HMS Cruizer Class of 1797 by Johnegert - Langton Miniatures - 1:300 - resin, cast metal, and brass

[johnegert]

All right, ye bilge rats....in response to a rapidly diminishing number of requests, here comes the build log you've been dreading. If God is both patient and willing, this log will cover the constructing, painting, rigging, and display of a somewhat generic HMS Cruizer class brig-rigged sloop of about 1797 in 1:300 scale. All of the historical heavy lifting has been done by Dave Fellingham----over on the Nautical History thread-- a great piece of research. All I can do regarding this history is to reiterate that the class was probably the most numerous of the Royal Navy, and that with its 16x32lb Carronades, it was fast, seaworthy, as mean as a frigate at close quarters for far less cost to build, and 1/3 the crew.

 

The kit is made by Langton Miniatures, known best for 1:1200 wargame ships. Why Rod and Carol Langton ventured into the 1:300 swamp with these complex models is a mystery to me--- anybody who makes one of these things and bashes it around in a game should be neutered forthwith. Suffice to say that I love both company and product-- when I first saw the John Westwood built ships on their website, I was hooked.

 

The books that pertain specifically to what is called "extreme miniatures" are: 1) Two wonderful titles by Donald McNarry-- "Shipbuilding in Miniature" and "Ship Models in Miniature". Every modeler's library should have these, especially since they are all but free on the used market. 2) "Ships in Miniature" by Lloyd McCaffery a curious fellow who may set your teeth on edge a bit, but who is a crazily skillful builder.3) I also admire Phillip Reed's books, especially "Period Ship Modelmaking". Of course, all other good model ship books are useful, but these are specific to small scales.

 

A couple of general comments apply for "The Short Ships". I've found that if anything on these teeny-weenies is out of scale, it looks like hell. Better to suggest or omit detail if you can't get it down to size. Also, one of the things that really makes a small waterline model great is a strong sense of "taper", ie, a heroic effort to not let the topmasts, bowsprit, and yards look too beefy--- a problem which limits the realism of small scale. The question "why not scratchbuild" is probably pertinent here. I've done a bunch, but just don't feel the urge to set up for that work anymore. Part of this is living in the sticks and not being able to find raw materials--- even the model RR store in Albuquerque shut down-- there is no bigger buzz-kill for me than not having what I need. These kits solve most of that problem---as you will see.

 

OK--- The pix...#1 is the box laid out--- note chapstick for scale, and little in-progress waifs in rear. #4is the hull, which at this stage looks like a dead albino anchovy. #3 are the plan sheets-- plenty good though not exhaustive. #2 is intended to dispell the notion that one needs delicate hands to do this work--mine,as you see, look like mutant tree roots from years of US football.(Note also phone # of Fly-Tying shop in Alb. scrawled on hand-- a fine source of wire, etc. for minis). This is more a mental challenge than a physical one.

 

Please be critical. I've gotten into some patterns of sloth and carelessness which I hope will improve with this log.

 

The next installment will show a few efforts to improve the basic kit.

 

 

john

[johnegert]

Step Two--- a few kit improvements.

The masts and yards on this Langton kit are made of white metal, which, though holding detail well, is dangerously soft. As you can see, I replaced the top gallant masts with brass. This has two salutary effects-- It allows a lighter size with better taper, and  helps prevent the insanely easy accidental bending of the masts during handling and rigging, which distorts and weakens the white metal to the point of trash. Wood is as good or better, but since everything will be painted anyway, I used some brazing rod I had around. The first pic shows the original on the far left, and the "improved" fore mast and bowsprit on the right. The photo shows me some little bends already introduced in the tops which will have to be fixed. There is also a fair amount of detail to be added/ corrected, but these are the bones.

      As said before, nothing gives a miniature ship away in photos faster than heaviness at the top--- hopefully, I have begun to prevent this. Meanwhile, I have scraped and sanded the little bit of flash from the hull, and filed out the gunports.

       Next time, I will have primered the whole mess and we'll get into strategies for painting.

john

[johnegert]

Brian--- Yeah, compared to you guys and your 1:64 it is tiny. And, as I said above, anything even marginally too large on the model looks like a bashed thumb. This gets to be a real problem when it comes time for blocks, especially. .003 on the model= 1 inch on the proto (duh), so we'll be into the Small Parts wire inventory, and the fly fishing supplies.

john

[Gregor]

John, I'm really looking forward to see how a build in this small scale is done (there is even a revenue cutter, I'm tempted…). How do you prime such a model without destroying all the fine details?

Cheers, Gregor

[michaele]

John:

 

Looking forward to watching this build. And is that a Langton HMS Juno lurking in the background? Any chance of convincing you to post close-up photos of her as well?

 

I have both kits and am looking forward to seeing what someone else has done with them!

 

Best,

 

Michael E.

[michaele]

Oh, and for inspiration, here are photos of the 1:300 Langton Brig kit you are building (if you scroll down a bit, you can also find photos of the Langton HMS Juno and USS Wasp kits):

 

http://www.sailsofglory.org/showthread.php?1212-1-300-Langton-Miniatures-Brig&highlight=langton

 

And here is a build log of the 1:300 Langton HMS Victory:

 

http://www.sailsofglory.org/showthread.php?1468-1-300-HMS-Victory-by-Langton

 

Enjoy all!

 

Michael E.

Edited October 8, 2013 by michaele

[druxey]

Well! A miniaturist and humorist! This is entertainment as well as informative. Thank you, John.

[johnegert]

Thanks for your kind attention, Fellers-----

Gregor---- the Cutter is a fine little model-- I've built a couple and they sold right away. As for primer, even a rattle can of sandable primer does a good job. If I'm worried about it, I'll airbrush.  Michael---- That is indeed a Juno, and behind it a schooner modified to Pickle appearance--- I had in mind a little Euryalus/Pickle type diorama. I'll take some photos and see if they're presentable, given my "correct the crap I just did" painting style.....AND, thank you for those Victory pix-- that is a project I have on the bucket list--- add that last bowline and keel over dead( hopefully not face down on the ship!)--- a genuinely monstrous undertaking.

Drux---- I wouldn't call attention to yourself on this bogus "humor" issue. Several members have not found my gibberish especially funny. For God's sake, don't expose yourself to the dangers of Penalty Points !!

john

[molasses]

John:  I just came across this log and look forward to seeing your progress.

 

Thank you very much for your kind words regarding my research on the Cruizer-class brig sloops. I merely compiled information from multiple sources about the history of several of them while gleaning all I could find on their appearance and armament. In that topic I discussed the incorrect assertion that the Cherokee-class brigs (115 ordered but only 102 built) were the most numerous sailing vessels ever built by any navy in the world and show that more Cruizers (108 ordered / 105 built not counting the identically hulled but ship-rigged Snakes) were actually built. I also found two Snakes built 30 years after the first Cruizers and Snakes that were not previously listed with the class.

 

I have built numerous miniatures (in bottles) and agree with your comments about out of scale details, particularly spars. In many cases it is necessary to allow for the thickness of the paint when making the part so they don't "grow" too much when painted, especially white which always makes the parts appear larger. Finding thread fine enough for the scale can be a nightmare, but much easier now than it was 30 years ago. I've un-layed 20/0 fly-tying thread into its three strands to get "rope" the right size needed. 

 

I agree that Donald McNarry's Shipbuilding in Miniature is indispensable to the ship miniaturist. Although most of the products and sources mentioned in this 70 year old book no longer exist, the techniques are still very, very useful.

 

I look forward to seeing posts of your progress.

 

Dave

[johnegert]

Thanks, Dave----- whenever anyone says "I merely did....." whatever, I know lots of sound work went into it, as with your efforts on this valuable history. As it often happens, life has interfered with progress on my thread. I had every good intention of rolling along at top speed and getting all work done in a timely manner. As is said in Japan, " Speak of next year and the Devil laughs". But, I will soon show at least minimal progress and as we say on this site, if you want a fast hobby, get a Hayabusa.....

john