HMS Indefatigable 1794 by Mowzer - Vanguard Models - 1:64

[Mowzer]

Gentlemen,

 

I have a theory.

 

(You’ve got to imagine I’m delivering this in the manner of a bewhiskered Victorian scientist giving a speech at a lectern in a mahogany-panelled lecture theatre, filled with equally bewhiskered Victorian gentlemen. )

 

My theory is that an “expert level” model ship kit with well prepared, detailed instructions is actually easier for a relative newbie to complete than the “beginner/ intermediate” kits with the truly terrible instructions that are being sold by most manufacturers. 

 

To test my hypothesis, I propose an experiment (it’s ok guys, you can breathe out now, I’m not seeking funding for an expedition). 

 

The experiment is as follows: as a relative newcomer, I’m going to do Vanguard’s Indefatigable. 

 

Here’s the background to my proposed ground-breaking research.

It seems there’s so many kits out there which COULD be great- but have such terrible instructions that nobody except the most experienced builders can tackle them. Other kits just don’t fit together properly and the manufacturers expect us to iron out their mistakes for them. 

My theory is that a truly great kit fits together perfectly, and has instructions that even an idiot can follow.

 

As a test case, I put myself forwards as that idiot. 

 

So far, I’ve done Occre’s Beagle and got increasingly frustrated with the instructions. They feel like they were knocked up on a Friday afternoon- where the writer started at 1pm giving excellent detail on the simple early stages, but then ran out of time as the afternoon wore on, and the further they get into writing the build instructions, and the more detail is needed, then with one eye on the clock, the more they skimmed over it. I think it must ended up at 4.55pm and time for everyone in the office to go to the pub where the writer finished writing with something along the lines of “to complete the model, make the masts and do the rigging”. 

Even with the 140 youtube videos they provide, I found they contradicted the written instructions and left me baffled. 

 

So let’s skip from the very sensible entry-level Beagle, straight to what I think is the most expensive  kit on the market… and, I put it to you, gentlemen, that this is possibly the very best kit ever made. There might be two questions here- first, is the Indefatigable the best model from a kit once completed?; and question two, does the massive detailed manual and many many sheets of plans mean it has the best set of guidance for any model, ever? 

Could the best model ship actually be one of the most accessible projects, even for a relative newbie?

 

Here’s my initial train of thought: When I was choosing which kit to buy as a second build, I spent a bit of time (ok, days and days) looking through pretty much all the kits on the market, and reading the instructions whenever they were available online. My conclusion from this early fact-gathering part of my project indicates that  Indefatigable manual is hugely detailed, leading the would-be model shipwright through every step of the process.  Other kits’ instructions seem to be a few pages of typed instructions with 5 sheets of sketches. I wouldn’t trust anything at all from Occre, for example. 

Vanguard Models produce the best written, clearest, instructions of any manufacturer, by a long way. Even the glossy manual itself is a thing of beauty. Yes, I could have chosen one of the simpler models- but to test my theory to the max- Indy is the one. 

 

I’ve always been a fan of jumping in at the deep end in life. Once you’re in at the deep end, you’re very motivated to learn to swim- quickly. In this case- what’s the worst that could happen? Some friends of mine have hobbies such as mountain climbing. In comparison, the "worst case scenario" of a disaster in my new hobby here is quite trivial.

 

I realise that going from the Beagle to the Indefatigable is a bit like learning to ride a tricycle and then getting behind the controls of a fighter jet. . But then again, when you’re flying a fighter jet, you can’t just get the manual out and make a cup of tea and read through everyone else’s experiences on the internet. 

 

So at this point, can I just say thanks to Kevin, Glenn Uk, Blue Ensign, Eck and Clark for your build logs. These are essential references for me. All your work in writing them up is much appreciated. 

 

Many of you here are true experts in naval history and model ship construction and can modify or adapt every stage of their build. My attitude is that what Chris Watton doesn’t know about producing a commercial kit probably isn’t worth knowing. Many of you gents can take these kits to another level with your skills and knowledge, but for me, as I said in my new member intro post, I’m “just an assembler”, and if I can complete this kit to Chris’s specifications, I’ll have the model of my dreams. 

 

While I’m rambling, I might as well go off on another one- how many of us feel a bit intimidated by the beautiful ships built by the most skilled members here on the forum, so much so that we’re shy of posting? I thought long and hard about exposing myself to the potential embarrasment of this project- and then thought what the heck. As far as I can tell, there’s about 7 Indy logs here- and yet I assume that Chris has sold hundreds of Indy kits- presumably not all of which have turned out as precisely built as the logs here…. Maybe if I post my progress on this one- with my potentially catastrophic lack of skills- then others might be encouraged to join in too???

 

I don’t expect mine will be as perfect as the others here, but for me, the joy is in constructing the kit. Another point I was making in my intro post was “don’t let the perfect me the enemy of the good”. If I worried about making a perfect job of this kit, I would never even open the box. 

The finer details are not so important for me. I’m not a historian, although in a cruel twist of fate, the Admiral is. However, she’s mainly interested in medieval fabrics so the only nearest she has come to showing an interest in my ship models are in the quality of the threads and the material used for sails. 

When I voiced some of my doubts about this project to the Admiral – who incidentally makes a living from selling very complicated medieval sewing kits- she said “you’re so bloody-minded that you’ll finish it even if it takes you five years and you have a breakdown over it”.  So it’s encouraging that someone has complete faith in me. 

 

Right- there comes a point in every research project where we must stop talking and move from theoretical considerations to the hands-on practical stages.  The Indefatigable has now moved to the workbench. (My “workbench" used to be my “desk” back in the days when I did any actual work, in the same way that my “home office”, where my “desk” lived  is now my “hobby room”.)

 

Some of you might already be pulling up a chair for this- anticipating some riveting car-crash entertainment, while others of you might be watching from behind the sofa. 

 

Everyone is welcome. 

 

So- with Vanguard’s Indefatigable- here we go. 

Edited yesterday at 03:14 PM by Mowzer

[ccoyle]

Good luck on your project!

[Tim Moore]

Haha, enjoyed reading your post. Loved your classic paragraph about the pitiful instructions, nailed it!
You obviously have the right temperament for success in our hobby.

Tim

[AJohnson]

Good luck with your new adventure in model ship building! 👍

[Ronald-V]

Interesting experiment! Curious how this goes  

 

A tip...work as if you have infinite time, then everything will work out fine.

[James H]

1 hour ago, Mowzer said:

My conclusion from this early fact-gathering part of my project indicates that  Indefatigable manual is hugely detailed, leading the would-be model shipwright through every step of the process.

Sort of. We came up with those skill levels as the more advanced kits still need the modeller to be able to think stages ahead and work that into their planning, irrespective of each of those subsequent photos being detailed. We ALWAYS suggest that anyone tackling a kit like Indefatigable, will be familiar with various building techniques through previous projects. That has to be our caveat. Much depends not only on previous experience, but also success.

 

Of course, some modellers are absolute naturals and can build relatively complex models on their first foray, but many also fail to complete, or have a low level of success. 

 

If you go ahead and try Indy, then take your time and ask questions. Chris Watton is a member here, and I'm the guy who built that model for the instruction manual.

[palmerit]

Interesting experiment. I'm going to follow along to see the progress.

 

There's certainly no shame - and no one will shame you here - in setting the Indy aside should the experiment prove overly challenging (i.e., not fun). I know there's someone here who started on the Sphinx - just a step below the Indy - and at some point in their build they decided to take a step back and do the Vanguard Sherbourne, on the other end of the Vanguard skill continuum (still a challenging model, even with the excellent instructions and materials and design). For myself, I picked the Vanguard Sherbourne as my first model and when I got to the rigging stage felt a bit overwhelmed so I did the Model Shipways Shipwright models (Dory, Pram, Smack), which has no rigging on the Dory, some very simple rigging on the Pram, and only a bit more complicated on the Smack, and I felt much better prepared to take on the rigging on the Sherbourne, which is orders of magnitude simpler than the Indy; it also helped that Modelkit Stuff (Jason) had gone past me on his Sherbourne build on Youtube that I could learn from. 

 

Best of luck in the experiment!

[Mowzer]

Thanks for your comments guys!  I appreciate that you're all going to be at my side with help and advice on this one. 

To be fair, I wouldn't have even considered tackling this project without the community here on MSW.  I know I can follow others' build logs- and I know that if (when) I get stuck, I can cry for help. 

Tim- I've found a fellow spirit, with my guiding principle in your signature!

James- I was just composing my next post on this adventure (which will appear somewhere below), and I'm aware of the possibility that it might all end up in disaster. The odds are against me in terms of overall MSW build logs that are abandoned... and yet... I can't find any abandoned Indy logs.  I would say, though, that the work you do with Chris is in a completely different league to all the other manufacturers. Your manual makes the others look like they're still carving instructions on stone tablets. 

 

 

 

[James H]

16 minutes ago, Mowzer said:

Thanks for your comments guys!  I appreciate that you're all going to be at my side with help and advice on this one. 

To be fair, I wouldn't have even considered tackling this project without the community here on MSW.  I know I can follow others' build logs- and I know that if (when) I get stuck, I can cry for help. 

Tim- I've found a fellow spirit, with my guiding principle in your signature!

James- I was just composing my next post on this adventure (which will appear somewhere below), and I'm aware of the possibility that it might all end up in disaster. The odds are against me in terms of overall MSW build logs that are abandoned... and yet... I can't find any abandoned Indy logs.  I would say, though, that the work you do with Chris is in a completely different league to all the other manufacturers. Your manual makes the others look like they're still carving instructions on stone tablets. 

 

 

 

Please check your email and pop me a PM to say you got it.

[Mowzer]

Using the modern terminology, I'll "start my journey". 

Our story starts with a very large cardboard box being delivered. And it's time to introduce one of the main characters: after unpacking the kit box from the outer brown card box- The Ship’s Cat moved in immediately.  Even if my Indy project ends in total failure, at least my cat is happy. 

 

 

I moved the kit box to the hobby room ready to start work. The Ship’s Cat has decided that he is going to be helping me ALL THE TIME on this project. 

 

Some might doubt the wisdom of mixing cats with ship building, particularly at the rigging stage, but this one has shown no interest in destroying my Beagle, and is happy as long as he can share my hobby room chair with me ("share" means "me perched on the edge of MY chair to give him room".)

 

 

 

I’m not going to do an unboxing video or list the bits and pieces in the box- others have done this far better than I could. 

All I’ll say is that opening this kit made me feel like a kid on Christmas morning. 

 

Everything about the kit screams quality. After doing so much woodwork in the past, there's something decadent about all these gorgeous timbers in the box. I'm thrilled to bits with it all. 

 

So- first steps,  as ever in our modern world, Health and Safety. 

 

 

 

At this point, time to introduce another character, The Admiral who tried to take the box away from me for my own safety at this point saying “it means mental age”. We then bickered about who was the most immature, with me pointing out that she’s the one who has published a guide to “Naughty medieval embroidery”, so anyone wanting to move away from ship building, to sewing pictures of medieval-style walking genitalia, this is the book for you. 

(So I won that argument.) 

 

 

Continuing the pre-build health and safety briefing, I’ve noted carefully what Chris has to say on a project such as mine:
“We cannot advocate such a build for anyone who is only on a learning journey or never built a ship before. By advanced, we mean for modellers who have built numerous other ships/boats and mastered many of those skills required to succeed with a ship kit of this complexity.”

 

This is a wise disclaimer and I have fully taken it on board. 

And, obviously,  decided to ignore it.

 

Just to be clear here, I agree completely with Chris and I don't advocate than anyone else should follow my example of jumping in at the deep end. 

 

So let’s make a start. 

 

And as anyone who has worked in an organisation will know, when there is work to be done, the first step is avoiding the work by holding a series of meetings.  
My naval officers are having a discussion to sort out the finer details of their anticipated Indefatigable design.  

 

They are going to be sorely disappointed. 

 

 

 

This is one of the points which sums up  my approach. The officers are painted up from Chris’s “officers at table” set, which I think is no longer available (if so, that’s such a shame, because it’s a fantastic little set and was a lot of fun).  
The painted figures look fine when viewed with the naked eye (or at least my 56 year old eyes with reading glasses.)  But with a bit of macro photography, my inadequacies as an artist become obvious. When I take a quick look on the internet at what other figure painters can do with advanced skills, it’s clear that my efforts won’t be held up as shining examples of the art.  But for me- I’m happy to rate these chaps as “good enough”. 
I’ll see if I can find the time to paint the Edward Pellew figure in a similar fashion, to stand on deck and supervise progress as my build continues. 

[Mowzer]

So, let’s make a start on the hull. 
This first stage of hull assembly is like doing one of those Rokr wooden models, or assembling lego. 
Everything just flies together. Every part is laser cut with such precision that it pops out of the sheets and slides together firmly and precisely. The entire section of fitting the bulkheads to the keel only took a couple of hours.  Compare this to Occre’s Beagle where there’s no end of extra tabs to cut through to release each part, and then each part needs sanding before it will fit together properly. 
So no need for any further details from me at this stage- other build logs have talked through these early stages with clarity and plenty of photos. 
There’s no challenges worth discussing at this point. 

 

Main thoughts so far: oh my god this is fun. This really does feel like being a kid again, but this time round with the best toy from the shop. 

[Mowzer]

There's a cradle supplied to hold the ship once it's got its keel and it's planked... but at this stage, a different support is needed. I think others have bought specific items for this job, or built quality support systems. I've duck-taped some foam pieces together. This supports the hull nicely at this stage, and I can adapt this system to provide support in future if the ship is ever going to be sitting on its side.

 

 

Moving onto the lower deck. This won’t be seen, so there’s a case for slapping the parts together and moving on. 
However… still being influenced from the world of plastic model aircraft, that’s not the way it’s done.  In the world of aircraft modelling, the idea seems to be to build a highly detailed cockpit, complete with intricate weathering, and then seal up the fuselage- so that the product of hours of beautiful, detailed work is never seen again.

I’m not sure what to make of this. On one hand, we can take photographs of our cockpits before we seal them away, so we know what’s there, post them on social media of course, and there’s the pride in making a good job of the model… but then again… it seems utterly bonkers. I’m thinking that when I go back to plastic aircraft kits, I’m going to look into ways of cutting a removable panel so that I can revisit my work. 

But back to our lower deck. This is a good opportunity to do some experiments and see what works- knowing that if it’s rubbish, it will be hidden away and I can pretend it never happened. 

First experiment- colour of the lower deck. Personally, I just don’t like the look of the pale wood, whether it’s lime planking or the pale maple plywood. I think my problem is that I’ve done an awful lot of work with pine over the years, in house renovations and furniture making- so now I can’t get it out of my head that these pale decks look like freshly cut pine- which is neither authentic not aesthetically pleasing. So either I need some intensive therapy- or I need to change the colour of the decks. 

There’s a whole debate to be had over what’s authentic vs what looks good in model building, and another debate over what colour the decks should be. 
In this case, I reasoned the ship’s decks would have be made out of oak (although I would be happy to be corrected on this point). Therefore, aiming give it the look of oak,  I  gave it a thin coat of stain (in this case my “oak” stain is 1 part Furniture Clinic brand “dark oak” to 3 parts of their “Antique Pine.” 

 

Second experiment- wood stain on the hatches. Again, not worrying too much about what might or might not be authentic, I thought Eck’s hatches with the darker edge looked lovely, so copied his idea and used dark oak dye on the edge. I’ve seen these two-tone hatches on other models on other ships. What types of wood would these have been made of? Would they have looked like this?  How much do I actually care? At the moment, I think these look nice, so I’ll stick to this as my future colour scheme for hatches. 

 

Third experiment- my favourite furniture / floor finish has been Osmo Polyx Oil in clear matt, and I wonder if this is a good finish for all the wood parts of the Indy?  So far, this seems fine on the deck and the hatches. It doesn’t change the colour of the stained deck, but adds a little colour to the pear parts of the hatches. I like it. 

 

Fourth experiment- do surfaces treated with Polyx oil stick together with CA glue, or does the finish prevent the glue from working?  Result: CA glue sticks well to the oil finish. So far so good.