Great Henry 1536 by Snug Harbor Johnny - Sergal - major 'bust' of 1975 kit re-scaled from 1:65 to 1:88

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Ahoy, lovers of 16th to early 17th c. ships !    My review of the massive vintage Sergal kit designed in 1975 can be found elsewhere in the forum, and I won't re-hash much if anything covered there (in the review section) ... in fact, the kit review nearly 'morphed' into a build log (never my intent) - so I was bound to eventually do a build after finishing the Vasa log - or so I thought.

 

  So in taking a break form the Swedish ship, I started accumulating pictures of a re-design of the Great Henry's framing ... and as the photos mounted I realized that a 'backlog' was accumulating, and would make for a lot of work sorting and getting any future log started.  Well, we're used to many logs taking years to complete, and I'll most likely hop back and forth between the two and add occasional additions to both logs as stuff gets done.

 

  The full name of this ship is Henry Grace a Deiu (HGaD), and there is a great build of her at 1:200 already completed in the forum.  It was a larger and more heavily armed version of the Mary Rose (MR), built in response to the Scottish leviathan Great Michael.  There are several reference books on these ships, so I won't go into that here.  Having a substantial section of the Mary Rose recovered and on display in England provides a wealth of information not just on the hull lines and construction methods, but this information can be used for the Great Henry (or Great Harry - GH either way) - as well as to correct what are perceived today as inaccuracies with the vintage Sergal kit.

 

  'Hard to figure the thinking in marketing a limited release of a premium, large-scale  kit back then, - and they might have done better with with a more manageable version, as the development and tooling could have been amortized over a higher production volume (ergo lowering the price point).  The Anthony Roll was known back then, so the somewhat fanciful configuration of the fore and stern castles is amusing.  The kit, as issued, is high quality and the framing parts fit well with a minimum of fussing.  But we'll see what i have to do to get a more modest sized model conforming much better to what is now known from the MR.

 

  Below is a portion of the kit framing to give you an idea of the size.

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

    Now its time to hit the drawing board and re-scale the model.  The designers 'gallionized' her over much (as there was much less to go on back then), and the beam to length also needed re-doing (as noted in the kit review).  I did a  fair amount of design work as a junior engineer decades ago - long before auto-cad and cad/cam technology.  A proper drawing board with a manual drafting machine would come in handy, but I have to plug away with straightedge, pencil and whatever shapes are handy.

 

 

    The kit frames were placed on my copier and the % reduction was played around with until arriving at my best reckoning of 1:88 - what appears to be the scale of the cannons provided.  I also had to adjust the beam proportions and the outer shaping of the frames.  Now there is  an interesting way that 'false decks' are incorporated in the kit design - but not at the levels where cannon carriages would set on them ... rather the 'approximate' center line of the barrels where the gun ports are to be cut into the hull planking.   Wood is intended to be glued into notches at these point, then later drilled into from the outside after planking and cutting the gun ports.

 

  If everything does not line up quite right, there will be difficulties with this.  Also, just drilling the holes all in alignment from the outside into wood pieces located somewhat behind the hull planking is problematical.  My solution was to design complete gun decks (instead of two halves) that will be at the proper level to have either gun carriages (or dummy carriages) placed ... or simply wood blocks that the half cannons can be temporarily put into and adjusted to 'look right' coming out of the gun ports AS the planking proceeds up the hull.  We'll let this idea evolve as the build progresses.

 

 Below is a rough sketch showing where the original internal decking related to the array of gun ports.

 

The next two photos show the kit concept of how half-cannons would be incorporated - so you can see the challenges noted above.

 

 

  Below is a detail showing an oddly-shaped fore castle ... not like the Anthony Roll at all - go figure.  i still haven't translated any of the Italian, but one can see that the hull is to be double planked.

 

 

 

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The new keel pieces are placed for comparison with the original pieces, and you can see the degree of down-sizing accomplished.  There are no changes to the configuration of this single frame element except the lessen the amount of keel that will project below the nethermost planking, whereas there are very significant re-designs to the cross-wise frame members and decking (which will be seen later).

 

 

 

  Ideally, I'd use computer aided frame development to get perfectly symmetrical print-outs at the desired scale for gluing to the wood before jig-sawing.  What I did was to fold the paper over and cut around the first half to get something close to symmetrical - then trace around it on the wood.  I got a piece of birch plywood about .200" thick (2' x 4') and pretty rigid in both axis.  I had to look through almost every piece to find one that was flat - and it stayed flat in my shop.  I picked another piece at another big-box store to make the gun decks from, since they will have to flex to the shape needed fore and aft.  So the piece of stock was chosen from one that was rigid in one axis but flexible in the other.

 

 

Below id a folded-over paper frame member.

 

  My 'hammer and chisel' methods aren't so elegant, and the pieces have to be test-fitted and trimmed as needed as I go.  But its 'good enough'.  Below are some pieces drawn on the wood.

 

 

  Now after cutting the initial ones out, they don't look too bad.  But there will undoubtedly be a few re-makes when I see how the lines look.  All this is a 'first ever' for me, and it is a process of discovery.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 22 by Snug Harbor Johnny

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The gun decks had to be re-designed as single pieces, with the width adapted to the new form dimensions.  This was done by tracing around the frames at the right location.  The notches in the frame members were also modified so the gun decks will have the right fore-and-aft curve.  The gun deck above the lowest one will have scalloped notches cut to make it easier to position and glue the dummy gun carriages as the planking progresses upward.

 

 

  Below is a corner where my trusty old Dremel jigsaw is.  The newer cheapies aren't well made, but this vintage one is half-decent.  BTW, the clock on the right is working, but the other one is not presently wound since it needs some maintenance - a little cleaning and lube should work. 

 

 

  Below the jig saw is a pile of scrap I need to clean up before I start tripping over it.

 

 

  As long as I'm on the topic of my 'shop' (such that it is), there is a picture of a corner in the garage upstairs where I can make more dust (so the Admiral doesn't complain about it).  It is cold in winter, ergo the heater.  In clement weather I'll roll the table saw outside for any bulk cutting, and the sawdust can bury itself into the grass.

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by Snug Harbor Johnny

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  This post should bring the documentation up to date.  An initial fitting showed where some of the frames fell short of fair - ergo new ones had to be made ... and trimming done on others.

 

 

 

 

  After more 'adjustments', a more complete frame was trial fitted, and things are improving.  You can see how the fore castle will resemble the one seen in the Anthony Roll, and the stern castle is the cut-down version of 1536.  I did a drawing of how it would look with yet another deck on the stern castle, and the reported 'heeling' was then understandable.  Sergal's version has a 'diminutive' deck added (a sort-of 'widow's walk')  that does look imaginative, but not anything with documentable.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2023 by Snug Harbor Johnny

[Baker]

Very interesting and a very impressive start.

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Baker

[GrandpaPhil]

Very cool!

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  A few more tentative steps have been taken.  The techniques I used to draw and reproduce frames, etc. in wood are sub-par to properly generated, symmetrical shapes ... and so there are a number of adjustments to make so the puzzle pieces fit together better (or at all), with tweaks here and there as I go - that then cause other tweaks to be made.

 

  One can always cut or abrade off excess material, but even if more wood needs to be 'added' in places - it can be glued on with aliphatic resin glue and then sanded.  This is my first go at a self-generated hull form, and it is a fascinating process of discovery ... one that I'm in no rush to do as its a fun thing, and the idea is to savor the experience - for once done I'll have to embark on another voyage.  The shot below shows some of the added bits.

 

 

  Fairing is foremost in mind, so a thin spring rod is applied to the hull to see where adjustments are to be made.  A number of frames were entirely recut where the changes would be too great on an individual piece.  Once everything is fitting well, perhaps I should draw around all the pieces over gridded paper as a future reference ... as well as to post those so anyone else who wants to have a go at the Great Henry can do so.  With a plausible framework to begin with, all the rest is done using construction techniques found in many places on the forum.  I find the current build-in-progress of the Mary Rose to be educational, but a model of the GH has more leeway since the original ship has been lost to the ages.

 

  Blocking between the hull frames seems a good idea.  One can use planking material from a 'parts kit' (or cut one's own), as well as scrounged or improvised fittings.  One can buy or make guns (the Sergal kit has very many that are perfectly suited) - most of those on the GH will only be seen as barrels protruding through gun ports anyway.  I won't use any belaying pins (the experts say 1536 is way too early for them), so tying rigging to heavy railing seems logical, as well as using knight heads with a rail between, and kevels were convenient.  I just received the small gun port hinge kits from Chuck at Syren, and they are very adaptable (no 'blackening' needed).  Masts and sparring would be typical as seen in depictions available on line.  As said elsewhere, the rope in the Sergal kit is excellent, and I can always make whatever rope in the color and size I want with the Rope Rocket (another Syren product).  

 

  Below is a view from astern showing the lining-up of the aft frames.

 

 

  Compare with an opposite view of the forward bulkheads.  I rather think the lines are shaping up, similar to those found on the Mary Rose ... these warships were on the 'cutting edge' of Naval technology at the time of construction.

 

 

 

  Below is a view from the front quarter ... things are still in a state of flux, and nothing is glued - so pop-ups or loose joints occur.  There is also a camera effect that diminishes the apparent size of the stern castle in the photo (which a side view would not have), but I'm happy with how the shape of the fore castle is coming along ... it will remind one of the Anthony Roll.   Although the artist perhaps over-emphasized the exact proportions, it shape certainly DID make an impression (as did the fore castle of the MR) on the casual observer.  This 'mind's eye' view might be compared to people in the movie 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' trying to make drawings or sculptures of the mental imagery os Devil's Tower, Wyoming ... without the edifice present for comparison.

 

 

  I'm holding the keel in a wood bench vise, so I'll have to make a better way (building jig? ... cradle?) before long.  Both castles will be made as removable sub-assemblies so I can invert the hull form to plank from the keel (doubler plank method).  Once the bottom is done, the hull can be turned right-side up for the rest of construction - again working slowly upwards (like I did with the Vasa).  I'm making up my own instructions as I go, so we'll see.

 

  The last image in this post is a piece I made that the weather deck (of thinner ply) will go on ... and it seems to match (roughly) where a deck is inside the stern castle.  A bit of adjusting yet, but so far, so good.  Planking will run inside both castles in the central area, but the plan is to have double doors closed (a measure that can secure the castles in action), since I don't want to do 'interior detailing'.  I've seen some builds of other ships where the builder goes to considerable trouble detailing and outfitting cabins that will only be vaguely (if at all) seen from the outside on the finished model.

 

 

  Once the entire framework is in order,  I'll have to go back and do more work on the Vasa.

 

 

 

 

[Louie da fly]

Well, this is looking very good.

 

It's a huge project adapting the kit to become something very different, and 'bodging' the bulkhead shapes, learning as you go. Having gone through a similar process, I feel I understand what you're going through.

 

In such a case, I think you're right in allowing yourself some leeway between the original kit on one hand and perfect 'rivet counter' historical accuracy on the other.

 

I'm following with great interest. Standing on the sidelines applauding.

 

Steven

Edited June 6, 2023 by Louie da fly

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  OK, it's been bone dry here for two weeks, with no rain (so they said) at least until the weekend, so I thought instead of doing anything more on the model I'd do an outside chore on my  (the Admiral's) list.  It did get weirdly dim and hazy today and smelled of smoke ... the Canadian wildfires, they said ... and later became 'milky' and hazy at ground level.  But a cooling breeze seemed to blow it all away while  was prepping my paver front walk for the application of polymeric sand.  The sun came out and dried up everything blasted clear by a pressure washer.

 

  The sand went in and all the excess swept clear, and the right amount of water was sprinkled to activate the stuff.  All was well for half an hour, then dark clouds approached with distant rumbling heard !?//*** %$$# !!  As I was trying to get plastic over the walkway the drops from above multiplied (of course the browning lawn and thirsty border plants were happy), but panic set in as I kept grabbing border stones I could pry loose to try and hold the plastic down so the walkway treatment wouldn't be ruined.  &**^%% !!  I think that the impromptu covering kept half the shower off, and on-line information said that a 'light' shower during curing should not matter.

 

  In fact, the directions said to wait 15 minutes and re-apply water, then do it again after another 15 minutes to be sure that water gets down deep to activate all the polymeric sand mix.  Well, I did only one application of water, so I'm praying that everything will still bond.  Hmmmmm, 'should have stayed in the shipyard.  So much for weather forecasting.

[ccoyle]

22 minutes ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

But a cooling breeze seemed to blow it all away while  was prepping my paver front walk for the application of polymeric sand.  The sun came out and dried up everything blasted clear by a pressure washer.

 

Coincidentally, the streets in my neighborhood got sealed today -- wife says they got the work done before the afternoon showers started. I'll have to see how it looks when I get home.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The sun was out this morning, and the polymer sand in the walkway interstices seems to have firmed-up a lot in the places protected by plastic during the shower yesterday.  Other places are still a bit soft where excess water seeped - but showed some progress after a couple hours of solar warming.

 

  There was enough leftover sand mix to fill cracks between the road pavement and the curbing which I power washed out yesterday, so those were gently watered.  I had a lunch break and went out locally for a couple things and immediately noticed that the smoke was back (they said it was coming in during the AM news) ... and the forest fire smell is distinct, as is a fog at ground level that dims the sun by about half.  I used to grow orchids under 'shade cloth' to prevent leaf scorch on Cattleyas, so I know what filtered light looks like.  Its also the way things can seem during a partial solar eclipse.

 

  Being out, my mouth felt dry and I coughed a little - the particles are so fine that even a N-95 or KN-95 mask won't keep them out - only a lab grade canister face mask.  So its good that I'm now inside and will try to get a little more done on the GH structure - like with house building, the framing is done first before the clapboards go on the exterior.

 

  This smoke thing brought to mind an old rhyme:  It's not the cough that carries you off, but the coffin they carry you off in. 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

   With the air cleared and a few items knocked off my 'list', more headway has been done on the GH.  The first of the two enclosed decks above the weather deck in the astern castle took some care to do without wasting some wood in the process, so I drew (with frame pieces done already as partial templates) a pretty close approximation on paper.  Then I used a glue stick to affix it to a piece of manilla file folder stock (card stock would have done) before cutting out and trial fitting.   That way, the pattern could still be trimmed with scissors or more material tapes on as needed ... no fussing with wood yet.  Below is a picture of the pattern being trial-fit to the stern castle frames.  The cut-outs are staggered to make fitting gun mounts easier as the hull is planked from bottom to top later - the gun array being staggered from deck to deck.

 

 

  After a few goes, the pattern was a much better fit than if I had gone right to wood.  Note the tabs (on both sides, other than the one on the right) of the stern castle frames (except the one on the left).  This was helpful in getting everything to fit and not just fall over if bumped.  I also want to make both castles removable to make planking from the garboard strake easier while the hull is overturned.  Now the deck I will transfer to plywood (from the re-enforced paper pattern) has relief notches that will slide right over the tabs on the frame bottoms.  I did not want to cut such notches in the deck above since it is narrower ... so how (pray tell) are the two middle frames to slide over the upper deck?

 

 

  The sequence is as follows:  The frame is tilted as shown below, to get one corner up into the frame.

 

 

  Then the frame is swiveled over (note the small clearance notch on the right as shown above) to seat as shown below in two stages.

 

   No worries, mate.

 

 

  I only had to cut one deck piece using the revised paper pattern, with a minimum of adjustment by filing.  Below it is sliding right onto the frames since there is relief for the tabs.  This is all like designing a puzzle - which I find therapeutic as I always liked 3D puzzles - only in this case I'm designing my own 'kit' in the desired scale and configuration with the Sergal material only as a starting point.

 

 

  The last picture shows the present state of the stern castle in progress, and things are beginning to take shape ... with more fitting and adjustments to come. 

 

 

Steve mentioned the concept of 'bodging' ... and that made me recall the original British reality show called Junkyard Wars - where each week opposing teams had a limited amount of time to put together a technical challenge from all the material found in the show's Junkyard (shop tools and equipment were provided, of course).  The moderator referred to the teams as 'bodgers' ... and the first time I saw the show they had to fashion  a limbered cannon and projectiles, then the winner was chosen by the closest shot aggregate when live-fired at targets.  Great fun !   'Guess I'm a bodger. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Louie da fly]

That's a beautiful bit of bodging, Johnny. You're a braver man than I, sir. And better at figuring out 3D puzzles as well. I find it hurts my brain.

 

A rough job, and sometimes an ad hoc job done on the spot without drawing up plans (at least here in Oz, and I think also in the UK) is referred to as "bodgy", or a "bodge job". The word goes back to at least the 16th century (how appropriate) when a bodger was someone who assembled new garments by pulling apart other, second or third-hand garments.

 

But back in the 1960's teenage gangs in Oz were referred to as bodgies (the boys) and widgies (the girls). I have no idea if there was a connection with the other meaning of the word.

 

Steven

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Steven, I found out that 1:88 scale is virtually the same as HO (1:87), and that I  might be able to get a few HO scale medieval type figures to populate the GH when done.  A preliminary look didn't yield very much, and some former offerings are now discontinued.  But then there are often things found on Ebay and elsewhere that one cannot buy new.  HO figures from later periods might be adapted, like the ones I'm using on the Vasa ... who's going to look at them THAT closely.

 

  One is reminded that in ages past, shipwrights had a minimum (or not at all) of 'drawings' to go by.  They relied on expertise handed down in the learning of their trade to make things.  It is reported that all sorts of shapes from felled trees were taken to were a ship was being built, and the shipwrights chose from among these for the most suitable place in the structure (futtocks, knees and all) to be joined by various means.  Even a slightly curved trunk could be shaped into a deck beam having a natural camber to it so the water would drain to either side.  One notices in the preserve Mary Rose all sorts of custom fit wood and planking of differing widths - and there were the 1536 modifications whereby cross bracing members got installed down in the hull.

 

  With my framing, both castle decks have a slant to them, (and the gun decks below have a fore-and-aft curve) so just a little filing on the correct edges of the mating pieces provides for that.  Cutting out the components with a jig saw just to the side of the pencil line means that there will be material to trim (or filed) so a good fit is achieved when assembles.  And even if there is still some 'wiggle room' here and there, this often is what is needed for everything to go together ... just as long as there isn't too much 'slop'.  And then there have been a number of discarded pieces that were remade ... many others have had extra wood glued-on.

 

  When most of the pieces (and there will be more) are fitted together, the hull has a nice 'heft' to it ... more than enough so that it will nestle nicely in whatever cradle I make for it.  Once planked and fitted-out it is likely to seem a 'heavy' model - which is fine by me.

[Louie da fly]

I'm pretty sure I've previously found figures out there at that scale - though it might have been at 1:72, the other favourite modelling scale. Google search might be of use here. I'm afraid I can't remember what words I put into the search last time.

 

8 hours ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

all sorts of shapes from felled trees were taken to were a ship was being built, and the shipwrights chose from among these for the most suitable place in the structure

That's true, and according to Brad Loewen's paper on the subject, the Basques in the 15th century actually trained trees to grow into the shapes they wanted.

 

Anyhow, I'm enjoying following the build. Looking forward to the next instalment.

 

Steven

[Ian_Grant]

On 6/6/2023 at 4:35 PM, ccoyle said:

 

Coincidentally, the streets in my neighborhood got sealed today -- wife says they got the work done before the afternoon showers started. I'll have to see how it looks when I get home.

Enlighten a denizen of the great white north - what is meant by "sealing" the streets?

[ccoyle]

9 hours ago, Ian_Grant said:

what is meant by "sealing" the streets?

 

I'm not sure what they applied, but it's supposed to replace some of the binding agents that are lost from the original pavement due to wear and exposure.

[Ian_Grant]

Oh I see....up here some people "seal" their asphalt driveways with a coating of new "black stuff" and a long-handled roller but I've never seen the city do the streets aside from patching cracks.

[Jeff T]

On 6/11/2023 at 9:47 AM, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

Steven, I found out that 1:88 scale is virtually the same as HO (1:87), and that I  might be able to get a few HO scale medieval type figures to populate the GH when done.  A preliminary look didn't yield very much, and some former offerings are now discontinued.  But then there are often things found on Ebay and elsewhere that one cannot buy new.  HO figures from later periods might be adapted, like the ones I'm using on the Vasa ... who's going to look at them THAT closely.

I found this set online, which is apparently not in stock, but it could be ordered.  There are a lot of figures in the set, but it looks like only a few of them would work.  They are HO scale, though:

 

https://ajckids.com/products/preiser-16359?variant=43541340029165&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google+Shopping&currency=USD&srsltid=AR57-fBCDq-h7K_XWHu1CRlAFLm3PjsrgIq9Xk4csYsCho8gvFcmUtybKu4&com_cvv=d30042528f072ba8a22b19c81250437cd47a2f30330f0ed03551c4efdaf3409e

[Louie da fly]

I see what you mean. But some could be converted I think - for example, you could remove the crossbows from the crossbowmen and they'd just be "men". The monks and the ladies I'm afraid don't seem to be right for the ship. But keep in mind also that what sailors wore at the time was very practical and therefore not all that different from modern dress, so modern figures could be used much of the time.

Whereas here is the kind of thing worn by the "better sort"

 

Both pictures from the painting "The Embarkation of Henry VIII at Dover for the Field of the Cloth of Gold" held in Hampton Court Palace, painted about 1545.

 

Steven

[Jeff T]

I agree that some modifications would be needed with this set, as suggested, and, of course, many could not be used.  

 

Steven, I am amazed at your ability to carve figures at an even smaller scale!

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  I did see the HO offering of Medieval Fair figures (including modern attendees), but was confused by the term "out of stock but available to order".  Of course, I've found a number of possibles at 1:72 - but they are oversized for my purposes ... unless once the frames are reasonably perfected I opt to enlarge tracing of them to build at 1:72.  That would add half a foot to the project, while not that much by itself, the volume, weight and case size go up - 80% more case volume enclosed.  I'll most likely get figures that can be modified - only a few would be needed for scale.

 

  Noted in the detail of the embarkment  painting are the sailors on the yards with no foot ropes.  Not having foot ropes, jackstays, or belaying pins needed for these ships does simplify the rigging somewhat from, say, an extreme clipper.  Parrels retain the yards and halyards raise/lower them.  Add lifts and braces and not much more (other than shrouds with ratlines plus forestays for each mast) is needed for a ship in port with no sails mounted on the yards.  There are far fewer yards to deal with as well, compared to later periods.

 

  As for that painting, I'm not convinced of a date as late as 1544-5.  This was only a year  before Henry died, ergo is more likely a "latest possible date" - just as the finding of a dated coin in an archeological dig makes for an "earliest possible date".  But early coins circulated for quite a long time.  True, all the ships seem to be 'clones' of each other (and have certain inaccuracies), but the absence of top gallants and the similarities to the 'wedding' painting discussed earlier (most likely painted not too  many years after the wedding in the 1520s) hint at the 1520s.  If one is going to 'blow one's horn' over an accomplishment, one is likely to do so relatively soon after that accomplishment. 

 

  As we know, the peace negotiated prior to the Field of Cloth of Gold 'summit meeting' (likely more of a 'face saving' move by Francis I and a cost avoidance by Henry VIII due to the Emperor's withdrawal of military support) did not last for very long.  And lavish wedding gifts tend not to be given decades after the fact.  Ergo I think it likely that both paintings most likely date prior to 1536.  That notwithstanding, if a pre-1536 version of the HGaD was to be considered, the presence of specific shield heraldry seems like a PITA to reproduce in a small size and still look nice.  Hmmm, I suppose an artist skilled in computer art (like my Admiral) could make nice versions that could be reduced and color printed on paper to mount on small wooden shields - then brushed with clear shellac to seal.  The effect might simulate the heraldry painted on flexible leather before being applied to wooden shields  - as the shields are exposed to the elements and paint will peel/weather off wood before long as the wood swells and shrinks under varying conditions, whereas the painted leather would hold up better.

 

 I'll have to make some shields anyway - at least ones bearing the Cross of St. George ...  "Once more, my friends, unto the breach !  God for Harry, England and St. George ! "  Hmmmm, 'Reminds me of a story about a grieving woman who had been co-owner of a night spot with her late husband.  She'd gained so much weight in her grief that a strange diet was tried - one that required the dieter to be locked in an apartment for a month with only 2,000 pounds of bacon to eat.  The idea being that one would be so sick of it that weight loss would be the result.   A month later, upon emerging visibly lighter, her 3rd best friend Richard declared, "Now is the widow of our discotheque made glorious thinner by a ton of pork ! "  

[Louie da fly]

The date is only an estimate, and yes, it does seem a little strange that it should be painted so long after the event.

 

Make sure the shields are thin enough. A common mistake is to make them too thick. They were usually only 10-15 millimetres thick at the edges, a little thinner in the centre. You have to be able to carry the thing without your arm getting tired! Oh and ideally they should have a slight convex curve in the vertical direction. Hey, if I can do it at 1:200 . . . (mind you. I did make them too thick - tissue paper shields don't stand up well to wear and tear).

 

And the Shakespeare (mis)quote - GROAN. Worthy of Dennis Norden and Frank Muir at their best.

 

Steven

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  'Sorry for the snail's pace of the project, but there are so many things to do outside this time of year.  I DO think about the build a lot, as things need to be done a lot differently than 'as supplied' - and this issue has been noted in earlier posts.  Note the 'fantasy' look of the castles (and the inaccurate lines) in part of the plan shown below - my castles should end-up resembling those shown in the Anthony Roll.  My lines are close to the Mary Rose.

 

 

Thought is given for potential courses of action (and the steps in order to achieve), then other ideas are mulled over.  What I may do is do forge ahead at some point and just 'go for it' - with course corrections made 'on the fly'.  It is, after all, a wooden medium which can be carved, cut/sanded or added onto in various ways ... and the castle exteriors will be painted.  I've ripped off and changed enough of my other project, anyway.

 

  Meanwhile, most of the frame pieces have been 'nudged' (bodged?) into a shape that seems OK when a thin, flexible spring wire is curved over the profiles in various ways - a sort of pre-faring.  Then I'll have to trace each piece in full size for archival purposes.

[Louie da fly]

Yes, it's ok to do fantasy models, but in this case I think something a  little more historically accurate is appropriate.

 

Take all the time you want to think it through. It's not a race.

 

Steven

Edited June 19, 2023 by Louie da fly

[Baker]

indeed, it's not a race.
Take your time. This will be a great model once finished 👍

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  The geometry of the stern castle (and also the fore castle) is not the easiest to put-together from square-cut flat stock, as the angles become compound.  I've made a sketch (and again, I'm no artist) form the usual 'orthographic' point of view, in that from the side there is a nice upward angle.  From the stern the castle is angled inwards on both sides, and seen from above there is a taper going sternward. 

 

 

 

  So new pieces have to have the edges angled until they fit more or less correctly.  As mentioned before, the castle sub-assemblies will be removable (for now) so they can be faired by sanding, also worked on by adding gun mounts, lunettes and first planking.  This will allow the hull to be turned turtle for the bottom planking ... before being set in some kind of cradle for right-side-up work.

 

 

 

  There are some nice swivel guns provided by the kit, but they are designed to be mounted in stamped brass lunettes that are a bit large for the scale I'm bashing the kit in.  Also, the application of brass surrounds don't seen right (or at least they are not documented) for any of Henry's capitol ships.  The image below is from a kit plan.

 

 

 

   I've given this some thought, and made a concept sketch of how I may install them.  #1 is to notch the vertical frames and attach a horizontal rail across the castle frames at the level of a row of lunettes.  This rail is to stand proud the thickness of the first planking.  There will be pre-drilled holes for a brass pin of the swivel mount.    #2 will be to mark out a strip of material (the thickness of first planking material) and note the center point of each lunette.  These are drilled out with a Forstner bit (to avoid tearing), then cut down the middle (dotted line) to make matching lunette first planking for either side.  #3 shows the lunette plank attached, and a swivel gun in place ...   The pin can be bent over on the underside of the mounting rail prior to the addition of first planking below (to make sure nothing will come loose later), and I'll just have to work around them when the lapstrake 2nd planking is put on.  Or perhaps just the swivel bases can be put in, with the guns added later from the outside.  I can't decide just now.

 

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

  Now there is a line drawing said (in several sources) to be after a Hans Holbein the Younger drawing.  This line drawing is identical to a ship in the embarkation painting.  Holbein did not paint the embarkation (not at all his style, as he was primarily a portrait artist), so if he did a ship drawing, it was because he saw the pre-existing painting.

 

  Holbein first went to England between 1526 and 1528 before returning to Brussels for 4 years.  He might have seen the painting on the first visit, but he had not yet received patronage from King Henry  - thus likely did not have access to the painting on the first visit.  Holbein returned to England in 1532 under the patronage of Anne Boleyn (and soon after by the King).  He remained a resident (and successful portrait painter) until his death in 1543 at the age of 45.  Thus said drawing should date between 1532 and 1543,  with my estimation being towards the earlier part of that range - based on the likely pre-1536 configuration of Henry's fleet.  

 

[Roger Pellett]

Shields as discussed above:  I would make them from .005in thick brass sheet.  I would first sand it with 220 grit sandpaper to give it some tooth then lightly spray the sheet with Tamiya primer.  The shields can then be painted with acrylic or oil artist’s colors.  The brass is easily cut with a pair of ordinary scissors.

 

Roger