HMS Vanguard by marktiedens - Model Shipways - scale 1:72

[marktiedens]

Greetings - hope everyone is staying safe!   Hull coppering is about half done - not much else to do with most stores closed.  Still no T.P. or paper products in the stores that are open.   &^*%$#*! hoarders.    I would have preferred to use Amati plates,but the wind in HMS Visa`s sails is a little too weak for what that would cost.  Besides,I had to do something with the 3000 Caldercraft plates I already had.  I tried flattening the "nails" in them,but it distorted them too much so I just used them as is.   They are not as shiny as the photos indicate - I had a very bright light on them.  They have actually started to get a light brown patina on them just from my handling them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark

 

 

Edited April 10, 2020 by marktiedens

[Old Collingwood]

Keep at it mark  - you are doing a great job   - you might have finished  the tiles when the lock down is over, we should celebrate then  - everyone round to yours for a few  jars.

 

OC.

[marktiedens]

Thanks O.C. - I`m not real good at metal work,so looking forward to making sawdust again.

 

Mark

[marktiedens]

Hi all - coppering done (except the rudder)  Have to do a little shaping of the rudder before coppering it.

 

 

 

 

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

[Retired guy]

Coppering looks excellent Mark 👍

 

Regards

Richard

Edited May 5, 2020 by Retired guy

[marktiedens]

Thanks Richard.   Looks slightly shiny with my bright light on it,but should dull down somewhat in time.  The copper on my Victory has dulled down pretty good over time & it has the same copper plates I am using on this.

 

Mark

[Edwardkenway]

Excellent copper Mark😁

[marktiedens]

Thank you very much,Edward.

 

Mark

[Old Collingwood]

Really nice work Mark   coming along fine.

 

OC.

[ErnieL]

Just.... Wow!

[marktiedens]

Thanks O.C. & Ernie - much appreciated!

 

I forgot to mention that the copper plates were glued directly to the bare wood with an odorless medium viscosity CA & are stuck so well that a chisel would be needed to remove them.   I have done it this way on other hulls & have never had a copper plate fall off.   The only prep I did was to clean the plates with acetone to remove any oily residue.

 

 

Mark

Edited May 4, 2020 by marktiedens

[Landlubber Mike]

Very nicely done Mark!  

 

Can I ask on the application of the plates - how to you apply the glue so that it doesn't squeeze out from underneath when the plate is attached?  Seems like a tricky exercise of putting enough glue that the ends of the plate are secured, but not too much that excess squeezes out.  You've certainly mastered it!

[marktiedens]

Thanks Mike - The glue actually does ooze out from under the plates.  After positioning the plate I blot it with a paper towel to pull off the excess.  I do get some smears on the plates,but I use a cloth with some acetate to remove the smears.  It smells a bit,but the acetate does soften & remove the smears.  Just have to be careful not to use so much that it would get under the plates & loosen them.  It also needs to be done in a well ventilated area - besides the smell it is very flammable!

 

 

Mark

[Landlubber Mike]

That helps a lot Mark, very good to know for when I get back to my Pegasus.  Many thanks!

 

[marktiedens]

Thanks.  This is the fifth hull I`ve coppered,so I`ve had a little practice.

 

 

Mark

[marktiedens]

Hi - finally got the rudder coppered & hinges on & painted accordingly.  Hard to tell from the pictures,but it was tapered at the back edge & toward the bottom.  It is removable,so I will set it aside & move on to another area.  Thanks for looking!

 

 

 

Mark

[J T Lombard]

Mark:

Do you have a link to where you purchased your copper plates? Part no.? Quantity? I have this kit but have not started yet but I will use your build as a guide. Please keep up the great work.

 

best regards & keep safe

 

J Lombard

[marktiedens]

http://www.jotika-ltd.com/Pages/1024768/Fitting_SfitA.htm

 

Thanks JT - I hope the link works.  If not,just go to jotika.com & click on fittings.

 

They have 2 sizes - 1/64 & 1/72 scales.   The ones I am using are the 1/72 scale plates.  They come in packages of 100 & I had 30 packs which equals 3000,which is way too many. I got that many because I didn`t know exactly how many I would need,plus there is always some waste.  I didn`t count how many I used,but I probably have enough left do do another ship half the size of this one.  If I was to guess,I would say I used somewhere between 2000 & 2500.  As they say,your mileage may vary.  If you get some,be sure & clean them before trying to glue them on - a lot of mine had an oily film on them,probably from the stamping process.  I used acetone to clean them.   For glue,I am using an odorless medium viscosity CA - no bad reactions (for me,anyway).

[marktiedens]

Hi - back to the ship after a bit of a break.   After re-doing the gratings,stanchions were added with a rope railing (Syren rope).   The 2 stanchions at the bottom of the ladder were simply glued to the steps.  The grating - ladder assemblies will be glued in place after the 28 gun carriages are mounted on the upper gun deck.   I still have to make all of the carriages,so it will take a little while.

 

 

Mark

[Retired guy]

Very nice Mark and do like the looks of that rope 👍

 

Regards

Richard

[marktiedens]

Thanks Richard - that Syren rope is The best I`ve found.   The kit supplied rope is Mantua rope - better than average,but still not as good as the Syren rope.

 

 

Mark

[Old Collingwood]

Now were talking Mark,   those  ladders look  bang on the money,  very very nice mate.

 

OC.

[fmodajr]

Very nice!

do agree with the others. Syren rope is the best that I’ve found!

 

frank

[md1400cs]

Mark,

 

Nice staircase work!!. 

 

And, as Frank just said Syren ropes and blocks are super excellent. Chuck's products were big parts of my last two projects,

and will be as well for the one I just started.

[Bill Morrison]

On 9/27/2019 at 7:10 AM, flyer said:

Hi Mark

 

That's a very interesting build. I notice, that the kit is produced under Amati's licence with some changes. I'll be most interested to hear how the new guns look, the Amati gun carriages being a major weak point in their kit. I really like the Amati copper plates and hope you'll get an equally satisfying result with that tape.

 

Question: Are the Bellerophon and Elephant variants also included?

 

Enjoy your build!

Peter

Peter,

 

I remember way back when MS produced this kit.  They advertised that the Bellerophon and Elephant options were not available in this kit.  'Tis a pity that MS did not include these options, and that they have ceased producing this kit.

 

Bill

 

 

[marktiedens]

Started on the upper gun deck guns.   The carriages are supplied in laser cut basswood,so are a little delicate.   The sides,base, & trucks (wheels) are all provided,but no axles - looks like I will need to scratch them.  A little disappointing that they could not provide one more little sheet with axles.   Not really that big of a deal,just time consuming.   The cannons are cast britannia metal & look pretty good. They even have a touch hole.   I`m thinking about just glueing dowels the size of the holes in the trucks to the bottom of the carriages rather than trying to make them from square stock - being on the gun deck,they would be difficult to see.   The base will also need to be narrowed at the front.

 

 

Mark

[marktiedens]

Hi - the 28 gun carriages for the upper gun deck are now assembled & painted.   The cannons were simply painted satin black - the last cast parts I tried to blacken came out a chalky gray,so they will all be painted.  The surface is not as smooth as brass would be,but they look pretty good at normal viewing distance.  Real cast iron is actually a little rough unless it`s been machined,anyway.   I still need to add some details like the trunnion caps & ring bolts,but those will be added later - I want to get the quarter galleries done & get the rest of the mouldings on the sides of the hull done first & finish the painting.  I`m sure I would knock some guns loose if I mounted them before finishing the outer hull.

 

 

Mark

 

 

[fmodajr]

Hi Mark,

 

Nice job.

Did you prime the barrels or just apply the satin black right on the metal? They look nice with all the detail still there after adding paint.

 

Thanks,

Frank

[marktiedens]

Thanks Frank!   No primer - just 3 coats of of thinned satin black which I made up by adding flat black to semi-gloss black to dull it down.    I rarely use primer unless I`m painting a light color like yellow or some reds over a dark surface.  The paint just doesn`t seem to stick any better on metal if I use primer.   I find it more important to make sure the metal is clean  before painting.  On brass,I scuff it slightly with 4000 wet-dry sandpaper first.   If the cannon were brass,I would probably chemically blacken them,rather than paint.

 

Mark 

[marktiedens]

Continuing on.......   The openings in the side gallery window patterns are slightly bigger than the the brass etched windows,so with no good way to glue them in I am making some inner frames out of some 1x1mm strips so the windows will have something to rest on.   That will also allow me to get the patterns glued on without worrying about damaging the brass windows.    Kind of a PITA,but it seems to be the best way I can think of.

 

 

Mark