HMS Royal William by KeithW - Euromodel - 1/72

[Keith_W]

Thank you Allan, and thanks everyone for the likes and comments. 

 

A milestone has been reached ... I have completed the transom. 

 

In case you are wondering why my colour scheme deviates from other RW's in MSW, I was guided by John Clevely's painting of HMS Royal George from 1756: 

 

 

I did consider painting the entire fascia blue as per that painting, and went as far as creating a mock-up. But I decided that the supplied castings would not provide enough coverage, and there would be large areas of flat colour. Other RW's on MSW have the transoms painted black, or left natural wood - I studied those images closely. Black made the most sense, because it matched the strip going down the side. Going all gold might be a bit excessive, but all gold camouflages flat areas pretty well. In the end: 

 

 

... this is a photo of the stern of Victor Yankovich's Royal William, which looks to be better than museum quality. I know it is foolish to post this picture so that you can directly compare his sheer modelling perfection to my hack job, but this colour scheme looked right to me. He went all gold. So that's what I chose. 

 

Before I purchased the ship, I had already inspected a friend's RW kit and decided that I would scratch-build the transom. Everything that you see except for the cast metal decorations and pre-cut transom fascia has been scratch built ... which is why it looks so wonky. I was not convinced that you could get a good result using the kit supplied parts until I saw marktieden's build, surely the most perfect "out of the box" RW there is. 

I am not happy with how I applied the stanchions, they are uneven and look like they need a visit to a good dentist. I will tear out some of them and replace them so that they are more straight. 

 

It was a typical Melbourne day (raining one moment, sunny the next). So once the rain stopped, I took the ship outside for some photos. 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by Keith_W

[mugje]

That is an impressive result! Even in 1/72 it looks like a monster! Really nice!

[zappto]

Wow, your dedication shows so good, excellent work, wish to build it one day! Good luck!

[piratepete007]

Keith,

There are two types of kit modelers - those that give up and those that don't. You certainly fall into the latter group and indeed the Euromodel philosophy in their kit designs is to leave the door wide open to doing your own thing. Almost without exception, I observe Euromodel builders researching and researching how these ships were built. Your construction of the transom components was amazing and just so individualistic. Have fun with adjusting some of those stanchions.

 

By the way - and down the track - the plastic ship's boat is a great project in itself - exterior and interior profiles are easily carved and with various boards, thwarts and stringers added and doing some dry brushing, you can finish up with a real beauty !

 

[Jack-in-the-Blue]

19 hours ago, Keith_W said:

I am not happy with how I applied the stanchions, they are uneven and look like they need a visit to a good dentist. I will tear out some of them and replace them so that they are more straight

As a new guy here, I don’t presume to tell you what to do with your project, but personally, I like a little imperfection in a model (which is very convenient given my limited skills 😁 ). For me the crooked stanchions add the ‘human touch’. They give the model ’soul’. I admire the skills that produce ‘perfection’ but don’t love such models.  Many beautiful people have crooked teeth. 

[Keith_W]

Thank you for your likes and comments everyone! @piratepete007 I think many of us belong to both categories (modellers who have finished and abandoned projects). I have only completed 4 models, but I have abandoned two of them. I made too many mistakes with my first two models so I never completed them. With the first one, I completed the hull and gave it away. The second model was thrown out. This is my 5th model and my most ambitious one. I have made many mistakes with this build, some which can be rectified, some which I left. In hindsight, I should have tackled an easier build where most things have been done for you before attempting a kit like this. I would highlight some areas of great difficulty that Euromodel could improve - the main one providing a template for cutting gunports and several parts (e.g. transom supports 56 and 57) , because mistakes here can have catastrophic knock-on effects that can not be fixed! 

 

Anyway, I am on to the "easy" part of the build, where I am adding details and not structural elements. Anything I do from here can be rectified if I make a mistake. In a sense, this is much more relaxing than having to measure and triple measure parts which have not been created yet or attempt to visualize how something that can not be supported is going to fit. I have made everything fit through my own solution - by scratchbuilding parts so I can guarantee that they fit. 

 

I have completed all the gun carriages now. What started off as fun when I did the first one quickly became tedious after having to do so many. Fortunately, I made a gun carriage rigging jig that made my life easier: 

 

It is just a simple jig I threw together from spare kit plywood with holes drilled in it. You can see the features of the jig: there is a square hole that allows me to work on that block from the bottom. I made all the ring bolts oversized so I just push the bolt through the hole, bend the wire at the back, and it holds it secure while I pull on the ropes. There are also brass rods which allow me to make rope coils. 

 

You can see that I am using my own scratch built gun carriages instead of the supplied kit carriages which are too square and do not have the tapering angles found on real gun carriages. 

Once rigging is finished, simply pull all the ringbolts out of the holes and it is ready for mounting on the ship. 

 

Here is one of them, mounted on the ship. I had 30 of these to make, I estimate it took me 2 hours per gun carriage. 3-4 hours to mill all the parts, another 4-5 hours to make all the ringbolts and tackle, 30 min per carriage to assemble, 45 min per carriage to rig, and 10 min per carriage to mount. Then there are the guns which took me a few hours to clean and blacken. I will wait until more of the hull is completed before I mount the guns. 

 

It took a lot longer than 10 minutes for tricky carriages like this one which are under the gangway. I rehearsed talking like a sailor when attempting to push pins into holes that I could barely see. I don't know what I was thinking when I installed the gangway before making the carriages - so other RW builders, don't do this! 

 

For historic accuracy I should have painted the carriages red. But I do like the look of pear, so I left them in natural wood. 

[allanyed]

Pre-rigging the carriages is a really clever idea.   I do think the blocks are backwards though and the training tackle blocks as well as the running out tackle blocks would be a single and a double for 32 pounders and two singles for smaller guns. (The History of English Sea Ordnance 1523-1875, Volume II, page 386.)

Allan

Edited September 12, 2023 by allanyed

[Keith_W]

You are correct, the image I consulted was this one I found from a Google search: 

 

 

However, I did not have enough double blocks to do all of them. I had plenty of singles, so I came up with a solution that works provided you don't look too closely 😀

[Keith_W]

I was not happy with the appearance of the belfry as supplied with the RW kit. It appears to be taken from the model of the RW at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, UK. This is a photo of the belfry that I took when I visited Greenwich a few years ago: 

However, the model at the USNA museum is much more ornate: 

So, I pondered how I am going to replicate that, given that carving it is beyond my skill level. I came up with this solution ... I don't know if I have invented a new modelling technique.

What you need is some tinfoil, CA glue, and a mold to form the shape around. My idea was to laminate multiple sheets of foil with CA glue around the mold. The mold was made by taking a dowel, splitting it in half, and then carving out the underside of one of the dowels so that the other half could fit. A Dremel with a drum sander makes easy work of it. 

Rub the mold liberally with vaseline (in case the foil tears and CA sticks the foil to the mold!). Then lay the first layer of foil on top and gently work around the curves with a Q-tip cotton bud. Once nicely pressed, apply a liberal layer of CA glue. It needs to be slow curing! 

 

I did 7 layers of tinfoil, then left it alone for a couple of hours to make sure the CA glue really sets. Cut it out and Dremel it into shape. At this point, it is what you expect 7 layers of laminated alfoil to be - it is really light, but stiff enough to handle. But it is not super tough and it WILL deform if you do not handle it delicately. But ... it's a belfry. It is not a structural component (where strength is important), and I do not anticipate anybody is going to touch it. So it will do. 

After I sprayed it with metal primer, I painted it. This is the result, compared to the Euromodel supplied belfry. 

 

I purchased the bell from a model shop. It is turned brass and much nicer than the cast white metal bell supplied with the kit. 

 

I am not happy with the wonky legs of the belfry or the rather scruffy appearance after glue-up. I will revise it. 

[Keith_W]

Many years ago, my friend passed away. He was only 41 years old. I was actually working on this ship when I received a phone call to tell me the terrible news. I painted a tribute to Daniel on one of the bulkheads: 

 

Over the years, the partially completed ship has been on display in my living room and I see that memorial every time I looked at the ship. I could not bear to cover it up forever, so I installed some magnets - those silver things on each corner of the hole. This way I can remove the grate and look at the memorial. 

 

Once the grate is installed, you would never suspect that it could be removed to reveal a hidden message inside. 

[Keith_W]

Work continues in the shipyard. 

 

The quarterdeck railings were devilishly difficult to make. The railings alone contain 40 parts (not counting the stanchions, of which there are 34). Of those 40 parts, 12 hard to be carved because it is simply not possible to bend wood like that. You will notice that I included the Newell posts (the turned stanchions at the ends of the railings at the top of the staircase). These were turned from a toothpick on a Dremel. I used needle files to shape them. 

 

The mast collar was made on my lathe. I don't know if Euromodel provided mast collars, I searched around in my parts and couldn't find any. So I made them. 

 

You will also notice that the gratings have a subtle curve. The cannonball channel was made on my Proxxon mill and IT TOOK FOREVER. The first problem was figuring out how to hold the workpiece down. I made a custom jig out of some spare plywood by using the mill to draw a straight line, then I glued two pieces of wood using the straight line as a guide. Then I used the mill again to square up the faces to make sure they were 100% parallel. A couple of self tapping screws held the workpiece down while I milled out the holes for the cannonballs. In the end I managed to get an excellent result. 

 

 

 

[Keith_W]

Well guys, it looks as if over the past few years MSW has changed. Plastic kit cars seem to get more interest than ship models. It takes time to write these posts, and it seems as if I am only talking to myself. I am signing out now. I will not post any more updates on MSW. I'll let you know when it's done, and that will be that. 

[piratepete007]

Keith,

I agree - to post any detailed comment on this forum does take a great effort. What you have written so far has been very interesting and illustrates what happens when building a Euromodel ship - every step is questioned, research is encouraged and individualism becomes a natural part of each build. You have done all of that. It would be a pity not to be able to follow your work as it happens.

Pete

[Keith Black]

2 hours ago, Keith_W said:

Well guys, it looks as if over the past few years MSW has changed. Plastic kit cars seem to get more interest than ship models. It takes time to write these posts, and it seems as if I am only talking to myself. I am signing out now. I will not post any more updates on MSW. I'll let you know when it's done, and that will be that.

 Keith, MSW has over 40,000 members with many varied interest. I scour MSW at least twice a day and often times more. The biggest change I see is the increase in 3D printing. There's room at the table for all. If you feel you're putting too much effort into posting, why not just take and post photos with bare bones comments? It's summer heading into autumn here and folks are busy getting ready for winter. I dare say in two months time you see an increase in interest. 

[Jack-in-the-Blue]

3 hours ago, Keith_W said:

It takes time to write these posts, and it seems as if I am only talking to myself.

 

I understand your feelings. I went away from MSW last year thinking exactly the same thoughts but returned recently to have a second attempt. It's not the chattiest of the modelling forums so far but as Keith suggests above, things might pick up in the northern winter.

 

I personally believe that the very serious and scholarly mission statement of the NRG and the emphasis on making build logs a 'resource' for other builders in the future rather than a party right now for current members, discourages written encouragement, personal stuff (such as your memorial), and above all, humour in the logs. It feels safer to just like a post. (Even as I write this, I'm wondering if I will be in trouble for digressing into site politics.) 

 

However, it's still a brilliant site for seeing really good models built so I hope you find it possible to continue.  The site will get even quieter if we all jump ship. There might be 40,000 members signed up but the great majority of the posting seems to come from just a few hundred people.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Jack-in-the-Blue

[Theodosius]

What a great model!

 

Running a log is a lot of work! And one can have different reasons to keep it alife. In my case, I run a log to get help, and I get a lot of help here. I would not be that far in my build without this forum. And then I hope, somebody who read my log may take advantage of my errors. Last reason: my log is also a great place for getting motivation for myself to go on with my build, even if I have some personal downings the last year.

 

Would I like to have more advice? Sure, but not getting a ton of responce does'nt mean that nowbody look at my work. And look at your own log: a ton of visitors to your log! In my oppinion u can't say that there is not enough interest in your build and your log! 

 

I can only imagine that you don't get more comments because of this: now I just speak for me: The builds, where the quality of the shown work is so far ahead of my abbilitys, just like your's(!), I can't say anything constructive, and how boring it would for be you, to only just read "*fill with poisitive superlative of choice*". But that does'nt mean I don't love to read and see your work here!

 

So be very sure, that your work here is very much appreciated, even if there are not as much responds as you would like to read :-).

 

I hope, that you and your great build log will not dissapear from here! 🙂

[Javelin]

I just discovered your log and with me, probably more readers. Due to visiting from my phone, I'm prone to go to the topics I follow as well as the ones mentioned in kit and scratch as the most recently updated. (that's how I ended up in this topic as well). Unfortunately it also means I'm missing a lot of topics as they disappear from most recently updated as soon as someone posts in another topic, if you have "bad luck", someone posts 1 minute after you and your topic update is missed by many. 

 

That said, it's a great build so far, I love the memorial detail as it's something that might be discovered a 100 years from now and someone will be puzzled (or know the story behind it). 

I can't imagine getting up to your level at some point. 

No matter what you decide, I do hope to see her finished at some point. 

 

[petervisser]

Hi Keith. Sorry to hear that you're disappointed about the lack of responses to your very excellent build log. You have put in an incredible amount of work into your model and it really shows off your skills. On top of that you have put in a goodly amount of work into your build log.  This is not only an inspiration to other ship modellers but also a valuable information source on the techniques and methods you have used in assembling this beast of a model. I for one will miss watching and learning from your log as I have this model waiting to be built. As a fellow build log contributor, I am also guilty of watching for the responses after I post my latest entry. Like you I don't often see many comments. But I always appreciate the "likes" I get from the members who are thoughtful enough to provide them. I have come to realize that although there might be a lack of tangible evidence, our work is appreciated. I believe that the site is a positive space in which to show off our efforts and we have to be satisfied knowing that somewhere, somehow we are enriching MSW and its members. I for one would really like to more of your Royal William.

Cheers,

Peter

[OllieS]

On 9/21/2023 at 11:45 AM, Keith_W said:

Well guys, it looks as if over the past few years MSW has changed. Plastic kit cars seem to get more interest than ship models. It takes time to write these posts, and it seems as if I am only talking to myself. I am signing out now. I will not post any more updates on MSW. I'll let you know when it's done, and that will be that. 

This should not damage your enjoyment of model boats!

The hobby is for you I think. I am very selfish in this regard. Maybe less so in future retirement  

The snapshot was someone's brilliant idea; you stay connected but the model (ling) is King. ...and I must use it myself.

[Keith_W]

Well, my wife told me that even if nobody reads this build log, at least I will have a record of what I have been doing. There has been a LOT of work done to the ship now, to the extent that the hull is almost finished and I am starting on the masts. But I will share some progress pics. 

 

First is the poop deck rail. According to the plans this was elaborately decorated. Euromodel does not include this part in their kit, so I fabricated my own by carving it. I again used the same method of creating my own plywood out of laminated pear strips for strength and so that it won't fracture when I am carving the tiny fragile bits. Here is my laminated strip cut down to size with the lines marked with the aid of a pencil and a compass: 

And here is the completed deck rail compared to the plans: 

I used a tiny bit of creative license and made them close to what the plans suggested but not quite. Regardless, it looks beautiful on the ship. 

 

I also tackled the dreaded curved staircase. This is my method: first, calculate the angle required for the steps then draw it out on a piece of paper. I wanted 6 steps, so 90/5 = 18 degrees. These were accurately drawn out with a protractor: 

The first step is laid, and with the line for the next step is carefully marked out. Glue the next step up to the line, taking care to align the inside of the step with the inside curve. 

As the steps go up, it becomes more and more difficult to support the steps without them toppling over. I simply used more step offcuts to support the steps with the bottom step glued to the template to stop it from moving. Don't worry, once it's done just rip it off the paper and sand off the glue. It won't matter if it's ugly because it is on the bottom and won't be seen. Here are both steps complete: 

Now both steps can have stringers attached. I decided to add some holly planks to match the other steps. I turned 12 toothpicks for stanchions. 

And here is everything attached on the ship: 

 

 

[Keith_W]

I also received something rather nice in the mail - a pair of ships boats from Vanguard Models. Chris Watton has a reputation as one of the best model ship designers in the world, and no wonder. These little marvels ticked all the boxes - reasonably priced, nice wood (pear), superb instructions, precisely cut parts, extra wood and spare parts in case you make mistakes and drop parts on the floor (where you will never find them again, these are TINY!), and fun to build. I honestly can not think of a way these little boat kits can be improved. 

Here is the one of the boats coming together: 

And both boats completed: 

You will notice that I deviated from Chris Watton's instructions and implemented my own colour scheme to match my ship. The bigger boat (34 foot launch) has supports for the 28 foot pinnace. 

 

Here are the boats mounted on the ship: 

 

The sharp eyed among you will notice the elaborate safety rail on the gangway. These were painstakingly soldered from brass wire and is more elaborate than depicted on any reference I can find. Those half circles really help with rigidity. 

 

I did not take any shots of the gangway rail under construction, but you can see some of it here. I am installing the outer rails. @piratepete007's Interpretive Info says that "most people" ignore the taper of the stanchions. Well, mine are perfectly tapered from 3mm in the base to 2mm at the top. What you need is a tilting table for your Byrnes Table Saw. I have one, but it is a complete pain to use because it is impossible to set up precisely. I had to estimate the angle, make a test cut, measure the angle, and repeat until I had the result that I wanted. Once enough stock for all the stanchions has been milled, individual stanchions can be cut out. 

 

Each alternate stanchion was pinned to the ship. Given that I have no training in engineering, I have a somewhat Victorian attitude to building. I over-engineer everything and make it as solid as possible. Very few things on this ship so far is in danger of breaking off, as proven when I had an accident where my ship rolled off my lap and crashed upside down on the floor while I was working on it. I inspected it for damage ... and ... nothing. NOTHING WAS BROKEN! A few loose parts had snapped off where I had designed them to fail (weak glue joints so that the glue joint fails rather than the part breaks). e.g. that poop deck breast rail in the post above is held on the ship with 3 tiny dabs of PVA glue. It simply separated at the glue joint rather than the part breaking. 

[Keith_W]

Now I tackled an area which has been of great concern to me since I started this project - the lanterns. Euromodel supplies the lanterns as a solid cast metal part with metal plates for the windows. If you look over all the other RW build logs on MSW, every other modeller has elected to paint the windows. I thought this would look out of place in my model, since I had fabricated all the windows so that they are clear and can be backlit. I wanted the lanterns to light up, so I ordered the largest lanterns from Vanguard Models: 

 

They are little jewels compared to the poorly cast Euromodel part. But sadly, they were too small and I can't use them. So I had to come up with my own solution. 

 

Sadly I did not take photos of the complete process, so you will have to rely on my description of what I did. The solution was to cut off the top and bottom of the Euromodel lantern, and fabricate everything else in between. 

 

 

The central support would be an acrylic tube which had to be machined to size. Since I did not have any acrylic tube, I had to make my own. I did this by THOROUGHLY CA'ing sheets of acrylic together and then machining it on my lathe. This is an incredibly messy process and the tube becomes really fragile just as it starts to reach the proper dimension. I needed 3 tubes for 3 lanterns, I had 5 failures - all fractured just as I was about to reach my goal. 

 

Here is a completed tube next to the Euromodel lantern. I copied the dimensions of the cast central support exactly but did not bother copying the squared off facets because I would not be using the lantern face plates supplied by Euromodel. 

 

Next problem was the lantern support. It had to be hollow so that the wiring of the LED's can pass through it. I tried bending the tube, but it crimped at the bend and the wires could not pass. The solution was to cut to copper tube (2mm diam) to 45 deg and solder them together. I did not take photos of the completed joint, but after the solder went on I reinforced it with epoxy to make it extra rigid. 

 

I then passed the copper tube through the base of the lantern, glued the acrylic tube on, and then the top tube. These were held with a mixture of CA and epoxy (CA to hold the part in place while waiting for the epoxy to set). To increase the strength of the joint, little holes were drilled into the top and bottom metal plates to give the epoxy something to grip. Once cured, the whole assembly was pleasingly solid. 

 

I then fabricated the lantern faces out of acetate sheets and detailed with painted styrene. I did consider drilling out the windows on the kit plates, but it was just as fast to make my own parts given the sheer annoyance of trying to drill through white metal. It melts, refuses to be worked on, and breaks drill bits. The other advantage of not using the kit parts is that I can get a far more precise fit by making my own parts. 

 

Once done and painted, I mounted the lanterns on the model and anxiously tested to see if it would work: 

IT DOES! 

 

 

The poop cabin is a busy place with a number of features crammed into the tiny space. All the wires had to be routed away from the lights so that they can not be seen. 

 

1: Hole for flag staff support. 

2. Tiny wire going to the lanterns. You can see that the middle lantern is awfully close to the hole for the flag staff. You can also see how far the side lantern supports protrude into the hull. Not only are they epoxied in place, the ends of the tubes are bent so that they won't slip out of the hull. 

3. Copper tube with brass rods so that I can power the lights. When the ship is complete, the lights will be powered through the stand. You may recall from much earlier posts when I was constructing the skeleton that I had soldered cable into some nuts and mounted it into the keel, so that when the model is screwed into the base, it will receive electricity that way. In the meantime, this is a subtle solution which is hidden behind the staircases and the copper tubes can barely be seen. 

4. LED's for lighting the poop deck. 

5. Brass wire terminating in the transom fascia. These are MUCH thicker than suggested by Euromodel, but once they were installed the lanterns were solid. You can pick the ship up by the lanterns, they are that securely mounted. 

6. Pins for mounting the transom fascia. These are two of the 10 pins I installed. Yes, the transom isn't going to fall off. 

 

Edited September 27, 2023 by Keith_W

[scrubbyj427]

Those lanterns look really good. Well done

[piratepete007]

Keith,

Absolutely blown away by your meticulous work. Just incredible. Best of all, you have returned to writing these posts that will prove invaluable to other ship builders no matter what they are working on. Looking forward to your continued writings !

[GrandpaPhil]

Looking good!

 

These build logs are my primary inspiration for all my bad ideas!

[Keith Black]

Nice job, Keith. Keith 

[Keith_W]

Hi again, and thanks for the likes and comments everyone. I have reached another major milestone - the hull is finished, and it is time to move to the masts and rigging. In preparation for this task I have been reading other RW build logs on MSW and I am amazed by what other builders have done - @marktiedens, @ken3335, and @pirozzi. I enjoy rigging the least because rope has a mind of its own and it never goes where I want it to go. But it's something that has to be done! 

 

Here are some photos with highlights on some ship features. 

 

Some vanity shots taken outside. 

 

Entry way. As per usual, I did not use the kit parts. The railing was made by coiling some fine brass wire around a jig, then flattening it in a vice, then painted. The columns were made by wrapping the same fine wire around a brass rod and painted. The roof was the kit part. Note the taper on the underside of the steps, this was quite troublesome to make. I milled out a "V" groove on my Proxxon MF70 and then sawed it in half. Then each step was shaped with a Dremel. 

 

The shroud stays reach down to the wales. The bottom stay has eyes for nails - these were too large (as noted in other build logs), but instead of replacing them I flattened them with some pliers. They were also pickled in some blackening solution because I did not like the shiny brass - it called too much attention to itself. The angle of the stays was set with a string tied to a dummy mast. 

 

The rigols were made from brass sheet and blackened. I could not find brass strip of the correct size and thickness, so each rigol had to be individually cut out of the sheet. The cutting process leaves them curled, so they had to be flattened in a vice. I found that the cap of a Vallejo paint container has the perfect curvature to form the rigols. 

 

Here is a carved chesstree. My carving skills are quite rudimentary and I was unable to obtain the finish that I wanted. Still, the part and the imperfections are small enough that hopefully they won't be noticed. 

The gunport hinges were from @rshousha at Modeller's Workshop. They are a bit too short, but far preferable over the overly thick kit supplied part. 

 

Roughtree block. It has all the features indicated in the Euromodel plans, but it has been slightly restyled. 

 

I realized I haven't posted a clear shot of the fo'c'sle deck so here it is. Note the fo'c'sle deck railing which deviates from Euromodel's plans. My research suggested that the beam supports should be round. Indeed this was depicted in the RW in the NMM in Greenwich. So I rounded the bottom and made them thick and sturdy. 

 

 

 

[mugje]

Fantastic! It looks so good in the natural light!

[Keith Black]

 Very nice!

[scrubbyj427]

Impressive work.