Zvezda Black Swan 1/72

Okey-dokey...here's my first few attempts at a practice "shroud", and the ratlines I added to it...you can see the first couple of rows got a little wonky, but as I worked my up, there's a definite improvement...I think they'll look okay. Next up: put some ratlines on the actual ship!

Thanks, Duster!  I'll admit, this thread is getting to be a little bigger than I expected, in large part because of my tendency to ramble!!  But also, many people have shown interest in the kit so far...it's exciting!

I'm currently practicing tying ratlines onto a little Shroud Rig I made up...once I feel perfectly comfortable with my clove-hitch tying, I'll start tying some ACTUAL ratlines on the shrouds shown in the previous pics...my next update will likely include views similar to those pics, but with ratlines, too!

BTW, I'm pretty thrilled to have learned that a local Tall Ship, the Hawaiian Chieftain, is going to be in my local harbor on Wednesday!!  I've never seen a real Tall Ship up close, so I'm totally going down there with my camera to check it out....the tickets for an evening sail tour were sold out before I could get some, but I'm on the waiting list in case any cancellations occur....either way, I'll be happy to just check out the dockside tour, get some close-up shots of the rigging, etc.

Here's a link to a Flickr pic of the ship...

http://flic.kr/p/6t69pw

You guys should be ashamed of your selves; "making" me read this whole thread; when I don't even build ships 

But your "Black" s are a convincing argument for considering them.  Very nice work and WIP dialog.

looking forward to your next posts

Got the first set of shrouds tied on this morning....guess I'll be making my first attempt at ratlines next...I have a thinner gauge of brown thread for the ratlines, hopefully the scale will look good!!

Got the deadeyes painted, washed, and assembled....

Now I just have to decide how I'm going to attach them to the channels...I don't know if wire is the best option; something tells me it'll look funny... One step closer to shroud and ratline rigging!!!

8 hours to the nearest Hobby Shop? Wow....that's quite a road trip!  I ordered my Black Swan from Amazon.com...

I'll be sure and get some new pics up soon....right now, I'm in the throes of detail-painting 64 deadeye parts...pretty slow-going for now....

David_K

Thanks again for the kind words...a lot of concentration, work, and creativity go into building a kit, as you well know!!  

David

Actually David, all my kits bar two, are plastic. Until very recently, I preferred 'real' ships and almost anything real in any genre. As long as it was interesting to my eye and 'real', I would build it.  

I was curious to see what you had done and I was hooked when I saw your interpretation of this ship.

It is obviously a quality kit looking at the detail in your closeups.

I am really looking forward to the completion...that is one very nice kit and your enjoyment is contagious. I hope to own one as soon as I can get to my local hobby shop (8 hours away, without stops).

More piccies would be good.

Errol.

Errol-

I understand that you prefer wooden kits over plastic, but since you mentioned that you liked the look of the Black Swan, I feel compelled to tell you how much I love building it so far!  The quality of the parts is fantastic, and the detail is incredible.  Of course, as also previously mentioned, it has some inauthentic features (due to it's origin as a *movie ship*), but for anyone who doesn't mind those kinds of details, or anyone who is inclined to make modifications to eradicate the "errors", I heartily recommend the kit.  It is my belief that the finished kit will hardly be recognizable as a Black Pearl facsimile, except to the most avid Pirates Film Fan.  It is my third ship build, predecessed (?) by the Revell Bonhomme Richard (which I didn't really like, but it was fine for a first foray attempt), and the newly-released Revell Vasa (which I really did like, but not as much as this one!)....and also, once I finish the Swan, I may set my sights elsewhere, possibly looking into a simple wooden ship kit...

Thanks again for the kind words...a lot of concentration, work, and creativity go into building a kit, as you well know!!  

David

Thanks for all the encouragement, guys!

I've been practicing clove-hitches on a little rig I made up...it really is an easy knot, once you've tied it 5 or 6 times, it becomes habit...

And I definitely have a *visible* side of the ship in mind for display!  I plan to present the port side when it goes into the case...although, there's nothing wrong with the starboard...I was extra-careful with the hull assembly and painting when I worked on the port side, though, because I knew that's how I wanted to show it...

Been on vacation for several days, but I'm home now....hope to get some work done on it during the week...I got a couple of the stays tied already, and a bunch more rigging blocks tied on.

I was reading a build on the Model Ship World forum, and someone mentioned that they were going to tie on most of their standing rigging terminations to the deck BEFORE putting up the shrouds, and just leave the ends trailing so they could be easily managed/accessed later...makes sense, but it seems like it could get overwhelmingly confusing....plus, my (limited) previous experience tells me that many of the rigging lines are better suited to tying off somewhere else, and then terminating on the deck, when I can keep the correct tension on them...

What a nice looking model. I mentioned in another thread that I wasn't keen on 'movie ships', but I must confess, I like the look of your kit. Perhaps it's your choice of hull colours or whatever, but it does look great.

I especially like the deck detail and I am looking forward to seeing her rigged. I read somewhere that someone didn't like the molded sails, but then commented that on the finished ship, they actually came up well.

I would very likely buy this ship as a wooden model, which is my preference, but I will now look at this kit a little more closely, and who knows...

By the way, my opinion of a beginner versus 'pro', is and always has been, patience. If you have the patience and passion for the hobby, you are a pro in my book, and your ship looks to be have been built by a pro.

Errol.

I picked up years ago this cardboard card that pictures of various knots with an attached piece of twine. It's a great reference and I refer to it often and gives you a chance to practice.

Mike T.

Reminds me of my time at Knot Tying U., aka the Boy Scouts of America.

Example to tie a bowline, and I could do it one-handed.

"The rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around the tree and back down the hole".

And no I didn't make Eagle Scout- not even close.

Good luck with the foot ropes. Another adage I have is that my ship models typically have a good side and a bad side, and sometimes I end up concentrating my efforts on one at the expense of the other. It sits on a mantel, after all...

I have to confess I get puzzled whenever I see the clove hitch (the knot that, typically, was actually used on ratlines) described as something other than a "simple knot."  It is, in fact, one of the simplest knots in existence - maybe the simplest.  You just have to take the end of the ratline around the shroud twice and be careful where the end comes out.  It's actually easier - and marginally faster - than the overhand knot, or the reef knot, aka the square knot.

Describing knots verbally is notoriously impossible.  But there are plenty of websites that illustrate how to do it.  Here's one:  www.netknots.com/.../clove-hitch .  Scroll down from the top and you'll see an animated version of a clove hitch being tied.

You could just loop round them once which will alow you to slide them up or down when you are aligning everything later! When it's all shipshape you can put a drop of thinned down pva over 'knot' to stop them moving when you're happy, having said that, I will probably knot them traditionally but I have the advantage of the Victory weekly instruction manual showing how to tie the knots clearly. We must have the patience of saints to have a hobby like ours!  

The shrouds won't be a problem....I did them on my last kit....it's the ratlines that I'm worried about!  I guess I'll just use simple overhand knots, keep the spacing uniform, and take my time...:)

For me, I believe that as long as you like what you're building, it ultimately doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.  And I for one will never say anything that could deter you from building ship models.  I want to see this hobby go on.  If that means a model is not completely accurate, then so be it.  It's all about having fun and having a sense of accomplishment.  I'm all for accuracy, but I'll be the first to admit that the Heller HMS Victory I've been working on for-e-ver will not be very accurate.  But my kids sure love it and that's all that matters.

I'm looking forward to seeing how you approached rigging the shrouds.  I found it very satisfying to make my own instead of using the kit parts...

Phil

No worries....I realize that modelers place varying degrees of importance on *authenticity*.... I respect those who take it seriously (and I've seen some amazingly beautiful model ship kits made by guys from this forum!)...but I'm much less concerned about such things; I just like to make stuff that looks cool! It's all about personal taste....

Haven't gotten anywhere on the rigging yet....but it's close!  I had to assemble some more rigging blocks/stay holder things last night, got them painted and glued together....tonight I'll be tying them up with the stays, and that'll constitute the beginning of standing rigging.  

Exactly right Bondoman.  Disney.  Since the Black Swan is actually the Black Pearl kit it retains 99% of the original mold...the only difference being the figurehead and the nameplate.  In the movie, the capstan placement served several purposes.  First, it got the Capstan out of the way so there was more room both above and below deck.  At the same time, it allowed for optimal camera placement for shots that included the Capstan being used.  And finally, it gave more "character" and detail to all camera shots on deck.  

I don't think the shot of Jack chained to the mainmast when the Kracken came after him would have looked half as good if it had just been the mast.

Even with the "movie magic" Capstan your build is fantastic.  I can't wait to see the sails...

Phil

David, I do enjoy your model. My comment was meant to be constructive, since it also included what I would do as a simple correction. Of course it up to you to take it with however many grains of salt as you wish.

It's just a case of "imagineering" on Disney's part.

Jockster, the real capstan is on the lowest gun deck, or whatever deck the anchor cables are brought in on before they go down into the hold. If there's one on the upper deck, it'd be connected by a solid spindle to any others below. They'd operate individually through a system of pawls, but nonetheless rely on a solid vertical spindle.

David, it is a very nice model and well built. Good work.

I dunno Bondoman, I've never heard of it before, but there is a certain amount of logic putting it around the mainmast, I cannot think of a stronger part of the ship and with all the innovations that the shipwrights developed, who's to say that this isn't based on fact. It's growin' on me and David has done a nice job with it.

How's the rigging going David? P.s. I don't think Bondoman was insulting you bye the way.

Well, Bondoman...I truly am sorry that you're unable to enjoy my build.  But the truth is, I have no hangups whatsoever regarding the *incorrect* capstan, or the various other peculiarities of the kit.  I happen to really, really like how my Black Swan is turning out.  Just wait 'til I start installing the molded sails!  :)

David it's a nice model for sure. The capstan is just so incorrect that it keeps me from taking the deck view (and to some degree the models subject) too seriously. I'd seriously consider removing it.

Just my

There's every reason to simply remove it, the assumption would be that the real one was down on the gun deck, which is most common.

Thanks!  I'm hoping once the sails are on, and she's rigged, that I'll still be able to SEE everything on the deck!!!  I'm at the point now where things get confusing...I've got some steps halfway done, and I've skipped ahead two pages and gotten other steps fully done...it gets a little hairy trying to keep everything organized...post-it notes all over the instructions!  I'm still tying a lot of rigging blocks to the masts, and got the topgallant and royal mast parts on, as well as the mast top platforms & railings...

A few more rigging blocks to tie on (about 15) to the topgallant crosstrees, and then I think I'm going to rig up the standing rigging STAYS before I start on the shrouds...I figure it'll be easier to reach the masts if I do them first, then rig the shrouds and ratlines after....but I still have to paint all the deadeyes, and come up with a way to attach them to the channels and tops...probably wrap some wire around each one and use that to lash them in place...

She looks great David, Cannons/capstan/sailboat all bring your eye into your model, I look forward to seeing her rigged up!

Few pics of the current state...gotta get the masttops on, and the upper masts of the fore and main, and a couple more rigging blocks attached, then it's Shroud and Ratline city!

Thanks, TD!

I got the rigging blocks tied onto the masts last night, and went ahead and stepped them into the deck....tonight,  I'm going to test-fit the topmasts and see if they need to be on before I begin running the shrouds....that's right, I said "shrouds"....looks like I'm at that point, wish me luck!  Pics soon.

This is one impressive build so far.

Yep David, I call it a self portrait! It's a 12" tall vinyl kit I did about 15years ago, the pins that came with it were too big so I had to put each one in a drill and grind the heads down a bit so they looked a bit more in scale! I can't remember the manufacturer of the kit though!

Hey Jockster...I'm not sure, but your profile avatar pic seems to resemble Pinhead, from the Hellraiser series, is that right?