HMS VICTORY by jeff watts - FINISHED - Billing Boats

[jeff watts]

its been a while , again , but i havent given up on the build , i just havent had any time  and didnt want to just  do an hour here and there with large gaps of time in between  , what with work, and  other commitments etc , now that the nights are dark and cold again  ive returned to the attic room where victory resides on the bench where i left her , probably 11 months ago ,       and , so onto the ratlines , i must admit i struggled to get going with these , but im almost there after about a month of trying different ways of making them look authentic ,  also  i wouldnt recommend doing these after all the main rigging is on , very difficult to get to , hopefully i can get some photos up soon to show how they look ,   thanks again for your support , 

 

  jeff 

[jeff watts]

A couple of pictures  of progress,  lower gun doors fitted,, and lower shroud ratlines  completed , at last, most of the rigging done ,lots of tidying up to do ,ive still  got a lot to do but we're moving in the right direction thanks for looking   jeff

 

 

 

[jeff watts]

 

 

At last she's ready to launch!   Finally finished, there are are maybe a few little  adjustments to make here and there but I'm quite  pleased with my first attempt,  I almost gave up on a few occasions but  really chuffed with the outcome , ,all and every comment from you guys is welcome ,whether it's positive  or negative, and thanks for your support  during the build , it's very much appreciated 

[clearway]

Well done Jeff- really need to get back to my Vicky though HMS Terror to finish first along with many others!

 

Keith

[EJ_L]

Excellent job! She looks great!

[jeff watts]

thanks guys , this project definitely pushed my capabilities , and patience !  but i learned a lot  and with some great guidance from this forum , was able to complete it  ,i think a nice display case and  a proper stand is next 

 

   thanks  jeff 

[tomganc]

Wow she looks absolutely amazing! Fantastic job with all the details.

 

I can't wait to get mine finished but still much work to do

 

Regards

Tom

[jeff watts]

cheers tom , good luck with yours 

[allanyed]

Hi Jeff,

Very neatly done overall, congrats!!   

Just wondering if the ship's boat sitting upside down is temporary. 

Your copper sheathing is very nicely done but I  do wish some kit maker would provide realistic looking copper sheathing materials.  They all seem to be upside down like yours, showing what look like rivets instead of tiny depressions from the nails that were used and no overlaps which was done in actual practice.   I realize this is a kit thing and not your doing, but one of these days hopefully some kit maker will get it right. At your scale, it would probably be better if the kit makers did not try to simulate a 1/4" nail with a 1/2" head (0.007" at 1:70 scale).

As an obvious fan of Victory and Nelson, I hope you have signed on the Trafalgar project detailed in my signature below.

Thanks for sharing your work on your build!

Allan

[jeff watts]

Yes I agree, the copper plates are from the caldercraft  kit which is 1:72  as opposed to the billings which is 1:75.  but ,saying that, the rivets/nail heads would be enormous scaled up,  the same reason I haven't  put nail head marks on the decks, I don't think they'd be visible at that scale.  If you look closely  there are quite a few more errors across the  build but I won't mention  those .            the ships boat is part finished and just placed at the moment,  I have to admit its not the correct one but it was the only one I could find at that scale , I am building another shipsw  boat, slightly smaller,  I'm not quite sure of the colour  scheme for  them so I need to research that 

 

Thanks  Jeff 

[Dave_E]

OUTSTANDING! Congratulations on a superb build! 👍

[GrandpaPhil]

Congratulations!  Very nicely done!

[BikerMart]

Beautiful. Who cares about a boat that might be upside-down, or copper plates that might be slightly out-of-scale? She looks good and I am sure gave you a ton of pleasure building her. I just hope that mine looks as good when she is - eventually - completed.

 

[allanyed]

23 hours ago, BikerMart said:

Who cares about a boat that might be upside-down, or copper plates that might be slightly out-of-scale?

You are right Biker Mart, there are a lot of folks like you that don't care if their model is accurate or not and are very happy with some kit manufacturers' make-believe designs which is absolutely fine.  There is nothing wrong or right about anyone's choice, this is a hobby for most, not a vocation, so no matter the choice, it is right to that builder if they are happy.

 

On the other hand there are many model builders that do care about the details. To answer your question about who cares, it would be interesting to have a poll to know what percentage of modelers cares about accuracy and what percentage don't care.  You may very well be in the majority.😁 

 

Regarding the copper plates fasteners you mention as slightly out of scale, they are closer to 400% out of scale and reversed showing rivet heads which were never used rather than what shuld appear as tiny dents from nails being driven home.     It would be like using an 8mm block where a 2mm block should be used, not exactly "slight"

 

To each his own and to whatever makes the builder happy.

 

Allan

Edited May 28, 2022 by allanyed

[jeff watts]

well . its been a long time since i put anything on the log ,      i started the build in october 2018,  its now january 2023  and shes completed at last , obviously i havent been continually working on her  but shes now in a display cabinet , really didnt like the stand that was in the kit so i made up something that  looks similar to a dry dock  platform  , and  im really  happy with it   

[allanyed]

Your display set up really looks good!   Are you going to have a case made or build one yourself?   The rigging is a dust magnet and hard to clean so if you have not done so already, maybe consider covering her until she is in a closed case. 

Congrats on your project!!

Allan

[Dave_E]

OUTSTANDING Sir! Around 5 years to build… and it’s your first? I want to be around to see the perfection of your 2nd or 3rd venture! Well done! 👍😀

[jeff watts]

On 1/27/2023 at 10:30 PM, allanyed said:

Your display set up really looks good!   Are you going to have a case made or build one yourself?   The rigging is a dust magnet and hard to clean so if you have not done so already, maybe consider covering her until she is in a closed case. 

Congrats on your project!!

Allan

thanks  allan , it is in a display case now , i had to have one made from acrylic ,(because of the size ) by a local company,  thanks 

[jeff watts]

On 1/28/2023 at 2:21 PM, Dave_E said:

OUTSTANDING Sir! Around 5 years to build… and it’s your first? I want to be around to see the perfection of your 2nd or 3rd venture! Well done! 👍😀

thank you dave  , it was about 4 years ,on and off , i took  a while before getting the case made ,   

[jeff watts]

all installed in her new home