HMS Indefatigable 1794 by Blue Ensign - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1:64 scale

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you Nipper and Allan.

@ Nipper - Nice of you to say so, but I don't think I deserve mention in the same company as Chuck, I might qualify to sweep up in his workshop, and I'd be happy to do that just to watch him. (Can you tell I'm a fan 😄)

@ Allan -  I'm using 0.6mm stuff which equates to 1½"  about right I think. The side stops are fitted on the bottom stop, which I find easier to do.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[allanyed]

10 minutes ago, Blue Ensign said:

The side stops are fitted on the bottom stop, which I find easier to do.

The shipyard must have found the same thing as that is what I have seen explained in books and on contemporary models.😀  Nice work!  

Allan

[Blue Ensign]

Post Thirty-five

Port Lining continues.

I am using 0.6mm Boxwood (10mm wide) to line the remaining gun-deck ports.

If nothing else it will provide a smoother finish than sanding the mdf /lime/pear/ sandwich which make up the bulwark.

1025

The bottom layer goes in quickly using the kit part as a template, and simply requires trimming on the inboard side.

1021

The kit part 549 was used as template for the more complex side pieces. This was simply transferred to the Boxwood strip and cut to suit.

1023

The ports were re-taped for painting.

I think I should buy shares in Tamiya tape, I use so much.

1037

1035

1043

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1032

The whole process went more quickly than I had initially thought, four days to line the ports and apply a couple of coats of paint.

A few ports will require a little more attention, but that is something I will return to, as is attending to the inner bulwarks.

 

Onwards to sorting out the wales.

 

B.E.

06/06/2023

 

 

[Mirabell61]

looks very good B.E.

 

Nils

[Kevin]

very nice indeed

[Blue Ensign]

Thank you, Nils, and Kevin, and for the ‘likes’.

 

Post Thirty- six

The Black Strake

My plan is to fit the wales, followed by a drop plank, followed by the Garboard plank, followed by lining off and planking the remainder of the hull.

If only it was as simple as those few words.

 

The first task is to fit the Black strake which will fix the line of the wales.

For this I am using 0.8mm x 4mm Pear.

1061

The kit indicates use of 1mm pear, but I used 0.8mm as I think it better reflects the subtle difference in thickness between the wales and topside planking.

1059

I used Vallejo black to colour the strake before fitting but may tone it down using Black/grey, depending on the overall effect.

1056

Masking tape was used to mark the upper line, and Ca was used to apply the strakes.

1048

Onto the wales and a somewhat trickier operation.

 

B.E.

07/06/2023

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Thirty-seven

 

Onto the Wales - The approach.

1062

A master plank was cut from some 6mm x 3mm Boxwood sheet. This will be used as a template to cut the planks.

1064

The planks are of a scale 120mm in length.

The touch 30mm in from the end. (¼ of plank length)

The touch depth is 2/3 the depth of the strake (8mm) = 5.33mm.

The butts are ½ the depth of the touch =2.66mm.

To make the measurements easier I used a touch of 5.5mm and a butt of 2.5mm, easier to see.

1068

A simple jig was made to hold the planks for marking and cutting.

1066

1070

I used 6mm x 1mm strip to form the planks.

1071

The trick is to ensure that all the joints will meet cleanly.

1073

Once the top wale strake is in place things will be easier, but the fit will be tested before gluing into place.

I now need to cut around sixty planks – what joy!

 

B.E.

08/06/2023

 

 

[glbarlow]

Nice work on the wales. I’m personally left wondering though, what a Hoggs of Fife country shoe must look like😊

[Blue Ensign]

Thanks Glenn, the planks are the easy bit, it's the fitting that will confirm or otherwise my decision to go the difficult route.😕

 

ps; The Hoggs shoes are a bit like me, strong, tanned, and good for rough country,😉 

The boxes are even better, perfect for a  height extension to support the build board of a pocket Battleship.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post Thirty-eight

 

Main Wales

With a supply of planks cut, application can begin.

1077

I start at the bow with a full-length plank, touch end to the stem. The planks will continue in this sequence to the stern.

1078

Below this a shorter plank starts at the touch and runs to the stem.

The total depth of these two planks must be 8mm.

1079

I work both strakes sequentially as I go along, making minor tweaks as necessary.

1082

For the lower set of strakes I begin with the touch end starting midway along the foremost plank above it, to create a shift in the butts.

1085

This second set also starts with the straight edge upwards and continues in the same manner.

1093

The final plank of the lower strake is shaped to follow the curve of the hull and will be finally fettled as the wale is shaped to follow the transom line.

1090

Two days work and the Starboard side wale is completed. A lot less fiddly than Hook and Butt but still gives a more authentic look than straight plank Wales.

1099

The overall depth of the wale is 16mm around 3’ 4”.

This is deeper that the kit wale by 1mm but is still slightly less that the depth given by Goodwin for a thirty-eight-gun frigate of 3’ 6.”

1098

1100

The wales will be cleaned up after the Port side have been fitted.

 

B.E.

10/06/2023

 

 

[davyboy]

Hi Maurice,

 

A delight to see this which is so much better looking and far more authentic than 4 rows of straight planks.

 

Dave 

 

[aliluke]

Very nice work Maurice.

 

I used this technique on the wales for Fly but I cleaned it up so well that after painting them black the jointing was invisible! Be careful of that.

[Kevin]

that looks fantastic

[Hubac's Historian]

The wales came out brilliantly, Maurice.

[Rustyj]

Hi B.E. I just spent a very pleasant time catching up on your build log. Very well done! 

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Guys, thank you for your comments, and ‘likes’.

 

@ Alistair, - it’s a fine line (no pun intended) between showing the plank lines, and what looks like a poor fit. Worth doing regardless, as I know it’s there, and hopefully there will be sufficient lines showing thro’ to indicate the planks.

022

If I can achieve the result I got on Pegasus I will be satisfied.

Looking out this photo I am reminded it has been twelve years since I last did a Top and Butt wale, where have all those years gone!

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post Thirty-Nine

 

Completion of the Wales.

The Port side planks were fitted without issue; the plank jig allowed for quick reproduction, and using ca, fitting was instant.

I dampen the planks before applying the ca - it aids rapid grab.

 

With both sides completed the hull is again inverted for finishing.

1107

The tricky part is the stern counter where the aft end of the wale is shaped for the round of the hull, and to follow the curve of the counter.

1112

It is important that there is a smooth transition between the lower edge of the wale and the plank below the wale that runs into the lower counter. All following planks of the second layer will follow this line.

1124

1125

1122

1121

1115

1120

I think there will be sufficient plank line definition to give a subtle impression of the Top and Butt once the wale is painted.

1118

I have moved quite a way from the oob sequence.

For me the result is worth it, and by fitting the wale before the lower second planking I have the opportunity to work a Drop plank below the wale.

 

Onwards....

 

B.E.

12/06/2023

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Forty

 Drop planks at the Bow.

These are a feature of ships of the period and generally appear immediately below the wale.

They are a nice feature on a model, and installing a drop plank should help prevent overcrowding of the strakes at the bow as planking proceeds.

1131

Where it meets the stem I have tapered to 4mm, which is 1mm less than the full single plank width.

The taper was determined in the usual way using a single  5mm plank which was then use as a template on a 10mm plank.

1127

The body of the plank must be broad enough at the aft end to take account of a tapered plank that butts against it and runs beneath the wale.

The tail of the Drop plank also must run to meet a full width plank of 5mm, following on and running towards the stern.

Together they form the first two strakes beneath the wale.

 

I couldn’t find any specifics about the proportions of drop planks between the body and the tail, so this is my best guestimate.

1128A

These are the dimensions I used.

The drop plank width is 4mm at the stem, 8.5mm at the aft end of the body, which is 55mm long, and with an overall length of 120mm.

1132

1133

1140

1148

1142

 

 

B.E.

14/06/2023

[Nipper]

Thanks B.E. for your detailed explanation.  I've marked this ready for my next planking job - it will make my next model better, more realistic and more satisfying.  As ever, your meticulous thinking, planning and execution provides a guide for the rest of us.

 

Nipper

[Blue Ensign]

Post Forty-one

Garboard Planks

The two strakes below the wale are completed before I move onto the Garboard.

1152

These were fitted as individual planks, and attached using ca.

 

According to the Construction and Fitting of the English Man of War (Peter Goodwin) the width of the Garboard Strake is 2/3 the moulded depth of the keel which would be 6.5mm at scale.

At midships the depth from drop plank strake to keel is 141mm

On paper this represents 28.2 number of 5mm planks.

1168

I have opted to round up to 7mm wide strips for the Garboard planks which I think better shows the difference to the usual hull planking.

1166

I next added the strake above the Garboard.

1161

1157

1165

At last, I can now move onto prepare for the remainder of the hull planking.

 

B.E.

15/06/2023

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post Forty-two

 

A bit of a set back

What I feared may happen with a hull this size has happened.

Manoeuvring to check the lining off resulted in the hull toppling off its support with the stern crashing against the wall.

1185

The stern frame bracing has buckled, and one of the mdf stern frames split.

1186

The Upper stern pattern above the gallery has been split.

1187

1188

I’m bloody annoyed with myself letting this happen, but pva and clamps should sort the issue.  

 

Not a good start to the day.☹️

 

B.E.

16/06/2023

[Mirabell61]

OMG, I can feel with you B.E. after that crash, but now your putting in all your experience and skill to mend it well,head up....

 

Nils

[JoeMacD]

WONDERFUL BUILDING ON THE INDY,  I FOUND THIS ON YOUTUBE WHICH I FOUND VERY INTERESTING HISTORY OF THE INDY!

 

A BATTLE OF THE INDY!

 

 

[Rustyj]

Ouch. Tough way to start the day but I know you'll get it all sorted out!

[James H]

Apart from the buckled MDF part, I also banged the back side bulwarks and split one as you did.

 

Annoying (especially in this heat!) but nothing major. 

[mtaylor]

Sorry to hear of the accident.   I find that it seems to be rite that there's at least one "oops" moment for every build.  Luckily, as in your case, the damage was fixable.

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Guys,

The repair seems to have held, but work is now suspended for a week whilst I enjoy a week  in Dorset. An opportune time for a break,  in the better sense of the word, I think.

 

B.E.

[Kevin]

2 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

Cheers Guys,

The repair seems to have held, but work is now suspended for a week whilst I enjoy a week  in Dorset. An opportune time for a break,  in the better sense of the word, I think.

 

B.E.

enjoy the break, and glad the repair has held

 

[glbarlow]

Sorry that happened, just another opportunity for creative problem solving. It seems you already have it well in hand. Enjoy your week off.

[Blue Ensign]

Post Forty-three

The Preparation

I have (26) 5mm planks at midships which are marked off on the hull using a tick strip.

I intend to work a first band of six strakes below the existing planking, and I’m looking to have the plank ends at the stem not less than 3mm in width.

With this in mind, I apply the lining tape.

1173

1179

The first application of the tape, now the tweaking begins.

In these shots the upper tape marks the line of the first section.

 

I am aiming to get a smooth sweep up to the stem using edge bent and tapered strips only. I hope to avoid the need for spiling except perhaps when I reach the under belly of the hull.

 

The trouble with lining off is deciding when it is at its optimum line.

This process is more art than arithmetic and I find myself in an agony of indecision wondering whether I have reached that point.

Using strip wood there is inevitably error creep strake upon strake, so I will fit the first section and then recalculate.

 

The following photos show the point where I think I am getting close to an acceptable run.

1191

1193

1195

1199

1212

1205

1207

1203a

I think it needs a slight tweak as indicated.

1216

This looks better to my eye.

I can now proceed to mark off the strake widths at each bulkhead point and begin planking.

 

B.E.

27/06/2023.