Queen Anne Royal Barge circa 1700 by Blue Ensign - FINISHED - Syren Ship Models - 1:24 scale

[Hubac's Historian]

The frieze application is a tricky business that you have executed very cleanly, but then, that is typical of your standard of work.

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Hubac, I did scrap a couple of them, but fortunately Chuck  had the foresight to provide a few spares for us finger fumblers.😀

 

Post Thirty-seven

 

Completing the inboard works.

 

The Bow bracket is completed.

2131

Still to drill the socket in the Fore deck to receive the Flagstaff heel.

The final part to assemble is the step down into the stern sheets.

2179

A simple assembly job of four pieces.

2183(2)

I added the Royal Monogram to the Flying transom, and the Boxwood moulding.

The Monogram I whittled earlier, and a coat of wop was applied before I fixed it in place. Again, micro spots of ca were used for the purpose.

 

I also applied a coat of wop to the Boxwood frieze panels using a fine brush.

 

 

Three months work has brought me to completion of the internal work on the model, with the external decoration and fittings now to do.

 

 Some photos to mark this milestone in the build.

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B.E.

29/05/21

 

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Thirty-Eight 

                   

The making of a Queen. (Sort of)

 

Before I continue with the Barge I re-visit Queen Anne.

1850

Previously I had modified the head to reflect an 18^th century hairdo, added a coronet, and sculpted the skirt area to fit the barge seat.

2201

Primarily the sleeves need to be made looser, again using the modelling paste to build up the fullness.

Layers are built up and as the paste starts to set it is shaped and smoothed.

 

Early Eighteenth century dresses were close fitting at the waist but very full in the skirt and often hooped.

The model as presented is quite good with the folds gathered around her but requires a little more fullness spread out over the seat.

To achieve this, I needed to make a mock-up of the bench seating of the barge so I could form the folds around her.

Parcel tape covers the benches to prevent the paste sticking.

2205(2)

The idea is to get sufficient paste around her that can be shaped and smoothed, and the figure removed once the paste firms up a little.

2215

The built-up areas are primed.

 

I have dressed her by reference to styles of the early 18^th century. In my mind for a trip upriver to Hampton Court Palace, a favourite of the Queen.

 

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2248

Acrylic paints were used, and altho’ I belong to the Blind man on a galloping horse school of figure painting she looks ok from normal viewing distance, better than the macro would suggest.

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I will leave the tricky question of the Bargemen until later.

 

B.E.

01/06/21

 

 

[Chuck]

Very nice.  She looks perfect and to scale.  Well done!!

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Chuck, better than I had imagined I could achieve, which is not necessarily saying much. 😉

 

Post Thirty-nine

 

External decoration and the dark art of weathering powders.

The first thing I add is the ‘iron’ strap that runs over the stem, rather than use wire to represent the bolts, I used fine pins.

2298(2)

I rather like the resin impregnated fibre board that Chuck uses for the purpose, so much easier than the blackened brass strip, I would otherwise use.

2292

A light dusting of dark brown weathering powder and a realistic impression of iron is achieved.

 

I next attended to the provided resin decorations using weathering powders, as suggested by Chuck.

I am using a combination of Revell, and Vallejo powders, Light Yellow Ochre, Sand Yellow, Snow White, and Dark Brown.

2262(2)

Once the coating had been applied the piece was lightly sprayed with fixative.

2264(2)

2280

The full set.

2303(2)

The Queen Anne bust is glued into place on the Flying Transom.

2338

I found fixing the Bow decoration a little tricky, not least because of the marring of the paintwork once again, as I secured it into place.

2337(2)

2339(2)

I will almost certainly continue to tweak the highlighting and shading of the resin decorations up to completion of the model.

 

 

I will leave the remaining decorations until I have trialled the fit of the acanthus leaf friezing along the stern sheets, which I must now get back to whittling.

 

 

B.E.

04/06/21

 

[Rustyj]

Very nice work B.E. 

[JpR62]

Great job on this barge, B.E. It's a beauty. I really like the contrast between the thwarts left in natural wood and the red.
It's true that Chuck really put out a marvelous kit and you can feel the pleasure of assembling it.

[Ian_Grant]

Further to my earlier post, we now must add "dressmaker" as well as "hairstylist" to your formidable list of skills, B.E.  😁

 

Queen Anne looks great! Looking forward to seeing what you do about oarsmen!

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Rusty and Jean-Paul,  Chuck is a clever Guy, and I marvel at how he designed this kit, it is a great subject to work on.

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

5 hours ago, Ian_Grant said:

Further to my earlier post, we now must add "dressmaker" as well as "hairstylist" to your formidable list of skills, B.E.  😁

 

Queen Anne looks great! Looking forward to seeing what you do about oarsmen!

 

Ha, Ha, Ian, it turned out better than I thought it would, but I'm not expecting orders from any real women anytime soon. 😃

 

The oarsmen will be more problematic, and I will be discussing the issue with Modeldu.

I want the figures dressed like this.

 

but posed like this.

 

I don't know how feasible it will be, or how expensive to produce them.

 

......... watch this space. 🙂

 

B.E.

 

[Murphys77]

Looks really good B.E.!

Looking forward to see the oarsmen.

M.

[Ian_Grant]

19 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

 

Ha, Ha, Ian, it turned out better than I thought it would, but I'm not expecting orders from any real women anytime soon

 

Yes, they might balk at being covered in paste..........😁

[Blue Ensign]

Post Forty

 

The Royal Watermen

Back from a break in Dorset and not yet ready to tackle the hull carving I decided to play around with a Waterman model.

 

The doner piece is a 1:24 scale figure of an American Vietnam era soldier by Dean’s Marine.

0920

I used the same (modified) figure to represent a rower for my 1:24 scale Pinnace build.

This time the dress would be different and I wanted to model the figure holding the oars in the vertical position.

2472

Early stage modification; the first action is to remove unwanted clothing and turn trousers into knee breeches.

The figure is made of hard plastic and the Dremel was necessary to achieve this.

2479

The arms with this model are separate so it was not too problematic to position them correctly.

It is then down to using modelling paste to create the uniform of the Royal Company of Watermen.

 

A little research revealed that The Company of Watermen dates back to the 16^thc and details of the uniform are available.

It is from the ranks of this company that the Royal Watermen were chosen.

A skirted scarlet tunic, coupled with breeches, and a navy/black cap.

 

A prototype Royal Waterman is completed.

2533(2)

 

2521

I have reduced the Queen Ann monogram from the Barge kit to provide the plastrum on the back of the tunic.

 

2528

With the proper oars the arm/hand positions may need to be adjusted.

 

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I’m far from satisfied with the result but it does give me an idea of what is involved.

2519

Despite the antiquity of the uniform style, I’m not sure it looks right on the model, but at least he sits ok on the thwart.

 

Time to stop messing about with this and get back to completing the model.

 

B.E.

21/06/2021

 

 

 

 

[Beef Wellington]

Loving the progress and especially the figures.  I'd definitely be tempted to continue working with the Royal Watermen, a full compliment would be a really striking addition to enhance the model.  Think if you can get a little more 'flounce' to the bottom of the jacket to differentiate from the breeches they'll look great.

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Jason, I agree the figure needs (a lot) more work and in his present state he certainly won't make the cut. 

I have been in touch with the 3d model company who say they  can do it but require me to provide the clothing, which is a bit problematical.🤔

I'll revisit the  subject once I have completed the barge.

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post Forty-0ne

 

Acanthus whittling

 

I have previously had a dabble at this which ended in a broken strip, and I put the process into abeyance whilst I got on with other stuff.

Round two

Having carefully attached the blanks to backing boards this time using a Pritt stick I hope for better results.

2545(2)

I start by marking the stop cut lines and attend to these first.

Micro chisels are used, and the direction of the grain is carefully noted.

2546(2)

It is then a case of carefully paring a round onto the detail using a scalpel, fine sandpaper, and the edge of the chisel where required.

2542(2)

I keep a copy of the Chuck’s examples in front of me as a reference.

2549(2)

To ensure uniformity I prepared all three each side before I attempt to remove them from the backing.

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Nearly ready for release, a little more smoothing and polishing.

Portside decoration

The same procedure for the Port side, but to ease interpretation of the carving lines I flipped the photo of the finished work provided by Chuck.

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As I write this post the first of the Acanthus carvings has been immersed in Isopropanol for some thirty hours and is still stubbornly hanging on in part to its backing.

 

At this rate with another five to go I think I’ll probably lose the will to live!

 

B.E.

 

26/06/21

 

[glbarlow]

Figurines and ornate carving added to your already impressive list of skills. Adapting wildly different figures to convert to your vision is very impressive.  This model will end up being quite the conversation starter when you’re finished. Amazing work BE!

[BobG]

Fantastic carving, BE!

[Hubac's Historian]

Beautiful care and attention to the carved works, BE.  They really clean-up nicely!

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Glenn, Bob, and Hubac, and to those following along with this build.👍

 

Post Forty-two

 

Resin decorations

 

While I wait for the acanthus scrolls to release from the backing I attended to the remaining resin decorations.

Firstly, the hull decoration at the break of the sternsheets.

2563

Fairly straightforward, small sections of the rails need to be removed to accommodate the fit.

2561(2)

 

The final fittings are the Mermaid figures that adorn the stern.

Somewhat trickier to fit, requiring removal of sections of the rails and capping of the Flying Transom.

2570(2)

The figures also need a gentle tweaking using hairdryer heat  to take the stress out of the fish tail end where it follows the round of the hull.

I found it tricky to attach the figures without marring the finish, and they will inevitably need touching up once in place.

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I’m not entirely satisfied with the colour reproduction of the resin castings, they are not a bad match to the bare Boxwood, but I rather feel a little more richness is called for.

 

With the resin decorations in place, I was happy to find that the first of the Acanthus leaf Boxwood decoration finally released.

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Relieved to find it fitted between the rails.

 

They won’t be fitted into place until the whole set is available.

I wonder if I should apply a coat of wop before fitting.

 

 

In the meantime, I can attend to the rudder.

 

 

B.E.

27/06/21

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Forty-three

 

Looking at the rudder

 

I start by making the Tiller.

2649

A strip of Cherry square stock is secured in my Minicraft tool.

2653(2)

Needle files and sandpapers are used to form the Tiller shape.

2661

Having cut a neat little mortise in the rudder head, the tiny tenon on the Tiller broke off so was replaced with a less satisfying brass pin.

I may well re-visit the Tiller, they are quick and easy to make.

 

The rudder comes pre cut with its distinctive hance but does require tapering towards the aft end of the blade.

2673(2)

I have restricted the taper to the blade of the rudder, just applying a slight round above the hance.

The taper is applied both top to bottom and fore to aft

 

Dressing the rudder.

I usually make working rudders for my models but after some consideration I decided to go with Chuck’s simulated version which gives a realistic impression of a properly hung rudder.

2684

The long lower pintle properly attached to the stern post is made an integral part of the rudder, slotting into a tab which represents the gudgeon on the rudder.

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When rudder and sternpost are brought together the effect is completed.

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I added ‘bolts’ to the rudder straps in the form of wire.

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With all decorative pieces at last released from their backings, it was a simple job to fix them in position using a few tiny spots of ca.

I gave them a coat of wop before putting them into place.

 

 

In the final stretch now with thole pins, oars, masts, and flags, left to do.

 

 

 

B.E.

30/06/21

 

[Chuck]

That sure looks pretty.  Excellent clean work.  

[glbarlow]

Well done!  Excellent photography as well. I now have my go to log when I build my barge. 

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Chuck and Glenn, there is a small number of excellent   builds that I have gratefully made full use of as reference works. Having followed your Cheerful build Glenn I can envisage what a great job you will make of the Barge.

 

Post Forty-four

 

 Tholes and oars

 

The thole pins are two part pre-cut tiny pieces where the laser char is fiddly to remove, but something that is necessary if a natural finish is required rather than a painted one.

I haven’t decided on this yet so more attention has to be paid to char removal.

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I used the shaft of a partly made oar to set the distance between the pins.

The paint on the capping rail was carefully removed where the tholes sat to provide a better bond for the pva.

2809(2)

A days work to fit the Thole Pins, I may yet paint them Red.

 

The Oars or Sweeps

The square section of the oar (the Loom) has slots each end; a long slot to take the short handle, and a short slot to take the long shank.

 I started rounding the shank by paring the corners to create an octagon and then rounding by turning it between my fingers using sand paper.

Once I was almost there I glued the shank into the loom for final finishing.

 

I was curious to see how the oar scale measurements  compared with those given by Steel for a boat with the same breadth.

Seven feet is the given breadth of the Barge, and for this size a Twenty-foot sweep is given.

 

Chuck has indicated that the shaft is left a little long to give purchase whist rounding. This equates to 6mm excess and once removed results in an overall 19’ length of oar.

 

I decided to leave the shaft length as provided which results in a scale length of 248mm equating to a 19.5’ oar length.

I taped the square end over during the rounding process, which left a good tight fit into the blade, the final finish being applied once blade and shaft are glued together.

 

I rounded the handle to a scale diameter of 1.9mm. which equates to a 1¾” diameter.

The trickiest part is forming the blade which must be tapered and also have a slight curve to it.

2758(2)

To get a consistent taper I made a simple jig from the oar blade fret.

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The tapered blade; down to 0.9mm at the outer end.

 

A slight curve is then formed by wetting, followed by the hairdryer treatment to the blade held around a shallow curve.

The inner end still need a little fairing into the shaft.

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The final test is how does the oar fit with the boat in its working position.

 

For this I borrow my oarsman from the Pinnace.

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I will now continue with the time-consuming business of completing the oars.

 

B.E.

04/07/21

 

 

 

 

[Matt D]

It’s beautiful, BE!  I was starting to thing the carvings would never come free, so I’m glad they did.  I feel bad for this one guy who has to do all the rowing.  Did he have gas or something?

[Blue Ensign]

It's worse than that Matt, he's not noticed that there's  no bottom in his boat. 😄

 

Thanks for looking in on the build.👍

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post Forty-five

 

Working the Oars continued.

 

Ten oars are required, and it is simply a case of getting down to this repetitive, but rather satisfying task.

I used both scalpel blades and sanding sticks to achieve the required results.

 

There is no real way of speeding up the process, but a jig as previously described does help with the tapering of the blades.

For each set of five I prepared all the shafts first, glued them into the Looms and added the handles, I then set them aside for the glue to cure.

The blades were then made.

 

Final sanding of the shafts and the rounding of the handles was then done before adding the blades.

 

Annoyingly one of the shafts developed a slight curve.

2831(2)

I tried clamping in a vice and applying heat, to no avail, then I used the Quad hands with a central weight to straighten the shaft, again applying heat.

This seemed to work after a couple of repeat treatments.

2843(2)

The first five completed, but still requiring a final cleaning up.

 

At this point I cleaned up the rather neat little oar racks designed by Chuck and glued them to base boards of 100mm x 25mm cut from the bulkhead frets.

2825(2)

I think fixing to separate boards more convenient than attaching to what will be the base yet to be made.

2827(2)

Pitch Pine stain was used to enrich the Cherry Wood.

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A trial fit in the racks.

 

Work will now continue to complete the oars, but in the meantime the wilds of North Yorkshire are calling.

 

 

B.E.

07/07/21

 

 

[Matt D]

1 hour ago, Blue Ensign said:

the wilds of North Yorkshire are calling

I hope you have a wonderful time.  Share a picture with us if you can.

 

Your oars look terrific!  The rack display looks really neat, too.

[BobG]

Gorgeous, BE!

[glbarlow]

Great looking oars, displaying them on a rack is a nice touch.  Well done as always BE - enjoy the wilds. Isn't Yorkshire where the Hobbits live 😄