HMS Victory by drobinson02199 - FINISHED - Caldercraft - Scale 1:72

[vossy]

Looks great to me. I always have a "practice" side on all my models. Because boats are almost always a mirror image from the Starboard to port sides

I always do a part on the starboard side first before replicating it on the port side as the port side is almost always the side of the vessel I choose to be

viewed. This way if I muck up the starboard side I can rectify the problem on the "good" side.

 

Chris

 

[drobinson02199]

Finished the main mast topmast ratlines.  Now on to the fore mast.

 

Regards,

David

 

[drobinson02199]

Finished the foremast topmast shrouds and ratlines, and THAT'S IT for ratlines on this model!😃

 

I looked back to when I started the shrouds, and removing the 6 weeks I was away on vacation, I was dong shrouds and ratlines for 4 1/2 months.  That's as long as some other models I've built took overall.  Not sure what it is about this model that makes things go so slow -- maybe the size?

 

Regards,

David

[mort stoll]

I just finished mine. I hoisted the White Ensign yesterday. She's overwhelming and I mean it in a complementary way if that's  the proper English. I'm very happy with her but she's so big that everything everything, everything, is time consuming as there's so much of it. I started mine in late March of 2019 and even without my additions/kit bashes she's a monumental project as the other Victory builds mention, but definitely worth the effort. 

You are doing a great job. Keep up the wonderful work.

Mort

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by mort stoll

[drobinson02199]

Thanks, Mort.  I need to find your build log and will do so.

 

Regards,

David

[drobinson02199]

Bowsprit now permanently mounted and gammoning completed.  The gammoning on this model is more than decorative -- it performs the same function as it would have done on the real ship:  locking down the bowsprit tight.

 

Gammoning was tricky to thread behind the beak struts.

 

Regards,

David

[drobinson02199]

I've begun work on the forestays.  Mizzen stays done; first main mast forestay installed.  Closeup picture below of the heart blocks and lashings used to secure the main forestay.

 

Regards,

David

[drobinson02199]

Well, it was bound to happen to me sooner or later -- a bad prang.

 

In this case, I was wearing a sweater while working around the bowsprit from the front.  The tip of the bowsprit caught on my sweater without me knowing it, I moved, and SNAP.

 

I thought it would need a really stiff nail for repair, so I used a picture hanging nail, which is shown below.  I THOUGHT I had it completely aligned when I dry-fitted the repair, but at the end of gluing it somehow had developed a slight downward cant -- which I'm going to have to live with since I'm not about to try to take it apart -- I really glued it on solidly. 

 

I can think of worse disasters -- like dropping the whole model -- and all in all, this repaired fairly well given the total snapoff.

 

It took the jackstaff with it, and I'll probably add that back at the end of the build.

 

But there is that slight downward angle . . .     Oh well.  

 

Regards,

David

 

UPDATE:  I was able to bend the sprit up some, and to a point where I can use the stays to finish the realignment.  Final picture shows what it will look like when the stays are installed.  I'm only putting a slight upward pressure on with my hand.

 

WHEW!

 

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by drobinson02199

[drobinson02199]

Jib realigned using the jib stay!

 

Regards,

David

[drobinson02199]

Here is most of the forestay rigging done.

 

Last picture shows some lines I've temporarily rigged through the boomkins and up to the jib, to try to keep me from pranging anything else.

 

Regards,

David

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  I find myself constantly repairing one snafu or another.  Patience and persistence can go a long way in this hobby ... as well as imagination.  Then there was a time (as a teen) when my all-wood Cutty Sark (can't remember if it was from  Sterling or a Scientific kit)that happened not to be in a case received a direct hit from my kid cousin's shoe that he'd thrown across the room with great force (trying to hit my sibling).  The damage done by the shoe was further increased by the model's 6 foot fall to the floor.

 

  Of course I was stunned and dismayed, but did I recon the ship a total loss? ... well ... yes, regrettably - and the teenage 'me' just didn't have the heart to try and rebuild all the masting and rigging (the adult 'me' would have).  Incidentally, that cousin did so much damage around the house - such as ruining my father's 'war trophies' of an Orisaka rifle and a Japanese Naval Officer's sword (with a samurai blade) ... as well as attempting to burn our house down, that his parents were told in no uncertain terms that the bad boy would never again be allowed to visit (perhaps at least until he'd 'grow up' quite a bit).  Hmmmm, parents tend to defend their offspring 'no matter what' they've done - so none of them ever visited again.

 

  I plan to make cases with acrylic panels (glass is heavy and can break) for things I'm working on these days that won't fit into a hutch with glass framed doors.

[drobinson02199]

A couple of "not in the plans" mods:

 

• When I made the main topgallant mast, I messed up and created an area of the mast that was too narrow, and too weak.  As I got into rigging the backstays, I saw that it might not hold the tension.  So I added a small splint, which is virtually invisible at normal viewing distance, and that has strengthened the mast back to where it can handle rigging tension.
• I also added a backstay that isn't in the plans, running left to right from the top of the main mast down to the mizzen.  The backstays that are in the plans run at too steep an angle to pull the topgallant mast back to straight, which is what was needed.

Regards,

David

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by drobinson02199

[allanyed]

3 hours ago, drobinson02199 said:

When I made the main topgallant mast, I messed up and created an area of the mast that was too narrow, and too weak.

David, I would bet that there are no members that don't mess up a part on a weekly or even daily basis.   You are not alone.   Our own responses on how we fix our own mistakes seems to be what varies.   Do we make a replacement or do we try to fix it as best we can?

Allan

 

[drobinson02199]

Backstays now done on all masts.  Jib standing rigging next.

 

Regards,

David

[allanyed]

Rather than just checking the like button , she is VERY neatly rigged.  It appears you are using different circumference lines as needed which is super to see.

Allan

 

 

[drobinson02199]

Thanks, Allan.  Yes, I did vary the circumference according to the manual specs.

[drobinson02199]

Finished the standing rigging on the jib.  Now all of the standing rigging is done.

 

I haven't built any of the yards yet, so now it's on to shaping and sanding.

 

Regards,

David

[drobinson02199]

Built my first yard -- the lower main yard -- and thought I'd offer a few comments:

 

1)  The plans show banding on the yards, but there is no indication there or in the manual what they are made of, so I used black thread.

 

2)  For the life of me, I can't figure out the mast rings supplied with the kit.  The inner diameters seem wrong, and the counts seem wrong.  So I have abandoned them and made my own for the stunsail booms out of wire.  It's all painted black at the end so it looks fine.

 

The finished yard (rigging blocks not yet installed) is shown below as well.

 

Regards,

David

 

[BobG]

Looks great, David, and the finish line is in sight!

[drobinson02199]

Finished and added blocks to the main yard.  

 

Because I need my workbench to make the yards, I have moved the ship across the room.  I also need somewhere to store the yards as I build them -- so I will mount them on the masts as I go along.  Pic of the first mounted yard is shown, along with some rigging detail.

 

The light is not very good in the part of the workroom where the ship now is, so I bought a LED headset light (shown).  Wow, what a godsend.  Puts a ton of light just where you are looking.  Only $30 at Amazon.  Wish I'd had it sooner.

 

Regards,

David

[drobinson02199]

Finished the main topsail yard and mounted it.  Some things to comment on with accompanying pictures:

 

• The parrel beads and ribs look nice.  I've typically had trouble mounting yards with parrel beads -- holding everything in place (even with the ends knotted to make a tight assembly.  This time I dry-mounted the yard with painters tape, which made it relatively easy to rig the beads.  Didn't have to resort to my default on earlier boats of gluing them to the mast and then rigging them.

 

• Other pics show the "tye" rigging including long block and tackle at the end.   In order to get the tyes tensioned correctly, I needed to tie the yard down, and there is a thin loop (red arrow) doing that.  If something comes up in the later rigging that holds the yard down, I'll snip that loop.

 

• There is something called a "truck" that lashes the rigging to one of the backstays.  It's supposed to be a cast item, but looked high and low and nada in the parts box.  So I improvised with some scrap walnut dowel as shown in the picture.  In general, I've been pretty disappointed in the cast items in this kit -- particularly the yard rings, which I've ditched for my own using wire.

It took me about 5 days to build and mount this second yard, so allowing for an upcoming vacation it may be sometime in August before I have them all done -- maybe later.  I'll keep posting as I go.

 

Regards,

David

[drobinson02199]

Main topgallant yard built and mounted.  I included a pic of the rigging.  Again, as with the topyard, I have rigged a strop to hold the yard down, and I'll cut that if something comes along later that does that.

 

Regards,

David

[drobinson02199]

The fore yard is built and rigged onto the ship.

 

Going on a trip for a couple of weeks so won't be posting again until latter part of June.

 

Regards,

David

[allanyed]

Looking great overall!   I do have a question though, hope you don't mind   Why are many blocks upside down?  Below is a sketch with the blocks as they are usually rigged so the line runs over the sheaves inside the blocks..

Allan

 

 

Edited May 26, 2023 by allanyed

[drobinson02199]

Allan:

 

You asked why many of my blocks are rigged upside down.  Actually, I think it's all of them.

 

I'm sure you are right, and that I'm doing it upside down.  When I started building ships, it seemed to me that rigging the sheaves (the holes) at the loop end vs the tie end would lead to more aligned rigging and less fouling.  So I've always done it that way.

 

Regards,

David

[drobinson02199]

Built and installed the fore topmast.  Knocking them off, one by one.

 

Regards,

David

[Charter33]

It's all coming together very nicely David. Impressive to put it mildly!

[drobinson02199]

Fore topgallant yard up.  So now on to the mizzen yards, which are simpler to build than the fore and main yards.

 

Regards,

David

[GrandpaPhil]

Looking good!

[drobinson02199]

Mizzen yards done and mounted.  Now just the bowsprit yards left.

 

Regards,

David