Three Revell Constitutions on hand to build.

You have quite the backlog of work ahead of you! Honored that my log has been an inspiration.  I'm looking forward to following along and tracking your progress. 

Evan

order to post pix as I go along, I signed up for Fotki at Bill Morrison's suggestion. On the sign up page, it has columns....1st is 300GBs, second is 600GBs third is 1TB.

Hoe many GBs would be required? Just found out what a TB is. Am not a pc guru at all. Any suggestions?

For the windows on the Captains quarters, I threw way the plastic sheet that came with the kit, and used testors glue/ window maker to create the windows. It is a glue that dries clear, and looks like blown glass...just smear some on the opening, it goes on white, then  dries clear. Use two coats of this stuff on the windows.

Paint the transom first, before making your windows. (This is how I added windows to my n-scale cabooses.)

As soon as I figure out Fotki and how to download pix onto my pc, I'll post pix of the windows...not a pc guru. At least I know how to turn the pc on.

Did the original Constitution have a water line and depth markings on it? 

I have the 300 GB account I've used maybe 2. $ 24 a year.

Once you have the image on Fotki, click on the thumbnail to get the enlarged image. There's a button above it that is labeled "share". Click that and then copopoy the top line of the list of options. Go to FSM and paste into the image window.

Ok, thank you. I'm using a gift card to purchase Fotki because I never put any personal info online as I think there is no such thing as a secure web site.

OK, ship is mounted on the base. I am going to model her with furled sails, ready for sea, anchor still dropped. The anchor rope will be mounted from the ship to the base and the led wiring will be embedded in the anchor rope (it's a fine wire). There will be a hole drilled in the base for securing the anchor cable. Any suggestions for this idea?

Now...would both anchors be in the water, or just one? How does this affect the capstan rigging (?) for raising and dropping the anchors? That might not be visible. I haven't been able to find an answer to this so far in research.

With the ship mounted on model expo pedestals, the anchor cable will be exposed to the base. Any viewers will have to imagine the water.

As soon as I figure out how to download pics from my smart phone to my pc then post on Fotki....

The hull is mounted on a 30 inch x 5 inch saddle board, white oak on two Model Expo brass pedestals. The gun stripe is British yellow. The engravings are in gold.

I used Testors cement and glass maker for the transom windows instead of that plastic kit sheet. The widows look like real blown glass. The transom has to be painted first before using the window maker, and is painted to the instruction specs.

I drilled out the brass pedestals and mounted them using 2 1/2 inch # six bolts and washers, the drilling allowed wiring ffrom Evans Design to go up through the pedestals with shrink wrap for protection...I am using chip leds, 26 of them to light up the officers quatrers and gun deck.

I glued the gun deck together using Plastruk I beams. But the stern section is thinner than the bow and mid sections so the I beam had to be built up with Evergreen strips so the three sections would mate properly. Wonder why Revell did that?

The gun deck is installed with Scale Decks veneer wood deck...laser printed. Not as nice as a real wooden deck but a huge improvement over that plastic monstrocity.

I am planning on bulding up the bulwarks as you did. There are little nibs for rigging the guns, tying off the shrouds and they are in the way. I will be cutting those off. I will use the kit eyebolts for the gun deck carriages only.

The instructions say to run the anchor cable between the rear of the two forward hawser holes in the hull..??? That is obviously wrong, no way you could raise or lower the anchors like that. I'm a landlubber and know better than that! How would those anchors be properly rigged?

I plan on furled sails.

The hull is done on the second model, with a white stripe...I'll finish that one later.

I also managed to get my hands on a third kit, this one made in Germany. It is identical, except the plastic seems to be different, softer.

I do have a midi lathe and am considering seriously on making my own spars.

Incidentally, for the hammocks...n scale netting and link fencing would go great there, instead of using rope lines...I understand the hammocks were aired out there.

There seems to be a question on the gun ports. They were left off or open in good weather and good sailing, off in battle and in port... provided better ventilation in port. The sills seem to have been painted red. Where they were stored is a good question.

The Comey paintings show them off during the battle.

"The instructions say to run the anchor cable between the rear of the two forward hawser holes in the hull..??? That is obviously wrong, no way you could raise or lower the anchors like that. I'm a landlubber and know better than that! How would those anchors be properly rigged?

That's a model tip.

No that wouldn't work. A ship lays cable (the rode) for at least 7 times the depth on which she anchors.

Cable is the term for the very large rope that is attached to the anchor and secured on board to the bitts.

It comes on board through the hawse hole and runs back along the gun deck until it drops into the cable tier. That's usually somewhere forward of the main mast.

The capstan is used to raise the cable. I don't remember on your model, but it usually has room for the crew to insert bars on all of the available decks. It has a vertical axle, on account of the power exerted on it; that has a socket on the keel and is braced pretty solidly at the deck levels. It is located just behind (aft) of the cable locker.

But, the capstan does not handle the anchor cable. It pulls a messenger, a lighter thickness of rope. The messenger is a loop that runs around the barrel of the capstan  enough times to bind to it, up to the bows where it is passed around the fore part of the anchor bitts (big stout posts with a crossbar) and then back down to the capstan. It's taught on the side under load where the capstan force winds it in, then fairly loose in the run back up to the bow.

Here's the trick. As the cable which is big and thick and wet, comes aboard, boys tie short lengths of line around the cable and the messenger, called nips. They do this a lot. When the nips get near the holes that the cable follows down into the locker, other boys (called nippers) untie the messenger. and so on.

It's a great feature to model. 

"As soon as I figure out how to download pics from my smart phone to my pc then post on Fotki...

I just email them from my phone to my email and pull them off on the PC.

"The gun deck is installed with Scale Decks veneer wood deck...laser printed. Not as nice as a real wooden deck but a huge improvement over that plastic monstrocity.

I am planning on bulding up the bulwarks as you did. There are little nibs for rigging the guns, tying off the shrouds and they are in the way. I will be cutting those off. I will use the kit eyebolts for the gun deck carriages only."

Please allow yourself the freedom to only detail the part of the gun deck visible through the opening on the weather deck.

"Got some leds from Evans Design to light up the gun deck, chip leds, soft white."

Whale oiul lamps did not flicker.

Laying wood decking is not difficult and is very rewarding.

A full description is easy, but I don't want to hijack the thread.

The multi part weather deck of this kit has always been it's worst feature.

Whichever way you go; paint, plank or complete wood overlay- get the plastic parts glued together and made flush and smooth in every way other than the seam.

If you want to take her home, add camber to the weather deck. Thats the arch across the beam of the ship.

You can make a series of arched beams that have a high point of say 9" in scale relative to the ends (wales).

Glue them to the underside.

"I am planning on bulding up the bulwarks as you did. "

My method:

The anchor cable looks out of place running to the base so scrapped that idea

I have two other kits, one is for spare parts. I will camber the deck on the second one. Again, thanks for taking the time to answer.

Hello Rick,

Glad to see another "Old Ironsides" build on the forum. I am looking forward to seeing you progress, hoping for some pics soon. 

A couple of thoughts on thickening the gunports.

1. The ship's sides are 21 inches thick at the gun deck. 24 inches at 1/96 scale works out to 1/4 inch, 21 inches is 7/32 inches at scale. I did not make my bulwarks quite that thick in my model, because I didn't think of it until it was too late, and you don't have to if you don't think it will look good, it's just food for thought. 

2. There is a fair amount of tumble-home on the ship (that is the inward slant of the sides of the ship as you go up from the waterline). If you mount the styrene strips you are adding flush to the bottom of the gunport, the sill will be slanting downward from the outside looking inward toward the inside of the ship. On my model I glued the styrene high rather than flush so some of the styrene was showing through the gunport, then used a small file to flatten it so the sill would be horizontal, flat and parallel to the gun deck. It's a fair amount of work, but I think well worth the effort. 

Cheers, 

Jose

Thanks, not a computer guru, just figured out how to load pix into the computer, now trying to get them into Fotki.

Rick Sr

Thanks, not a computer guru, just figured out how to load pix into the computer, now trying to get them into Fotki.

 

That little box should say "copied".

If not, highlight the line in the box and then use control C.

Move over to this site, open the reply window.

Click on the button that looks like a mountain with a moon over it.

usally whatever you have "copied" will already be pasted in there. If not, do so. Click "ok"

Managed to get 10 pics on Fotki. Still haven't figured out how to get them to Fine Scale.

Rick-Wayburn.yi5@fotki.com is album.

Not a computer guru, when I say I am lucky to be able to turn the darn thing on I am not kidding!  

After clicking share, it does say copied. But not where.

Rick,

You gave us your email address, not your picture site on Fotki.

Here is your site:

https://public.fotki.com/Rick-Wayburn/my-first-album/

Typically, you can highlight any text, right click, then click copy (or Ctrl-C).

To paste, you click in the box, right click and click paste (or Ctrl-V).

Good luck!  Pictures look good (last one out of focus though).

Bob

Here's one.

Once you hit copy, your computer holds it until you come back here.  Open the reply window.  Put the curser on a fresh line, then left click on the little mountain icon in the right side box on the third line of boxes at the top of the reply box.  That will open a box. Cursor should be blinking, just right click, will open an options window, then left click on copy.  Picture should then show up.  To add more photos, hit enter and repeat the process.

Good thing there is a parts kit. I broke a part yesterday. Putting in the officers quarters, fitting problems so a little extra work, thanks to that three piece deck layout.

gun deck and captain's quarters in. Before I do the gun ports, I will be putting in the anchor cables, messengers and anchor bits. It seems like Revell forgot about these things, probably figuring no one would see them.

Thanks for clueing me in on those items.

As far as I can ascertain, the gun ports were only closed when running, especially in foul weather .At the time being modeled, they were single piece, white on the bulwark side, in this case, British yellow on the outter portion with red sills. When not in use they were stored on the berth deck, handed down by hand akin to the water brigade lines of old when fighting fires.

Those old sailing vessels entertained a lot of heavy work. I doubt you had many chubby sailors back then, excepting COs.

Sanded down the flash on the gunports, painted red inside, and yellow outside. They are glued in place. Still have to tie them in. Next step is rigging in the guns, but before that I would like to model in the anchor bitts, cable and messengers. 

I have been unable to ascertain exactly where the anchor bitts would be positioned, on the Constitution. Common sense says in the area of the Hauser holes. After the messengers lines are in, I will finish the long guns, and add the supports (columns) for the spar deck. (I did not know you could clear those out for imminent action). I will make those out of the sprue material. On the hausers and bitts was anything used to prevent chaffing?

When you pin the guns to the deck and the channels and pin rails to the side, what gauge wire do you use? And what glue?

When I was a kid on our farm, I could never imagine what the "Poop" deck was, but it seemed most unsanitary to me. Now I see we have an "Orlop" deck. To a landlubber some of the nautical terms seem to be...outlandish? The next time I become peeved with my better half I think I will call her an "Orlop" just to see what happens!

"I have been unable to ascertain exactly where the anchor bitts would be positioned, on the Constitution"

They are on either side of the camboose (stove) in the foredeck area.  Lots of pictures online.  Also, you can order a CD from the Constitution Museum which gives you the plans in PDF format.  Been looking at those a LOT.

Bob

Rick Sr

Those old sailing vessels entertained a lot of heavy work. I doubt you had many chubby sailors back then, excepting COs.