HMS Victory by GrandpaPhil - Mantua - Scale 1:98 - Kit-Bash

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you all for the comments and the likes!

 

The barrel is actually part of the ship’s wheel which is a double wheel.  The barrel goes between the wheels and acts as an axle.

 

The card stock for the skylight is poster board from Walmart.  I’ve been buying the 8 packs, because I go through a lot of it.

The thinner card stock I am using for the binnacle is just the printing paper card stock from Walmart.

I have been having a lot of fun with this build.  I have really enjoyed scratch building what I have.  It is fun to find solutions to problems when you run into them and then implement those solutions.   
 

The detail work has let me try many techniques that I will carry forward to my future projects.

Edited May 13, 2020 by GrandpaPhil

[Emmet]

Thanks for the info on the card stock. I understand poster stuff but not aware of the printing paper card stock.

[GrandpaPhil]

One roughed out ship’s wheel (very rough):

[GrandpaPhil]

On 5/12/2020 at 2:35 PM, Keith S said:

Nice work Grandpa Phil. I especially like your use of card to make the skylights. I wish I had thought of that on my Terror model. I used veneer, which split and cracked maddeningly. 

 

I'd like to see more pictures of your work on the binnacle as you go along. I can't find any mention of a binnacle in any of the research I've done on Terror, but I'm sure there must have been one. In the fictional TV show, which was in fact very extensively researched, there is a binnacle sitting on the aft skylight, which would be a sensible place to put it as the wheel is right behind it. I've been trying to work out how to make one. I'm going to copy what you do, if you'll be so kind as to document the process!

 

Keith,

  I’ll detail how I made the binnacle, when I get back around to it.  That will be when I get closer to finishing the wheel, which sits behind it.

[GrandpaPhil]

The parts of the ship’s wheel:

They still need painted and I’ll wrap a line around the barrel to simulate the connection to the tiller, below decks.

Edited May 15, 2020 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

For the binnacle, I photocopied (at scale) the side and front profiles of the binnacle and carefully glued them side by side, so I could fold them into a box:

I put clear sealant on both sides to make working with it easier.  
 

Then I carefully it out and cut out the windows (The middle row is all windows):

Then I carefully scored the outside edges with my scalpel and folded it/glued it.  
 

Then I measured and left a 1/32”clearance and cut the top and glued it on:

I photocopied the front plan view again, twice, to make the doors on the front (and sealed both sides again):

After the cabinet doors dry, I’ll paint the entire part black, inside and out.  Then I use the sheet acrylic that I have to make the windows.

 

There’s a stove pipe looking thing coming up out of the top, which I will make with a piece of sewing pin.

 

My source book is John McKay’s The Hundred Gun Ship Victory.

Edited May 15, 2020 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

The ship’s wheel is assembled and partially painted:

I had to cut a piece out of the base and reglue it, so it’s set aside to dry.

 

I’m cutting out the cabinet doors for the binnacle.

They are tiny.

[GrandpaPhil]

Side one:

[Old Collingwood]

Just plain crazy good work at that scale  phil, so much scratch building  delight going on  - full credit to you mate  bringing her alive.

 

OC.

[GrandpaPhil]

Thanks, OC!

 

Thank you everyone for all the likes!

 

The ship’s wheel is ready to install and the binnacle has its first coat of paint:

[GrandpaPhil]

And, it’s glued in.

It’s not perfect, but it’s not bad for a first try.

Edited May 16, 2020 by GrandpaPhil

[clearway]

looks good in situ as an alternative for construction i have read somewhere (might be harold underhill) about taking a thin wood shaving using a plane and wrapping and glueing it into a cylinder around some pipe and cutting slices off for making rim on a ships wheel.

 

Keith

[Emmet]

Its your wheel-good job.

[GrandpaPhil]

I finished painting the base of the binnacle and added windows (clear acrylic sheet glued behind the cabinet).  I made the stovepipe looking thing from a piece of a sewing pin.

 

[GrandpaPhil]

One painted binnacle:

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you, Mark!

 

Here’s the binnacle installed, with the wheel behind it:

Now on to my fire buckets!

Edited May 16, 2020 by GrandpaPhil

[SIDEWAYS SAM]

Really coming along.    Looking forward to the fire buckets at 1:96 scale.

 

Sam

[J11]

Well Phil since I have been following for awhile, I now know ways to make them miniature furniture accessories. How many magnifier's are you using to put those rascals together ... wow!! 

 

 

 

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you both for the comments!

 

Thank you everyone for the likes!

 

So far, I have not needed to use magnifiers.  I do however have multiple halogen bulbs sitting right over my work area.  My work area has lighting like an operating theater.

 

I am back to working on my fire buckets.  I have rough carved 3, so far.

 

I took a pause to paint some 28mm miniatures that I bought last winter. 

 

I also fixed up a broken whaling ship, I think an old Model Shipways Kate Cory, that I found at a local flea market yesterday.  That was fun.  I just had to remake a few pieces (mostly located in the head), fix the masts and replace/install some rigging. 

 

During this process, I found a quick and easy way to make the cheeks on the head (the pieces on the sides of the breakwater that provide lateral support for the beakhead and typically support the head timbers), which were missing entirely.  For those who are not experienced with model ship building, the head is one of the more difficult sections to make.  Making the cheeks usually involves a lot of trial and error. 

 

I call this out and provide my discovery because even for those building kits, most of the kits I have had did not provide the head pieces pre-cut.  Those kits advised making the cheeks from card first and utilizing trial and error to fit them to the ship.

 

The quick way is to use a contour gauge.  That completely eliminates the trial and error.  It was the quickest and easiest head that I have ever made (admittedly there were no head timbers or head rails).  I think all four pieces took me a couple of hours to measure, draw, make and paint.  If you have read through this log, it took me many hours, over several weeks, to build the head on the Victory (which while much more complicated, I also used the trial and error method, which involved multiple re-do's).

 

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

Do you know Phil, some people build a  kit  using normal  routines and  straight forward precedures,   then  someone like yourself says  "heck that  - that aint enough  - I want to put my own stamp on it"     that is what you are doing  - its not just boat building or even scratch building,   its Artistry my friend.

 

Keep going  this is a Special build.

 

OC.

[Emmet]

Sounds like a good tip on the beakhead area -thanks for that tip.

[Emmet]

With regard to lighting I meant to say I use two 150 watt daylight bulbs which use 14 watts each. They are expensive but they provide a lot of light.  

I have to admit that I also use a miner's light along with 2.5 glasses for situations that call for it.

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much, OC!

 

I am glad you found that useful, Emmet.  It saved me a lot of time.

[robert Lamba]

Your binnacle has given me inspiration to improve mine, I had no idea what it was when I put it together or how a binnacle worked.

Assembled it was just a block of wood with legs, that didn't sit well with me but I didn't think there was anything to be done. I give it a shot and try put a compass and light in it, if succeed it'll be almost impossible to see, I'll probably be the only one that notices.

[Retired guy]

Great updates Phil as always wheels are a tricky job eh 👍

 

Regards

Richard

[GrandpaPhil]

I’m glad you like my binnacle, Robert.

 

Thank very much, Richard!

 

I have 21 rough cut buckets:

 

[GrandpaPhil]

I am using a drill bit to drill a pilot hole and a scalpel to hollow the tops of the buckets out to give the impression/illusion of depth and it being an actual bucket.

A lot of the detail on this model is just giving the impression of the detail being there, due to the scale.

 

[Retired guy]

At 1/98 scale you are doing a great Job Phil 👍

 

Regards

Richard

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much, Richard!

 

Thank you all very much for the likes and for stopping by!

 

Model time has been kind of rare for me lately due to work and life (plus Netflix, let’s just be honest here, lol).

 

I caught the modeling bug again last night and have finished hollowing out all 21 of the buckets.

I have some thin wire, which is actually for beading, to make the bails from.

I’m not really sure how this is going to go due to the size, but I’m going to try anyway.

[GrandpaPhil]

My garage sale find for $3:

Worked beautifully: