HMS Unicorn by ianmajor - Corel - Scale 1:75, 1748 to 1771

[dafi]

As the aft end of the forecastle looks a bit flimmsy, are you still going to smuggle a deck beam underneath now that the bits are installed?

 

Great work, pleasure to follow, Daniel

[ianmajor]

Guys,

 

Thanks for the nice words. From great modelers like yourselves it is praise indeed.

 

Daniel,

 

The rear for the fore deck is flimsy at the moment. The stove and bitts are not yet permanently fixed. I want to plank the inside of the bulwarks and rig the visible cannon first. (I don't think I will be able to replicate your "octopus" though! ). Once the stove is fixed in place I will fit a preformed beam across the underside of the rear edge of the deck. I will have to give some consideration about supporting the ends of this beam.

 

Ferit,

 

I have been considering modeling the gratings above the stove in the "open" position. There will be one grating above the boiler/condenser end of the stove which let steam out in to the open, there was another grating over the hearth end. If the one at the hearth end is open then the hearth and spit mechanism would be visible. If I do this I would need to model the fore most riding bitts as well.

 

One problem - the main, non scale, support beam for the fore deck passes right under the position of this grating. I will have to think about that one.

 

ZyXuz,

 

Below is a scan of my tidied up diagram. Hope you can read it OK. If not let me know. If you click on the image it expands to make it easier to read.

 

If you (or Mike or whoever) wish to copy this or any other thing from this log into your log, please feel free to do so. If nothing else you will be able to make your own models look even better in comparison!          

 

If you want me to publish anything else let me know.

 

(Thinks - must finish off the soldering document that Mark suggested  ).

 

 

Right - now where did I put my hammer and chisel - time to get stuck in to the "destruction process" again.  

Edited March 18, 2014 by ianmajor

[Landlubber Mike]

Very nice work Ian.  You're a brave man

[ianmajor]

The Destruction Part 3.

 

I have finished chopping out bits from the waist area and have beveled all the edges to make them look tidier (and looking a lot less like three ply). I have also cut out the hole in the fore deck for the flue. I will work out some suitable sizes for the steam outlet hole and the hole for the grating above the hearth end of the stove. I need to be careful on this because the Unicorn has a beakhead bow so there is restricted room on the foredeck.

 

Some photos. The first two are before and after the destruction phase as comparison.

 

Waist as was........

 

 

Waist is it now is.............

 

 

The four holes in the deck were ones that I made a long time ago for the Coral version of the rigging and are now redundant. I will have to fill them up. 

[ianmajor]

The next view is from the fore deck looking back across the opened up waist area. The area under the quarter deck is now very visible. However, once the chain pumps, main mast, gallows and steps are in place the view will be more restricted.

 

If I had put the companion way behind the capstan (as in the Lymm) then it would have been worth modeling the lower part of the capstan which would then have been on view.

 

One of the out of scale beams is on view, but this should be masked later by a scale beam which will go across the fore edge of the quarter deck.

 

 

Finally a view from the quarter deck looking forward with the stove's flue pocking up through the fore deck.

 

 

Time to settle down to some planking inside the bulwarks. Now that is going to be fiddly.

Edited October 24, 2013 by ianmajor

[Ferit]

Very, very nice...

[dafi]

For some reason I like destructive people ...

 

;-)

 

XXXDAn

[ianmajor]

Daniel,

 

I thought I recognized a fellow destructer!        

 

I have built several railway locomotive kits which when completed always seem to end up with a locomotive plus the original set of kit parts.  

Edited October 24, 2013 by ianmajor

[Landlubber Mike]

Very nice and careful work Ian.  Looks perfect - like you intended to cut out the waist all along  Much better look to the model, and not to mention, from my limited research, much more realistic for a ship of this type during this period.  Well done!

[ianmajor]

Thanks Mike,

 

It is a pity that I could not represent the step up to the fore deck and quarter deck from the waist area but that was a modification too far. However I think it has improved the look. I have the ship in its usual place on top of a bookcase. The detail of the stove can be seen through the gun ports because there is a lot more daylight around the gun deck.  It also makes the ship look wider!

[hamilton]

Quite a commitment - I would never have the guts to deconstruct a model on this level - the results are going to be great!

hamilton

[ianmajor]

Hamilton,

 

I think it is not so much a case of having the guts to do this, more a case of "fools rush in..."!      

 

It is definitely cramped under the fore deck of beakhead bowed ship and I am having problems squeezing two sets of riding bitts in. If I squeeze them together there is no room in front of the hearth for the poor old cook. If I set them a reasonable distance apart then they would foul the lower part of the foremast and its associated bitts. (somebody will now tell me the riding bitts actually go on the deck below on this type of ship.... ). So I am doing some research again. I may be wandering off in to a Corel like fantasy land - with flowers in what is left of my hair - very '60s like - time for some Hendrix.    

Edited October 25, 2013 by ianmajor

[ianmajor]

Well - have taken another look at the Chapman plans of the Unicorn. These plans do not give the same level of internal detail as other contemporary plans held by the NMM. However it does show the riding bitts - there is one set only where I have mine in place. The plans of another beakhead ship also only had one set though these were set further forward. 

 

So I am running with just the one set.  (Mike - do you agree with my analysis?)

[ianmajor]

The Destruction Part 4. (Hopefully the Last).

 

I have decided to model the two gratings over the stove area in the open position, ie with the actual gratings off, or at least removable.

 

The grating over the boiler area of stove (or kettles as they are more correctly referred to on the Victory) was no problem.

 

The grating over the hearth end was more problematical. The first problem was that all the plans that I have seen in this area shew a grating that is longer than it is wide. This impinges on the area around the fore mast. So I decided to rotate the grating through 90 degrees which resolved this issue.

 

The second problem was that the out of scale beam passes right under the position of this grating. So I cut the hole which revealed that the deck was actually arching up above the beam and was not in contact with it in the middle. So - I put my small chisel through the hole on to the beam, gave a good smack, and with a heart stopping crack it came out. I will have to reinstate its two ends on to the top of the bulkhead extensions other wise the deck has no support at all. 

 

With those ends acting like brackets, and once I have a new beam across the rear edge of the deck it should be OK.

 

The holes for the gratings are cut slightly undersize so that when the coving is made I can adjust the holes to ensure they are square and that all fits OK.

 

There is a bit of damage to the deck planking but this will be covered by the coving.

 

A couple of pictures. The first is a top view to shew the layout of the grating holes.

 

 

The second is a close up. The dear old kettle is hanging there boiling the water ready for a nice cup of tea!

 

 

Hopefully from this point I can put my hammer and chisel away - though you never know what urges may yet overcome me!

[Landlubber Mike]

Very nice Ian!  Fantastic work!

 

I'm afraid I haven't done much research on the riding bitts, so can't really help you there.  I can try to look this weekend if I have time.

[ianmajor]

I have been planking the inside of the bulwarks that have been exposed by the waist modification using strips of mahogany left over from the original hull planking. No photos of this yet. It is fiddly work getting the planking under the overhanging parts of the deck so I am taking it steadily. I am allowing each plank's glue to harden off before fitting the adjacent planks.

 

So - in between I have started doing the plans for the cluster of items around the main mast on the gun deck. This will include the gallows and various pumps. With the original hole for the main mast now gone (it was in the part of the quarter deck that was chopped off) I have to re-establish the position of this mast. The plans I have started on put the centre line of the main mast 6mm ahead of the centre line of the foremost deadeyes, which will give a rake of about 2 degrees (according to my calculations based on 260mm from gun deck to main mast fighting top - as per Corel main plan). 

 

I had already positioned the channels, as per the 1974 Corel plans, which gives 0 degree rake on all three masts. The various plans don't tally with each other, the main elevation plan shows some positive rake on main and mizzen masts.

 

The new hole for the main mast is slightly forward of the position of the old hole. 

 

This does present a challenge with the mizzen mast. If I am going to put about 6 degrees of rake on it I will have to move its hole forward by about 4mm. I would have to mask/fill the old hole and this could impinge on the space for the ship's wheel and the binnacle that I wish to make.

 

If I don't put any rake on the mizzen but have a couple of degrees rake on the main it will look very silly! 

 

So here is the first cut of the first plan for this area. If you click on the image it will magnify to make it clearer.

 

 

My wife and I are off visiting our two children and two grand children who live in the south east of England - one family in Cambridge and one in Chelmsford. So I will be away from the workshop (and my Web access) for just over a week. However I will be taking pencils, paper and other implements of destruction with me to continue producing the plans.

 

None of this computerized design stuff you notice - well I have to work towards my ambition of becoming a fully paid up Luddite!     

[mtaylor]

Lovely work, Ian.  Even the destruction looks nice.

[ZyXuz]

nice work on the destruction Ian!

And enjoy your trip 

[ianmajor]

Mark, ZyXuz,

 

Thank you both for your words of encouragement. I had a good trip to Cambridge to see my daughter and grandchildren. I also saw number 3 son, the one who did the blacksmithing, and who now lives in Chelmsford (not far from Cambridge). He is now a member of the Essex police force.

 

So I am now back to the model making - and plan drawing.

[ollyweb]

 

Now on to the rotisserie.

 

I made the top (smaller) pulley from a slice cut off some thick walled brass tubing. In this case the tubing has a 2.3mm outside diameter with a 0.7mm diameter bore. I have various sizes of this type of tube which is useful for making small pulleys and sheaves. Actually I used the lathe to part off the pulley to 0.3mm thickness, plus I included a 0.2mm thickness boss. I soldered the pulley on to a length of 0.7mm diameter N/S rod which fits in to a hole drilled in the stove's hood.

 

In the following photo this pulley and rod are temporarily fitted. The thick walled tube is lying alongside the stove.

 

Stove 38.JPG

 

Well - progress will stop on the stove for a week. I am heading off to deepest Herefordshire with my wife looking at houses - a retirement move. 

Unbelievable ... this is spectacular work you have been really very good

Gianni

 

[ianmajor]

Gianni,

 

Thank you for your kind words and welcome to our Unicorn "gathering". From your pictures in the gallery I guess you are renovating or upgrading at least 2 ships (Falmouth and Unicorn).

 

It is great to see that you have started a log on your Unicorn upgrade.

[ollyweb]

Hello Ian, unfortunately do not have enough time to devote to this hobby.la family ... my job and a second job .... an online shop (www.olivero-modellismo.com) but last year I izing the battleship Roma and I started hAdmiral Hipper in 1:700 scale:
http://oliveromodellismo.altervista.org/joomla/corazzata-roma
http://oliveromodellismo.altervista.org/joomla/admiral-cruiser-hipper-1941
by by
Gianni

[ianmajor]

Gianni,

 

You certainly have a lot on your plate.

 

I thought I saw some fresh photos of your upgrade Unicorn with full hull views. I was going to have a closer look at them but can't find them again - I don't think I was imagining things.

 

In particular I was looking at the area around the stern and the galleries. If I am not mistaken you have used the decorative castings on top of the galleries but not the ones underneath. Did you increase the size of the galleries to make the top castings fit? 

[ollyweb]

hi Ian....i recived a message "

The gallery is for images of completed models only. The admin team will be deleteing the folders. You should start a build log of that model for in progress projects. Dont hesitate to ask me any questions.

Chuck"

I don't find my post about Unicorn Upgrade and the gallery is deleted.

I will try to open a new wip about Unicorn but I don't will create a gallery.

By Gianni

[ianmajor]

Gianni,

 

OK. You can put your photos in your existing Unicorn log. If you are having problems drop me a PM and I will try to help.

 

Meanwhile back to the planking. I am not enthusiastic about planking so I am producing a quarterdeck rail at the same time. This is basically a few strips of 1mm thick walnut cut 3mm wide, some cubes of walnut 3mm square and 6 of the ornate pillars that were supplied with the kit to support the belaying pin racks.   Hopefully I will have some photos of this soon.

[ianmajor]

Slow progress with the internal planking I am afraid. It is very fiddly planking under the weather deck and around the cannon. It feels like I am doing ship in a bottle type activity - though this is more bottle in a ship.

 

I have used the mahogany strip left over from the outer deck planking which is not ideal since it tends to split very easily. I also decided to plank the bulkhead extensions that are now on view. They were shewing up as chunks of light coloured plywood amongst the cannon. These non prototypical pieces do not glare at me now they are covered in mahogany. The downside is that cladding them increases their size.

 

The next photo shews the before (above the red line) and after planking. The mahogany used had some very dark grain in it which unfortunately make some of the joints look as though they are gaping.

 

 

Viewed from the outside a gap can be seen between the inner and outer planking around the gun ports. So the next job will be to line the ports.

 

 

In parallel I have been producing a quarter deck rail using the pillars supplied in the kit for the now redundant rails on the old waist layout. The picture shews the partially complete rail resting in place. The rail will stand on 3mm cubes of walnut to raise it to its final height.

 

I haven't quite got the curvature of it right yet. The parts of the rail that point forward are alongside the steps down from the quarter deck on the real ship which won't exist on my model.

 

You may notice in this photo the one bulkhead had only been partially clad at that stage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

[petervisser]

Wow Ian,

 

Incredible work so far. In the end I am sure you will be happy with the results. A satisfying experience to make the model the best it can be.

 

I will continue to follow along as I enjoy seeing this kit built in so many ways.

 

Peter

[ZyXuz]

the bulwark planking looks great, Ian

I'm currently working on the stern parallel with the bulwark planking, but I did them without the vertical ones..

I've just notice that the main mast also fall into the modified area. Great move! now, more details can be seen on the 2nd deck!

Cheers 

[ianmajor]

Peter and ZyXuz,  thank you for your kind words.

 

Opening up the waist greatly increases the amount of interesting detail that will be visible. When I come to plant the main mast in the gun deck it will need some care in positioning it.

 

One concern I have is in drilling the hole in the deck to take the main mast. The drill bit will go through the thin plywood deck then in to the top edge of the plywood (very false) keel. The plywood keel is 4mm thick. Now if I use drill bits greater than 4mm diameter I think the bit (like humans) will take the path of least resistance ie down one side of the keel or the other. This will result in a seriously off centre hole. So the plan is to drill 3.5mm and to turn the lower end of the mast down to that diameter. The partners will hide the subterfuge.

 

Before going much further I am going to turn the masts to help in lining up the deck furniture and fittings. I have decided to replace the softwood dowel supplied in the kit with hardwood. To this end I am going to order up some walnut doweling. Does anyone have a view on which wood makes good unpainted masts?

 

I am still concerned about the position of the mizzen mast. Once I have a mizzen mast turned up I will post some photos to illustrate my concerns/issues.

Edited November 28, 2013 by ianmajor

[ollyweb]

Hello Ian I think it was a good idea to open the upper deck .... so doing it makes it more similar to the Mercure ships HMS and HMS Diana. Good job.
Gianni