Wasa by marktiedens - FINISHED - Corel - scale 1:75 (Vasa)

[edmay]

Hello Mark,The continuance of your high quality workmanship is clearly showing through.The flow of ideas from other Wasa builders also enhances enthusiasm to strive for excellence.Bravo. Edwin.

[marktiedens]

Thank you very much Edwin. Yes,we all benefit from other people`s tricks & tips.

 

/Mark

[md1400cs]

Hi Mark,

 

Just catching up with your build, looking excellent. Thanks for the kudos, yes your deadeye strops came out excellent. You also nailed them to the correct locations. The Corel instructions are so "out to lunch" on this bit. I'm also glad that I researched that before nailing them to the hull.

 

Keep up the great work.

 

PS: Great job painting all of the details in your stern and bow figures.

 

Regards,

 

Michael

Edited April 10, 2015 by md1400cs

[marktiedens]

Thanks Michael. The chainplates are fastened close to where they should be but the chain whales should actually be mounted on top of the whales instead of above them, but it would make them too close to the chainplate fastening point so I mounted them above.

 

/Mark

[marktiedens]

Another little update - all the guns & lids mounted. After re-sizing the upper gun ports the lion heads on the lids were a bit too large,but they will have to do.

 

 

 

/Mark

[edmay]

Hello Mark , Your "have to do" looks fine and fit nicely,good work as usual.Edwin

[marktiedens]

Thanks Edwin. I see that I also have a few more figures to paint & install - almost forgot about the little sea monsters that go on at the breaks of the railings.

 

/Mark

[fmodajr]

Mark,

 

Everything is looking great!

I love looking at your build. I think that the natural wood and your rich paint colors really work well together.

 

Congrats,

Frank

[marktiedens]

Thanks Frank. Although some people don`t like the look of walnut I think it looks pretty good on this particular ship. Also my low tech camera doesn`t really show the true colors - the browns always seem to be a little on the red side. Maybe it`s my light source .

 

/Mark

[marktiedens]

Alittle progress - made the odd looking pulleys that mount to the front of the mizzen chain whale.

 

 

Also installed the catheads - I`m not going to try and make the little guy in the cage that sits under the catheads. Also made & installed the upper hand rail - I made them from some .8 by 1.5mm brass bar bought from my local hobby shop. Now I will have to be careful not to break them off . Also got the rest of the figures installed.

 

 

 

 

/Mark

Edited May 1, 2015 by marktiedens

[fmodajr]

Mark,

 

Wow, nicely done! The upper railings look fantastic!

So, please tell me your thought process about installing them now vs later. I have my railings made, but I have not installed them yet. I was nervous that I would accidentally break them during the rigging phase of my build. However, I worry that if I wait too long to install them it will be more difficult. So, at some point I will have to get them put in! I just don't quite know when that will be.

 

Frank

[marktiedens]

Frank,

 

My thought process is not always correct,but I didn`t want to try installing them  after the rigging. My thought is since they are made of metal they would better survive a bump or two even though the posts are wood & only 1.5 by 1.5mm. If they were wood I may have waited until at least some of the rigging was done. I think I would be more likely to snag some of the rigging trying to get my hands around the shrouds & other lines. Thanks for your nice comment also.

 

/Mark

[marktiedens]

Hi everyone,a little update. I thought I would tackle the mast tops next.First I built some new platforms out of some 2 by 6mm strips. Then I cot out the lowest wide rail out of a sheet of basswood. Then the hard part - I made the brackets using an x-acto knife & some files,80 of them to be exact  . The upper rails were then made from the same brass bar that I used for the hand rail. After some fine tuning I got one assembled. The top on the left side of the second picture is the kit version. I`m pretty happy how mine turned out. Now I just need to make five more for the other masts.

 

 

 

 

/Mark

[fmodajr]

Mark,

 

Great job! Very authentic looking.

 

Nicely done,

Frank

[marktiedens]

Thanks Frank!

 

/Mark

[marktiedens]

Update - still working on the masts. All the platforms & cross trees are built. Now all I have to do is put all the masts together. The mast caps provided in the kit were English style square caps so I made my own rounded caps out of basswood & then stained everything to sort of match a little better. The iron straps holding the mast sections to the caps were made from copper strips & painted black. The pulleys on the sides of the masts are just short pieces of dowel - I did not bother to groove them as they will not be seen after the ropes going through them are in place. Foremast assembled - only 2 more masts & the bowsprit to go.

 

 

 

 

 

/Mark

[fmodajr]

Mark,

 

Your platforms are the nicest ones I seen out of the many Vasa logs I have visited!

 

Great job,

 

Frank

[marktiedens]

Thanks Frank - it was rather time consuming making all those little brackets,but well worth the time.

 

/Mark

[md1400cs]

Mark,

 

Yes, excellent platforms. Great job, and certainly worth the effort and time.

 

Michael

[marktiedens]

Thanks Michael - I managed to get all the masts assembled & all the main mast bindings installed.Since Fred at the museum said the main mast ropes were nailed in place I added some small nails to the rope ends,although they are hard to see in the picture.

 

 

 

 

/Mark

[marktiedens]

Update - Masts stepped & mast tackles installed,using leftover hooks from a previous build. I will probably start on the shrouds next.

 

 

 

 

 

/Mark

[fmodajr]

Hi Mark,

 

Nice work on the masts tackles!

So a question for you.

I probably made a mistake, but on the Vasa plans that I have from the museum, it shows 3 mast tackles on each side of the main mast and foremast. I see you have 2 on each side. Are the plans I have not correct? Or do you have updated information?

 

Thanks for your help,

 

Frank

[marktiedens]

Hi Frank - I don`t have the museum plans so I am going by the pictures of Clayton`s scratch build on the Vasa forum. He has only 2 on each side of the fore & main masts. I don`t know if it`s correct but it seems like 3 on each side would be overkill. He was in constant contact with Fred at the museum during his build so I would think his version is close to correct. Also I think the plans from the museum are being re-done - I`m pretty sure they are not selling them any more. I may be totally wrong but I`m sticking with the 2 per mast for now. Also it was mentioned by Fred that the rear-most deadeyes on the chain plates for the fore & main masts are most likely topmast backstays instead of shrouds. So,in other words I am going by the work of someone much more informed than I am. 

 

/Mark

[md1400cs]

Mark,

 

Very nice work on your masts, especially the main. Like the "cut in". Question; What did you use to simulate the metal band wraps on the upper part of the lower main? Looks very good.

 

Michael

[Karleop]

Hola Mark:

 

Only to just make a small contribution: in BB planes there also shows 2 mast tackles on each side of the main mast and foremast and not 3.

 

Saludos, Karl

Edited June 17, 2015 by Karleop

[marktiedens]

Thanks Michael & Karl.

Michael - the banding is simply heavy black paper cut into narrow strips. The paper was left over from a Caldercraft kit,but any stationery store should have it. It`s almost like card stock.

 

/Mark

[fmodajr]

Hi Mark,

 

Thanks for the information on the mast tackles. I will see if I can safely remove one of mine on the mainmast. Thankfully, I haven't put them in on the foremast yet!

 

Frank

[marktiedens]

Hi Frank - even if you left them on they are barely noticeable behind the shrouds & ratlines. By the way I am doing all the rigging in a tan color since Fred said the ropes had very little tar on them if any at all. Most of the models including the 1/10 at the museum are built that way,so I will go with the majority.

 

/Mark

[marktiedens]

A little progress - finished the lower shrouds & ratlines & mounted the bowsprit.

 

 

 

 

 

/Mark

[marktiedens]

Hi all - progress has been a little slow but I managed to get the topmast shrouds & a couple more stays done. I had some family staying with me for a while ,but everything is back to normal now.

 

 

 

 

/Mark