HMS Victory by tomganc - DeAgostini - 1/84

[tomganc]

Hello everyone!

 

Happy New Year from brand new member

I'm so happy I have joined this community as I saw some fantastic builds here and I can't wait to share some of my stuff

 

I've started my build when it was released as a partwork about 8 years ago. It was going great and I had to put it on hold for some time. Luckily I've collected all the magazines and completed all the parts. She went into the loft and survived two house moves.

Few months ago I decided to get cracking and finish the build. This was the best decision ever as since I reinstated build I had so much fun with it.

 

To recap what I've done before restart - have a look at some pics...

 

There is some additional stuff I purchased - mainly copper planking. It is I think around 4000 individual plates so it took absolute ages to get it done. I still had rudder left to do and few bits that came loose needed replacing...

 

Have a look

 

 

 

 

The first job after this quite few years was cleaning the copper hull...

I used water with vinegar and salt. There is a massive difference after this treatment...

 

 

There is more but I need to sort out the pics

 

That's the sneak peek from current stage...

Thanks

Tom

 

 

 

[tomganc]

Another part of the build...

 

Fitting some of the gun ports and of course I decided to add more details. Had to make some eyelets so it all looks more realistic. It took me a while to fit all the small parts and as usual it was well worth the effort.

I also managed to copper plate the rudder and fit it to the hull...

 

[tomganc]

Making of 6 top deck cannons - improvements

There is few things that I improved on the cannons - build and rigging. 
I will be using 2mm blocks for the proper rigging so there are some details required too

First thing I found somewhere it was the wheels. Real cannon has much thicker wheel shafts than proposed brass ones and I managed to find just the right way of doing it. I can't remember where I saw this method but it works great.

Instead of using the brass rod I used tooth picks but you insert them from the outside of the carriage which means the spike goes into the wheel first and then comes out and into the carriage. This gives you thicker diameter on the outside which you can trim. I went a step forward and decided to show the metal strap on the wheel hub. Using method described at the gun port lids I made some eyes of the diameter just big enough to fit on the toothpick just outside the wheel. Then I cut the toothpick off and secured it all with tiny drop of super glue.
It looks really good and I'm pleased with the result so far.

[tomganc]

Another upgrade - this time rear gallery.

I'm really happy with the results so far however masking and painting all the details was bit tricky

Of course I tried to make things look better than in the instructions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tomganc]

Top deck cannons and carronade's rigging.

This was really trick part and I knew it had to be done. I managed to do some research regarding real rigging of these cannons and after getting blocks small enough (2mm and 3mm) I was ready to start...

 

 

 

 

 

[Pitr Obrębski]

Just beautiful !

[allanyed]

tom,

Lovely build you have going, thank you for sharing.  Hope you don't mind my question but you show something I have never seen before.   Is this what the kit instructed?  Thank you

 

Allan

   

 

 

 

 

[tomganc]

Hello Allan

I made this basing in the forum discussion years ago. I gues this was the way cannins were secured during rough seas but I could be wrong. I made it that one side is ready for “action” and opposite side looks like this. I also have hull cutout so I can display deck cannons setup

 

regards

Tom

[allanyed]

Thanks Tom,  This was new for me I had only seen the cannon pulled tight to the bulwarks and the running rigging lines frapped.  What the forum idea shows certainly would not hold the guns tight and keep them from running loose unless it was in addition to having the guns up tight and the lines frapped with the muzzle secured to the bulwarks as well.

Thanks for sharing!!

 

Allan

 

[tomganc]

1 minute ago, allanyed said:

Thanks Tom,  This was new for me I had only seen the cannon pulled tight to the bulwarks and the running rigging lines frapped.  What the forum idea shows certainly would not hold the guns tight and keep them from running loose unless it was in addition to having the guns up tight and the lines frapped with the muzzle secured to the bulwarks as well.

Thanks for sharing!!

 

Allan

 

Exactly. The muzzle was secured though so I think it is possible solution. Any possible movements were distributed amongst full row on cannons too. 
 

regards

Tom

[allanyed]

Tom,

What you say makes sense but I had never seen such a system based on contemporary sources.  Can you share the contemporary source from the forum discussion that came up with this as it would be an interesting thing to add to a model if it was actual practice. 

Thanks again

Allan

 

[tomganc]

Hello all

Another update time 😉

As all the jobs go ahead, I was getting closer to the rigging stage. Seeing some great builds out there I become really unhappy about the quality of the ropes supplied in the kit so decision was made to make my own. The more research I did the more overwhelmed I got. What thread should I use, cotton or synthetic, what type… The brand is Gutermann of course as it’s great quality. I needed two colours – black for standing rigging and natural for running rigging.

Next problem was a size of the ropes. The instructions were inaccurate, so I have found rigging instructions for JoTiKa kit and recalculated the rope sizes to match 1/84 scale.

The next stage was testing and making a spreadsheet for quantities of strands in the ropes to get right dimensions.

For Tera180 thread I’ve got as follows. First number is 1/72scale, the second is 1/84 and at the end number of threads and cores. This will also depend on the amount of tension on rope walk when you twist them together. The same thread was used for rope serving.

2.5mm – 2.14mm – 3x20

1.8mm – 1.54mm – 3x16

1.3mm – 1.1mm – 3x10

1.0mm – 0.86mm – 3x8

0.75mm – 0.64mm – 3x6

0.5mm – 0.43mm – 3x4

0.25mm – 0.2mm – 3x2

0.1mm – 0.09 – 3x1

 

Lastly I had to construct my own rope walk so I had a dig in my son’s Lego box and got it done 😉 I used small drill to run the gears of course  

 

Final ropes for my build

My setup allowed me to twist about 4m of rope in one go so it didn’t take me that long. To give you a perspective I got about 2000m of thread, and I used 90% already for the shrouds and some stays…

[tomganc]

Hello again

Another update - rigging started

 

I managed to get shrouds in, ropes are served as per original, I fitted some blocks and slings too. Right now I need to attach deadeyes to the shrouds which may take a while if you want to do it properly...

 

I also prepared deadeyes for the upper mast shrouds with some additional rigging that goes with it. 

 

Have a look at some photos...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's get back to work...

 

Regars

Tom

[Dave_E]

I have a grandson who is a Lego maniac… where did you come up with the correct Lego parts to build the winder? I have yet to work any rigging on my first build… you make it look easy.

[tomganc]

35 minutes ago, Dave_E said:

I have a grandson who is a Lego maniac… where did you come up with the correct Lego parts to build the winder? I have yet to work any rigging on my first build… you make it look easy.

Hi Dave, when it comes to Lego I just opened big box with all bunch of different parts from few kits. Found some gears, 4 really small ones and one big as center wheel. Then it was a case of messing with different blocks to make housing for it so gears are lining up correctly. When you look at the picture of the setup you could work everything out. I'll try to photograph it from the front so you can see everything clearer. 

In terms of getting your own ropes once you see how nice they come out you will never use rope supplied in the kit. You have to use really fine thread (depending on the scale and rope sizes). I'm using synthetic gutermann Tera 180. Really fine thread that gives super sharp and detailed lines.

 

And it isn't that hard once you get your head around it. It takes a little practise and few tries but it isn't that hard.

 

I'm mesmerized by rigging at the moment and I enjoy the process very much.

 

All the best

Tom

 

P.S.

Can you send a link to your build log pls? I was thinking of building Lady Nelson next

[Beef Wellington]

Tom - your rigging is looking really good, very impressed that you've dived into making your own rope, must feel very satisfying.

[JamesT1]

Tom,, just caught your build...  some very nice excellent work there,,,  really like your rigging.....

 

A we question if you don't mint....  the deck gratings,, is that the ones that come with the kit..... the spacing looks a bit big to me for the scale,, or is it just the way I'm looking at it

 

Jim

 

[tomganc]

On 1/22/2022 at 2:49 PM, Beef Wellington said:

Tom - your rigging is looking really good, very impressed that you've dived into making your own rope, must feel very satisfying.

Hi Jim

 

Yes it does, the longer it takes to make something the more satisfying it is...

 

Regards

Tom

[tomganc]

Hello everyone

 

Another progress here. I got to the point that I had to do hammocks as it will be easier to fit them now. After I rig the shrouds it will be really tight there.

As you can see I used different fabric than supplied as it was way too heave. I used old bed sheet and I will use the rest for the sails as guess what - I will be making my own

I've seen various ways of doing hammocks, the original instructions advised just to roll them up and put them in the netting. I thought about it and it seem'd really unpractical so I found this way of fitting them. I will need to modify the hammocks for the lower netting but I think it looks miles better. Of course it comes at the cost, doing it flat I would need about 100 of them. Doing it my way it will be around 300 as I used 70 already...

 

Have a look

 

 

 

 

 

In my humble opinion it looks miles better but I'm open to any suggestions.

 

Additionally I fitted boarding spikes, PE part ordered years ago somewhere. Looks nice and sharp. Rings are painted and spikes are blackened.

 

 

Additionally I played some with my own ropes to secure bonding with thimble for the preventer...

 

 

See you soon

 

Regards

Tom

[tomganc]

Hello again

 

I managed to move forward with the build. The fore mast shrouds are now rigged and I love the way it looks. As previously I made my own ropes which makes all the difference. I'm finishing off the catharpins and futtock shrouds now so I will be posting another update soon. 

 

I hope you like it

 

 

 

[tomganc]

Hi Everyone

Time for another update, I have finished lower fore mast. It took me a while but results exceeded my expectations. Love the details and I have already started main mast which should be ready by next week. This is fantastic adventure and experience and I can't get enough of it.

 

The pic quality isn't the best but I'm going to take some pro shots over the weekend and will definitely share it with you.

 

Happy build

 

Tom

 

 

 

 

 

[tomganc]

Hello again

 

I had a productive night with stays making and I'd like to share it with you. I made main and preventer stays for fore and main mast. I twisted is as 3x (3x4) for 1.1mm2 and 3x (3x6) for 1.6mm2 of Gutermann Tera 180. The result is superb, nice and crisp. I also did sneaking on the smaller cable. It was a pain as this are really small ropes but my eyes managed. I even stayed away from magnifying glass which is quite good I think

 

Right now I need to make mouse and an a loop with splicing which will be a task on its own

 

Have a look...

 

Regards

Tom

 

[Bill97]

Tom you work is incredible!  Absolutely beautiful. This is the first time I read through your build. Each time I read through someone else’s I see things I wish I had done after it is to late. Just curious about your thread colors. In the pictures above you show a coke brown thread along wi h the black and sand colors. What do you plan to use the brown for. I also have that color in my stash and think it is a nice compliment color to the others. 

Edited February 28, 2022 by Bill97

[tomganc]

Hiya, thanks for the input. I'm glad you find my build interesting and inspiring. I've gone quite far away from original instructions but I knew it at the beginning that as soon as I start that route it will be no looking back

In terms of rope colour I use black for standing rigging and I have Gutermann Skala 240 (colour 464) for running rigging. There isn't any other colours (Apart from the guns rigging which I did way earlier but too late to change them). I have seen some versions that standing rigging was done in dark brown and running much lighter than mine but I like the combination. I wasn't really looking to get anything different than black for standing rigging as this is the way the real thing is done. Colour of running rigging on real Victory though depends on the age of the ropes, condition, available stocks when replaced, etc. You will see many shades of these ropes which is quite normal.

 

Right now I'm getting to the stage of fitting bowsprit but I need to time it with attaching the stays. The order of install matters here as gammoning covers up the stays anchor point on the bowsprit. It will take me a while before it's done though. Right now I managed to do main stay's mouse and loop, serving it and worming too.

Have a look below.

 

 

[Bill97]

Tom your mouse and loop combination look very good. Again great job. I will be there real soon and have been practicing make no them. 

[tomganc]

Hi again fellow builders!

 

Another update on my log, I managed to successfully finish few things.

1. Finished rigging of lower mizzen mast. Getting all the lower masts done was a long process but luckily I have it done. As you know I wasn't following the instructions but I used proper literature trying to mimic the original as much as I could.

 

Have a look

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The big achievement last night was finalising main stay with all its rigging. I had to order new heart blocks from Vanguard Models (https://vanguardmodels.co.uk/product/pearwood-open-and-closed-heart-blocks/)

They fitted perfectly, the main stay was using two largest blocks from their set. 

Rigging it was extremely tricky but I got the result I wanted and I'm so happy with the outcome

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a great modelling

 

Regards

Tom

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 10, 2022 by tomganc

[Nipper]

Hello Tom - I've just come into your log and I have had a wonderful time reading through and looking at your ideas and methods.  What a fascinating build and I'm really impressed at what you're doing at such a small scale.

One question - I may have missed this elsewhere in your log, so apologies if I have:  what did you use for the hammock netting?   What you have there looks very good for 1/84.

Nipper

[tomganc]

On 3/18/2022 at 7:25 PM, Nipper said:

Hello Tom - I've just come into your log and I have had a wonderful time reading through and looking at your ideas and methods.  What a fascinating build and I'm really impressed at what you're doing at such a small scale.

One question - I may have missed this elsewhere in your log, so apologies if I have:  what did you use for the hammock netting?   What you have there looks very good for 1/84.

Nipper

Hello, sorry I have missed your comment

Thank you for kind words and I'm glad you like my build. I have some pics to upload as I have done quite big progress since this post.

 

To reply to your question I had black netting supplied in the kit but it was black, and as you know the real Victory has white netting. I had a little reseatch and I went into Etsy to get this (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/965753581/ivory-off-white-extra-soft-italian-tulle?click_key=49482354e64f9a5323afe1180f9292d156ef17b9%3A965753581&click_sum=faebdaba&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=tulle&ref=sr_gallery-1-4&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&pop=1)

 

I had to stain it a little as white was just too white  

 

I hope it helped.

Regards

Tom

[tomganc]

Hello again, I have another update. 
 

I had decided to finish mizzen mast rigging so I had a better feel how she looks like and WOW I'm so happy. 

It took me a while to get all the necessary details but it all looks just great.

 

I've got a question to all fellow modellers as I'm bit stuck with mizzen yards rigging especially the crossjack yard. I can't find any decent pictures of models that have it done closest to the original. How many blocks does it have, I know it is attached to the mast with the sling but I'm not sure about main block used to lift it to its position.

 

In the meantime enjoy the pics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nipper]

12 hours ago, tomganc said:

Hello, sorry I have missed your comment

Thank you for kind words and I'm glad you like my build. I have some pics to upload as I have done quite big progress since this post.

 

To reply to your question I had black netting supplied in the kit but it was black, and as you know the real Victory has white netting. I had a little reseatch and I went into Etsy to get this (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/965753581/ivory-off-white-extra-soft-italian-tulle?click_key=49482354e64f9a5323afe1180f9292d156ef17b9%3A965753581&click_sum=faebdaba&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=tulle&ref=sr_gallery-1-4&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&pop=1)

 

I had to stain it a little as white was just too white  

 

I hope it helped.

Regards

Tom

Tom - many thanks for this.  I will use your idea when I come to make the hammock netting for my Sphinx, if that's OK.

Like you, I searched the internet for a suitable material when I wanted to make the sails on my Alert, and found some voile in a lovely off-white/buff colour.  This is much more finely woven than tulle, but still a little too open when looked at really closely.  But it responded well to furling and I'm pleased with the result.

 

Lovely pictures above - welldone!