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USS Constellation by jlheureux - FINISHED - Artesania Latina - 1:85


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Jason,

 

I think you're asking about Blacken-iT.  You can order it from Micromark.  The other is Casey's Brass Black which I think is available at some gun shops here in the States. 

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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  • 3 weeks later...

Does that blackening agent work well? I have some updates and photos to post. Will try to get to it tonight.

 

Most ready to start doing some masts.

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Moving onward at a nice clip.

 

I finished getting the rest of the deck furniture on. The wheel mounted. Had a tiny bit of trouble getting the line through the deckholes on the wheel. I've noticed it's always the last thing I I try to do for the night that gives me the most trouble. 

 

I didn't like the cannonballs. The way I framed the spaces for them on the box just didn't look right, they were chrome and I would have needed to blacken / paint them, etc. I ended up using left over black metal chain I had from my San Francisco which was already black, was easier to work with and I'm pretty happy with how it looks. On my next one? I'll try to measure and trim better the alleys for the cannon balls and fight with blackening them. I also didn't have enough cannon balls for what I laid out and I wanted my ship to be armed to the teeth!

 

My next step was to place the cannon ports. The kit had me using mahogony strip to make the covers. This wasn't to bad. Dremeling the ports into uniform shape and sanding them went pretty well as well. Gluing brass onto wood is a real pain in the butt and then when I tried to get into drilling holes for the pins on the hinges I admit I got a tinge frustrated. I decided to opt out of that. For all you vets out there you can criticize if you must but I like how the finished product looks, they're small enough and tucked under the rail enough that a bystander won't really be able to tell. I got the ropes to hoist attached and I like that, once again a learning opportunity. ON my next ship I'll approach it a little bit different and I think it will come out better.

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Double posting I know!

 

So I got the ladders stained and in place. Stain does not like to take to places that have superglue on it and ladders do NOT like to be built with woodglue so we had a conversation. In the future I'll either fight it out with the wood glue, or I will do what I'm probably going to do with this model which is to spot paint the spots that didn't take the stain with some water based paint.

 

I also got the railings up on the lower decks. Let me tell you that was not an easy time. The long brass pins went in fine, but tying the line through those pins was very difficult. Not tying, although I'll admit it WAS a little bit tricky since that lower deck is a confined little space. I have tweezers though, so not bad. What was difficult was getting the appropriate tension between posts for the lines. That was difficult. I'd get the right tension then tighten my knot and it would go all loose. I would get one end perfect and then have to re-do it later. I re-did it a couple times and overall I am happy with MOST of the lines. I think once all the masts, sail and rigging fills up the deck I won't notice any of the individual ties that I didn't like.

 

I also started with the chainplates and deadeyes to run along the outside. Exactly enough components for this process so I needed to be careful. Bending the brass around the ring and fitting the deadeye into the ring was timeconsuming and difficult, but I didn't end up needing to heat anything, just bend really carefully. On this part I am taking the time to drill out two holes on each chainplate with a pin vice so I can use the rivet nails. I like how the finished product looks although I got some sticky finger syndrome as I was gluing.

 

I need to take the time to finish drilling out the starboard side and then do the port side. I broke two pin vice bits drilling the metal, but am nervous that if I use the dremel the drill will walk and screw up my whole deal so I'm taking the time to do it by hand. I could have blackened the brass. However, I didn't know how to do it at the time and wanted to make progress. I also don't think the brass looks bad. I think for the purposes of the model it works and once I clearcoat I think they'll pop nicely.

 

After I finish the port and starboard chainplates on the hull I believe I will be ready to finish staining and clear poly coating my hull. I really look forward to this step as I believe that the whole thing will pop. I have found that I often am not totally happy with my work and then once I stain and clear coat it I all of a sudden feel like it looks good and comes together. I guess I can see that. I also paint Warhammer 40k and other 28mm miniatures and often feel like crap about my paintjobs until I detail the base and hit it with clear coat and then all of a sudden it just works.

 

This has been a great project and I feel my skills slowly improving. This is a more complex kit than the SF so it's a good stepping stone on my way to a HMS Victory! I have not needed to rely on the instructions too much but hope to be tackling masts in a week or two and then I'm sure I will have to slow down because that's a whole different can of worms.

 

What should I start daydreaming about doing next folks?

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I'm second guessing myself on the ladders for the second deck. On mine it just sort of worked out that the stairs mask the cannons and so you really can't see that lower gun deck very well. I could move the ladders and try to re position them I guess....Any suggestions?

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Jason,

 

I think you can pretty much do it any way you want.  One of MSW's tenets is: "You're the captain and it's your ship.  Do it your way.".  We might disagree based on historical evidence but it still comes down to the fact you have to be happy with it.

 

On the ladders... the only historical significance of all those ladders was the "con job" (for lack of a better phrase) that was being foisted on folks to make them think that what sat in Baltimore harbor was the 1797 frigate and not the 1854 sloop of war that she actually was.  You can take out the middle two on each side to allow viewing of the guns without issue.   :)   

 

Side note, if you'll look carefully at the hull near the keel, you can see the hog that AL picked up from the ship when they designed the kit.  It's interesting and also sad that AL has never changed the kit to reflect what it actually is.  Nor did they bother to examine the few drawings/paintings of the 1797 frigate for accuracy.  The 1797 is a square stern.  The 1854 is a rounded stern. 

 

You're having a great time and doing a good job on her.   So keep up the nice work and the fun.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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What's a hog?? :)

 

I think what I'm going to do is take out the two ladders and replace it with one ladder each in between the cannons.

 

As my wife notes "well for Acuracy with the cannon directly behind that ladder they wouldn't be able to fire because there is no space for recoil right?" She's so smart.

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So I redid those stairs and I like them much better now that you can see the lower deck cannons.

 

Working on finishing up the chainplates. Decided to just go ahead and do all the brass brass and focus on the practice on construction this time around. I"m not going to be painting this ship so I'm just going for modeling and natural woods. On my next ship I  I plan on utlizing paints and will blacken my brass to start trying to get more authentic colors.

 

Question: Gunports on the main deck (top deck) don't get any sort of gunport lid or cover? Do they just stay how they are?

 

What a great hobby.

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I got a couple if rough spots on the second layer of planking. That strip was so thin and brittle. But overall I'm pretty happy. As I keep learning I'll get more precise. Some of my cuts are not perfect or 100% square but it's all good.

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The model builder is always their own worst critic hahahahahahahaha, from a little distance away, any imperfections won't be noticed. I always look at model building like this, if the keel is straight, the mast are straight and in alignment the rest will work itself out. Although we strive for perfection, most ships were rough and not as smooth and beautiful as you may think. I always prefer a little weathered look.     

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Quite true mtdoramike...I'm always the worst critic!! I find that finishing work helps a lot too. Once I get a coat of poly on it I'm thinking the whole thing will really come together. Masts and sails go a long way too. Planning on painting my next one for the next level, but I just love the look of natural wood so much.

 

Thanks for the compliment Rich. They're kind of hard actually. Just to get all the steps completely even. I made my steps a little wider than the instructions but I like a wide stair.

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Nicely modified on the ladders.  I always thought AL put in too many.  For my money, you could have removed all the side ladders and just left the ones from the fore deck and quarterdeck.

 

The gunports on the fore and quarter deck?  Correct, no lids as there would have no need to have them.

 

Ok... a hog.. it's when the ship sags at the bow and stern.  This kit has a slight curve in the bottom where it's high in the middle and low at the ends as was the original when AL designed the kit.  Overall, AL didn't do a bad job on her, just got the scale a bit off and some odds and ends (like cannon barrels)  but they did get the look that the Constellation had until it was rebuilt to it's original design.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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Overall I like the look and feel. I can't wait to get masts on her. I feel like it looks pretty close. Part of me wishes I'd painted. I just really like the look of natural wood. My goal is to paint my next one up. I'm thinking that MS Armed Virginia Sloop? Try something a little cheaper, but a new company and MS seems to create some new challenges and opportunities. What do you folks think of it? One Q: doesn't look like it comes with canvas though.

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MS kits are known for their quality instructions and their parts replacement policy.  I've not built one but do a search in the Kit Logs section.  I count 8 builds going on.  

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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  • 3 weeks later...

Jason,

 

Nice job so far, and you are flying through this kit. I am in building this same kit and many of the issues you have had so far are all too familiar. Getting that wood to cooperate is always a battle. I was soaking and heating all the time.

 

Might I suggest not using the line supplied in the kit once you are ready to begin rigging the masts and sails. There wasn't enough in the kit. I ran out of .250mm brown thread and it stalled my project for weeks because I could not find more. Nothing else out there was going to match the color. It was only after I found this site and asked the members if someone had it, mtaylor came through for me and sent some more my way. If I had to do it over, I'd source some thread that I could buy all the time any time and use it instead. Save yourself a headache. I painted my upper hull with the black and white like the kit, so I think a black thread would look good. Your call.

 

John

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Jason,

 

You might try Tower Hobbies for line.  They used to have it in stock but the way things have been lately with many of manufacturers, maybe not.   Otherwise, try using the Amati line of ropes. 

 

The last alternative is for some positively stunning rope and that Syren Model Ship Company http://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com/.  which is probably the best rope you'll ever find.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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I made all my masts and fighting tops this weekend. That was fun. The bowsprit especially was much more involved in this kit and I enjoyed it. I'm almost to rigging and this kits rigging diagram isn't as good as the San Francisco was so I'll just take it one line at a time. Anyone have any reference shots they used?

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Jason,

 

I used Google and set things up that way.  But then, I did the 1854 version with the gaffs on the fore and main mast.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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Man.

 

What a difference a couple of masts and a little bit of line will do to a model. It looks like a ship now!

 

I started with the bowsprit. The deadeyes underneath in photo one were a lot of fun as were the other stays that are built into this component. This is very different from the San Francisco and I really liked the added detail.

 

I then added the lower portion of the three masts and did the stays. I like the triangular dead eyes. My wife was super helpful as a walking talking serving machine and I like the effect. I have the sense that it will work better to just put on these lower masts and do the shrouds before I attach the topmasts. Any opinion either way?

 

My only question is now i have all that line run on the bowsprit where exactly do I afix the sail? Either way I do it there will be a line going over or under or inbetween the yard / sail. I think I got it but it seems a little crowded under there if that makes any sense.

 

Fun anecdote: So I worked for like 3 hours rigging the deadeyes and tying them on underneath the bowsprit. Then I tied it off to the eyebolt on the bow as instructed annnnnnd promptly went to clip the end with a nail clipper and snipped the whole damn thing. I'm sure others have had that sort of experience. Nothing like undoing an entire evening of work in one snip. LOL.

 

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Nicely done on the bowsprit.  And yep, we're charter members of the Rigging Oops Club.

Mark
"The shipwright is slow, but the wood is patient." - me

Current Build:                                                                                             
Past Builds:
 La Belle Poule 1765 - French Frigate from ANCRE plans - ON HOLD           Triton Cross-Section   

 NRG Hallf Hull Planking Kit                                                                            HMS Sphinx 1775 - Vanguard Models - 1:64               

 

Non-Ship Model:                                                                                         On hold, maybe forever:           

CH-53 Sikorsky - 1:48 - Revell - Completed                                                   Licorne - 1755 from Hahn Plans (Scratch) Version 2.0 (Abandoned)         

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

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Hello Jason:

I just found your build - it looks a lot like we are in the same boat - sort of speak....

I am finishing up a AL Constellation and have enjoyed the build quite a bit. Just a little more rigging to go.   It was my first wood ship so I have learned a lot.

I plan on putting some pics up in the Gallery when finished, I didn't find this forum in time to start a log.

Anyway, I think your doing a great job with the ship.  The directions left a little to the imagination a few times. Like you I didn't paint anything except the white stripe. Are you planning on putting the sail on??

The ship looks awesome -- keep up the good work...  I'll continue to watch  :)

RR

Till next time.....     😎

Steve

 

Finished:              Artesania Latina Constellation;   Model Shipways USF Confederacy:  Medway Longboat 1742 - Syren Ship Model Company

Current Build:     Syren's Winchelsea 

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Gotta put the sail on!

I got a trick with some spray on heavy starch and an iron to sort if stiffen up and pre-form the sails. I did it on my San Fran and it made them look more wind filled.

 

Can you upload a pic of where exactly you affixed the spritsail yard to the bowsprit? I'm trying to figure out how to fit it in there cause with all those stays there are a ton of lines running under there.

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I just noticed that you are from GR. My son lives in Clarksville.

I would upload a pic for you but I am currently in Canada working an IMSA race. I won't be home till about the 16th. I did find this one on my phone, maybe that will help a little.

I did not put all of the lines that go under the bowsprit. Like you said - there a lot going on down there.

Good luck....

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Edited by RoadRunner

Till next time.....     😎

Steve

 

Finished:              Artesania Latina Constellation;   Model Shipways USF Confederacy:  Medway Longboat 1742 - Syren Ship Model Company

Current Build:     Syren's Winchelsea 

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