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

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks Chris for the kind words! Do you mean to to make the painted sculptures and surfaces more gritty and aged like on a ship thats been in use for long? Or to make them look like on Vasa in the way she looks now? I guees you mean the first so I answer that I made sci fi models earlier and learned alot from looking at how ILM modelshop (the guys who made the studiomodels for the original Starwars films) did their paint jobs and weathering in the days before computer generated effects. They could make plastic cups look like huge engine part just with a really great paint job. So looking at their models like the x-wing or Slave 1 and think through how they did it is worth a lot in my opinion. You also learn lots from looking at youtube videos about weathering models; military vehicles and figures often have amazing paint jobs and there are lots of videos of how they do it.

 

Weathering wood like the hull is quite hard and more unforgiving as you can't simply redo the paintjob like you can on plastics. A good tip is to have pictures of what you are trying to achieve with the paint job and think through what stages are needed. I find pictures of replicas like Batavia or Gotheborg to be great and I also look a lot at paintings by the artist Vroom. I sometimes take pics of a building or a train that looks interesting. Other models can also be good for this, and you can ask the builder how he did the paintjob. If you like my work then look at Franks HMAT supply and Nigels Royal Caroline both with really great paintjobs. I think we use different techniques so read their logs aswell. I think my main tip is not to try and make it perfect, the odd and quirky stuff often gives character, so I try and add stuff like that. Perfect is boring, drama is good.

 

About weathering a model of Vasa. Paintjobs usually comes down to artistic preference, what look you like and that's what you should do. But sometimes I hear the argument that a Vasa model should not be weathered and this is how I see it:

  

She was built outside during a period of two years. Two years is a long time for wood to stop looking all fresh cut. I had new cut wood starting to turn grey by laying in the sun and rain in one summer.

 

Vasa was tarred giving her a look far from a unpainted and unweathered model. I can definitely appreciate a natural looking model as it can be a nice look in it self, but it’s not the way the real ships looked.

 

Here is a picture of Gotheborg when she was launched. And she had been inside a building during the whole build.

 

 

It's easy to imagine she would have looked even more gritty if she'd been built and tarred outside.

 

A surface outside goes dirty quite quickly at least where I live. Dust and pollen will cover it and rain will make dirt runnings. Sun will blend colors,

 

Some weathering is in my opinion necessary if you want the model to look realistic and have a sense of scale. Washes is also a great way to blend the colors.

 

Finally a pic from the Vasa film. I share the way they imagined she would have looked in this scene:

 

 

Sorry for the long post, but I find this topic interesting.

 

 

/Matti

 

 

Edited April 7, 2014 by NAZGÛL

[mobbsie]

Hi Matti

 

That's a nice insight into your phyc mate.

 

I like your way of thinking.

 

Be Good

 

mobbsie

[wernerkalk]

Dear Friends of model ships

 

I have just started to build the "VASA" and I am impreesed very much about yours.

Following your progres I have learned a lot and I am proud to become a part of your team.

 

Pictures will follow when I'm ready to show them to you.

Before I have build "Santa Maria", Skoleskib Danmark" and "Frigatten Jylland".

 

Kind Regards

Werner

[Ulises Victoria]

Welcome Werner.

Which Vasa are you building?. I mean, which kit? Corel, Billings, Sergal...? Is it wood or plastic?

There are several Vasa build logs here. (Be sure to search for both Vasa and Wasa) Make sure to start your own.

 

Questions are answered quicker if we can see some photos.

 

Edited April 8, 2014 by Ulises Victoria

[NAZGÛL]

Cheers mobbsie, thats good to hear!

 

Werner welcome to the forum, looking forward to see your build!

 

 

/Matti

[Karleop]

Hola Matti:

 

In order to put the deadeyes on the chainboards  I install the masts in a preliminary way and with a thread figured out where they will be nailed.  I noticed that some of them lay exactly over the cannons apertures. Comparing the kit plans and the pictures of the model shown in the Vasa museum there are big differences in the chainboard nearer to the bow , I couldn´t find a picture of the real ship but you can probably tell me whom of the two is right.

 

 

Saludos

[popeye the sailor]

I think that this would be a job for your good logic....perhaps a slightly longer chain plate,  so the lanyards can be properly placed.

[NMBROOK]

Looking at the museum model,the first three deadeyes should be further forward as the most forward chainplate lands above the next gunport,whether this means a longer channel,it is hard to tell from just the one view of Billing's drawings.

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[NAZGÛL]

Hey, last days have been really hectic so I haven´t had time to post.

 

Karl, you are ahead of me in the build now, but I took some pictures of the rigging when I was at the museum and hopefully they can help. Also post a pic of the museum plans.

 

 

 

 

 

/Matti

 

 

 

[NMBROOK]

That is really interesting Matti !The reconstruction work on the original and the museum plans both agree with Billings plans but not the museum model                       ?All I could suggest is that the cannon is angled forward as it is fairly close to the bows?

 

Kind Regards

 

Nigel

[NAZGÛL]

I don't know mate. The list of her guns state there were all cannons on deck, (one of them strapped as it had no carriage).

 

The 1:10 is great but has some errors, like the front railing being quite wrong. They do change how they think she was built after finding new evidence. For example the pinrails on the deck on top of the cannons should not be there if I got it right.

 

 

/Matti

Edited April 12, 2014 by NAZGÛL

[Karleop]

Thank you very much for the pictures.  Now we have three versions!!

 

Going from stern to bow: deadeye (de), pulley (pu), cannon (CA)

 

Real ship:           de, pu,de,CA,de,de,de,pu-CA,de,de,de

Billing:                de,de,CA,de,de,de,pu,de,pu-CA,de,de

Museum model:  de,pu,de,CA,de,de,de,pu,de,CA,de,de

 

I think the more logic configuration must be a combination between the Model and the real in order NOT to have ropes over the cannon aperture.

 

Anyway, what are the purpose of those pulleys?, are they part of the shrouds or where are they fixed?  In the only blueprint that came with the kit is´s impossible to discern.

 

Saludos, Karl

Edited April 12, 2014 by Karleop

[NAZGÛL]

Hey all! I´ve been busy the last week but I have done some work on the cannons and hatches. A lot of painting but I enjoy it and find it relaxing. Before continuing on the side ports, I did the ones at the stern.

 

 

 

 

 

/Matti

[Beef Wellington]

Anyway, what are the purpose of those pulleys?, are they part of the shrouds or where are they fixed?  In the only blueprint that came with the kit is´s impossible to discern.

 

Could the blocks be for some of the back or jib stays?  In conjuction with a block attached to the actual stay, the line would have gone through both and then be secured to a belaying pin on an interior bulwark.

[riverboat]

Matti the stern is just outstanding, the painting  is awesome!!!

 

Frank

[maggsl_01]

Hi Matti,

 

all I can say is WOW

 

I love your work on the Wasa. Perhaps I will take one of the available Kits (Corel?) on my wishlist...

 

Best wishes

 

Max

 

[NMBROOK]

The stern looks tremendous mate!!(sorry but struggling to come up with a superlative I haven't used before )Are you going to fit four swivel guns in the round ports like Michael has,or are you leaving them blank?Just thought I would ask as they do add a little extra to the model.

 

Kind regards

 

Nigel

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks fellas!

Cheers Frank, you know I'm a fan of your painting style! 

Max, go for it, it's a great subject and to be able to look and learn about the real ship is a real treat. Consider Billings, it has some tweaks you need to do like the gunports, but it has a good shape and the sculptures are not bad. You will have to bend and reshape them alot to get a good fit so plastic sculptures are a real advantage.

Nigel, thanks for your exorbitant comment!  No, no swivels mate. They where never delivered for the real Vasa so I'm not adding them either.

 

 

/Matti

[Ulises Victoria]

Matti, your painting job is just incredible!

 

Even though I personally don't like the original Vasa paint scheme, I have to say that what you are doing left me speechless.

 

Awesome work, my friend.

[NAZGÛL]

Cheers Lawrence and Ulisses for your nice comments!

 

 

/Matti

[newbuilder101]

Lovely work on the painting...on the whole ship really! Those outdoor shots are great - will have to take my ship outside too!

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks Sherry! Yeah the sun is great for checking colours and get a nice light in images.

 

/Matti

[JesseLee]

Just got directed to this build -Wow! You are very talented!

[NAZGÛL]

Cheers Jesse, about your weathering question earlier check these posts in this thread:

 

154, 157, 181, 346, 349, 1060.

 

/Matti

[JesseLee]

Thanks Matti. I have been reading through your log & have learned a lot. Will start practicing with this myself. Keep up the great work!

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks man, there are many ways to paint so google and youtube model weathering and you'll find great tutorials and info, at least on plastic models.

 

I've been working on the gunports lately. The look I want is when the gunports are not strictly opened, but some are closed or halfway opened. I like the uneaven rough and everyday life look of it. Here are some pics of Batavia and Götheborg with the look I like:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That ment I had to plan for the cannons to be inside. I also had to plank the back of the hatches as the original BB are hollow. That was actually good as it was easy to stain the planks in the same color as the rest of the ship. The closed hatches are scratched. Here is how far I've gotten:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/Matti

 

[Erik Nyren]

You have done a wonderful job on this kit, Billings has a few built in challenges. as you know.

My Billing Vasa is on a hold.....long hold. hrm.

 

What I noticed is how theese gunports at different elevation actually brings a lot of life into the display, I like it a lot.

The wood stain with it´s aged look in contrast to the colours are also beautifully executed.

 

A question: I take it that you have done your homework on the colorscheme of Vasa and although it´s an ongoing project at the museum I wonder, was the area around the gunports, the whales et.c. not painted?

 

Regards

Erik  

[NAZGÛL]

Thanks Erik! No those areas were only tarred. She was likely painted white painted below the waterline even if they havent found definitive evidence for it yet.

 

 

 

/Matti

[newbuilder101]

Very, very nice Matti!

[NAZGÛL]

Thank you so much Sherry and Lawrence!

 

 

/Matti