HMS Indefatigable 1794 (prototype) by James H - Vanguard Models - 1:64

[hollowneck]

2 hours ago, chris watton said:

Just checked stern windows - there will be options for open or closed...

This is the NEXT LEVEL, gentlemen. Superb detail, Chris. Bravo!

This highly detailed stern appears to be a combo of laser cut pear with resin cast (or 3D printed) decorative bits. The little black holes to either side look like they are for dual stern lanterns mounted with three iron supports. Love the optional open/closed window sash. Yum.

(are you seeing this, B.E.?)

Edited July 7, 2022 by hollowneck

[James H]

7 minutes ago, hollowneck said:

...with resin cast (or 3D printed) decorative bits.

 

No resin or 3D parts in that photo  🤫

[chris watton]

12 minutes ago, hollowneck said:

This is the NEXT LEVEL, gentlemen. Superb detail, Chris. Bravo!

This highly detailed stern appears to be a combo of laser cut pear with resin cast (or 3D printed) decorative bits. The little black holes to either side look like they are for dual stern lanterns mounted with three iron supports. Love the optional open/closed window sash. Yum.

(are you seeing this, B.E.?)

Cheers!

 

No 3D printed parts on the stern at all, it is a mixture of pear, 0.6mm PolyBak (both laser engraved and cut) and PE brass for the windows (and lantern brackets). Lanterns will be 3D printed to the correct shape.

Edited July 7, 2022 by chris watton

[hollowneck]

27 minutes ago, chris watton said:

No 3D printed parts on the stern at all, it is a mixture of pear, 0.6mm PolyBak (both laser engraved and cut) and PE brass for the windows (and lantern brackets). Lanterns will be 3D printed to the correct shape.

Yay! - 0.6mm PolyBak. I assume this material will take staining - or must it be painted?

[Blue Ensign]

40 minutes ago, hollowneck said:

This is the NEXT LEVEL, gentlemen. Superb detail, Chris. Bravo!

This highly detailed stern appears to be a combo of laser cut pear with resin cast (or 3D printed) decorative bits. The little black holes to either side look like they are for dual stern lanterns mounted with three iron supports. Love the optional open/closed window sash. Yum.

(are you seeing this, B.E.?)

I'm seeing it Ron, a very fine stern indeed.

The open sash windows option is a nice touch, I did the same on my Victory build back in 2006, having seen them open during a visit to the Dockyard.

 

The 'Indy' is going to make a great model, Chris does keep raising the bar.

 

B.E.

[chris watton]

3 hours ago, hollowneck said:

Yay! - 0.6mm PolyBak. I assume this material will take staining - or must it be painted?

It does take staining yes, but I will advise these parts are painted ochre or similar. I think they look much better than PE equivalents.

[chris watton]

In case it was missed on my thread, the Brodie Stove is now available as a complete mini kit:

 

Brodie Stove – VANGUARD MODELS

 

Microsoft Word - 1-64-Brodie.docx (vanguardmodels.co.uk)

 

I may have to get a ships cook (complete with wooden leg) done at some point...

[ErnieL]

On 5/29/2022 at 8:46 AM, thibaultron said:

1350mm, I'm sorry dear, I thought the catalog said 135mm! Must need new glasses! Why do you have that gleam in your eye, and why are you holding a knife?

Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. 

[James H]

This is only a mini-update as I've been away on holiday. This shows the hull up to completion of second planking, but I have started on sanding this smooth, which will be seen in next update when I've added the wales and done some other stuff.

 

The plan will give a position below each gun port, where a mark will be added. It's here that a plank will be run, from stem to stern. It also gives a nice reference to the upper wale strake which will lie directly over the top.

 

 

 

The hull is now sheathed in pear. Sanding begins.

[killickthere]

WOW, just found out about the Indy from Facebook. I love the Hornblower tv series. I certainly would love to attempt her, (need to finish rigging the Alert), but I'm not so sure my skills are worthy. But you don't know until you try!

[Dave_E]

You know… when this gets ready to be released, there will not be enough supply for the demand. 😳Many of us will beg the Admirals for permission to purchase the kit. 😁

[James H]

At the moment, I've finished the outer hull with copious sanding, cleaned up the gun ports and trimmed to the correct size (including any excess material from the inner bulwark port openings), added the wales and now in final stages of moving on from there. I'll add some pics in the next days. 

[chris watton]

On 9/2/2022 at 3:16 AM, Dave_E said:

You know… when this gets ready to be released, there will not be enough supply for the demand. 😳Many of us will beg the Admirals for permission to purchase the kit. 😁

The first batch is strictly 50. It cannot be more due to space. Each Indy kit will have around 50 separate laser cut sheets (with 37 of those sheets being pear from 0.6-6mm thickness), so I haven't room right now for 100 kits worth. Plus when the plans and manuals, and boxes arrive, God knows how much space they'll take. (Thinking of an A3 sized manual, rather and A4).

Edited September 4, 2022 by chris watton

[H NELSON]

I have found the manual size used for Saucy Jack quite a good size for those with limited bench space. I guess for the Indy it will be quite a number of pages though and the binding may restrict you.

 

As a beginner I find the axonometric type views quiet useful in setting out parts relative to each other particularly when they are of the same material. 

[James H]

This update shows the basic external finishing of Indefatigable, and at this stage doesn't include the numerous rails etc. that make up the side bulwarks. That's for later in the build.

 

After a LOT of sanding of the second pear planked layer, the gun ports were opened up to their correct size at last. Before using some custom-made sanding sticks for the job, the inner bulwark port openings were trimmed down more or less to the size of the port itself. The sanders were then used to finally clean them up and even out the internal areas. A sharp scalpel was then used to square up any corners properly.

 

 

 

 

If you remember, the first pear plank was laid to be in the exact same position as the the upper strip of the wales. Here you can see the mark that indicates the flow of the plane at the prow. The top also aligns with the top of the prow, so that makes it easier!

 

 

 

A 4mm wide strip of 1mm pear is now run from the prow to the stern, following that plank line. I used CA gel for this as I didn't want to use any pins on this area. I've left the plank overlong at the rear so you can see where it runs to. The last two gun ports are also partially obscured by the strip.

 

 

 

Now, three 5mm wide pear strips of 1mm thickness are run directly underneath the 4mm strip, again with CA gel. Once in place, I masked off the area on both sides of the wales and sanded the wales smooth. You'll note that I tapered the lower two planks towards the bow, and the lower one plank at the stern.

 

 

 

The gun ports are now cut into the wales, and the wales are finally shaped at the stern. These are shaped from the curve of the stern lower counter, and rounded into the underside of the wale.

 

 

Indy now looks like this. The next update will show some internal work underway. 

[Kevin]

Brilliant update

[James H]

Oh, I also gave the underside another rigorous sanding to really smooth it up.

[chris watton]

I can confirm that ALL planking in the Indy kit will be 900mm long. I sent Jim 500mm long planking strips, as at the time, I wasn't sure what length I would use. As the whole of the outer hull is painted, it really doesn't matter where the planks are joined, especially for the coppered area.

 

But as mentioned, each kit has 900mm lengths.

Edited September 5, 2022 by chris watton

[scrubbyj427]

It would seem that they are the experts over there, with all the new designs and innovation freely flowing to the market.

[hollowneck]

3 hours ago, James H said:

So, over in the cheap seats, you are now fully informed.

I was slightly startled to see the telltale "baby's first month" yellowy/beige background color on the commentary (read: "criticism") about your planking decision for Indy.

Yep, lot's of experts over there, but no expertise.

[chris watton]

23 hours ago, hollowneck said:

I was slightly startled to see the telltale "baby's first month" yellowy/beige background color on the commentary (read: "criticism") about your planking decision for Indy.

Yep, lot's of experts over there, but no expertise.

It was me that suggested Jim planks in that way, as this is exactly how I planked Victory, which would need two planks per run due to the size (hull planking being well over a metre). I didn't mind doing that way, as I could get a perfect fit and start the planking at the bow and then the more complex curves of the stern, and then trim any excess where they meet. As the planking lines would disappear once the hull was prepped for painting, it didn't matter if the planks were staggered or not.

 

On an unpainted, varnished only hull then clearly, the planks would be staggered - but a waste of time and effort for a hull that is half covered in copper and the other half completely painted.

 

However, as with most things, this is subjective, being a wooden model kit, the builder can plank in however manner they feel best suits them, but in this case, it is moot as the planking strips in the kit will be full length, not half.

Edited September 6, 2022 by chris watton

[glbarlow]

Allow me to offer my expert opinion on the topic, based on my extraordinarily deep experience and expertise in building wooden models from a multiple manufacturers, expertise that is known far and wide throughout the modeling industry and is an unquestioned source, though I don't have a cool name like 'stargazer'

 

Cool, it looks nice.

 

🤣😂🤣

[James H]

Tiny update as I am doing a few other things in other build areas of Indy too.

 

I now have some colour on the model. I first varnished the exposed strip on the inner bulwarks and then used masking tape before I added paint. For this, I used some Plastikote Red Oxide (same as on the lower fisher hulls) and decanted it from the aerosol so I could airbrush it. The paint was left to de-gas for a few hours. That's important as it'll boil if you try to use or do anything with it when fresh from the rattle can. The paint was then thinned with mr Levelling Thinner, about 60:40 paint to thinner. When completely dry, I airbrushed Tamiya Flat Red over the red oxide. 

 

 

 

After more judicious masking (and masking the ports off from interior), I did the same paint regime for the gun ports. Once dry, everything was unmasked.

 

 

 

The standard kit will be supplied with Red Alder for deck planking. This is a beautiful timber. However, for this, I am using an engraved maple veneer deck. There will be an option for a maple deck, but it's an actual maple deck, not veneer. Fitting the deck will be the same as for this, with a subtle flex and sliding into the rear first, underneath the stern timbers. First though, a test fit should be done and the edges sanded so it lies flat to the bulwark edges. 

 

 

 

The deck was then glued down and left to dry. In the meantime, the main gu deck coamings were masked and airbrushed in Tamiya Flat Black. The grates will be added after the coamings are fitted, so to reduce rigidity when fitting.

 

 

More soon(ish) 

[James H]

Ship's stove.

 

 I know I did the for the VM web-shop but this one is now printed in 8K resolution using a different resin which is tough. There are two PE frets with this stove, with a few spares for things like pulleys and eyelets etc. The stove assembly is the same as the one in the shop, but here are some pics of the work.

 

 

 

 

Tamiya fine primer was used on the stove, followed by Tamiya Flat Black. The stove was then weathered with Uschi van der Rosten steel pigment. At this stage, the chimney and pipe are only sat in position. They'll be glued to the stove later in the build.

 

[Chuck]

Quite nice!!!

[Blue Ensign]

Looks good James, realistic finish, I like it. 👍

drip tray a nice addition, I recall I had to make one for Sphinx.

 

B.E.

[Nirvana]

Beautiful stove!

[Lieste]

Red Ochre for the lower deck spirketing and quickwork? I'd understood 'tweendecks as being whitewashed to enhance the light reflected from ports or the fighting lanterns, to make operating under conditions of smoke and minimal direct sunlight as easy as possible. Reds and Greens, or Yellow Ochre on the weatherdeck bulwarks seem to be common however.

Is there a source for the red lower deck spirketing and quickwork?

[James H]

17 minutes ago, Lieste said:

Red Ochre for the lower deck spirketing and quickwork? I'd understood 'tweendecks as being whitewashed to enhance the light reflected from ports or the fighting lanterns, to make operating under conditions of smoke and minimal direct sunlight as easy as possible. Reds and Greens, or Yellow Ochre on the weatherdeck bulwarks seem to be common however.

Is there a source for the red lower deck spirketing and quickwork?

It's not the lower gun deck, it's the main gun deck. Many contemporary models show the same for that deck. We have plenty in our gallery. 

[chris watton]

36 minutes ago, Lieste said:

Red Ochre for the lower deck spirketing and quickwork? I'd understood 'tweendecks as being whitewashed to enhance the light reflected from ports or the fighting lanterns, to make operating under conditions of smoke and minimal direct sunlight as easy as possible. Reds and Greens, or Yellow Ochre on the weatherdeck bulwarks seem to be common however.

Is there a source for the red lower deck spirketing and quickwork?

Yes, there is a source. The book Old Ship Figure-Heads & Sterns, by L.G. Carr Laughton. According to his research, red was still the regulation colour for inboard as late as 1801, but at this time, it was giving way to other colours, usually yellow, but other colours were used.

 

Red is always the safest bet for this period, but yellow is also an option. White is not mentioned for the upper decks, but is for the lower decks, which became the regular practice by 1815. Indy is almost 20 years before this, though, hence the red.

 

ETA - What is your source for believing the inner bulwarks should be whitewashed?

Edited September 12, 2022 by chris watton