Sovereign of the Seas by 72Nova - Airfix - PLASTIC

[fmodajr]

On 1/3/2025 at 11:21 AM, 72Nova said:

Happy New Year to you too Frank, it does feel good. Have you started another project after your Vasa? 

All the likes are much appreciated.

Michael D.

Hi Michael,

 

Thanks for the reply.

I finished the Reale De France about a year ago (Log is on this site) and then proceeded to take a fall and fracture my shoulder, putting me out of commission for a while!

Almost at full strength now and I purchased the plans for the Confederacy and am now in the process of buying the wood needed,

 

thanks,

Frank

 

[Hubac's Historian]

I’m sorry to hear about the shoulder, Frank, but I’m excited to see you build the Confederacy!  I’ll keep an eye peeled for your build log.

[72Nova]

I can't believe I forgot about your wonderful Reale De France build, glad to hear you're on the mend. Sounds like a scratch build project that will be a pleasure to follow, I doubt I'll ever get to that stage.

Michael D

[72Nova]

With the completion of the royal mast, royal trestle tree, flagpole and all required eye bolts in the tops I can now focus on attaching all the necessary blocks. Cheers.

 

Michael D.

[Ian_Grant]

God, that's a lofty rig!

[72Nova]

That's for sure Ian, I'll definatley be testing the limits of detail I can add, with some quite frankly impossible at this scale.

 

Michael D.

[72Nova]

A small update regarding the installation of the fore course buntline blocks, I used 1.5mm single blocks which are 12" at scale, simulated toggles to follow, also working on the main masts and tops. Thanks for looking.

 

Michael D.

 

 

[72Nova]

Work continues on the masts and I'm quite happy so far with the results, as they line up true in the dry fit stage. Next, I had to calculate what size lines to use for the Fore shrouds and dead eyes, lower shrouds will be .35mm, topmast .25mm, top gallant 50wt thread and the royal shrouds are 60wt thread. Top mast dead eyes are 1.40mm, top gallant are 1.20 and the royal measure out to 1.10mm, these are just a tad overscale but look okay to my eye, I still may try to reduce them still, we'll see....at this scale the dead eye strops/plates are the futtock shrouds, I will use CA glue in the plate area of the thread so I can flatten it once it's dried to simulate the plates followed by some creative painting.

The main royal mast is just about completed with the hounds still left to do, trestle tree, cap and flagpole. I also added the battens to the fore lower masthead.

Michael D.

 

 

[Hubac's Historian]

All of those tools and items in the foreground of your bow shot, make plainly evident the small scale you are dealing with.  Amazed, I remain.

[72Nova]

Somewhat of a crowning moment with the completion of all the tops, masts and flagpoles, the Mizen top gallant masthead measures out to 0.75mm with the Mizen flagpole a mere 0.40mm at the truck. The masts are dry fitted showing their approximate rake.

 

Michael D.

 

 

[72Nova]

Now that the masts are completed, I shifted my focus back the forecastle by finishing up the cannons, fabricating the fore bitts and adding misc. cleats, still aways to go though. The armless crew member is there for double checking the scale, he stands around 5'-9". Thanks for looking.

 

Michael D.

 

 

[72Nova]

Forecastle deck is starting to get a little crowded, with one cannon left do I started fabricating the fish davit, I know this piece is usually never displayed, but I like the detail..... this measures out at 37'-7" and about 18" square, at this scale it's 68mm in length and 2.7mm square, also have one span shackle fabricated and I suspect these could be rotated out of the way or removed when not in use to clear the deck around the cannon? anyways everything is looking presentable at this stage.

 

Michael D.

 

 

 

[shipman]

I've always wondered where items such as this fish davit are stored?

Not a small or light thing to hide.

When needed many such things must be quickly recovered from storage, used, then whisked away again.

[Hubac's Historian]

Maybe, given it’s length, it could be lashed alongside the main hatch, and stored with spare topmasts and spars?

[72Nova]

Shipman and Marc,

I've always wondered about this also, but found no info regarding storage of the fish davit other than what Lee's mentions that It's placed athwartship on the forecastle, also both HMS Victory of 1737 and HMS medway of 1742 show the fish davit placed across the forecastle, I followed suit on my Victory of 1765, I know these are much later, but some things didn't really change much in a 100 years. I think it wasn't until after 1773 the fish davit was reduced in size and placed on the fore channels or thereabout?

 

Michael D.

[72Nova]

With the fish davit about 90% complete, I started work on the short gangway and stairs leading to the forecastle, I highly doubt they were in use early on especially with the grating covering the main deck, maybe a bit later? but I like the look of them, still a lot of work left to do regarding the railings.

 

Michael D.

 

 

[Ian_Grant]

Amazing work as always, Michael. Is the handlebar on the fish davit etched brass eyelets with wire? Or did you work up something even smaller, for the scale?

[72Nova]

Thank you so much Ian, I used .20mm rope and 100wt thread for knots which are just overhand knots as to not look too bulky. A few progress pics, the stair railings are about complete minus the post caps, I wrapped the stairs with paper, glued in the balusters, coated both sides with CA and glued in placed, the cap railing is 0.38mm x 0.50mm. Thanks for looking.

 

Michael D.

 

[Baker]

Very beautiful and detailed work 

[72Nova]

Thank you, Patrick, it means a lot coming from you! The staircase and gangway are finally completed, all in all I'm happy with it and now on to the port side.

 

Michael D.

 

 

[Waldemar]

 

Hi Michael, nice work as usual. Are you sure the fish davit had to be that long? It's probably for verification, but about the length from bulwark to bulwark would do. Then the fish davit could be pulled out one side and then the other. What do you think...?