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

[Keith Black]

 Phil, what guns were mounted on these carriages? 

[GrandpaPhil]

I think they would be the 224mm rifled muzzle loaders, although the Magentas only carried two of them.

 

They are definitely muzzle loaders.

 

The cannons are supposed to have cascabels, but the scale was too small for me to make them.

 

Breach loaders are flat on the back of the guns.

 

I think that they would go up in the forecastle where there are armored doors in the bow, as bow chasers.  On the plans you can see the fields of fire for the guns.

Edited December 2, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Studding sail boom mounts are being installed:

Studding sail booms are made and ready for installation:

 

[GrandpaPhil]

Prototype chainplate with deadeye:

I need 48 of them.

 

The channels are inside the bulwarks so the deadeyes need installed before the rest of posts go on the outside of the bulwarks so I can still get to them.

Edited December 5, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

The deadeyes are hard on the fingers.  I got ten done in the first wave:

The studding sail booms are on:

Making progress!

[GrandpaPhil]

Deadeyes are ready to install:

 The first bank:

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you all for the likes and just for stopping by!
 

The deadeyes, with chainplates, are installed:

I have never seen internal chainplates before.

 

 

I made and installed more of those posts that go around the hull.

 

They still need painted.
 

I have just been scratch building them.

 

It is easier to scratch build them, than to use the kit version.  

Plus, they look better.

 

I started making the first round of boat davits.

One got a little roughed up.

 

I used that card modeling technique where you use CA on the cut sides to stiffen up the part.

 

It works pretty well.

 

That’s how that piece got roughed up.

 

At 1/200 scale, these would have been unusable if I hadn’t stiffened them up.

[GrandpaPhil]

The rest of the boat davits are double layered now:

I’m going to do one set at a time, but I’m trying get all of them ready to be final cut, assembled and installed.

 

[GrandpaPhil]

I was trying to figure out how to suspend the ship’s boats.

 

On the Paris model, it looks like they can be supported by the railings.

 

It also looks like they hung the ship’s boats with straps, not ropes.

 

That makes this a LOT easier.

[GrandpaPhil]

A dozen davits:

[GrandpaPhil]

On a separate note, I came to the conclusion this morning that the HMV Emden kit I bought and any future Orel kits that I buy are getting rescaled to 1/100 scale and being used as build templates versus just getting resized.

 

I really like this kit.

 

I like it well enough to be a repeat customer.

 

However, 1/200 or smaller is so inconvenient, especially with the level of detail in these kits.

Edited December 11, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Several more davits made and installed:

[Ian B]

she is coming along amazingly--- So 'Joles Verne' like---steam punk ship

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much!

 

The first series of ironclads, encompassing La Gloire and the two Magentas (of which Solferino was one) were contemporary with Jules Verne’s earlier novels.

 

I am a fan of steampunk and that definitely played a role in selecting this ship to build.

 

Incidentally, thank you very much  for bringing up the steampunk factor up because I had to check to verify how many ships were in that first series.

 

In doing so, I discovered that La Gloire had the same rig as the Magenta at launching.

 

AAMM has plans of La Gloire, which means that I can use the rigging plan from La Gloire to rig the Magenta.

[GrandpaPhil]

The vast majority of the hull and deck fittings are now in place:

She still needs a little paintwork, boats hung from davits, stern anchors, a flagpole, with a flag, and railings on the forecastle.

 

The railings are currently drying after receiving damage from being taken off the loom.

 

Then it will be time to finalize hull rigging (most of it will be false rigging, like the gunport lids).

 

After that, it will be time to add masts, rigging and sails.

[clearway]

havn't looked in for a while Phil- wow really moving along. Interested in how they stored the lifeboats on the davits as i am thinking of using a similar technique when doing my HMS Terror's boats.

 

Keith

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much!

I am adding ship’s boats to davits:

A couple of the straps are too wide and I shouldn’t have made them from the thicker card.

 

Oh, well, live and learn.

 

In other news I touched up the black.

 

The tan needs touched up and then the whole model needs sealed.

 

Speaking of sealant, I just bought a couple cans of that Krylon Matte Spray sealant that @ccoyle recommended.  Thank you very much for pointing me in the right direction.

 

I am acquiring a pretty significant card model collection.

 

I keep buying Shipyard kits.

 

I can’t help it.  They are so cheap to buy, but are such high quality.

 

And with the 30th Anniversary combo packs, how can you pass them up?

Even if they are 1/96 scale, card kits are so easy to resize at will and build them however you want to.

Orel has a bunch of kits that I want as well.

 

The same scaling issue applies there as well.

Edited December 17, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

She’s got all of her boats and she flies the Tricolor:

[Baker]

45 minutes ago, GrandpaPhil said:

She’s got all of her boats and she flies the Tricolor:

Congrats. 

And nice work 👍

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much!

 

I’m working hull rigging and getting railing stanchions made from wire for the forward railings.

 

I already touched up all paint and sealed my work in.

 

I will paint the railing pieces after installation.

 

I’m trying to finalize the hull so I can go ahead and make/install the masts.

 

At some point in the nearish future, I need to put a highlight coat on the hull. 
 

That is when you VERY lightly drybrush white on the upper surfaces and edges of a model to give the impression of lighting and shadows.

 

It should be done prior to installing the masts.

Edited December 18, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Here are some pictures of the prep work for the railings:

The hull rigging will be installed from fore to aft, with each side getting its respective rigging as I work my way down the hull so nothing is forgotten.

[GrandpaPhil]

Making progress:

[reklein]

This  is such a cool model. Right out of the SteamPunk  ere too. You're doing a very fine job. Keep up the good work.   Bill

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much!

 

Solferino is ready for masts!

I started on the hammocks, but discovered that they would interfere with the lanyards on the deadeyes.

So, I rolled them and put them in the plastic container that I stored the ship’s boats in.

I have no idea how many I made, I didn’t keep count.

 

I started on Solferino’s masts:

I found out in a test fit of the lower foremast that the kit version of the masts only go to the deck.

 

I had to use the first foremast I made as a depth gauge to figure out what I needed to add to each of the masts.

 

I then annotated said addition by the pieces from the kit.

 

Needless to say, I have to make another foremast.

 

Oh well, live and learn.

 

I’m making each full mast, one at a time to prevent confusion as to what goes where.

 

I will make yards and gaffs after I finish and install the masts.

Edited December 19, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

The foremast is made and temp installed:

It still needs paintwork and sealed.

 

I just made my own mast, but I used the kit’s mast tops and fife rail.

 

The mast is made from a dowel rod, a bamboo kitchen skewer and a toothpick.

 

I shaved them down with a scalpel and sanded smooth with 220 grit sandpaper.

 

Mast hoops are made of paper.

Edited December 23, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

The main mast is partly made!

 

I am making good use of being snowed in, lol.

 

My Prince de Neufchatel went from a framework to a fully covered, painted and coppered hull with a deck and the head done on a four day weekend from a winter storm, lol.

Edited December 23, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

The foremast and main mast are done:

The mizzen mast still needs finished.

 

I still need to attach blocks before I glue down the main or foremasts.

 

The stays will probably be done tomorrow.

 

And then the shrouds.

 

I will be honest, the shrouds are one of the hardest parts of a model for me.

Edited December 23, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

The foremast getting blocks:

Note: the mizzen mast is painted and awaiting sealant after the paint dries.

 

It is quite cold here which is negatively effecting drying times.

 

The rigging plan for this model is very simplified due to the scale, so I am only going to running about a third of the lines as in a normal barque rig, even with sails.

 

By comparison, my Mamoli Endeavour (the Captain Cook one, not the yacht), which also had a barque rig, took three months to rig.

 

I took holiday (vacation) next week to try and finish this model.

 

And, due to the rigging simplification, it might actually happen.

[GrandpaPhil]

Here is the original rigging plan (Courtesy of the French Ministry Of Defense Historical Office) as approved in 1864 for the refit from a barquentine rig to a barque rig:

You can’t really tell if there is any mast rake from the pictures that came with the kit.

 

However, from the original sail plan, you can tell that rake, for our purposes, at 1/200 scale, is negligible.

 

Now, for the Magenta, which will be 1/72 scale, that may change.

[GrandpaPhil]

The Solferino has masts:

They all have blocks and are permanently installed.

 

Rigging will commence once the glue (PVA) sets up and after I assemble the toy box that I bought for my newest grandson for his first Christmas.