French Ironclad Solferino 1861 by GrandpaPhil - FINISHED - Orel - 1/200 - CARD

[GrandpaPhil]

The ladders are coming along, but slowly, and they’re not looking the greatest.

 

However, they will be belowdecks.

 

[Louie da fly]

I haven't visited this build for a while. You've certainly made good progress!

 

Steven

[Ab Hoving]

Nice project GrandpaPhil. Impressive. I see it for the first time. I should visit this site more often.

Best, 

Ab

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you both very much!

 

Thank you all for the likes!

[GrandpaPhil]

I’m down to the last ladder going down, then I need to decide whether I’m making the railings from thin wire or string stiffened with glue as the instruction manual calls for.

After the last one dries, I will edge paint them, add railings and install.

[GrandpaPhil]

The ladders are assembled and mostly edge painted now.

 

 

I made a test railing piece, out of wire, and attached it.

 

 

I’m not really happy with it or how the ladders went together at all.

 

Here in a little while, I’m going to seal the ladders to stiffen them up (I still need to finish edge painting them as some pieces were reglued).

 

I will also make the rest of the railings from black thread, stiffened with thinned down white glue.

 

For the next round of ladders, I’m going to make a ladder making jig, a la Zu Monfeld, because they will actually be visible.

 

I also want to mod the kit and make the observation platform railings from thread.

 

In other news, I edge painted the Solferino’s deck fittings.  I’ll seal them when I seal the ladders.

 

I have been enjoying building card models enough that I bought the Shipyard Models 3 Pack of Northern European ships, Part 2, from Ages Of Sail, today.

 

That comes with their kit of the cutter HMS Alert, the French lugger Le Coureur and the frigate HMS Mercury.

 

All 3 will most likely be rescaled to 1:72 scale (which is the scale I’m using at home for my collection of ship models).

 

The Mercury’s rigging/sail plan will also be used for my Winchelsea build when I get to it, with the mast proportions set out by Zu Monfeld.

Edited June 14, 2022 by GrandpaPhil
Added pictures

[GrandpaPhil]

I made 18 railings:

18 patterns traced on paper and pins put in to stretch the thread (DMC Floss).

Floss laid down.

Railings glued with thinned down Elmer’s glue and set aside to dry.

[GrandpaPhil]

Starting to make some forward progress again.

The string railings are working.

 

The trick is to seal them twice.

 

They are not perfect, but they will do.

 

The next round will be much cleaner and much better.

 

This is a continual learning process.

[GrandpaPhil]

Worked on Solferino today.

 

A discussion on another build on this forum got me really wanting to work on Solferino again.
 

So, I installed 6 ladders.

 

Then I added 2 more railings to the remaining ladders.

 

Now I’m working my way aft on the main deck.

Here is a picture:

Installed ladders.

Edited August 1, 2022 by GrandpaPhil
Added picture

[GrandpaPhil]

The remaining ladders from this set:

They are not the greatest, but they’ll do.  
 

The next set will look better because I’m going to make a proper ladder making jig.

[GrandpaPhil]

I don’t need the above ladders.

 

I’ll be making new ladders for the ladders above deck.

 

I made the rope fence around the forward two companionways from steel pins and thread.

 

The aft one had to be made from thread.

Made and installed the boat stands and the some supports for the pin rails.

Everything will get edge painted and sealed when I get the rest of the pin rail supports installed.

 

Here’s the full model as of now:

Edited August 1, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

The pin rail supports and pin rails are on:

Everything is now edge painted.

 

The wire safety cover over the aft companionway:

Working on the middle platform now:

Which also means that I have more ladders to make, grr…

 

Oh well.  I am going to make a proper ladder making jig a la Zu Monfeld, this time.

 

Now is a very good time to learn!

[Canute]

Resistance is futile, Phil. You have to make those jigs/fixtures or it'll be crooked as all get out. 😄😉 I just made 2 for some HO cars I'm building.

[GrandpaPhil]

I know, I am going to.

 

I should have for the last set and I regret not doing so.

Edited August 6, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

I’m going to make some actual railings for the observation deck and the top of the blockhouse as shown in the model in the Paris Maritime Museum.

Edited August 9, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

The observation platform is on and the posts for the railings are cut.

 

I just don’t have pictures yet.

[GrandpaPhil]

Here’s the platform:

I’m installing the railings right now.

 

One of the legs is crooked, but it would cause a lot of damage to move it (I already tried), so I’m leaving it as is.

[GrandpaPhil]

Quick word of advice, if you should decide to buy one of these models, I would recommend getting the photoetch sets for things like railings.

 

I typically scratch build my own, from sewing pins, however after seeing the railings on some of the other modernish ships on the forum, I have to admit that the photoetch ones look the best.

 

If this wasn’t primarily a study model that already has a thousand other major flaws, I would have gotten a 1/200 photoetch set for this kit.

[GrandpaPhil]

32 pins in place:

Cutting railing pins (12) for the top of that blockhouse while I’m at it.

[GrandpaPhil]

I’ve had a good model building day.

 

The observation deck is mostly done.

 

It only needs some edge painting and sealing.

The railing around the top of the blockhouse is done and just needs sealed.

 

The ladders are under way:

I made a jig a la Zu Monfeld and it has worked so much better.

 

Also the railings are under way for the ladders.

Here is where Solferino is at now:

[clearway]

Coming along nicely Phil..... feel myself twitching at thoughts of making bridges😁.

 

Keith

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much!

The stands for the binnacles are made and installed:

They still need edge painted and sealed.

 

The binnacles are rolled and just awaiting their tops.

 

[Keith Black]

She's looking very nice, Phil. Really starting to fill out. 

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much!

 

Step 4, the main deck fitting section, is now complete!

 

The most recently added fittings still need edge painted and sealed.

 

But, round two of the ladders turned out much better!

 

And, now on to the ship’s boats!

 

The Solferino, at the time of the Paris Museum model’s depiction, carried 11 of them!

 

I’m starting with the steam launch, because it is the most complicated and it is the first in the sequence.  Plus, I can just drop it in its cradle when it is done.

Edited August 28, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

I made the steam launch today:

 

Then I made the large cutter.

 

Then, I had to do some repair work.

 

Solferino rolled out of her cradle.

 

She is now glued to her base.

 

Here is Solferino with the second ship’s boat after getting partial new railings on the observation deck and the blockhouse:

 

I have 9 ship’s boats left.

 

The regular ones are a lot easier than the steam launch.

 

Then it will be on to the hull fittings and the rest of the deck fittings.

[GrandpaPhil]

And, I installed the forecastle.

 

I couldn’t help it.

I had to install it and then I had to add the fittings since I had already made them, lol.

Side on view:

Edited August 28, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Working on the next 6 boats, which hang off the quarterdeck.

 

On a quick personal note, I went through my stash last night and counted up/examined the plan sets (including those found in reference books, which is where I developed my Prince de Neufchatel and Hannah models from) and kits (ship and non-ship) that I have.

 

I have a lot of models that need built.

 

I also have several hundred miniatures that need painted (28mm, 30mm and 54mm, mostly).

 

Lol, it will keep me busy for a very long time.

[GrandpaPhil]

These are the six that I’m making right now:

Given that they’re hanging from boat davits, I should probably make some eyebolts, too.

 

I need a couple hundred of them anyway, between this project and the Mercury.

 

Although, it looks like the ones in the single davits are strapped in.  So, those won’t need the eyebolts.

 

Actually, they probably should have eyebolts for consistency.

 

You aren’t going to tell me that they stashed the ship’s boats in the same davit, every time.  
 

Plus, you still have to fish said boat out of the water, which means eyebolts.

Edited September 3, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Here are the two that I assembled yesterday:

They still need edge painted, sealed and their eyebolts, but I will do all 6 at the same time.

[GrandpaPhil]

I am assembly lining the last four of this type of ship’s boats: