USS Constitution by Valkyrja68 - Revell - 1:96 scale - PLASTIC - 1978 kit

[Valkyrja68]

Captain's log: First model ship build, not going to end up a historical representation but my own dream boat. Upon opening the box, I knew it was the right first build for me, I love a challenge and an easy build would have bored me to the art. Upon starting the build I was confirmed (I chose to ignore the 3 booklets dedicated to rigging). Upon getting to the rigging, I second-guessed my initial appraisal. Upon attempting the rigging I was confirmed yet again, and Understood how I scored such an awesome deal at the local goodwill, and this poor vessel then sat in my closet for over a year. I have now committed to finishing this beast of a project. 

[Valkyrja68]

Sorry I don't know how to edit- it is a Revell* 1978 model

[Valkyrja68]

Started weathering (painting) and fixing broken sections from when it was dropped in my closet as the red-headed step-child.

[ccoyle]

2 hours ago, Valkyrja68 said:

Sorry I don't know how to edit

 

In the upper right corner of each of your posts is a symbol composed of three dots -- clicking that brings up a drop-down menu from which you can select 'edit.' You can also edit your title, but only from the first post. I gave your title a fine-tuning so you can see the proper format. I also tagged your build log; tags help members quickly find all of the topic threads that bear the same tag, e.g. clicking the 'Revell' tag brings up a list of all the topics that have a Revell tag. You can also resize your photos, should you feel the need; simply double-click on the embedded photo to pull up the resizing menu.

 

Cheers!

[Valkyrja68]

47 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

 

In the upper right corner of each of your posts is a symbol composed of three dots -- clicking that brings up a drop-down menu from which you can select 'edit.' You can also edit your title, but only from the first post. I gave your title a fine-tuning so you can see the proper format. I also tagged your build log; tags help members quickly find all of the topic threads that bear the same tag, e.g. clicking the 'Revell' tag brings up a list of all the topics that have a Revell tag. You can also resize your photos, should you feel the need; simply double-click on the embedded photo to pull up the resizing menu.

 

Cheers!

Thanks friend! I did read the posting title criteria but promptly forgot it after I brought it up, and then was afraid to hit the back button. New to forums in general so I'm in the learning curve. I'm trying to read as much of the site info as applicable to avoid being a nuisance but...well that's unavoidable really.

[Valkyrja68]

Captains log: I was able to salvage a few of the broken stanchions, but some are missing and I have no idea how to compensate for this. Any ideas or experience would be helpful, until then I am going to sift the site for help.

[Ryland Craze]

Could you make replacement stanchions out of wire.  Another option could be to make them out of plastic.  Two companies that sell plastic are Evergreen Scale Models and Plastruct.  If you click on the two companies underlined, it will take you to their websites.

[Valkyrja68]

1 hour ago, Ryland Craze said:

Could you make replacement stanchions out of wire.  Another option could be to make them out of plastic.  Two companies that sell plastic are Evergreen Scale Models and Plastruct.  If you click on the two companies underlined, it will take you to their websites.

I just did 😈. I had to bite the bullet and pull it apart but....hot poker, jewelry pins, a wire cutter and some glue. Need to paint still. 

Edited March 9, 2022 by Valkyrja68

[Valkyrja68]

Captain's log: Changing tack completely, Long necessary story for posterity to ensue. 
Backstory. When I started this build years ago now, I had been a ship's mate in the Virgin Islands, I found this Revell kit at the goodwill along with the Cutty Sark, and purchased them both for $40! As I stated previously I had no modeling experience, no supplies, tools etc. but I knew this was going to be a great ship to build. I spent a little bit of time on it here and there over a couple years but I never really thought to do anything to it other than tackle it...and then (at the dread rigging) it sat in my closet. 
 

Since then I have taken up all sorts of hobbies and skills including 1:12 scale architectural models. At the time I had figured that the Revell Constitution was an fine accurate representation, and did not bother to research (why?). I had no real plans to improve upon it, being as it was plastic. Now after all of that I have taken it out of the graveyard section of drydock and reappraised. Now to give Revell its credit, it IS a fine model, in fact compared to other popular models I have seen, for a cheaper version, it is dang near spectacular. Part of that is due to the era (70's), when our commodities were still made well. But in light all the research I have been accumulating, which is how I came to be here, there are quite a few modifications I would have done, that I cannot now, because she's all glued tight together. So it is within my judgment to continue and finish her as a sort of decked out fantastical frigate that may or may not resemble the Constitution when I am finished. The reason for this is simply so that I can use this model as technique practice for additions and upgrades I plan to make on the Cutty Sark. 
There are some very good things I did such as razor away seam lines and cut off sloppy edges, carefully lay my ropes and glue them down. But there are a lot of shortcuts, too many to warrant taking apart. It is part of my rash nature to come in hot barrel into things and then adjust course, I will never win the Americas cup....

I will most likely get my hands on another and revisit the constitution but as it stands now I will document what I am doing, what worked and what failed for myself and others who may find something of use. I hope this is the point of these build logs but one has already stated they are impatient and rash. 
 

Only progress to this end will follow

[Gregory]

Very nice macro photography..  What camera are you using?

[Valkyrja68]

@Gregory ye ol' iPhone 12pro

[Valkyrja68]

So I'm tossing around ideas on fabrics for boarding netting/taffrail netting, sails, and hammocks in regard to scale, and realism. I may end up using paper for the sails/sheets in particular but I'd love for some feedback on the topic. Which is closest? I'm using the provided Revell figures and graph paper for size reference.

[Gregory]

 

This is pretty close..  I would visit a fabric shop and try to find a little smaller mesh tulle..

[Valkyrja68]

6 minutes ago, Gregory said:

 

This is pretty close..  I would visit a fabric shop and try to find a little smaller mesh tulle..

Oh I have every fabric known to man lol, I'll take a look and find something else.

[Valkyrja68]

The beginning of sail trials, some could work, some are ok but not scale appropriate, but for posterity and visual accounting I thought I'd include them all, my best fabric choices will follow. This first batch was a test of paint mediums and workability. I tried water; water mixable oil paint; watercolor; acrylic, and plain white glue. All in ochre.

TENSHI: Japanese Tempura Paper. Very strong and absorbent, can take both oil and water without tearing and works well wet, does not iron well and left creases, which may be less a problem if treating the entire piece. It takes color a little 'too' well and would do better with much less pigment.

MUSLIN: Cotton fabric in varying weights. I liked the unique patterning and sheer fabric but it's a bit too springy and would be hard to manipulate.Takes color very well without obvious rings and darkening. The weave is also too visible.

NYLON SLIP: A synthetic material with no stretch and an appearance like modern nylon ripstop. This would be great for modern yachts and mimics the look and feel of ripstop. Not so easy to work with and doesn't take color well. Very tight weave that is barely noticeable.

ACRYLIC SLIP: A lightweight polymer fabric. This was my least favorite due to the weave but it takes color surprisingly well and creates nice folds. Very hard to get wrinkles out which could be a pro or a con...

I'll be back with additions of Lawn, Ripstop, Blackout, and Batiste. Stay tuned.

[allanyed]

Valky

THANK YOU    You are doing a great service to the membership and I am looking forward to the next report.  Looks like the Japanese tempura paper might be the winner so far as there is no out of scale weave to contend with.   Do you know if it works well with matte medium like silk span does?

 

Allan

[Cathead]

Glad to find this log, I think your approach is excellent: recognizing the kit isn't perfect and not presenting it as accurate, but also having fun with a build and learning from it rather than getting bogged down or despairing. My first models are laughable to me now but I enjoyed them and learned so much!

 

As for sails, at risk of self-promotion, here's a method I developed for making paper sails that I find very effective and attractive. There are various other ideas in the sails section of MSW. Following are two examples from my revenue cutter project.

 

 

[Valkyrja68]

@CatheadMe likey!! Thank you for adding that here, it's pro- not only for my benefit but also having this in one place, I wonder if there is already a thread specifically on this topic we could add to? I wouldn't want someone bogged with all the long windedness I will be doing on this build log. Too lazy to look right now but I may venture that later.

I definitely prefer the 'look' of paper sails I think that they look realistic if not a bit dry, but I am adverse to using paper due to its non archival nature. I'd rather a slightly out of scale model than it moldering away. That's just a personal preference being in art conservation (I've seen some terrible tragedies of all sorts).

[Valkyrja68]

10 hours ago, allanyed said:

Valky

THANK YOU    You are doing a great service to the membership and I am looking forward to the next report.  Looks like the Japanese tempura paper might be the winner so far as there is no out of scale weave to contend with.   Do you know if it works well with matte medium like silk span does?

 

Allan

Hey Thanks! And I think I'm actually capable of answering your question haha! So I am kind of like that weird old lady who has all kinds of hobbies and side jobs.. two of which are sewing and painting. Matte medium (let's just assume liquitex for ease of availability and clarity to those searching- but any brand should work the same) is a medium used with acrylic paints in this case, to dull the shininess and even the consistency in different pigments. And should work just fine as far as application on almost all fabrics aside from treated cases.  But I would say with varying effect depending on treatment-you would assumedly have better results if applied in conjunction with acrylic paint as both are a type of polymer, on its own it would work well on synthetic fabric but probably not have much effect on natural fabrics.

[Cathead]

1 hour ago, Valkyrja68 said:

I am adverse to using paper due to its non archival nature

 

As discussed in that thread, I used bond paper, which is a high-end paper used for printing that needs to last. Specifically, I used supplies left over from my wife's graduate thesis 20 years ago, still in perfect shape. It should last as long as any model that isn't museum-grade does. 

[Valkyrja68]

3 hours ago, Cathead said:

 

As discussed in that thread, I used bond paper, which is a high-end paper used for printing that needs to last. Specifically, I used supplies left over from my wife's graduate thesis 20 years ago, still in perfect shape. It should last as long as any model that isn't museum-grade does. 

Yessssss! That makes my little nerdy self happy haha!

[Valkyrja68]

This next batch of fabric trials are my top picks for use on this specific model. I am also doing my own trials on lines/seams acceptability of mediums- so please ignore how terrible they may look in this experimenting stage and focus on the temperament of the fabric lol. 
(I am testing the use of archival pen, aquarelle water color pencil, and plain acrylic for this. When I've exhausted my ideas and formed a decision I will be posting my steps. I also am now going to include @Cathead's technique to see if that will work and can be altered for fabric) I'm not going to bother documenting that process as he already has it very succinct- only adjustment I may make.So....

Edit: That little dark thing in some of the pictures is one of the constitution boats I put under the fabric to show sheerness. FYI 

 

BATISTE: A woven cotton or linen that is fine, silky smooth, and mostly sheer. It is often confused with LAWN which will be next. I found the weave agreeable and the elastic stretch of the fine weave enables you to shape it as it dries. Thin enough to furl but may be too sheer for realistic raised sails.

LAWN: a cotton fine woven shirting material, that's not quite as fine a weave as batiste, but comes in many variations of sheer and opaqueness. I don't think the weave is fine enough for this purpose and it doesn't have the malleable characteristics batiste has-but as a fairly stiff (for weight) fabric may be really good for reinforcement areas.

BLACKOUT FABRIC: as the name suggests is a light blocking opaque material in varying thicknesses, it is made by layering foam on one side of fabric or in higher quality-sandwiching black fabric between white fabric and foam backing. This was my favorite for open sails. The weave is hardly discernible on the fabric side and nonexistent on the foam side, the fabric I have is very lightweight (similar to lawn) and is extremely good at shaping and holding shape. As you can see from my color testing the fabric side absorbs pigment very well and the foam side not as much. I think this would create a good effect of weather worn-ness with correct even application. I especially like that the edges don't fray and it shapes really well! The downside is that the weight is probably too heavy for furled sails- that being said if you halved your material I think it would definitely look more realistic as it is just really malleable. I have two tones and I chose to experiment on the white one, but I'll probably use the off-white. I'm really leaning towards it.

RIPSTOP: A plain weave of primarily nylon but sometimes polyester or other fibers with thick reinforcement threads woven into the fabric in a crosshatch pattern that resists, you guessed it- rips. It is most commonly recognized as tarp, tent, and modern sail material which is why it gets somewhat confusing. Nylon was originally manufactured to replace silk and DuPont advertised their new "ripstop" weaving technique for use in the fashion industry- it didn't take, but outdoor enthusiasts and military loved it due to its light weight, resistance to sunlight and exposure, and of course durability. Modern sails use nylon ripstop for spinnakers and yacht sails and the ripstop weave is used for almost all sails of different materials. History lesson over let's get back to it. I love the texture because it kind of mimics the seam lines of large sails...kind of. I fear if dyed though it would extenuate both the horizontal as well as vertical lines making it look silly, it's also very sheer and resistant to molding so it's a no go for me- but may be useful for modern yacht models? 

I still think it looks ok un-dyed and the problem of shape was solved by layering it over batiste...but I was just playing at this point. All in the name of research! Haha

Now for the long haul of actually making the sails. I have to print the patterns off the USS Constitution museums website found here and then add all the details, so yeah... a lot ahead, but I had to take a break from rigging. I thought I was almost finished but nay, barely even half 😑😂 Do you ever stop and say "What the hell did I get myself into?!" I do, and then I say "Whelp, finish what you start lady." 

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Valkyrja68
Clarification

[Valkyrja68]

Using Cathead's technique, I quickly tested it using the blackout fabric I prefer. I have to say I am seriously surprised it worked as well as it did with fabric as opposed to the bond paper he uses. When I say quickly I mean quickly,I just eyeballed my fabric and I did not do any measurements or use a ruler- the idea was to see how it would apply to fabric not to actually use the finished piece. 
BUT I think I will be using this for my model. Thank you!

 

Notes: For best results as Cathead intended-
•Use a brand new razor and a metal guide or ruler instead of scissors unless you have a seamstress's precision. Fabric is not so forgiving and has a tendency to bunch. You can pull the fabric if it's misbehaving but you must pull very straight or you end up with a curve.

•Fabric can be tricky when cutting because it likes to follow the weave, it's wise to use a self-healing mat so that you get a clean line. I use OLFA (from $4.00 to a lot more) but any will do.

•Your measurements for the strips should be just slightly larger than what you want the scale to be, as they overlap, but too large will make the back a mess. •As in the tutorial overshoot your model outline and cut it out after you have glued your strips. This will enable you to lay straight lines and offers forgiveness for strips that may not be exact.
• Should be obvious but I forgot haha so Lay your reef lines before your reinforcement seams.

•I used Fiebings leathercraft cement because I have it and it works quick and well, white wood glue would also work but avoid tinted glues and fabric glues (which suck). Super glue will obviously stiffen the fabric to a rock hard state which mayyyy be beneficial to get the shape you want depending on fabric but probably not. Also I didn't tint it, so I don't know how it would turn out but it may be wise to dye your fabric before cutting and gluing as glue can resist pigment.  

•Lastly if you fabric is not wonderfully moldable like mine 😎 You can gently pull the edge seam into a slight curve as it's being glued (in this case the foot or luff) to create a billowing effect. (As the stretch in the weave relaxed it will pull the fabric with it.) 

[Valkyrja68]

What do you think, does it work? Hahahaha I had to....

[lmagna]

Looks like you may have found an answer to how you want to make the sails for your Constitution, but you might want to look into these as well.

 

https://www.hismodel.com/articles-detail-135

 

HIS is a very reputable company. I know the cost of these sails can be a little eye watering, especially if you add the studding sails, but they bring a whole new level of grace to the model that would be almost impossible using other methods.

 

Your hammock crane issue could possibly have some ideas here 

I also think I have seen Photo etch cranes made by someone for the Revell Constitution., but I can't remember who or where. 

 

By the way, welcome to MSW. I spent a number of years living in Santa Cruz and Capitola as a child and in fact have a number of family members who still live there. I'm pretty certain it has changed considerably in the 50+ years since I was there.

Edited March 18, 2022 by lmagna

[Valkyrja68]

@lmagnaCool thanks! That first post/picture looks like the hammocks would fall right out 😂 but the gist is there. I have seen that person/company's sails before, they are very well done. I'd have to say as nice as they are made they aren't very time appropriate though. Back then the sails were made of either flax or hemp and would have been a sort of canvasy brown and rather opaque. I'm not so much into buying things as I prefer to make them, even if they aren't as good. I'm not a historical buff or anything, more of a casual hobbyist. But it's an excellent link to leave here as other people may not want to go through all that entails making your own. I, myself, prefer to make things as difficult for myself as possible...it's kind of my thing. Haha

[ccoyle]

One suggestion I would offer is to make your panel lines much lighter. If you look at pictures of contemporary ships, you'll notice that sail seams are scarcely discernible, if at all. You can see how I did this by clicking here.

[lmagna]

4 hours ago, Valkyrja68 said:

I'm not so much into buying things as I prefer to make them, even if they aren't as good

No problem with that. After all that is what the hobby is all about.

 

Many here feel the same. Some even feel that way about the entire ship and would never buy anything for a build other than raw materials.

[Valkyrja68]

17 hours ago, ccoyle said:

One suggestion I would offer is to make your panel lines much lighter. If you look at pictures of contemporary ships, you'll notice that sail seams are scarcely discernible, if at all. You can see how I did this by clicking here.

Well I agree with you of course! I was testing a method Cathead uses with bond paper- a considerably lighter material and with considerably better results lol! I just wanted to see how it would work with fabric, the fabric that I'm using is far too thick for this application but some of the other fabrics would work fairly well for it I believe.

[Valkyrja68]

16 hours ago, lmagna said:

No problem with that. After all that is what the hobby is all about.

 

Many here feel the same. Some even feel that way about the entire ship and would never buy anything for a build other than raw materials.

I don't feel that strongly about it, I would potentially buy sails in the future, or other accoutrements that I needed, but I also like reusing and repurposing items instead of consuming when I do not need to. No if I was doing this for sale say or as some sort of profession I may want to be a little bit more discerning, but it's really just for fun. I do appreciate that link and I believe other people will certainly appreciate it. The only real hard stance I have on anything,  is that there is not only one way to do something lol!!