Revell 1/72 Hanse Kogge Build Log.

Thanks Mark and Jake.  As requested I have some new photos to post tonight.  Things have been a bit on the crazy side with one of my boys sick and on the good side, my lovely wife and I celebrated on 13th anniversary today!

Jake, I'd be happy to go over how to use artist's oils, or at least how I do it after this build which I am trying to get ready for our local IMPS show on 03 November.

Thanks everyone for taking such an interest in my build!

Steve

Using artist oils is the one medium I've never done.  I'd love to read a tutorial on them though, anyone got one? the colors are fantastic.

Look forward to seeing more of your work.....Cheers mark

Here are.the plastic blocks and deadeyes provided with the kit; as you can see, they are much better than most of the blocks and deadeyes provided for in sailing ship kits, especially the shroud/ratline monstrosity since the the seventies.  I, however; like doing my own rigging and I' ll put some photos as I proceed.  Thanks for all the support guys!  Note the sink holes on the deadeyes.... These are on the facing side on each and every one.

Steve

Thanks Mark!

Steve

She is looking awesome....Cheers and congrats on what you have done so far....Mark

Started dry fitting the upper works.  I also started rigging the mainstay with wooden deadeyes instead of the kit ones.  They were cool, but I like rigging my own.  Also, I think it would look funky with plastic deadeyes and scale hemp lines.  The brass rings on the cargo hold are to replace the scribed one on the hatch.  I am going to get them to lay down correctly after I blacken them.

Steve

You are useing your windless to hoist the yard-just as i did on my viking ship--I'm dieliated.  well dun !

At the risk of sounding like a broken record....Amazing!

I can't keep my eyes off the deck...

Another picture of the windlass et al...

I've been mulling over how I was going to do the yard for the Kooge.  The kit come with a full sail and a furled sail, both made of plastic that was fairly thick, but nowhere near the old Aroura sailing ship kits.  I'm a bare pole kind of modeller so the options were either getting a basswood dowel or possibly using the furled sail version.  Then the obvious hit me this morning, cut the sail from the yard.  Well, it worked out great and I have  added pictures.  Now comes the painting and rigging.  I have also glued the windlass down so I have included some pictures of that...... I know, really exciting stuff!

Steve

Great stuff!

Dave,

The unassembled hull you see are Revell"s

Nina and Pinta although I would not recommend them whole heartily.  It's been a bear to get some of the deck parts to disappear well.  But enjoy anyway.

Steve

I did not like that the castles undersides were blank, so I used strip styrene to mirror the topside.  Here also are some the subassemblies that go with the build.

Here are the ship's boat and the wooldings I did today.  The boat actually looks more like something from say the 17th to the 19th century but It's in scale.  The waxed line wooldings are in place of the molded woolding that I always file off.  They look SO much better than plastic.

Steve

Yeah, I learned that Acrylic Wash doesn't work for me....it never seems to settle properly....so I switched to enamel wash over acrylic basecoats....it was just with my last kit (the Black Swan) that I branched out and used artist oil (just black) and Mineral Spirits for a wash...and I loved it!  Now, especially after seeing your work, I might go into acrylic bases with artist oil overcoats and washes...we'll see!  I don't really have another plastic ship kit in mind right now...I'm actually thinking of trying my hand at a wooden kit....

But I really like the shape of the hull of that Santa Maria!!  I looked around a bit, and there are a few Santa Maria kits, Heller, Zvezda, Revell, and Imai all have one, though I think the Heller and Zvezda might be the same kit??  I'd definitely be interested in the biggest, highest quality version I could find, but they all seem pretty small and basic...how big is your Revell SM??  Looks like you have another unassembled hull in the background?

Thanks for the pics, Steve....I'll be keeping an eye on your Kogge build (and your Santa Maria, if you continue with it!)....I'm still blown away by your coloring technique!

Bravo!

Dave,

Here are a couple of shots of the Santa Maria (Revell).  Not great shots and I can find numerous mistakes; however, I did experiment with some ideas I had for added dynamics.  I was really disappointed on my acrylic wash which is what brought me to experiment with artist's oils.

Steve

Also Dave, the model on the keel klamper is the Revell Santa Maria.  Of course with certain modifications and I will probably scrap this and start in with another one pretty soon, but then again, maybe not, as I'm waiting for my Imai/Ertl Santa Maria which is a whole lot bigger.  I also have a number of other models I really need to get to.

Steve

Thanks Dave I really appreciate it and well done for finishing the Black Swan!

Artist oils don't work on everything, however, that being said, I have not tried everything yet.  On this build I'm using Windsor and Newton Burnt Umber, Raw Umber, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Yellow Ochre and Vandyke Brown.  It also matters what your base coat is as this affects the upper coat colors.  The best way is using acrylics then the oils since using enamels and oils would ruin the enamels and make a really big mess!

I would be more than happy to field any questions on painting and colors  as this is really what forums are for; the exchange of ideas and techniques.  And to show off are models of course.

I think I learned the metal rod in Les Wilkins' book or maybe somewhere else but it is a really good idea when you have hollow masts.  This rates up there with metal eyebolts for rigging as the tension is amazing for lines.

Thanks again,

Steve

Touching up the hull  and decks. Fitting them together and checking for gaps.

Steve

Thanks for the kudos John, I just hope I can finish this off right.  I was going to replace the plastic but rather accurate blocks in the kit for wooden ones and replace the yard with a wooden dowel since even the furled sail is a bit too much.  I'm also a bare pole guy although if I was going to do a diorama with the waterline option, I would possibly use the sail or make mine.

I also have the HMS Thomas version with the sail decorated with Edward III coat of arms that would need to be shown.

I really like the Wagner suggestion! Maybe do something with motion detection to start the music......

Anyway, thanks again for the kudos and suggestions,

Steve

Thanks Greg, hopefully I won't have anything go wrong.....

Steve

Thanks Tom!

Very, very impressive, Docidle!!!  Seriously, I may have to bug you for some painting pointers! Artists oils seems like the key, but how do you apply them?  Different consistencies, like washing?  And what colors are you using?  I think my next plastic ship will be painted with a technique similar to yours....Love it!

And good idea using the rod in your mast!

The build looks great so far!

BTW, I'm noticing that dramatic-looking hull+masts you have partially done in the background....what ship is that? Some kind of Galleon??

Docidle, you show excellent judgment as well as fine modeling skills.  I've been preaching for some years that this kit would be a great one for people just getting into sailing ship modeling.  It's historically important, it's a fine, well-detailed kit, and it offers practice on just about every facet of sailing ship modeling in simplified (but accurate) form:  one mast, some rigging with quite a bit of variety too it but not much repetition, and wonderful opportunities for applying painting skills.

I believe the kit originated with the Russian firm Zvezda, which has proven its skill in designing sailing ship kits elsewhere.  (It's been reissued in several different boxes, but I have the impression that the only things that vary are the decals for the sail.)  My only complaints are the injection-molded sail, which I just couldn't live with (but which could be left off, with the yard replaced by a wood one), and the high price.  But one of these days I may just tackle it.

It's drawn some criticism in some quarters because the deck planks run from bow to stern.  The surviving cogs (I believe there are a couple of them in Germany - including one that, as part of the conservation regimen, has been submerged in a tank of fresh water for several years) have deck planks that run athwartships.  But so many of the things were built, and so little documentation about them is available, that to my mind it seems entirely possible that some were planked fore-and-aft.

I think the original manufacturer had it in mind that the kit could be used in wargames.  Zvezda makes a huge range of soft-plastic 1/72 figures - including several boxes of medieval ones.  There's a potential there for a well-populated ship - and yet more opportunity to show off one's painting technique.

I once saw an article about a huge, radio-controlled U.S.S. Missouri that contained, among many other amazing features, a small tape player that played the soundtrack from "Victory at Sea."  That gave me another idea:  a cog containing a cd player blasting forth Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde."  (The first act takes place on board a ship, which, I think, might well have been a cog.)  Hey, if Richard Rodgers can do it, why not Wagner?

That is some seriously nice-looking 'wood' work. Very effective.

Beautiful work.  Well done!

Working on getting the hull just right.

Thanks Mark I appreciate the support.

Steve