Santa Maria by modeller_masa - FINISHED - Artesania Latina - 1:65 - 22411N New parts

[modeller_masa]

 

I finished the first section of the second planking. At first, I wasn't sure if the spiling planking was suitable for this hull or not. I double checked similar build logs, and found that the modellers had similar worries and got beautiful results. 

 

 

It is a brief summary of the spiling planking method. You may find lots of spiling tutorials on Youtube.

 

 

Don't forget the garboard is the widest plank of a ship.  

 

 

The longer the curved planks, the harder I felt cutting the 4.0mm wide stock strip. In that case, it is better to change the strip to a wood veneer sheet. I purchased sapele veneer sheets, which are thicker than the stock strips. Shorter planks reduce the extra expense.  

 

 

By the way, walnut and sapele are hard wood that are considered fragile and easily broken due to their cell structure. I used sticker paper to prevent damage when I was installing them, and I glued it with the sticker. I would say that it works well, and I'll sand the rough surface anyway.

 

 

I found a staining problem. As you see, the extra plank from a veneer sheet (Red) and stock strips (Blue) look different, although they are the same 'sapele' trees.

 

https://www.wood-database.com/?s=sapele

There are hundreds of thousands of subspecies, and each subspecy may have a different color. Moreover, a same tree has various wood colors depending on the parts, such as heartwood and sapwood. There are tons of variables to determine wood colors, so it is best to prepare the same materials at once when you build a new ship. If you buy wood strips separately, you may have this staining problem.

 

 

I still have a few questions about spiling planking method, but I was mostly satisfied with my result from the first section. I'll keep this method and repeat the job. See you in 1~2 weeks. 😉

[modeller_masa]

 

While I was planking each section, I felt the planking line was not appropriate. I checked the lines today, and... Oh my...

 

 

I said that experience is the key determining the planking line. I should have checked my ship at the front...

 

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-386365

 

It seems a bit late, but I searched museum examples for similar hull types. I couldn't stand my mistake.

 

 

It was fortunate that I only finished two sections. I removed them all. I'll draw new planking lines and restart everything.

 

 

 

According to the museum ships, my new lines would likely be this. In order to work faster, I'll reduce the sections from 6 to 5.

 

I would like to share my mistake with everyone who doesn't have experience.  

[modeller_masa]

 

I remembered another great reference book. I had previously purchased it, but I didn't realize that the Mary Rose was a contemporary carrack ship. Fortunately, the book has a detailed hull lining based on the real wrecked ship. Although she was a warship type carrack, which has several differences, such as no wales on the back, the book definitely helped me because I couldn't find many Portuguese models on the UK's museum site.

 

 

I didn't use Excel this time, instead relying on my eyes and example pictures. I haven't decide on all the hull lining yet, so I'll write my plan when I finish hull planking.

 

 

I was a bit tired of planking on the lower hull, so I challanged the wales and planking between the wales. It made me have questions immediately.

 

 

(1) When should I install the wales?

After I install the second planking, I must sand the surface. The wales are higher than the others, so I have to install them later. Otherwise, slow masking work is waiting for me...

 

(2) How do I install the wales?

It depends on the structure of the model ship.

 

 

This is a diagram based on my reference book. As you see, the real ship might be a single planking, and the wales and planking attached on same Futtocks.

 

 

Based on my personal search of excellent build logs here, many expert modellers are in favor of the single planking hull. If they built a double planking hull, they also worked hard on the first planking's hull lining. I'm not sure why, but I'm guessing the border line is a hint for the second planking.

 

Difficulty : ★★★★★

Labor  : ★★★★★

Time : ★★★★★

 

Reality : ★★★★★

 

By the way, isn't it interesting that model ships have different structure from the real ships? Despite their similar exteriors, many models, including plastic model kits, omit details and interiors due to productivity and physical constraints. One of the surprising impressions when I became a member here was that there were so many experts like retired captains, crews and ship carpenters here. I liked an appearance of a sailing ship, but had no knowledge of details like the structure of a capstan. The gap happens in every scale model field, so I would say that the virtue of modesty and honesty to accept one's own limitations is necessary.

 

 

The AL's manual shows how scale model simplify the real world. This method omit lots of details, but it is very handy and easy. Although the hull lining is a stereotype of the 'avoid', most people who haven't sailed on the ships won't know it.  

 

Difficulty : ★★★

Labor  : ★★★

Time : ★★

 

Reality : ★★★

 

Please consider that this rating is personal and relative. 😅

 

 

 

This is my method. I attached the first planking without patterns, so it was relatively faster work than the No.2 . After that, I drew hull lining and am parallelly installing the second planking and wales. The result may be similar to the No.2, but the juryman is you.  

 

 

Today's post is a bit subjective, so please don't consider my opinion serious. 😘

[Artesania Latina]

Superb work, we love to see our kits reworked and improved with this kind of skill.

[modeller_masa]

Thanks for the surprising comment, Artesania Latina.

 

 

https://thenrg.org/resource/articles/ship-models-that-should-not-be-built

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/31503-on-ship-models-that-should-not-be-built-chapelle-h-i-an-article-review/

 

The recent discussion regarding historical accuracy and freedom of expression led me to better understand this forum and the NRG's stance. Although the discussion left me stranded for a week, the slump made my goal clear.

 

 

I'm a casual modeller who is easily satisfied with the model ship's exterior. I haven't worked any kind of maritime job, and my motivation is driven by the 30 years old classic video game, which sails the sea and trades merchandise in the 16th centuries. It was a kind of trading simulation where players handled only facial numbers of merchandise and the specs of various ships rather than real sailing. The 80x60 pixel ships contained only a few details, such as the number of crews, food, and supplies. 

 

My primary goal is to build thiry ship models in the game. The original ships in the game were only 80x60 dot pixels. After I started this hobby, I added some sub-goals for myself, such as building a museum-quality HMS Victory or the Columbus fleet (Oh!). The list will grow as I understand the structure and function of a ship. Therefore, I would say that all my projects came from a chain of questions derived from the 80x60 dot pixels.

 

I understood that my rough opinions and questions I wrote could have made someone uncomfortable who lived on the sea. I am less motivated to build model ships whereas other hobbies fascinate me. The reason is probably that I don't have their professional pride and vast knowledge. I need a pleasure to build and make something rather than jump into deep knowledge to get a shipyard job. Will I regret my 30 projects after I finish them? Of course, yes. With the regret that I could have made them better, I'll show my collection to friends proudly. "These ships were in a game I played 60 years ago. It began with curiosity about 80x60 dot pixels."

 

My projects may be centered on crafting models rather than recreating historic ships academically. The overall stance may look like the AL, but I'll dig into specific parts if curious things draw my attention. I can't make everything perfect at once because I don't have overall maritime knowledge. My overall skills will grow as time goes by, but they will never reach the level of the professional marine engineers or crews. I think it's fine for me. My small wish is that more modellers in SK build wooden model ships and discuss ship models together. (The total number of wooden model ship builders in SK may be less than the current real-time login members of this forum. )

 

I don't mean to push you to have the same goal. I believe that every member here visits this forum in order to achieve each member's goal and have fun. With respect, I also want everyone to accomplish each individual's goal and enjoy their unique hobby. 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, let's return to the build log. I spent half a month on starboard and haven't finished it yet. Some members finish similar work within 3–7 days, and I have a reason to delay.

 

 

I'm writing this build log to attract new builders. One of my efforts in this build log is to use fewer tools. The various tools and their high cost are a big obstacle to newcomers who are familiar with very advanced modern plastic kits, and any kind of "water" is a good reason to divert their attention from the "difficult" hobby.

 

Many young and new modelers want to build quick and easy models with superior quality. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw some comments posted by young modellers. They are scared of the 'scale models', such as cars or tanks, because they think the plastic runner's default color isn't good, and additional painting is too difficult. They love characters or fancy plastic kits like the 'Gundam', which has an easy snap-tight design with colorful runners and dry stickers. 

 

I don't deny their trend, and also agree that traditional wooden modelling is relatively difficult for them. To attract the new builders to the world of wooden model ships, I make things easier for them; I select and limit the tools they need to get started, or introduce more easy and useful techniques for each step.

 

 

One of my failed attempts was the dry hull planking, which never uses water. I am satisfied with its quality, but I would say that newcomers may not like its slow speed.

 

 

After the slump, I tried the AL's method on the other side. I finished the portside within 3 days! I guess expert modellers may finish hull planking within 2 days, and complete an entire kit within a week. 

 

 

 

What is the AL's method? Thanks to the high resolution PDF manual, I confirmed that the AL's sample ship is built with wet planking. The manual's example ship can't be done without water, but the manual doesn't explain it clearly. I didn't know this before because the old kits from AL didn't have the high resolution manual.

 

 

 

As I said, I don't want to make a long -must buy- tool list, but I have to add crafting irons in case of using water. It works like a CA glue accelerator and makes your life more comfortable. 

 

 

 

I put sapele strips in the water and waited for an hour. Without the water, hard wood strips such as sapele (= an alternative to mahogani) and walnut will be broken. 

 

 

The black lines on the picture are the borders of each plank. In addition, I highlighted every plank by difficulty rate. In short, the blue planks mean very easy, and the red planks mean super hard and time consuming. According to the color chart, you can estimate that the green planks above the lowest wale are super easy with water and an electric iron. Without water and iron? You will see soon. 😅

 

 

This is a planking line below the wales. It seems pretty unpredictable and hard to follow. Of course, I concluded that I don't need to use the AL's planking. 

 

 

This is my project. Forget the blue and yellow planks. I placed dry planks (blue planks) first, then gave up to refuse water. Planking in a green area was so easy and a lot of fun. 😆

 

 

On the contray, I made more simple planking lines under wales. Although the planking pattern is far from a real ship, (A real ship means a similar ship exists in reality, academically.) I would say that new builders should use this planking pattern at least once. It is so easy and fast that new builders will be fascinated by building wooden model ships. Of course, they will find a better choice soon at last. 😉

 

 

How about the starboard planking? It was terrible. I love the result, but the 'dry' spiling planking consumed too much time. I concluded that the 'dry' spiling planking isn't good for new builders. I began to use water and iron, so the rest of the work won't be tougher than it. 

 

 

Before I sanded the portside planking, I washed the PVA coated surface with wet tissue. The glossy surface blocks applying varnish, so I have to remove the PVA gum on the second planking. I repeated rubbing the surface with wet tissue and 120 grid sanding paper.

 

 

As I made a surface clean, I found many gaps between strips. Low resolution pictures can't show the defects, but everyone who watches real model will know the crevasse because the light yellow background is very conspicuous. I filled the defects with spare strips, and sanded the surface again. Experts who take a closer look with a magnifier may notice the small defects, but the overall appearance will be much better.

 

I think I can finish hull planking this month! 😎

Edited March 24, 2022 by modeller_masa

[Katsumoto]

Great work on the SM. I do like the "old" kit much better @Artesania Latina More solid walnut parts and less plywood please!
You have probably know my completed buildlog and heavily "upgraded" the standard kit. However, I did use all the materials within the kit. The kit itself is a nice kit, it just need some upgrades.

 

You did a nice job on the planking pattern. Looking forward to the next steps. I hope my buildlog wil help you on your way to make your own choices. 

 

regards,
Peter

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by Katsumoto

[modeller_masa]

Hello, Peter. It's my pleasure to invite both you and Moonbug, who wrote my best references for this build!

 

From your speed of building and skillful results, I guess you're an expert modeler, and you may get nothing impressive from my buildlog. I'll summarize any differences between the old SM kit and this new kit I find, so please visit again if you're interested in it when I finish.

 

Thank you again for writing the great build log again, Peter.

[starlight]

12 hours ago, modeller_masa said:

I guess you're an expert modeler, and you may get nothing impressive from my buildlog.

 

Masa, you might not be an expert builder yet, but you produce some of the most detailed and instructive diagrams I've seen on MSW. Keep up the good work!

 

-starlight

[Katsumoto]

19 hours ago, modeller_masa said:

Hello, Peter. It's my pleasure to invite both you and Moonbug, who wrote my best references for this build!

 

From your speed of building and skillful results, I guess you're an expert modeler, and you may get nothing impressive from my buildlog. I'll summarize any differences between the old SM kit and this new kit I find, so please visit again if you're interested in it when I finish.

 

Thank you again for writing the great build log again, Peter.

Hi modeller_masa, it's all about dedication. You are going the extra mile with your diagrams and explanation of the construction. So, thumbs up for you! 👍
To me it doesn't matter how long a person is building or how "good" they are to follow a buildlog. Building a model is like running a marathon, not a sprint competition, so speed doesn't matter. I'm just curious how you are building Santa Maria and I'm looking forward to your next steps. 😉

 

regards,
Peter
 

[modeller_masa]

Thanks for the compliment, starlight. It may look like a student teaching a student. Who will enjoy the scene best? Teacher! 

 

I appreciate your kind advice, Peter. As an 'open' project, I both value my personal satisfaction and audience's enjoyment. I hope you have a little break when you visit again. 😉 

 

 

 

The finish line of a marathon isn't far off. 😎

[modeller_masa]

 

I finished the second planking with the third floor deck planking. I hoped to finish wales, keels, and the front deck, too.

 

 

 

 

You can confirm that I lined off the lower hull between the wales and garboard in four sections. I used three butt planking patterns.

 

 

I have some tips I learned and want to share them, but I spent several hours building this video... See you tomorrow. 😴

 

[modeller_masa]

 

When I cut holes on the back before I planked, I used sticker paper to measure the positions that I had made before.

 

 

 

I used the stripe stickers as a ruler. It was a kind of puzzle and quite fun.  

 

 

It's done.

 

By the way, the plank between the holes and the square hole is very weak due to its construction. I had to pay attention to the place when I planked. It may be good to add support inside the place.

 

 

I added one more tip to make a well-polished curved plank strip. The tip also reduces gaps between planks.

 

 

One more tip! I use this tip when I do spiling planking. At first, I drew an outline of the desired place with a pencil.

 

 

I used the 3M green tape.

 

 

After I attached the tape, I traced the outline with a wood toothpick. metal tweezer may cut the tape.

 

 

Pretty easy and fast. It is 3~4 times more accurate than marking on masking tape in my case.

 

 

I used to use sticker paper to make a spiling plank.

 

 

Unfortunately, the width of the paper plank is wider than the stock strips in a kit. I have to bend the strip with a special tool.

 

 

I used water and a leathercraft iron. I placed the strips in a plant stand for more than an hour, and scorched them with the iron. Without the heat and steam, the strip wouldn't have bent.

 

 

The result was successful. If you need a stronger curved strip, I recommend using boiled water. After 5~10 minutes, the hardwood strip will be like spaghetti with a lot of water.

 

 

Mission accomplished.

Edited March 31, 2022 by modeller_masa

[modeller_masa]

I'm sorry I didn't post continually. I had lots of trouble at the end of the hull planking, and I hadn't summarize my mind yet. Instead of neglecting a build log until I catch up on a backlog of homework, I would like to update the current status. I have a plan to re-summarize the entire planking process at the end.😘

 

I gave up trying to polish all the troubles from the hull planking, and advanced to the next stage. 

I'm installing wales. It is relatively easier than planking. I attached masking tapes to protect the stained planks from bonding.

 

It is hard when the curve is drastic. We know how to deal with it.  

It is too wide to use 3M scotch tape. I simply used a paper.

 

Even shipyards use water vapor and clamps.  I simply put the strip in the boiling water for 5 minutes.

d

I used the mini iron to speed up the process. I set the temperature at 150℃ (300℉).

😄

 

I'll explain omitted processes later.

Edited April 16, 2022 by modeller_masa

[MateuszPL]

Great job. I'm waiting for more photos and work progress.

[modeller_masa]

Hello, MateusPL.

Sorry about delay. I've been busy playing some games. I upgraded my PC to edit movie, so I've played old games. 🤨

 

 

I ordered a Greek trireme from Maris Stella on April because it appears to be the most like the ships in the game. Unfortunately, the company may not have any stock, and I'm waiting for re-production. 😪

 

Back to Santa Maria, I found that a new feature of the SM N kit is quite difficult and delicate. I had several issues when I scrapped wale bars.

It is important to keep an angled position. Without proper grab position or exact width of a strip, the microscrapper will bounce and make a deep scratch on the strip.

This is the main reason the microscrapper is derailed. (1) The tool's side edges scratch side of the strip and force my hand to shake.

The second reason for the derailing is the width of the strip. The strip must be exactly 2.95mm ~ 3.00mm wide. 

When I scrapped one narrow strip which had 2.90mm wide from both ends, the rail didn't match at the center and made it ugly. It is good to use the narrow strip for other places.

 

Some wales need to be clamped due 3D complex curved hull. Don't scrap the wales before bending. The clamping made the moulding pattern dull.

Finally, I attached 3mm wide masking tape to the polished wale bars. The grooves are weak and gather dust easily.

 

There were lots of mistakes, and still lots of things to do. I have to fill some gaps with wooden filler and stain them.

 

I used boiling water and a pyrography iron to bend them. Because of the twisted hull, I extended the curved wall at stem. 

 

A little trick to mark the curved wall.  I used 3mm wide masking tapes.

 

Sanding and polising.

 

I don't remember when I last used a protractor. I just made a paper protractor. 😎

 

2.0mm masking tapes again.

 

I added fake waterspouts to hide the dirty corners. 😎

 

The jobs at stem are almost done.

Sanding, polishing, and staining.

Edited May 4, 2022 by modeller_masa

[KJackson]

I really like your narration and the care you're taking with the photos and descriptions, Masa.

 

I'm pulling up a chair to watch this progress!

 

Kristyn

[modeller_masa]

Sorry about the lazy delays. I had played another game for one hundred hours... 🤪 

 

Hello, Kristyn. Thank you for the praise, and sorry about the long vacancy. 

 

The hobby fair is the biggest model festival in South Korea. I hoped to finish the Santa Maria before. 🤨

 

This is a relatively simple explanation that I can post in a short time. I'll catch all the explanations I passed after I finished the whole model. This is the time to run.

 

I finished by applying wood filler to fill all the gaps and painting gel stain to cover the unmatched colors.

 

 

 

After that, the darker wale bars were painted with lacquer paint and a brush. The next step is guardrails and masts.

 

I hope see you again this week with lots of photos. 😉

[allanyed]

I wish I could visit you to see the model in person and chat about ship modeling over some of the fantastic foods I remember having in Seoul and Pusan.   I can never get 낙지볶음  (Nakji Bokkeum)  here that is as good as we had in Korea although there are a few in Manhattan, including Miss Korea BBQ that do a great job.    

 

I look forward to your next posts.

 

Allan

[modeller_masa]

Hello, Allan. It is my pleasure that you remember the Korean name for the stir-fried octopus. I also miss one of the best BBQ restaurants in Syracuse, NY when I was an international student. I wish to get the special sauce...🤤

 

The photos of the Hobby fair will be posted on the general discussion board. 

[modeller_masa]

Oops, I forgot to post my last month's work. I started with the Maris stella's Greek Monoreme B.C.440. I stopped at the hull fairing, which requires tons of research hours. I'll make a new build log for this ship after I finish this build log.  

 

This is the final picture of the monoreme. The Olympias, reconstructed by Greek navy in 1980s, which is well known as Amati or Artesania's Greek bireme, wasn't in the game I played and this kit is only option.  

 

Let's go back to the Santa Maria. My first reference is the AL's manual, but when I feel something isn't realistic or wrong, I refer to the 2017 Nao replica as the second reference. There are tons of high definition youtube videos of the most recent Santa Maria.  

 

I thought the 2.00mm guardrails were thin, so I increased the thickness to 2.40mm. In addtion, I added the guardrail ornaments at the end of the stick just like the replica. The AL's beads and pin method is convenient but doesn't feel realistic.

 

A printer always helps me.

 

Another weird point. I fixed the angles of the guardrails. 

 

When I checked the numbers of the guardrail sticks, I found that the size(ratio) of the third floor of both the AL and the 2017 Nao replica were different. AL is wide and 2017 Nao is narrow which means total ship proportion is changed. It is interesting how many things about the 2017 Nao replica are different from the 1960 Nao replica in the Anatomy book.  

 

 

[modeller_masa]

While I was staining guardrails with gel-stain, the parts were detached. I reinforced the joints by adding brass rods. The black CA glue is Loctite 410, which has a very high viscosity.

 

The guardrail in the middle is curved.  

 

I finished staining the guardrails. The black CA glue mark seems to be a nail head.  

[modeller_masa]

After I installed and reinforced guardrails, I started rigging and making masts.

 

One of the downsides of the renewal kits of AL is that there is no 1:1 scale plan. Fortunately, the company offers high resolution PDF files, so I estimated the radius of masts from the pictures. I counted every pixels and reverse calculated the ratio.

 

 

Interestingly, AL introduces a technique to grind masts with planes. I used to use a motor drill and sanding papers, and sometimes masts were concave. This method seems to prevent the accident.

 

I purchased the plane(left) in the video, which costs only $10. It is very dangerous and hard to use compared with the Veritas miniature blockplane(right). Of course, the Veritas plane costs more than five times that.  The Veritas plane is my best tool.  

 

I think this method works, but not precisely. Anyway, it is definitely better than no-words.

It is a pretty fun process, and the result is durable. I would say that many people should like this method.  

 

Before I started rigging, I changed rigging threads. Thinner threads are more realistic. 

 

Here is a comparison. There are specific commercial threads that wooden ship modellers are in favor of. If you plan to purchase extra threads, good research will save time and hundreds of dollars. In this case, DMC Cordonnet special - ECRU color - Size 100 is my favorite. 

 

The best threads are only available from the DIY ropewalk machine. If you want quality pre-made ropes now, you may find them at hobby shops.  

 

You'll be amazed at how many rigging methods and variations are used to build a ship. It is natural that new builder can't make perfect rigging within several years. If you can't reproduce the seizing rigging on a scale model, avoid simple knots and just immitate the shape, and grab the shape by gluing CA glue. 🤪

 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by modeller_masa

[modeller_masa]

I made a cheat sheet for the new AL Santa Maria. The numbers are my assumptions.

 

This is a mast castle.

 

Yards.

I added some details to the shroud threads. 

 

I use CA glue for temporary holding only. CA glue changes the color of threads, or breaks thickened thread. I'll use diluted PVA glue for hardening whole threads and knots.

 

By the way, the connection between the main mast and the topsail mast in the instruction was weird in my opinion. If I follow the AL's instructions, I have to hook the shrouds to both masts.

 

On the contrary, the reference book shows more general formation. However, I thought one tie of the topsail mast was unstable and unrealistic. Columbus wouldn't have reached the New world.

 

In the 18th century, the most advanced ships of the line had metal brackets for multiple step masts. I'm not sure how many ships in the 15th century used this structure.

 

After lots of research, I found an old plan for an old AL Santa Maria kit. The 1:1 plan shows the topsail mast is lifted! 🤪 Is it a ghost ship?!

 

 

This is my compromise. If I can't solve something unrealistic and unproven, I'll find and overwrap an existing successful solution rather than do nothing or leave it unrealistic. I think it is a good way to approach audiences, and it is definitely better than showing a nonsense model. (+proper explanation about the modification)

 

Final result. Whoa, Columbus's ship is upgraded! ( I found some scratch builds on this forum used the same mast caps.  )

[modeller_masa]

I finished masts and yards. I stained or painted them.

 

I purchased a new oil based stain. Gel stains are not good for dyeing tiny parts, such as dead eyes. 

 

After that, I applied the oil based varnish. The result was terrible! The dark walnut color was thinned.

 

I realized that I made an oil-based stain + varnish. There are some handy product like the Watco's oil based stain and varnish with various colors. When you stain dead eyes and blocks, I recommend to buy the mixed bottle only instead of separated bottles.

[modeller_masa]

I'm upgrading the kit sails to DIY sails. All my studies and questions can be read here. As you see, my final choice is durable sewed sails. 

 

 

 

 

[modeller_masa]

 

Today's lesson : 😱

[modeller_masa]

I finished sewing custom sails but am having difficulties forming wind sails. (I failed to apply a technique I planned.) I skipped to the other parts for now.

 

The AL kit includes only yawl, and launch isn't in it. I used an electric sanding pen. It is the best for sanding sensitive and tiny parts.

 

The new AL kit includes a better boat building kit instead of a metal bowl. If you are having difficulties on building such small boats, I recommend you build the Falkonet's mini boat series. They are great educational tools for new builders.

 

One of the AL's weaknesses is insufficient polishing on a kit. AL's laser cutting isn't highly accurate, unlike the most recent kits from some innovative companies, so the hull of the boat can be twisted by margin errors.

 

And, probably, it is the most dislike point of the AL by serious builders. AL rotated the cradle position and flipped around the boat like furnitures in a doll house. It is related to the structure of the ship, and pillars of building can't be moved that easily. I agree that the upper direction is more "visible" and add some details on the deck, but viewers will think and ask me, "How did the real ship bind the lifeboat? The unstable boat should fall in the storm." "...... I just followed the instructions, so it's not my fault." Oh, I really don't want to break a viewer's immersion. Even if it is a SF fiction model, the model should explain its shape without TLDR.

Edited July 20, 2022 by modeller_masa

[Veszett Roka]

I believe it is depend on the size of the launch. At that time there was no davits for the boats, they used the mainsail yard to lift the boat to the deck. I think bigger and heavier boats did not turned upside down during that lifting process - simply this would require too much manpower. So normal position of the boat still make sense to me.

[modeller_masa]

I appreciate knowing the new information, Veszett Roka. I still think that AL forgot to add some details, such as waterproof cloth and a V shaped cradle, when they simply turned upside down the yawl. Also, it's a bit inconvenient to see an inclined boat... I'll choose the old kit's arrangement rather than the new kit's. Thanks again for your comment.

[modeller_masa]

Almost all parts in the kit are overscaled. I reduced the thickness of ladders from 2mm to 1mm and decreased story heights from 520mm to 300mm, which is the international standard. Sailors should praise me.  

 

Here is double issue. First, Nao SM on the reference book and real world replicas doesn't have a windlass. The AL's Nao SM kit includes a windlass, which was in the galleon SM in 1927, instead of a capstan. Of course, history keeps silent, but contemporary Nao ships in 15th century installed capstan in the middle of the ship in general. If I had completed the NRG capstan project, I would have made and added it.

 

Secondly, the default windlass shape is simple and lack of details. I modified the default windlass a little bit.

 

The Breechloading lombard cannon is also overscaled. Its diameter is twice larger than the reference book's. 

I followed the gun stand in the reference book. 

 

 

I also studied the structure of the Lombard cannon. It seems to be pretty primitive and understandable, so that I designed the gun stand and rigging to be workable.

The result. Make sure the gunfire doesn't cut the shroud cables.  

Edited July 26, 2022 by modeller_masa