HMS Sphinx 1775 by Blue Ensign - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 scale

[Blue Ensign]

Hi Allan,

The kit supplied Pearwood gratings are very nice; the ledges are 1mm and the battens 0.70mm. The after market equivalent from Vanguard are still  good but slightly less fine than the kit specific ones.

 

I had originally intended using Syren curved Boxwood grating kits but having made up a  sample, on this particular model I thought the Pearwood looked better.

 

The kit coamings etc were designed to sit atop the supplied etched decks, so I added the thickness of the deck to the bottom to represent the depth down to the beams (represented by the false deck)

The Boxwood planking is now at the same level as would have been using the kit set -up.

 

The Head ledges were added as a 'round-up' wasn't represented on the kit set-up, and it's something I like to see.

 

Thank you for looking in.

 

B.E.

 

 

[Moonbug]

    Nice looking work BE, especially the binding strakes.  As always, I appreciate the ways in which you bring extra accuracy to kit projects. I don't ever see myself having either the necessary equipment or skillset to do a high level scratch project, so being able to 'up-sell' kits will likely be my preferred methodology.  You give great kit enhancement tips.

[allanyed]

Hi BE,

The ledges and battens seem about right, but I would have thought they would both be the same, i.e. 0.70 or 1mm which would be about 2"- 2.5" at full scale.  I have no access to my books for another week so I may be off base regarding this dimension but I believe the battens, ledges and openings would be about 2.5"-3".   This is something most kits get wrong, but again, yours look far better than any other kit gratings I have seen on the build logs here at MSW.   

 

Allan

[Blue Ensign]

Post Sixty-one

 

 ... and more deck planking.

The second bite at the planking cherry went better with fairly rapid planking along the deck using 3.4mm strips.

At the bow end I merely butted the planks against the margin, back to the Bridle port, but this part of the construction will be obscured.

 

When it’s straightforward I find deck planking quite relaxing, as with most things it’s the fiddly bits that take the time, and tend to frustrate.

 

As the planking line approaches the Margins, Hooded planks become a requirement.

I am not using joggling into the margins on this build.

Wider planks as necessary are needed to make hooded planks;  it’s not that difficult, the tricky part is getting the tail  to match the standard 3.4mm wide planks that extend from the hooded strakes.

 

At this point I also considered  using Top and Butt planking for the outboard four strakes as  indicated in the Tffm Swan books.

On  contemporary models of the period there is not any evidence that I can see to support a general use of this planking form.

This is what Peter Goodwin has to say on the subject.              

(The construction and fitting of the English Man of War 1650-1850)

 

In most vessels all the planking was of parallel strakes, with the butts square.

Some builders fitted two strakes of either top and butt or anchor stock 4 ft from each side of the ship. This practice was probably adopted towards the end of the eighteenth century.

 

Much as I find Top and Butt  visually appealing, I have decided to forgo the pleasure; I did trial a mock-up but the t&b planks would extend some 26mm from the margin with a high point of 5.5mm. They covered  over half of the broadest deck width, and seemed to my eye to overwhelm the overall look.

 

Well that’s my excuse.

 

A further three days work and the planking is complete.

2107

The process of deck scraping begins.

2116

2114(2)

 

Once I’m satisfied with the scraping I will apply a coat of flat matt varnish to help protect the surface.

I will then need to re-vist the finish on the coamings which has suffered somewhat during the planking.

 

B.E.

10/01/22

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Blue Ensign

[Blue Ensign]

Post Sixty- two

.

A five month photo review.

With the planking completed I was keen to see how the hatches and gratings looked.

2148(2)

2140(2)

2137(2)

2136(2)

With the decking in place it all looks so much better and things are proceeding to plan.

2152

2146

My eye keeps catching the slight difference between the Aft hatch grating and the others.

I am otherwise happy with the  modified coamings  and curved gratings.

2141

2144(2)

 

I will now spend some time ensuring that all the deck fittings  slot into their allotted holes before moving on.

 

B.E.

11/01/22

 

 

 

 

[DelF]

Those hatches look superb, as does your deck planking.

 

Derek

[Moonbug]

  That's a beautiful contrast between the hatches, coamings, and the deck.

   For what it's worth - although I also caught the difference between the grating of the aft hatch, I was actually looking for it based on following your earlier adjustments.  Had I looked at these photos without that, I'm not sure I'd have really noticed it without it being pointed out.  

[Rustyj]

Great job so far! The deck and hatches look really good to me!

[hollowneck]

Excellent work, B.E. Scratching the coamings and gratings was such a worthwhile effort for your model.

Your extra, accomplished detailing is especially important for an Admiralty-styled build.

Ron

[mtaylor]

Looks great from here, B.E.    

[glbarlow]

The grates  look great. Nice looking model you have there BE.

Edited January 13, 2022 by glbarlow

[Gahm]

Beautiful deck planking and great color choice! And I love the detailed explanations in your build log - it is a pleasure to follow along!

 

Thomas

[Blue Ensign]

I much appreciate your comments guys, and those who look in and 'like'

 

Post Sixty-three

 

Sorting out the deck fittings

A couple of hours work to clean up the fittings holes on the Upper deck  and trial fit the pieces.

2159

Surprising how long it took to identify all the relevant parts, and group together in their respective sets. All were labelled and secured in six separate plastic bags.

 

I don’t want any falling within the sphere of my yard assistant, whose first rule of operation is:- ‘if it’s on the floor it’s mine’

There’s a lot of char to clean up but that can wait for the present, a job for a day when watching paint dry isn’t an option.

2163

The deck is taped and the coaming/hatchways are repainted using Vallejo matt black.

2171

I decided to represent treenail covers using 0.35mm drill holes filled with tinted filler. They are barely visible, as should be, and are only applied to the butt joints.

 

A final scraping, followed by a sealing coat of Vallejo matt varnish.

2170(2)

2164

I think I will make up the ladder sets next and fit those whilst the decks are clear.

 

B.E.

13/01/22

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Sixty-four

 

 Bits and pieces.

Time to make up the ladders leading down from the Upper deck.

There are two laser cut sets in Pearwood, nicely formed with added decoration down the stiles and shaped treads, a cut above the standard fayre in many kits.

2195

The only point that struck me was that the Main ladderway midships is quite  wide  and I wondered if a central stile was appropriate to support the treads.

2178

Still need a little cleaning up at this point, and a finish with w-o-p.

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Ladders are tricky little  beggars to fit, and I always attach a length of cotton to the top tread so it may be recovered if it slips onto the lower deck, or even deeper into the hull.

 

I wasn’t happy with the Aft hatch grating and Chris was kind enough to sell me replacement bespoke gratings both for the Upper deck and the Quarter deck, which I thought also may present me with similar issues later on.

2176

The gratings are cut, soaked and bent around a large circumference tube to impart the necessary curve.

2188

It took two of the basic aft hatch gratings to make one split version, which is more historically accurate, and satisfies the detail devil that lives within me.

2190

Now satisfied, I can move on.

 

The kit contains simple Mast rings to glue on the deck over the mast holes. With open beams I thought a minor enhancement to better represent the mast partners was in order.

2217

Not entirely authentic but sufficient for the purpose..

I believe the rings are supposed to be a representation of the  wedges used to secure the mast against the partners.

2222

Fore mast partners.

When doing this sort of modification it is worth checking how it will affect the surrounding fittings.

2226

The Fore riding Bitts and supports needed the mortices  tweaking a little to fit, but with the surrounding fixtures very little will be seen of the partners.

2231

Looks like a  major char removal exercise is looming.

 

B.E.

15/01/22

 

 

 

 

[KirbysLunchBox]

The split hatches really do look nice! Those details make all the difference. Keep it coming!

[Blue Ensign]

Post Sixty-five

 

A question of colour.

The time is approaching where I need to decide whether I am going to use the printed decoration on the Upper and lower counters, so kindly modified for me by Chuck.

2235(5)

The patterns were scaled to size, printed on best setting, and sealed with Artists fixative.

The ground to the printed pieces  is a pastel shade of Turquoise with elements of Blue/green.

 

 

I need to produce a paint mix that is a good match to the printed elements, and to this end I am using Vallejo acrylic paints.

2236

After a some time of trial and error I finally produced a mix that will I hope suffice.

2248(2)

The mix contains 1:1 ratio of Prussian Blue and Tan Yellow with added drops of White and Pastel Blue. Sufficient has been produced to hopefully complete the model.

2253

The only point of contact between paper and paint will be the Quarter Gallery Berthing pieces, and these have been given a preliminary coat for test purposes.

2254

Always difficult trying to represent colours on photo’s, and my eye has to be the final arbiter on the actual model.

I think I can work with this and tweak the shade as necessary.

 

One other minor paint job completed, that of the ‘brick’ base on which the stove sits.

2261

This was painted with Vallejo Hull red ( which looks brown) over-washed with a red ochre, and finished with a dry brush using Vallejo Light slate grey weathering powder.

I thought this would provide a nice contrast to the ‘iron’ stove.

 

I think it is now time to attend to the rudder and  progress the stern completion.

 

B.E.

17/01/22

 

 

[Moonbug]

   I love Vallejo paints - very easy to work with, especially when mixing is involved. 

 

    And you're right of course about paints represented in photos - with most of today's automatic cameras (and phones) the color temperature is automatically and independently adjusted with every shot - so even photos taken of the same subject in the same light can have slightly different color temperatures - which changes the look of the paint in the image.  I'd say unless you're using a top-end SLR camera with manual ISO settings and looking at it on a VERY good (and calibrated) monitor - the eye is always the best judge. 

[DavidG]

your work is a joy to follow. the painted transom makes the model really unique.

as you use acrylics for your paint job, especially mixing them, a wet palette might be for your help. it can be as simple as a wet dish rag with a parchment paper on top, but keeps the paint from drying for hours and really a great aid for mixing. I learnt this by painting my son's (12) board game figures last year. there is a great deal of info from more competent painters than me on youtube, for example this one.

[hollowneck]

Nice ashes on the brick, B.E.!

You've added a great detail that will be seen (and for some, appreciated) with your superb build for this exceptional kit.

What about a roast on the spit of the rotisserie?...😉

Ron

[glbarlow]

How did you attach the graphics to the wood? Nice that you have the Winchelsea set modifies for use on Sphinx. I matched my to Winsor & Newsome cerulean blue with maybe a touch of Mars Black. Yourclor match looks great. 

Edited January 18, 2022 by glbarlow

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Guys,

 

@  Bug, -  I tend to just use hand held on auto macro settings sometimes with flash or supplementary lighting. As long as they sufficiently impart what I’m trying to get over it’s good enough for me for general w-i-p photos.

 

@ David, - thanks for looking in,  and for the link, interesting stuff. In the case of the Sphinx build, painting of the topsides and other areas will take place over several weeks with additional touch -ins subsequently. For that reason, I have decanted the mix into a small paint pot. The transom decoration is pre-printed ‘borrowed’ from Chuck’s Winchelsea build. My artistic talents are unfortunately not up to recreating that level of decoration by hand.

 

@ Ron, - unfortunately the cook has run and the Purser is thought to be ashore arguing with the Victualling Board rep.

 

@ Glenn, -  it was kind of Chuck to  modify the Upper counter frieze with the Sphinx name, a much better representation than I achieved.

Just held on with double sided tape at present but I will eventually use a smear of pva. It will eventually be fitted in conjunction with the top and bottom rails.

I do have several sets printed off to allow for any cock-ups.

For the colour I just played around with the basic formula  for creating a Turquoise shade  tending towards the blue spectrum rather than the green.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

[ccoyle]

20 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

I need to produce a paint mix that is a good match to the printed elements

 

I have to do this for my card models, except that for each model I have to whip up 4-6 different colors, and it's not an exact science, due to the fundamental difference between pigmented paints and pixelated printing. The problem is worse for weathered models, because then each color doesn't consist of a single shade.

 

Cheers!

[Blue Ensign]

I consider myself lucky then Chris that I only have one shade to deal with, and on this model at least there is no weathering involved.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post Sixty-six

 

Looking at the Rudder.

This is a nicely formed piece with pre-drilled holes for the straps. It is faced by patterns that display the sections that would normally make up a rudder.

The blurb at section 251 mentions as an option slightly tapering the rudder before adding the facings. (see plan sheet 14)

2265

The rudder should be tapered toward the aft and down the vertical. The inner edges should also be chamfered to assist with movement of the rudder.

I used the plan taper as a template to guide the sanding.

Bearing in mind there are two extra mm added to the width of the rudder by the addition of the facing patterns, I think there is somewhat more tapering required than indicated.

I also slightly tapered the inner sides of the facing patterns.

The result should be that the rudder matches the taper of the stern post.

2277(2)

With the rudder assembled I had a decision to make; either to go with the faux gudgeon/pintle set-up of the kit or use Chuck’s Syren gudgeon and pintle mini kits which allow the rudder to turn and is more authentic.

2271(2)

The kit version using combined pintle/gudgeon etched profiles do provide a quick and simple answer to rudder fitting but lack authenticity.

 

The Gudgeons are properly solid cast pieces with a hole drilled for the pintles.

5434

The Syren method reflects this using shaped Boxwood blanks. They are designed for 1:48 scale but can be reduced in size to suit.

With the rudder temporarily taped in place the top line of the Gudgeons are marked on the Sternpost.

5436

They are glued to the sternpost and a length of brass tubing is fed thro’ all of the holes in the gudgeons to check that the set up is central to the sternpost.

They are then carefully sanded and filed to shape and scale.

5430

Testing the fit of the rudder to the Gudgeons.

The pintle straps need to sit at a level  with the top of the Gudgeons.

 

The Pintles are easier to represent by simply inserting a pin in the recess in the rudder.

2302(2)

I say easier but it is quite tricky drilling holes in the upper faces of the pintle recesses keeping the pin sufficiently square to fit in the corresponding Gudgeon.

2297(2)

I don’t fit the pins in sequence; I start with the lower one and check, then one of the higher ones, and check, and proceed from there fitting each pin and fettlin’ it to fit.

2309

They should slide into the gudgeons without much pressure, otherwise the gudgeons may become detached from the sternpost.

There should be close fit between rudder and sternpost, as close as possible, whilst allowing movement.

2313

One advantage of this system is that that the rudder can be unshipped.

2319

2317(2)

Hanging a rudder is one of the rites of passage in ship modelling and I would suggest that doing it in the traditional manner should be tried at least once.

 

In Part Two I will complete the rudder.

 

B.E.

19/01/22

Edited January 19, 2022 by Blue Ensign

[Nipper]

Interesting that you refer to hanging the rudder as one of the "rites of passage".  I definitely felt like pouring a glass of bubbly after hanging the rudder on my Alert a few months ago!  It felt like a significant moment.  Alert is my first build and is just completed - I'm just sorting out a crew for the finishing touch.

[BobG]

Looking great as usual, BE!

 

I'm in the market for a new vise and I noticed that you had the rudder clamped in a Poxxon vise. Is that a Proxxon vise with the suction type clamp on the bottom? If so, does the suction hold the vise tightly to your cutting mat? 

[Blue Ensign]

Hi Bob, the vise  doesn’t have a suction base but It is heavy and I haven’t found it necessary to clamp it down for the stuff I do.

 

I particularly like the adjustable head angle, great for working on  small parts.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[BobG]

Thanks, BE.

 

I'm only seeing two types of Proxxon vises: one that has the suction clamp base and another that clamps to the edge of the workbench. Maybe your model is one that they no longer offer...?

[Blue Ensign]

Sorry Bob, I've mislead you, relying on memory.

 Mine is the one with the bench edge clamp, it has a slot to fit the clamp into.

I've had it so long, and I've never used the clamp so I'd forgotten it was there.

I dare say if I could remember where the box is I would find the clamp inside.🙄

 

It is the nicest and most useful small vice I have, I  used it extensively building the Pinnace for my Pegasus build.

 

 

The slot for the clamp can be seen here.

 

B.E.

 

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Blue Ensign

[bruce d]

B.E., Bob, at the risk of thread drift, my solution is a cctv camera mount made by Panavise:

 

 

The thread is 1/4" Whitworth and I made a couple of top-pieces for different tasks. The one in the pictures is to mount the hull upside down.

HTH,

Bruce

EDIT: Hmmmmmm. Pics didn't work, will re-try later.

2nd EDIT: fixed

Edited January 20, 2022 by bruce d