HMS Victory by mfrazier - Sergal 782 - 1:78 scale

[mfrazier]

I got half of each side planked and did a partial sanding to see how it will look. I am happy with the sides and the stern, but not so happy with the bow. I wiped it with a damp cloth to see how it will finish. 

There are some small gaps at the bow. I had to do some edge bending and this wood doesn't want to edge bend very well. It may look better if a gel stain is used. The only other option is to strip the bow back and redo it. ( I hate the thought of that).

 

Mark Frazier 

[Old Collingwood]

Do you know what I would do  Mark?    mix up some saw dust past  and rub that in, let it dry completley  then do a bit of  light sanding, the saw dust/pva would fill the gaps  and sanding would blend then in and  smooth out any rough bits or high spots.

 

OC.

[mfrazier]

7 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

Do you know what I would do  Mark?    mix up some saw dust past  and rub that in, let it dry completley  then do a bit of  light sanding, the saw dust/pva would fill the gaps  and sanding would blend then in and  smooth out any rough bits or high spots.

 

OC.

I thought about that, but I  don't think it would match when finish is applied.  I don't think the glue/sawdust will stain like the wood.

 

Mark Frazier 

[Old Collingwood]

6 minutes ago, mfrazier said:

I thought about that, but I  don't think it would match when finish is applied.  I don't think the glue/sawdust will stain like the wood.

 

Mark Frazier 

I guess its different if you are painting the  Hull  like I did - then it wouldn't matter so much.

 

OC.

[mfrazier]

My goal was to stain the hull. I have seen a build that stained the bottom of the hull and painted the top half. It looked okay but I  was wanting to stain the complete hull. I need to think on this I  guess.  I really regret not buying new would now. ( the last would I ordered took 2 months to get here.)

 

Mark Frazier 

[Old Collingwood]

There is always a way round things   dount loose faith  every hurddle  has twice as many outcomes.

 

OC.

[ErnieL]

Mark, I just found this build, and you, Sir, are doing a fine job.  The bow has a few little niggles, but a bit of sanding will make it perfect. 

 

I take it you wont be coppering the bottom, then?  Much can be hidden under some nice,  tarnished copper. 

Edited May 17, 2020 by ErnieL

[Edwardkenway]

5 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

There is always a way round things   dount loose faith  every hurddle  has twice as many outcomes.

 

OC.

Agreed OC. Also you're able to sand 1mm walnut  a great deal more than you think, so when you think you're done do it again. 

I got that from someone (can't remember who) on here on my 1st build. 

5 hours ago, ErnieL said:

and you, Sir, are doing a fine job.

As ErnieL said it's  a good job, and will look even better with more planking done😊👍

[mfrazier]

Thanks for the compliments. You are correct OC., things will work out. Everything always works out, one way or another. It is a fact of life. You just have to have some faith and keep trying until it works hopefully in a way you are comfortable with. 

   You are correct,  ErnieL. I hadn't and still don't plan to copper the hull. I really don't know why, but I  just don't like the look of the copper. The only way I  would copper is if I  really mess up the planking beyond repair. But then I would know what was under the copper and I could not accept that. 

     Edwardkenway,  that is good advice.  Thanks. Sanding made a great improvement on how everything looks and I  know there will be more sanding when the planking is done. I did a preliminary sanding to see if this crappy wood was even going to look close to good and I  think it may.

    So ....... with that, I  shall push on and see how this all works out. The most important thing is that I am enjoying my attempt at building this ship.

 

Mark Frazier 

[Voyageur]

I think it looks great, I’d be proud to have that as mine. But I know how it is, we are our own worst critics! 

[mfrazier]

17 minutes ago, Voyageur said:

I think it looks great, I’d be proud to have that as mine. But I know how it is, we are our own worst critics! 

Thanks, I  was a machinist all my life and was used to working where everything had to be within .0005 inches. This tends to make life almost impossible as I  see a tiny gap that most people don't notice as a huge imperfection and problem.  This is hard to overcome after 50 years of seeing the world one way. Being a perfectionist makes me super critical of my own work. In my lifetime,  I  have scrapped many things and started over that most people could not find any problem with. It is hard to change, but I  am trying. Sometimes it takes a "normal" person to kind of convince me something is not as bad as I  think.

 

Mark Frazier 

[mfrazier]

Well ...... I  have been unable to work on my Victory for a while as several of life's task had been getting in my way,  but I  shall be starting back at it again. 

   I am still doing the second planking on the hull. This takes a lot of time. On another note, over two months ago I  ordered some parts for the Victory and they finally came yesterday.  I  ordered a few Caldercraft parts to make this build a little better. 

I ordered the Caldercraft figure head. The quality is so much better than the "thing" that came in the kit.

 

I ordered the crowns that go on the end of the arms for the anchors (they are really small).

 

And most importantly,  the brass fire buckets.  These are super nice and proper scale. I will blacken these and apply a handle to hang on the front of the rail on the poop deck edge.The kit came with wooden buckets,  which were nice but twice this size. This meant there were fewer and they were too large for this purpose.  The kit buckets will be good  to place on  the deck here and there.

 

I also ordered some nicer columns that support the deck. I was not impressed with the ones in the kit.

 

It will be a while before I  get to these as I  still have a good bit of planking to do.

 

Mark Frazier 

[Old Collingwood]

Good to see you back Mark,   those are some nice fittings  there  looking forward to more progress my friend.

 

OC.

[mfrazier]

1 hour ago, Old Collingwood said:

Good to see you back Mark,   those are some nice fittings  there  looking forward to more progress my friend.

 

OC.

Thank you OC. , I  think these parts will be a big improvement. 

 

Mark Frazier 

[jazzyrjw@gmail.com]

Richard From Cambridgeshire

I built the Billings Nordcap "476" 30years ago. I have memories of my ex. complaining as I was soaking the planking in our bath over the night.

I am now building The Mantua Panart high spec HMS Victory 1:78 (started finally in June  2020).

 

I am following your posts Mark as I recognise your frustrations at early stages of the build. I have studied other peoples builds and the decisions they made. For instance I decided to pierce the inner stern panel 5 weeks ago which has worked very well. I still have the strength in the stern build with the envisioned inner and outer parts together. I have not fitted them yet. I will be using LED's, so I cannot proceed with the stern and deck installations until I install the wiring and lights. I want to follow how you do as well.

 

You are moving forward very quickly and expertly which I think is wonderful (even if you don't like the wood they included in the kit). I am only just about to embark on planking the hull. I must just put the wiring and LED's in first.

 

I think Bertu used flickering amber lights in his build to simulate candlepower. I may do the same although they cost more.

You mentioned the front bollards and I totally agree that they needed attention so I have done that as well following your example.

 

I noticed that the bulkheads were in the way of the gun ports on the cardboard template. I will be adjusting the front gun ports moving them a few mm just to clear the Bullheads slightly to make it all fit properly. I am interested in the gratings being lit from below decks and building stairways. More piecimg needed. I have started to plank the lower and upper deck but want to caulk between if I can find a solution. I have been considering the new restoration teams colours of the Victory as they are supposed to be what was used at Trafalgar. Although expensive, I am considering the Shapeways 3D printed parts as they are not only finely detaild but they were taken from the actual ship at Portsmouth. I need help right now please. Anyone tried to build the life boats yet? The instructions are totally scant. I don't want to assemble them badly. Any comments more than welcome.

 

Keep up all that hard work you have done Mark. You are inspirational in your tenacity.

Richard W

[mfrazier]

Richard,

 

Thank you for the kind words. I have had to put the victory aside for a while as there have been too many of life's little problems getting in the way. I hope to get back to it this winter. At the beginning of the year, my wife and I  both had the Covid 19. We were so sick for months, but eventually got better.

    Yes, the directions are very poor, but I  find if I  study them long enough, things start to make sense. I too have been and am following several of the other builds on here. This has been  a wealth of information and ideas. I am still second planking the hull and ready to cut the cannon port openings.  This has been quite a project as I had to move several ports to avoid the bulkheads and still keep everything  looking correct. I also found I  had to change the height of the upper ports to get the deck height correct for the cannons. I love building this ship, but this kit has been  a nightmare. The quality was poor and that was the biggest issue. I am only using the instructions ( term used very loosely) for mostly reference and using John McKay's book for my main references. I also had intended to put LEDs in the gallery mainly.  I have the LEDs and the power  supply but not sure I  will use them yet.  I too had a list of parts I wanted to order from Shape ways, but tried my hand a scratch building first and was pleased with my results and have cut my Shape ways wish list more than in half so far. I look forward to getting back to the victory. Good luck to you on your journey with Victory.

 

Mark Frazier 

 

 

[Old Collingwood]

43 minutes ago, mfrazier said:

Richard,

 

Thank you for the kind words. I have had to put the victory aside for a while as there have been too many of life's little problems getting in the way. I hope to get back to it this winter. At the beginning of the year, my wife and I  both had the Covid 19. We were so sick for months, but eventually got better.

    Yes, the directions are very poor, but I  find if I  study them long enough, things start to make sense. I too have been and am following several of the other builds on here. This has been  a wealth of information and ideas. I am still second planking the hull and ready to cut the cannon port openings.  This has been quite a project as I had to move several ports to avoid the bulkheads and still keep everything  looking correct. I also found I  had to change the height of the upper ports to get the deck height correct for the cannons. I love building this ship, but this kit has been  a nightmare. The quality was poor and that was the biggest issue. I am only using the instructions ( term used very loosely) for mostly reference and using John McKay's book for my main references. I also had intended to put LEDs in the gallery mainly.  I have the LEDs and the power  supply but not sure I  will use them yet.  I too had a list of parts I wanted to order from Shape ways, but tried my hand a scratch building first and was pleased with my results and have cut my Shape ways wish list more than in half so far. I look forward to getting back to the victory. Good luck to you on your journey with Victory.

 

Mark Frazier 

 

 

Good seeing you here again Mark, sorry to hear of both of your spells of I'll  health,  look after your selves  - looking forward to seeing you back in the building swing.

 

OC.

[Robsto]

Hi I am new to this site. I am currently building the same model of HMS Victory and was wondering if anyone can help me I am at a loss to see how the gun port lids are attached to the Hull and what parts are used. I agree the instructions for this build are terrible 

[mfrazier]

It has been a long haul for me getting better, but I have finally. I have been very busy taking care of my wife. We lost her care giver last year, so I  had to take over and that requires about 10 hours a day of my time. It doesn't leave me any time for anything else, but I  hope to start back on the victory  soon.

 

Mark

[Morgan]

Your wife and yourself come first Mark, the wood isn’t going anywhere, take your time we will still be here.

 

Gary

[Old Collingwood]

Take good care  Mark, remember  this site is not just about building  - its about friendship  dont be affraid to shout if  you need to chat.

 

OC.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

On 5/17/2020 at 1:00 AM, Old Collingwood said:

don’t  loose faith - every hurdle has twice as many outcomes

I love this! Some days easier said than done, still a great truth!

I also wanted to mention how much your skills have grown is you started this project. Having taken a bit of a break due COVID, coming back to see such jump is impressive! 
 

I wish you and your wife a great 2021!!

[mfrazier]

Well ...... I  thought things were going OK, but lately,  I have been very tired and fatigued. I have been too tired to do anything. It was time to have my pacemaker checked ( I  have  a machine to do it remotely from home) so I  sent a report in to the hospital.  Shortly,  the nurse called and asked me to send another. I  did and then the doctor called and told me to come in because my heart has been in atrial and ventricle fribulation for the last 4 weeks 100 percent of the time.  That explains why I get exhausted just getting out of bed. To make a long story short,  now I  will require heart surgery. On August 10, I  will go to have a procedure called a cardioversion done to try and get my heart back in sinus rhythm ( they will put me to sleep and SHOCK my heart to try to correct the rhythm). That same day I will have some tests to determine what needs done to make me stay in rhythm.  There are a couple of procedures that may help. 

       I go to Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland,  Ohio for my care and they are the number one hospital,  in the United States  and  number two in the world for heart care.  Wealthy people from all over the world go there for heart care, so I  am confident that if anyone can help,  they can.

[mfrazier]

I keep hoping to feel up to finishing my HMS Victory model. But  afraid it will be a bit longer.

 

Mark Frazier 

[Jonesey]

Mark, your health is far more important than building a ship!

 

Get yourself well before you even set foot back in the shipyard

[mfrazier]

3 hours ago, Jonesey said:

Mark, your health is far more important than building a ship!

 

Get yourself well before you even set foot back in the 

Yes, you are right ...... but I  sure miss the challenges of building the ship.

 

Mark

[Edwardkenway]

On 7/31/2021 at 6:24 PM, Jonesey said:

Mark, your health is far more important than building a ship!

 

Get yourself well before you even set foot back in the shipyard

Very good advice, get well first Mark,  then sort out Victory 😉

[Matt D]

Mark, I hope your upcoming surgery goes well and they get you fixed up like new.  We’ll be here when you get back.

[EricWilliamMarshall]

On 7/31/2021 at 5:10 PM, mfrazier said:

but I  sure miss the challenges of building the ship.

The ship will wait! I hope all is well and let us know how you are doing!

[mfrazier]

Thank you all for the well wishes. After an 8 hour surgery in November,  they seem to have fixed the problems.  I am feeling much better.  Things hopefully will get back to normal soon.

 

Mark