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Sovereign of the Seas by GeorgeKapas - Airfix - 1/168 - PLASTIC


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Greatings to everyone, I am very happy to be back in this forum again! All these years I have been admiring the magnificent work of the members. Here I'll post the built log of this old airfix kit which I was given by very good friend. The box is very old, 1970s packaging. Some paint traces on the hull from an old painting attempt, and some pieces of the original masts bend broken or missing.

I know, a rather rough start.

I'll attempt to built the kit and correct some of its problems while I am at it. I really love 17th century ships, and I really look forward for this built. Thank you!  

 

Sovereign_of_the_Seas.jpg

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I have created a modified version of Prince's masts from wooden kit plans, to scratchbuilt for sovereign. The original masts ion the kit are very galleon like, with 4 fighting tops on each, very bizzare, and not present in most of later Sovereign's paintings. 

HMS.Prince_TAV_03_R_03.jpg

Edited by GeorgeKapas
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George 

 

Looking forward to see you addressing this issue :)

 

Isn't there a 3rd one above this missing as well? Or have I misinterpreted the photograph.

 

Richmond

Edited by Richmond

Current Builds

Mikasa by I Love Kit - 1:200 - Plastic

HMS Beagle by Occre - 1:48 - Wood

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I have been rearranging pieces and collecting additional material. The decision to drill all blind gunports proved very problematic, as all the guns had to be made anew 1f641.png:( The solution from right to left: Lower deck guns (hidden carriages), middle deck guns (hidden carriages), uppen deck guns (visible carriages on the waist, and behind them the hidden carriages), QD, FC and murdering pieces (all visible carriages) 

20181103_171931.jpg

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The round tuck stern issue: I sanded down the corner of the sternpost in order to make it more round. The airfix kit has an inbetween shape. Yet there is no consensus between the wooden kit manufacturers, but certainly a square tucked Sovereign is wrong!. 

20181103_181055.jpg

20181103_181055b.jpg

20181103_181055c.jpg

 

Edited by GeorgeKapas
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Hi, I may be wrong but I thought that consensus of opinion was that the first wooden model you have shown above was proven to be inaccurate and that she did in fact have a square tuck. Seems  very early in history to have a round tuck. If I get chance later I will look to see if I can find this review of that model. I know it was built much later on a commission for someone.

Current Build(s):

  • H.M.S Diana 1794 - Caldercraft 1:64 Scale

 

Completed Builds:

 

 

 

 

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George,

 

That's interesting, you have obviously done your research. I started this kit a few years back but did so whilst on holiday with no data to consult. It seems that I might have to restart. I assumed, with the masts having royals, that it was as originally built, at later rebuilds these were lowered but so was some of the top hamper of the hull. She was eventually altered again and the guns were reduced.

 

What are you going to do with the missing engravings on the beak head / bow or were these removed on this rebuild as well?

Current Build(s):

  • H.M.S Diana 1794 - Caldercraft 1:64 Scale

 

Completed Builds:

 

 

 

 

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Indeed the whole issues and historical timelines with Sovereign are most perplexing. I have a few historian friends that help me alot. 

The missing engravings will be either hand painted, or I will print a simple outline of them with my printer on A4, cut and soak them in superglue to solidify them, paint and glue them.  I did this on a previous built of mine, a kitbash of airfix's Victory into  a 74, gifted to a good friend. The name on the stern was done in a similar fashion: 

20181006_224307.jpg

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I love your 74 kit-bash, above, and the work on the Sovereign, so far, promises equally excellent results.  I will gladly follow along with your build.  The version of the Sovereign that most interests me is the 1660 rebuild, pictured above.  I think that, someday, it would be fun to attempt modeling her, at this stage of her career.  But, really, all stages of her career were exquisite.

We are all works in progress, all of the time.

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Thank you. Indeed the 1660 rebuilt is an interesting one. I was thinking of such an option, but I am afraid the easier route for such a kitbash, is to modify the Prince model, with the galleries and sculptures of Sovereign. It would mean though, that with this way, one of the two kits would be sacrificed, unfortunately. :( 

Edited by GeorgeKapas
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  • 3 months later...

This is great work! For a long time, I have dreamed of building this model so that all the beauty of the original ship comes into its own. Will this built log be continued soon? Or will it continue in another forum? I mean to have seen photos of the model in a later state of construction elsewhere in the internet.

Schmidt

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  • 8 months later...

Ah, okay George!  It has been a while, and so I forgot that I had subscribed to this thread, as well.  So, now it seems, you will be resuming work on this fabulous build?

 

Are you familiar with another pro modeler named Rex Stewart?  He does small-scale scratch work, often in the mould of Donald McNary, but also very good and detailed dioramas.

 

He has a Flikr page with some of his work.  More recently, he finished an amazing Airfix Sovereign - I mean truly incredible - so that he could learn the nuances of that type of rigging before attempting a larger model from scratch.

 

He’s a real talent, in his own right.  Check it out:

 

Airfix Classic Royal Sovereign -Modified work-in-progress/ Rex Stewart

 

We are all works in progress, all of the time.

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I follow him on Facebook, he is a true master. He too raised the railings and added a gun port under the galleries. He built it very fast, I started mine way back but I still haven't worked on it. His method of making the sails out of paper is very impressive, I tried it on the Ketch but couldn't do it and made them out of silk instead.. 

Edited by GeorgeKapas
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