USS Constitution WIP

Hello Julian,

what about your Constitution? How far are you? Can you show us something???

Ok, not pretending to be an expert here, there are frequent visitors to this site whose models exceed my efforts easily (so cut the bravo sierra).

What have done so far: Started off with a humbrol enamel matt black wash, followed by a humbrol enamel hull red wash. The result at this time had me wondering if I had just ruined 86 euros worth of USS Constitution. I then made a wash of Citadel / Games workshop Black Ink. This brought my heartrate back to reasonable numbers and had the hull looking black again. I then used oil paints to bring the yellow gunstrake back to a yellow/brown shade. At this time things are toned down but look blotchey and rather horrifying. I then used burnt umber and burnt sienna oils to make rust runs down the hull from the scuppers and to tone the chainplate attachments further. The colours are by now nice and dull in keeping with the deck but very very blotched. to bring it together I sprayed a thin coat of Humbrol enamel satin varnish. All in all I am very happy with the final result (doing it scared me ****less) and the next challenge is weathering the copper plating (pftt....... easy, done that before on the Kearsarge). I'll post photos for you all to take potshots at when I finish this part of the weathering.

Julian (not an experten when it comes to weathering)

yes - give us waethering! My hull is ready for it. If your weathering looks nice, I'll follow your technique by the letter.

sd

"Charlie Noble" is the name for the funnel - now I remember! Named after a british captain, which used to have it polished so that you can mirror in it perfectly!

Good luck with the weathering - I would be pleased to get an impression, of how you do it. I´ll still have to learn!

According to the "Anatomy of the ship USS Constitution " book the funnel of the Brodie stove is turnable. Thanks for the comments, at the moment I am in the process of toning down and weathering the outside hull (always scares me, this part ).

Julian

I might be wrong - but as far as I remember, T. Martin says that the ship in its 1812 - 1815 configuration did get yellow gunstrakes several times - partly to confuse the british observers.

The Revell-model is - as far as I understood - based on the Smithonian plans which seem to represent the ship in its 1815 configuration. The green inner bulkward is authentic to that days.

So it really might be a reasonalbe design - which I personnally like much more than the common black and white.

I am thinking about doing mine in an earlier stage - before 1812 - when even the inner bulkwards and the .. hm.. what´s now the name for it... Lafette in "german" ... where the iron gun is placed in.. you know what I mean? Even they where "light yellow" in those days.  

But then I have to take away the bulkwards of the foreship - and I have to change several other things which I know as written words from T. Martins book and maybe Corné´s 1803-painting.. but not precisely enough. I am still collecting information. And will decide later. Maybe there will be time for several ships?

Please let us see more - whenever you make more steps... I like to see the development of my favorite ship!

 One Question: was the "chimney" (I know there is a more precise name for it - the name of a captain who let his men polish it all the time) turnable? So that it moved into the direction of the wind - would mean it must point more to the bow (since the wind would come from astern?)?

The more i look at it, the more i like it!!,although i'd tone down the hinges on the gun port lids, and chain plates a little before you add your washes. Also at this stage you might want to take care of the sink hole on the catshead. Excellent work so far

Michael 

Looks good, and after a few washes to tone it down it will look really impressive.

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, still needs weathering outboard, much to clean looking like this. The rigging doesn't seem too daunting but with models this size it comes down to biting down and staying the course.I'll post more pic's as the build progresses.

cheers,

julian

Nice job. I like the colors. Not the "boring" usual black-white.

I'm just about to paint the hulls of my Constitution - gotta post some pictures soon... Good to hear that somebody else is working on the same project.

SD

Julian,

     Well, of course I like it:-). I'm sure you've heard this before...The rigging makes the model...so I'm sure many are waiting to see what you're gonna do with that.

    My personal chioce would to use a black wash on the green(something I should have done), repaint the yellow stripe with a little more brown and black wash and blue/green the copper hull.

    Its hard to see but it appears you did a good job on the deck seams.

   Keep going!!!!!