Phoenix by Moreplovac - FINISHED - Master Korabel - 1/72 - Russian Brigantine

[moreplovac]

It is time to start a new build log.

This time it was a close race between brigantine Phoenix and USS Syren. Since Phoenix kit has all laser cut parts, including planks, i was curious to see how this approach fits into hard-core, make-my-own planks state of mind... So, let see...

This is a wooden model kit of the 12-gun brigantine "Phoenix" - cruising ship with a sailing arsenal of the brigantine, part of Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Empire.

St. Andrew's flag Russia
Ship class and type Cruising ship
Type of sailing equipment brigantine
Organization Black Sea Fleet
Commissioned since 1787 in Russia
Removed from the fleet Autumn 1803
Length between perpendiculars 24.4 m
Mid- width width 7.3 m
Draft 2.9 m
Mover sail
Crew 52
Total number of guns 12 guns

Service history (obtained from Internet sources).

A Greek built 12-gun brigantine Phoenix became a part of the Russian Black Sea fleet in 1787. With a war with Ottoman Empire pending, large number of Greek Corsair ships were purchased to strengthen the young Russian Black Sea fleet, in many cases the Greek crews were also hired into Russian service. Such ships were officially classified as “cruising ships” in Russian navy lists. The ship’s first war was the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791.

In the summer of 1788, the ship under the command of warrant officer Georgy Nikiforovich Benardaki, as part of Rear-Admiral's squadron Count M. I. Voinovich , went to sea in search of the enemy. On July 3, 1788, the brigantine participated in the first naval battle of the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791 near Fidonisi between the fleets of Russia and the Ottoman Empire. In 1789, as part of squads and squadrons, she repeatedly went to sea to search for Turkish ships.

In April 1790, the ship delivered supplies and materials from Kherson to Sevastopol. In May 1790, with the squadron of Rear Admiral F. F. Ushakov, along with other cruiser ships, searched for Turkish ships, participated in the blockade of Anapa, in the battle near the Kerch Strait (was in reserve).
In August 1790, in a battle near the island of Tendra, captured 10 Turkish cannon brigantine. In October, the captured Turkish ships escorted to the Dnieper Liman to Ochakov. In November, together with the cruising ship “Clement Pope of Rome” was sent to cruise to the Rumelian coast in the Varna region - m. Kaliakria. They took two Turkish vessels Sakaleva and Tumbaz (captured flooded) from Varna, then returned to Sevastopol and brought the captured vessel Sakaleva there. In April 1791, ships again went to search for Turkish ships to the shores of Tavrida, and then to the Anatolian coast - from Sinop to Constantinople. April 1 sunk two Turkish vessels. In July, the ship in the squadron F. F. Ushakov went to sea. July 31, participated in the battle at Cape Kaliakria.
In 1794, the Phoenix under the command of midshipman S. A. Belisarius with a squadron was on a practical voyage in the Black Sea, and in 1795-1797 in the Black and Azov Seas.
In the war with France of 1798–1800, the ship under the command of Lieutenant L. F. Morskoi was used as a transport ship. In November 1798, the ship arrived from Sevastopol to Corfu with provisions for the squadron of Vice-Admiral F. F. Ushakov. In December 1798, FF Ushakov's demands to Ibrahim Pasha delivered to Avpona to send Turkish troops to storm Corfu, blocking the fortress. At the beginning of 1799 the ship was with a squadron at Corfu, escorting transport ships with captured Frenchmen, entered Messina and arrived in Toulon. In 1801 and 1802 the brigantine sailed between the ports of the Black Sea.
In 1803, the ship was under the command of Lieutenant S. S. Karachinsky with the Nikolaev Nort, dismantled after 1803 in Nikolaev.

Cruise Ship Commanders:
G. N. Benardaki (1788–1791);
S. A. Belisarius (1794-1798);
LF Morskoy (1797-1802) [2] ;
S. S. Karachinskaya (1803) [3] .

Literature:
Chernyshev A. А. Russian sailing fleet. Directory. - M .: Military Publishing, 2002. - T. 2. - 480 p. - (Ships and vessels of the Russian fleet). - 5000 copies - ISBN 5-203-01789-1 .
Veselago F. F. The General Maritime List from the base of the fleet until 1917. - SPb. : Printing house of V. Demakova, 1890. - V. IV / The reign of Catherine II. K - S. - S. 31, 398. - 712 p. - (Military history library).
A. B. Shirokorad. 200 Years of the Sailing Fleet of Russia / Ed. A. B. Vasiliev. - 2nd ed. - M .: “Veche”, 2007. - 448 p. - ISBN 978-5-9533-1517-3 .

Model details:

Scale 1:72.
Assembled dimensions are (LxWxH) 23.25" x 8.5" x 17.25" (590mm x 220mm x 440mm ).
All wooden parts are laser cut to simplify assembly.
Hull design compensates for material deformations.
Double plank-on-bulkhead hull. Final hull planks are made of anigre veneer.
Historically accurate cast cannons with Russian Imperial crests.
Laser etched deck made of maple veneer.
High quality pearwood blocks.
Multitude of highly detailed brass parts.
Sail plans and cloth for sewing the sails.
Silk screen flags.
Different diameters of black and tan threads for standing and running rigging.
Ship stand with two nameplates, one in English and one in Russian
Binnacle.
Ship's boat MK0101 is included.
Ship plans (four large sheets) and translated plans in English.
Assembly instructions in English.
Made in Russia by Master Korabel

 

Happy modeling.

 

[moreplovac]

 

So, lets see what we have here..

The box..

Instructions in Russians..

 

..and in English..

Rigging info...

Translated plan, not in 1:1 scale dough..

Instruction booklet does not include rigging info...

 

Material for making sails. There is an option to buy a fully completed sails if there is a desire for it..

Small parts.. of very good quality..

Ropes included in the kit..

More small parts..

Ship's boat...

Original plans..

Cannot help and not to compare with some other manufacturer's build plan on which you cannot actually see all required details.. This plan just stands out very much in quality and precision.

The laser cut parts are nicely protected and covered in plastic foliage to prevent breakage.

So, that it is for start. Looking forward to actually get my hands dirty..

 

Happy modeling..

 

Edited February 9, 2020 by moreplovac

[hamilton]

This looks like a really nice kit - looking forward to seeing how it builds up in your hands

hamilton

[lmagna]

Looking forward to see how it goes for you. She is a beautiful ship and model. Should be impressive under your skills.

[ccoyle]

I haven't yet been able to get back to my build of MK's gunboat, but it is an excellent kit in all respects. Based on what we have seen in other Phoenix build logs, I think you will get a lot of pleasure out of this project.

 

Cheers!

[moreplovac]

Few more pictures of kit context...

 

One wheel handle is cracked; need a bit of hiding or repairing...

 

Nicely build blocks..

 

Anchor, gun, lamp...

 

Gratings...

 

And yes, there is a toothpick included..

 

 

 

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by moreplovac

[moreplovac]

 

So, i started small, to taste the water.... with pumps.

 

Here is all what you need to build pumps.

 

 

A little building manual..

 

The pump body was assembled out of three parts, slide on a toothpick and glued together.

 

A bit of a sanding to remove laser cut burns...

 

The pump top was cut out and blackened..

 

Then the pump handle support were soldered together instead of using glue. It appears to hold better when soldered..

 

Then handle supports were attached to the pump, a bit of fitting was required...

 

The handles were also assembled, light sanding was applied to remove laser burns.

 

Now the handle assembly will be next.

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 15, 2020 by moreplovac

[md1400cs]

Very Impressive kit, and instructions - even the ropes look excellent   - Nice start will follow along as well your work is very good indeed. 

[moreplovac]

10 minutes ago, md1400cs said:

Very Impressive kit, and instructions - even the ropes look excellent   - Nice start will follow along as well your work is very good indeed. 

 

Thank you Michael.

 

 

[moreplovac]

The handle assembly process continued by making hooks... the wire was heated a bit to make it softer and the hooks was made, out of the kit provided wire. Actually this piece of wire comes in the plastic bag holding all required parts for a pump. Very well organized, so far.. Just a simple hook.. that was cleaned a bit for easy blackening..

 

After short bath in blackening solvent. I use Brass Black..

 

The pump handle assembled...

The axle for handle support was cut 0.5 mm longer than needed and inserted into handle with pliers. Then it was squeezed with pliers to make tight bond.. The extra wire was cut and handle was put in final position.

 

Both pumps completed..

 

And the layer of Danish oil was applied to pumps. Now they are ready for final installation...

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[moreplovac]

For no apparent reason, started to work on ship cannons. Searching thru the kit, i noticed how well kit parts were protected with plastic foliage..

 

12 ship guns....

 

First i remove all burrs that were visible on guns...

 

Then guns were dipped into blackening solvent, left for 20 seconds, removed and wiped. After that i polished all guns...

 

Two polished guns and one not..

 

Light sanding was applied to all other gun parts to clean them out of laser cut burns or other damages.. The top one completed, the bottom is waiting its time.. It might need a bit more work but this will be done later.

 

The back wheels were removed from sheet.

 

Setup to remove laser burns from wheels is very simple...

 

Two more to go...

 

On some cannons, muzzle opening required a bit of widening to make it a bit more realistic.

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2020 by moreplovac

[Gregory]

On 2/10/2020 at 10:55 PM, moreplovac said:

One wheel handle is cracked; need a bit of hiding or repairing...

What size is that ships wheel?

Might be a good excuse to get one of Chuck's Ships Wheel kits.

[moreplovac]

47 minutes ago, Gregory said:

What size is that ships wheel?

Might be a good excuse to get one of Chuck's Ships Wheel kits.

 

Will certainly check it..

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[md1400cs]

Nice - and those are by far the best looking kit provided cannons that I have seen so far!!!

Including the $1000.00+ USD kits 

Edited February 17, 2020 by md1400cs

[moreplovac]

2 minutes ago, md1400cs said:

Nice - and those are by far the best looking kit provided cannons that I have seen so far!!!

Including the $1000.00+ USD kits 

Definitely and needed just a bit of cleaning. I think there will be no problem if i just leave them as-is..

 

 

[moreplovac]

Continue with work on cannons... started with making bunch of eyebolts that will be replacing those included in the kit.

 

The kit provided is above and home-made is at the bottom.

The home-made appears to be more realistic than eyebolts supplied in kit. So, 12 cannons x 2 eyebolts, 24 plus few extra to make.

 

The process is very simple. Cut the wire to appr 10mm in length, twist around 0.7mm drill bit and blacken them all.

 

The wire i was using:

 

The wire was lightly sanded to remove the protection and to easy blackening process.

 

Little eyebolts after blackening process.

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dzerbato]

Great idea as to how to make the eye bolts in this situation.

[ccoyle]

I, too, did not use most of the PE eyebolts that came in my MK gunboat kit. That's one item, IMO, that does not add much, if any, value to the kit. I use blackened, annealed wire to make mine, and it is simply so much quicker and easier to make them from scratch than to cut the tiny PE versions from a fret, file them to shape, and then blacken them. Plus, the wire ones are easier to set into the pilot hole.

[moreplovac]

On 2/21/2020 at 7:27 AM, ccoyle said:

I, too, did not use most of the PE eyebolts that came in my MK gunboat kit. That's one item, IMO, that does not add much, if any, value to the kit. I use blackened, annealed wire to make mine, and it is simply so much quicker and easier to make them from scratch than to cut the tiny PE versions from a fret, file them to shape, and then blacken them. Plus, the wire ones are easier to set into the pilot hole.

 

You are right, i spent more time cutting them of the fret then to build one...

 

 

[moreplovac]

 

Now i am working on rings that will be inserted into eyebolts. The wire was cleaned with sand paper to make blackening process successful.

 

First i make a spring using special tool, instead of a drill bit.

The smallest diameter is 1.5mm which is perfect for rings that will be used on these cannons. Total of 30 rings are made, 24 for cannons and few extras..

Next, i am making soldering flakes that will be used to solder rings. The small pieces of soldering wire were cut and flattened by squeezing them with pliers.

Sorry, not quite clear picture...

 

Then the flake is cut into 4 pieces; no need to use the whole flake for one ring, too much solder...

 

The ring is placed into position..

 

Small but very small amount of soldering paste was applied to the joint and flake quarter was put on.

 

Soldering was done with flame using pen torch tool. A bit of filing might be needed to clean the ring.

 

And 21 more to go...

Completed 20 yesterday, today will continue with rest of them and will finish up with blackening...

 

Time consuming work that will sharpen up your patience..

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[moreplovac]

The eyebolts and rings have been completed.

 

Now i started cleaning up laser burns...

 

Next, painting tiny "metal" plates was completed.

 

And all other cannon parts were cut..

 

Next will be cleaning up laser burns...

 

Happy modeling..

 

 

 

 

 

 

[moreplovac]

 

The cannons are treated with a graphite powder between my fingers. This provides a bit more realistic look...

Top cannon treated and bottom not.

Then the wheel axle has to be rounded to accept the wheels..

 

The wheel mounted..

 

All parts has to be filled a bit to fit without effort; they are very breakable and tiny..

 

 

 

And assembled gun:

 

Now need to rotate a ring and eyebolt on right hand side so the rope can fit correctly..

Next i need to cover it with a small layer of danish oil, install nail simulation, etc.

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by moreplovac

[md1400cs]

Carriages are also brilliant !

[moreplovac]

12 hours ago, md1400cs said:

Carriages are also brilliant !

Yeah, they turned out to be nice.. 11 more to go..

 

 

[moreplovac]

 

Not much to report, continue working on cannons; glued all eyebolts and rings...

and after sanding, dry fitting and some other small adjustments, assembled two cannons..

 

They are tiny and took me appr 30min for each...

 

Next, will put a layer of oil on them...

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

[moreplovac]

All cannons were assembled. Here are some stages of the assembly process...

 

First i worked on axles, shaping them to accept trucks.

Then all capsquare were simulated with a black paint.

The left side bracket was attached..

 

Guns were next and right brackets were attached..

All 12 of them waiting for an oil layer...

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 1, 2020 by moreplovac

[moreplovac]

 

Managed to cover all cannons with a layer of oil...

 

Before and after

I will be adding additional pins to make the carriage a bit more interesting. For that i used 0.4mm wire, cut in 3mm length and decided to round the wire top so it does not look uncompleted, with cutting marks, etc.

For that i use a small concave bur that will, hopefully do the clean up job...

And the pin...

It looks nice and clean.

 

Continue making these little pins..

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[moreplovac]

 

Little pins were made and ready for installation.

 

First i made a pilot hole with a needle in the carriage. Then drilled a hole, 0.45mm with Proxxon and pushed pins in.

The final adjustment push was done with opposite end of the surgical scalpel as it has kind of triangular end, small enough to push the pin in without damaging the wood..

 

During the hole drilling process the drill leaves a tiny marks that was corrected with touch of oil, the same one used to cover the carriage..

On the above photo, it is a shinier part of carriage that has a new oil layer..

 

This is a "brush" used to apply oil: piece of bounty hold in tweezers.. Very sophisticated..

 

And all 12 cannons completed...

 

I have ordered a new rigging ropes; the ropes are on its way so will continue with cannons once ropes arrive..

 

Happy modeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dr PR]

Nice work!

 

It is a bit late now, but when I needed to round a bunch of square wheel axles I selected a piece of brass tubing with inside diameter equal to the desired axle diameter (1/16 inch or 1.5 mm in my case) and cut two triangular notches on opposite sides of the tube end to make "saw teeth" and then filed the cutting edges sharp.

 

I pushed the "cutter" end of the tube over the ends of the axles while rotating the tube and it trimmed off the square parts and left perfectly cylindrical axles. It worked very fast! Much faster and more accurate than filing the axles.

 

I later used the same cutter to make tiny dowels to serve as axles for sheaves in catheads and boat davits, and for wooden pins (trenails) to fasten parts together.

Edited March 3, 2020 by Dr PR

[moreplovac]

5 minutes ago, Dr PR said:

Nice work!

 

It is a bit late now, but when I needed to round a bunch of square wheel axles I selected a piece of brass tubing with inside diameter equal to the desired axle diameter (1/16 inch or 1.5 mm in my case) and cut two triangular notches on opposite sides of the tube end to make "saw teeth" and then filed the cutting edges sharp.

 

I pushed the "cutter" end of the tube over the ends of the axles while rotating the tube and it trimmed off the square parts and left perfectly cylindrical axles. It worked very fast! Much faster and more accurate than filing the axles.

 

I later used the same cutter to make tiny dowels to serve as axles for sheaves in catheads and boat davits, and for wooden pins (trenails) to fasten parts together.

Thank you.

 

No worries, i will always use a good idea for future, particularly for those usage cases you have mentioned. And there will be more ships coming anyway  🙂

 

Appreciated.