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

[James H]

Update time. 

 

As you've seen recently, I've been doing the coppering using 6mm tape, cut into 18mm lengths. It's a little tedious, but perhaps less so that using PE, and it's also a little quicker. I coppered the hull in around 4 less than full days. There's no double banding on this.....just complete from keel to waterline. When all done, the copper was buffed down using cotton buds.

 

 

 

The coppering was added above the slightly (and intentionally) lower waterline I added in silver pencil onto the black hull. I figured that adding a good two levels above that would be a reasonable indicator of 'enough'. It was as planned. With the copper added, I set the waterline tool again so I could draw along the copper plates this time. It needs to be remembered the the stern of this sits a little lower in the water than the bow, with the waterline increasing in depth from around 90mm to 95mm, bow to stern, along the full hull length.....so not parallel with the lower keel. With that done, I ran a fresh scalpel along the whole pencil line and peeled off the excess above the line. The keel and stern edges were then coppered too.

 

 

 

The rudder is a very simple affair. I'm actually coppering this at the moment, but don't have those photos yet.

 

 

 

The headrails are built up from various laminates of pear, and there are other single piece rails. All have engravings which must be painted in ochre, whilst the main colour is obviously black.

[James H]

...continued:

 

Gun port lids. Very straightforward.

 

 

 

 

The channels are made up from three layers, so look more realistic. The edges of these were rounded/chamfered as per the real thing.

 

 

 

The reworked figurehead is complete!

 

 

 

And here is my work so far on the 24' cutter, which is still ongoing. Many are already familiar with the construction of these little boats. 

 

 

Until next time.

 

[Blas de Lezo]

First of all, I wish all the best for this 2023 to everybody.

 

Second I ask you forgive me if my question is completely wrong. Is this HMS Indefatigable the same one that together with other three frigates attacked the Spanish convoy that included the ill-fated Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes?

 

Thank you in advance, and of course, my sincere congratulations to Chris for this superb design.

 

Víctor.

[chris watton]

7 minutes ago, Blas de Lezo said:

First of all, I wish all the best for this 2023 to everybody.

 

Second I ask you forgive me if my question is completely wrong. Is this HMS Indefatigable the same one that together with other three frigates attacked the Spanish convoy that included the ill-fated Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes?

 

Thank you in advance, and of course, my sincere congratulations to Chris for this superb design.

 

Víctor.

Yes, it is the same frigate that captured the Spanish 'Treasure Fleet' in 1804, resulting in the Mercedes blowing up.

[Blas de Lezo]

Just now, chris watton said:

Yes, it is the same frigate that captured the Spanish 'Treasure Fleet' in 1804, resulting in the Mercedes blowing up.

Thanks a lot for your quick reply. A one more motive to buy it!

 

V

[James H]

2 minutes ago, Blas de Lezo said:

Thanks a lot for your quick reply. A one more motive to buy it!

 

V

 

You know what to do! 😆

 

https://vanguardmodels.co.uk/product/hms-indefatigable-1794/

[James H]

A confession:

 

I have to start this update with me being given a gentle nudge as to painting reminder about painting convention when it comes to the head timbers. I painted them in black, with ochre insets where the engraved areas were. Whoop! That should almost all have been inverted! I painted the original way because it seemed the logical way, but nope... Here are the newly painted timbers. You'll note that some are now entirely ochre. This is how it should be, if using those conventions. I used a 0.1mm black Edding pen for some details.

 

 

 

With Indy, the waterline marks are supplied as waterslide decals. I used a setting solution with these so that they help to conform to any surface details. First of all though, the application area was painted in gloss varnish. Remember...don't decal to a matt surface!

 

 

 

 

The catheads are now finished and installed to the model. A small section of rail below the cathead, is removed. One of the parts leading to the head timbers will slot under there, with the curved knee sat over the upper edge.

 

 

 

Lastly for now, the timberheads are installed to the gunwales. These are first shaped slightly.

 

 

 

Until later...

 

 

[Kevin]

thats brilliant

[James H]

Weekend update.

 

The bow is now done. Please forgive some of the dust in these pictures. I did more or less remove it for the final figurehead pics.

 

Creating a 3D knee for the timberhead is done by means of using laminated pear parts, first soaked and then clamped into a custom jig until dry. These are then glued and clamped together until set and then the part is shaped for installation. 

 

 

 

 

 

It's now the turn of the bow grates to be installed.

 

 

 

 

I really don't know why these are called 'seats of ease'. The last thing I'd want to do at 3am is to go out to one of these with the seas lashing around my backside!

 

 

 

 

The largest bow timbers are now installed.

 

 

 

 

This kit is supplied with Polybak detail parts instead of photo-etch. not only are these made in-house at VM, but they look far nicer to my eye and are easier to paint. Here you see the decor installed on the prow. 

 

 

 

 

I don't advocate fitting the figurehead at this time, but Chris did want to see how it looked, so here it is!

 

 

 

Ok, I'll be starting the stern tomorrow. 

[allanyed]

The coppering is one of the best if not THE best posted on any log here at MSW.   Kudos!

Allan

Edited January 22, 2023 by allanyed

[Kevin]

1 hour ago, allanyed said:

The coppering is one of the best if not THE best posted on any log here at MSW.   Kudos!

Allan

agreed

[Malcolm Greig]

That sure is a very tidy coppering job. 

 

The figure head looks fantastic. I real eye catcher. The carver has done a superb job and the paint job is excellent.  Well done.

 

regards

 

Malcolm

[chris watton]

The first 5 Indy kits complete in boxes, all they wait for is plans, manual and box label.

[Glenn-UK]

11 hours ago, chris watton said:

The first 5 Indy kits complete in boxes, all they wait for is plans, manual and box label.

I have started a weight training program so I will be able to carry the Indy box to the shipyard when it arrives.😂

[mtaylor]

I can hear folks drooling and hoping for one those boxes.  Hopefully no fistfights.

[yvesvidal]

On 1/22/2023 at 2:02 PM, James H said:

 

 

I wonder if it was typical to paint the figure-heads on period ships, or is it only applicable to that specific vessel? 

I am not too sure what to do with my Bellona figure-head..... All gold, wood painted or fully decorated?

Thanks for any info you may provide.

Yves

[Blue Ensign]

Carr Laughton has something to say about the decoration of Figures, which had been painted in natural colours, certainly from the 17th c altho' there may have been periods prior to 1770 where the fashion  had  lapsed in favour of gilt , varnish, or yellow paint.

 During the late 18th c   it is highly likely that figures were painted in natural colours, so I doubt that anyone could argue with the  scheme on the Indy model.

The other consideration is aesthetics. Many of the beautiful 18thc models show unpainted figures, and personally as I like as little paint on models as possible I have always favoured the 'varnished' look.

Indy is slightly different as it is an all painted model and is perhaps better suited to a coloured figure.

 

It has really got to be in the 'eye' of the builder but I don't think there is an historical reason not to colour the figure.

 

B.E.

 

[James H]

Evening!

 

I thought this a good time to do an update as the stern is more or less complete. I've just got to add the stern gunport eyebolts and hinges, plus the lanterns which are now under paint.

 

First job here is to fit the glazing panels which come pre-cut. These just pop into place and the PE window frames are painted and pushed into the recesses. These push in snugly, and a little varnish was run around them to 'glue' them into place. Note that you can have any stern window (except the quarter-rears) positioned either open or closed. I opted to leave two windows open.

 

 

 

The columns are now singled out for some ochre paint and these are then glued between the windows. Minimal trimming is needed with these.

 

 

 

Instead of PE for the quarter shingles, a small sheet of pre-cut Laser-Board is included. these are longer than they need to be and are just trimmed and glued into place with a few dits of CA gel. These will then be painted in black to make them uniform (not seen here).

 

 

 

Again, instead of PE, the stern decor is laser-engraved into a sheet of PolyBak. These are finer than PE and have much nicer fidelity. All parts are carefully removed, attached to some de-tacked tape and then airbrushed in yellow ochre paint. Each part is then applied to the relevant engraved area on the ship's stern. For the ship name, a waterslide decal is included.

 

 

Until later!

[DelF]

Stunning. That must be the most realistic stern I’ve seen on a kit. I’m going to have a hard time leaving Indefatigable in the box while I get on with Sphinx!

[Chuck]

Wonderful work...just beautiful.  

[yvesvidal]

1 hour ago, James H said:

I wish CAF Model would use the same technique for their window panes, instead of the CNC machined wood. These windows are very sharp, especially at this scale.

 

Yves

[glbarlow]

Really well done!!

[Nunnehi (Don)]

That’s gorgeous!

[Ronald-V]

Those open windows are such a cool detail 👍

[Rustyj]

That is beautifully done. I'm gonna have to break down and finally learn how to use my airbrush!  

[James H]

5 minutes ago, Rustyj said:

That is beautifully done. I'm gonna have to break down and finally learn how to use my airbrush!  

You don’t actually need to use an airbrush on the stern. It can be done with a brush. I guess I’m just stuck in my old ways. 

[targa4403]

1 hour ago, Rustyj said:

That is beautifully done. I'm gonna have to break down and finally learn how to use my airbrush!  

Stick to paint that is made for airbrushes.  You can buy generic acrylic paint and then thin it down with thinner, but my opinion is it easier to use that paint which is made for airbrushes.  For example Vallejo Model Air paint.

[hollowneck]

2 hours ago, targa4403 said:

Stick to paint that is made for airbrushes.  You can buy generic acrylic paint and then thin it down with thinner, but my opinion is it easier to use that paint which is made for airbrushes.  For example Vallejo Model Air paint.

Vallejo Model Air paint=100 per cent! Saves having to disassemble your airbrush every 15 minutes.

[James H]

22 minutes ago, hollowneck said:

Vallejo Model Air paint=100 per cent! Saves having to disassemble your airbrush every 15 minutes.

I think it can depend on your airbrush too. 

 

My Iwata brushes absolutely hates Vallejo Model Air. It seemed to spray thin and weirdly clog up the nozzle too. I get the same with Lifecolor paints. 

 

The AK stuff that Chris now sells is absolutely fine with my setup, just diluted 50:50 with regular tap water.

[hollowneck]

5 minutes ago, James H said:

My Iwata brushes absolutely hates Vallejo Model Air.

Interesting. I use an Iwata airbrush (dual-action), top feed. So far, so good. Perhaps we use different models, vintages? This said, I only airbrush minimally and only on large surface areas where I want as much color consistency as possible -  like on my silk span sails; I've used my airbrush to touch-up from previous Liquitex rattle can spraying where there are visual "holes". Airbrushing is a staple in the plastic modeling world for good reason. For wooden model ships, not so much - also for good reason.