STERLYAD by Heinrich der Seefahrer - 1/144 - Waterline Russian gunboat

[Heinrich der Seefahrer]

Dear friends of the light balsawood,

 

As I have found plans for the small Imperial Russian Navy's gunboat and the need of a chrismas present I decided to start the 1/144 bread &  butter project of STERLYAD launched in 1854.

I scaled down the Russian plans - and saved a 1/72 version as well - to built a little non-prominent-ship model.

 

 

Both scales layed side by side to compare.

 

And as my brother served on a minelayer I decided to try a ship as a present. The „Big Vicky of Portmouth“ isn't non-prominent... and too timeconsuming - so I looked for something smaller and ended at a Russian cruiser's launch (too small) and this gun boat that fits my limitations (depends on the display case).

 

 

I decided to reuse a quickbuilding scale and method I used years ago for my Battlefleet 1900 wargaming ships (in the more workflowbreaking and fuzzy 1/780). Here all what is in use of the twosided planset:

 

 

So I scaled down the plan from Sukolov - I additivly ordered the planset for the 30 amnd 64 pounder ordonances. But I have to admit the ordonance plans are - politly spoken - semi-scale.

The gunboat's plans are rude in sence of detailing (there are missing any cuts or details without of anchors and some rigging detail) i have to admit.

 

The copies I cut off and glued on the 6mm balsa wood. Taking as much model hull from a single plank as possible.

 

Then I extracted the „superstructure“ and that's all what happend till today. 

Here comparing of the hights of the superstructure to the drawing:

Besides a testfit on a 10mm balsa plank in between the two Ikea frames nothing important happens:

Hope you don't dislike my patientfree hurrying little gunboat project too much within your detail crowned 74 and 100 gun ships, HMYs and other slowgrowing projects I like to read in so much and with gerat respect.

 

 

[Heinrich der Seefahrer]

Not very much happend this weekend - I tried twice to make a paperdeck looking wooden. And decided to use a cremecoloured paper as basis of the work.

Due to the lucky fact I'm owner of the Shipyard plans of ENTERPRIZE scaled in 1/72 I can copy the gretings out of it adding them to the deck in 1/72 plans of STERLYAD to avoid the air intakes. This because I didn't find airintakes on steamships before the mid 70th. So I followed the designs I could find in Paddlewheeler's plans.

So I'll change some of the deck's details.

 

After this I can scale it down to 1/144 easily.

 

I also tried the launches - and hoew to place them on tje deck or beside.

 

Hope you like it, Heinrich