Vasa 1628 by EJ_L - Scale 1:24 - Fully Scratch Built and Large!

[amateur]

With respect to the deck-camber: from the drawings that Fred Hocked posted in the Vasa forum, there seems to be considerable camber.

Also: the way you draw the bottom timbers is not completely up to 'usual standards: the timbers lay flat on the keel, the planking goes down in the keel-rabet, leaving an open space to collect the incoming water.

 

See drawing no 6, on this page: https://warshipvasa.freeforums.net/thread/87/vasa-ship-plans?page=3

 

Jan

[Waldemar]

 

This will probably be the first model of the Vasa 1628 that I know of that will (intentionally) incorporate all the known defects and flaws of this vessel. I am particularly curious to see how the distortion of the beakhead will look in the photos of the model. It can be said that this rather conspicuous feature is never reproduced by model makers, so I commend the courage to do so.

 

Not everyone may know what this is about, so below is an illustration showing the beakhead distortion as it appears on the original (from a paper by Fred Hocker, In Details Remembered. Interpreting the Human Component in Shipbuilding, 2013). In fact, this very feature was omitted even in the official plans of the ship published in 1980, and there is still no updated set of plans.

 

 

 

[Hubac's Historian]

Wow - I never realized just how out of alignment the beakhead is!

[TJM]

Couldn't this be a consequence of 300+ years at the bottom of the sea? Do we know for sure that there was such a misalignment when the ship launched?

[Waldemar]

 

 

In this particular case, as in many others, I suggest taking a look at the relevant commentary in the article referred to. The entire section on the various asymmetries of the Vasa's structure is both interesting and informative, and here are a few paragraphs, including the one on the beakhead:

 

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

Blame some sub-contractor.  Or perhaps a plan or sketch got wrinkled or folded a bit after being approved by the King.  Not wanting to offend the King, the construction went right-on ahead.  I found a more recent 'example' of something like this from a 60s issue of Mad magazine:

 

 

 

The bent fuselage of the Snud U-14 stood for many years as a Soviet military secret; only after the last example of this little-known type had safely crashed was it revealed. During the design stage in 1938, a blueprint had been wrinkled accidentally and because nobody would own up to responsibility-since damaging state property carried the death penalty-the mistake went unchecked and into production.

[EJ_L]

When I built La Couronne, a French double deck just slightly after Vasa, one of the features that came up was the angle of the bowsprit being off center similar to what is shown in the Vasa sketch. A major difference is that the beakhead remained straight and only the bowsprit angled. 
 

I wonder if this was intentional to some degree to angle the bowsprit and finding it easier to angle the entire bowsprit the same. Or maybe only the bowsprit was originally angled but due to the pressures being exerted on the beakhead by the bowsprit caused the entire assembly to warp sideways. That would explain why it appears to be original construction. 

[EJ_L]

I do wish the museum would update the plans of the ship with all the new information they have uncovered and mapped since the last set. It is rather frustrating that the most current set is known for many errors. 

On the plus side, Hocker’s Vasa II book does correct and clear up many issues in the rigging, masts, and other related components. Advances in 3D imaging is also starting to turn out accurately modeled images and the ability to better project hidden components. 

[Waldemar]

 

Intentional skewing of the bowsprit and beakhead seems rather unlikely, as the bowsprit runs exactly over the stempost (unlike, for example, English designs of the period, where the bowsprit ran alongside the stempost, always or at least often) and there was no reason to angle them in the horizontal plane. This arrangement is particularly evident in Björn Landström's fantastic illustrations in his equally fantastic book The Royal Warship Vasa, published in 1988. I highly recommend consulting this publication as well.

 

[Mike Y]

Forgot one more documentary that might be of interest, with some fresh videos from onboard: https://www.svtplay.se/video/jBvRER5/vasa-1628/avsnitt-2 

Beware - it will probably be deleted 13th January 2026, make sure to download / screenshot before that  

 

Your post inspired me to visit her again. Can report that the installation of the new support system is visibly progressing! 

You can see the new cradles, with a lot of fine adjustment built in, side by side with the old fixed ones (with wood blocking):

The keel supports are fully replaced and look fancy as well:

 

By the way, are you planning to build her "as launched" or "as salvaged"? Note how the original wood differs from the replacement one in colour, creating very nice contrast:

 

By the way, despite thousands of photos online - let me know if you need some very specific angle.

I work fairly close to the museum and have an unlimited entry, so can easily come by during lunch and take any pictures you desire. Unfortunately not from the inside  

 

Edited Saturday at 02:57 PM by Mike Y

[Waldemar]

 

30 minutes ago, Mike Y said:

Note how the original wood differs from the replacement one in colour, creating very nice contrast:

 

Yes, this is very good museum practice. You can immediately see which parts are original and which are modern replacements. There is also another school of thought, quite the opposite, which prefers that the replaced elements be indistinguishable from the original ones next to them.

 

 

Edited Saturday at 03:26 PM by Waldemar

[EJ_L]

As for my model and wood color, it will be more “as launched” than “as salvaged”. I am going to take some creative liberty though and make certain elements stand out more than they would have. Keel, stem and stern posts in walnut along with the wales to contrast against the lighter planking color, still to be determined. As the mast is made up of multiple pieces, I am going to use two different woods with a similar color such as possibly ash and walnut.
 

I also like to model with natural wood colors when possible. As such, something I am considering is using blood wood for the areas of planking that would have been painted red. I’ve done this on other models and I have found it pleasing. 
 

A major reason for this is that I intend this model to be educational. By having key components stand out, it is easier for people to see and understand than if they were all bended together. 
 

Thank you for sharing those recent pictures and videos link Mike!