Reale de France finished

Whoops- somehow the third pic got chopped off.

Magnificent work, Don. Great job.

Really impressive !

How did you manage to mask and paint the hull "carvings" ?

Did you make the flags or were they part of the kit?

Very well done Don

Was it a difficult kit to build?

Looks fantastic!

That is a really excellent build Don, top notch. If those are the paper flags supplied with the model you made them look the part ! I have this model still sitting in my stash and I am rather curious just how wide the Reale turns out to be when finished with the oars extended,

Cheers,

Julian

Sprue-ce Goose

Really impressive !

How did you manage to mask and paint the hull "carvings" ?

Did you make the flags or were they part of the kit?

No masking- carvings were painted freehand.  Larger ones were done with the smallest brush I had.  Smaller ones were done with toothpick, which I use as substitute for very small brush.  I shake a bottle of gold paint, put cap down on bench upside down, dip end of double pointed toothpick in, then apply to model in series of dots.

Flags were part of kit, just printed on regular paper. You needed to fold them over and glue them.  I used thinned white glue, so they get and stay wet for awhile, allowing me to bend in some curves.

Thanks for the comments, guys.  Finished model is about fifteen plus inches wide by about thirty five inches long. I had not realized it would be so big.  Don't know where I will put it after I get back from Omaha.  Only place large enough (my entertainment cabinet) has three twentieth century Great Lakes ships on it, so would have to find a place for those if I put it there.

Well, it is not really harder than the other large scale Hellers, but surprisingly not much easier either.  Much less rigging, but rigging is a bit different.  I omitted two oars in galley area, not the single one the instructions said.  The assembly order Heller calls for is not the best- if I had it to do over again I would use a different order.  Order of building the rowing benches seems a bit awkward.  Doing some of the bow rigging before adding forecastle decks might be easier.

Yes, the flags are the kit flags. Kit calls for little flags at each oar position. I put only two of these on and omitted the rest, but put all larger flags on.

Thanks to those who helped me figure out lateen rigging details. I added some rigging, changed some a bit.

I'll do mine one day before I die.  Yours looks perfect, great job.

a really nice build! i usually dont like that type of ship but it looks very...mighty.i especially like the curves on the flags,too bad airfix made the flags on the victory curved and formed so it would create an illusion (i guess that was their idea),not letting me to do like you,actually make some curves to it. how long took it?

CoreTech

a really nice build! i usually dont like that type of ship but it looks very...mighty.i especially like the curves on the flags,too bad airfix made the flags on the victory curved and formed so it would create an illusion (i guess that was their idea),not letting me to do like you,actually make some curves to it. how long took it?

Took a bit less than five months.  I am retired, so I can finish a ship in less time than in the working days.

magificent finish and nice subject.

clothsails looks better than plastic

Good job!
It was you who did support the frame?

A.Alexandre

It is a fine build, Don. What a wingspan.

Don

I'd like to add more accolades to a very fine build... The lateen rig, oars, etc. make this an especially interesting kit.

Thanks for sharing the result!

So very nice Don,,,,,,,,,   excellent!

Mostly,,,,,,,,,,   thanks for sharing

Bill

Very nice work, I especially like the sails. I'm sure a lot of work, but a very nice touch. The display is excellent too, the blue velvet is regal and royal and yet suggest ocean.

I hope build a sailing vessel one day, but I'm still working on skills (and a about 5 hefty projects!)

Well done.

rokket

I hope build a sailing vessel one day, but I'm still working on skills (and a about 5 hefty projects!)

Well done.

There are a number of models with sails that are less than a full rigged ship (3 master).  You could start with a Viking longship, or the Pinta or Nina would be a good start with much less rigging than a later vintage full ship.  Even the Santa Maria is simplified in its rigging compared to something like a clipper or SOL.

For a major sailing ship, patience is as important as skill.  On major sailing ships I do not work on the model continually.  I put it aside for awhile on my "partially complete" shelf and work on a simpler project for awhile.  A major sailing vessel can take nine months to a couple of years to complete.  RdF took about five months.

That is nothing less than spectacular.  You ship-people amaze me with all the tiny details and the attention you give them with outstanding results.  Absolutely stunning ship, Don.

Oh wow that is beautifully done Don. I love it.....Cheers Mark