Oryol 1902 by GrandpaPhil - Orel - 1/200 - CARD - Russian Battleship

GrandpaPhil · July 2

Alan,

Thank you very much!

The main structure of all six secondary turrets are done:

I need to clean them up, paint them all and make/add ladders & railings.

These have been very slow going.

Each of those turrets will have about fifty pieces each when complete.

That makes for approximately 300 pieces between the six turrets.

That’s just part of these models though.

I am enjoying this build very much! It is a good challenge!

Edited July 2 by GrandpaPhil

SaltyScot · July 3

15 hours ago, GrandpaPhil said:

Each of those turrets will have about fifty pieces each when complete.

Really?!? I admire your consistency here, Phil. They look great.

GrandpaPhil · July 5

Mark,

Thank you very much!

Half of the turrets are fully assembled with railings, handles and ladders now:

The shaping of those railings is tricky.

They still need painted and sealed.

Edited July 5 by GrandpaPhil

Keith Black · July 5

Way cool, Phil. The railing turned out great.

Coyote_6 · July 5

The railings and ladders are incredible Phil!

Edited July 5 by Coyote_6

king derelict · July 5

Super job detailing the turrets. I still can’t believe how you do the railings.

alan

GrandpaPhil · July 7

@Keith Black, @Coyote_6 and @king derelict, thank you all very much!

Thank you to all who have hit the like button or just stopped by!

Those railings are quite time consuming, but worth it. It lets me make “photoetched” parts without the photoetch.

The turrets definitely gave me a run for my money, but I am very happy with how they turned out.

Here is the Oryol with the secondary battery complete and installed!

I am currently working on installing eyebolts to take the rigging.

Then I will rig the stacks, make and install the 47mm guns and searchlights, install and rig the masts/yards, add the ship’s boats, add the rest of the fittings away from the main superstructure to include the hull fittings and then add the flags, tentatively in that order.

I’m working from the inside out to avoid having to work in an any more enclosed space than I have to.

Edited July 7 by GrandpaPhil

Keith Black · July 7

She's looking great, Phil.

GrandpaPhil · July 8

@Keith Black,

Thank you very much!

The stack stays are up and installed (first actual rigging of this model):

Moving on to the 47mm guns and the search lights!

Edited July 8 by GrandpaPhil

GrandpaPhil · July 9

20 x 47mm guns, some assembly required:

The straight pins are stock for the gun barrels.

I have already folded over all pieces that needed doubled or in the case of the shields, tripled.

The Russians adapted this ship from a French design, hence the French whale-back design, so I’m assuming that the 47’s are the same weapon that the French, and those they supplied, used up until the beginning of World War II as an antitank gun.

That line of reasoning would also indicate that the 75mm guns on the hull casemates were the same weapon that the French used as artillery up until the beginning of World War II as well.

They weren’t as good as Krupp, but then nobody out-Krupped Krupp until the modern day.

Edited July 9 by GrandpaPhil

GrandpaPhil · July 17

Still working on the 47’s:

Have a funny experience to share.

I had one of the little gun mount brackets fly out of the tweezers yesterday.

I spent about five minutes looking for it, all around my work area.

I decided that it must of gone into Part-Space and that I was spending more time looking for it than it would have taken to make another one.

So, I made another one and chuckled to myself that the original would turn up later.

I just found it:

It’s the little bracket that the blue arrow is pointing to, lol.

Coyote_6 · July 17

'Tis always so. Looking good Phil. Still waiting for a small deadeye that took flight a couple days ago to return to me.

Keep up the great work!

Keith Black · July 17

Mine fly off into the abyss never to be seen again. I guess it's food for the modeling gods?

ccoyle · July 17

1 hour ago, GrandpaPhil said:

I had one of the little gun mount brackets fly out of the tweezers yesterday.

Did you at least get a satisfying "ka-pwing" out of the tweezers?

GrandpaPhil · July 17

48 minutes ago, Coyote_6 said:

'Tis always so. Looking good Phil. Still waiting for a small deadeye that took flight a couple days ago to return to me.

Keep up the great work!

Steve,

Thank you very much! The deadeye will return after you replace it.

32 minutes ago, Keith Black said:

Mine fly off into the abyss never to be seen again. I guess it's food for the modeling gods?

Keith,

Yes! That is why when I am not working from a kit, I always make extras as sacrificial parts!

16 minutes ago, ccoyle said:

Did you at least get a satisfying "ka-pwing" out of the tweezers?

Chris,

Yes, I did! That is when I realized the part had de-part-ed! Lol!

Old Collingwood · July 18

Excellent work Phil.

OC.

SaltyScot · Sunday at 08:55 PM

I haven't looked in in a while, Phil but WOW is she looking good. Very nice job there, sir.

GrandpaPhil · Monday at 06:52 PM

On 7/18/2025 at 3:30 PM, Old Collingwood said:

Excellent work Phil.

OC.

OC,

Thank you very much! This has been a good challenge!

21 hours ago, SaltyScot said:

I haven't looked in in a while, Phil but WOW is she looking good. Very nice job there, sir.

Mark,

Thank you very much! I have been learning a LOT with this build!

The 47mm guns awaiting their shields:

All 47mm guns are now assembled and awaiting painting:

The search lights, some assembly required:

In all, the Oryol is going well.

I’m not going to lie, this thing is as complicated, and as difficult, as any other ship that I have ever built.

The fitting out stage is always slow and takes a while.

I am about 9 months into this model now, and I work on it about every day, for at least an hour.

By comparison, the Prince de Neufchatel took me about seven months to complete.

This one has definitely been a good challenge.

I will be very pleased when the Oryol is completed.

Coyote_6 · Monday at 07:21 PM

The work is stellar. It takes what it takes I guess. Keep it up Phil!!

GrandpaPhil · Tuesday at 01:08 AM

5 hours ago, Coyote_6 said:

The work is stellar. It takes what it takes I guess. Keep it up Phil!!

Steve,

Thank you very much!

Thank you very much everyone for the likes and just for stopping by!

The 47mm guns, which are Hotchkiss Rapid Firing Naval guns and are unrelated to the French ones used in the early part of the Second World War, are complete and installed!