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

Hi Mike!

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

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

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

Hope that helps!

Dave

David,

Hope you and yours are enoying the weekend as well.

You're doing very fine work indeed!

Two questions:

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

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

doing some lovely work david . 

Thanks, guys!

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

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

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

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

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

Dave

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

Michael D.

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

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

Nice to see you at work on your CS.

Rob

Hi all-

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

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

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

20190213_145944 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

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

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

Here's a slightly closer pic

20190213_145953 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

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

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

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

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

Dave

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

Looks awesome, Rob!  Well done.

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

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

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

Good luck on how you tackle this.

Rob" target="">

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

Thanks for the kind words, you guys.

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

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

Anyway, I'll come up with something.

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

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

Dave

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

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

Michael D.

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

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

Rob  [/URL]

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

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

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

Rob

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

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

20190123_164657 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

20190123_164705 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

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

20190123_164713 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

20190123_164719 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

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

20190123_164733 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

20190123_164742 by Dave Kump, on Flickr

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

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

Dave

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

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

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

Rob

Well, here's an interesting consideration:

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

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

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

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

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

"Uh, I guess I could."

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

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

Dave

Thanks, Rob.

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

THX!

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

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

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

Rob

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

Rob

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

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

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

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

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

Have a great holiday, everyone!

Dave

Dave,

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

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

Steve

dave , you did a great job on the soleil royal , if you can do that beast , you can do a wonderful job on the victory . 

steve5

Dave,

Exemplary work as usual.

You're far enough up the ladder in this "game" that starting the Heller HMS Victory would just fine. You just have to commit the time.

Yes, we can all learn a bit from Rob - he's one guy who gave me encouragement when I was attempting my build of the CS. He's also one of the most gifted modelers around.

I think you're stepping into another realm of modeling skills when you build a ship kit with set sails - sails that look more to scale than the plastic that comes with most kits. That said I've seen models using the plastic sails that look pretty darn good! To each his own.

It's a real inspiration to watch your works in progress. I always look forward to catching your next post.

To Gene: A belated Happy Birthday!

Thanks, Gene!

I guess I've been building model ships for over 6 years now, and I think I've built about 10 in that time.  I still have several in my stash, and I learn something new with every project.  In fact, I'm about to attempt constructing set sails on the Cutty Sark, if even just a simplified rig version...a little nervous about it, but we'll see what happens!

I appreciate your compliment.  I also realize there are different types of modelers out here...my projects won't win any serious competitions (not that I'd enter them in a serious competition) because I take certain liberties that often don't fit with authenticity, scale, or even the laws of physics sometimes! lol

But I do enjoy building ship models, and I like the overall effect of an old sailing ship, it hearkens back to the era of an expanding world, when long-distance travel suddenly offered the ability to learn more about the planet, its people, etc....sailing ships represent (to me) mankind's first steps into the future.

Anyway, I'm getting carried away here...

I'm very glad you enjoy seeing my work, Gene!  You have impressed me with your work on the Heller Victory! It's a thing of beauty!  (I have that kit in my stash, but I'm intimidated by it....it'll wait until I'm at the top of my game before I even begin to plan that build)

I've just finished the last of the ratlines last night on the Cutty Sark, so I'll get a few more pics taken and posted today, then I will get the yards out of the box, and start experimenting with material for sails...wish me luck!

Dave

Dave, Your work is absolutely superb. I have seen some very great model builders & you are right with them. How did you get so good so fast?When I get old, I hope I can build like you. I was 88 yesterday & it is still fun.

Dave the sails are rigged fully......even the reef points too...

Your build is coming along very nicely.

Thanks for the compliment.

Can't wait to see more of your work.

Rob