Wasa by Bill97 - FINISHED - Airfix - 1/144

[Bill97]

Not sure Michael. Will be curious to see what you ultimately do with yours. I will mainly be anxious to see if you discover I did anything wrong and that your’s actually fits perfectly. Will not be surprised. 

[Baker]

Very nice painting  👍

[Bill97]

Finished the back section on the starboard side! Now the full starboard side is complete!  I left some of the ornamentation solid gold. Woo Hoo!  Also got the little globe shaped thing painted (whatever it is). Now on to the port side and what comes next. 

[Hubac's Historian]

Nice paint work!  The globe is the lantern.

[Bill97]

Thanks Hubac. Had no idea what it is. 

[Bill97]

Michael D, wonder if you would mind checking something for me with your kit and instructions?  Again, I know you have not started your Wasa yet but consider me the forward scout finding things in advance of you getting there 😊.

Look at Step 2. In the picture I attached I have a pencil pointing to piece #19 at the front of the ship and a second pencil pointing to the general area where that piece is supposedly to go. On the deck that came with my kit there are predrilled holes for all the other pieces shown (20, 17, 18, 16, etc). However there are no predrilled holes for this piece #19 in the area the arrow is pointing. Is that the same on your’s? If so, where do you think we should drill to place it?

 

[bolin]

The piece should sit centered on the deck between the fore mast and the hatches. It seem to be correctly shown in your post from March 12.

 

The illustration below is from the Vasa museum modellers plans that where published 1981.

 

 

[72Nova]

Thanks for the heads up Bill, that would the fore bitts and bolin is correct on the location, usually there are belay pins incorporated into the rail, but maybe not in the case of the Vasa. Looking at the plans there appears to be 4 eye/ring bolts in the deck?, bolin are those plans available to purchase?.

Michael D.

[kirill4]

Good day,

Dear sir,

All ( 98% I guess :))) information You could try here 

https://warshipvasa.freeforums.net/

will get all ness-ry information from first hands :)))\

and there are pdf a few detailed diagrams , including rigging in this site as well... much more detailed as any plastic kits supposed to be

all plans are free for downloading in pdf///permisions from museum side!

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by kirill4

[Charles Green]

Beautiful work(!), but my eye is drawn to the isolated, small port near the stern, situated at the water-line.  What was its function?

[bolin]

I have bought the plans used. They are no longer available in print. But they are posted here as PDF https://warshipvasa.freeforums.net/thread/87/vasa-ship-plans?page=2, look at the end of the page and the next page.

 

I have just started to read up on Vasa, but as far as I know there are no belay pins of the kinds that are used on later ships.

[Bill97]

Thanks Bolin, Michael, kirill4. Bolin the pictures I posted on Mar 12th were actually photos of other builders ships when I was trying to figure out the front rail. Did not think to look back at them for position of the fore bitts. Perfect. Now I know where it goes. Does where I have held with a little piece of blue tape seem correct?  Now looking back at those same photos I do not see the knight that the instructions had me install at the right front corner of the hatch. Piece #20 in the instructions I posted. I put it where it said and where the pre drilled hole in the deck. I guess it is correct?

[Bill97]

Oh and Charles Green I have no idea what that real low hatch at the stern was far. I would expect that it further added to the sinking of the ship if water was able to get in right at the water line!

[Bill97]

Bolin looking at the illustration from the museum it looks like the knight is in the right place. 

[Baker]

"Part 19" on the real ship

http://www.wasadream.com/Index/indexenglish.html

 

 

 

 

 

[Bill97]

Thanks Backer. That is exactly how I have it. Think I may change the color of my capstan after seeing this photo. My instructions have it painted black. I think wood finish is more authentic. 

[Bill97]

Cannon barrels today. Fifty of them little guys about 3/8” long. Painted with a 50/50 mixture of silver and sea gray. Then rubbed with a black wash. Drilled a tiny hole in the front end of each to add a sense of depth. Painted the ends red a put a tiny touch of black in the previously drilled hole. Then mounted them in the two lower decks. Still need to paint the hatch covers which have lion heads on the inside and mount them. My understanding is that the lion heads were intended to frighten the enemy when all cannon ports were open. 

[Hubac's Historian]

Paint looks really good!

[Bill97]

Thanks Hubac. Appreciate the compliment. 

[baskerbosse]

The little port near the waterline is the 'mail port', or 'message port'.

[bolin]

I can comment that the modeling plans from 1981 shows that port as a gun port. However as  @baskerbosse mentions it is now considered to be a message port. For example it is described as such in the big “Vasa I” book about the archeological study from 2006.

[Bill97]

Ok now I have a decision to make. This will be a modification to the model instructions if I try to carry it out. There are 14 cannons on the upper deck. The model did not include eyes on either the the cannon bases or the inside side of the ship to lash the cannons. The instructions just have me glue them in place with no rigging. Also there are 50 cannon port doors on the lower decks. The instructions also do not have them rigged with ropes to open and close. Just glued in some position of open or closed. If I decide to add his rigging I will need to add my own rings and eyes and drill the necessary holes. Again the model is 1/144 scale. What to do?

[Hubac's Historian]

If you decide to add rings and rig the guns, keep in mind that the ringbolts would be very fine, at this scale.  Using wire of too heavy a gauge will look clunky.  Most craft stores carry an array of annealed wire; the finer, the better.

[Bill97]

Hubac. What would you do at this scale?

[Hubac's Historian]

I have a few different gauges of wire.  A long time ago, I acquired a spool of super fine wire - the gauge of which, I am no longer certain.

 

 

In craft stores, I have purchased 28 gauge (upper left) and 32 gauge (upper right).  I think for my SR project, I can get away with 32 gauge wire for making eyebolts for my gun carriages in 1:96.  I haven’t gotten around to experimenting with that yet.

 

Online, I found 36 gauge:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-316L-Gauge-Wire/dp/B07CJTCPLX/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=fine+gauge+annealed+wire&qid=1616346846&sr=8-6

 

I would say 36 gauge is a good starting point, and if you can find something even finer, then I would do so.

[Bill97]

Ok I improvised a little. I like to use left over parts from previous builds of similar scale. I found some blocks of a similar scale I had in left over parts. I clipped the ends off each end to end up with eye bolts with a small bit of plastic on the back for a glue surface. I made these and glued them to the inside of the hull wall on each side of each cannon. Once the glue drys and can rig the cannons. Probably not a perfect replication of how it was but close enough for me. 

[baskerbosse]

Vasa gun carriages would have been painted with lamp black, I'm pretty sure..

 

Looks good though.

/Peter

[72Nova]

Clever use of some spare parts there Bill, looks good👍. I will be using 2mm eye bolts and nip a section out of the eye and close it back up and should look very close to scale.

Michael D.

[Bill97]

Thanks Michael. I am going to be anxious to follow your build once you start to see how you venture through. I am still trying to decide if I should attempt putting ropes on the cannon hatch doors. Would need to drill a small hole for thread to go through. Very little room at this scale without hitting the gilded lion head. Could try to put a tiny eyebolt on outside (side with painted hinges) to tie thread too. Look at them and tell me what you think. 
 

Baskerbosse I looked at several other builds on MSW to see what color other builders went with for cannon carriages. The instructions suggested the same red as other parts. Some used red, others a weathered wood color, and others a couple other colors. Not necessarily after complete authenticity I decided to go with yellow ochre to add a little visual interest. 

[72Nova]

Bill,

Looking at your picture I'm confident I can make it work, I'll do a mock up on a gun port lid and let you be the judge.

Michael D.