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

[GeorgeKapas]

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!  

 

[GeorgeKapas]

A few initial updates: 

Condition of the parts when I got them. Not the easiest start, but I'll battle with it: 

[GeorgeKapas]

I'll cut through the gunports of the model, and glue carriages on the interior. This way the thickness of the side hull, seen in the gunport wall,  will be more notable, especially with the red color. 

[GeorgeKapas]

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. 

Edited October 24, 2018 by GeorgeKapas

[GeorgeKapas]

Progress on the masts: New mainmast completed! 

[GeorgeKapas]

I forgot this: the assembled pieces and spruces that are to become the semi scratchbuilt masts 

[GeorgeKapas]

Assembly of the foremast, after the pieces and cut filled and worked with

sandpaper

:

Edited October 26, 2018 by GeorgeKapas

[GeorgeKapas]

Mizzenmast: 

[GeorgeKapas]

All masts together: 

[Richmond]

Nice, neat work George

[GeorgeKapas]

Thank you!! Having now my attention on the hull, I believe Aifix has a mistake than needs to be fixed.

The middle gundeck has the 2 gunports under the galleries missing. Indeed, this is a major problem it needs to be addressed : 

[Richmond]

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 October 27, 2018 by Richmond

[GeorgeKapas]

Yes it seems the completed museum model on the top left is missing a gunport next to the top balcony. But thankfully the port is there in the Airfix kit.

Edited October 27, 2018 by GeorgeKapas

[GeorgeKapas]

Very troubleshome place to make a gunport. No wonder I havent come across this fix in other Airfix Sovereigns 

[GeorgeKapas]

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  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) 

[GeorgeKapas]

The entry port is missing from the kit, so I had to add this as well: 

[GeorgeKapas]

A better view of the solution: 

[GeorgeKapas]

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!. 

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by GeorgeKapas

[Thunder]

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.

[GeorgeKapas]

The first model, which airfix is based on, is part of Greenwich collection, made in the 19th century. Both seem to represent the ship after the 1650 light rebuilt, during which she had a round tuck (?)

Edited November 4, 2018 by GeorgeKapas

[Thunder]

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?

[GeorgeKapas]

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: 

[GeorgeKapas]

This is my workboard to make sense of her: 

[GeorgeKapas]

Some unfinished work and experimentation: 

Most of the corrections and additions are done I believe. 

 

[Hubac's Historian]

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.

[GeorgeKapas]

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 November 11, 2018 by GeorgeKapas

[Schmidt]

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

[GeorgeKapas]

Sorry for the long wait. I'll continue it here, in the meanwhile, I started and almost finished Pyro's British bomb ketch! I'll make a thread for it as well, post haste! 

[Hubac's Historian]

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:

 

 

[GeorgeKapas]

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 November 22, 2019 by GeorgeKapas