Duchess of Kingston 1798 by Glenn-UK - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Commission Build

[Glenn-UK]

Build Log - Day 27 (10^th & 11^th Dec 2025)

 

Task 46 – Ships Wheel

My time in the shipyard is very limited this week therefore I am tackling some small tasks such as the ships wheel assembly.

 

The ships wheel is made up from 5 PE parts which were glued together, using a 1mm rod to ensure everything was aligned.

 

Next the cable drum assembly, comprising three wooden parts were glued together, once again using a 1mm rod to ensure everything was aligned.

 

I then painted the drum and ship wheel a dark walnut colour, as can be seen below.

 

 

The two end panels have nice some laser-etch lines and I decided, as this is a royal yacht, to embellish these with some paint.

 

In the photo below I have taped the two panels so the centre section can be painted royal blue and the second photo shows the end result, noting I had already added black paint the top section.

 

 

In the next set of photos more tape is used so I could add a red outline to the blue insert.

 

More tape was then added so the external edges of the panels could be painted dark walnut.

 

Test fit of the ship wheel assembly, noting the ship wheel assembly has not been glued together

 

Task 47 – Main Rail Thoughts

Before I glue the main rails in place I thought I would experiment with some different finishes.

 

This is the current natural wood finish. It looks Ok but I think it would look better if it were a bit darker in colour.

 

Gold, look nice but I am not convinced this is the best option but would fit in with the opulence of a royal yacht.

Leather, this looks OK but I am not sure this colour really complements the red and blue.

 

Dark Walnut, again looks OK but I think it is too dark.

[Glenn-UK]

Build Log – Post 28 (16^th Dec 2025)

 

Task 48 – Main Rails and Gunwales

Adding the main rails has been a bit of nightmare as I made a schoolboy error by applying a coat of tung oil to the hull. This meant that when I was ready to add the main rails it was difficult to get the to hold, once dried. The rails are now in place and hopefully they will now stay in place.

 

Next the gunwales were added. They were painted black before they were fitted. Once fitted I decided to paint the upper bow and stern rail black.

 

 Photos

Current status of the build

Bow area main rails

Midships main rail

Stern area

Gunwales

 

[Glenn-UK]

Build Log – Post 29 (17^th - 18^th Dec 2025)

 

Task 49 – Painting the Hull

I went off the reservation with this task *** the build instructions are to leave it a plain wood finish above the water line and a painted white hull below the waterline. This is exactly what I did with my previous DOK build and it does look great.

 

However, on this build I decided to experiment with a different paint finish. I really like the Plasti-kote Red Oxide finish I have used on some previous build. I also liked having a thin white band for the waterline.

 

With the waterline drawn I added some masking tape above and below the waterline and added a white band. After a couple of coats of white paint, the tape was removed. A new thin strip of tape was then placed oved the painted waterline. I then added three coats of red oxide paint below the water line. I opted to decant the paint from the spray can and apply with a paint brush. I also added a different paint finish above the water line (leather).

 

The finished paint scheme is shown below. Whilst it may not be in keeping with how ships of this period looked I quite the colour scheme, noting it may not be to everyone’s taste. This paint scheme is probably more common for fishing boats.

 

Next task will be to add the wales.

 

[Ronald-V]

I think it's a nice color palette as a whole...it all fits together well

[Geordie Tyne]

I think that colour scheme is well thought out and applied. Some very nice warm tones at work.
 

Regards

[Glenn-UK]

Build Log – Post 30 (19^th Dec 2025)

 

Task 50 – Upper Stern Counter

Once the wales had been glued place I moved on to adding the upper stern counter pattern which was a relatively straightforward task. I did apply the red paint before this part was glued to place.

 

 

Task 51 – Test Fitting Hull PE Patterns

The main cabin decorative window comprises two PE parts. I had previously sprayed these parts with gold paint. The lower PE part window frame area then needed a red outline and window frames painted white.

 

 

Using the pin holes to correctly align these two parts (not glued for the time being) a test fit was undertaken. I was happy with how this looks.

 

 

 

I then glued the 4 off window frame PE parts to the side windows and test fitted the window surround patterns. Again, everything looks good. I will need to fill the gaps in the planking

 

 

 

Next I decided to test fit the gun port surrounds.

 

 

With these decorative patterns temporarily in place the build is starting to look like a royal ship fit for a duchess.