HMS Winchelsea 1764 by MLDixon

[Chuck]

Thats looking very good i deed.

[Mldixon]

1 hour ago, Chuck said:

Thats looking very good i deed.

With many credits to your skills as a teacher...

[Mldixon]

Finished chapter 7, chain pumps area was tedious work, but within reach of my limited skills. Needed the magnifiers and a lot of referencing of the prints to get to the end result. 

Then I added in a pump crew, I have not finalized the design just yet, this was mostly just to establish scale and position I showed the captain figure in one of the shots to make sure the figures were true to size. I had to go back and look at those chain pumps, they were large, at first I thought something was wrong. 

The elm pump was not as hard as I thought it would be, I guess I'm getting used to these tiny part manipulations... 

Any way photos attached.

Cannons are set up to this point, still no lids...

No weathering powders at this point, I will add that at the very end.

 

 

Chain crew in raw state for posing

 

Another view

 

Holding up toothpicks while getting paint job. 

 

In position with captain figure as reference. He wont be there in the final model 

 

I like the look so I am going to finalize it by making each figure a little different in the pose, and of course do a much better job of painting...

 

Looking down on the chaps

 

 

Here is a screen grab of the actual model before printing

[Gregory]

Beautiful worK!

 

Just a thought about working the pumps..  Would the pump handlers be at the same point of the cycle/stroke, or might they be 180 degrees out? i.e. two pushing while two pull.

[Mldixon]

I dont beleive the chain pumps were interconnected,  so they operated independently of each other, the rear pump crew will be on the upstroke of the cranks, so that will be the 180 degrees.  But I could sync the other side so one one was up and one was down, just haven't gotten that far yet....

[Mldixon]

1 hour ago, Gregory said:

Beautiful worK!

 

Just a thought about working the pumps..  Would the pump handlers be at the same point of the cycle/stroke, or might they be 180 degrees out? i.e. two pushing while two pull.

Thanks for the Beautiful work comment

[Mldixon]

So I gave some thought to Gregory's observation on opposing pump crews, and I agree that they must have worked in cadence with one up and one down, makes sense, so no one had busted knuckles. But I wasn't there, thank God, so who knows for sure...

Pics are of new crew members in the raw, no paint yet. On the high stroke. 

I will wait till much later to make the decision as to whether these guys will make the cut.

[scrubbyj427]

Looking really good! Are you modeling those figures or just manipulating them! Either way they look awesome!

[Mldixon]

8 hours ago, scrubbyj427 said:

Looking really good! Are you modeling those figures or just manipulating them! Either way they look awesome!

Both, I use a program called zbrush, it is a digital sculpting program. The figures are posed or manipulated in Daz. The entire pump assembly is modeled in Sketchup and exported as a 3d model in scale 1:48, then imported into Daz. This is essential to getting the pose correct for the model. Then its exported out and into zbrush where details are added to make it more 17th ship friendly. 

Some guys buy 3d stl printers thinking they'll just whip out parts, but the reality is most models require specific scale and position, and just buying scale figures in a generic pose dosen't always work for all models. The aft end of my winnie is an example of getting figures in the right positions for the ship.

Thanks for the question and I'm glad you think they're awesome, I'm a little biased but I like them also.

 

 

 

[scrubbyj427]

Ahh so you’re a Z brush user too! I’ve been playing with the free version and quickly realizing I need to step up if I’m going to make any quality carvings. I need to invest some time into really learning that program, it’s incredibly useful in our hobby.

 

JJ

[Mldixon]

1 hour ago, scrubbyj427 said:

Ahh so you’re a Z brush user too! I’ve been playing with the free version and quickly realizing I need to step up if I’m going to make any quality carvings. I need to invest some time into really learning that program, it’s incredibly useful in our hobby.

 

JJ

I agree, and its now affordable. I'm using it to design my support structures for the Winnie, a work in progress....

[scrubbyj427]

1 minute ago, Mldixon said:

I agree, and its now affordable. I'm using it to design my support structures for the Winnie, a work in progress....

Just out of curiosity, what was the learning curve like with it? On first impression it doesn’t seem too difficult. Have you had decent results with importing 2D drawings and sculpting off those?

[Mldixon]

2 minutes ago, scrubbyj427 said:

Just out of curiosity, what was the learning curve like with it? On first impression it doesn’t seem too difficult. Have you had decent results with importing 2D drawings and sculpting off those?

Not too bad a curve, I use the crash bang method of learning new programs,  l watched the absolute begineers videos on YouTube, that was a great help. 

I like to jump in and go for end result, rather than go through tutorials. Lots of starting over, but quicker results as you get the skills specific to what you need.

I haven't tried 2d approach yet, I suggest you export a 3d model from your cad program as a stl, and then import that as a starting point for wherever your headed.

[scrubbyj427]

14 minutes ago, Mldixon said:

Not too bad a curve, I use the crash bang method of learning new programs,  l watched the absolute begineers videos on YouTube, that was a great help. 

I like to jump in and go for end result, rather than go through tutorials. Lots of starting over, but quicker results as you get the skills specific to what you need.

I haven't tried 2d approach yet, I suggest you export a 3d model from your cad program as a stl, and then import that as a starting point for wherever your headed.

Ahh! So make a very simple extrusion from a 2D drawing then start chipping away from there? That sounds like a great idea. I’m going to make a figurehead for another project I’m working on. May I ask what version of Zbrush you are using or what you recommend to get results that are on par with what Chuck has provided us with?

[Mldixon]

2 minutes ago, scrubbyj427 said:

Ahh! So make a very simple extrusion from a 2D drawing then start chipping away from there? That sounds like a great idea. I’m going to make a figurehead for another project I’m working on. May I ask what version of Zbrush you are using or what you recommend to get results that are on par with what Chuck has provided us with?

Yes, export a blocked model as close to your figure as possible. I like to fit it to the digital model I'm working on. Then you can start the chipping away and building out process. You'll need to pay attention to the subdividing of the import after you start modeling as that let's you add the very fine details 

As far as results on par with Chucks guy, thats a leap, I have toyed around with some bas relief, but I fear you need a lot of Anatomy skills and a sculpture background to get to those levels, but doable for sure. I tried winnies wreaths on the aft transom as practice,  I bought Chucks...lol

Not sure what my version is but I think 2021, I'd go for 2022, they just announced that updates for permanent licenses won't be provided,, bummer

[scrubbyj427]

12 minutes ago, Mldixon said:

Yes, export a blocked model as close to your figure as possible. I like to fit it to the digital model I'm working on. Then you can start the chipping away and building out process. You'll need to pay attention to the subdividing of the import after you start modeling as that let's you add the very fine details 

As far as results on par with Chucks guy, thats a leap, I have toyed around with some bas relief, but I fear you need a lot of Anatomy skills and a sculpture background to get to those levels, but doable for sure. I tried winnies wreaths on the aft transom as practice,  I bought Chucks...lol

Not sure what my version is but I think 2021, I'd go for 2022, they just announced that updates for permanent licenses won't be provided,, bummer

Yuck! I hate not being able to obtain permanent licenses... you become forced to “rent” a product. 

[Mldixon]

7 minutes ago, scrubbyj427 said:

Yuck! I hate not being able to obtain permanent licenses... you become forced to “rent” a product. 

You own the program, and its permanent forever. You just have to purchase future releases if you choose to get the latest and greatest. I never own anything with a subscription plan..

 

thought you might like this ,nice link to figurehead carving art

https://hec.lrfoundation.org.uk/whats-on/blogs/figurehead-carving-a-lost-art

[Mldixon]

So when you watch the video of the carver doing the Cutty Sark figurehead. You can translate what he's doing directly to zbush. The big difference as he points out is that his is not an additive process. Zbrush let's you correct mistakes and reverse course when necessary.  Other than that its the same, start with a form and manipulate the shapes...sounds easy enough. 😆 

[Mldixon]

Noooooo.....

I was boarded by a Disney Princess,  bad weather and a inquisitive grandchild led to this near disaster. 

Luckily just an interest in the figures. One cannon skewed, all in all a pretty tough ship.

I think I'll turn her into a ship builder as she gets older....

[scrubbyj427]

😬 I’m getting nervous just looking at that. If my little guy gets anywhere near my Winnie, she’s toast!

[Mldixon]

14 minutes ago, scrubbyj427 said:

😬 I’m getting nervous just looking at that. If my little guy gets anywhere near my Winnie, she’s toast!

Yep, I hear you. She's got a pretty delicate touch so no harm. I took the pictures while talking her down, She is always interested in anything I'm doing that takes attention away from her....so she had to see what was keeping me so busy.😅

[Matt D]

Good thing she didn't think it was a bathtub toy!

[Mldixon]

46 minutes ago, Matt D said:

Good thing she didn't think it was a bathtub toy!

LOL....yep I agree. We had a talk about it, but I'm guessing the temptation is going to be too much for her, so I purchased a keyed lockset for the area until she's at least (10 or 12) assuming I live that long. 

[Moonbug]

  As a side note:  I've been following a few of the Winnie builds - and this is one of the first photos I've seen that really shows the scale of that thing.  That's a big boat!

 

 

[Mldixon]

On 2/7/2022 at 12:52 PM, Moonbug said:

  As a side note:  I've been following a few of the Winnie builds - and this is one of the first photos I've seen that really shows the scale of that thing.  That's a big boat!

 

 

I agree, every time I think about its final spot.

[Mldixon]

Completed Chapter 8, moving on to Nine

 

 

Manger barriers in place

 

 

 

Moving aft

 

 

I found these little hooks and eyes to be most distressing....

 

 

 

A little paint and call it a day,,,

[Chuck]

Nicely done...

[CaptMorgan]

Awesome stuff -- very nice work!!!   Love the additional details....

[Mldixon]

The start of chapter nine.

I have to cut some more planks and make the hatch covers so this is where I concluded building till I catch up on some supply chain issues

 

 

Cap rails were pretty straight forward, I love the look of this. 

 

 

 

Cap rails make a world of difference in the overall look of this model.

 

I use a bic lighter and crayons to create a wax filler to hide the seams and minor flaws. The primer paint sticks to it, and I have no idea why...still working on fine tuning .

 

Planking was not perfect, but I'm going to keep it for the moment. The camera shows the port and starboard sides as unequal in this photo, and I shuddered at the thought of replacing one side or the other, then I went back to the model and checked and they are the same size. I thought it was odd to have them come out differently as I had cut them from the templates with rubber cement as suggested by Chuck. In the above photo they look fine  Just the camera I guess as it looks right when viewing the model. I'll put it to the test with some other viewers and see if they make a comment.

 

The center planks are just resting as I prepare more wood.

[Mldixon]

28 minutes ago, Chuck said:

Nicely done...

Thanks, cant wait to finish.