USS Constitution build II - 35 years later

Hi Bob,

Your story almost mirrors mine regarding the ole Connie, in my case a ceiling register decided to come loose and fall onto the ship that was 90% complete totally destroying it, so I'll be jogging down memory lane with ya.!

Michael D.

Michael:  Happy to share the journey with you! 

So I have been busy for the last 5 or 6 weeks, so I have some catching up to do.

I started with the hull, and followed Force9's lead to beef up the gun deck ports.  I added a layer of .060 styrene around the ports and along the bottom edge where the final planks would go.  I then added .040 x .125 styrene "planks" over the top.  I left the bottom row off for now, so I would have a bit more room to slip the deck in.  I plan on added a portion of the berth deck below that as well, but only in the areas that will be seen through the open deck hatches and ladder areas.  Since it will be lit (dimly), I need to add this.

I decided to go with wooden decking, so I had to build some.  I used 1/8" wide basswood strips and "painted" the edge with a dry erase marker before gluing together with wood glue.  Held it all together with 2" wide masking tape spaced every 3 inches  While that was drying, I started with the gun deck from the box.  I glued up the plastic deck and traced it exactly onto paper, including all the deck openings.  Using the drawings from the USS Constitution museum, I then edited the cutouts to better match the plans rather than the model's version.  I then traced this onto the wooden deck and cut everthing out very carefully with a new #11 blade.  Finally, I added the gun stop around the deck.

I scratch built the necessary new hatch openings out of styrene, and cut out those from the plastic deck that didn't need to be altered, and checked the fit.  Finally, I added the board ends and nail holes with a small chisel and a T-pin.  I then stained the deck "Early American" and gave it 3 coats of polyurethane (sanding in between).

In between, I have been painting gun carriages, stairs, and most other parts needed for the early stages of the build.  More to follow.

Bob

Great work on the deck. Individual Basswood strips seems like quite a daunting task.

 I have quite a few photo's of the Constitution, collected from the usual sources, and your deck color/tonality seems like a great match to the 2011 Change of Command  event.

Here's closeup from a Public domain pic:

 The deck is a bit worn/dirty in spots.  You can make out the 2 different "shades" where different wood was used.

That is very well done. It's not so hard to go with individual strips. And the difference is remarkable.

Thanks Nino.  Not so daunting once you get it all set up and get in a rhythm.

The color in your picture was exactly what I had in my mind's eye.

Thanks GM.  It makes all the difference.  I also run a fine sanding block down one edge before gluing so that there is a distinct board edge.  I also did the same with the styrene planking on the inner hull for the same reason.  Creates a nice shadow line.  For the plastic, I use a cardboard emory board my wife uses on her nails.

Bob

Needed bits and a stove, so I decided to try my hand at building one.  I used an image of the BlueJacket camboose to get the size right, and then put this together:

Added the vent pipe as well, as the original kit version just seemed way too small.

I couldn't decide on how I wanted to do the chain bits, so I made one of each.  Finally decided on a hybrid - pair of each.  Then I stumbled upon ModelMonkey's 1/96 stuff and purchased his stove, some barrels, and the capstans.  Since his 3D printing is clear, it seemed easier to light his stove, so I have decided to go with that instead.

Moving on to bilge pumps next.

Bob

Luv, You do really beautiful work. I am anxious to see the hull when you get it painted.

Thanks Gene.  Debating on whether or not to patina the copper plating.  Seen so many variations on that, from painstakingly altering individual plates, to the generic green wash.  Still haven't decided on what to do.  Suggestions welcomed!

Hi Bob, I just found this thread and think you are doing a fantastic job. My first Constitution was with my father back in the late 60's. He would spin tails of the old girl's exploits while we built her. I have been tooking at the kit as of late to do her justice. I must say that you are setting the bar high. I don't believe I could do as good a job.

I'll be watching and taking notes.

Steve

This may be one reason why it takes me twice as long to complete something than I planned - daddy's little helper!

Thanks Steve.  I definitely have a Type-A personality, and am a bit of a perfectionist, so once I have a goal or a picture in my mind's eye (that I have usually pirated from the internet), I strive to get it to look like that.  Did the same with all my pinball mods, which is probably why folks liked them as much as they did.  My wife says I should have been an artist, but I am my own worst critic, and probably would never have sold anything due to my own stubborness.

Bob

So using the plans from the museum and many pictures from the ship, I started first with the copper portions of the pumps on the gun deck.  I used plastic beads I purchased at HobbyLobby (a bag of 100+ beads of various sizes for $1.99) and selected six that looked about the right size.  Painted them the metallic copper I used on the hull.  But once I placed them next to the 1/96" figure, they just looked too large.  So I picked out the next smaller size and that looked much better.  I flattened the bottom with a file and added the outflow pipe and a base and repainted.  I then built the pump handles and stands out of strip styrene.  Painted that all black, and then added the "wooden" handles - painted 1/32" styrene rod.  Set it up as in the pics and drawings - 4 on one set, and 2 on the other.  Below is a photo of the set of 4 with one of the crew:

And here is one on the deck with all 6 pumps.

Hi;

 I like that you said , and I quote " I am my own worst critic " !  I have been saying that for years ! To every modeler I talk to . You'r edition of the old Girl is awesome .I do like everything you've done to date . T.B.

Thanks for the kind words, TB.  Here is a funny Calvin & Hobbs that pertains to this:

Started working on the spar deck walls last night.  I am using .015 x .125 styrene strips (.156 for top board and trimming) for the planking.  I tried .010 and .020 - .010 too thin, and .020 was tough to get the bolt pattern imprint through.  .015 works great.  To get an even pattern, I tried a 5/16" pounce wheel, but couldn't get straight lines on such a thin width strip.  So I made a jig out of .030 x .125 strip stock and drilled holes exactly where I wanted them, slightly larger than the blunted T-pin I was using to press into the .015 strip.  Took a couple of tries to get the jig just how I wanted, but now I can press about an inch of strip stock per minute.  Mounted and painted a few to show how it looks:

Below you can see the thickened gun deck walls.

Sorry, but this Calvin is even MORE appropriate.  He has caught the modeling bug!

I know how he feels.

Yes, I understand completely! Except in the 1950's the Aurora and other models I built were most likely under $5.00 .

The sentiment, I believe, must be quite common among young modelers - and even much older ones .

I know I can probably find the answer to this question in Force9's build log, but I will ask again anyway. 

Was the rudder on the Constitution copper plated like the hull in 1812, or was it left "bare" as depicted in the Revell model? 

Any answers appreciated.

Bob

Hi Bob,

I love your build, your attention to detail, and your technique for building up the decks from wood is astounding!

There are valid arguments on both sides for why the rudder should or should not be coppered and they have been made in various threads throughout this forum. My argument for coppering the rudder comes from the appearance on the Isaac Hull model housed at the Peabody Essex Museum. Here is a previous thread with pictures:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/138375.aspx

Note that the rudder is painted green, just as the coppered portion of the hull. I was also hoping to find some evidence in the Michel Felice Corne paintings of the Constitution vs Guerriere paintings, but even zooming in on the pics in Force9's thread did not yield any solid evidence. 

Cheers,

Jose

I think it looks better sheathed.

Jose - thanks for the research.  Interesting to me is the green paint on hatch comings and deck fittings.

GM - I agree - it will look better with it sheathed.

Fantastic job...love the inventive mods.....

Rob

Thanks Rob.

Working on putting together the spar deck now.  Finished (for the most part) the gun deck add-ons and the inside of the hull, including beefing up the bow near the anchor gussets.  Any other things I might need will be installed once I get the hull together and the gun deck mounted.  I will be hanging the berth deck below the gun deck beneath the open areas of gun deck and installing the 34 portholes listed on the plan.  So the question now is, will any of the hammocks be visible, and if so, should I put a light or two on the berth deck?

I have just about completed the berth and gun decks before mounting them.  Images of the berth deck and the pumps I built for it are included.

I also have a couple of photos of the (nearly) completed berth deck below.

Since the berth and gun decks are fairly complete, I decided to start with a bit of the lighting.  Since I have to work my way up, I started with the berth deck.  This will be lit by 8 4x4mm yellow LEDs.  Each LED is only 1.5mm thick so they will not get in the way of anything on the berth deck.  They are (will be) mounted to the underside of the gun deck using a hot glue gun and 2 hour cure clear gorilla glue.  The photos tell the story:

After completing the soldering, I insulated any exposed wiring with liquid tape (rubbery stuff that acts like electrical tape).  Testing of the wiring:

there are only 4 lights attached to the bottom of gun deck at this point, but you get the idea!

Once the gun deck is in place, I will install the captain's cabin and wire up those lights, including the orage glow for the camboose.

Bob

this is such a great model to follow bob , your a very talented modeler mate ,

Thanks Steve.

Working on the cannons and carriages right now.  Also working on laying out the circuit board to power the lighting.  Found a decent one that will fit in the hull, but now I have to lay out the various circuits that need power.  I will take pictures when I have it all worked out.  All those years repairing circuit boards at the bowling alley will finally pay off.  I hope.

Bob

Luvspinball

This may be one reason why it takes me twice as long to complete something than I planned - daddy's little helper!

 

I have a little helper just about like that, except she's a standard poodle.  She's taken out one complete model (a Revel Apache that I spent WAY too much time just sanding the bad seams), and almost did in the FT-17 I was working on.  Luckily, that one survived.  I keep everything locked up when not working on them now.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

Gene,

My workarea is down in the basement and keep the door closed unless I am in there.  She doesn't really bother my stuff - more interested in her bone or tennis ball.  Or napping on my foot, which is a bit of a problem when I try to use my dremel foot control!  I really don't mind having her down there otherwise.  She's a good pup.

Bob

Luvspinball

I decided to go with wooden decking, so I had to build some.  I used 1/8" wide basswood strips and "painted" the edge with a dry erase marker before gluing together with wood glue.  Held it all together with 2" wide masking tape spaced every 3 inches  While that was drying, I started with the gun deck from the box.  I glued up the plastic deck and traced it exactly onto paper, including all the deck openings.  Using the drawings from the USS Constitution museum, I then edited the cutouts to better match the plans rather than the model's version.  I then traced this onto the wooden deck and cut everthing out very carefully with a new #11 blade.  <SNIP>

 

 

I used a similar solution on the one I built back oh, 50, or so years ago =8-0

The middle upper deck section on my kit was badly warped.  Knowing that styrene softens with heat, I set that deck section in the oven turned on low.  Came back a few minutes to find the Shrinky-Dink secton of deck on the rack!  Lesson learned, styrene softens AND shrinks with heat. 

So, now I had a big, expensive ship kit that was missing the middle of the deck!  I traced a pattern off the instructions and recreated a replacement with balsa sheet.  This elementary-school-age kid thought the finished product didn't look too bad after painting.  Not sure I would have had the patience to do it in 1/8" strips of wood. 

Nice work!  I do have another one of those in my stash.  Maybe one day, I'll recreate it, only without (I hope) the balsa wood replacement parts.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

Thanks Gene.  One of the main reasons I did wooden decks is because of the warped and bad seams on mine.  I reinforced from below, but that didn't seem to make a difference.  Since I am lighting mine, I couldn't give up too much headroom, and decided to build my own.

So I was all set to put the hull together, when I realized I needed to put my below-deck crew in place, or I would never be able to later.  So painting the crew has commenced.  I have about 60 guys total in various poses, including the 20 or so the ship came with.  Most of the other guys are either Preiser or Woodland Scenics HO gauge figures, which all have to be repainted and/or modified.  Construction guys and railroad track workers seem to be the best choices, but I found many others that will also work with a little bit of work from a sharp exacto blade or my dremel.  Here is what I am basing my painting on: 

Here are some of the Preiser figures I am modifying:

First image is of the circuit board I attached to the bottom of the berth deck.  Built a couple of stand-offs so nothing will come in contact with the deck when soldering.  Enough room for over 40 circuits, but I only expect to use about half of that.  Below deck circuits (stove, berth deck lights, flicker lights) have been soldered.

A few more shots of the crew painted.  I even found a couple of "short order" cooks to go by the stove.

I have a water barrel and grog tub (scratch built) inthe photo as well.

I shot a 10 second video of the stove lit up with the fire going, but not sure where I could post that - postimage doesn't seem to want to host videos.  C'est la vie.

Bob

Bob, this is truly a first, and impressive. 

Also, your figure painting is really well done.

Thanks GM.  Means a lot to me coming from you. 

I just hate "messy" wiring jobs.  This lets me keep track of exactly where everything is, and even if one circuit goes out down the line, all the others will continue to work.  I just have to add up all my milliamps when I am done to make sure I have a big enough power supply.  I have several to choose from, so shouldn't be an issue. 

Bob

Happy 4th of July from the Connie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7OLX5lNKcE

Been busy on and off.  Tough going in the summer when the weather is nice.

Built rails and bits for the mizzen mast.

Finished painting on the hull.  So time to glue it together:

Also finished cutting all the boards for the spar deck and adding all the nail holes.  Also stained.  Took your advice Nino and stained the center area slightly darker than the area under the guns.  Will post pics when I get a coat or two of urethane on it.

Bob

Bob, your work is really super impressive in both your artistry & electrical " engineering". I would be lost doing work like that. Your figures are beautiful, are they 1/96 ? They sure fit. 

Gene,

I have the distinct advantage of having really poor eyesight, so when I want to work up close - such as painting figures or other intricate details - I just remove my contact lenses for the evening.  My depth of field without them is only about 4.5 inches, so I can get really close to what I am painting.  The figures are a mix of the 20 crew that come with the model and then another 50-60 Preiser and Woodland Scenics HO figures that have been modified to better fit with the rest of the crew.  The cook was a genuine find, though. 

Electronics comes naturally to me, as I have been repairing pinball and arcade machines for 25+ years, and working with breadboards and circuit building for 35+ years (needed to build all kinds of circuits for my PhD work, and worked in a bowling alley before that).  So wiring up some LEDs is child's play.  If anyone wants to do this for their kits, I am ready and willing to lend a hand.  Getting easier nowadays with current limiting diodes "tuned" to the lead current for most LEDs, SMDs and COB lights out there.  Toughest part for me is figuring out where to hide the wires!

Bob

Luvspinball

Gene,

Electronics comes naturally to me,... Toughest part for me is figuring out where to hide the wires!

Bob

 

Just pop a copper penny in the fuse holder when the fuse pops - that will fix it right up!

I still can't believe people actually did that.  When my inlaws were selling their very old home, we went through it to find any old antiques worth saving.  Down in the basement was an old fuse box, and sure enough, the dining room circuit was shorted with a penny.  Did find an old clock and a turn-of-the-century phone with all the paperwork and schematics inside.  Swedish American Telephone Co., Hercules model, circa 1908.  Plan to restore it one day. Box and most of the parts still in pretty good condition.  Just needs to be cleaned up and restained.

As for the pinball machine, that would be an interesting "Easter Egg" to hide in there!  No fun playing in a rolling sea, though: Launch ball, TILT.  Launch ball, TILT.  Game Over.

Bob

Been working on all the cannons for the gun deck, as well as the life boats and a fife & pin rails for the mizzen mast.

Aha! 

 A fuzznose helper . All in all , you have to admire they'r curiosity , Right ? You are doing great work . My Connie still sits on the mantelpiece at the Museum that wound up with it .It's an old sea captain's house in Massachussetts .

 We didn't have LED and stuff back then . But , If you use a small light through the windows you can see the paintings on the Bulkheads !

I have a question ;

 Have you test fired any of those guns yet ? LOL.LOL ! Note . I found that on most of my larger sail vessels they are easier to rig . IF , You build the Taffrails and then drill and place belaying pins .You do know that the reasons they used those pins don't you ?

 When a line was mounted in the standard way you put a lock loop ( reverse ) in them. Need a quick release ? Pull the pin . Viola ! Loose line gathered up and used for setting or reefing . Now that same system can be used in 1/96 to mount those lines . Plus it gives a more convincing look to the use thereof .

 Here's another point to consider .The Cascabel ( The ball on the end of the cannon ) .Was rigged with a line in battle to help stop the gun on recoil . Many times the recoil would cause the iron rings to pull out . Especially if the gunner double charged the weapon , which was done sometimes .

 Every effort was used to ensure they didn't get a runaway gun . Plus rigged to the cascabel the gun could also be secured better in stormy seas .

 Here's a P.S for you . I found on my R.C. Models that using black to shield light sometimes backfired in variation in the color of a panel . So I did this . Where there was a light I installed a disc of aluminum behind the bulb and used sky grey in a ring outside the bulb then white . Works great ! 

 Someone told me once that they read where they would use strongbacks across the Gun doors inside to run the guns up against in rough weather . Each strongback had an indentation that matched the Muzzle end of the gun . I don't know if that was or is true or not .

Uh Oh !

The crew is laying down on the job ! LOL.LOL. You have done a very commendable job so far . Gotta say you're making me jealous .Naw , Just kidding and Too  ,what an awesome deck !

 Next thing we know you'll have the top off of the Grog tub and have grog and a ladle in there !

TB,

Thanks for the wealth of info.  Lots of juicy nuggets there!

I do have a grog tub I made, and I'm sure I could fashion a ladle to hang from the side.  Not sure about filling it, though.  Most likely spill during rigging if I lay her down on her side.  Plus I prefer a good scotch or bourbon.  Thought of putting a bottle on the Captain's table.

Bob

Tanker - Builder

Have you test fired any of those guns yet ? LOL.

I am seriously thinking about running some fiberoptic cable to 10 or 12 of the guns on the visible side, and hooking them into a flashing red LED.  I have done it before about 5 years ago on my "Pirates of the Caribbean" pinball topper of the Black Pearl, so I know it can be done.  But I would need to conceal the F.O. this time by coming through the deck, the carriage and then the cannon.  Might be a lot of work, but would be cool. 

that would look so cool rob , you doing a great job on this build mate .

steve5

Looked through the cabinet and I happened to have a leftover sequencer board from one of my pinball projects, so I started drilling out 10-12 cannons on the gun deck to get the fiber optic cable in there.  I have four or five different sizes of F.O.  One fits snugly inside the cannon, but is to big to flex around the berth deck, so I will have to step it down to a smaller diameter so that I can get back to the board which will be housed in the bow below the (partial) berth deck. Using the sequencer so that the cannons will cycle through in a "random" pattern.  Planning on installing a switch somewhere discretely so that I can turn the flashing off but leave the rest of the lights on.

So there WILL be flashing cannons on the Connie.  Getting to the spar deck would be difficult (if not impossible) to hide the F.O. so I will only be doing the big guns down below.  That, and the fact that I have brass caronades, so a lot tougher to drill those.  I will document the process for anyone else that wants to do it in the future.

Bob

Decided to put together a little "How To" on adding flashing cannons.  Enjoy.  Please note that I did NOT rig this through the deck.  I did this on the bench for clarity.  You will have to run the fiber optic cable through the deck and to the board with the LEDs on it.  The board is quite small, and can easily be hidden in the bowels of the ship.

Hope that all makes sense!

Bob

Giving the video thing a try.

This is a video of the camboose lit with flickering orange LED.

https://youtu.be/WprsG512yFQ

First video shows the board and a single cannon.  You can see the board sequencing and the cannon flash when it hits that position.

Second video is just a close-up of the cannon (bit out of focus, but you get the idea).

https://youtu.be/DTfefOiKMfo

https://youtu.be/UwRhoHegk8E

I have also bowed to peer pressure and lit the entire port-side cannons on the gun deck with a random firing pattern (15 guns).  Two will fire simultaneously on the even numbered LEDs and 5 will fire individually as the sequencing board progresses.  They will only fire when I flip the switch which I will hide in the crews head at the bow.

Bob

Bob,  Thank you. You have a fantastic treasure-trove of info and How-to's  for us.... But watch out.  next thing you know we'll be wantin' Smoke from the guns and we'll take away points if the guns firing have not recoiled..... LOL.

Again,  Thank You. I am about to re-read this thread again. It is a Pleasure!

   Jim.

bob , what you are doing is extrordinary , just loving this build . keep up the great work .

steve5

Bob - your work on this ship is truly outstanding! Your attention to details with everything are precise and expertly crafted and, I am in awe on your knowledge when it comes to wiring lights, circuit boards etc. Like someone else has already said, 'thank you' for sharing all of this information and knowledge on this build. Tagging along in the wake of things lol

Went to my first meeting of the IPMS here in Chicago.  Butch O'Hare chapter meets in Downers Grove so I thought I would check it out.  Interesting group of older gentlemen.  Had fun.  Not many ships tonight (1) which was an old paddleboat from early 1800's, probably because the theme was the Viet Nam War era.

This is what happens when you succumb to peer pressure:

Bob

Video of cannons installed (not glued to deck yet) with fiber optic lighting from a 10 LED high output chaser circuit.

https://youtu.be/02YECR2b-6o

Pictures of the finished fiber optic runs and the circuit board with all fiber optics attached.

Bob

that is so cool bob ,when do the sound effect's go in ? 

That is the first thing I thought of myself!  Where's the boom?

I can't imagine the tremendous thunder those things put out during a battle.  And unless you shoved some cotton or cloth in your ears, I don't know how those guys got through a battle with their hearing intact.  OHSHA would have shut them down for unsafe practices in a heartbear. 

Different times.

Trying to finish up all the wiring so I can install the gun deck.  I believe I have all the circuits run and just need to double check that my power supply will handle the necessary mAmps required for everything. Since I want the guns to fire only intermittently, I have decided to install a subminiature push-button switch and install it in the head.  The switch I found is the exact size of the head that comes in the grate, so I will be able to just cut it out, and slip the switch in place.  Since it is all black, I doubt anyone will notice it there.

In the mean time, I have added all the gun doors and installed cleats for tie-down of the gun door ropes.  When playing with the head timbers, though, I noticed that they do not look like those on the ship.  The "panel" fill between the timbers just looks wrong.  So I decided to build my own.  Traced a template of each, then using .03 x.06 styrene, I added the timbers, paying particular attention to the spacing so that they can be properly painted white.  When I finished with the timbers, I added .015 x .025 strips to simulate planking between the timbers.  On the reverse (inside) I added vertical timbers that the planks would be nailed to.  Lower timbers will be next.

Bob

Some fantastic work, ideas and wiring skills going on here with your build. Congratulations on a very, well thought out adventure!!! 

Thanks Robert.

Finished the head timbers and painted them.

Installed the switch for the cannons in the head, and added additional seats.

Bob

nice of you to think of the crew bob  , and an excellent job of hidding the switch .

Great work Bob. Very impressed by your lighting rig. I spent 2 months trying to rig a ludicrously ambitious lighting setup into my Black Pearl which included mast lanterns and flickering candles in the cabin. Alas it all had to be ripped out as the effect wasn't strong enough. Yours looks really good. Look forward to seeing it all finished.

Flint,

As I may have mentioned before, I have a lot of experience lighting very small toys on pinball machines.  I even lit up the ships I have on top of my "Pirates of the Caribbean" machine.  Most are tied into specific game circuits, so they relate to your progress in the game.  Just what everyone needs on a pinball machine - more blinking lights!  I have also had my fair share of experimentation and starting over on things that didn't quite work out.  But that is part of fun, right?

Luvspinball

Flint,

... I have also had my fair share of experimentation and starting over on things that didn't quite work out.  But that is part of fun, right?

 

Nino

 What else can you do with your time and extra income that might otherwise be spent on womens shoes...

     Jim.

 

Last time we went on vacation, there was a separate suitcase for shoes and make-up.  Not sure what you mean by "extra income" though.... My wife's hobbies appear to be collecting wine and shoes, while mine are golf, pinball and modeling.  At least she can wear the shoes and drink the wine!

Modeling definitely keeps me out of trouble.  The other benefit is that it keeps my fine motor skills up to par, which is important for my job.  So there is a side benefit for me.

Bob

So I need to finish the mounting for the ship so I can start putting the decks in the hull.  Not finding anything I liked out there at a reasonable price AND the size and shape I wanted, I decided to build my own.  I stopped by the local Woodcraft store, where they have a huge variety of unique and special sizes of all types of wood, I found a gorgeous piece of mahogany (10" x 36" x 1") with straight grain and no knots.  Picked up a second piece (6" x 36") so I could double-up around the edges (and make it look 2" thick).  Trimmed the 10" piece to 34" and routered a nice edge onto it.  Then I cut the 6" piece into 3 @ 2" wide, and mitered the corners, so it sits proud of the large piece by about 1/2" all around.  Now the tough part: What stain or oil finish to use?  Pics to follow shortly.

Bob

 Still a bit of sanding to do.  And I need to screw & glue the two sections together.

Bob

Been quite busy with work and holiday prepping, but managed to get a few small items done, such as the spar deck cannons.  Started working on the port side gun deck doors as well.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Bob

Bob, All your work is really beautiful. The lighting I will have to do without (unless you do it for me) because I have trouble turning a light on. In reguards to your wifes shoes & wine, she will wear the shoes out & drrink the wine, but you still have all your models left.

   My wife loves flowers & every year they die, but I still have a house full of models & have fun too.      

     Gene

Gene, thanks for the compliments.  If I built it a few more times, I could certainly come up with a "system" that I could pass along, but since this is really just a single build for myself, it would be a more time than I have.  I used to do that for the pinball stuff I built; one or two for myself to get it down, then semi-mass production for sale at my cost plus a bit extra for the effort.

Shipwreck, I plan on stealing Gene's idea/method of inserting a rod through the cannon stock and a small hole in the deck.  Just have to watch out for the lantern lighting  on the gun deck hanging from the ceiling.

Installing the decks is next, since I have everything (I hope) I need to get that done.  Then it will finally look like a ship!

Bob

Luvspinball

Installing the decks is next, since I have everything (I hope) I need to get that done.

Bob thanks for your comments on mounting the guns to the deck. You mentioned that you will be working on the decks. I just can not figure out how to assemble (with fixed seams) the decks, especially the wide gun deck, and get them into the hull. The kit instructions say to snap each section in individually, a book on the subject says to slide them in the stern! Do you have any ideas on this? Thanks For your consideration.

Shipwreck,

The gun deck is the tricky one, since it is wider than the spar deck and doesn't seem to want to fit in the hull.  You can NOT slide it in from the back, unless you are really brave and want to spread the stern apart that wide.  With all my wiring below the gun deck (and berth deck, which I added), there was no way to slide in from the rear anyway.

I have test fit the gun deck a couple of times by putting it in at a slight angle side-to-side, with the bow end just an inch or two from the head area.  You will have to spread apart the sides of the ship to get it to drop in, and then slide it forward until it reaches the front of the hull.  The first time I did it, it was a bit scary.  Make sure your hull halves are WELL GLUED, especially near the stern.  I used the plastic styrene cement to get the hull halves together, then ran a full bead of clear gorilla glue down the whole keel.  Twice.  With a 24 hour cure time in between.  Probably overkill, but I didn't want the hull ever coming apart.  I used the small metal office clips to hold it all in place the whole time.  Then sanded off any irregularities in the keel and rescribed the copper plating where it got sanded off.

I can send or post some pictures this evening of the extra mounting points I added to help support the gun deck.  Just 3/16" styrene strips since the three or four molded points just seemed a bit weak to me.  I also beefed up the thickness of the hull, but left the final plank next to the gun deck off until after it is permanently mounted.  This will make it easier to slip in place AND lock it in place once added.

Hope that helps.

Bob

Shipwreck,

Also, if you are using the original deck that came with the ship (3 pieces), you can reinforce the joints underneath using sheet styrene.  Just leave them short of the mounting points on the inside of the hull so it doesn't change the height of the gun deck relative to the spar deck.  Since it is below, it will never be seen and can be fairly beefy.  I did this to the plastic deck so I would have an accurate template to make my wooden deck from.  I have test fit both the glued-up OEM plastic and my reinforced (single piece) wooden deck several times with no major problems.

Bob

Thanks Bob. You have provided me just the info and confidence I need. I hope to do an OOB build!

Glad I could be of service.  Good luck with your build!  We want to see pics.

Bob

I found a Model Shipwrights Club here in the Chicago suburbs.  Talked with the club president and plan on attending their meeting next week.  As a bonus, it is their annual pizza party, so I get to meet new people AND eat pizza.  Perhaps I should bring a single malt with me? 

Anyone else attend these meetings?

Bob

All the gun doors have been set in place and rigged.  Final rigging to cleats will happen after I install the gun & berth deck combo.

Power hook up wires added to inside of lower hull, and final circuits added.

I will test all circuits one last time, then install the gun deck.

Just caught up with your Build. Beautiful work so far.....Cheers Mark

SHE'S FINALLY IN!

Hull already feels about 10 pounds heavier.  Will mount to temporary board tomorrow and test the lighting.  Hopefully all is well.  I quadruple checked everything.  I hope.

Bob

really like what you are doing mate . wish I had the talent to do it too 

Super impresssive, Bob!

I can't wait to see how the lights look!

Dave

Merry Christmas Bob,

Those are a lot of wires to keep track of and its looking very impressive.  Your deck is also very striking.  I am in the final phase of rigging (mizzen braces) on a 1/96 Constitution and I could not have thought of tackling a lighting project.

Good work,

Scott

Love the lighted effects.....just wonderful.

Merry Christmas...

Rob

Steve, Dave, Scott & Rob,

Thanks for the compliments, guys.  Not as complicated as it looks.  I kept track of what lights went where when I was building the circuits on the board.  At assembly, all I had to do was hook them up.  Decided to solder everything for security.  Only complicated parts were the cabin lights, as I have 4 lights per circuit.  Since I didn't want them to flash in unison, I purposely mixed the wires around so it looks random (similar to the cannons).

Both my wife and father-in-law suggested I do a YouTube video of the basic wiring circuits so that others can benefit.  It's a little more complicated then that, and math is involved when it comes to choosing a power supply, but I am pretty sure most can add.  Hardest part is soldering the micro-circuitry to the board.

I will take a few photos or a video of the lights and try to post.  Probably thru YouTube, since Postimages doesn't do video.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Bob

Been busy installing all the walls in the Captain's quarters and day cabin.  Also began installing all the knees on the gun deck.  I need to hide some of the wiring for the gun deck lighting, and all of those wires will be hidden in a channel in the knees.

Also started rigging the tackle for the cannons.  If ANYONE has a simple way to rig up the single and double blocks with the hooks and rope, I am all ears!  At this rate, it will take me until next Christmas to get all these guns rigged.

Bob

Bob - Your work on the Constitution is Fantastic - Especially the wiring!!!  I hope you follow thru with your wife's and father-in-law's suggestion on making a video about using lighting and circuit boards. I am lucky to be doing some basic wiring of lights with my build. I admire your work on your build.

So here are a few shots of the knees and cannon rigging.  Four down, twenty-six to go!

Also a shot of one of the officer's head.

That's all for now.

That is some beautiful work Bob. I love it.....Cheers mark

So I have been very busy at work, but finally got the starboard gun tackle all rigged.  Still deciding how to tie up the loose rope.  Probably coil and lay on guns on the starboard side.  Port side are the guns rigged to "fire," so those will have gun crews on them and the ropes left loose and cut a bit shorter.

On the port side, guns were already in place due to running the fiber optics, but loosely sitting on deck.  So I rigged all the breach ropes on the guns by seizing both ends, then securing to the bulkheads via a pin dropped through the rope and then through an eyelet (drop of gorilla glue to hold in place).  Then I secured the guns to the deck in the firing position (one gun in loading position on each side).  I used a small brass nail glued to the bottom of the carriage, pressed it into the wood deck to mark, drilled a pilot hole, then glued in place with gorilla glue.  Also added a drop to each wheel before securing.  Guns are rock solid.  I will get to the tackle next, then finish up the deck furniture and add some crew to "man the guns!"

Bob

Bob - your time spent on building this ship is well worth every minute. Your talents and mastery to detail AND your wiring skills are amazing!!! Thank you for sharing your talents with us on this piece of art. 

Thanks Robert.  I truly appreciate the compliments.  This is really just my way of relaxing and "unwinding" my mind - and it keeps my hands busy as well. 

So I have been working on the details of the gun deck furniture.  Biggest headache was the messenger cable.  Had to add a pulley to the main timber in the manger.  That would have been no big deal if I hadn't already installed the chain stopper bits.  But I got it in there somehow.  Second headache was trying to keep the messenger cable close to the deck - kept wanting to ride up.  Finally got it all squared away.

Did some puddening on the first anchor while watching a bit of golf.

Shots of the Captain's quarters:

Geez Bob, where's the inkwell on the Commadores desk?

  Holy Smokes that is some detail.

Can you make the deck over the cabin removable? That is too good to hide

I love it. I could never do it, but I love this model ship. 

  THANKS BOB!

          Jim

Jim,

Might have overdone it with the inkwell, but you will be able to see it through the windows!  My philosophy: Go Big or Go Home!  

Finishing up rigging the port side cannons.  Still looking for a way to cover the LEDs so they look more like lanterns on the rest of the gun deck.  I am contemplating doing what Force 9 did to to open up his spar deck so that you could see more of the gun deck.  My wife also says it would be a shame to cover all this up.  Still have some time before I come to that bridge.

Bob

Got tired of tying blocks for guns, so moved on to the bowsprit.  both the jib and flying jib plastic pieces were warped - the flying jib looked like a snake.  Dolphin strikers also a sore point for most of us as well, as they are quite flimsy and easily broken.  I started by doubling up the dolphins by bonding .040 styrene to the back, essentially doubling the thickness.  Can barely tell once its painted.  Holes were all wrong, so I filled the originals and redrilled the correct number (one short) and in the correct places.  Also added the stretcher bar and wrought iron stiffener at the top of the "Y".  Finally, I added the missing block/roller under the iron bar.

Then I moved on to the jibs.  Got some hardwood dowels and marked out the areas for sanding and tapering.  Described below:

Once I was satisfied with how it all fits together, I stained the jibs and will give a coat or two of polyurethane before assembling.  Still need to do some paint touchups on the dolphin striker as well.  Also added stairs, blocks and a corrected fairlead with 9 holes for rigging the bowsprit.

I will say that overall EVERYTHING is much stiffer, and will be much stronger for rigging.  So I guess it was a good thing the flying jib was so ugly, or I might not have done the extra work.

Bob

I see you are on your way to a wood model. The plastic sailing ship model is a flawed concept when the windy parts are tackled (pun intended).

GM,

I concur.  Looking at the sprues, all 3 of the topgallant masts are warped as well.  Will be a hybrid of plastic at the bottom of the masts, with wood at the tops. 

On a side note, met a guy at my last IPMS meeting who says he has "7 or 8 of those Heller plastic ship models" which he will never get a chance to build.  I told him I would gladly take them off his hands if he can let me know which ones he has.  Hopefully get a list from him in April.  Hoping for a Soleil Royal in there somewhere!

Bob

Hi Bob,

I have been floowing your build and am in awe with what you are doing.  I am about 30 hours away from being done my build.  All the booms, upper masts, and most of the spars were relpace with wood and I used steel rod in the lower masts.  I  learned from earlier Revell builds that rigging plastic masts and spars is like trying to give three cats a bath at the same time. 

Scott

I don't have 3 cats, but I have 2 goldens, so I can empathize with your statement.  Not sure how you know that you have 30 hours left, since every task I set out to revise seems to take at least twice as long as I thought.  Not complaining - I am in no real hurry, and would rather do a job well rather than quickly.  I do remember back from my first crack at this years ago, that getting tension on the top lines WITHOUT bending the masts in all directions caused me quite a few headaches.

If I might ask, how did you do the spars?  The rest are relatively straight-forward, as they just taper from one end.  But the spars need to taper from the middle out.  Tough to do without a small lathe, I would think.  Any advice would be well received.

Bob

I say 30 hours because all I have left is the three boats to rig up and I'm procrastinating it.  I started this build in 2007 and wish I did not do two things, one was use the kits belaying pins, and two was to follow the instructions and rig the sheets and stays towards the end.  It put a lot of strain on the eyes and brain.

I used steel rod in the main and fore lower spars that were split.  The rest I turned on a Dremel lathe from square stock using the kits spars as a guide.

Gad, time flies, its has been ten years since I did this. 

Hi Bob!

Finally got a chance to peruse your build, one word, WOW! I am super impressed with the work you have done on the gun deck, it is amazing, especially the lighting plan at this scale. 'Tis a pity you cannot display such fine work without the spar deck in place, it is truly good work! Your deck work really appeals to a woodworker like myself, especially as I did not use my wood working skills to scratch build my own decks, primarily due to a serious lack of time. I had to settle for finding the time to repair my badly warped decks and hand scribe the deck planking using Evan's method. My build is here:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/164251.aspx

I am particularly impressed with the staining applied to the deck for a couple of reasons. 1, it seems to have a nicely weathered patina, and 2, it is not the traditional coloring that heart of yellow pine, the original decking of Constitution, would weather to, which to my mind adds an individuality that I like to add to my own builds. Your attention to detail however, is way out of my league!

I have a question for you, have you purchased Blue Jacket's build plans? Included in the plans are a full scale template for all of the masts, yards, spars and and studding sail booms for the ship as well as a more correct rigging plan. As you stated on my build log, you are a little further behind my build as well as Evans, the BJ plans may be a big help with regard to how to set up the channels, pin rails (Revell's kit has far fewer than required) and a more complete set of instructions for the rigging itself. I personally think they are the most valuable purchase I have made besides the kit itself. Plus if you go to the kit link on their website it has a full breakdown of all blocks, cleats, cordage, and so on needed to rig her according to their very accurate plans. Plus, there brass belaying pins are first rate, I scratch built all of my pin rails and used their pins, I love the way they came out.

I really like the templates, I am just starting to turn my jibs, spars, yards, studding booms, etc. I have re-enforced the lower and upper masts in addition to the lower yards so I will be using the kit pieces there but the top gallant pieces and and studding sail booms are a joke and so I will turn cherry wood to replace them, including the spanker and gaff, plus the skys'l yard is not even included in the Revell kit.

My resource for blocks and cordage is hands down Syren https://www.syrenshipmodelcompany.com/miniature-rope.php

I have never seen quality blocks quite like this, plus the cordage is first rate as well, Cottage Industries http://cottageindustrymodels.com/?page_id=153 also makes some pretty first rate cordage.

I wish I had used the 0.6 mm copper eyelets from Jotika instead of there 0.9 bass ones, cheaper and far closer to scale, but alas! The deed is done.

Again, now that I have found your log I will be following with great interest, you clearly do very good work!

Absolutely stunning Bob. I had played around with the idea of using fiber optics in the cannon barrels to make them appear to be firing using a sequencer like I have done on my RC planes guns. Was going to use a smoke generator from an electric train to make smoke flow out of gundeck. Found the cannon barrels were just too fragile and rather small to drill out for fiber installation. I am planning on doing this on a future larger wood ship. Your detail work is museum quality. I am jealous :) 

I believe it was Age of Sail who turned me onto the BJ manual and parts list. Not only do you get the manual, but you get the full size plans, rigging plans, parts list and a discount coupon to apply too the purchase of a wood kit. I personally think its a must have and has been a big help on my build. I am going to put metal rod in lower portion of masts, then I am ordering the upper mast bits, spars, booms etc. I really like the syrene rigging line, they have more colors and sizes than kit provides and the look/quality is impressive and its not expensive.

AOS and LIVIT,

Thanks a lot for the compliments - means a lot.  I plan on ordering a set of BJ plans ASAP after both your comments.  Pretty much just working from the museum plans I got on CD and the AOTS book. I also have a lot of Syren rope - awesome looking stuff.  Their blocks are also the best I have found, bar none.  I acutally have the log book summary of every block used on the ship, and was planning to use that to start ordering blocks.  I may wait until I get the BJ plans now.

Started on the spar deck last night by getting the boards all glued up and the curve to the "underlayment" for the deck.  Using two sheets of .030 glued together with a 1/8" dowel under the bottom to get the curvature.  This way I can sand the deck boards flat, stain and varnish, then glue it to the already curved styrene underlayment.  Using the crappy plastic one supplied as a template for the cut-outs - with modifications of course.  Also using it to gauge where adjustments need to be made so that the spar deck fits correctly.  About 5/32" too short, and about 1/8" not wide enough.  Since everyone wants me to leave some way to see the gun deck, I am going to go with Force9's idea of making some cutouts in the spar deck that can be removed (stick an eyebolt in there so I can grab it).  One fore around the camboose, one just behind the main mast, and one aft by the captain's cabin & lounge.  Force's are permanent openings with the beams and knees, but mine will probably only have the main beams.

Bob

LIVIT

I had played around with the idea of using fiber optics in the cannon barrels to make them appear to be firing using a sequencer like I have done on my RC planes guns. Was going to use a smoke generator from an electric train to make smoke flow out of gundeck. Found the cannon barrels were just too fragile and rather small to drill out for fiber installation. I am planning on doing this on a future larger wood ship.

Check out Model Monkey (Steve Larsen) on Shapeways.com.  He does 3D printing.  He has both the 24 and 32 pounders which are really good quality and drillable for fiber optics.  He has lots of other cannons in just about every scale possible.  Nice guy - just tell him what you need and he can print it up for you.

Glued up the spar deck with a fixed deck pitch or arch.  3 layers to the spar deck:

bottom layers are 2 .030 styrene sheets glued together

Top layer is the wood deck.  Process outlined below:

Now I kick back and wait 24 hours.

Bob

After letting the curve in the spar deck cure for a few days, I marked the deck with the cardboard template I made and started cutting out the holes in the deck for the hatches, masts, capstan, etc.

I start by cutting only through the wood to the correct size for the hatchcoming.  When that fits well, I then mark and cut the hole through the plastic portion of the deck.  This then leaves space to glue/bond the plastic hatch to the styrene portion of the deck under the wood.  I am leaving the very large main hatch until I get all the wiring run for the spar deck.  This will hopefully prevent the deck from warping or twisting before it is glued in place.  Also checked fit of the masts to make sure they were plumb and level through the decks.  All good.

Bob

Deck looks great Bob! I know it's not color correct but I love the dark finish, I likewise went for non color correct on my deck because I think it looks better, you really did a nice job

Dan

Thanks, Dan.  I know the photos don't show it well because of the flash, but I tried to do a darker stain down the middle, and a lighter stain under the carronades.  Looks good under natural light.  Inspired by the picture below:

Bob

Gundeck is finally completed.  All guns rigged, all ropes installed and secured, and crew is painted (drying as I type).  Images below.

Bob

Happy Easter !

That is just some stunning work Bob. I am in awe.....Cheers mark

Thanks Mark.  Fabulous job on the Bismarck.  Love the antenna rigging.  Your attention to detail is some of the finest I have seen.  One curious question perhaps you can answer:  Since those big lifeboats had to be craned into the water, and the cranes rested on the outer edges of the deck and super-structure, weren't the cranes vulnerable to both broadside hits and strafing attacks?  Perhaps that's why they carried liferafts as well.

Anyway, fine job as well.

Thanks again, Bob

I finally completed the lighting mods on the underside of the spar deck, as well as all the cut-outs in the deck for masts, hatches, ladders and the main hatch.  I also added two additional cut-outs which will be removeable later on to view the commodore's war room and the cook's area on the gun deck.  I will just glue a guy to each of the cutouts so they can be easily removed.  Finally, I added all the ringbolts to the spar deck bulwarks for rigging the carronades and bowchaser guns (4 per gun).

There are 25 more lights added on 5 separate circuits to light the gun deck.  The wires to power them were hidden in the bulkheads or beams before the gun deck was installed.  These were powered by 20mA circuits from the power driver board.  Each lighting circuit was terminated with two pins which project downward from the deck at the appropriate points to match up with the 5 circuits.  The circuit to the captain's and commodore's cabins and the war room were run through the mizzen mast hole.  I then stripped the wires and wrapped them around the pins and soldered, leaving about an inch or so of play in the wires so I could tip and manuever the deck to get to them.

I also secured the galley windows to the stern and adjusted so it was "light tight" - no light sneaking out from the edges.  Also added the the stern bulwark, which had to be "adjusted" since it was about 1/8" too short on the starboard side.  I will add some pictures tonight showing how all this was done.  Last step is to glue the spar deck down to the underlying supports, then onto the deck furniture and masts.

Bob

Bob..fantastic report...I bet it looks magnificent for sure.

All that illumination.......mmmm.

Rob

Rob,

These are just the 3mm water clear LEDs rated for 30mA, and I am only pushing 20mA through them, so it is just a dim yellow glow from each.  Mounted them between every other cannon.  I also filed each LED flat and painted them to look like brass lanterns using brass enamel paint.  This further limits the light.  Nothing directly out of the end so it doesn't create a "hot spot" on the deck.  Also hit the clear lens with 400 grit sandpaper to soften the light a bit more.  Big deck - almost 24 inches from bow to stern - so the number of LEDs is about right for even lighting of the entire deck - plus a glow coming up through the open hatches and lattice.  My wife says it looks fabulous, so I guess it is okay.  Pics a bit later (maybe a video).

Bob

Wonderful indeed.

The issue of providing enough light and keeping the light brightness to scale (flickering candles, that provide lots of shadows, NOT a well lit gymnazium) can be challenging I'm sure...not to mention the capturing of light leaks around cracks and joints and preventing light from creating that opaque bleed through the plastic hull/fittings.

You need a tight light box....controlled that is.

Great job for sure.

Rob

Ron,

Thanks for the compliment.  I have some experience in this area from lighting my pinball mods. 

Since I beefed up the walls of the ship, I wasn't overly concerned about light bleeding through there.  Same can be said for the 3 layered deck I built.  Hardest part was the stern.  The one piece gallery doesn't fit very tight, and even minor errors with the hull halves can be multiplied back there.  I did a LOT of measuring before and after the hull was glued together, to get the deck widths correct so that everything would line up and be be "light tight."  I even added a very flexible extension (.010" styrene painted black) which flared out from the bottom of the gallery and extended into the hull an extra two inches.  I also added miniature kickboards around the cabin floors so that nothing could leak through the gaps between the walls and decks.  The only area left where light may leak through will be the masts, which I have rings for.

Looks great, Bob!  The lighting is wonderful.

Bob, That is fantastic work and a beautiful Replica.  Thank you for creating this thread.

And a Happy very-belated Birthday.  I should have remembered. Mine is May 7 too.

    Jim.

Nino & Steve,

Thanks for the kind words.  Adding the lighting is just my way of making things as complicated as possible.  Seriously, though, I really wanted this version of the ship to have all the bells and whistles that I couldn't even have imagined 35 years ago.  When I finally get her done, I may go back to some of my old sci fi kits that have been sitting in boxes for years for a change of pace.  I still have more boats to build, but going to all wood on the next one.  Got a great deal on the Niagara kit, and I have a Sovereign lying around as well.  Getting lots of experience on making wooden part with the Connie: masts, spars, railings, fife-rails, etc. will all be wood (mostly because many of my plastic parts are warped or missing pieces).

More pics when I get the spar deck completed.

Bob

Bob, not only is your work beautiful, but the electrical you do is unbelieveable.

Thanks Gene.  Means a lot to me.

Bob

Working on the spar deck furniture, like fife rails and pinrails.  Started with the fife rails.

Bob

Just got back from a much deserved vacation (been 3 since we have gone away).

So I thought I would catch you up on progress.

Finished mods to forecastle and added wooden rails and all the fore deck furniture.

Installed and rigged starboard aft deck caronnades and installed rail.

Need to finish port caronnades and railing, install wheel (still working on this) and the rest of the hardware for rigging the mizzen mast.

Bob

P.S.  Went on river cruise through Bordeaux, FR, then spen a week trolling around Tuscany, IT.  Had a blast.  Waiting for wine to be delivered.

The rumors of my demise are false.  Been quite busy with life the past few months.  My nephew was married in October, my son got married the week before Thanksgiving (afterwhich we ended up dog-sitting while they were on their honeymoon) and then the holidays arrived (had 26 people over for Thanksgiving, and 24 for Christmas).  So now that all the dogs and people have left, I finally got a chance to get to my workroom.  I also decided that since all the Christmas boxes were out, I would do a little cleaning and rearranging.  Finally made it "MY" space (instead of a space I just worked in.  Got all the new toys I got for Christmas in there as well (new airbrush station, mini-lathe and dremel drill press).

On to the boat! Working on all the remaining spar deck furniture.  Built some binnacles since putting those cheap plastic ones on their with all the real wood seemed silly.  Finished rigging the last 8 carronades and installed the last piece of mahogany railing.  Started working on the cleats and pinrails.  Started with the bow rail, since that had to be precisely fitted to the shape of the bow and still have clearance for the bowsprit.  Also put a box and grating over the bowsprit since that funky "ladder-like thing" that came with the ship was never really there (just a way to hide the hole in the deck). Got several laser-cut cleats, but the big ones just didn't look right.  So back to the woodpile to make my own.  Really wanted the bolts to show, so after making the cleats, I drilled the bolt pattern, pushed through some copper pins, cut off the excess, and then filed them flush with the surface.  A bit of light stain and some poly finished them off.  Installed them where the museum plans instructed.  Installed the laser-cut cleats by pinning them to the walls.  Finished up the stern with cleats & rail.

Enjoy!

Bob

Bob,

  You're not just a Pinball Wizard.

"...Finished up the stern with cleats & rail..."  Exquisite Work!

 Did anyone ever tell you "You've got beautiful Cleats"?

 I've been following.   Like you it has been a busy Nov-Dec-Jan.  Real glad you have resumed.

     Jim.

THANKS NINO !

Moving on, I really could not put those frail-looking cheap plastic pinrails on the bulwarks.  I also remember all the trouble I had trying to tie off lines to those tiny pins, many of which broke.  Even had an entire rail come off half way through rigging.  So back to the woodpile we dive!

Pulled out some more of the mahogany to match the railings.  I glued an extra 1/16" x 1/16" piece to the inside bottom of the rail to give me a larger glue surface.  Then using the drawings from the Constitution museum of the rails, I cut the pinrails to scale length, rounded the front edges and drilled all the holes for both the round and square belay pins.  Made the square ones from scrap stock, and purchased some of the Model Shipyard brass 9mm pins (will paint them to look like wood later).  All belay pins were glued in place, then the bulwarks scraped down to bare plastic (also had to scrape off the bolt pattern added earlier).  Mounted with a generous amount of CA.  To prevent them from popping off during rigging, I then drilled through the hull and pinrails and installed copper pins.  Trimmed flush with hull and painted to blend in.  Look like bolt heads, if you can see them at all.

Bob

Having completed the pinrails, I have moved on to the channels.  Big problem here.  Revell's kit is flat out wrong.  Yes, you can use the cheap prefab plastic channels and get away with it.  I wanted to go with wood, and realized one important point: Revell did NOT get the gun deck guns and spar deck guns in the right places.  What that means is that when you try to figure out where to put the deadeyes and irons, you are left with a VERY limited number of places to comfortably mount them with any kind of even spacing AND having them in the proper alignment to the masts.  Using the museum plans as a starting point for the overall size, it is also apparent that the Revell kit took some liberties there also.  Anyway, I printed the scale drawings to 1/96 on stiff card stock and cut them out.  Glued up several pieces of hardwood to get the width, then traced the patterns and cut out the channels.  I also added a thin (1/16x1/16) piece of styrene stock under where the channels would attach to give them something to rest on (and glue to).  I also drilled holes in the hull and channels for wire pins to anchor them solidly.

After mounting them temporarily, I put the mast in place and used a string to determine where I could mount the deadeyes.  I created a small notch in the edge of the channel, stropped the deadeye, and glued in place.  When all the deadeyes were in, I added a wood strip to lock them in.  Then painted the channel black.  I was able to purchase 5mm iron strops, but made my own for the 3.5 and 2.5mm deadeyes.  The first one attached is that for the main mast, shown below.

Only 5 more to go!

Bob

Great job Bob....fantastic.

Why not paint the deadeyes..they too needed to be preserved and painting them black would be in keeping with the standard of the day.....

Rob

Rob,

I was looking at some of the pictures and paintings and agree with you.  Plus it simplifies my painting process, so win-win.  Big question: were the ropes used for reeving the deadeyes tarred or not?  Current Connie has black (tarred) ropes between the deadeyes, but many of the models I have seen they are tan. 

Bob

Bob...good question.   The lanyards, as much as some folks want to suggest, are NOT running rigging.  Once the shrouds were brought taught..the lanyards were tarred to preserve them.  The deadeyes were also painted.  Wood and hemp rope were highly suseptible to deterioration.  Folks who model the lanyards in tan rope are simply following a false perception...mostly driven by what looks good to them, however it is not accurate.

I trust the nautical engineers and historians who refitted the Connie....their black nylon is representitive of a known practice.

Your model is impressive.

Rob

Thanks Rob!  You are the best, and a fountain of nautical knowledge.

Bob

I'm glad I could be of assistance.  Techical and historical Accuracy is important, if not moreso than the modelers skill.  And your skill is commendable.

Rob

Rob,

Thanks again for the complement.  Means a lot to me.    Back to the bench!

Bob

Been busy with the starboard channels, links and chainplates. First, Revell did NOT do a good job placing cannons, since there is virtually no room to put deadeyes and links that don't interfere with either the spar or gun deck cannons. The worst offender is the foremast, where the cannons form a zig-zag pattern. Main mast was pretty good, then back to a big offset for the mizzen channel.  I started with the main mast to get my techniques for making the deadeye strops and links.  I used copper wire so I could solder them together (for strength).  I used the proper size 5mm deadeyes (Revell's are woefully undersized) and marked the channels.  Since the channels were fitted with pins, I could test fit as often as I wanted to insure proper placement and alignment.  Mizzen channel was next (not too bad), and finally the biggest challenge - the foremast.  The foremast channel took me 3 builds to get it looking proper, with decent spacing of the deadeyes and room for the carronades to shoot.  All were finally painted black after mounting.  On to the port side.

Bob

Looks fantastic.  In all of your modifications did you account for the accurate angulation and rake of the shrouds from the new location of the adjusted deadeyes?  A quick test with the lower mast in place and piece of black thread held along the shroud path from top to deadeye...will give you a good clue as to weather the chain plates align with the shrouds.

Other then that possible issue...the mod and scratch work look good....you're moving along nicely and soon you will be setting masts and rigging shrouds.

Rob

Rob,

Yes, I did the string thing with the lower masts in; thought I mentioned it in a previous post.  With the proper sized deadeyes, it is really not an issue though, except for the mizzen mast.  But thanks for the heads up; and the compliments.

Bob

Bob,

I just had time to go through this most excellent WIP. You are doing a great job on this venerable old kit. I’ll be following along now and can’t wait to see what’s next.

Steve

Been awhile.  The Covid19 thing is really messing with my ***.  Quite busy doing online lectures and meetings.  But I digress.  On to the cool stuff.

I was very unhappy with the look of the bowsprit.  Just didn't look right when comparing to the real ship.  I had to make new booms since the old ones were warped, but even that didn't help.  So I went to the museum plans and printed out the bowsprit and jibbooms to scale.  Sure enough, the bowsprit is over an inch too short.  Jibboom was correct, but flying jibboom was also short by 1/2".  So I went to my stash of dowels and pulled out the lathe.  I was going to need to start turning upper masts and spars anyway, so I thought I would "practice" with the bowsprit (since I did have a nice hybrid one already made; you can see it in the background of image 4).  Below are the pics of how it turned out.

Cheers,

Bob

Here is how the new bowsprit and jibs look painted up and fitted to the bow.

Working on the foremast next.

Bob

Finished turning the spritsail yard and moved on to lower foremast.

On to the lowere mainmast.

Bob

Bob, 

Spectacular scratch build work on the bowsprit and foremast! I love your attention to detail. Curious, what shade of white are you painting your masts? And what type of wood are you using?

Jose

Thanks, Jose.  Using a neutral white, which has a warm quality to it instead of a bright white.

Finished the Foremast.  Bit of a pain getting the skysail pole made; kept breaking when I got close to 1/16".  Ended up making individual pieces and just sanding down in the lathe when I got close to that.

Bob

Been working on the masts and yards. Since I have switched to wood, the plastic fighting top looked odd.  So I built a wooden one. I have a tutorial which I did at my shipbuilding club tonight, but I will spare you the details and just show the finished product.

I have a few of the yards as well.

That's all for now.  2 more masts and a bunch of yards to go.

Bob

Bob, you have certainly taken the Revell USS Constitution to a new level. By the time you are done you will be justified in dropping the name Revell from our build! Thanks for sharing your journey; it is a WOW! BTW, I am still plodding along with my OOB build.

Thanks, Shipwreck.

I already did this ship once in my early 20s, strictly OOB.  This time I wanted it to be special.  That, and I wanted my wife to let me display it without any sad comments this time (I still think secretly smiled when I had to scuttle the original).  She is overly supportive this time because she sees the amount of work I am putting into it, and is actually impressed by my workmanship.  Not in any hurry to get it done.  Do it right the first time - er, second time - and you won't have to do it again.  Although I don't show her all the stuff that hits the bin because I screwed something up.  She only gets to see the good stuff!

Bob

I've been looking at pictures of sailing ships in combat, and noticed that they all showed reduced sails, as I understand it to help prevent damage to the rest of their sails.

Try as I could, I could not tell if the rest of the sails were furled or put below from those paintings.

I was going to model my Constitution with furled sails, but since the kit came with open gunports, usually, as far as I can tell, mostly when prepped for battle, I decided to model her ready for battle with guns run out, ports open, and reduced sails.

I have some silk span on order for sail making, and HiS carriages for the spar deck.

I scratch built a Brodie stove, galley and water barrels for the gun deck, then covered them up when the spar deck went on. That's when I went back to your build and saw the open decks.

Rick,

Yes, I wanted to be able to see my work on the gun deck, so I cut three large "holes" in the spar deck that can be removed to show the workings below.  Plus I lit it all up with LEDs.

Bob

You did an awesome job. That build is a classic!!!

Nino

Geez Bob, where's the inkwell on the Commadores desk?

 

  Holy Smokes that is some detail.

Can you make the deck over the cabin removable? That is too good to hide

I love it. I could never do it, but I love this model ship. 

  THANKS BOB!

          Jim

 

I absolutely agree with Jim, this is one heck of a build Bob! 

I’ve added this thread to my favorites so that I can refer to it when I build the 1/96 United States that was given to me for free. Please the pictures and dialogue coming.

Steve

Thanks, Steve.

I can't really tell if I am giving too much info or not.  Or taking too many pictures.  But I will keep posting as long as I am still building.  I will try not to bore anyone by reposting similar builds, such as the masts and yards.  Not a whole lot of differences there in terms of useful build info.  But I will definitely get back into posting once the rigging starts.  And I am sure I will have plenty of questions once it does!  Nice to know that folks are still watching, as this is going on two years now.

Bob

Yes,  more info good.   Always keep searching. 

    If I had not continued research on the USS Monitor I would never have known that the top deck had multiple perforations overtop of 40 railroad type rails or had any idea where the 3 small viewing ports in the turret were located, or that there were holes in the gun port armored covers ("Stoppers") so that the long handle of the rammer and sponges could be used.

Yes.  Keep the info coming.  Someday some AMERICAN manufacturer might take all these accumulated facts and make a kit that Is A Replica.

   Love what you are doing.   You should make this a traveling display.  Lend it to local Libraries, Lions clubs, VFW's, etc.  It would certianly help to get the interest going to build model ships.

The Constitution...(Paper and Plastic.)

That may be the most important phrase on the planet.

     Jim.

Spent most of the summer creating websites for work, recording lectures, etc.  Finally have some free time and able to get back into the shop.  

THE HULL IS COMPLETE !

Only things left are the crew and hammock rails, which will be added AFTER the rigging is mostly complete (otherwise I will keep busting things up/off).

ON TO THE MASTS and FIXED RIGGING

Bob

I decided to try a little carving for the catheads.

Now to recreate it for the other side.  Luckily, it's darn near impossible to see them both at the same time, so I only have to get it close!  Also  dumped the cheap plastic (bendy) boomkins and scratch built new ones out of wood.  Much sturdier.

Bob

Nice Lions head!.

  I have been absent from your Constitution Thread for a bit.  My expectation is to re-read it all and copy those great tips that have worked so well for you.

 My excuse for missing your recent updates was an Ian Toll book, Six Frigates.  Wow, what a great book on the early history of our Country.  The Constitution figured prominently in it so, I'm back!

  Great work Bob.

       Jim.

I haven't read that.  Now I will have to.  I wonder if they have it in a "books on tape" or whatever they call it now so I can listen to it while I build?  Podcasts are fine, but there aren't any dedicated to shipbuilding.  I would be all over that!

GM are you listening?  You could do this and become REALLY famous!

Bob

Geez!

 This is turning into a work of ART !  Awesome my Friend!

Thanks, TB.  I was a little leery, but they turned out OK.  Most people might not even notice them, but I know they are there.

Bob

Nino

My excuse for missing your recent updates was an Ian Toll book, Six Frigates.  Wow, what a great book on the early history of our Country.  The Constitution figured prominently in it so, I'm back!

Working on finishing the yards for the fore mast.  All yards have been turned and wooden parts added (cleats, battens, etc.) and then painted black.

Working on the studding sail booms for the lower 3 yards.  Turning the booms is as easy as it gets - cut to the right length and then sand to the correct taper.  I found a tutorial online that showed how to create the boom irons.  They said to drill a small hole in a brass tubing of the correct diameter for the boom.  Easy enough. 

Then it said to place a wire in the hole and solder, then bend as needed.  Not so easy.  Difficult to keep the wire perpendicular to the tubing AND not have it stick too far into the tubing so you can't file it down.  So I modified the procedure a bit, using some jewelry pins.  These are fine wires with a flat head about 1/16" diameter.  Quite small.  So I filed opposite sides down to the wire to make it a "T".  I passed the wire through the inside of the tubing and secured it with a small dab of CA, making sure it was perpendicular to the tubing.  THEN I soldered it to the brass tubing.

Hope that tip is useful to others down the road.

Bob

Clever solution, Bob! I wish I had done this on my second build, but will certainly use it on my current one!

Jose

Jose,

Glad I could help out.

Bob

My grand daughter was showing my Connie to one of her friends and dropped it. Her friend stumbled trying to catch it before it hit the floor and stepped on it. The hull was broken.

I am starting the third Connie I had, salvaging the guns and carriages from the crushed hull. 

I learned how to load pics into a file on the pc (not being a pc person) and know how to e-mail them. In order to send them to FSM, exactly what address do I use and how do I get them into my build section?

Thanks for any tips you can give me. This one I will pic in FSM once I figure that out.

PS, this caused the shedding of many tears, and a delay while recuperating from the wreckage!

Got the bowsprit pre-rigged and installed.  Added the gammoning.  Solid as a rock - that bowsprit is in there great (until I snap it off by doing something stupid !).

Hope you all had a happy, and probably quiet, Thanksgiving.

Let the model buying for Christmas commence!

Bob

So my father-in-law had an interesting idea.  He said I should time-lapse the rigging.

So I set up a white sheet behind the bench, and at the end of every night that I actually work on the ship, I place the boat in the same spot and snap a few pictures.  When I finally finish it, I will have a cool montage of the stepping of masts, hoisting of yardarms, bending of the sails, and completion of the ship.

As of now, I only have 3 photos, so nothing to show yet.  I think it will look cool.  Our University did a similar thing by taking one photo every day at the same time to document the construction of our new research building.  Kind of cool to see an entire building go up in about 5 minutes.  Hopefully this will look equally as cool.

In the mean time, I will continue posting photos of the details of the daily work to document the intricacies of the build, and any other tidbits I may stumble upon as I go.  Today I had to scratch build a roller for the jibboom for the jibstay.  Took a couple tries, but I got something I was fairly proud of that actually works!

Pics to follow.

Bob

Luvspinball

So my father-in-law had an interesting idea.  He said I should time-lapse the rigging.

So I set up a white sheet behind the bench, and at the end of every night that I actually work on the ship, I place the boat in the same spot and snap a few pictures.  When I finally finish it, I will have a cool montage of the stepping of masts, hoisting of yardarms, bending of the sails, and completion of the ship.

That is a great idea, Bob. It will certainly help us that are struggling with the rigging!

Just remember that on the rigging I am NOT using the Revell plans.  I have 4 other references I am using to come up with what was as close to 1812 as I can estimate.  Every Captain had his own ideas about the running rigging, and many things have changed over the past 220 years.  You really can't go by what she looks like today or the most copied version from the 1927 restoration.  It has proved to be a little more difficult than just following along with Revell's simplified version of rigging.

And I am being totally anal about using the correct size wooden block and diameter of rope.  I have about a dozen sizes for standing rigging and another dozen for the running rigging.  I pulled from a few manufacturers to fill in odd sizes and to make it look like ropes had been replaced over time (slightly different tints of tan).

But, hey, if it helps anyone, then that is fantastic.  I just thought it would be cool to see her go from a hull to a finished fighting ship in a matter of minutes.

Bob

Sorry in advance for the long post.

Rigging has begun.  Started with the bobstays, bowsprit shrouds and martingales.  Finished up with most of the jibboom and flying jibboom guys.

Some intricate rigging in there, and I am inventing new ways (new to me, anyway) to try and do this all properly.  Seizing every bullseye and/or block.  Easy on the bench, a bit more tricky if the line is already on the ship.  Those that have to pass through thimbles or the dolphin strikers can't be "pre-rigged" at both ends.  Also hand looping between all the bullseyes with smaller rope so it looks authentic.  Bowsprit area is complete (for now).

That's it for now.   Bob

Nice work Bob.

be sure to wax your lines and plan for the big bugaboo on the forward spar, which is the fore stay will bend it upwards.

Good clean work.

I tried to answer your question about studding sails, i.e. I don't know.

Bill

Thanks Bill. 

I am trying to remember to wax my lines.  Got the block of beeswax sitting on the bench, but I am pretty sure I missed one or two.

Not sure what you mean about the forestay.  Forestay and fore preventer stay are rigged into huge bullseye on the forward rail.  Did you mean that they get in the way of the main spar?  Or were you referring to the topmast stay (and topgallant stay) which do attach to the bowsprit and jibboom and could pull it up?  Principle reason I went with wood masts and spars all around.  Much less prone to bending (the flimsy plastic from Revell just doesn't cut it).

As for the studding sails, all I really wanted to know is whether they were left in the outboard position, even if there were no studding sails attached.  I read somewhere that they were left in the outboard position once under sail, and not hauled back in or out everytime they wanted to change.  Will check with my master crew next Wednesday.  I am a member of the Midwest Model Shipwrights club, and the head of the NRG is also a member.  Lots of experienced builders there, so hopefully I can get an answer.  No rush, since I have a LOT of rigging to go before throwing yards up.

Bob

Yes, topmast stay.

Bill,

You were correct and I was in error.  The foremast stay and preventer stay are rigged to the center of the bowsprit via huge open hearts.  Topmast stay & preventer go through the bees.  All four of these will try to pull up on the bowsprit.  But with the gammoning and bobstays all rigged very tight, I am not worried about the bowsprit bending, since it is a solid piece of wood. 

More worried about the topgallant and royal stays pulling on the jibboom and flying jib.  That is where most folks run into trouble, especially with the very flimsy plastic, which really has a tendency to bend either the skypole or the flying jib.  I remember playing that game some 35 years ago when I first built her.  Had to go back and tighten up the martingales so I could get everything to look OK.  But even then, they had a tendency to sag in the summer.

Bob

Rigging.  An excuse to drink scotch.  (I am paraphrasing off of your tag)

Moved from the bowsprit to the foremast. Accidentally broke one of the 40g wires to the foremast lamp. It was a chore, but I was able to pull out the broken wire and splice a new one on. Can't really strip the insulation on that stuff - just have to gently scrape or sand it off.  All fixed, light is working, and stepped the mast using just a bit of the slow-set superglue on the bottom. Mast is pretty tight, but shrouds will hold it in place. 

All shrouds were individually tied, seized, and wrapped around the mast in pairs, working back and forth.  Mast is dead straight and has the necessary 1/2" of rake.  I tried to make sure to keep the deadeyes holes in line with the shroud. 

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Hope all your stockings are stuffed with modeling things.

Bob

After getting all the shrouds and Burton pendants onto the foremast, I added the fore stay and the fore preventer stay.  Each had to have a collar and mouse added, and then served.  They both attach to unique "open" hearts on the bowsprit which had to be scratch built and painted.  Each was tensioned with a lanyard.

While waiting for the correct size 3 sheave blocks to arrive to the foremast shrouds, I decided to strop the deadeyes and attach them to the fighting top.  To hold them in place, futtock shrouds are used, which attach to the deadeye strop with a hook and to a ring below the fighting top.  A Bentinck shroud then courses behind the mast to a pair of bullseyes on the opposite side of the deck and are tensioned with a lanyard.

Bob

A beautiful work of art.  I love it.  :)

Thanks Night-Fighter

    Bob, I'm still out here, reading along and following your definitive Constitution build to the best of my ability.

    You stretched my comprehension ability with your last "...While waiting for the correct size 3 sheave blocks to arrive to the foremast shrouds, I decided to strop the deadeyes and attach them to the fighting top.  To hold them in place, futtock shrouds are used, which attach to the deadeye strop with a hook and to a ring below the fighting top.  A Bentinck shroud then courses behind the mast to a pair of bullseyes on the opposite side of the deck and are tensioned with a lanyard."

   Thank you for adding Photos with arrows...(lol).

Yo, Great work.  Yours is another great Thread that I love to re-read and take notes.

      Jim.

I didn't mean to lose you Jim! Glad the photos helped.  Just trying to follow the BlueJacket plans and my 3 other resources to get this looking as close to 1812 as I can. Since this is my first foray back into ship building in many years, even I have trouble sometimes with the terminology being used. I constantly have to look things up or type them into the Google search bar. I try to research each section I am about to do if I have ANY questions, since I HATE doing things twice.

Thanks for the compliments.  It keeps me going.

Bob

All lower shrouds done so moving up the mast to the topmast shrouds.  Still working in pairs except for the 5th (aft-most) shroud.  Same procedure as before, except it is a bit trickier to rig the second deadeye on the shroud.  Had to get clever so I could seize it correctly. 

After the shrouds were done, started on the backstays, since the topmast forestay is supposed to go around both shrouds and backstays.  Started with the shifting backstays which have a very unique set of blocks, a hook and a loop around the lower deadeye, as shown below.  Once these are finished, I will do the normal topmast backstays to the deadeyes on the channels.

Take care and keep masking up!

Bob

Clinic on standing rigging.

Nicely done and demonstrated, Bob.

I hope you are posting over on modelships.

I have completed the rigging of the foremast finally.  Finally got all the way to the skypole.  Also added the spritsail yard lifts as well.

Back to the lathe and making the main mast.  Enjoy.

take care.

Bob

Looking magnificent Bob

Michael D.

So I finished the main and mizzen lower masts, and the main topmast.  Stepped the main mast after doing the electrical work for mast lamp.  Moved onto the mizzen spanker, boom and gaff, since they need to be added when mizzen mast is stepped.  Gaff and boom jaws needed parrals, but didn't have small enough beads, so I made them out of 1/16" tubing rounded on ends.  Also need the clapper for the gaff.  Cut the shape from wood, drilled a hole through center of clapper and jaws, and mounted with a 28 gauge wire.  Actually pivots, so gaff could be adjusted. 

Enjoy

I completed the rigging of the mizzen shrouds and backstays, but before moving on to tying 1000 ratlines, I decided to try building one of the whaleboats.  Using the plans from the museum, I decided to build it using the "bread & butter" approach.

Thanks for following along!

Bob

Completed the port side ratlines on the lower shrouds. I used the "sandwich method" since it helps hold the shrouds in place, and allowed me to vary the "tightness" of the ratlines between shrouds, so there is a bit of sagging here and there.  I think that helps with the realism a bit, as most ships have a bit of sag in the ratlines.

Started with the mizzen mast since it had the fewest knots to tie, with only 6 shrouds.  Got the hang of tying all those clove hitches, and things went pretty smoothly.  I only went back and cut out the first two rows and redid them, since they were a bit messy.

Main mast has 10 shrouds, so a bit more work, but no problems at all. 

Ran into a bit of trouble on the foremast, since I had fully rigged all of the backstays, swifter cables and futtock shrouds.  Made it much harder to keep track of the knots, as I got tangled up in the other rigging a few times.  But I persevered and learned a valuable lesson - tie the ratlines before adding all the additional lines!  Added footropes to the foremast futtock shrouds, and then started up the fore topmast shrouds.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

Bob

After a very long semester of teaching pretty much every day, I finally have some free time again.  The Constitution has been moved from her spot of tranquility (next to the TV) and is back in the shop.  Yeah!  I have really missed building and working on her.

More to come in a few days as I get back into building.  Working on getting the main topgallant, royal and skysail masts completed, then on to completing the mizzen mast.

Take care,

And may Santa be overly generous this year!

Bob

Bob

Outstanding work!  You, sir, are a master modeler.  When I start my Constitution this year I will use photosa as my inspiration/motivation.  

TJS

Thanks for the kind words. If I can help you out in any way with your build, don't hesitate to ask.

Have a great holiday.

Bob

P.S.  There is a big box under the tree that looks suspiciously like a large kit.  Heavy too, so probably a wood kit.  Santa must've read my email.....

Happy Holidays everyone!

Bob

After finishing the ratlines on all the lower shrouds, I moved on to the main topsail shrouds.  Had to complete the futtock and Bentinck shrouds first.  Futtock shrouds collect onto an iron ring, which is then attached to the opposite side spar deck via the Bentinck shrouds fitted with bullseyes and lanyards (exactly the same as on the foremast).  Then up to the topmast shrouds (5 pairs), and finally the backstays (2 pairs).

Next up are the shifting backstays and finally the topmast stay and preventer stay.

Happy modeling.  And HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

Bob

Excellent work!  She's really coming together.

TJS

Nicely done, Bob.

Bill

Thanks, Bill & Tom.  With the masts topped out, she is starting to finally look like a real ship.

Bob

I just found this thread and it's an amazing looking build!

As a teenager, I attempted to finish this kit that my dad had started before me.  I never did... all the tiny ropework broke me.

Thanks Brhino.

My first one was pretty much OOB and followed Revell's directions almost to the letter.  And while she was an impressive model, I always knew that I could have done a much better job.  Some of the knots just didn't look right, and the inevitable warping of the mast tops really bothered me.  My wife liked it, but didn't really "love" it, and no amount of begging would allow it to be displayed in a prominent place.  When I picked up the box this time, I was fully invested in turning out a much more impressive piece, with tons of research, plans, and books to guide me.  Revell's plans are still in the box on the shelf.

Other than turning out a few more spars, all I have left is the rigging.  And there are virtually NO square knots this time!  I am trying my best to do the majority of the rigging the old fashioned way - with real seizings, fully turned wooden masts, multiple sizes of rope, and wooden blocks correctly sized to the scale (not just 2 or 3 like Revell provided).  It is slow going, but the results are amazing.  Pretty sure that most people will probably never really know the difference when looking from three feet away, but I want this one to be as authentic and accurate as possible. As you can see from the original post, I am coming up on the four year mark!  Ships like this are a labor of love and dedication. 

Keep building!

Bob

Apologies if you've covered this already, but what are your plans for the sails? I saw some discussion on which sails would be in place and which wouldn't, but nothing about the material.  I remember being pretty unimpressed with the vacuform sails that came with the kit, so I'm guessing you have something else in mind.

Absolutely!  HiSModel sells a beautiful set of sails (link here) and also has just about any other add-on you might want for the Revell 1:96 Constitution.  These will be stained to look natural and then have the bolt ropes sewn on (probably by hand) before attaching to the yards.  But that is still a few weeks (or months) away.

Bob

Great work Bob,

I have an old Thermopylae and Alabama that need to re-masted and rigged, so I am archieving your thread for it has so many ideas to issues I was pondering on.  

Scott

Glad to be of service.  PM me if you get stuck.  I have a few other tricks I probably haven't taken a picture of.

Bob