks in the Vasa film.

 

 

Read that they are changing all the bolts as the ones they used corroded the wood. She is slowly collapsing, so to give her a longer life they are making a support construction..

 

Seriously, for what its worth I would have been happy with the nails, so Id say keep them the way they are. You really captured the look with them!

 

 

/Matti

Edited April 22, 2013 by NAZGÛL

[md1400cs]

Matti,

 

Thanks for the pic of the stern lantern. She was a beautiful ship.

 

Regarding the nails, I thought about it and it turns out that those nails were the smallest available in black. There are many brass nails that are more the correct size, but I would then need to paint each nail head, The paint would probably rub off during further work. Thanks for your thoughts, I may just leave it as is. Still thinking about it....

 

Are you familiar with this web site? The first two Wasa's are really beautiful. Also as you enter those pages you can click on each photo more than one to get super close ups in HD. The Corel with sails is really nice. The hand-built is also spectacular. The more and more that I looked at it the more I thought that it was incredible. This builder got every detail correct. You will get a lot of information by enjoying the photos.

 

http://www.finemodelships.com/Ship-models-for-sale.htm

 

Regards,

 

Michael

[md1400cs]

Matti,

 

You probably already know about this book, as it is published in Sweden. I just received it after ordering it three months ago. It is a great read, as well as an excellent reference. Here are some pics in case you did not know of it.

 

PS: I do also have the first book from the Vasa Museum (Vasa 1) excellent as well.

 

Regards

 

Michael

[NAZGÛL]

Reading it as we speak, lol. Bought it and several others when I went to the museum.

 

Yes the 1/35 is just beautyful!  

 

 

Cheers

 

/Matti

[NAZGÛL]

Just a heads up for anyone interested in the Vasa ship. The museum has a short film about the ship up on their site at the moment. (The museum is closed for restoration so they are showing the film. They will open in a few days and if I understood correctly the film will not be available anymore.)

 

http://www.vasamuseet.se/Om/Aktuellt/Filmen-om-Vasa/

 

 

Cheers

 

 

/Matti

Edited April 25, 2013 by NAZGÛL

[Ferit]

Matti,

Vasa is the one of my favorite ships (between four).

She is magnific but unfortunate as well... Fortunate you are!... It is very important that you are building a ship for which you have enthousiasm... Every step, every stage will be emotional and feverish... Yes, that is enviable. Congratulations...

[NAZGÛL]

Ferit, I agree with that very much. Im looking forward to follow your Berlin build. 

 

This weekend we went to Stockholm and one of the things we did was visiting Sjöhistoriska museet, the maritime museum. It was very inspirational with loads of great models. Extra interesting was a big model built in the 1600, with all the interior built as well. A truly fantastic model that I hadnt heard of before.

 

I also got the chance to speak to the guys that built and painted the big 1/10 Vasa model at the Vasa museum. They were very nice and let me and my sons come into their workshop. I got to ask questions about the models, and they showed me what they use for finish and explained how they make nails and other things. It was truly great!

 

In my Vasa build I have planked both sides past the gunports now.

 

 

Cheers

 

 

/Matti

[NAZGÛL]

I scratched some window frames using a mesh. Its painted grey with a couple of dark washes on. Also scribed a planking pattern around the windows also.

 

 

Cheers

 

/Matti

[NAZGÛL]

Starting to feel awkward about posting given the view/reply ratio,

 

Anyway, here is the final windows and how I did it. I wanted them green as the original Wasa. After the frames where done, I painted some clear plastic with olive green acrylic paint. I then chosed the best parts, and glued them behind the frames, the painted side is inwards so it will look shiny and not get in contact with the glue.

 

 

[realworkingsailor]

Don't get discouraged, there are alot of people around here who are very interested in what you're doing. Don't even worry about the "numbers"

 

Andy

[Salty Sea Dog]

Definitely a lot of interest. Thanks for the great photos and sharing your experiences at the museum too. I would be interested to know more about how they made the nails if you have time. Your experiences with the Billing kit is very helpful to me.

 

Best Wishes,

[NAZGÛL]

Buck, on the 1/10 they used small nails that they modified the top (nailhead?) on, and that was for every nail. The model took 5 years to build, and thats with 2 (I think) builders doing it as their job, so there must have been many hours into that model...

 

For my scale 1/75 they say they drill pin size holes and then put tiny brass pins into the holes. I could see this on some of the models in the museum.

 

 

/Matti