HMS Victory by rkwz - AIRFIX - Scale 1:180 - First plastic ship build

rkwz · December 13, 2019

I have a question for everyone...

Any recommendations for cleats (the Hackney book suggests 1.5mm ones fashioned from plastic)? These cleats will need to take on some tension from the ropes later.

I was thinking of getting 1.5mm or wider H strips of styrene, unless there is a better way?

rkwz · December 15, 2019

16 hours ago, Wallace said:

Have you considered crafting some out of wood?

Haven't had much experience with wood... Might try styrene first as it could adhere a little easier to the plastic Hull.

It was time to add deck rail fittings or 'kevels' according to Mod N of the Hackney manual.

As I only had 1.5mm square styrene strips, I marked out the holes for the belaying pins first, drilled those holes, then cemented 2 x 1.5mm strips together.

I then scraped out the black paint on the inner walls of the deck and cemented the 3mm kevels on.

Next I will need to add 2 more panels on either side of the deck rail close to the poopdeck ladders.

It seems my belaying pins are a little large in scale... oh well.

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Edited December 15, 2019 by rkwz

rkwz · December 16, 2019

Mods and more mods....

Started my night by adding stubs to the footrails adjacent to the belfry. In hindsight I should have got 1mm square strips for better scaling.

Next, time to take a deep breath and break off the end standards on the poop deck.

Filed them down and repositioned them closer together with glue. Filled the holes with putty.

I cut a section of a C strip join the 2 end standards

Now I am really regretting not fitting the decks to the hull properly with greater care earlier in the build.

The poop deck is flapping loose and I may have to putty the edges to the hull as a fix later

Last step, continuing the deck rail fittings, i fashioned 2 kevels out of 1.5mm strips.

1 more set of kevels to go, but my stomach is grumbling now...

Edited December 16, 2019 by rkwz

rkwz · December 17, 2019

Wasn't happy with the way I'd constructed the footrails near the skid beam edge as it looked almost comically large in scale.

Decided to rip out the footrails and use 1mm evergreen rods instead.

Then I filed off the glue (should have used cement instead) on the bottom rails which I decided to retain.

After measuring the rails, I cut a length of 1mm rod to size. imageproxy.php?img=&key=4f3b55ae31fcd018

Here's a little secret... My first attempt was a shocker. Used C strips as that was all I had. This time I vowed to do a better job rather than taking shortcuts...

Cemented the vertical rods and this was the result (below)

A little bit of cement....

Hooray!

Next... I want to replace the stub supports on the rails alongside the belfry once I pickup 1mm square rods tomorrow!

Edited December 17, 2019 by rkwz

rkwz · December 19, 2019

Goodbye old blocky stubs and hello 1mm stubs!

Before...

After! (Pls ignore glue damage... For now)

Carved the curvy strip from a C rod and found it bended more easily without breaking. No lighter in sight so opted not to melt strips which could have been another option.

Cheers

rkwz · January 2, 2020

Been a busy Christmas so haven't paid much attention to the Victory.

Did a little painting to start, especially the modded deck rails, footrails and bow area.

Continuing on, I finally got around to making the support for the Marine's walk (yet another mod) out of scrap 1mm styrene strips. Looks a little like a wishing bone...

Next mod was to reposition the locating lug underneath the bowspirit which connects to the spritsail yard.

A little dry run, no cementing till later when I revisit this.

Got a bunch of eyebolts and blocks etc from the good Radimir from the Czech republic .... Finally I can start pimpin' the Victory as Dafi would say!

Next step, I thought I'd do a better effort on the carronades this time, and although the eyebolts are a little large for this scale, what the heck I went ahead anyway just to try it out ...

Now just waiting for my styrene "pretend blocks" to dry so I can start work on the side tackles... Till next time!

rkwz · January 3, 2020

Carronades installed finally...

Initially I thought I might be able to use blocks for the side tackles and attempted to fashion some from a wooden toothpick.

Well, that didn't work... Shattered as soon as I sliced it off...

So I decided to use thread to rig the carriage instead and then insert a false styrene block later.

Happy with the result, but it was a pain "slackening" the thread.

shipman · January 3, 2020

That's a fine model you're putting together. It's all about the pleasure. The Hackney books are well put together, with very clear step by step guides. I have all 3 he did; Victory, Cutty Sark and Mayflower. In my humble opinion these are very much under-rated.

The Airfix kit is remarkably accurate if you compare it to the AOT drawings. I'd swear those drawings were based on this kit!

Hackney reckoned the kit measures out to 1:171.

For a laugh, here's my 20 year old rendition of their 'starter kit' in 1:600.

rkwz · January 4, 2020

Wow Shipman, that's tiny and so detailed... Hats off to you sir.

Can't imagine how challenging it would've been rigging this?

Also a bit of fun, when I brought my kids to the local museum recently, I came across this amazing ivory model built by a 19th century French prisoner of war out of bone (maybe a prisoner from Trafalgar? 😄).

I think it was of a similar scale to your beauty.

rkwz · January 4, 2020

First upper deck cannon rigged... Not looking forward to rigging the 2 beneath the stairs though

Forgive the glue streaks, should wash off with wet wipes once I finish the job.

Thanks to Modeler12 for the idea for the rope coil jig!

The Lazy Saint · January 4, 2020

I have enjoyed looking through your log. She is coming along very nicely indeed, thanks for sharing. I am looking forward to seeing the rigging taking shape.

Best wishes as always,

The Lazy Saint.

rkwz · January 5, 2020

Started off the session finishing off the port side cannons. Decided to rip off the poop deck to preserve my sanity...

80% of my time spent building the ship seems to be spent pondering and mentally preparing for the next stage... Some of the lessons (after much swearing) I learnt from rigging the first 3 cannons were:

1. Use glue sparingly

2. It is easier to thread the eyebolts BEFORE glueing the cannons on the deck for easier access

3. Rigging tension needs to be adjusted carefully. This I discovered after popping out 2-3 eyebolts for the side tackles.

4. Those precious 1.5mm Eyebolts are a b**** to find when misplaced (lost 4 so far). Used 48 (out of 100) so far just on the cannons and carronades and think I will need to top up more again soon...

To get the thread to bend over the pommelions of the cannons, I used fine drill screws to balance the thread with a touch of phatic glue on the bend, then hung whatever manner of objects I could find to stiffen it up.

Next set of breeching ropes pre-threaded and cannons glued onto the deck. Will let it sit overnight this time.

What took me 3-4 hours yesterday night was done within an hour today now that I'm on a roll!

To be continued....

Edited January 5, 2020 by rkwz

rkwz · January 6, 2020

Finished rigging the cannons finally!

Then I realised I'd forgotten to paint the gunport frame in red first before placing the cannons... Aaargh!

Next mod to ponder... Should I stick to the kit supplied channels and mock deadeye setup or take the plunge, cut off the damned things and use those lovely 2mm deadeyes from Radimir?

Looks like I'll give it a try after all.

In preparation for this step, I bought some 4mm tiny brass nails off eBay called Escutcheon pins (for shoe repairs apparently) with a 1.5mm diameter head. These will be used to pin the chainplates to the hull and will take a month to arrive.

Now to get my hands on 0.3-0.5mm copper or brass wire to make the chainplates and a crash course in soldering...

rkwz · January 10, 2020

Got my hands on some copper wire and made a jig to hold the 2mm deadeyes in place (0.5mm copper wire curved on itself and clamped by an alligator clip).

My first attempt to use 0.3mm wasn't great as the wire bends a little too easily.

Tried again with 0.5mm wire with a little hook at the end. Don't think I've got the guts to solder it, seems to retain it's shape better so hopefully I can get away with this.

Now to make another 37 of these buggers for the channels...

Edited January 10, 2020 by rkwz

rkwz · January 10, 2020

Made a little batch of deadeyes then suddenly remembered the golden rule to do a dry fitting first!

Luckily it fit although I'll need to add a little extra length at the bottom to compensate for the thickness of the channel.

0.3mm copper thread to simulate chainplates (needs adjustment)

Edited January 10, 2020 by rkwz

The Lazy Saint · January 10, 2020

Its looking realy good well done, you have made a great job of the Chainplates. They are similar to the one's l made for my Sherbourne (l have to say yours are certainly better than my attempt) what are the ones like that came with the kit 🤔

Best wishes as always,

The Lazy Saint.

rkwz · January 10, 2020

7 hours ago, The Lazy Saint said:

Its looking realy good well done, you have made a great job of the Chainplates. They are similar to the one's l made for my Sherbourne (l have to say yours are certainly better than my attempt) what are the ones like that came with the kit 🤔

Best wishes as always,

The Lazy Saint.

Really? Just checked out your Sherbourne and they look great. Btw she is a fantastic model

To be honest I don't really know if the 0.3mm wire will work as chain plates yet, seems a little too malleable but we shall see when I get my pins in haha.

rkwz · January 13, 2020

Well I gave it a shot and frankly am wondering whether I should have used thread instead of copper wire to simulate the chain plates.

By the way I found some model train track fixing pins with 1-1.5mm heads from a hobby shop. After some decapitation of these pins, they did a good job holding the "chain plates" in place.

I looped the 0.3mm copper wire around the pin heads and although it was fiddly, here is the result (mizzen channels to start as they require the least number of deadeyes)

Wasn't easy getting the needle nose pliers to bite so used precision tweezers to clamp the wire into a straight line (sort of).

I will test out water based black paint on the deadeyes later as I worry enamel paint could block the threading holes which are smaller than my finest precision drill bit. Maybe there is a smaller size I can buy?

Edited January 13, 2020 by rkwz

shipman · January 13, 2020

Following your progress with interest. I admire your enthusiasm. The chainplates are always a problem at these scales, looking forward to how these work out once you put tension on the shrouds. Are you planning using proper deadeyes on the upper masts?

The masts would could look much better if you had scraped the mould lines off, that's just me; it's your model and it's coming along nicely.

Noticed you have a deft hand with a paint brush; well done.

I did a build of this kit years ago; one mod I made was to carve out all the stern windows and applied stretched sprue on the back, depicting separate window frames. After painting I flooded the openings with PVA glue which dries clear. Certainly added deapth and bit of realism.

You asked at the beginning how to open square ports and hatches. I do all mine (including those windows) by first drilling a hole in the middle, then gently carve the rest out with a 10a scalpel (the 11a's are longer and thinner and tend to crack and snap. EYE PROTECTION)

If you follow Hackney's build sequence you can't go too far wrong....at any scale.

I appreciate this is your first build. My advice would be to enjoy yourself, you're clearly learning as you go along. It's too easy to get over ambitious and possibly dissapointed. By the time this one is done, you will be building the next with different eyes. That's a good way to learn.

Edited January 13, 2020 by shipman
additions

rkwz · January 13, 2020

Thanks, shipman. I am using this build to pickup as many new skills as I can although I totally agree sometimes my ambition has got the better of me... But I plan to finish what I started (eventually) and am in no real hurry :piratetongueor4: .

Since I've committed to cutting off the kit molded deadeyes, I plan to soldier on with the rest of the channels (perhaps the main and fore channels will be easier to manage since the chain plate length is nearly double in length).

Haven't decided what to do with the upper masts yet, I now realise the deadeyes should be 1-1.5mm (think this is far too small to make for my ability) to do it justice. I fear I may have to use the kit deadeyes which is a pity in terms of consistency... We shall see.

Thank you for the tip for opening the square ports, hatches and windows. I picked up some fine triangular files too late unfortunately. They would have helped for cleaning the mould lines off the masts earlier too (I had earlier spent ages cleaning off with the back of a scalpel blade but lost patience)!

I'm looking forward to the rigging, but there is still much to complete before we get there.

shipman · January 15, 2020

Just a thought.....I do hope the awful bush fires afflicting Oz aren't giving grief to you and your neighbourhood. Be safe.

rkwz · January 16, 2020

Thanks mate, couple of days of watery eyes and wearing Darth Vader masks, but luckily a storm hit us yesterday which cleared the smog a little...

rkwz · January 23, 2020

I realised later it is much easier to tie the copper wire onto the pins first, glue the pins into the hull, then glue the channels into place. Once set, I could then thread the wire through the deadeye bolts with ease.

Note, the above picture shows the mizzen channel upside down (i.e. deadeyes positioned back to front ...) 🤬

Fixed the deadeye positions on the channel, tied the wire, then applied black paint by lightly dry brushing them (this seems to prevent the blocking of the threading holes in the deadeyes i was so afraid of earlier)

rkwz · January 29, 2020

Moving ahead with the assembly instructions by Hackney...

Gammoning partly installed, but then I am facing a dilemma... Should I glue on the Marine's walk supports first before gammoning the forward bowspirit section? I fear I may not be able to angle the supports in to fit after this is done.

I guess I could bite the bullet and glue it on first, but that would make threading more difficult.

Ponder ponder 🤔 (sage advice anyone? 😁 )

Baker · January 29, 2020

On 1/13/2020 at 1:28 PM, rkwz said:

Well I gave it a shot and frankly am wondering whether I should have used thread instead of copper wire to simulate the chain plates.

This is difficult indeed on this small scale.
That's how I solved it with my model

Btw. nice work

rkwz · January 29, 2020

5 hours ago, Backer said:

This is difficult indeed on this small scale.
That's how I solved it with my model

Btw. nice work

Thank you!

Wish I was as resourceful as you... your scratch deadeye setup is fantastic and I especially like your chain plates made from sprue

You must have incredibly steady hands to drill holes into your cannon barrels at that scale without snapping them.

Edited January 29, 2020 by rkwz

Baker · January 30, 2020

Thanks,

To add extra detail to these small scales, is the simplest solution usually the best.

Unless an extra kit with PE and resin parts is available.
(We both do not have that luxury on our models)

rkwz · January 30, 2020

Completed the gammoning of the bowspirit and hurray, I was able to fit in the Marine's walk support with some manipulation after all (my backup plan was to have snap the "wishbone" in 2 to fit then cement them again).

A little dry run to check the fit. The marine's walk still needs some slots expanded for the mainstay and main preventer stay collars later.

Now I have to decide whether to add netting to this model before access will only becomd more difficult later.... For my shopping list, I will need to get some new fine triangular files and drill bits after snapping them too!

Also I'm waiting on Longridge's book to arrive so I can make more sense of the rigging.

4 hours ago, Backer said:

Thanks,

To add extra detail to these small scales, is the simplest solution usually the best.

Unless an extra kit with PE and resin parts is available.
(We both do not have that luxury on our models)

I look forward to the day 3D printers become more affordable to purchase and also easy to use... I am still wrestling with the problem of making mast cleats (wonder if plastic sprue would be strong enough?) for this scale ship.

So far Dafi/Daniel seems to have the best option with his 2-4mm etch kits. Will you add these to your Bounty and if so I'd be keen to learn from you

rkwz · February 5, 2020

Minor update as progress is slow on my end...

Simulated chain links using 0.5mm copper wire this time seems a little better on the main channels.

Next it was time to make some cleats for the mastheads. After some thought, I decided to use a rounded needle file to create an indent in a strip of 1mm square styrene strip, then I sliced it off to a 3mm length using my exacto knife (nail clippers and sprue cutters seem to deform the styrene)

Being a newbie, I forgot to hold the cleat before slicing it off... And after some colourful language and searching with a torchlight on all fours (really should not work over patterned carpet), I found it luckily.