prototype build HMS Sphinx 1775 by James H - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64

[Mike_H]

You make a compelling case for spray paint and masking tape, James.  The knock-out argument is how convincing the planking on the main wale looks with such a uniform coat of paint. That and the assembly of the quarter galleries is huge testament to the quality of the kit design. Kudos to you and @chris watton for your respective roles.

 

Some questions:

I'm sure this will be clear in the manual, but did you change your mind about masking-off the keel?  The photographs shows it masked but then painted.

What kind of filler do you use? It looks fine-grained, hard, and buff coloured - all good things but I've not found those properties in one tin or jar.

 

 

[James H]

6 minutes ago, Mike_H said:

Some questions:

I'm sure this will be clear in the manual, but did you change your mind about masking-off the keel?  The photographs shows it masked but then painted.

What kind of filler do you use? It looks fine-grained, hard, and buff coloured - all good things but I've not found those properties in one tin or jar.

 

 

Ah yes!

The masking tape is on the keel whilst I sanded back the filler on the hull underside. It was just to protect those surfaces. Once I was happy with the hull planks, I removed the tape from the keel and sprayed the whole underside. 

 

I use Ronseal natural acrylic wood filler on the undersides, diluted. I also added about 50% Titebond Original to the mix as it's easy to sand, more so other Titebond glues.

 

[chris watton]

1 hour ago, Theodosius said:

This is allmost like an Tamiya-kit! 🙂

I have mentioned before, a Tamiya Spitfire that my wife bought me inspired me to design Victory with inner detail, if plastic models have such unseen detail, why not the upper tier wooden kits, rather than the usual block model. I always liked to look at models and peer into the hatches and gun ports to try and find more detail. My new kits are simply an extension of this thought process. There will still be some tricky areas that need sanding and manipulating, like stern and bow parts. But for most other stuff, I am hoping the build will be relatively easy and a nice result at the end.

[Mike_H]

33 minutes ago, James H said:

The masking tape is on the keel whilst I sanded back the filler on the hull underside. It was just to protect those surfaces. Once I was happy with the hull planks, I removed the tape from the keel and sprayed the whole underside. 

Ah, of course!  And having inadvertently sanded the keel on my Snake, giving me grief subsequently, thankyou for the reminder of a lessons I should have learned.

 

And thanks for your filler recipe.

 

M

 

 

[Gregory]

Chris, your kits present a challenge to get more detail than already provided ..

 

You have set a very high standard..

[James H]

I thought I'd do another quick update as I've managed to put a little colour on things.

 

Before paint, all the areas which would be under colour were first brushed with a little polyurethane varnish to prevent the paint soaking into the timber and looking grainy. For paint, I've used Humbrol 25 Flat Blue and Vallejo Flat Red. These are just brushed on by hand. I've purposely gone a little into the rail area so I know there won't be any areas I need to later touch up. You will still notice some areas where the channels will be fitted. I just want a solid wood - wood connection with no varnish in there.

 

 

 

The rails are now added to the sides, making things look a little tidier. The sections over the cannon ports are part cut through with the laser, so I just snip them out.

 

 

Fenders fitted:

 

 

The last thing I've done is to get some paint on the quarter galleries and stern, prior to be doing the decoration within the next week. My next update should see things looking quite different.

 

 

Until then...

 

 

 

[Glenn-UK]

Hello James

She is looking really good. Your painting skills are excellent.

 

Regards

Glenn

[CaptnBirdseye]

Really liking the way this is coming together, James and looking forward to the next instalment 

[yvesvidal]

James,

 

You make it sound so easy.... Always a pleasure to read your progress.

 

Yves

[glbarlow]

I like the bright colors and personally prefer hand painting to airbrushing wood models.  Nice work. The design is clearly impressive.  Can't wait to get mine. (and red and blue it will be...)

[Old Collingwood]

I have to say It  (but please don't shoot me)    - you know what she is Crying out  for ?  -   some  superbly painted  figures,       that would so compliment a Fantastic design and  give the ship  some life  to go with all the details  - I  am not biased   - of course I am not  lol.

 

OC.

[James H]

A quick end of week update before I delve into the bow area and then onto the stern/decor.

 

This last couple of days been finishing the rudder and fitting it, adding the pintle/gudgeon straps, the horse shoe/fishplates to the keel....and the channels.

 

All channel parts are first drilled with a 0.5mm drill bit in pre-cut laser slots and then painted black (after masking joint edge). Cut-off brass pins are then CA'd into the holes. Corresponding laser holes in the sides of the hull are then used to locate these when glued into position. Once fitted, the channel knees are added. I decided to leave the char on the upper edges of these with bare pear sides instead of just hiding the shapes under black paint. Here's the work so far.

 

[James H]

Time for another small update. 

 

I'm currently working on the stern and galleries of Sphinx, so I can show you what I've done up to that point.

 

The rudder is built from a 3mm pear core, with 1mm engraved pear facings on either side. This is first glued up and then the rudder pintle straps are fitted. I use cut off pins to insert here so I have the domed head on either side. Laser slots in the timber give the locations for the 'hinges' that hang the rudder to the stern post. The spectacle plate is then added and the upper straps etc. painted in black. 

 

 

The rudder brace straps are then glued to the hull after hanging the rudder. The pins are also then painted white and the upper straps painted black (not shown here).

 

 

Onto the channels. All of these are also engraved with a position which needs to be drilled to locate the support pins. Those pins match up with holes that are laser cut into the hull, in an engraved area which matches the channel. 

 

 

A small break now to work on the bow area. The v-brackets and bow gratings are assembled on the hull without gluing to the hull. The assembly is then removed and finished off before finally gluing onto the hull.

 

 

The various bow rails are now added, including the hawse, bolster etc. All of this will be unified later under a coat of matt poly varnish. Some shaping of these parts will need two be done, but they're designed to have extra timber to allow for any hull variations the modeller may have introduced inadvertently. 

 

 

Back to the stern again now. The acrylic windows are now removed, gently filed and fitted to the stern and galleries using acrylic varnish as a glue to hold them. I didn't want to use CA due to potential fogging. I know there are odourless CA types, but I just didn't have any to hand 🙃

 

 

Once dry, the white window frames were fitted using more acrylic varnish as glue.

 

 

The golden pillars between the windows were now fitted. For these, I prefer CA gel as it gives a moment or so to manipulate stuff.

 

 

The various rails are now fitted...

 

 

Whilst waiting for things to set and cure, I painted the stern decoration. This was first primed in Tamiya fine white primer, and then airbrushed with Humbrol Matt 25 Blue. Vallejo Liquid Gold was then diluted with a few drops of isopropyl alcohol and brushed onto the stern with a size 0000 brush. The whole lot was then varnished to protect it.

 

 

Lastly for this update, I completed the stove. After a coat of primer, Tamiya Flat Black was airbrushed over it, and then steel pigments applied to it before being sealed in matt varnish. The bricks were painted in MRP RAF Roundel Red, sealed, and then a light grey panel line wash applied.

 

until next time...

[ccoyle]

Nice work, James! You must have done all this before the pub visit with Shirley? 😉

[James H]

1 hour ago, ccoyle said:

Nice work, James! You must have done all this before the pub visit with Shirley? 😉

Most definitely! I could barely stand, the morning after 🙃😆

[Malcolm Greig]

Excellent update, very professional modelling of a marvelous design. Very much enjoying the build log and looking forward to future postings.

 

Malcolm

[Mike_H]

Quite exceptional painting, James.

[BenD]

On 5/25/2021 at 2:41 AM, Malcolm Greig said:

very professional modelling

like he said. 

 

This kit is something special, There is so much detail and complexity but it looks deceptively easy to build.  

[ccoyle]

9 hours ago, BenD said:

There is so much detail and complexity but it looks deceptively easy to build. 

 

Chris is leading the way in making complex subjects more accessible to modelers of average ability.

[Glenn-UK]

25 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

 

Chris is leading the way in making complex subjects more accessible to modelers of average ability.

This is so true, I am somewhere between a beginner and average ability modeller and I have found a range of accessible and outstanding looking models to build.

[CaptnBirdseye]

I've dipped my toe in the water by ordering Lady Eleanor from Chris, but have to say, this is the one i'm hankering for!

I just love everything about this kit, and can't wait for release. 😍

Have any prices been mooted about yet 

 

Cheers RB

[Matt D]

The gold painting looks so perfect, James.  Well done, sir!

[James H]

40 minutes ago, RockinBudgie said:

I've dipped my toe in the water by ordering Lady Eleanor from Chris, but have to say, this is the one i'm hankering for!

I just love everything about this kit, and can't wait for release. 😍

Have any prices been mooted about yet 

 

Cheers RB

 

There is a list price I have, but it's not finalised yet so will wait until Chris confirms it. There are over 30 sheets of laser cut material with this one, as well as 5 sheets of photo-etch, laser cut acetate windows, resin castings, 3D-printed figurehead and cannon and of course those three boats that sit atop it too. I can guarantee with the manual (currently around 600 photos), it'll be a whopping and heavy box!

[James H]

1 hour ago, Matt D said:

The gold painting looks so perfect, James.  Well done, sir!

 

Gold is notoriously bad for brush painting. The results are usually crap.

 

The stuff I use (recommended by Chris) really is amazing. You can get a dipped gold effect with a brush, as long as you shake well and just add a couple drops isopropyl to a small amount of paint. It's a revelation for me.

[James H]

Ok, I wasn't going to publish this picture until the next update with the proper studio photos, but here you go!

 

[Glenn-UK]

Top quality painting 

[BranPie]

I'm glad you didn't keep us waiting, because that is just stunning!!!

[JeffT]

2 hours ago, James H said:

 

Gold is notoriously bad for brush painting. The results are usually crap.

 

The stuff I use (recommended by Chris) really is amazing. You can get a dipped gold effect with a brush, as long as you shake well and just add a couple drops isopropyl to a small amount of paint. It's a revelation for me.

 

Please share

[James H]

7 minutes ago, JJT said:

 

Please share

Take a look a little up my build log on this page 😆

[JeffT]

5 hours ago, James H said:

Take a look a little up my build log on this page 😆

My beer goggles were fogging up 😄