HMS Victory by Dan Vadas - FINISHED - Del Prado - Restoration

[gjdale]

Fantastic Danny. Not only your usual excellent workmanship, but also your customary speed - what else should we expect. Someone is going to be a very happy camper when you finish this.

[Craigie65]

No bad

[Blademaster2444]

Wow that is starting to look like a beautiful ship now

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks for the comments Bug, Craig, Daniel, Ollie, Grant, Craig and Blademaster .

 

Have you kept a tally of how many hours this has or will take?

 

 

Not really Ollie. I estimate about 45 hours so far.

 

I managed some more work on the model over the (looong - mine started on Wednesday ) Australia Day weekend.

 

The old guy had "built" the Masts, but they were so rough and out of shape that my easiest option was to scrap virtually everything and start over. I kept the Mast Tops, as I didn't have anything on hand to replace them with. I soaked them overnight in Acetone to soften the glue and paint, then cleaned them up.

 

Below are a couple of pics of the Tops and a Mast Coat from BEFORE :

 

 

 

And some pics AFTER :

 

 

 

 

 

I realize that the Tops are nowhere near accurate, but don't forget I'm attempting to build this model the way the old guy would have liked it to come out   .

 

Continued in next Post ......

[Dan Vadas]

I rebuilt and stepped the Masts - this took nearly a full day, as the holes on each deck and the bulkheads below them didn't come close to lining up :

 

 

 

 

 

I've also fitted about half the lower deadeyes and their chains - again, not historically accurate but that's what the kit supplied. The kit deadeyes aren't too bad actually - they are cast in Resin and the holes are better than most kits with wooden ones. The chains were already fitted to the deadeyes - I don't know if they came like this in the kit, but I suspect they did. It saved me a lot of work anyway :

 

 

 

The loose chains will tighten up when I fit the Shrouds. There are also a couple of Gunport Lids that will need re-fitting - I managed to loosen a few while fitting the Chains .... I'll fit ALL the Chains before doing this, as no doubt I'll disturb a couple more yet.

 

Continued in next Post .....

[Moonbug]

Nice work Danny. Is it difficult giving up on the accuracy a bit, or does that take the pressure off?

 

-Bug

[Dan Vadas]

Last pics for now are of the Rudder I'd previously rebuilt and fitted and forgot to take pics of a couple of weeks ago :

 

 

 

 

  Danny

[Dan Vadas]

Nice work Danny. Is it difficult giving up on the accuracy a bit, or does that take the pressure off?

 

-Bug

 

A bit of both Bug .

 

  Danny

[aliluke]

Amazing work Danny. I like your approach of fitting the detail to the level of the previous attempt rather than to your own exacting standards. That makes perfect sense to me in terms of the commitment on your part and the expectations at the other end. Man, I would have given up before I'd even started. Your devotion to a promise is to be admired. Well done and hats off to you.

 

Cheers

Alistair

[petercrane]

You have certainly taken on a tough one!

I have a del prado Vic kit but am missing some issues - all I need is scans of the issue instructions as these show the dimensions of the missing parts - the 4 missing instruction issues are 28, 29, 67, 68

Can you help?

I am happy to pay

 

Petercrane

[Dan Vadas]

Hi Peter,

 

The Victory is at my holiday van, to which I won't be returning for at least the next three weeks. Give me an idea of the actual parts and I'll see if I can remember if there actually ARE any useful dimensions - most parts had very useless "dimensions", like 65mm for the length of a spool of rigging line (that's the measurement of the cardboard tube, NOT the length or diameter of the actual line ).

 

You may have to wait until I go back up there, but I'll be glad to help out if I can.

 

  Danny

[Jim Lad]

G'day, Danny!

 

Just found this log.  Mate, you've got a heart as big as Western Queensland to take that on.

 

Good on the old bloke for having a try!  As has already been said, if he'd only had a bit of help he might have been able to make a go of it, but it looks like you're turning it into a pretty reasonable model anyway.

 

John

[dgbot]

Dan you are a genius.   All that work done in a van and no power tools.  You are an inspiration to me.  When I moved in with my sister I had to leave all my power tools at home.

David B

[jthemanjack]

Dan..... all i can say is that you a braver man than me,                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

I think MSW should create an honours system, whereby anybody showing bravery beyond the call of duty would be suitably rewarded.....maybe (The MSW order for Gallantry) , I for one would put your name forward for this very Galllant and kind act.

   I cant help feeling sorry that the old gentleman in Question will not see the finished ship though.

 

   Cheers

      Jack

[Mirabell61]

Hi Danny

I think I can feel with you when you took this on, because Facelifting a junk model anyone can do somehow, but you are taking the "not mean Task" for a challenge to your superb skills in Performance to even turn Shabby into Gold, respect !!! I admire your way of Tackling this Project, please do not give up down the way, good success

 

Nils

Edited February 7, 2014 by Mirabell61

[Karleop]

Hi Danny, you made a terrific job with this model, its hard to believe the way you change the "original" to this new Victory.  Really is a VICTORY for you!!

 

Also I am trying to restore and finish a model Vasa gived to me by a friend who could not build it. Because these reconstructions have their special challenges probably could be a good idea to create a special category in the forum dealing with this cases.

 

Saludos!!

[druxey]

Are you sure this is the same model??? You are doing an amazing makeover, Dan!

[Dan Vadas]

G'day, Danny!

 

Just found this log.  Mate, you've got a heart as big as Western Queensland to take that on.

 

Good on the old bloke for having a try!  As has already been said, if he'd only had a bit of help he might have been able to make a go of it, but it looks like you're turning it into a pretty reasonable model anyway.

 

John

 

And about time you found this Log too John :D . "Pretty Reasonable" eh? On a scale of 0 to 10 that would probably rate as a 4. I totally agree .

 

All that work done in a van and no power tools.

 

 

Actually David, it's being done in the carport attached to the van - more room and excellent lighting (the sun ). The "no power tools" bit was a minor challenge - I discovered a few new skills on how to make do without them .

 

I cant help feeling sorry that the old gentleman in Question will not see the finished ship though.

 

 

Thank you Jack, and yeah so do I. At least his daughter will have something else to keep in his memory.

 

please do not give up down the way

 

 

Thanks Nils, and no way will I stop until I'm finished .

 

Because these reconstructions have their special challenges probably could be a good idea to create a special category in the forum dealing with this cases.

 

 

Thank you too Karl (?) - there are a few "Restorations" on MSW (I've done another which was lost in MSW 1.0, and I have two more coming up after I've finished this one). I might start adding "RESTORATION" in the Build Log Titles of all those I find so the Search will find them all.

 

Are you sure this is the same model???

 

 

Druxey - YES . Thanks for the kind comment.

 

  Danny

[Timmo]

Top work Dan. Hard to believe it's the same ship. You're a man of your word sticking with this project.

[Karleop]

Seems to me a good idea, also I would put "restoration" as a tag,

Saludos, Karl

[Trussben]

Just want to echo everybody else Danny, and it really does look like a different model to the one in the before pics.

 

Ben

[petercrane]

Danny,

Many thanks for your reply. There is no hurry as there is plenty to do before I get there. The main part missing is on Issue 28 or 29, and is the second to last frame. I think the other pieces on these two issues are strip, which I can replace. Also if I cannot get the dimensions of the missing frame, I should be able to calculate to from the frames either side. But if you have the instruction sheets from these issues it would be helpful to know what parts were issued with issues 28, 29, 67 and 68. I have learned a lot from following your log - many thanks. The main point being not to trust the del Prado design. I have ordered the book from the HMS Victory museum which, with some 200 photos, should be helpful

 

Peter

[Mirabell61]

Danny are you sure you finish daily before midnight, it somehow reminds me of Cindarella...

 

Cheers

 

Nils

[petercrane]

Hi Dan

Just to let you know that I have managed to get the missing issues - mainly from Spode Collectables, who were very helpful.

Looking at details of the specs of other kit manufacturers of the Victory, I can see why people are scathing about the del prado version.

Anyway, many thanks for your offer of help

 

Kind regards

 

Petercrane

[Dan Vadas]

I'm glad to hear you found them Peter, as I probably won't be going up to the van for another couple of weeks - I'm not feeling very well at the moment .

 

  Danny

[dragzz]

sofar dan u are doing great craftmen ship on the victory  it was in vary bad shape  and now its great so far what a diff keep up the great work 

[Dan Vadas]

Thank you dragzz .

 

I finally feel well enough to make a return to my van and therefore this Build .

 

In three days I managed to fit the rest of the deadeyes and chains, and made a start on the Shrouds. The lower Foremast ones and half the lower Mainmast ones are now fitted. I'm not totally happy about the varying heights of the upper deadeyes, but they look in keeping with the rest of the ship   .

 

 

 

 

 

More work will be done in the coming couple of weeks, as I'll be returning to the van over Easter and the Anzac Day long weekend.

 

  Danny

[Jim Lad]

Nice to see some progress on this one as well, Danny!

 

John

[dgbot]

I am happy to see you are a little better.

PS I am also glad  your working on this model as well.

David B

[Bindy]

Reading you are feeling a bit better is the best news I have had in a long time! 

 

Happy modelling (and teaching us) Danny!