HMS Revenge 1577 by GrandpaPhil - 1/64 - CARD - from Victory Models Plans

[GrandpaPhil]

The one power tool that I typically end up using for model making:

That’s a cheap drill I bought nearly twenty years ago.
 

There’s nothing better for drilling things like hawse holes and mast holes in models.

It also works quite well for drilling out mounting points on plastic model aircraft if you plan to display them on a flight stand.

[Jsk]

Wow, you are really zipping through this build! It's looking great. Having not seen one of your builds before I thought the beginning was looking a little rough-and-ready. But she's turning into a beauty!

[GrandpaPhil]

Jeff,

  Thank you very much!  This build did start out rough, lol.  This was a very spur of the moment build and I’ve been testing out a lot of new techniques.  I’ve been enjoying this build a lot.

 

And, I got sidetracked again and decided to make the figurehead since I need to do more carving for the head, anyway:

This is out of a wooden puzzle piece.  
 

I have a bin (a small plastic tote box) full of Jenga blocks and those wood puzzle pieces that I got at yard sales for crafts and to use as carving blocks.

 

The wood is relatively dense and holds detail okay.

 

This is the third figurehead that I have carved.

Edited February 4 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Making progress on the figurehead:

[GrandpaPhil]

The figurehead is carved:

That wooden block worked really well.

 

It took me about 5-6 hours to carve that.

 

It was slow going because it was definitely some kind of hardwood, but it never once split out or broke, even for small details.  
 

That entire piece is 7/8” (22mm) long.

 

It’s not perfect, but I am happy with it.

Edited February 5 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you all very much for all the “likes” and for stopping by!
 

The head grating is on and drying:

The head bulwarks are drying under glass:

Next up is to carve the scrollwork:

Then to paint and assemble it all.

 

Sometime in there I need to make a couple of seats of ease.

 

It is also time to make belaying pins.

 

I believe that I will carve them from toothpicks using a scalpel.

Edited February 6 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Here is the head grating on the model:

With a side on shot of the model:

The first scrollwork piece is cut out and glued to a carving board for final carving:

It took six hours of very minute and precise cutting/carving to cut that out.

 

It will be well worth the extra effort when it is finished and installed!

Edited February 10 by GrandpaPhil

[Richard44]

You really do wonderful, painstaking work. Amazing.

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much!

[GrandpaPhil]

I saw something on this forum that gave me an idea on model construction that I would like to try out really quick.

 

I am using a ship from Ab Hoving’s 17th Dutch Century Merchant Ships to try it out on.

 

I’ll be back to the Revenge shortly.

[Jsk]

Dude! You're killing me! I can only keep up with so many build logs! 😉

 

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

On 2/11/2024 at 7:39 AM, GrandpaPhil said:

I saw something on this forum that gave me an idea on model construction that I would like to try out really quick.

 

I am using a ship from Ab Hoving’s 17th Dutch Century Merchant Ships to try it out on.

I’m very curious about what you’re going to build from Hoving’s book. 
 

-Nosy Meriadoc

[GrandpaPhil]

3 hours ago, Meriadoc Brandybuck said:

I’m very curious about what you’re going to build from Hoving’s book. 
 

-Nosy Meriadoc

Meriadoc,

  I am building the cat ship out of his book.  The book and the plans are excellent.  I strongly recommend them.  This is my first time building from a book from Seawatch Books.

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

On 2/20/2024 at 9:05 PM, GrandpaPhil said:

I am building the cat ship out of his book.

Interesting choice. I can’t wait to see it take shape. 
 

I have the book; it’s one of my most prized possessions with all its magnificent plans.  Given enough time I’d like to build everything in it and make my own variations like Ab does. For now I’ve started preparing to build a little kaag and pink sometime this year or so.  Perfect little finishable projects, unlike my Badger. 
 

Meriadoc

[GrandpaPhil]

Meriadoc,

It is a most excellent book and is one that I value quite a lot.

 

In other news, Esther’s hull is nearing completion.

 

I need to make 48 belaying pins for Esther and since the Revenge would have had similar sizing, and they are in the same scale, I am going to make the 110 belaying pins for the Revenge at the same time.

 

They will most likely be made from toothpicks, carefully carved with a scalpel.

Edited March 25 by GrandpaPhil

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

On 3/25/2024 at 10:12 AM, GrandpaPhil said:

They will most likely be made from toothpicks, carefully carved with a scalpel.

I’m interested to hear how that goes. 
 

I’ve some very small and thin stunsail booms and yards to manufacture at 1:100. I’ve been sanding down bamboo dowels to the right diameter, and am also considering brass wire for the tiny yards. 
 

Meriadoc 

[GrandpaPhil]

Bamboo shaves down really well and holds reasonable strength.

[Louie da fly]

Love the carving of the figurehead, of equal quality with the rest of the build.

 

Steven

[GrandpaPhil]

Thank you very much, Steven!

 

The belaying pins have been begun!

 

In times past, I just used pieces of straight pins, but I want to get better so I am making actual belaying pins.

 

I am making 170 of these, 48 for Esther, 110 for Revenge and 12 for the Part Dimension (where little pieces going flying to and are never seen again, or found six months after finishing the project, always in plain sight).

Edited April 2 by GrandpaPhil

[Thukydides]

That is a lot of belaying pins to make.

[GrandpaPhil]

Yes, but there’s a lot of repetition with everything when it comes to a ship.

 

That’s the most difficult part of this hobby.

Edited April 2 by GrandpaPhil

[GrandpaPhil]

Here’s all 170 belaying pins for both Esther and Revenge (108 of them go to the Revenge):

[Thukydides]

That is a lot of belaying pins

[allanyed]

 

 

On 4/10/2024 at 8:46 PM, GrandpaPhil said:

Here’s all 170 belaying pins for both Esther and Revenge (108 of them go to the Revenge):

Hi Phil,

 

Sorry to say after all your hard work,  but unless Revenge was an exception she had no belaying pins as English ships did not usually use belaying pins until about 160 years later than the time of Revenge.  Lines were secured to cleats, bitts, and rails but not belaying pins.   

 

Regarding the Esther, did the Dutch, like the Swedish, use pins a bit earlier than the English navy?    

 

Allan

Edited Sunday at 06:11 PM by allanyed

[GrandpaPhil]

4 hours ago, allanyed said:

Regarding the Esther, did the Dutch, like the Swedish, use pins a bit earlier than the English navy?    

I do not know for sure.  “Esther” would have been privately owned, much like an owner-operator semi driver.

 

I am using the plans for the “Peacock” in Ab Hoving’s “17th Century Dutch Merchant Ships” for that build.

I am building as drawn except for the transom painting and the two caryatids I added to the companionway door.

 

What about “Vasa” and “Sovereign of the Seas”?

 

Would those have had belaying pins?

Edited Sunday at 02:33 PM by GrandpaPhil

[allanyed]

32 minutes ago, GrandpaPhil said:

What about “Vasa” and “Sovereign of the Seas”?

It is my understanding that Vasa had pins, but I do not know about Sovereign of the Seas.  If she followed common practice for British ships of the line for that era she would not have had any.  The model of SoS built circa 1830 which is held by RMG has no belaying pins.  Other 100 gun ship models as late as 1725 held by RMG  have no belaying pins so it may be safe to assume SoS would not have any either.   Belaying points shown on drawings in Lees show a first rate built to the 1733 Establishment and may be a good guide for other British first rates of that era and earlier as he describes in drawing and text where every line is belayed.  There is no mention of any belaying pins.

Allan

Edited Sunday at 03:01 PM by allanyed

[Mark P]

Good Afternoon Allan;

 

Sorry to say this, but please check your memory, as Phil is actually correct; and this subject has been discussed at least twice before. Belaying pins were used in the early 17th century, and can be seen on early models (granted that the earliest surviving models date from the mid seventeenth century)

 

Henry Mainwayring, a noted seafarer of the times of Elizabeth and James I, described belaying pins in his nautical dictionary, which he wrote around 1623. I am not sure, but I believe that they are also mentioned in a treatise on rigging which R C Anderson believed dated from around 1620 (must check that)

 

So carry on Phil; all I would say is do not place racks of belaying pins inside the bulwarks everywhere, as this might well be not historically accurate. In this respect Allan is correct, and it is this configuration which did not appear until later in the era of sail.

 

All the best,

 

Mark P

 

 

[allanyed]

Thank you very much Mark, a good knock on the head as a reminder is always welcome. 😀    As mentioned there seems to have always been exceptions, but what was the norm?  Looking at many dozens of examples, I am still somewhat convinced (maybe a little less than before) the St. George model at Preble Hall, which I believe is the one to which Anderson refers, is one of the exceptions, not the rule.

Thanks again!  

Allan

Edited Sunday at 07:01 PM by allanyed

[Mark P]

Thanks Allan;

 

This is too wide-ranging a field for us to know all of it. Belaying pins were certainly used from the Tudor times, but in combination with many other belaying points. As ships developed, and rigs became more and more complicated, the number of ropes needing to be belayed multiplied, and it is easy to imagine that racks of pins in the bulwarks rationalised the forest of ropes coming down the rigging.

 

In addition, pin racks on the inside of the shrouds were definitely in use by 1750.

 

One day I hope to produce a typical English belaying plan for the early 17th century and late Tudor period. Just have to live long enough!

 

All the best,

 

Mark P 

[Old Collingwood]

Excellent work Phil.

 

OC.