Building the British Man of War

I finally received the hose for the compressor, I was able to paint most of the ship parts with the exception of the deck, I am still waiting for a Taniya deck color to try on the deck. Following is a photo of most of the parts already painted, once I paint the decks, I will start assembly.

After I paint the deck, I will try a wash of black pain on the deck and the hull, I hope that this works, otherwise I may have to repaint those parts.

Sorry about the quality of the photo, this was taken in a hurry because it was about to rain.

By the way, I have learned the 1^st rule of air brushing: “Always cover those areas that you do not want overspray on” I had to retouch the ochre color on the hull because it got over spray with the brown color.

Joe

Well, finally I have reached a point in which I can show some results, following are some photos of the build. I am now checking for things to be fixed before continuing, as follows:

This is the back of the model, I am fixing a relative big gap on both sides and trying to smooth out the paste so I can go ahead and paint.

Here we have the back side followed by the side, there still some work to be done before I can go to the next step. Following is one from the front.

Well, it looks like I still have some work ahead before I continue with the build.

I know I have several defects that I need to fix, mainly in the back area, so I will keep at it.

Joe

Here are some new photos, I already started doing the ringings. I original decided to use the plastic rag lines, but I run into the problem were they do not align with the mast, so now I am undecided if I should adjust the plastic rag lines or removing them and make my own. Attached there are some photos that may illustrate the point.

This ship has triangular dead eyes, I have not found, so far, any place were they have this type of dead eyes 3 mm. Or I could simply use the round type, after all, like Gmorrison pointed out, this ship is not historical accurate.

Well, until next time

Joe

Joe,

Have you looked at www.HiSModel.com? They have triangular deadeyes for this kit.  They also have metal cannon barrels and correct wood carriages, as well as cloth sails and wood decks.  You should check them out.

If I may offer a little basic terminology points, what you are calling "raglines" are properly called shrouds and ratlines, the shrouds being the vertical lines that support the masts, and the ratlines being the horizontal lines between them that function as "ladders" for access to the yards and tops.

You are doing an excellent job!  I love the paint job.  I sometimes believe that this kit (and its companion kit the Spanish Galleon) are unfairly maligned.  Yes, the stern castle is somewhat exaggerated in size, but it can be cut down if you like.  It does have correct styles of gun carriages and barrels, the forecastle looks good, the length to width ratio looks reasonable, the masting and fittings are good.  The basic kit can serve as a basis for a decent model of actual galleons with some modifications to that very high stern.  Galleons are actually better documented than people realize, and they can be researched, especially the Spanish ones.

Bill Morrison (Not GMorrison, the other Bill Morrison)

Or, just rig the shrouds and dont worry about the ratlines.

Bill (not Warshipguy)

"If I may offer a little basic terminology points, what you are calling "raglines" are properly called shrouds and ratlines, the shrouds being the vertical lines that support the masts, and the ratlines being the horizontal lines between them that function as "ladders" for access to the yards and tops."

Thanks for the info, I was very confused as to what "shrouds" was, and did not know the difference between then and the ratlines.

I will also check the web site provided.

Thanks guys

Joe

The purpose of the shrouds is to transmit the force of the wind, from the sails; down to the hull. That's why they are big and there are a lot of them.

I'm not that familiar with this era of ship, but the shrouds woud be among the biggest ropes on the ship. They were usually tarred black. The ratlines, or footropes on the other hand; are lightweight, only needing to bear the weight of a climbing sailor. Those are usually natural color.

Which is one of the major flaws of cast plastic or plastic dipped thread shroud/ ratline assrmblies. Everything is the same size.

Now, tying your own is no easy task, esp. on a big ship like yours. Which again is why I suggested that you might just rig the shrouds and pretend the footropes are there.

Bill

I hate those Plastic coated strings for shrouds and ratlines.  And, I have read some horror stories about the rigging looms to create them.  But, there are quality videos about rigging your own if you would like to try.  But, Bill has a valid suggestion.

Bill

After I typed the previous comments, I took a second look at my plastic Shrouds and the way I cemented them, it turn out that I did such a good job cementing their bases, that I am afraid of breaking something if i attempt to remove them to make my own, so I will use the plastic ones and try to fix them the best I can.

For my next build I going to attend to build the Le Solei Royal that I received, if I do decide to go ahead with this build, is my full intent to make my own shrouds, rat lines, and buy deadeyes, I may also look at the possibility of doing cloth sails.

Thanks guys for your welcome guidance.

Joe

After typing the above, I decided to take a look at the Solei Royal, so I opened the box and found out that it does not comes with plastic shrouds, you have to make your own and it looks like it comes with a special tool ( it looks like the “harp” being sold on line ) to help in making them. Will provide more info once I start building it.

Joe

Tanker Builder swears by that loom, I just swore at it.

Here's my issue. The usual way to rig the shrouds on a ship is as follows (again I'm not that familiar with this era but I would guess it is similar).

Starting on one side of the ship, the foremost shroud at each mast has a deadeye on the end of it with the usual assembly of lanyard, lower deadeye, chain wales. The shroud goes up to the masthead crosstrees, across the front of it (NOT AROUND the base of the next mast above), around the mast and back down to the hull on the same side, and directly behind, it's other end.

The next shroud begins at the foremost deadeye on the other side of the ship, goes up across the front of the mast head, around it stacking neatly on top of the previous shroud, and back down on the same side it came up from.

Back and forth. 

Only if there is an odd number of shrouds on each side does a shroud go up one side and down the other.

This all according to Longridge.

As far as I can see, there is no way to do that other than follow 1:1 practice. And it's not so much an accuracy issue as what you'd do with the tops of all of those individual shrouds after taking it off of the loom of doom.

But try it and see.

Bill

There is a fantastic book called Rigging Period Ship Models by Lennarth Petersson. It is nothing but close up drawings of each step of rigging by each mast, and clearly shows what Bill is saying.  If you can, check this book out.

Please note that the author based his drawings by copying the rigging of a specific ship as depicted on a model of HMS Melampus (36) in the Bristol Industrial Museum.  The ship is a late 18th century British frigate not a 16th century galleon.  However, many of the principles are the same.

Bill 

I'll second that book , it was a godsend for me building the victory , that loom that comes with kit , was at the other end of the scale .

The infamous Heller "loom" was clearly designed by some one in a hurry to go hang out by the river with Galois cigarettes and be offended by foreigners. 

The uper deadeyes are usually level to the waterline, and the loom does not let you set that up so very well.  Further, given the slant of the shrouds, the after deadeyes are further apart than the forward ones, to achieve that level look.

IRL, the shrouds are made up into an eye, which is passed over the mast head (as Bill described above).  The forward leg is brought around its deadeye and lashed up.  The after leg is passed around its deadeye, and the lanyard adjusted to level with the previous, then the shroud is bent around the deadeye and seized.  Tradition was to start at the starboard side, then alternate to the port, and repeat until all made up.

None of which is possible with that loom doohicky.  Mind, most Heller rigging diagrams are base more upon spiderwebs and febrile imaginings than actual data.  So, a grain of salt is wanted.

Finding books on galleon rigging is tough sledding.  Masting and Rigging in the era of the Spritsail Topmast can be of some help, if after the period in question (it's also an expenive and hard to find tome).

this says free download ! love your sense of humour capt.

unquotebooks.com/download/rigging-period-fore-and-aft-craft/

I have made some progress as I am now doing the rigging for the ship, it is almost done, next will be the sails. One thing I am sorry about is that I went ahead and used the plastic  shrouds that came with the kit, I made a wrong decision with the shrouds, I should have make my own and probably would be more realistic, anyhow, is to late to change them, so I am stuck with them. I do have 2 questions as follows:

1.- I have CA glue, but I am not sure were I can use it, can I get some pointers on when to apply CA glue?

2.- I am getting close to do the sails, the ones that came with the ship looks nice, beside the Admiral likes them, but, can I get some suggestions as to what color would be appropriated for the sails?

Following are 4 photos. hope you like them

Thanks

Joe

Painting those vacuformed sails is not difficult.  I have simply stained them by using cooled tea or coffee in which to soak them.  I would try it on scrap pieces before foing so on the sails.  The effect is quite pleasing.

You can use cyanoacrylates sparingly when attaching sails to yards before sewing them, it is useful to secure knots, and when attaching small parts like ringbolts.  I don't use it for anything else, but others might have their ideas.

Bill

Having-fun

2.- I am getting close to do the sails, the ones that came with the ship looks nice, beside the Admiral likes them, but, can I get some suggestions as to what color would be appropriated for the sails?

Straight out of the bottle, it's hard to argue against Clear Doped Linen.

MMost of out evidence for sail appearnce in that era is from apintings and the like.  And those tend to a tineted (white-added) yellow ocher sort of hue.  How much of that is from the lighting and how much from artistic license is subject to great debate.

Cotton was a slightly exotic material in the era, linen, mmade from flas fibers, was far more common.  Linen tends to a beiges/ecru soer of tone except when chemically bleached.  So a yellow-ish color is probably appropriate. 

The bolts of cloth were 24 to 26 inches (60 to 66cm) wide, and overlapped about 2 inches (±5 cm).  There's scholarly debate on whether the overlaps--in the era--were consistent (inbord over outboard or vice versa) or alternating (one up, one down).  Even more debate over the weight of the cloth used.  (Contemporary records tell of both "heavy" and "light" sail.)  Reefing and reinforcing bands lay over all that.

Sailmakers were common among crews, and so, sails could be patched and repaired.  Which would itroduce other colors into the sails.

Reef points would be in the natural fibre color of the cordage used.  Probablybleached by the sun.

There's a "tradition" of sorts that warships are not modeled with sails, and merchant vessels with sails--but this is not a uniform of enforced sort of thing.

As a practical matter of modeling, it's far easier to model the sail before the yards are installed on the masts.  This era was when we see a change in sails being hung below a yard, to up on the forward side of the yard.

At this scale, unless you have access to super-fine fly-tying line, or silk sutures, your best bet may be fine copper wire strands.  You generally want one ribband (the sail tie) per seam in the sail, or around 1.5x the spar diameter apart--whichever you have the patiene to model.

An option you might examine would be to get some 100% linene rag "resume" paper and use the vacuform sails as a model to cut replacement sails.  Thse will be lighter, will not have contrary bends in them, and will not be hollow in the back.  If you get ecru-hues paper, you are startign from the right sort of color to start.  You an mark in seams using a tan, khaki, or brown prismacolor pencil.

Well it is done! I have completed the built of the Man of War, attached are 3 photos of the ship, pardon me for the poor quality, but I was feeling lazy today so I did not take the time to do a proper set up.

Now I will go to the built of the Le Solei Royal, it looks like a complicate built, I have been looking into the work of previous modelers of this ship, I have found some from this same blog, so I will be looking at their tricks for their build.

I will start a new tread which I will call “My Royal built” to differentiate from the others treads of the same ship.

Thanks to all of you from the advises I received while building the Man of War.

Joe