HMS Sphinx 1775 by Hollowneck - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64

[hollowneck]

4 hours ago, Oldsalt1950 said:

Watching you build the diorama reminds me of fond days with my father working on HO railroad scenery. Back then it was crumpled newspaper, screening and Plaster of Paris. The Woodland Sceneic's material is great. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the diorama progress.

I too have fond memories working with my father. Dad was a designer for W.E.D. Enterprises in Burbank, CA in the late 50's (Walter E. Disney) and I spent countless hours in his shop watching him make incredible things from commonplace materials: an artist, artisan, engineer, animator, carpenter, he didn't make train layouts but I did watch him as he created the head for the 1958 movie,  "The Fly" - the original film. Yep, that now classic film with Vincent Price. That was a highlight of being a 12 yo. in Dad's creative space. Putting the fake fly head on and scaring the crap out of people is a lifelong "highlight" of my youth. He made the head on contract for the movie studio (I believe 20th-C Fox) after his work on the original Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.

 

Check out this URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fly_(1958_film)

 

I'm my father's son, in the gene pool, for sure. And Dad nurtured "all things creative"-  and that (nearly) anything was possible: if you could think it, you could do it...

Peak America.

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by hollowneck
added web link

[hollowneck]

Now that it's dried, it's time to turn the smoothed plaster surface into water, as follows:

Water-thinned white glue, a stiff brush and a roll of SINGLE-PLY toilet paper.

 

The following close-up photos are pretty self-explanatory, assorted views of what happens when you "work" the toilet tissue to the plaster surface to create small rivulets, washes and wind "wrinkles." Some of the textures will become wave peaks. There are lots of "happy accidents" in this phase of water making. If a straight line appears, get rid of it by manipulating the stiff brush. An ugly wad appears, pick it off, start over with another piece of torn paper, work the paper so that it makes random textures. Tear-off various sizes of paper too, no straight edges!

NOTE BENE: these intense close-ups make the water surface resemble the the surface of the moon or Mars. From a normal viewing distance these details will transform into an ocean that's being troubled by an intense wind.

A piece of toilet paper that hasn't been "worked" into a water shape.

 

NG! These straight edges need to be reworked while the paper and glue is still wet...

Love how this appeared! TP edges in the previous pic mostly disappeared; paint color and acrylic wave build-up details will mask the tiny irregularities. This lumpy splooge will be a "back wash wavelet" atop the Bigger Wave that Camilla's bow is smashing against.

This is a tedious step (like some aspects of rigging!), but well worth the effort.

The entire surface of the diorama gets this toilet paper treatment, even the smoother sections. 

Almost done (with this step). In time terms, we've moved past a halfway mark for the diorama's water creation. The "arty stuff" is coming-up soon: a handful of acrylic paints and various mediums.

My "Easter Egg." For posterity, of course. My father also left his initials on the inside of his "Fly" head (see my previous post response to OldSalt1950).

 

Taking a "break" now on the diorama. Touch-ups and then choosing the colors for painting comes next.

And, I'm returning to loose ends on the model: a lengthy Mainmast pennant to make (another trip to Staples), dozens of rope coils to hang, loose rigging lines to nail down, tying down a launch and the spare topmast on the midship skids, even clean freshly- laundered britches for Cpt Wigglesworth.

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2022 by hollowneck
Added even more text, fixing more auto spell-correcting nonsense

[BobG]

Watching you make this diorama is so much fun!

[hollowneck]

6 minutes ago, BobG said:

Watching you make this diorama is so much fun!

👍🤜🤛  High Five and fist bumps - Fun for me too!

[hollowneck]

Those who are following my Build Log here should also look at @Beckmann current log for his recently completed HMS Unicorn diorama. His water making technique is similar to mine with his use of simple plaster that's been shaped into a convincing seascape. He's done a great job with the choice of colors and details on the water surfaces to surround his model, right up to its boundaries that touch the perimeter of the artisan's crafted cabinet - a novel and beautiful complement to his model's diorama - as well as his living space!

 

Edited November 20, 2022 by hollowneck
typo

[hollowneck]

While HMS Camilla is removed from her water setting and while I await some painting supplies, I decided to make her mainmast pennant and have some fun with the various figures that will be her "minimalist" crew.

 

First and foremost, Cpt Pennypincher was in hospital for some emergency surgery (a toothpick for a right wooden lower leg). After a few days of PT, Pennypincher made his way to Camilla's deck without assistance.

Captains Pennypincher and Wigglesworth had a natter about who will command Camilla once she's put into service. There's controversy at the Admiralty about a commanding officer in His Majesty's Service having a "disability;"

 

"Do you not feel your impairment will compromise your ability to lead His Majesty's frigate?" C.W. Wigglesworth postulates.

 

"Bollocks!" asserts Pennypincher: "My new leg is as good as new. When my men see I am fully capable of being their Captain, the consequences for their enhanced esprit de corps are immeasurable."

Pennypincher further reminds Wigglesworth of an important precedent: "Do you not agree Admiral Lord Nelson's missing right arm does not impair his judgement and ability to lead?"

 

Wigglesworth retorts: "Sir, you insult me by having no hesitation to compare yourself favorably with his excellency Lord Nelson!"

 

...to be continued as Camilla's crew members weigh-in on the argument...in the interim...

HMS Camilla's mainmast pennant catching the following wind. Its halyard was tricky to terminate to the top truck but it's convincing enough to my eye in 1/64 scale.

 

The long pennant is made from two thicknesses of 28lb printed copier paper imaged from a PDF file of the shape. After gluing the two printed layers together and trimming them, I carefully wrapped the long laminated strip around three different paint bottles to get the gentle curves. The result of the two-layered paper is holding well so far.

 

To achieve a convincing shaped form, the previous pennant I made had a 30 ga. annealed florist's wire enclosed between the two layers running the entire length; my new approach to making this flag may - or may not- hold...I'll see if I need to return to a previous technique over the next few weeks.

 

Edited December 23, 2022 by hollowneck
formatting/added text

[Blue Ensign]

I think you have the shape spot on Ron, looks very convincing.

 

A modification you could add is to paint the English Cross of St George in the Hoist section.

These were the four commission pennants of the period. 

Colours of the Red, White, and Blue squadrons, and the Union (Common) pennant as an alternative.

Red and blue (up to 1864), Common (up to 1850). The White remained in use post 1864 as the designated naval colour.

 

Regards,

 

B.E.

[druxey]

You won't want to make the captain (whomsoever he may be!) cross by that missing cross!

 

Coming along famously.

[hollowneck]

8 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

A modification you could add is to paint the English Cross of St George in the Hoist section.

Thanks B.E. I'm on it!

Now that it's mounted, rather than paint I'll print two white and red English crosses and glue them to the hoist section of the pennant on both sides.

If you look closely at the two officers - and thanks to his man-servant- you'll see that Cpt. Wigglesworth is now wearing recently laundered, clean britches.

 

3 hours ago, druxey said:

You won't want to make the captain (whomsoever he may be!) cross by that missing cross!

 

Coming along famously.

Thanks. Much appreciated.

I don't wish to invoke the anger of either gentleman. Thanks to B.E.'s timely suggestion, I'll cross this bridge later today.

[hollowneck]

Pennant fixed. Thanks to B.E. for pointing out that the Cross of St. George was missing. Pretty obvious that I added a paper fix with this close-up. Perhaps less noticeable is the tiny section of rope meant to simulate the halyard passing through the mast’s single-sheaved  truck.

With the painting of Camilla’s diorama coming up this week, I decided to first button-down all the rigging, add the balance of her crew and do minor touchups before the model is placed back into her waterline seascape. Taking care of these details at this stage will be much easier since the diorama is large; access will be a challenge once the model is ‘sealed’ into her water.

This shot clearly shows the importance of upgrading to high-quality rope. This close-up is approximately 800% of actual figure size (28mm or a little over 1” high). The textures of realistic-looking rope are quite apparent even with the thinnest diameters(.30-.45mm).

Cpt. Pennypincher has asked Wigglesworth to set aside their differences and consider his offer to serve as Pennypincher’s second-in-command. This will resolve the issue satisfactorily for the ship’s crew since both leaders are well-respected.

 

”I am honored, Pennypincher. Now. Let’s attend to the task at-hand and grab some Froggie prizes, I say!”

Never hurts to have gunnery practice, especially with the Navy’s newfangled carronades.

A few loose ropes remain with their rope hanks. I started the balancing and tightening of her rigging at the stern and worked my way forward to the stem. After all the running rigging was set, some of the standing rigging needed adjustments to tighten it up. After rigging has been on the model for a few weeks it will relax and last-minute tweaks are necessary to conform it, particularly the backstays.

I created a spare main topmast and it can be seen in this photo next to the launch. Like the ship’s boat, the spare mast will be lashed to the skids. The likelihood of battle damage was high when on post duty in the channel where encounters with the enemy were nearly certain. The loss of propulsion owing to a mast-severing cannon ball was a very real threat in close encounter frigate battles.

+
Midshipman Smythe is one of my favorite blokes from Vanguard. I must have placed him in at least a half-dozen spots before finally deciding on this position. He’s hauling the mizzentops’ls sheet hoping the additional canvas will give her another knot or two…

!
My second favorite dude, sailing Master Wilcox.He’s keeping a sharp weather-eye on the hauled Main course.

Another 800% close-up. As they told him while on the film set for Master & Commander, “…the camera likes you, Wilcox.”

Camilla’s ensign has been sprayed with a dull-coat flat lacquer that imparted a very convincing fabric texture. The copier paper I used for the color print had a sheen that made it almost look plastic, toy-like. I am quite pleased with Vanguard’s figures. The high quality of these 3D-printed figures helps to animate the model. 
Thanks to Chris W @ Vanguard these period accurate, mini people are a game-changer for us diorama presenters.
 

Edited November 27, 2022 by hollowneck
Added text

[Oldsalt1950]

Looks fantastic, the figures really bring it alive.

 

Jim

[hollowneck]

Thank you, Jim. These little fellows are fun all around. Painting first, then carefully removing their resin bases, then playing “toy sailors.” 
One day I might just add a full 100-man on-deck crew to a large model…but this depends on Chris @ Vanguard to keep the 3D printer busy!😂

Edited November 27, 2022 by hollowneck

[Blue Ensign]

All coming together beautifully Ron, the crew figures look great.

 

B.E.

[Azzoun]

Looks like another winner Ron, can't wait to see her in the diorama.    I need to learn flag making from you!   See ya at the meeting

 

Joshua 

[hollowneck]

9 minutes ago, Azzoun said:

Looks like another winner Ron, can't wait to see her in the diorama.    I need to learn flag making from you!   See ya at the meeting

 

Joshua 

Thanks, Josh. Nearing the finish line. I'll sign you up after the club's Holiday sing-a-long!😂

 

[hollowneck]

5 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

All coming together beautifully Ron, the crew figures look great.

 

B.E.

Thank You B.E., much appreciated.

[Nipper]

16 hours ago, hollowneck said:

Thank you, Jim. These little fellows are fun all around. Painting first, then carefully removing their resin bases, then playing “toy sailors.” 
One day I might just add a full 100-man on-deck crew to a large model…but this depends on Chris @ Vanguard to keep the 3D printer busy!😂

What a wonderful build! - and inspiring for the rest of us to watch.  I really like the figures and can't wait to get mine ready for my Sphinx. I've also thought about making the ship more realistic by creating a full crew - well, say, at least half a watch on deck busy working the ship, splicing and mending and so on. 

Can we convince Chris that he should continue to create more of his beautiful figures in a variety of poses?  We could get away with perhaps a couple of sailors in the same pose on a busy deck, but not more.  As you say, the VM figures are a class apart and for those of us who like to bring our models to life, they are perfect.

 

Nipper

[HardeeHarHar]

Wow Ron, all your work is eye candy.  *Fantastic* job on the build and rigging, and the flags, sails, and figures are awesome!!!  I love that you have a whole story for each of the figures/characters.  No wonder you like diorama displays!  

Edited November 29, 2022 by HardeeHarHar

[hollowneck]

On 11/28/2022 at 4:33 AM, Nipper said:

As you say, the VM figures are a class apart and for those of us who like to bring our models to life, they are perfect.

Thank you, Nipper. ‘Inspiration” is a good thing and I am pleased if I can encourage forum members to continue their support of Chris Watton & all he does to make our hobby exciting as well as rewarding.

I’m hoping his sales of little blue men is convincing him to offer more “commoner” tars - a growing crew- even if he has to round them up with a press gang!

[hollowneck]

14 hours ago, HardeeHarHar said:

Wow Ron, all your work is eye candy.  *Fantastic* job on the build and rigging, and the flags, sails, and figures are awesome!!!  I love that you have a whole story for each of the figures/characters.  No wonder you like diorama displays!  

Thanks, Brian. Pure cane sugar for Camilla’s bones, no high fructose corn syrup calories.😄 Have you guessed which figure could be my alter-ego?

[hollowneck]

Making HMS Camilla's "Angry Sea" commences: painting turbulent water.

This photo looks uninspiring but its intent is to show the black acrylic Gesso that will be painted over the entire surface of the plaster-smoothed surface of the water, edge-to-edge. The texture of the uneven plaster surface can be seen clearly here. This first painting step, underpainting, is a critical one that will figure importantly in the creation of the deep, brooding water of the English Channel.

We're looking at the port side of Camilla's water setting. The large gathering bow wave shape looms on the left side. The Black Gesso dries flat. Pretty ugly at this stage. The blue painter's tape protects the case moldings since this step gets messy.

At the stern where there will be lots of rudder wake turbulence, the Black gesso is worked into the roughened surface from the previous work with the toilet paper "skinning" and subsequent smoothing with fine grit sandpaper to remove divots that don't resemble "water." The black underpainting is painted as evenly as possible across the entire diorama's surface.

This photo shows a test piece (foreground) for the water I created for a previous diorama: HMS Swan. The Swan water was created to portray a blue/green hued ocean with minimal wave action; smooth sailing, just a few white wave crests. The test shows the effect of underpainting in white, not black: a brighter surface. Underpainting is done to convey "depth" as the subsequent acrylic colors will be somewhat translucent because matte medium is also added to the palette color mix. In the background is the dry black gesso and a test of the green/grey hues I want for Camilla's turbulent sea setting.

This is the color "palette" for the green/grey hues. Green is made from the combo of yellow and blue. In this instance, two hues of yellow are used. To lighten and darken the mix of green, white and black are added - even a small touch of red - as the black gesso surface gets painted. The acrylic paints will dry to a semi-gloss lustre. Matte medium is in a separate open container as well as a simple dish of water to thin the paint during the color layering.

A first layer of a luminescent green hue is painted across the entire surface. This photo is at the ship's port bow, the top of a large, crashing wave.

Another view of the large wave that will be hitting the model's port bow. Lighter hues of green/grey are layered atop one another.

Like this. To the raised wave "tops" of the entire seascape, lighter shades of green are painted on top of the darker green "base color." To make this variable color palette, white as well as black acrylic paint is mixed into the green paint, along with matte medium acrylic.

Oops! Right opening, wrong model. Comic relief to reduce some of the tedium and get cheap laughs...

Another view of the green base coloration. Looks weird owing to the overhead lighting. Due to the successive coats of layered paint, the surface needs to dry thoroughly before attempting the next stage.

 

To convince the skeptics this is going to turn out well, here's a preview of where this painting step is eventually headed (in Hollywood terms, a flash-forward)

Next up: I add the wave "action": the wave tops, the all-important foam that will show movement, the effect of the wind on the surfaces, the wakes alongside the hull at her stem and stern.

Edited December 9, 2022 by hollowneck
added text, typos, grammar

[hollowneck]

After the base painting has completely dried, the next step is to fashion the wave tops, seafoam on an "active" sea, the wake that appears along the hull that imparts movement to the ship, the all-important stem and stern with random water splashes on the model to give the water realism.

The materials to make the foam, the crests of whitecaps, the foaming wake of windblown water along Camilla's hull and at her stem & stern. These acrylic mediums work with pure white synthetic cotton batting to give form and dimensionality to the somewhat mono-chromatic green/grey water surface. Regular paint brushes in different sizes are used, nothing unusual in the way of tools required for any of these painting steps. Shown here, Liquitex Matte Medium, Light Modeling Paste and eventually, the Gloss Varnish applied to the entire completed diorama water surface.

This is the polyester "batting", medicinal "cotton" pulled apart with fingers into thin open strands: labor-intensive work like other aspects of this time-consuming process. I purchased a bag of Halloween Spider Web making material at Michael's, a craft store. The bag has enough of the material to do dozens of water dioramas! From past experience with similar materials, I was interested to see how this specific material would work to form the crests and sea foam I envisioned for this seascape.

This synthetic "cotton" is worked into the areas between the model's hull and the opening to the immediately adjacent water surface with a paintbrush soaked with medium matte (acting as an adhesive). The matte medium creates translucency and dries clear. When applied it appears "milky." This step involves patience as you tamp down the polyester material with matte medium and a paintbrush primarily. However, other hand tools like tweezers and fingers will also shape the creation of the foam and white water wave crests. The goal is to create something approximating bubbly, splashing foam from agitated water. Anything that doesn't resemble this, do it over.

 

Also (Big Tip)no straight lines, anywhere. There's no symmetry to water: it's chaotic-looking, especially in the ocean with no discernible patterning. Wind and rain further make it move in unpredictable, non-linear ways.

 

We are creatures that favor symmetry. This is an unconscious inertia and has to be recognized as one tries to replicate nature, water specifically.

 

The intense lighting in this photo along the hull and adjacent areas is from a small, portable LED flashlight (which has a cool blue spectrum 5K output). Even with all the overhead lighting I still need intense close-up light in some spots that end up in dark recesses and shadows.

The large wave at Camilla's port bow, in-process. The still wet, milky matte medium can be seen in foreground areas. Foam on the sea surface (and under the surface occasionally) is billions of tiny air bubbles; this is the effect I try to replicate with small sections of the polyester cotton-like material glued to the relatively smooth underlying surfaces.

The large, dramatic bow wave is completed. In this photo, smaller wave tops on surrounding crests will still need to be created.

When I see something on the surface during this process that doesn't look like it belongs there, I remove it! The two small "blobs" at the bottom left were removed and the surface touched-up. Some of the polyester "wave tops" are too spindly looking here; additional dollops of matte medium were used to reshape them so they didn't appear hairy- which is one drawback of using this material. The material - when it isn't sold as "Halloween Spider Webs" is called medicinal cotton balls. It is inexpensive, and easier to shape and glue than its cotton equivalent partially because it isn't an organic substance. I learned this the hard way with previous dioramas. In this photo I've started on Camilla's stern wake. These two main areas (bow and stern) influence the model's movement in the diorama and are the most important and critical areas so I focus on these intensely.

 

Here are several views of the nearly-finished port bow wave area. The model is now firmly seated in the diorama's opening with matte adhesive, medicinal cotton material and some gloss white acrylic modeling paste (see the photo showing the Liquitex acrylic materials above).

These last few photos show a more accurate representation of the diorama's water color.

A little "splash"on her bow...

Sharp eyes will see the sailor climbing upward along the foremast's shroud ratlines...

With this area now satisfactory to my eye, I will move on to other areas of the diorama with the same techniques described here. The next series of photos in my log will primarily show the results of these same processes explained in this post; starboard and stern water, other finished views.

 

Once all the wave crests and the various elements of the active wake are finalized there is yet another final step to making the water glisten. Even in overcast weather conditions, in the dreary drizzly weather and in the angry sea that Camilla navigates, water still needs to "look wet." That's the job of the gloss varnish coming up after all this foam and wake work has been completed.

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by hollowneck
added text, spelling

[druxey]

Apart from the "Honey, I shrunk the ship" shot, superb rendering work, Ron.

[mtaylor]

I'm just speechless and in total awe of that sea.

[JeffT]

Looks awesome...wow

[jpalmer1970]

That is very very impressive work !

[Blue Ensign]

A wonderful effect you have created Ron, I love that port side bow wave, great artistry.

 

B.E.

[BobG]

Just WOW!

[AJohnson]

That is just brilliant! So realistic!

[James G]

I'm sitting here with my mouth hanging open. Wow! Simply amazing.