HMS Victory by Bill97 - FINISHED - Heller - 1/100 - PLASTIC

[Kevin-the-lubber]

Bill, my error was putting a little camber on the vertical, what you’ve done is correct. That’s some nice detailing on the constitution - I have some ideas along those lines for my victory but don’t expect to explore these for quite a few months yet, if then. Too tied up with the stern section at present!

[Old Collingwood]

I agree  with what Kevin said  - I also thought you meant on the vertical, as in viewing the canon/carriage from the front  and seeing the sides angled inwards towards the top.

 

OC.

[Bill97]

Oh no. I understood Kevin meant on the vertical. I was just curious when the glue points on the wheel sections caused the sides to taper gently toward the front. Mine are straight up and down vertically. 
Thanks Kevin for the compliment on my Construction. Still one of my favorite builds. I really like Revell’s 1/96 models. Especially like the instructions. 

[Kevin-the-lubber]

It was also because I made a little styrene jig for glueing the carriages together  - I make jigs for everything - and, as I glued away the jig got softened by the tiny bits of excess glue, allowing movement of the sides. Although this was quite a while back I think I thought the camber was by design and carried on. It was a good learning experience and, luckily, one learned on parts I can easily remake. Not just how easily the glue melts styrene but also how little is still more than is needed. Going down the 3D printing route has been a game changer for me. There are now very few parts that I’m fearful of irretrievably messing up through inexperience, probably just the hull and figurehead, everything else looks quite model-able. And I do expect to still learn many things the hard way, which is fine.

[Bill97]

The first 30 cannons built, the 32 pound guns!  Now to beautify them with a second coat of paint on carriages, paint the wheels and axels, and weather the barrels a bit. Put them together, set them aside, and start the next 30, the 24 pound guns. Will add rigging hardware as needed later. 

[Ian_Grant]

They look nice Bill!  In reality, though, only the gun muzzles will be seen, with the fronts of the carriages barely visible. I wouldn't worry about painting the trucks etc.

[Bill97]

Ian I guess that would include all the rigging of them as well. I will need to decide what falls under the “because you know it is there” mindset that Kevin talked about. I may skip some of you guys won’t accuse me of being a slacker! 😀

[Ian_Grant]

For the gun decks I just rigged one continuous thread along all the guns on a side as breech ropes, glued to deck between guns. This just to ensure that if you hit a protruding muzzle you don't lose a loose cannon into the hull. But it's your model and your choice what to do in terms of hidden detail.

 

 

[Bill97]

Ian that is exactly how I did the lower deck guns on the USS Constitution as you might be able to tell in the picture a few posts back. The instructions had me put an eyebolt on each side of the inside hatch and then lace a thread through each eyebolt , around the end of the cannon,  and on to the next, and then I tied the thread at each end. I will most likely do the same here. Probably will need to by a whole bunch is scale eyebolts. 

[Bill97]

The first 30 cannons (the 32 lbs) are completed!  Now on to the next group while I anxiously await my package from Daniel before further work on the hull. 

[Bill97]

Any of you guys have a good process for making your own eyebolts. The kit comes with about 60 2mm plastic eyebolts. I know I am going to need plenty more if I am going to do much bashing, especially if I add them to the visible gun carriages. I have looked on line to simply purchase some but don’t find them this small. 

[Bill97]

Ok guys I think I am an accomplished model ship builder, as all is us on here are. I can usually build a nice model, and even bash a little, AS LONG AS I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING. While I work on my cannons and wait for my package from Daniel, I am reading ahead in my instructions. I am starting to see what you guys talk about reference the rigging of the Heller 1/100!  What in the world?  You have all seen the instructions so you are familiar. As an example in Step 8 (see photo) it says I am supposed to “put ropes E50 and E55 through holes in the hull”. It does not say if these pass through and out the other side or if they are individual ropes on each side. On top of that there are no pre drilled holes in the hull where it hey go!  Several of you have recommended I get Longridge’s book The Anatomy of Nelson’s Ships. Does it do a better job of showing how to do all these extra little rigging steps?  I do love this build and am excited to spend many months working on it. No step is to difficult nor will I shy away from the more complex tasks. However I do struggle when I have no idea what I am supposed to do. 

[Bill97]

Continuing gun construction!  The thirty barrels and carriages for the 25 pound guns are ready for final painting. The beginning of the assembly of the carriages for the twenty two 12 pound long guns is under way!

[Bill97]

Ian I went back into the MSW vault and reread your Victory build blog. Congratulations on a very nice build. Reading it I realized what those little loops the instructions wanted me to put on the side of the hull were for rigging of the chains and shrouds. I was dumbfounded what they were for. But mow I know since I bought Daniel’s etched sheets I don’t need those little loops. Woo Hoo. Another mystery solved!

 

Bill

[Bill97]

Sixty guns finished and ready when the time comes!  A little more work to do on the other two sizes to finish 102. Woo Hoo. 🤪

[Bill97]

Ok all my friends here on MSW. Today is my one month anniversary of starting my Heller Victory. To date this is what I have accomplished:

 

1.  Used Evergreen to increase the width of the hull at the gunports. 

2. Primed the hull for future painting. 

3. Painted and assembled the thirty 32 pound guns and carriages. 

4. Painted and assembled the thirty 24 pound guns and carriages. 

5. Painted the carriages for the twenty two 12 pound long guns (still to have barrels attached).

6. Painted the carriages for the twenty 12 pound short guns (still to have barrels attached).

7.  Painted and weathered all the deck sections.

 

New things I learned since I began. 

 

1. The fantastic and versatile product Evergreen! Never knew of it before.

 

2. How to make my own eyebolts. Something new I am practicing. 

 

3. The term Bashing is in fact a positive and something once you feel confident doing is very liberating. 

 

4.  I knew before but have had the knowledge that MSW builders are incredible and very generous with there advice. 

 

New stuff ordered I did not have before:

 

1.  Daniel’s etched sheets. Should arrive next week. 

 

2.  The Anatomy of Admiral Nelson’s Ships. 

 

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. Anxious to see where I am at my two month anniversary!

 

Bill

 

[Hubac's Historian]

I think the answer may be “who knows, for sure,” but the journey sure will be interesting!

[Old Collingwood]

Enjoy it  - ask as many questions as you want to   - experiment and  look at it  as if  you were  tackling small  separate  ventures,  and enjoy it most of all.

 

OC.

[Kevin-the-lubber]

That’s a lot of progress in a month Bill, and you’ve done well to get through those very repetitive jobs so soon. Every time I wander off into reading other build logs I discover loads of materials and methods that I know nothing about. Latterly, Marc’s extraordinary Soleil Royale and Doris’s Royal Katherine.

[Bill97]

That is me exactly Kevin. I have I think four blogs saved on my computer that read through over and over again hoping to copy some of the work. Then it starts running together!  I have to ask myself who did what and how did they do it. I have often thought it would be so cool if you could print your most frequently visited blog(s) just to have on hand at your building table. Excited about a book I got in the mail yesterday. 

[Kevin-the-lubber]

I have that too but am a lazy student and more often than not discover key info after the event, at which point it makes sense.

[Ian_Grant]

Bill, I've been away at the cottage for a while. Nice work on the guns, and you'll find Longridge an essential companion. I don't know how many times I read through the rigging chapters.

 

E50-55:  These are where Heller claims the bowsprit shrouds attach to the hull. They want you to pre-attach the thread ends through the non-existent holes, for later use. Heller's way of doing rigging "instruction" is to give the two ends of a rope the same label, on whatever pages the ends appear. If you look at Step 11 of the instructions ("Fitting the Bows") you'll see E50-55 attaching to hearts used to tighten up the bowsprit shrouds.

 

Now that you know this, forget it. They got it wrong; perhaps why the holes are absent...........and forget about the Heller instructions for any and all rigging.  Longridge describes these shrouds succinctly on pg 226 (my 1972 edition) "Bowsprit Shrouds". There are many places on this model where you are best to drill a hole and glue in an eye. But plastic eyes can break and lead to heartache as you know. You can either make your own, or buy copper eyes which are almost exactly the same size as Heller's plastic ones.

 

https://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/4703-Eyepin-Copper-2mm--100--A4703.html#SID=367

 

 

[Ian_Grant]

On 7/10/2021 at 11:43 AM, Bill97 said:

 

 

Bill, the above shot reminds me that while you wait for stuff to arrive, you could also consider moving the anchor support block from its erroneous position between the 1st and 2nd fore chains, to between the 2nd and 3rd. A bit odd to me, with correct placing right above a gun port, not really where you want an anchor dangling down??!!, but there it is....

 

Its Heller location is too close to the cathead with the result that with the anchor fluke in the slot, the anchor ring is forward of the cathead which looks awkward given that it's supposed to be a very heavy object slung by the cat tackle, or however you choose to rig the anchors, when you get there. Longridge shows it in the correct location, Figure 57 pg 96 in my edition. I believe Daniel scraped the old one away and fashioned a new one, somewhere in his build log.

 

Here it is on the 1:1 ship.......

 

Or you could I suppose shorten the anchor shank a tad.

 

I did not know this until I was rigging the anchors, far too late to contemplate taking a file to it.

Edited July 17, 2021 by Ian_Grant

[Bill97]

Thanks Ian for all the great tips. Will research all of them. 
 

Hope the cottage trip was good. 

[Bill97]

Ian this is what you are talking about, right?

 

This book is fantastic!  Thanks to everyone who recommended I get it. 
 

Bill

[Ian_Grant]

On 7/11/2021 at 8:56 PM, Bill97 said:

Ian I went back into the MSW vault and reread your Victory build blog. Congratulations on a very nice build. Reading it I realized what those little loops the instructions wanted me to put on the side of the hull were for rigging of the chains and shrouds. I was dumbfounded what they were for. But mow I know since I bought Daniel’s etched sheets I don’t need those little loops. Woo Hoo. Another mystery solved!

 

Bill

Bill,    Since someone is looking at what was a pretty dormant log, I added a few more pics which show details that may interest you. Things like extra anchors that Heller omitted, enhanced detail to improve the ship's boats' appearance, and the vastly better appearance of ropes served where appropriate (not sure if you have served threads before, or not 😐).

[Bill97]

Great. Now to figure out exactly what you tried to explain to me. 
Finished the last of the guns today (102)!  Wow! Going to need a little of my Kentucky bourbon supply to get my eyes to focus again! 😀

Got all my anchor parts together now and getting ready to paint them. Need to look over everyone’s build blog to see a really nice painting scheme. Any recommendations?

[Bill97]

Thanks Ian. I started serving threads on my last build. Not real good yet, but getting a little better each time. I don’t have a serving machine so I try to do it manually by stretching the thread between two alligator clips and then gradually wrap the serving thread around the desired part. 

[Ian_Grant]

A serving machine makes it easy!  I recommend you buy or build one.  You'll be glad to have it when you need to serve the entire length of the first shroud on each side at the lower masts, or the entirety of the lower yard slings.🙂

[Bill97]

May have to see if I can find a plan for building my own.