HMS Spartiate by Admiral Beez - Heller - 1/150 - PLASTIC - kit-bashing the Heller Le Superbe

[allanyed]

 At your scale, the method of assembly of the ratlines themselves makes sense but how do you secure/wrap the shroud pairs around the mast?   What is the spacing from ratline to ratline?  

Many thanks

Allan

[Admiral Beez]

2 hours ago, allanyed said:

 At your scale, the method of assembly of the ratlines themselves makes sense but how do you secure/wrap the shroud pairs around the mast?   What is the spacing from ratline to ratline?  

Best I can tell there is no wrapping, instead the top of the shrouds are glued in place beneath the top platform.  I might add a little rope to appear that it's wrapped over the mast head.   The spacing from ratline to ratline is about 2.75 - 3 mm, which at 150 scale would put them at about 41 - 45 cm apart at full scale.    My one concern is getting the bottom of each shroud to line up with the matching line in the chain-whales, as they don't seem to line up with the holes, though the dead-eyes may hide any issues.

[Admiral Beez]

Shucks, I cut the top off the shrouds at the wrong spot, so there’s not enough material once I put the lowest rat line above the ship’s rail.   Also I don’t like the alignment of the shrouds to the chains.   Before I glue it again I’ll confirm the alignment.    So, we start again.  That’s okay, I call this the Learning Ship.

Edited March 1 by Admiral Beez

[TomRigg]

Maybe too late into your build with the masts made up. But looking at the way that machine works could you do both sides at once?

E.g. 

Lower mizzen shrouds onto mizzen mast looped over at the top . Then fix fighting top and topmast. Then repeat for topgallant mast.

Tom

[Admiral Beez]

16 hours ago, TomRigg said:

Maybe too late into your build with the masts made up. But looking at the way that machine works could you do both sides at once?

E.g. 

Lower mizzen shrouds onto mizzen mast looped over at the top . Then fix fighting top and topmast. Then repeat for topgallant mast.

Tom

I was thinking that too.  I have to cut the top in order to separate the two sides, but I can tie it together at the mast head.

[TomRigg]

If you don't cut at position 'Z' in the instructions and loop that through below the fighting top would that do it?

Tom

 

[Admiral Beez]

17 hours ago, TomRigg said:

If you don't cut at position 'Z' in the instructions and loop that through below the fighting top would that do it?

Tom

 

I shall give that a go.  Before I string in the horizontal threads I will first check alignment with the holes in the chain whales.

[Admiral Beez]

Before I try the shroud tool again I've decided to install the deadeyes to the chain whales, so that they'll serve as a guide for shroud alignment.  

 

The deadeyes are all painted and clear coated.  The outward face has simulated rope, the backside is flat.   My plan is to glue the shrouds behind the deadeyes (as per the Heller instructions) and then paint the portion between the deadlines with the tan colour used for running rigging (see HMS Victory below).   At this scale I think I'll be happy with that.  

Edited March 8 by Admiral Beez

[Admiral Beez]

Deadeyes now in place.  I clear coated them and added a black wash to bring out the rope look.

 

Edited March 11 by Admiral Beez

[Admiral Beez]

I’ve decided to not use the Heller shroud tool and instead thread them myself.  Here’s today’s update.  Disregard the forestays, those are just temporary to prevent the shrouds from pulling the masts backwards during installation.

Edited April 26 by Admiral Beez

[Admiral Beez]

Proper stays now installed.   

I was looking at the shrouds and thinking how to keep them spread for the ratlines.  I then realized this kit does not include the lower futtock shrouds and catharpins needed to spread the shrouds and to secure the top platform deadlines from below the top.   I suppose Heller didn't see these as necessary since their shroud tool does the job.  So I can fabricate these myself.   

Edited May 5 by Admiral Beez

[Admiral Beez]

Fabricating the futtock shrouds using 0.4 mm chord and 1mm carbon rod.   I tied them at the bottom near the deadeyes, and then pushed them up to just above the first ring on the mast, matching the blueprints.   I then CA glued the knots to the shrouds, and trimmed off the excess chord.

Edited May 5 by Admiral Beez

[Admiral Beez]

Ready to begin the upper shrouds.  The rigging around the tops was tricky, and when I had the window open in the rain, the damp caused all my lower shrouds and stays to droop.  Thankfully when the weather improved they tightened again, but this made me think of the men on the high seas having to constantly adjust line tension with the weather.   My ship will live in a sealed plastic case, so the weather outside shouldn’t impact the lines.

Edited June 24 by Admiral Beez

[Admiral Beez]

Topmast shrouds now complete.  Ratlines are next.  I’m considering using the Heller shroud loom for just the horizontal lines to create the ratlines without having to tie hundreds of tiny knots.  If it works, I’ll CA glue the hardened horizontal lines to the shrouds.

Edited August 1 by Admiral Beez

[Admiral Beez]

On 7/20/2024 at 11:38 PM, Admiral Beez said:

I’m considering using the Heller shroud loom for just the horizontal lines to create the ratlines without having to tie hundreds of tiny knots.  If it works, I’ll CA glue the hardened horizontal lines to the shrouds.

No, it did not work - it was just a mess of broken lines and a waste of thread.  I therefore today ordered this tool to help make the ratlines https://houdinimodels.com/harp/   It's made for the 1/150 scale Heller model I'm building, and the videos online look easy enough.

 

 

On the plus side, my stays are coming along nicely.  Notice the last picture where I have placed a long carbon rod with a green tape flag at the end.  That's to prevent me from, once again, breaking off the jibboom with my "jimmy hand" as I move around the model.

 

 

Edited August 1 by Admiral Beez

[Admiral Beez]

Alrighty, we've today received the ratline tool.   I realize now that I should have waiting before tying the line between the port and starboard shrouds as now I must cut something to fit the ratline tool.  Anyway, I shall report back.

[Admiral Beez]

The ratline harp tool didn't work for me, perhaps because my shrouds are too wide at the top.  If someone else would like this tool and would pay for postage you can have it. 

 

So, here's what I'm doing for my ratlines.  I've taken the original Heller shroud tool, cut out the middle piece and then wrapped around this 0.25mm horizontal lines (the 0.4 mm vertical lines are already on the line).  Then I coated all these lines with clear craft glue diluted with water.   Then using a wide paint brush I covered the lines with the glue/water mixture and left it to dry overnight.  In the morning I repeated this treatment, leaving it again overnight.  On the next day the lines were now stiff with glue.   I then cut these off and  basketweaved them around the vertical shrouds, followed by each intersection get a dab of clear craft glue with an old paint brush. 

So far I am happy with the look and am pleased to have finally found a method that works for me, helping me to overcome the procrastination that's delayed this project for a year or more. 

 

 

Edited September 9 by Admiral Beez

[Admiral Beez]

Some progress.  Just eight more sets of rat lines to make.  The white paper structure is to prevent ratline trimmings from falling into the waist.

Edited September 11 by Admiral Beez