HMS Bellona by yvesvidal - FINISHED - CAF Model - 1:48

[AON]

Very nice work!

BZ

[yvesvidal]

One of the new parts that I ordered from Tom (CAF Model) was an extended set of beams to support the Longboat, Cutters and other Pinnaces. In addition, when you look at a picture of the Model in the National Maritime Museum, the upper deck is presented with a small beam in the front.

 

 

That detail is missing from the kit and I decided to use one of the the short boats stowing beams, as a substitute for that missing poop deck beam.

 

This is where we are: 

 

 

The beam is glued under the poop deck sub-floor: 

 

 

It finishes the poop deck in a much more realistic way:

 

 

Now is the time to build the starboard bulwark and to do a lot of dust: 

 

 

The main railings are glued: 

 

 

And this is where we are: 

 

 

 

 

Ready for planking: 

 

 

Yves

 

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by yvesvidal

[Kevin]

Tremendous work, that beam makes so more sense, well done

[yvesvidal]

The planking of the poop deck is finished. A few more coats of Wipe-On-Poly and it will be perfect (at least in my eyes): 

 

 

Various pictures showing the implementation: 

 

 

 

 

 

Finished: 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas to all members of MSW !!!

 

Yves

Edited December 28, 2022 by yvesvidal

[allanyed]

On 12/21/2022 at 3:43 PM, yvesvidal said:

Model in the National Gallery, the upper deck is presented with a small beam in the front.

Hi Yves

 

First and foremost, thanks for sharing your lovely build!

 

To what beam are you referring?  The upper deck is not shown in the first photo you added in post #362 so a bit confusing.  I searched the National Gallery of Art  but cannot find any photos of this model.  There are a number of photos of a contemporary model of Bellona at The Royal Museum Greenwich that I found.  (Maybe you can ID the beam you mention on the photo below from RMG as part of the upper deck in the waist can be seen in this photo)

 

Prior to skid beams being introduced about five years after Bellona was launched, spare spars were laid from the fore edge of the quarter deck to the aft edge of the forecastle and the boats sat on top of these which would probably be appropriate at time of her launch.  I would guess the gangways and skid beams were added at some point later on so could be appropriate on the model depending on the year.

 

On 12/21/2022 at 3:43 PM, yvesvidal said:

to support the longboat and other dinghies

I may be completely wrong but pretty sure the Bellona did not carry any dinghies.   At her time of launching in 1760 third rates carried five boats, a 32 foot long boat and 2 pinnaces and 2 cutters.  By about 1780 she would have probably had a 32 foot launch in place of the long boat, as well as a 32 foot and a 28 foot pinnace, and two 25 foot cutters. (W.E. May The Boats of Men of War) 

 

Allan

[yvesvidal]

1 hour ago, allanyed said:

I may be completely wrong but pretty sure the Bellona did not carry any dinghies.   At her time of launching in 1760 third rates carried five boats, a 32 foot long boat and 2 pinnaces and 2 cutters.  By about 1780 she would have probably had a 32 foot launch in place of the long boat, as well as a 32 foot and a 28 foot pinnace, and two 25 foot cutters. (W.E. May The Boats of Men of War) 

 

Allan

 

Allan, you are correct: Dinghies was an extremely poor choice of vocabulary. I should have said Long Boat, Pinnaces and Cutters. Thank you for the correction.

 

Yves

[allanyed]

1 hour ago, yvesvidal said:

poor choice of vocabulary

Hi Yves

The majority of us do this from time to time, you certainly are not alone.  I have spent hours searching for the right word even knowing I had used it previously but forgot what the word was.    Windows instead of lights, thick instead of moulded,  the list goes on.  I am curious though about the beam you mentioned on the forward part of the upper deck.  I just can't find anything like what you describe in the above photos of the contemporary models. 

Thanks again!

Allan

 

[yvesvidal]

Allan,

 

I just used the first picture of Post #362 and tried to represent the beam located above the wheels. I think it is a nicer way to end the poop deck.

 

I also went back for the past two pages and made some corrections to the vocabulary. Thank you Allan for being thorough and forcing me to look up the right terms to describe the various parts of that ship. The lack of description and technical terms in the provided instructions does not help to learn all these new terms.

 

Yves

Edited December 28, 2022 by yvesvidal

[allanyed]

Got it, thanks!  What confused me was that rather than round house or poop you mentioned "upper deck" which cannot be seen in that photo.  Just another case of terminology confusion, not a biggie.

Thanks again

Allan 

[yvesvidal]

I am now working on the top of the Poop deck. But before doing that, I have to flip the hull to access in a more comfortable position the ceiling of the rear balcony. That delicate operation is done with the help of a friend. The hull is now close to 20 pounds in weight and all the protruding guns are very fragile: 

 

 

 

The Copper tape has been doing great after a few months and is gaining that reddish golden color that makes it so attractive. Most likely, this is the last time I will have to do this kind of acrobatic stunts. Of course, having the Poop deck bulwarks, full and re-unforced, allows to flip the heavy hull without any damages.

 

After working and finishing the ceiling, the top of the Poop deck can now be completed: 

 

 

The kit does not provide chicken coops and other cages for animals and birds to be installed on the Poop deck.

 

Poop deck Railing...

 

 

Ladders.... These are too short from the kit. I had to modify them and add an extra step on the top.

 

 

 

 

 

The veranda to provide light into the main cabins.... and the bitts for the mizzen mast: 

 

 

 

Overall view of the Quarterdeck and Poop deck: 

 

 

I think it is time to move to the middle of the ship and mostly to the bow.....

 

 

Yves

Edited December 29, 2022 by yvesvidal

[CDW]

Fabulous job on that copper plating. That task stopped me dead in my tracks on my HMS Victory build. Your work is an inspiration, Yves.

[hamilton]

Looking great Yves!

hamilton

[Old Collingwood]

Excellent work  -  top notch work.

 

OC.

[yvesvidal]

Some progress on the mid-ship section. 

 

 

This part took some time for completion because of two major issues: lack of ladders to go from the gangways to Quarterdeck/Forecastle and the length of the booms supporting the long boat and pinnaces. Fortunately, Tom from CAF Model was very quick to correct the problem and sent me some extra parts to remedy the situation.

 

The assembly of the gangways is done in the following way: 

 

 

It is overall very delicate, but once glued to the bulwarks, it is not too bad.

 

The first issue is illustrated below: How do you go from the gangway to the Quarterdeck (or Forecastle, for that matter)?

 

 

 

 

Obviously, something is missing. Tom was kind enough to design some small ladders with 2 or 3 steps and that solves the issue: 

 

 

The second problem was the short length of the booms used to stow the pinnaces: 

 

 

 

About 5 mm on each side, were missing. Again, Tom designed for me six additional booms to remedy the situation: 

 

 

One of the kit boom was used as a beam at the front of the Poop deck. Overall, we now have a mid-section that looks decent: 

 

 

 

 

I have only assembled half of the main capstan, as I need room to work on the forecastle.

 

 

 

Overall views: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To complete the quarterdeck, I still need to assemble six small guns: 

 

 

 

Et voila the entire beast. Time to migrate the working crew to the boom and forecastle: 

 

 

I hope you are enjoying the progress of that huge model, as much as I do... :-)

 

Yves

Edited December 30, 2022 by yvesvidal

[Kevin]

stunning work as usual 

[allanyed]

Probably a bit late, but do you have the following photo from RMG?  https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-66464

Allan

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by allanyed

[yvesvidal]

Thank you Allan, but yes I am aware of these pictures. For the Quarterdeck, I used this one: 

 

 

For the forecastle, I will be using the following picture: 

 

 

Yves

Edited December 30, 2022 by yvesvidal

[yvesvidal]

Time to build the Forecastle. Planking of the Forecastle is normally the last step of Session #4.

However, we have left long time ago the official instructions and are taking a different path.

 

Before installing the sub-floor of the Forecastle, you need to place the rails along the hull and the bow. Before doing the rails you need to install the Catheads. Totally different from the official instructions.

 

 

In the picture above, the cathead has been installed and the two rails along the hull and the bow, cut to length and installed by clamping them with the open hull on the other side. Afterwards, the subfloor can be glued: 

 

 

 

 

After installing the subfloor, you have to prepare the bulwark: 

 

 

These do not fit because of the curves and the way the ship has been built and do require some adjustment and additional coverage.

 

 

Railing is next: Here again, the large part is cut in two to allow a better fit with the curvature of the bow.

 

 

For the other side, we will follow the same approach: cathead, rails, subfloor, bulwark, railing.

 

 

 

 

The bulwarks are filled with additional pieces of wood for extra strength and to provide a perfect seating for the railings.

 

 

 

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

Finally, the planking can be started.

 

 

 

As usual multiple coats of Wipe On Poly give that warm and nice finish to the maple floor.

 

To be as close as possible to the magnificent model of the Maritime Gallery, I added a small beam at the rear edge of the forecastle. This is done with a 3 x 2 mm strips, painted and glued in place under the subfloor. It finishes in a more realistic way, the edge of the deck. 

 

 

The Forecastle is equipped with two hatches, the box for the stack, a Belfry and some stanchions: 

 

 

 

The Belfry is a little kit in itself, quite delicate to put together and the bell can be actuated for real. No sound gets out of it....

 

 

 

Overall view of the Bellona model: 

 

 

Yves

Edited January 12, 2023 by yvesvidal

[yvesvidal]

With the exception of the six 9 pounders guns and the rails, there is nothing else to be done on the decks.

 

I installed the two long ladders provided in the kit and the short 2 steps ladders that Tom designed for me: 

 

 

 

And now a few pictures to illustrate the work: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yves

Edited January 13, 2023 by yvesvidal

[alnike1970]

Good afternoon. Why don't you show nailing on all the planks of the deck, along the entire length of the beams? You only show the joints... Lots of photos and examples, attached an example.

[yvesvidal]

9 hours ago, alnike1970 said:

Good afternoon. Why don't you show nailing on all the planks of the deck, along the entire length of the beams? You only show the joints... Lots of photos and examples, attached an example.

 

Ah, I knew that would come one day 🙂 Multiple reasons: 

• I am lazy
• I do not know where the frames are exactly.
• I like slick models and I am not a supporter of the porcupine approach showing every nail and rivet.
• I find that sometimes all these nails (and wood nails) are overwhelming and distracting for the overall appearance of the model.

I am not done with the heresy and scandalous approach: I will not be showing the channels on my model..... 😱

 

Yves

[allanyed]

11 hours ago, alnike1970 said:

You only show the joints... Lots of photos and examples, attached an example.

Your photo appears to be a replica ship or modern rebuild and may not be representative of a ship that is a contemporary of the Bellona,1760.  The decks were trennaled at that point in time and often sunk sufficiently to be able to be covered with a wooden  piece so the trennals would not be very noticeable at full size and all but invisible at 1:48 and smaller.  The trennals on the deck were typically 3/4" to 1" diameter, so at 1:48 a diameter of about 0.015.  Making trennals at this diameter is a daunting task even with bamboo.  I like to use trennals on the hull planking at 1:48 or larger (1.5" to 2" diameter) but very careful about what wood to use, so as to yield a subtle appearance.  Too many models have trennals that are out of scale and/or have a stark contrast with the planking like in your photo so it looks like a very bad case of the measles on a model.  

 

 

2 hours ago, yvesvidal said:

I do not know where the frames are exactly.

I agree with the idea of not showing the trennals, but your not knowing where the deck frames are and with the extremely high quality of

your work that would really surprise me ......  😀 .

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-81150  

 

Oh, and lazy???  NO way a lazy builder will achieve the quality you have reached.

 

Love your log Yves, it is fun to follow!

Allan

[Matt D]

Your model is looking great, Yves!  I second what Allan said - your log is fantastic!

[yvesvidal]

Wow, times flies. It has been a month already. 

I have not worked much and was distracted by various things. However, I managed to make some progress on the Port side of the hull: 

There are quite a few decals to install, after finishing all the woodwork with various small strips of wood (not provided in the kit). I debated using the 2 x 3 mm strips (included in the kit) and decided against them, as they are too large and too thick for some of the wood rails. Instead I went with 1.5 x 1 mm strips.

 

 

The decals are placed using MICROSCALE SET and SOL chemicals. Then, a couple of coats of Future Floor is brushed to seal the decals and to protect them from handling.

 

 

The surface is treated with Future Floor before applying the decals, since we need to have a glossy surface for optimal adhesion of the decals. Above, the Forecastle railing has almost been completed on the port side. I will work on the bow, before finishing the railing in the front.

 

 

The small pounder guns have been completed. A total of 70 guns were put together: it was quite tedious and there is no room for mistakes or losses. In fact, CAF Model does not provide a single spare parts for these guns: 280 wheels, 140 axles, 70 brass barrels and numerous other parts with absolutely zero spare parts. If you loose a wheel, you are on your own. If you break an axle while sanding them to make them fit into the wheels, you are on your own again. It is regrettable that on such kit, there is no room for errors.

 

Yves

 

Edited February 20, 2023 by yvesvidal

[yvesvidal]

The bolster to protect the hull from the damaging effect of the flukes of  the anchors, is not very well defined in the kit. A piece of plywood is provided to be glued between the two curved cherry parts, but it is not realistic and plywood does not bend easily, at least in my world. Instead I created the bolster by gluing 2 x 3 mm basswood strips cut at 20 mm long. The top part of the bolster is a section of the channel, cut from the main front channel.  I will not be representing the channels on my model, since they are not equipped with holes and the kit does not offer any bolts, chains and deadeyes. Besides, I really like the smooth shape of the hull and do not want to compromise it with additional and poorly depicted features.

 

 

The kit only provides instructions and parts for the upper section of the bolsters. However, using the Anatomy of the Ship, one can see that there is more to it: 

 

 

 

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

So after a few weeks of work, the port side is pretty much completed. I still have some wood joinery to do and correct some painting mishaps, as well as installing the 18 gun port lids that are still missing.

 

 

The upper gun port lids have been built and installed: what a royal pain in the ****, to build them and install them correctly.

 

 

Overall view of the Port side of Bellona: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, the same has to be done on the starboard side..... Wish me luck !!!

 

Yves

Edited February 21, 2023 by yvesvidal

[yvesvidal]

Oh, I forgot to mention it, but the model weights about 19 pounds at this stage. It may reach 20 pounds, when all is said and done but most of the parts left are made of light wood and should not contribute much to the mass of the model. Not exactly easy to move around....

 

Yves

[yvesvidal]

The poop of the ship is almost completed: 

 

 

Lots of small details went into it. The assembly is done bottom to top, starting with the rear balcony: 

 

 

First, the foot space rail is glued all around the platform (above). The curve is obtained after soaking it in the alcohol and bending carefully with some heat. To prevent the decorative railing from going in all directions, I have placed five tiny strips of wood, to retain it. These helps immensely the positioning and gluing of that delicate and wild resin part: 

 

 

Gluing is done carefully, one side at a time, using slow curing CA glue, to keep a hand in the position of that delicate and reluctant part.

 

 

The breast rail is then placed and that strengthen considerably the railing, overall. The breat rail is treated with some oil, to give it that nice dark and deep color.

 

 

 

 

Next is the complex assembly of the taffrail going on top of the stern. This part is a royal pain in the **** as we need to bend cherry wood (which is never easy). The taffrail is made of three layers of strips to be glued with two curved planes. Not an easy thing to do. Again, CA glue is your best friend.

 

 

 

A little bit of paint: 

 

 

 

We can move on with the decorative gold leafed parts on the stern. All parts are fist painted matte black (Tamiya) and then airbrushed with Gold Leaf (Tamiya). All the parts are made of resin.

 

 

The first part to be positioned is the "necking of the taffrail" if I am not mistaken. 

 

 

Then we assemble the pilasters on each side of the rear windows. And we can then place all the decorative sculptures, munnions and carvings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Overall view of the PORT side: 

 

 

Of course, I still have to do the starboard side: It looks quite bare in comparison.....

 

 

 

That's all for today, folks.

 

Yves

 

 

[yvesvidal]

I realized that I have not provided an update in a long time. Most of the time has been spent doing non-related model building activities and trying to replicate on the starboard side, what was done on the port side, during a previous post: Overall, a lot of the same thing....

 

 

The quarterdeck is now complete with all the guns in place: 

 

 

 

 

Decals are delicately set along the side of the hull: 

 

 

As usual the hull is prepared with multiple coats of Future Floor Gloss. Then the decals are installed with SOL (by Micro-scale), followed by one or more applications of SET (also by Micro-scale) ...or is it the other way around....SET and then SOL....and finally sealed with multiple coats of Future Floor Gloss. I like the glossy results but if I get tired of it, a coat of mate clearcoat can always be added, to tone down the numerous paintings done on the hull.

 

A few more pictures....

 

 

 

 

With the exception of the railing on each side and rear of the poop deck, the stern is pretty much complete.

 

 

 

At that stage, I need to now shift my focus and work, on the bow: 

 

 

Yves

Edited April 17, 2023 by yvesvidal