HMS Victory by The Lazy Saint - Mantua - Scale 1:200 - Third wooden ship

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Here l am once again with my third wooden ship build. I have chosen this particular build for two main reasons, firstly, l would like to build HMS Victory but have not the room to display one of the large models l have seen, good grief, the Caldercraft example is bigger than the wife. The second reason is that I like the idea of posting the first completed build log for this particular model, l might be wrong, but l don't think one has been completed.

The postman delivered my package today and l started on it immediately. I must admit to being a little apprehensive as l was a bit concerned as to why no other example has been posted, was it a poorly designed model, was the wood of poor quality, or perhaps, as someone remarked at the end of their attempt "it's un buildable". l will see, whatever the reason it will be a great challenge. 

And here she is, the box art is very nice even if what l find inside isn't.

Well the paperwork, instructions and plans look great, so far so good.

They look quite detailed and seem straightforward enough at first sight, although there seems to be a lot of numbers and arrows. I expect it will be clear when l study them.

The nice colour instruction book looks interesting, these pictures should help no end, as they say "a picture paints a thousand words" It is written in several languages so, to make things a bit easier, l shall go through first highlighting all the English wording.

All the fixtures and fittings (for want of a better phrase) look good, although l haven't undone the individual packets.

The laser cut plywood is as good as you could want and l am very pleased with it l must say.

The strips of wood for the planking is of a disappointing standard. Now, is it a disappointing standard because the rest is so good.......  l shall have to carefully sand each strip before l use it. 

Here you can see the framework dry fitted, it was a very fiddly task but each piece fitted nice and snug. I am glad to report that my first impression of the wood quality and cutting precision was correct and everything is straight and true. 

Ha ha, Mantua recommend inserting the frames with a hammer, l do not. The wood is, as l have already said, good quality but not very robust.

The stern pieces also fit well.

During my next session l will look at filler blocks and the tapering of bulkheads. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.              Time.               Total.

01.                        3 hrs.               3 hrs.      

 

[Edwardkenway]

Hi LS,  

What a glutton for punishment you are😆, third ship already and it's the Victory.

Well I hope you have fun with her. I'll enjoy following you as you recreate this iconic ship and cant wait for you to do the same excellent work as you did with Ballahoo and Sherbourne. 

Good luck and most of all ENJOY👍

Cheers 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Edwardkenway

[RickyGene]

Looking forward to your build and happens to be what I believe the most popular ship project around.  Just count the number of builds for this vessel.  As for unbuildable, let me say this.  No kit is unbuildable!  Though some are way more complex and daunting because the builder bit off more than they can chew.  Yes seems the more time spent drawing/laser cutting complex shapes that we from the ole school remember as blocks of wood you shaped yourself.  The biggest thing I see in todays kits is the wow factor and fast way to get it done.  If you can not figure it out, set to side and go back too when you are ready.  If that does not work, improvise.  One should approach a kit as a box of parts that you make it work to build whatever the subject is.  Does not look right, do again.  The problem with a mind set unbuildable is you have become a perfectionist that thinks the kit should look like it belongs in a museum and or just do not know how the thing goes together. Just my 2 cents worth, have I ever stopped working on a kit, yep.  Not because I was unable to finish, but because it was beyond my skill to accomplish, again that does not render it unbuildable.  I have seen guys take what another says is unbuildable, put their spin on it and turn out a show stopper.  Have fun and enjoy the hobby.  I will be watching your progress.

Rick

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Thanks for your wisdom Rick, appreciated. 

Just a quick session this morning to investigate the decks and hatches. Again l have to say the laser cutting is realy quite good.

Here is the lower deck removed from the framework. Very little tidying up required l am pleased to report. 

The framework for the Gratings is super fine and very delicate indeed. It requires the finest of scalpel blades and several light pressure cuts to successfully remove them. Use anything heavier at your peril.

l also used a very fine grade paper for sanding.

l used tiny amounts of wood glue on the grating as l really do need some wiggle room here. CA would certainly be out of the question. 

None of the Gratings are glued in place yet, just placed in position,

neither are the decks, although the bulkheads are. 

l hope to be able to get some light wood for the filler blocks this morning which means l can crack on with the hull after lunch.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint.

 

Session.             Time.            Total.

02.                       1 hr.              4 hrs.

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

This afternoon l managed the Gratings on the Decks and the filler blocks on the Bow and Stern. 

The Decks are not fitted yet of course and won't be until l am happy that the bulkheads and filler blocks are correctly tapered/shaped and ready for the planking.

Here you can see the bow filler blocks, waiting for the glue to dry. 

Once the glue has dried l will carve to the approximate shape and then sand. This will give a good bed for the planks to lay on.

I have started the Stern fillers as you can see in the picture, still a little more work to do on these but nearly there.

I know some builder don't see the need for filler blocks but l think they are vital in obtaining a good lay when planking.

Just my opinion of course. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.           Time.           Total. 

03.                     3 hrs.           7 hrs.

 

 

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

I only managed an hour in the Den today but did get the filler blocks in shape.

A little bit of titervating tomorrow and l will be ready for the decks and planking.

This evening l am going to be studying my new book, hopefully l will now know my Davits from my Deadeyes and my Mizzens from my Mains.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.           Time.           Total. 

04.                     1 hrs.           8 hrs.

[Ronald-V]

I wish you all the fun with this new build Lazy Saint! It's gonna be a challenge at this scale, but you can do it!

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Thanks very much for the kind words mugje, appreciated. I hope you are right in your prediction, it is a challenge but l am enjoying it. 

I have (l believe) made great progress today.

I first fitted the decks, a simple task, but care must be taken to ensure the holes for the masts line up.

The Upper Deck (or at least the little bit you can see) drops in first,

followed by the Quarter Deck.

it is important when fitting the Poop Deck that the Mizzen Mast is correctly positioned as it passes through both Poop and Quarter Decks. Once seated correctly frame No 18, which is attached to the last bulkhead, can be lined up with the Poop Deck and clamped. 

Here you can see all three masts in position, Mizzen, Main and Fore. The Fore Masts entry was partially blocked by a bulkhead and a certain amount of filing was required. 

The green tape is securing a piece of plywood which, in turn, is protecting the Skid beams spanning the Quarter Deck. 

Once again l am using the trusty pin pusher to attach the planks until the glue dries. 

Here you can see the first planking completed down to what would be the bottom of the Wardroom at the stern of the Ship.

So far so good and, although l am aware that this is the easiest part, l hope the rest goes as smoothly. 

The filler blocks are enabling me to achieve that difficult bend at the Bow.

At this stage l believe l have achieved that all important symmetry. 

My next session will see me continuing with the planking, l expect it to take several shorter sessions. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.             Time.         Total.   

05.                       6 hrs.         14 hrs

[GrandpaPhil]

Looking good!

 

Good call on the AOTS for the Victory.  The AOTS plans have been invaluable to me.

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Yes indeed GrandpaPhil it is a great help, a marvellous reference book.

Today l managed six more Strakes, three each side, and as expected, its a slow process. 

You will notice that l have added other filler blocks either side both Bow and Stern. After some thought l decided it was important for attaching the Garboard planking.

There is a slight dip appearing along the lateral line at the Bow, l must look at addressing this issue during my next session. 

I am pleased with the lay of the Stern planking.

It is, of course, vital to soak the planks well before attempting such a radical bend.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.              Time.           Total.

06.                        3 hrs.           17 hrs. 

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Another day of planking for me today and my next session will be the same. I expect another two 3hr sessions, one tomorrow and one Friday. This estimation is, of course, subject to a smooth, problem free passage.

When I first started this build l had expected to paint the Hull below the waterline copper, however, as the laser cut wood supplied was quite good l thought the same may be true of the simulated copper plates. I ordered a pack yesterday morning and it came today. On first inspection they do seem good.

l have laid the Garboard Strake plus one each side, which l am quite happy with. 

I have also managed five Strakes on the port side and....

five on the Starboard side. These l am not so pleased with. I have achieved the correct profile but left myself with a bit more filling and sanding than l would have liked. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint 

 

Session.         Time.           Total.

07.                   4 hrs.           21 hrs.

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Another day of planking, it seems to be going ok. I am not managing as well as my first two builds and l wish l had used one or two more filler blocks at either end.

Never mind, it is to late for me but if anyone happens to read this, and is planning to build this model, take note and make more use of filler blocks.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.         Time.           Total.

08.                   5 hrs.           26 hrs.

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

I managed to complete the first planking during this session. It was much more difficult than my previous two builds and l must confess that, if this were my first build, l may well have failed. If l were to build this again would make more use of filler blocks, the more the merrier l think.

I have also experimented with a different wood filler. I have been using a soft white filler, which is easy to use, but l found it to be very fragile and flaky when dry.

This time l have used Ronseal dark oak, it seemed like a good idea at the time, as did spreading a very fine even coat over the Hull.

It dried much quicker than l anticipated and l was expecting to brush most of it off. However, It seems easy to sand so l hope to be able to complete the sanding tomorrow. 

I also managed a little bit of painting.

The windows at the Stern and........

the Figure Head.

I hope to complete the sanding tomorrow and, perhaps, look at starting the second planking.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.     Time.          Total.

09.               5 hrs.           31 hrs. 

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

I managed to fit in a mammoth session today as the Admiral was out (Bingo) and l was unhindered by the Powder Monkeys.

The first image is of the Stern pattern in place, easy task, but important to get right.

here you can see that l have established the Gunport positions and applied black paint. Easier to do now rather than when the gunports are in position. 

these are the gunports l hope to prepare, paint and fit today. You can see l have put a curve in them to marry up with the Bow and painted the inside edges of each port red ochre.

These are the Quarter Deck Gunports. You can see l have picked out the detailing in yellow ochre. 

This next picture shows the upper Gunports being fitted. No problems as yet, but l will keep my fingers crossed. 

Back to the Quarter deck ports, this time adding the black which makes the yellow ochre detailing stand out nicely.

Upper Deck Gunports in position and painted yellow ochre. They are now prepared and ready for the Quarter Deck ports.

Last bit of gluing for the day. I have started to flag now, so l had best stop or l will start making errors. 

The following pictures show where l am now. I am quite happy with the result of my efforts 

 

I must admit it is a relief to be off the planking and onto the next stage, l did find the planking on this build a little tough. 

Roll on tomorrow. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.    Time.      Total. 

10.              7 hrs.      38 hrs.  

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Another full day in the Den today, this Ship Building hobby is getting addictive. 

Today saw the fitting of the Middle Deck, and the first coat of paint. There was a certain amount of bleed under the tape so, first task tomorrow will be a bit of a touch up. 

First image shows the 3mm strip fitted and the area of the Middle Deck Gunports painted black.

Middle deck Gunports ready for fitting.

The next series of pictures show the stages of the Gunports being fitted. 

And finaly, where l am now.

l opted to fit then paint, in hindsight perhaps l should have painted then fitted. I shall try it that way for the lower deck.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.    Time.          Total.

11.              7 hrs.          45 hrs.

[Edwardkenway]

Hi LS looking good as I expected from you.😃👍

3rd ship and you're flying again. Keep on with the good work. 

Cheers 

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Thank you very much for the kind words Edward, appreciated as always.

A shorter session today but l achieved my aim of fitting the lower Gunports. I painted before fitting today, which is the best choice on this build. I had a bit of touching up to do from yesterday which, to be fair, went ok. 

Here are the lower Gunports painted in readiness. 

Black squares painted on the Hull, corresponding to the Gunports. 

And this is where I am now. 

All seems to be going well so far, fingers crossed. 

It really has started to look like HMS Victory now. My next session will see me tackling both the Bow and the Stern as both these areas require more planking. It will then be down to the imitation Coppering. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.          Time.             Total.

12.                    4 hrs.             49 hrs.

 

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Good session today and, as l said at the end of my last session, this session l will work on the Bow and Stern. Here you can see the Stern Cabins taking shape.

the side pieces wouldn't fit flush unless they were bent to shape, l know that isn't correct so l opted to use a filler board. I shall sand it flush when it has dried. 

The next two shots show the Stern Cabins Support struts being fitted. I found these pieces quite bewildering at first, but got there in the end.

The last of the hull planking is in position now and painted. I have also clad the Bow and painted black.

 

And here is where I am now. All glue has dried, pins removed, holes filled, paint work touched up and all protected under a coat of varnish.

The next session should see the completion of the Stern Cabins and a little  more work on the Bow, with any luck.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.        Time.          Total.

13.                  3 hrs.          52 hrs.

 

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Only had an hour in the Den today so never managed any work on the Bow and Stern. I did manage to paint my Gun Ports though. 

Black for the outside.

Red for the inside.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.            Time.           Total. 

14.                      1 hr.              53 hrs.

 

Edited October 25, 2019 by The Lazy Saint

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

I worked on the Bow and Stern today, the Stern was particularly irksome. I got there in the end but it would take a better builder than me to fathom out the instructions. From here on in it is just pictures.

A splash of paint tomorrow and the Stern should be finished.

On a brighter note, the Bow looks OK.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.           Time.            Total. 

15.                     4 hrs.            57 hrs. 

 

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Stern Cabins now fitted, it has started to look ok now despite the trouble l found at first.

A little touching up at the start of the next session and then on to the simulated coppering. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.              Time.          Total. 

16.                        1 hr.            58 hrs.

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

I got straight on to the imitation coppering today and l am glad to be able to say "so far so good". I am having to be very careful with the strips as they are quite delicate and Mantua have been a bit tight on the amount in the pack.

My next session should see the completion of the Port side. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.         Time.         Total.   

16.                   4 hrs.         60 hrs.

[Retired guy]

Coming along nicely Lazy Saint

 

Regards

Richard

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Thanks very much for the encouragement Richard, appreciated as always. 

I have now finished the first side and am quite pleased with the result. I had planned to paint the imitation plates Copper, but l am not so sure now, l will see how the Starboard sides turns out before l make a final decision. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.             Time.          Total.  

17.                       2 hrs.          62 hrs. 

Edited October 30, 2019 by The Lazy Saint

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

Three hours this morning saw the start of the Starboard side, regarding the coppering, and l also put together the six gun carriages that will sit on the Quarter deck. 

Here are the gun carriages being glued together, not as easy as it looks, very fiddly indeed (especially if you have sausages for fingers)

Here you can see them "in position" They sit quite well on the Deck and l am happy the barrels will fit through the Gunports. 

l will paint before fixing the barrels in place but here is a shot of them pre painting. I think they will look grand.

Final picture showing the coppering so far on the Starboard side. 

During my next session l will add to my coppering and perhaps apply some paint to the cannons.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.          Time.          Total. 

18.                    3 hrs.          65 hrs. 

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

This afternoon's session went as planned. Progress made with the Coppering and Cannons painted.

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.        Time.            Total. 

19.                  3 hrs.            68 hrs. 

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all, 

This morning l managed a couple of rows of coppering but the main work was spent on the cannons. Having said that l think most of my time was spent pondering over the next stages. As with all builds, it is key to look forward and anticipate any problems. This may be my excuse for sitting back and listening to my audiobook. Ha ha.

Thay have not been permanently fitted, l shall do that when l have completed the Hull.

Next session should see the completion of the coppering. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint.

 

Session.       Time.         Total.

20.                 3 hrs.         71 hrs.

[The Lazy Saint]

Hi all,

At last, today l have been able to tuck myself away in my Den. It seems to me that just recently everyone wants a piece of me.

Today l managed to complete the imitation coppering, that was no easy task l can say, and l have started on the Deck fittings. These deck fittings are quite fiddly so we take some time l would think. 

These are the moldings that will hold the railings and netting. 

And the next image shows the Timberheads at the Bow over the Beakhead Bulkhead.

As mentioned before, my next session will, l hope, see me progress through the Deck fittings. 

Best wishes as always, 

The Lazy Saint. 

 

Session.         Time.          Total.  

21.                   6 hrs.          77 hrs.

[Chuck]

That looks very good....the deck fittings are the most fun!!!!  Fiddly yes indeed but the most fun.

 

Chuck

[Edwardkenway]

Hi LS,  she's beginning to look like Victory as we know her. You are doing a brilliant job, keep up the good work.  I just know that you'll do her justice  LS. I'll keep watching with interest. 👍

Cheers