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

[72Nova]

Just Beautiful work Maurice! your craftsmanship and attention to detail are on full display👍.

 

Michael D.

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Thomas and Michael, it's great to receive positive comments from those whose work I also admire..

 

Post Eighty- four

 

A few steps ahead

The Quarterdeck beams aft of of the forward partition have been cleaned up and tried for fit.

5727

One of the great interests for me in going off piste on a kit build is having to think many steps ahead and solving the tricky little problems that may arise.

5728

Of course the danger of going off piste is that  you may encounter an avalanche.

 

Back to the machine shop today to chop about the ply underdeck to suit the profile of the un-planked areas.

5729

I have removed far more of the planking area than originally cut to expose the deck below.

5730

With this completed I know what will be on show and what won’t and can work to that purpose.

5731

 

5736

That looks about right, or will do once the remaining beams are installed to the break of the QD.

5733

I think I made the right decision about using the b/w sailcloth covering in the Great Cabin.

5735

It has so much more impact than the faux parquet  flooring of the kit, but it’s all down to what appeals to the individual eye.

 

I have also come to a decision about the guns, they will be fitted but without rigging.

The rest of the model is displayed only partly complete, so to rig the guns would seem a little incongruous, and this will accord with contemporary Navy Board style models.

On a practical level the guns will not hold up progress and I will  be able to assemble and fit them at my leisure.

 

Moving ahead.

 

B.E.

18/02/22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Theodosius]

I realy like your bigger cutouts!

[Glenn-UK]

Looks very nice. You may need to trial fit the knees. I think they will be easier to fit before it gets to crowded.

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Theo and Glenn.

@ Glenn - I don't intend fitting hanging knees between the cabin partitions, but otherwise  I will add them together with the Lodging knees on a beam by beam basis.

 

Post Eighty-five

Beams and partitions

I start with the aft partition and deck beam.

It is necessary to modify the partition by removing a section where it may be seen to encroach onto the beam face and where the Lodging knees would fit.

5744- view from forward.

5746 – view from aft

A section either end was removed and replaced below the beam to provide support. This will be hidden from view.

Every time these pieces are handled for trial fitting  the window frame paintwork is marred, requiring  touch-ins.

5748

At deck level, cants are fitted either side of  the screen, into which these removable panels were fitted. These also help to support and brace the panels.

5759

The same approach was taken with the Foreward partition.

In reality the Bulkheads fitted beneath the beams, the modification is still a compromise but the beam looks better without the bulkhead covering the face.

5757

Finally the partition between the Bed space and Coach was fettled into place. This also has cants either side.

5767

5766

5765

At this point  most of the beams are not secured, I will need access to secure the guns.

5783(2)

5779(2)

5780(2)

I'm lovin' the look of these scale deck beams, Chris has done a fine design job they really add to the model.

 

Time for a knees up I think.

 

B.E.

19/02/22

 

 

[glbarlow]

Excellent work in the cabins. It’s all looking quite sharp and we’ll fit. 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Eighty-six

 

Having a Knees up

Chris was thoughtful enough to provide optional hanging knees with the kit (Plan11 drawing 7)

5788(2)

Beautifully cut, and I’m very relieved not to have to tackle making those.

Unfortunately the Lodging Knees are something I will have to tackle myself, What joy!

5790(2)

In the absence of any other relevant data I have  scaled up the lodging knees from the 1/128 scale drawings in the AotS Pandora book, drew them out by hand, and then onto some 0.8mm Pear for a template.

 

Not the most accurate approach to the job, but my eye will be the final arbiter on the look.

 

 

The longitudinal side of these knees (that run along the bulwark)  vary according to the the space between the beams so I will make them all to the longest side and trim them to suit.

 

There are 34 paired knees to be made, the shape transferred to some Boxwood sheet for cutting on the scroll saw and finishing by hand.

5794

So on a wet and windy Sunday morning, it looks like a good day to spend a couple of hours in the Machine shop.

5791

The Boxwood sheet matches the beam thickness.

5795(2)

All done bar the finishing, I shall work them two by two as I move along fitting the beams.

 

B.E.

20/02/22

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Eighty-seven

 

Looking at the Capstans

 

The Upper deck Capstan that sits below the Quarterdeck will be required in the near future.

5785

I build these on a 6mm dowel rod and once the Whelps are in place is the time to remove the char.

5798

They are quite straightforward to assemble, the biggest issue is whether to paint them or leave them bright. Even so, they will stand a little bit of extra detailing.

Syren 1:48 scale model Capstan.

I do have Chuck’s wonderful little ‘Winnie’ Capstan model as an example.

 

I would at least hope to add the iron reinforcing rings atop the capstan trundle heads.

Once assembled I like to move ahead and do a mock-up of how the completed units will look.

 

I would say to any builders new to this sort of kit, don’t just follow the blurb in rote fashion, look ahead and get a feel for how the model hangs together.

It is important that parts  removed  from the frets ahead of their immediate need should be labelled and bagged.

5801

I am keen to see how much of the lower capstan will be seen.

5806

5809

The upper part of the barrel beneath the QD, connecting the two capstans will not be visible, so I won’t bother detailing the iron ribs that feature on the Winnie Capstan.

5816

I found a couple of brass rings in my etch collection that are perfect for the iron reinforcing rings on the Capstans. These will be blackened before fitting.

5820

Seeing them in place the decision is made to paint the capstans Red ochre, to particularly make the lower one stand out.

5822

5828

Not quite finished, the barrels will need to be painted Red, but for the present I’ll set them aside.

 

B.E.

21/02/22

 

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Eighty-eight

 

Making up some guns.

I last looked at the guns ( Post 30 in October last year) when I partly made one up for gun port alignment purpose.

To complete the cabin areas I need to make up four guns which have to go in before the beam and  knees can be put into place.

This is a multi stage operation that takes some time to complete, two days for three guns in my case.

5836(2)

The makings for the guns.

5844(2)

I like to make a simple jig to assemble guns to keep things square, and assist my finger fumbling, crude but effective.

5840(2)

Only one side is glued in place here, the other bracket will be painted separately before assembly together with the gun.

5849

The barrels are sprayed with fixative prior to weathering.

 

Iron work fittings

I am not a fan of the provided etched eyebolts for the brackets. They look clunky to my eye, and the Breeching ring bolt lacks the ring thro’ which the breeching rope passes.

5834

In an attempt to make the loops more scale like, the one on the right has been drilled out using a 1mm drill, but even so still doesn’t please my eye. At full size the loops are ½”ø thick, (0.19mm) and 1½” in the clear (0.59mm)

5872(2)

Amati fine eyelets have been  used for the loops, and 2mm Amati rings to create the carriage breeching ringbolts.

 

 

In reality none of this really matters if the kit is to be constructed as is. By the time the decks are in, the gang-boards fitted,  and the boats in place, very little will be seen of the guns except the finely cut muzzles  outboard of the ports.

In one sense a pity, because the fine detail on the gun barrels will be hidden.  

5852(2)

The final part of the assembly is to add the Quoins, they were glued on and painted in situ. The stem of an Amati eyebolt with a blob of pva formed the handle.

5855(2)

This is really small stuff to work on.

Reminder to ones self Fishing Boats don’t have bloody guns!

5857

Not yet decided how to secure the guns .

5859

Not much room in the Coach and Bed space once the nine pounders are in place.

5861

Between the beams, so much of all that effort is hidden.

5864

I’m almost tempted to place a couple of guns in a more readily seen position to display Chris’s fine mouldings, altho’ finding a  clear position below the skids could also prove tricky.

 

 

For those who may be interested in fitting the guns and rigging them these are the measurements applicable to 9 pounder guns.

The Breeching rope is 4½" circ. equating to 0.56mm ø at scale.

I would use Syren 0.63mm line for the purpose.

 

The Breeching ring is 3” in the clear = 1.19mm. The ring thickness is ⅞”ø = 0.34mm at scale.

The Amati 2mm rings are close to these dimensions.

 

The loops are ½”ø thick, (0.19mm) and 1½” in the clear (0.59mm)

The tackle lines are of 2" circ  equating to 0.25mm ø  at scale. (I would use 0.1mm ø line for better scale effect.)

These figures are taken from The FFM, David Antscherl, and The Arming and Fitting of English ships of War, Brian Lavery.

 

The manual does provide details of blocks and line sizes. If following the manual advice I would go for the larger 0.75mm ø line to provide a nice contrast with the 0.1mm tackle lines.

 

B.E.

23/02/22

 

 

 

 

[mtaylor]

There is a bit of conflict for the guns and internal bulkheads in my mind.   If the guns are run out, the bulkheads would be gone.  If the guns are properly stowed (pointed fore and aft and secured next to the port) then the bulkheads would be in place along with any items like foot lockers, etc.  

 

At best. this is a  compromise doing it per the kit instructions.

[Theodosius]

The extra rings on the guns look very authentical, I like that! I'm sure this is a hell of a work! The bulheads are just beautiful! No way not to show them, even if they might not be 'real' with the guns run out. But I have learned, that every model is in one or the other way not an exact replica of a special working-condition of the real thing! It only has to please us, the builders, don't they? 🙂

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Mark and Theo.

This type of Navy Board style display model was never intended to show the working operation of the ship, merely the features contained  and the overall appearance, but it's nice to see some of the constructional detail.

I suspect the elaborate decoration was really intended to please the eye of the intended customer (the King) and presumably get financial backing to build the real thing.

 

Post Eighty-nine

 

Hanging Knees and Lodging knees.

I have never fitted these to a model previously so it is a new experience for me.

I start with the forward Cabin area where only Lodging knees are required.

5876

Hanging knees and Raking Knees are fitted in the Great cabin but they can barely be seen.

The kit provided Hanging knees  required a  little modification to match the Lodging knees, but they weren’t  intended for external display.

The heads were replaced with Boxwood section.

5877

5874(2)

5881

5880

5879

5884

Another two days work to shape and fit the knees.

 

Moving on to the Break of the Quarterdeck, and four more guns to assemble.

 

B.E.

27/02/22

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by Blue Ensign

[DelF]

17 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

B.E.

27/02/22

I know you work quickly but you've really got ahead of the rest of us today!

 

Brilliant and informative as always, regardless of the time travel.

 

Derek

[Blue Ensign]

Time goes so quickly when you're having fun Derek, I really must get out of my garret more. 😄

 

B.E.

[yvesvidal]

What a beautiful Sphinx. Your model is becoming a reference for enthusiasts and I will certainly use some of your ideas on my ship.

 

Yves

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Yves.

 

Post Ninety

More beams and more guns.

I firstly need to get all the beams prepped and the guns assembled before things can progress.

5891

The beams are painted red on the fore and aft side which was a traditional  practise for the beams  forward of the stern cabin areas.

Great care has to be taken in removing the char particularly from those beams with notches for the carlings. Too much pressure during sanding without support and they will snap which will make it difficult to  maintain the deck camber shape.

5887

I did as a pre-caution have to provide a temporary prop to support  beam ‘h’ which appeared to be a little ‘soft’ around the port side carling notch.

 

The remaining four guns below the Qd are prepped.

5913(2)

This time I used Windsor & Newton  matt spray varnish to seal the surface.

5916(2)

Whoever left this ordnance uncovered on the Gun Wharf will spend a week in the bilboes.

5934(2)

5935(2)

Another four completed, twelve to go.

 

Safety rails are required for the Aft ladderway

In this area removeable iron stanchions would be in place due to the proximity to the Capstan.

5920

The  provided etch version do not suit my eye. Again it’s a question of profile.

5928

I  made up some replacements.

5938

The Upper deck Capstan is fitted along with the pawls.

5944

And the final action of this stage is to add the aft Chain pump stanchions and the Main Jeer Bitts.

I did fettle the cross beam a little at the outer ends.

5952

5951

5956

Time consuming stuff this detailing of fittings.

 

B.E.

03/03/22

 

[Glenn-UK]

Great workmanship and looks very impressive.

[Theodosius]

A hell of a great model! 🙂

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you both, Glenn and Theo. 👍

 

Post Ninety- one

 

Topsides decoration

I have decided to attend to this now as it will probably be easier without having to negotiate  guns sticking thro’ the ports.

I had a look at using the ‘Winnie’ topside decoration but it proved more tricky to manipulate the design to fit between the rails.

As etch decoration goes the kit version is very fine at 0.2mm, finer than the equivalent Pegasus decoration etch.

So kit etch it is.

 

My approach to preparation

The preliminary preparation will be done on the fret.

The etch is gently cleaned both sides with  soapy water using an old toothbrush, then rinsed and dried.

The design is painted with VMS Metal prep4k primer, followed by a base coat of Vallejo Ochre Brown.

The  painstaking job of applying highlight and shadow then begins.

I will be using Vallejo acrylics throughout.

5957

I applied the highlights (Yellow Ochre /Ivory mix) and the shadows (Dark Vermillion/ Burnt Umber mix) but these will require more work once the design is attached to the hull.

 

I used tiny dots of ca to attach the strips and I must commend Chris both for his design and accuracy in the fit of the strips.

5959

5960

5966

5967

5969

5976

5977

I am not disappointed to have gone with the etch for the Topsides, and am particularly pleased with the way the etch tones in with the ‘painted’ stern and counter decorations, courtesy of Chuck.

5981(2)

5980(2)

I am pleased that from  normal viewing distance of around 12” and from a broadside aspect, the fine etch does look like it is painted on, which was an unexpected bonus.

5978(2)

I will continue to  fettle the decoration using macro shots to reveal any flaws that require touching up, but overall it has been a satisfying couple of days.

 

B.E.

04/03/22

[Moonbug]

  Very tedious work - but really, really pays off.  Very nice BE.

[Nipper]

That looks amazing B.E.!  The combination of colours on the friezework looks so realistic - much more so than gold or simple yellow ochre.  When I first looked at one of the full hull photos above I thought at first you had put in a photo of the Marshall painting!

 

It may have been several days work, but so wothwhile.

[glbarlow]

That’s really excellent paintwork, makes for a very nice overall look.  Well done!

[Katsumoto]

it looks awsome! love the paint and how the colors turned out! 👍

[KirbysLunchBox]

Just speechless…

[Craigie65]

Wow, expertly done

[mtaylor]

Very well done, B.E.   It probably wasn't easy (it wouldn't for me anyway) but the shading gives the decorations an extra "pop".

[DelF]

Stunning. Yet another skill I'm going to have to master!

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you, Guys, your comments are much appreciated; I'm very pleased with the way the decoration has turned out and it's good to know that my fellow modellers like my work too.

 

A little aside before I get back to the main event.

I like to insert tiny hidden scrolls deep into the hull of models.

5672(2)

Three now reside within Sphinx before access becomes more difficult.

 

I don’t know what will happen to my models after I’m gone, I expect they will just end up in someone's attic, be binned, or sold for a fiver on e-bay, but I derive a small amusement from the thought that some years down the line those messages may somehow come to light.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

 

 

[Moonbug]

    How clever!   Is this a new thing BE?  I don't remember you mentioning this before in your other builds - but it could be something I've missed.

[yvesvidal]

That is such a great idea. Your direct descendants may not care about your models, but someone down the line may have one day some curiosity about them. These scrolls will tell them about you and the building of that model.

 

Yves