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

[GrandpaPhil]

6 assembled ship’s boats:

Now they need edge painted and sealed.

 

While I’m at it, I need to touch up the forecastle:

[GrandpaPhil]

6 painted and sealed ship’s boats:

The smallest of the ship’s boats, because it sits in the big one on the deck:

After that, there’s just the two which will hang off the stern.

 

I would assemble the davits now, but that would cause problems with the gunport and window (false gunport) lids along with the stern gallery.

[GrandpaPhil]

The small ship’s boat is in place and sealed:

The last two ship’s boats, that will hang off the stern are in progress:

On a quick side note, I need to make a full set for my Victory as well.

 

I’ll make those a la Zu Monfeld when I get around to them, just like I did the ones for my Prince de Neufchatel and my Hannah.

[GrandpaPhil]

The last two ship’s boats are assembled:

Time for the Eagle Figurehead!

 

I’m not really sure how it goes together, but we’ll figure it out!

I know the eagle, parts a, b and c sit on a globular structure, parts e-g and most likely d.

This globular structure sits atop h.

 

Then I know that parts i and j are the lightning bolt pieces.

 

Otherwise, i feel like I am just going to have take parts off the paper and start fitting them together and see what happens.

Edited September 11, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

The figurehead begins:

Added the globular structure:

And assembled in place:

I used the structure of the ship to give the figurehead rigidity and form.

 

On a quick personal note: I half wonder if I shouldn’t have just carved it.

 

But, at this point it’s already solidly glued to the hull, which would cause a LOT of damage removing it, plus I have a full set of carvings for my Mercury that I have going, that needs made.

 

Plus, at 1/200 scale, once it’s edge painted and sealed, it won’t be possible to tell the difference anyway.

Edited September 11, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

All ship’s boats are done (except for the eyebolts, and I will be having an eyebolt party in the near future):

The figurehead is edge painted and looks much better, plus starting on the hull details:

And it is now time for this warship to get her guns:

This is one of my favorite points of the build.

 

This kit comes with 56 cannon.  52 on the gun decks and 4 on the main deck.

[GrandpaPhil]

Rolling cannon:

I have rolled 36 so far.
 

This is different for me.  

I usually just carve these from dowel rods, bamboo skewers or toothpicks.

 

I will be carving all 56 on Magenta and all the guns for Mercury.

Edited September 15, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

52 guns are rolled and installed:

One of the guns started life as a toothpick.

 

I may or may not have dropped the original down inside the model.
 

I need to seal everything in and then proceed to the gunport lids.

 

There are 96 gunport lids.

 

Next will be the stern gallery (more of a stern promenade at this point in history).

 

I’ll need to assemble the loom to make the wrap around railings.

Edited September 17, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Gunport lid assembly line:

One nice thing about these is that I don’t need to edge paint them because the inner part of the lids is white.

Edited September 18, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

96 gunport lids:

The first side almost installed:

I only have 12 gunport lids left to install.

 

 

 

[GrandpaPhil]

I’m honestly surprised I made it this far on this model.  But, here I am, one year in.  
 

I am roughly at the same point on my Victory, 5+ years in, which I really need to finish after I finish this model.

 

I’m at the point where I have to start looking and planning ahead.

 

This kit has you install the anchors, davits and most of the rest of the hull fittings, this step, but it doesn’t have you do any of the rigging for any of the hull fittings until the next three steps, when you have masted the model and are doing the standing and running rigging.

 

Based on my knowledge of model ship building, that is badly out of sequence.

 

If you do it that way, everything will be in the way, so I am going to do as I know how and just start rigging as I go, with the fittings that require it.

 

This means that the gunport lids will be rigged next (yes, even at 1/200 scale).

 

After that, I will be making the stern gallery (more of a stern porch/promenade).

 

Then it’ll be time to get the rest of the deck fittings.

 

That will include all eyebolts (hull too) to secure rigging.

 

It will also include the stays for the stack and the tie downs for the ship’s boats.

 

Next up will be the remainder of the hull fittings such as catheads, anchors, boarding ladders and davits, all of which will get rigged as they get installed, so all my hull rigging is done before masting.

 

Speaking of rigging, I am also going to drop eyebolts in the deck to secure the shroud deadeyes while I install the rest of the eyebolts.

 

The two Magenta-classes had internal channels.  There is no way I can secure the deadeyes to those, without them ripping out so I’m going to secure them to the deck.

 

This also means that Solferino will have real shrouds and ratlines (I actually enjoy tying ratlines).

 

But, the Magenta-classes also only had one bank of ratlines.

 

Which, since we’re discussing rigging, it is also time to discuss masts and yards.

 

I will not use paper masts or yards.  
 

I have the original masting and rigging diagram for the barque-rig, from 1864, courtesy of the French Ministry of Defense, and I am going to use it to make all masts, yards and gaffs from bamboo kitchen skewers and dowels.

 

Now, mast tops and so forth, are fine to make from card.  I did that with my last two models.

 

I am also going to be putting sails on this model (I love sails, they make the model for me).

 

Whether I use the sails that came in the kit or make my own is still yet to be seen.

 

That will depend on if they fit or not.

 

I may just make them from silk span.

 

I haven’t decided yet.

[GrandpaPhil]

Solferino is getting silk span sails.  
 

I just bought the David Antscherl sail making supplement from Seawatch Books.

[GrandpaPhil]

The gundeck guns are all on, along with all of the gunport lids!

They are awaiting their rigging pieces, which will also act as a cantilever support.

 

For that reason, I used sealant to stiffen up some thread and some basic trigonometry to figure out how long I need to cut the rigging pieces (1/4”), so they can be trimmed into place.

While waiting for both coatings of sealant to dry, I also decided to get the stern promenade made.

 

In order to do that, I needed the looms made.

Along the way, I discovered that I am now committed to making all sails from scratch, due to an incident involving sealant and me not watching where I put stuff while it is drying.  Oops, lol!

 

The card that the looms are being made of is about 1mm thick from old Valentines Day Cards.

 

I acquired a whole box of poster sized Valentines Day cards left over from last year for a really good price.

 

The cards were the perfect thickness (1mm) and I have developed a taste for making models mostly from card, courtesy of my last two builds, so I bought all of them.

 

It is just so convenient and I can still go just as crazy as I want with detail.

Plus, it doesn’t leave nearly as much sawdust when you’re done making the bulkheads, which makes the Admiral happy, lol.

Edited September 20, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

I just realized that since I am making real ratlines, I don’t need the ratline loom.

[GrandpaPhil]

Railing loom:

I mauled the paper parts with my sealant being too thin.

[GrandpaPhil]

Silver lining: at least it was just the loom that got damaged and it’s still usable.

[GrandpaPhil]

The Admiral’s Balcony (that’s what it is called in the plans):

The future gunport lid rigging:

That will be cut into many 1/4” pieces.

 

Lastly, but certainly not least, my happy beverage while I work:

Coffee with some French Vanilla creamer.

 

[GrandpaPhil]

Thinking about making a fictional American Barque Rigged Packet, the Montauk, a London Liner out of card.  
 

I have hull lines and  plans of an equivalent London Packet from 1835 in The Search For Speed Under Sail by Chapelle.

 

I have barque rigging/masting plans in a book by Underhill.

 

That happens when I read sea stories or about nautical history.

 

I get bad ideas, lol.

Edited September 26, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you all for the likes and for stopping by!
 

The Admiral’s Balcony is on and the gunport lid rigging progresses:

I am having a lot of fun with this model and learning a LOT about mid to late 19th century naval technology.

 

This model has been very educational for me.

 

I know very little about steamers and ironclads.
 

Most of my ship model building experience, and therefore knowledge, is from the late 17th century through the War of 1812/Napoleonic Wars, so this model has been a most excellent learning resource!

To everyone in the hurricane zone, please be safe and I wish you all the best of luck!

Edited September 29, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

The starboard side gunports are rigged:

Side on shot of the ship:

[GrandpaPhil]

I just ordered 300 deadeyes from Model Expo!

 

150 each in 2.5mm and 3.5mm!

Solferino had a full barque rig.

 

Magenta will get her original barquentine rig.

Edited October 1, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[Keith Black]

Those size deadeyes are miserable to work with. 

[GrandpaPhil]

I have really bright work lights for working with those small dead eyes.  
 

I also have a bunch of 2mm blocks that were for the Victory, that will be used for this too.

[GrandpaPhil]

The port side gunport lids are rigged:

The Admiral’s Balcony Railing is drying:

[GrandpaPhil]

The railing is on, but it had some difficulty while being cut out and will need some posts replaced.

 

I don’t have pictures yet.  But I’ll take some tomorrow.

[Gahm]

This looks very good! It is amazing what you can do with paper 🙂

 

Thomas

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much!

 

Here are the pictures of the Admiral’s Balcony:

The railing needs some care.

 

Part of the needs reglued down, and the railings need lots of paint and a few new posts.

[GrandpaPhil]

The forecastle railings, made just because I had everything already out for it:

[GrandpaPhil]

I bought a Starry Night jigsaw puzzle for $0.99 that I’m putting together.  It is a major challenge.

Edited October 8, 2022 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

There is absolutely nothing easy about this puzzle:

It’s the 2000 piece version from Buffalo Games.

 

I bought it for a challenge.

 

I found one, lol.

 

Usually a 2000 piece puzzle takes me about 4 days.  I started this one Monday (5 days ago).