Vasa By 72Nova - FINISHED - Airfix - PLASTIC

[72Nova]

 Thank you Marc, It's the figure I molded using the sculpey clay back in post#12 for stern and seemed a tad too large for that area but looks right at home earning his keep making sure the build continues scale wise under his supervision.

Michael D.

[72Nova]

I started the rigging process on the fore mast, the tackles and the top sail top rope are rigged and the fore stay is halfway there, I still need to fabricate the 6 hole dead eye and then rig the lanyards. The mouse is made using 1/16" styrene rod that's filed into shape and scribed in the simulated stitching, although not noticeable at this scale, it does look pretty convincing at a larger scale, this is the technique I used on Victory... and then painted the mouse to match the rope....As always thanks for stopping by.

 

Michael D.

[kirill4]

Good day Michael,

Looks just great!!! and your choice of rigging color as well!

All the best!

[Hubac's Historian]

As always, your execution is just mind-blowing;  I really like what you did with the mouse.  I’ll have to steal that idea for when the time comes.

[72Nova]

Thanks for the kind words guys, the fore stay lanyard is completed along with the four 1.5mm fore course buntline blocks, I just love the rigging phase of these builds! Cheers.

 

Michael D.

[72Nova]

A small update of what I've been up to, working on the fore shroud lanyards, have the main stay and lanyard rigged along with the main mast tackles, the main topmast, top gallant and fore top gallant masts are just set in place for the overall shot, while far from perfect I think things are looking fairly good scale wise.

 

Michael D.

[72Nova]

I have the fore top mast stay completed, I used 3mm and 2.5mm blocks for this, currently working on the spritsail topmast back stay, I failed miserably on my first attempt by piercing a needle through the stay, it took multiple tries to get the spacing to look right which I expected but trying to keep the alignment/angle of the needle as it passes through the stay on a consistent basis proved to be too much of a battle resulting in twisting and thus fouling the crows feet for the fore topmast stay. Plan B I just created a loops around the stay with a simple overhand knots, fed the crows feet through and tightened the knots then adjusted accordingly , once satisfied I put a spot of glue, overall I'm pleased with result with the stay having a slight even upward curve.

 

Michael D.

[kirill4]

Good day Michael,

Your crows feet finaly looks pretty good! When you first try to make them with needle, did You use weight for each leg as well and super liquid CA to aplly on them, while they were under weight ? Just You mentnioned they were twisting... these weights and liquid CA solved my problem with twisting... but Your plan B does good job as well !!!

All the best!

Kirill

[72Nova]

Thanks Kirill,

What I meant the stay was twisting, the top crows feet turned out great as there was nothing in the way of my big hands and I able to pierce the needle directly on top of the stay but now they were in the way for me to do that  when I started the middle set as the needle was passing through at different angles causing the stay to twist, what I needed to do was start from the bottom and work up but at that point I running out of talent and went with plan B. I will try again on the main stay working for the bottom up but ideally they should be installed on the stay/partially rigged prior to installing the stay at least at this scale anyways and I will try this on the main topmast and top gallant stays, although the thread might be too thin to pass a needle through.

 

Michael D.

 

[kirill4]

I see. now.. it was about stay twisting /I didn't have such experience with stay, I had that crows feet legs twisting a little when pulling them trough the stay ! 

You are right than angle "needle-stay" is very important! and also size of the needle - it must be special very thin needle!

I used small long noise pliers to keep needle at right angle and pincet to keep stay steady at the penetration point ...

Which tools did You  ? I meant thereis no strait contact between fingers and threads ?... 
and Yes ... in this small scale which You work with ,materials could "feel" and act very differently compare to the larger scale like mine 1:100 ...

there could be effect of different rope treatments which makes effect on the process as well  ...

my stays and shrouds were heavily painted before installation and became quite hard .... they became almost like lead wire or very soft copper wire/ the advantage of this thread condition that it keeps "strait" shape with min load required ...

but threads which I used for making crows feet were unpainted at this "needle" stage remains very soft and flexible and passes easily trough the stay ...

than all construction were balanced with weights , all necessary leg's lengths were adjusted, than legs were plated by "extra liquid CA " and on the next day after complete drying , all legs excesses under the stay were fine trimmed and I made imitation of crows feet legs knotting to the stay by separate very thin mono thread( it makes more accurate imitation of knotting compare to the same size thread , if try to use it for knotting imitation) ...

and finally all were painted to the existing rigging color... 

purpose to use weights(under the stay) + counter balance weight (loaded other side of the back stay-crows feet unit) and very liquid CA - to make crows feet legs strait shape and to fix this strait shape without phisical ly loading them when weights and counter balance weights will be removed - imitation of gravity forces .

[72Nova]

The fore topgallant mast shrouds, lanyards and stay are completed and there will be no ratlines, this was quite a fiddly process to say the least to make everything look right at this scale and while I'm not overly happy with results the up close camera shots provide,  the model as a whole does look pretty good to the naked eye. Up next I need to fashion the topmast and topgallant parrals,  topmast shrouds and lanyards. Thanks for looking.

 

Michael D.

[72Nova]

In between the work going on with the shrouds I decided to tackle the fish davit, the Vasa carried one and measures approximately 19' in length and around  9.5"x10.5", I used 1.5mm x 1.5mm styrene cut to 40. 6mm in length and is curved to match the camber of the deck, looks pretty good while being slightly undersized in thickness and is just set in place at the moment if I decide to redo it. Looks like it's time for some dusting!

 

Michael D.

 

 

 

[kirill4]

Good day Michael,

Looks nice!

All The Best!

[72Nova]

Thank you Kirill.

I figured before I get too involved with the topmast shrouds I better deal with attaching the topmast yard parral while I have better access. The ribs I used 0.30mm styrene cut to just under 3mm in height, for the trucks I used 0.50mm styrene cut into a D shape for simplicity and used 100wt thread, the end result looks pretty good.

 

Michael D.

 

[Hubac's Historian]

On 2/5/2023 at 7:06 PM, 72Nova said:

In between the work going on with the shrouds I decided to tackle the fish davit, the Vasa carried one and measures approximately 19' in length and around  9.5"x10.5", I used 1.5mm x 1.5mm styrene cut to 40. 6mm in length and is curved to match the camber of the deck, looks pretty good while being slightly undersized in thickness and is just set in place at the moment if I decide to redo it. Looks like it's time for some dusting!

 

Michael D.

 

 

 

It might be the only snow we get, Michael.  Wait ‘til the spring to dust.

[72Nova]

A small progress report, installed the main topmast stay, fore topgallant stay along with some of the necessary blocks and completed fore halliards. Arguably the crows feet are the most challenging part at this phase of the rigging in trying not to distort the stays too much, but pretty much unavoidable the higher up they go with the lighter stays especially at this scale, they could use a bit more tweaking to make them a little better, but overall they look ok. Thanks for looking.

Michael D.

[kirill4]

Hi Michael!
Great job!
I dare to notice that you have already surpassed the Rex Stewart in the skill of rigging work!😲

The general detailing and accuracy of the extension of the binding of blocks, crowfeet, deadeyes, even for a larger scale, would be worthy, not to mention such a small one in which you are now working!

Keep it up!

Edited February 18, 2023 by kirill4

[shipman]

Has anyone discovered what happened to Rex Stewart?

He was just getting into his build of the Airfix St Louis......and disappeared from the platforms he used!

A talented individual and true gentleman. Hope he's well.

[Hubac's Historian]

He must be doing okay because he continued to work on the St. Louis, which is nearing completion.

 

 

[kirill4]

Thanks for the link Marc!

may be there were some private issues why he decided to leave all that platforms ... good to hear that he is OK and continue building his models

[kirill4]

Michael,

Please give a light , What do You use for making your crowfeet, which thread? Looks pretty good ! What is it...maker ,p/n, etc.?

Could You make sometimes really macro shots of some most complicated spots where You spent most of the time for rigging ... for me would be interesting to see how did You manage rigging of that topsail halyard spinnkloben which is in my opinion very fragile part but difficult to see how You did it?

Edited February 18, 2023 by kirill4

[72Nova]

While I am gauging my build to that of Rex's build, there's no way I consider myself in the same league as Rex, but I will gladly accept that gracious compliment Kirill!. I hope the following pictures shed some light on the materials used and the process. The Hilliard's are mocked up on the bench using a simulated mast and penciled in main stay to scale taped into place to allow a spot of CA to hold the line in the blocks, the crows feet, (100wt silk thread) once painted are coated with flat acrylic clear and to hang for about 10 minutes before threading through the euphroe blocks and spot of CA after forming the tight crease just in that area only as the dried clear gives enough stiffness. The 60wt thread will be for the topgallant bowlines.

Currently working on the main topgallant shrouds, the deadeyes follow the same rake as the top, also completed the topmast parrels and thanks for bringing up that link Marc, that will be the next Airfix build if I can I find one?

 

Michael D.

 

 

 

 

 

[kirill4]

Good day,

Thank You very much for information about process and of using threads ! Is clear now!Very informative!

All the best!

Kirill

Edited February 19, 2023 by kirill4

[kirill4]

Your Great idea how to make small deadeyes!!!

[fmodajr]

Excellent Rigging Michael!

 

Best,

Frank 

[kirill4]

8 hours ago, 72Nova said:

While I am gauging my build to that of Rex's build, there's no way I consider myself in the same league as Rex,

Michael, you are a very modest person! Perhaps such things for the participant are happening unnoticed, but from the outside the difference is very obvious !!!
Rex makes his rigging differently, not as detailed as you ... if you follow the link that Mark left, this difference is obvious ...
So that's great ! The more good models and ways to create them the more interesting !!!
All the best!!!

[shipman]

8 hours ago, kirill4 said:

Your Great idea how to make small deadeyes!!!

Did I miss that?

I trawled through this excellent build and could only find post #80 that was relevant ..... or?

[Hubac's Historian]

I have to say - I really like the Airfix St. Louis.  It’s a fantastic basis for a really good scale model.

[kirill4]

Just now, shipman said:

Did I miss that?

I trawled through this excellent build and could only find post #80 that was relevant ..... or?

#232 !  near by kimono silk thread 

[kirill4]

Just now, Hubac's Historian said:

I have to say - I really like the Airfix St. Louis.  It’s a fantastic basis for a really good scale model.

Fully agree !