1/96 Cutty Sark WIP (Revell H-399)

Dave,

I love the rigging so far on your CS. It will be interesting to see how you are going to rig the sails up and I’m looking forward to it.

I hope you and your family have had a wonderful holiday seas n this year.

Steve

Oh, thanks for the words of encouragement, you guys!

I've been busy getting the final blocks in place, and test-fitting the yards before I begin experimenting with sails.

Hey Rob, if you're reading this, would you mind sharing some pics of where you installed the blocks for the upper fore and main braces?  I'm trying to figure out where they should be placed, my Campbell plans are very blurry, and the Revell instructions show the blocks on the stays, but they will get in the way of the yard/sail when it's bent...if you understand which blocks I mean, they're are the ones that the braces reeve through on the aft mast before they head down to the pinrails?

Anyway, still chugging away, it should get interesting pretty soon!

Have a great holiday, everyone!

Dave

I love the rigging work. So much better than the kit supplies.....Cheers mark

Dave....I'll post some images where I mounted them..if you can see them in the images.https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/562329_10200310200450794_1353585321_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=b37dea24e44363bb803f7831e63f5854&oe=5CD5EA62

Rob

Dave....maybe you can see them here...

I have few images up close..https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14008_10200330937769214_1300483297_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=e594e2b3d2a20664b86b3a2c5a646993&oe=5CD0D2E3

Rob

Wow - you have done some absolutely beautiful work on this ship. Realy clean and yur attention to detail is superb! Thank you for showing some of the steps you used on your rigging. 

Thanks, Rob.

I think my blocks are a little low, I'm going to remove them and install in a position above where the (raised) yards will sit.

THX!

Well, here's an interesting consideration:

After a few hours of fiddling with various materials and techniques to experiment with sail material (paper, coffee filters, cloth), nothing was really coming together as a *eureka* plan for me...

I was showing some of the trials to my wife, and I had one of the vacuum-formed sails sitting there as a template for tracing, etc....she said,

"I think that one looks the best."  (pointing at the vac-formed sail)

"No, that's the kit sail, I'm just using that for a pattern."

"Oh, well, I think it looks like a sail, and couldn't you paint it and shade it?"

"Uh, I guess I could."

So, the moral of the story is I'm going to explore the option of using the kit sails.  I'll try a full mock-up with one sail, and see how it comes out.

Anybody ever have luck using them?  I've never even tried.

Dave

Yep...I think they can be made pretty realistic...and with your paint technique...will look even better.https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1620809_10202143710207392_1347981861_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=e88ac45e7947f0341d3db52ea98d910d&oe=5CD5DD14

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/r180/27544685_10212938443708983_4507605575868719064_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=0f593b660804528585cc09febb488da8&oe=5CC85C83

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/27654461_10212938456709308_2926643947800344010_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=1cb32a22ab066f4439039d6b1a8472d3&oe=5CCA4347

Rob

Okay, well...here's an initial rig-up of a vacu-formed sail.

The color for the shading is a bit darker than I'd hoped, but the effect is meant to seem like the sail is somewhat translucent in the center...as if light can be seen through it.

20190123_164657 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

20190123_164705 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

My phone camera was having trouble getting the exposure right from the rear...I can assure you, the back of the sail is actually much lighter in color than the front...the rigging lines I'm using include clews, downhaul/sheets, braces, and of course halyards and lifts...the fore royal sail doesn't have as many blocks for all the lines, but the lower sails will.

20190123_164713 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

20190123_164719 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

Again, the exposure is way off, and the color doesn't look anywhere near the reality.

20190123_164733 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

20190123_164742 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

Anyways, I'm not perfectly satisfied with it, but it works...

I think as I get more sails and yards installed, it will (hopefully) come together and have a *harmonious* overall affect.

Dave

David...the color is warm and gentle..very similar to the entire color theme of your build.  It does appear to be a bit dark...but as you say it isn't a true representaion of the actual model sail.

Keep plugging away and as more sails are set the effect will become less stark and more harmonious.  Your weathering technique definately translates to the sails as well...bringing a harmony to the model....good job.

I have several B/W images of the Cutty and her aging sails do represent a much darker appearance then new sails.

Rob

Translucency is one of the hardest things to replicate...you are very good at shading and simulating depth with your paint technique...good luck and I'm looking forward to your wonderful progress.

Here are the mainmast sails for my Great Republic....one reason why I prefer paper sails.

Rob  [/URL]

Funny how we're never really satisfied with our work!. The last picture to me looks like it represents the shading you're after?, I like it!!.

Do you plan on highlighting the bunt and leech lines with paint or overlaying them with thread?, of course that would require additional rigging to get the full effect, just a thought. Your build is moving along very nicely and well done thus far David.

Michael D.

Thanks for the kind words, you guys.

Rob, your Facebook links often don't work when I click on them here?

The one thing that I'm contemplating now, and it's something I haven't dealt with before, is the sag of the lifts with a set sail.  Are they supposed to be sort of draping down the back (or front?) of the yard?  I wonder if I should tie the lengths of line as if the yard were lowered, and then raise the yards up and allow that to dictate the length...but the real concern is getting a realistic drape of the line...without the actual weight of rope, I'll need to form the lines somehow.

Anyway, I'll come up with something.

Also, as I continue, I'll actually be starting from the foresail, and then attaching more yards and sails upward (lower top, upper top, tgall, etc.) to help ease the installation of rigging lines (lifts and sheets, for example, are easier when I don't have to work around the adjacent yard above)...

Thanks again for your encouragement....I hope to have some more progress soon.

Dave

Even with colour problem they do look very good.....Cheers mark

Dave..here is a pic of what I did.   I used wire to form the correct sag arc..then painted black after installed....

I think the lifts are very convincing in my scale of 1/128th.

Don't be afraid to use material that would otherwise not be used....everything we do is a REPRESENTATION anyway.

Good luck on how you tackle this.

Rob" target="">

Looks awesome, Rob!  Well done.

Ditto. Beautifully done so far.....Cheers Mark

Hi all-

Here's an update to share some pics of current status vis-a-vis sails.

I'm still working leisurely on this project, lots of other things keeping me occupied, but I've made at least some progress.

I've got the fore sail, and lower top sail *built*, and here they are, partially installed.  The foresail has the lines run and held temporarily in place with clips until I'm ready to pull them to final tension and glue the terminals in place.

20190213_145944 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

I think I'm going to go ahead and assemble all the sails for the foremast (already working on the upper top foresail) before I start permanently attaching them.  Of course, I'll wait and install the braces for ALL sails at the very last, or I'll never be able to access the pins.

My method so far is to install blocks/line on a yard for whatever rigging is called for a particular sail, then install blocks on the sail corners, as needed (clews mostly).  Then I bend the sail to the yard, and then measure the length of the lines needed to run through the blocks to their terminal, install the lines, and reave as much as I can through blocks on the sail before I will move to install the yard.  I'm also planning to work from lower to upper sails for the final install, so I can try to maintain line tension, while also being able to access blocks during installation without being obstructed by the next sail up.  Sheets and downhauls, however, will still need to be run through blocks on the sail below.  Sheesh, that paragraph sounds confusing even to me!

Here's a slightly closer pic

20190213_145953 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

I'm satisfied with the vacuum-formed sails for the most part.  Most of my reference materials advise against displaying set sails on a model, for lots of different reasons...and I would tend to agree.  Aside from obscuring a lot of deck (and rigging) detail, the biggest challenge I'm facing with sails is their flexibility.

Using a flexible material, whether it's vac-formed plastic, cloth, silkspan, or paper, in order to impart any tension on the rigging lines, I can't avoid pulling the sail material out of its *natural* shape.  Clews are the worst offenders.  In order to preserve the shape of the sail, I've been fighting to keep the lines from looking slack.  It's not keeping me up at night, it's just one factor that adds a certain difficulty.

However, for the Cutty Sark, it seems like displaying sails gives it a more purposeful look, and I like it!  Not sure if I'll go for full sails on any future models, but this one, for me, benefits from it.

I'm seeing some really terrific work on the forum lately, it's impressive and admirable!

Dave

Oh boy....sails.  Nice work.....I'm glad to see you using the preformed ones...in your capable hands they will look wonderful.

I myself just added the top stay sail on my GR...what a test of endurance and good eye sight.

Nice to see you at work on your CS.

Rob

Very nice work on those sails! The rigging for the clews look a little different than what I'm used to seeing, the standing part at the block instead of the yard, then again I know nothing about rigging a clipper, overall a masterpiece in the making.

Michael D.

Thanks, guys!

Rob, I'm very glad you have built a number of clippers, and more than a couple Cutty Sarks (with exceptional skill, I'll add)...it's nice to be able to browse over some of your WIPs or facebook photos to get a reference!

Michael, I agree, the rigging of this clipper is not what I'm used to seeing...most of my projects have been 17th century or older, and there are some stark differences as rigging has evolved, not to mention the particulars of a clipper.  In the Cutty Sark, there are many sails in which the standing end of the clewline is in fact held on a becket on the yard-block, before reaving in a manner more familiar to me. 

In truth, it seems like almost every sail on a particular mast has its own rules for what's included, or omitted...some have no lifts, or no halyards, or a variation of the clew and downhaul...it's interesting.  I reference Longridge and Campbell for the more confusing parts, and I've found that the Revell instructions are really not terribly inaccurate, though perhaps a bit simplified, which is fine by me.

Anyway, it's been an educational journey so far...with luck, I'll have the two final sails for the foremast pre-assembled in a week or so, and then once I get them all installed and rigged (except for the braces) we should have a good idea of the overall aspect.  It'll be interesting to see.

Thanks again, hope you guys are enjoying the weekend :)

Dave

doing some lovely work david . 

David,

Hope you and yours are enoying the weekend as well.

You're doing very fine work indeed!

Two questions:

1. when you get near the bottom of a "top" or crosstree, how did you afix the ratlines to the shrouds? Did you find you had enough room to tie the knots? Or did you "fake" it somehow?

2. What painting technique did you use on the vacuum formed sails? Very curious about that ... you've made it look very good and, I would imagine, with slightly more favorable lighting/camera conditions it would look even better.

Hi Mike!

I usually install ratlines up the the point at which the shrouds are about 1mm apart.  I don't go all the way up to the top or crosstrees.  I use clove hitch knots, and by using a large sewing needle with a notch cut out of the eye, it works like a very skinny hook, so I can get it through pretty small gaps in the shrouds.  But even so, and especially at this scale, once the shrouds are that close, I can barely tell if the ratlines go all the way up.  However, the Cutty Sark should have futtock shrouds installed (with ratlines) that would connect to the tops/trees.  I did not install them on my model.

As far as the sails, my method is to cut the sail out from the sheet, then I punch holes in the sail with a little sharpened awl (a thumbtack would work) at all the places where I'll be installing line or blocks.  In this case, the lower clew corners get a hole, and I put holes along the head of the sail for robands to bend it to the yard.  I also took a shortcut here, a real ship would have robands attached at every vertical *strip* of canvas, I am placing robands with wider spacing.

Once the sails are cut out and the holes made, I used pins to hold the sails down flat on a large piece of styrofoam, and airbrushed them all over with Tamiya Deck Tan paint.  Let it dry, flipped them over and sprayed the other side.  Once that was dry, I started adding shade to the curved parts of the sails, and near the edges, using Tamiya Flat Earth....I tried to go very sparingly with the shading as I sprayed, but I think now that I should have used a lighter color for it.  It came out pretty good, the sails have a look and finish of a cloth material that has been stained and sunbleached, and the light is able to shine through them in the right places.

Hope that helps!

Dave

Dave,

That's exactly what I wanted to know!! Thanks so much!

Dave,

Dang, repeat, DANG! I think you’re the only one I know who can pull off using the kit sails and make them look awesome. I would love to see see them in better light, but they are weathered beautifully.

Steve

Thanks, Steve!

I'm working on setting up the last fore sail/yard this weekend.  Once I have that one done, I'll go through and run all the lines ane belay everything.  After I have the foremast rigged, that will be a good time for me to get some better pictures to share...I'll make sure I've got some decent light and we can see the overall sail effect.

Have a great weekend!

Dave

Here's something interesting...

I was rigging up the topgallant sail and yard for the foremast (happened to be the last sail of the foremast, since I rigged the royal as a mockup earlier in the build), and I noticed the yard isn't wide enough.  It barely extends past the width of the sail, leaving maybe 1/8" on each side. {couple pics}

20190223_151652 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

20190223_151815 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

The first pic shows the fore tgall yard and sail (part 25 & sail 13, respectively)

You can see the yard is just barely wider than the sail, even the holes at the yardarm (for the downhaul of the royal) are within the tgall sail, and the braces will barely fit at the end.

The second pic shows the fore (course) sail and yard...clearly, the yard extends 3/4" beyond the width of the sail on both sides, with plenty of room for the braces, lifts, and downhaul lines.  That pic is typical of *most* of the sails and yards on the model.

The exceptions are the Fore Topgallant, and the Main Topgallant....it's worth noting that the part # for both *narrow* yards in the kit is 25.  Luckily, I have a second kit for spare parts, and I was able to find and identify both #25 yards from the spare.  They are indeed very *simililar* to each other, being identical in length and other respects, the only difference being a minor variation in the holes at the yardarms for downhaul reaving.  Still weird for two parts (on two different sprues) to be given identical part #s, yet have slight differences.

Also, the Main Topgallant sail (sail 19) is the same width as the Fore Topgallant, so it also has the same issue of being basically as wide as the yard itself.

I wonder if anyone else has noticed this issue (Rob W. probably has more experience with this kit than anyone else I know)...and I wonder if there's any logic to explain it?  I mean, I can make it work, but it seems odd.

As a precaution, I went through all the yards and sails from the spare kit, too, to make sure I didn't have any parts mixed up (it happens)....but no, there's no other combination of yards and sails that comes even remotely close to being confused....which also means I can't substitute any other kit yards for a more reasonable fit.

Not a biggie, but it did get me scratching my head, and I figured I would share it, in case anyone else has noticed it before, or so anyone building this kit in the future can keep an eye on it.

Thanks!
Dave

Really liking the work you are doing.....Cheers Mark