HMS Harpy 1796 by Blue Ensign – Vanguard Models - 1:64 scale

[gjdale]

In the lowered position would be an interesting and somewhat unusual way for a model to be displayed B.E. and therefore adds an extra degree of interest to the model. I’m liking this arrangement.

[CiscoH]

I agree the lowered topmasts look most interesting and least obscuring.  Gets my vote, if you were looking for opinions

[Nipper]

6 hours ago, CiscoH said:

I agree the lowered topmasts look most interesting and least obscuring.  Gets my vote, if you were looking for opinions

This has my vote too, BE.

 

I like the appearance of a working ship because it adds a great deal of interest and uniqueness to the model.  On my slowly building Sphinx, for example, I intend to have one of the boats being lowered from the pendants.

 

Nipper

[Blue Ensign]

Cheers Guys, lowered topmasts it is.

@ Andy -  I wasn't thinking of making up the yards but that is certainly an option, thank you.

 

B.E.

[Blue Ensign]

Post 92

Pendents of tackles

I have re-visited these as the blocks and seizings looked too heavy to my eye, and as they are fitted before the shrouds, need to be  attended to now.

I unpicked the seizings and re-used the Pendents.

This time I used  a 2mm diameter  thimble  from Chuck’s new Resin range.

4798a

4810a

It is quite small but matches the size of 5” suggested by David Antscherl in his FFM Book (Vol IV.) The next size up 3mm, looked a tad too large to my eye.

 

I think this range of thimbles will prove very useful for ship modellers. 👍

 

Gaff and Main Boom

This is an opportune time to attach these to the Mainmast, easier before the shrouds are rigged.

I used Boxwood parrel beads rather than the shiny black kit versions.

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These were coloured using Dark oak wood stain.

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No rigging for these items but seized together for convenience.

I may rig the sheet simply to hold the booms in place.

 

B.E.

21/06/2025

[Blue Ensign]

Post 93

Fitting the shrouds.

It has been some five years since I last did any shroud rigging and I’m feeling a tad ring rusty, and getting the first shroud rigged took a while, including a full ‘re-do’.

4878a

Each pair of shrouds were stretched before fitting.

4828a

The first shroud is slightly more awkward due to the thicker ‘served’ line.

4847a

My approach is to set the first shroud deadeye (Starboard side) to the distance that suits my eye bearing in mind the norm of around  2-3 times the diameter of a deadeye.

The finished space between the deadeyes worked out at 7mm.

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The tricky part is getting the shrouds level along the channels.

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I prefer to rig the shrouds purely by eye, carefully adjusting the upper deadeye to suit the line as I move along the channel.

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Not decided yet whether to dye the round seizings to match the shrouds.

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The next stage is to make up the Main stays which are fitted before I attend to the Fore shrouds.

 

 

B.E.

23/06/2025

 

[Glenn-UK]

Nicely done

[Blue Ensign]

Post 94

Main stay. (Part 1)

The kit plans show a simplified form of the Main/Preventer stays.

A more authentic version includes serving of the stay collars including the eye splice through which the stay passes, and a more stylish mouse to replace the kit plastic version.

The kit indicates use of deadeyes for securing the stays but I have opted for hearts which were more common during this period.

 

I am using Steel’s tables for an 18-14 gun ship.

 Mainstay                - 10”  - 1.26mm   - 15” Heart  (6mm)  Main Preventer Stay - 7”  -  0.88mm  -  10” Heart  (4mm) 

 

The kit line dimensions are close to this using 1.3mm line for the Main stay, and 1mm line for the Preventer stay.

For the Mainstay I am using Syren 1.37mm line, and for the Preventer 0.88mm line. The lines are stretched under weights to remove the spring before fitting.

4880a

The position of the mouse needs to be tested on the model.

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4884a

Here the  un-dyed Preventer stay serving is apparent, and the ‘weave’ of the mouse shows through.

4889a

I have been thinking about the positioning of the stays.

 

The kit arrangement has the Main stay fixed by a collar to the Foremast, and the Preventer stay  running above it and beyond it to a collar on the Bowsprit.

I have some doubts about this arrangement, generally Mainstays run beyond the foremast to the bow.

Steel says that The main Preventer stay is lashed to the Foremast and the Main stay to the Bowsprit chock.

Lees comments that the Preventer stay was usually carried above the stay but that on small ships was sometimes carried  under it.

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Full details of my preparing and fitting of the stays and the related Mouses is fully covered in my Pegasus log, so I won’t repeat it all here.

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In the case of Harpy I have decided to run the Preventer stay below the Main stay, and reverse the locations of the lashings.

Onto the lower end stay fixings.

 

B.E.

25/06/2025

[SaltyScot]

Reading your posts just makes me so aware of how much I don't know about all this  It is fun to learn though, especially with fine builds like this.

[Blue Ensign]

Post 95

Main stay. (Part 2)

The lower end of the stays have hearts turned in.

I am using Syren Resin versions, (6mm) for the Main Stay and (5mm) for the Preventer.

The kit provided deadeyes for this purpose are easier to fit than hearts and lanyards, but were an old fashioned option by the  time of Harpy.

4901a

It is easier to fit the Preventer stay and collar with the Main stay and Fore shrouds out of the way.

I had fitted the Preventer stay at this point but found I had fed it incorrectly through the mast top.

Annoying when you have spent  time doing tiny seizing and fitting of lanyards, but I couldn’t let it stand.

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Lashing of the Main stay I used Syren 0.45mm line.

For the collar 0.88 mm line served with 0.1mm line was used. The tricky part of the collar is forming the eye in one short leg.

 

Main Preventer stay

4904a

Stropping the Preventer stay heart.

 

4905a

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0.3mm line used for the Lanyard.

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I can now attend to the Fore Shrouds.

 

B.E.

27/06/2025

 

 

Edited June 27 by Blue Ensign

[Glenn-UK]

Nicely done Maurice.

[hollowneck]

Very nice detail work on your rigging, Maurice. Thank you for sharing these techniques.

[dunnock]

Lovely and accurate work Maurice 

[SaltyScot]

I can only second the above comments. That is some fine (and very inspirational) work, Maurice.

[Blue Ensign]

Post 96

Completing the Fore shrouds.

Shrouds are a very fiddly business, and applying the throat seizings is a tedious thing.

4915a

I find that using a fine needle helps with the threading of the line  between the shroud and its return.

4924a

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4922a

The Fore shrouds  gave me more trouble than the Mains;

I seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time tweaking the  shroud length before the Lanyards are eventually tied off.

This involved unpicking previously seized upper deadeyes and re-setting.

On a model a sloppy line of deadeyes is not a pretty thing.

4930a

The next step is the application of the futtock staves.

According to Steel these are set as far below the trestletrees as the mast cap rises above.

4931a

In reality the staves were of 4” circ served line, but it makes sense to use something more solid for model purposes.

I used 0.7mm ø Brass rod served with 0.1mm line.

4932a

‘Quad hands’ are a useful tool for this job, holding the bar steady whilst the outer lashings are applied.

4936a

The Futtock staves are a great device for evening out the shrouds, as well as providing the anchor point for the Futtocks and Catharpins.

 

The Fore stays beckon….

 

B.E.

02/07/2025

 

 

[Blue Ensign]

Post 97

The Fore stays

The stays are made up as per the Mains.

I am using Syren 1.14mm line for the Fore stay and Morope 0.80mm line for the Preventer.

The Morope has better definition than the kit kit line which  otherwise is spot on for scale. (1mm and 0.75mm.)

 

From Steel.

Fore stay - 9½” (1.19mm)-13” Heart. (5mm) lanyard 3½”(0.4mm)

Collar – 5” (0.63mm) seizing 1”

Mouse 3x diameter of stay  = 3.6mm

An open heart (Syren Resin 5mm) is used for the Fore stay collar, stropped with Syren 0.63mm line.

Quite often double strops were used  but the hearts  have only one groove so for Harpy it is single.

4948a

Still a tricky little exercise forming two eyes either end of a 50mm length of served line

The heart seizing is also simplified, there is only room for a couple of turns of 0.1mm line.

4963a

Fore stay collar in place.

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4956a

 I carved the  Mouses from dowel.

4967a

Fore stay mouse fitted.

 

Fore Preventer stay - 6” (0.75mm) - 10” heart  (4mm)

Collar – 4”(0.50mm)  lanyard 2½”(0.31mm) lashings 1”

Mouse 3x diameter of stay  = 2.4mm.

This is handled in the same way with slightly smaller fittings.

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4981a

4980a

4979a

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4974a

Onto the Bobstays….

 

B.E.

06/07/2025