USF CONSTELLATION by toms10 - FINISHED - Artesania Latina - scale 1:85 - first wooden build

[jlheureux]

Put those guns in before you go on to the next deck and stairs! It gets really tight in there.

[toms10]

Hi Jason,

Yes, that has been the main focus for this whole build so far.  How much can I do before the decks get mounted.  I want to do as much to the hull as I can to lessen the chance of knocking loose one of the main deck cannons.  Pretty much tossed the instructions (at least the order of steps) at this point.  I should be able to follow them after the decks are mounted.

 

I planked both the inside and outside of the bulwarks and framed the gun ports on the upper decks  because I thought it would give it a more finished look. The instructions make no mention of this.   One of the bulwarks also had a strange taper to one end so I had to put a spacer on it to level it out as you can see below.  Also my main deck cannons did not really stick out far enough where you can see them after the gun port lids would be installed.  To fix this I altered the gun carriages for the main deck (filed out a small notch in the front to clear the walnut trim and pushed the barrel forward slightly).  I also ground out the walnut trim to nestle the cannon a bit closer to the hull.  You can kind of see this in the first picture.   I know this is not practical in real life and the cannon would only be pushed out far enough to clear the hull when firing, but with the lids on you could barely see the cannons.  My boat, my rules...  

 

You can see the little tapered spacer I needed to add.  It will not be visible once the top rail is in place.

I think my next step is to paint the gun port frames then the white strip around them.

 

Some of the armaments.  The cannons on the right are the altered ones.  The alterations were enough to make the assembly front heavy but that is nothing a little CA can't fix.

[toms10]

Just an update, I finished the hull with a coat of satin urethane and painted around the gun ports.  I am starting to put the cannons on the main deck so I can then put the fore and aft decks on and trim them up.  Since you really can't see the cannons in the corners of the main deck because of the overhanging upper decks, I only rigged one side of them.  You would have to really down underneath the decks to see the rigging on these four cannons.  I thought that this is the perfect opportunity to practice rigging since this is my first attempt at it.   If it didn't come out that well it would be hidden anyway. 

 

Here is a profile of the hull as it stands today.

 

... with the first cannon in place.

 

One of the "half-rigged" cannons.  I am not sure if the blocks might be a bit large.  They are 2mm, the smallest I could find.  I also am not sure if instead of rigging both sides of the gun as shown, I should instead put just one setup from the back of the carriage.  I have also seen pics with a block and tackle set up on both sides and the back.  I need to research the actual setup on this ship.  Sometimes it also helps just to stare at it for bit...

 

[toms10]

Worked on some of the detail work on the hull this weekend.  Added the scroll work, anchor chain holes and upper and lower rubs.   I went with gold color scrolls instead of black just to add some color.  Not sure if I like it yet.  Actually it is kind of late now, trying to paint that detail after they are mounted would be next to impossible... at least for me.  I guess I can learn to like it.    

 

I am trying to decide if I can salvage the castings for the quarter decks on the sides of the stern.  They are pretty lousy quality.  Hopefully with some filing and painting I can use them.  Otherwise, I need to figure out how I am going to build them from scratch.  Not something I was planning on.  Seeing some of the quality in this kit makes me nervous about putting down a lot of cash for the next one someday if I end up remaking some of the components anyway.  I don't think I am ready for a scratch build so I am stuck in that somewhere in between land.  I will post a pic of the quarter decks after I work on them.

[mtaylor]

Tom,

 

Go have a look at my Constellation build.  No text as the original was lost in the "Great Crash" but there's some pics of how I did the galleries.  It might help.  I used balsa as my form.  Once shaped a bit of glue/water made it hard enough to work with...

[Jparsley]

nice   I'm working on the same  build.   Have fun

[toms10]

Made some visual progress the past few days.  Managed to salvage the cast quarter galleries enough to use them.  They are not museum quality but then again, neither is the rest of the model.    As the model grows with rigging tons of other details, they will hopefully just blend into everything and not be the proverbial "sore thumb" that sticks out.  I am pleased with the overall results so far.  The first one is always  the hardest.   So many techniques to learn.  Hopefully, after a few more I will be able to look back at this one and see a marked improvement.  Here are some pics of the stern details.

[toms10]

jParsely,

Nice to hear from another Constellation builder.  It has been an enlightening ride so far.  I don't know how far you are into the build.  If you are just starting out do not follow the AL instructions in the order they are presented or you will be in for some frustrating times.  If it wasn't for this forum I am not sure I would be still working on it.  Thank you all for the info and the likes.

[Jparsley]

I hope that my first build looks very close to yours great job

[HIPEXEC]

I just read your whole log. What a beautiful build. Your workmanship is perfection. How were the AL instructions?

[toms10]

Hipexec,

Thanks for compliments.  Its all in how you take the pics.  I take them far enough away as not to see the "learning opportunities".

 

The AL instructions were less than wonderful.  As I and other members mentioned, the order of there instructions doesn't make sense and they are quite vague.  I am doing most of the work by looking at the black & white pictures of each step and what is upcoming.  My engineering background helps a lot.  It seems as if the instructions assume you have made models before and the instructions are more just suggestions than an actual guide.  To be fair, this is not a beginner's model so the assumption on AL's part of prior experience is not wrong.

Tom

[toms10]

Reached what I consider a milestone on this project this weekend. Added some fire power this weekend!  Also got my first taste of rigging.    Now that the main deck cannons are rigged and secured, I can go back and finally put the upper decks on and work on the waterways and other trim work details.  It kind of feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest all be it a small weight a weight none the less.  I noticed one of the pin cannons was not machined at the end where you would see it... naturally.   It is a bit frustrating but luckily I work in a manufacturing facility where I can have it finished up.

[thomaslambo]

Hi Tom,

 

Nice to see another fellow AL builder…..you got a great build going so far, keep up the good work.

 

I’m in the middle of an AL HMS Bounty build myself and I hear you about the instruction sequence being a bit off in places….seems to be a pattern with these models.

 

However, with patience and attention to detail they can be amazing models when completed.

 

By the way, I kept a 150 gallon Mini Reef for over a decade…another great hobby that demands attention to detail     

 

Regards,

 

Boyd   

 

[toms10]

Thanks for the good words Boyd.  Your definitely right about both hobbies requiring attention to detail.  But when you do it right the reward is that much greater.     My reef has been going for about 23 years.  Time flies when your having fun.

[toms10]

I just realized looking at the close up of the cannon rigging pic that it might have made more sense to coil the rope in the other direction so the section of rope coming out of the last pulley is more in line with the pulley.  I guess I will chalk that one up to a first build "opportunity for improvement" on the next build.  Nobody will probably notice except for us design engineers and seasoned model builders.    Well that is what I will keep telling myself.   The coils are glued in place and I would probably do more damage trying to fix them than what it is worth.

 

Should I follow the same pattern for the cannons on the top decks or should I reverse them so they make more sense?  Will it look worse if they are in two different directions on the same model?  What does the jury tout there think?  Am I over thinking again?

[mtaylor]

Tom.

Don't overthink it.  The top deck is what will draw the eye and gundeck will be mostly masked by everything else.  Looking good.

[Jparsley]

I think it looks great Unless your into super details that won't be seen I think leaving the one side bear is fine

[thomaslambo]

Hi Tom,

 

Truth is, it's your call as you're the one that has to live with the model.

 

I'm over the top detailed oriented ("anal" some would say), so when I see something that bothers me I generally fix it if it hasn't been "laid in concrete" so to speak.

 

Now, temper this with the fact that the builder sees and feels every little irregularity of their build....most people that view the model would never pick up on half the stuff I fix 

 

Have fun 

 

Boyd

Edited April 8, 2015 by thomaslambo

[toms10]

Boyd, your right.  The builder sees everything... or at least knows where to look, and everyone else sees nothing.

 

Things went a bit slow this past week but I made some progress around the anchor davit area and finished up all the trim on the bullwarks.

 

Still have some work to do here but this is where I am now.  Bending the walnut was a bit "tedious".

 

And this is what a sea gull would see. 

 

Once I finish up the bow detail, I will install the long boat davits into the stern.  I believe I will most likely next build the stand and mount it to the keel... I think.

Edited April 14, 2015 by toms10

[Jparsley]

Very nice looking Tom Are you sure this is your first build I'm so impressed Glad to see some new pictures

[toms10]

Jparsley, thanks for the compliment and yes it is my first build.  I have some hobby experience with making furniture so the wood part isn't real scary.  The rigging and such will be the real "fun" for me.  I have still learned up to this point so the second build, if I ever get there, will have a whole new set of "learning opportunities".  This build has reinforced the importance of patience.  You can get into trouble quick if you try to rush, especially if you have never built a wooden ship before because you don't know what is yet to come.    

[toms10]

Thank you everyone for all the "likes".

 

I finished the bow head rails.  They are not an exact match to the original ship I am sure but the instructions and pics were very poor for these.  This part was by far the hardest step so far.  I do have the book "Modelling the USF Constellation" by McArdle and he shows the head rails.  I just tweaked them a bit to my skill level as historical accuracy is not a big priority with this model.  It just has to look good.

Edited April 15, 2015 by toms10

[Jparsley]

Nice job very symmetrical

[Jparsley]

Hey tom just curious what finish and stains did you use on your hull

[Jparsley]

Hey tom how's the build coming haven't seen anything in a while hope your well

[toms10]

Hi everyone,

Spring is finally trying to put the ridiculous winter we had behind us.  That means yard work which is cutting into shipyard time.    Definitely not a fair trade but it beats shoveling snow in -6°F weather.

 

Jparsley,

I just used Minwax stains, Golden Oak and Special Walnut and then covered with a satin polyurethane also by Minwax.

 

I started making many of the deck furnishings.  Nothing is glued down yet except the ladders.  I have pilot holes (1/16" diameter) in the decks where the masts will be located.  I need to open those to size before I start gluing things to the deck.  I did have a question about whether the masts should be positioned vertical to the decks or as the instructions show tilted back toward the stern about 5°.  I am thinking the reason they are tilted is to allow them to become vertical when the sails are full.  I plan on displaying with about 3/4 of the sails full anyway so I will most likely put the masts at 90°.  Still thinking about it.

 

Any thoughts out there?

Tom

[Jparsley]

Hey tom good to see you've made some progress Like always she's looking good think on my girl I'll just stick with poly my wife likes the color I understand about snow in the negatives it's just now looking like spring especially when it snowed last week Can't wait to see how your girl turns out Are you using the premade stern cabin windows

[mtaylor]

Tom,

 

Tilt them.  The tilt was a function of setting the trim (along with ballast, etc.) for best sailing qualities.  Not too many square-riggers are set with the masts a zero-degrees.  Oh... and reference that measurement from the keel or some other horizontal surface as the deck has a bit of sheer to it and will through your measurements off.

Edited April 27, 2015 by mtaylor

[trippwj]

Agree with Mark here - even when setting all sails the masts would still have a rake due to the way the stays and shrouds were set up.  The good news is that there is room for builders judgement as it was not at all unusual for the sailing master and Captain to "tweak" the masts and trim to suit individual preference.

 

She is looking beautiful!

[toms10]

Thanks all for the compliments and likes.

 

Mark and Wayne, I will put them at the angle shown in the instructions.  I am getting into the part of the build where knowing the ins and outs of rigging these sailing ships really helps.  That is where I am lacking so I foresee me starting to ask many questions.