USS Constitution by Der Alte Rentner - Model Shipways - 1/76

[JSGerson]

Quote

Since you're past all but the rigging, you're the best person to ask this.  How many of the kit supplied eyebolts did you have left over after construction?  I'm asking because I want to make those hooks used in the carronade tackle out of those eyebolts. 

I know you asked this question to Geoff, but I thought I would throw in my two cents. I've always felt that the eye bolts supplied by Model Shipway were for the most part, too big for the scale of the model. Some years ago I found on eBay, Model Shipway supplied 1/32" brass eyebolts sold in a 1,000 items per bag. A 1/32" eyebolt is about 2.4" scale (1:76.8). I have used just about every one of them. Unfortunately, I could not find that deal again. But I have found from various vendors the 1/32" eyebolts both in brass and copper but sold in smaller units. For me, they are a must have item. I suggest that you have a supply of these as they will be very handy to have.

 

Jon

[GGibson]

Double eyebolts you made look great, Peter!  And always interested in seeing other variations of pin vises.  Will keep in mind.

[Der Alte Rentner]

Well, here I thought that was ready to return my attention to the hull again, but then I realized I had not put a finish on the bulwarks or on the spar deck. Not only that, I realized I had forgotten to insert the single eye bolts. Well I spent the better part of the day finishing up that. Not much by way of photos, but I will post one below.  

 

Oh, by the way. I realize now that I will  have to make those brass hooks after all. There aren't enough eyebolts left in the bag that came with the kit for me to modify. And, as mentioned before it's pointless to order more from model shipways, at least in my experience.

 

Jon, too late for me to worry about scale, but, I'll see what I can find at the sources you recommended - in case I run out later in the build. I nothing else, I'd rather modify an eye bolt into a hook, then fabricate the number of hooks I anticipate needing from wire.  Thanks for the leads.

 

Gregg, I made use of that pin vice again today to increase the diameter of the holes so I could more easily insert the single eyebolts. 

 

Here's that pic..

 

 

P.S. I realized also that I could have saved myself 40 eyebolts, if I'd known earlier I wasn't going to add all the tackle that Hunt did in the practicum.

Edited April 2 by Der Alte Rentner

[Der Alte Rentner]

To elaborate slightly on the previous post, below is the photo from the Hunt practicum - Chapter 11. 8, the Carronades.

 

 

And here is Mustafa's implementation.

 

 

While it would be easier to follow in Mustafa's wake, I think I'll probably eliminate the rope that passes through the ring in the carronade itself and actually make use of the 2nd pair of eyebolts.  We'll see.  I probably won't tackle that until I finished the work on the rails and the hall.

 

Edited April 2 by Der Alte Rentner
Added content corrected typo

[mtbediz]

If I understand correctly you are planning on not adding breeching ropes. I think it would look better if you added breeching ropes instead of the second tackles.

[Der Alte Rentner]

I did say it would be easier to do this your way.. 😁   

 

I've had some time to think about this and confess that I'm not really enthused about adding the second tackles.  So, when the time comes, I'll either do all three, or follow your lead.  Were I a betting  man, I'd wager on the latter.😉

 

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

Drat, by switching my phone to camera mode while entering this post, I just lost all the text I had already typed.  Well, let's see if I remember it..

 

The Spar deck now has two coats of poly and all of the eye bolts, both single and double, that I intend to use, are in place.  

 

So, putting rigging the carronades aside until I no longer have to turn the hull on its side (or upside down), I have shifted my attention back to the hull. Specifically the trail board, the scroll work, and the cheek knees. Unfortunately my decision to go with the stained / natural finish contrast scheme is coming back to haunt me yet again.

 

Do I try to go with a light/dark contrast, as most people employ in the standard black/white finish on their Constitutions? Do I opt for an all stained, or an all natural finish instead?

 

If I try to emulate the dark stripe down the middle of the cheek knees, how do I do it cleanly?  

 

This photo excerpt is from the Hunt practicum - chapter 8, HP 8.1-1 on page 2.

 

 

Here's what I'm staring at..  

 

 

Decisions, decisions..

 

 

Edited April 4 by Der Alte Rentner
typos.

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 3/28/2025 at 10:17 AM, JSGerson said:

Model Shipway supplied 1/32" brass eyebolts sold in a 1,000 items per bag. A 1/32" eyebolt is about 2.4" scale (1:76.8). I have used just about every one of them. Unfortunately, I could not find that deal again. But I have found from various vendors the 1/32" eyebolts both in brass and copper but sold in smaller units.

Shopping online today, I found that ModelExpo sells .75 x 6mm Brass Jackstay Eyebolts in 500 piece lots for about $15.   They also market their 60 piece set at Amazon.  Given what ModelExpo charges for shipping, I would have preferred Amazon, but the 500 piece option was not available there.  

 

Bottom line, all in price via ModelExpo for 500 1/32" eyebolts (aka jackstays) - $21.98.  Oh well..

[Unegawahya]

2 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Shopping online today, I found that ModelExpo sells .75 x 6mm Brass Jackstay Eyebolts in 500 piece lots for about $15.   They also market their 60 piece set at Amazon.  Given what ModelExpo charges for shipping, I would have preferred Amazon, but the 500 piece option was not available there.  

 

Bottom line, all in price via ModelExpo for 500 1/32" eyebolts (aka jackstays) - $21.98.  Oh well..

I forgot that the kit came with the eyebolts. I’ve been making mine with a set of jewelry pliers. It’s time consuming and I can understand why a lot of people just order them. I also had to modify my pliers to make the size I needed!

I also agreed with Mtbediz, dropping the second set of tackles and doing the recoil is worth it. The second set of tackles are a little hard to get the correct size and distance. They’re also a little difficult to rig at the small size.

[Der Alte Rentner]

Tough slogging on the bottom cheek knee.

 

I still have to drill holes for the Hawse pipes and to decide on a color scheme.  Having experimented with several options on trying to emulate the narrow light colored stripes, I think I'm calling it a day on that as an option. Either the entire assembly will be stained brown, or only the center panel between the cheeks.  So much time, so little progress. 

 

Edited April 11 by Der Alte Rentner
typo, yet again, Hawse, not Hawks..

[Der Alte Rentner]

Drat, I had hoped to be able to just edit the above post with some new pictures, but a couple of my model ship World friends already chimed in on that, so, here's my last post for the day.

 

I think I've settled on the color scheme. This isn't entirely finished yet, some sanding and top coat required, but I'm calling it a day.

 

 

Edited April 7 by Der Alte Rentner

[JSGerson]

Looks good to me!

 

Jon

[JSGerson]

Peter, while perusing the Ships of Scale site, I ran into a general broadcast for someone who lives in South Carolina, who would be willing to go to Charlestown SC area, specifically Patriots Point Maritime Museum to photograph some Dahlgren Guns which are on display.  He wants to build a 1/10 scale model of one of the guns but didn't have any good photographs of them. He lives in Australia, so going there himself would pf been a bit of an effort. I decided that it would be a nice day trip for me, so I did as he asked. He was very happy with my pictures and said to watch his website when he starts the project. I looked at his site and discovered that he completed a model of the USS Constitution in natural wood like you. Although his is a Mamoli model, I thought you might be interested. His name is John Viggars at Johnsmachines.com. Scroll down to May 4, 2024 "Unboxing for Grandfathers."

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

There were no posts at the beginning of May of 2024, but with some digging, I was able to find a May 30 post where he displayed 3 photos.  Reluctant as I was to join yet another blog site, I did register to see if's posting anything more recent that that.  I would love to see how he tackled the pinstriping.  

 

I did see that he coppered the hull.  I'm not sure I like the look.  But I'll add it to the list of things to ponder in the coming weeks.  

 

Thanks for the lead Jon.

 

P.S. I just went back to the site and couldn't find the earlier post with the three pictures, but I did find this:

 

Indeed, John and I are on the same page on the color scheme.  Though I suspect the scrollwork and galleries were pre-fab and provided by the kit maker - Mamoli.  Zooming in as best I could on the bow, I saw that this was a simpler approach than the one we're all dealing with.  And! It does encourage me to stick with all stain on the three head rails. No pinstriping!  That should make life easier.  

 

Also, the more I look at the copper plating, the less I like it with the natural finish.  

 

Lastly, I'm starting on my second set of cheek knees but taking a much different approach than the Bob Hunt hockey stick method.  I I'm going to attach the parts that attach to the hull first. Then, the trailboard with scrollwork, and after those are in, I'll fabricate the last two parts of the cheek knees.  I think this will be much easier.  (I can't tell you how many times I broke the hockey sticks during the test fitting process on the starboard side assembly.)

 

This was taken a few days ago, but I was feeling the need to show more than just the snippets I have of late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 11 by Der Alte Rentner
added content

[mtbediz]

I am also making the cheek knees using a similar method. The only difference is that I extend the side timbers all the way to the hull, then I will glue the part that I’ll attach to the hull by resting it against the side timber.

Edited April 13 by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

Ha! This just goes to show you, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

 

I was going the other way around, as you know. And I had three of the four pieces cut and fit. I decided to use two 3/16 inch sections in the center for the hawse pipes, because of the differences in thickness of the wale at that point.   Since the middle section was going to be stained, I decided to drill the holes for the hawse pipes and this happened..  

 

 

I'll did the best I could to glue that piece back into place. Since it will be stained and the hawse pipes will cover most of the sin, this should suffice. But it did dampen my spirits for a time today.  

 

 

Edited April 13 by Der Alte Rentner

[JSGerson]

Nice save. My only concern is when you stain the wood, the stain may accentuate the break lines. In hindsight, I might have started over and drilled the holes starting with a very small diameter and working my way to the target size with larger and larger drill bits or round files. Small pieces of Basswood are quite fragile, so maybe a harder wood like boxwood might have helped. I realize this advice is a bit late now, but hopefully, may be useful in the future.

 

Jon

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

The worst of the break lines will be covered by the hawse pipes.  I tried drilling with smaller diameter drills,  also making sure I had a backing piece behind the piece I was drilling into.  I think I should have used the jewelers saw and curved file instead, but it's all good.  No one is going to be looking that closely in the first place, and the hawse pipes cover the worst of the damage.   

[mtbediz]

I was curious, so I wanted to ask, Peter. I don’t have an MS kit, but here’s what I’m wondering: Is the material they sent so limited that you can’t remake that item? Because it’s very small and remaking it isn’t really that difficult.

[Der Alte Rentner]

No. It's not a lack of materials, it's more of a time consuming replacement issue. And as I mentioned before, unnecessary. To wit:

 

 

Edited April 14 by Der Alte Rentner

[mtbediz]

4 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

No. It's not a lack of materials, it's more of a time consuming replacement issue. And as I mentioned before, unnecessary. To wit:

You're right, the fracture is not obvious at all. I was just asking out of curiosity.

[JSGerson]

My fears are allayed, it looks great.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

Looking closely at my model, I've decided not to dismantle the top gallant rails astern, rather to add them at the bow.  Borrowing from a tip by Mustafa, I'm launching into the effort today.

 

First I had to cut a bunch of 3/64 x 3/32 x 3/16" blanks.  Next up was setting up the Proxxon mill to drill a hole to accommodate a 1 mm brass wire, which I cut to fit and inserted. Then I hand drilled a 1mm hole into the main rail to accommodate the assembly. Rinse, repeat..

 

These vertical posts will accommodate the planking for the bulwarks. I may add some more photos later today, but you'll get the idea from this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 05:55 PM by Der Alte Rentner

[JSGerson]

OK, now we know that Mustafa is building the 2015 version (no top gallant rail except for the bow), you are building the 1927 version (top gallant rail all around), and I'm building the present day version (no top gallant rail at all) of the USS Constitution. The other two most common versions are 1797 launch and the War of 1812. This is why I have always said you must decide what era you are modeling right at the beginning of your build and stick to it. Note, the MS kit is based on the 1927 restoration and BlueJacket and Revell are based on 1812. I don't know what the others (that I know about)  are officially based on (Mamoli, Mantua, Constructo, Billing Boats, and Scientific).

 

Jon

[GGibson]

5 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

OK, now we know that...

Mustafa is building the 2015 version...

you are building the 1927 version...

I'm building the present day version...

The other two most common versions are 1797 launch and the War of 1812...

 

Gee, thanks a lot, guys..!?! 🤷‍♂️🤣🤣

 

And... nice solution to your issue, Peter.  Looking forward to seeing how it all looks.  👍

[Der Alte Rentner]

So will I (look forward to see how it looks).. 

 

Another variation that I'm sure Jon will comment on is the one used by Bob Hunt.  

 

In shopping around for easy ways to finish this railing, I consulted many old logs, then went back to look at chapter 5 in the Hunt practicum, where he constructs the bulwarks.

 

 

But doesn't add the top gallant rail until chapter 12. There's not one reference anywhere between. Note the missing curved section that tapers down to the main rail as appears in the 2015 version.

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 08:51 PM by Der Alte Rentner

[JSGerson]

Peter, I have said many times on other build logs, that Mr. Hunt never fully built his Constitution model, but just enough to show how it should done. He also skipped some details and not others. In the case of the bow top gallant bow, he messed up. As you pointed out on his model, the flair on either side of the top bow gallant rail is missing. And what isn't missing should be, specifically the space above the bowsprit as it passes through the rail. Mind you, I'm not putting down his practicum, it's got a lot of good stuff but it's not the end all reference. Always, always check the actual photos when you can. And if you can't find photos, ask me, I might have what you are looking for.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

All the pictures in the world are not going to help me Jon. In retrospect, I wish I'd never installed the top gallant rails at all.  And to be honest, getting rid them altogether hasn't been completely ruled out. But since the rails up to the catheads are already in place, or mosty underway, I have to find an aesthetic solution, and I don't particularly care what era of the build that does or does not reflect.  I'm heading to the shipyard now, where I intend to stare at this thing for a little while longer. This is why my buld is going to take 5 years.  

 

And Geoff, I'm expecting you to start posting again sometime soon. In about 3 years I'm going to need your build as a reference on rigging to have any hope of finishing this. Hop to it please!  😁

[JSGerson]

Only 5 years? I'm into mine 8 years and am now just starting the spar deck. I figure another 3 years for me.😏

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

The plans that came with my model shipways kit are really beat up - especially page four around the top view near the bowsprit. The plans do not show any front views of the rails in that area. Only side views and that top view at the center of page four.   What remains somewhat visible on my version of that plan suggests that the top rails do meet at the center of the bowsprit. In other words no gap. I think that's what I'm going to be going for. And I'm still debating on the notion of the flairs.

 

Did I say 5 years? Maybe six..