HMS Medea (28) (1778) 1/48 scratch build

[Masters Mate]

Interesting to see hammock cranes on the breast-rail. Nicely fabricated - just unexpected for me (which is entirely a reflection of my ignorance about all things nautical).

You may be right, Paul. My gut feeling was that most captains would not tolerate the cranes in their faces and I don't see them in any contemporary paintings I have found. They don't make sense to me, unless the captain was in the habit of hiding behind the hammocks during battle, which flies in the face of modern perceptions about how officers carried themselves during battle.



The plans I have are basic at best; an early attempt at the Enterprise class which CAF etc produced as kits. If you look at some of the completed kits they show the cranes there. Personally, I think they are a mistake and I am already tempted to cut them off. The exercise was worth it anyway because I proved that my two smaller soldering irons were dead and my old Weller needs new tips, so I've ordered those.

I wonder if the current Enterprise kit being group-built here on SOS shows the hammock cranes on the breast rail?

As always, thanks for your comments.

 

[Masters Mate]

Hi Ian,
Love your scratch build!
A point on the ratlines, hope you don't mind. What is the distance between rows of ratlines, it is hard to tell from the photos. At your scale they would be 0.27" to 0.3" apart. Also, from James Lees' The Masting and Rigging English Ships of War, page 44, after 1773 the bottom six rows and top six rows of ratlines ended at the second shroud from forward and ended at the second shroud from aft on English ships. There are some contemporary models that have a variation of this where the bottom four or five only go to the forward most and aft most shrouds, and then to the forward most and aft most every three or four rows.

Allan

View attachment 555206

Thanks for the love, Allan!

The plans I have are basic at best.


My main printed reference has been Petersson Rigging Period Ship Models, based mainly on the fact that he used a model of Malampus, in the Bristol Museum built by the builder of the original ship, James Hillhouse. A model of the Medea (also built by Mr Hillhouse), is also held in the museum.

Although my ratlines are a work in progress they are as close as possible to 18" apart, or .375" in scale (as per the plans). But that is too wide for my Footless and Free-falling landsman so I will reduce them on the re-do.



As always, thanks for taking the time to add your informative comments.

 

[dockattner]

Well, don't remove them on my account. They were just unexpected. Maybe the captain doesn't want his bedding comingled with the plebians?

 

[AllanKP69]

s they are as close as possible to 18" apart, or .375" in scale (as per the plans). But that is too wide for my Footless and Free-falling landsman so I will reduce them on the re-do.

You have a lot of agreement and respect for your decision to redo them. I would bet you will be very happy with your decision.

Allan

 

[AllanKP69]

The plans I have are basic at best.

Why not use the original plans for the Enterprise class, of which Medea is one? There is a full set in high resolution on the Wiki Commons site. Just be careful not to use the ones that are Enterprise after she was converted to a prison/holding hulk for kidnapped men being pressed into the navy. Low res versions are on the RMG Collections site as well. https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/search/Medea 28 gun

Allan

 

[Masters Mate]

Why not use the original plans for the Enterprise class, of which Medea is one? There is a full set in high resolution on the Wiki Commons site. Just be careful not to use the ones that are Enterprise after she was converted to a prison/holding hulk for kidnapped men being pressed into the navy. Low res versions are on the RMG Collections site as well. https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/search/Medea 28 gun

Allan

Thanks again Allan,
The ones I downloaded from Wiki Commons didn't show the rigging. I'll have another look as Wiki is updated regularly and perhaps there is more there than when I last looked.

I have seen examples of models that followed the later Enterprise setup and the profile is woeful.

 

[Masters Mate]

Several anomalies have cropped with the hotch-potch of plans I have managed to put together for my scratch build Medea and this bothers me with so many members building HMS Enterprise kits.

So I have dipped my oar into the group build forum and will be happy if it just saves one builder from making the mistakes I have made. See my comments here:
https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/threads/some-apparent-anomalies-in-hms-enterprise-kits.18060/

 

[Masters Mate]

You have a lot of agreement and respect for your decision to redo them. I would bet you will be very happy with your decision.

Allan

Thanks Allan
As a published author I know how long research takes and you have so much of it your fingertips, it seems. You will note that I have taken the first steps to alert our many Enterprise class builders of some of the pitfalls that have been brought to my attention with kindness and backed by research.

First up I will be addressing the single/double wheel issue.
Secondly, the hammock netting crane across the breast-rail, and
Thirdly, the ratline issue you have just noted on this build log.

Thanks again for going to the trouble. If no-one comments, we don't realise our mistakes. As a first time scratch builder with no kit building experience, I know that I have taken on a task that will never reach perfection, but within the constraints of time and health outcomes I am determined to leave my son an acceptable model.

(PS. My son has been a successful rally and precision driver and now at a more 'mature' age rides a powerful dirt bike 'amongst the trees' as he calls it. I am confident he will arrive at the grave, hopefully long after me, sliding sideways and shouting "What a ride!!"

 

[AllanKP69]

Wiki Commons didn't show the rigging.

Their plans for Enterprise and family are the RMG plans in high res but rigging plans are rare for any ship in any era. Studying rigged contemporary models are probably the best things to follow or the information in James Lees' book. Marquardt's book is useful but limited. He acknowledges the specs on rope and such are from David Steel's work which is free online anyway. His drawings are quite good but the print is so small, these old eyes need larger magnification reading glasses to use it .
Allan