1/48 scale 20 gun ship from Modelship Dockyard kit [COMPLETED BUILD]

[Jack Jäger]

Hi Jack. The Chinese government only grants work permits to foreigners up to the age of 60. There are exceptions of course, but it is never something you can count on. This means I have until February 2024 to work and stay here - if things stand the way they are now.

Bureaucracy, what would the world do without it? Wicked!

 

[Jack Jäger]

Hi Folks,
I have got a bit done and one or two bits sorted out since I last logged in. First of all I have finished putting on the external planking on both sides and have cut all the gun and sweep ports on the port side. There is still some fine tuning to be done to the gun ports but the sweep ports look ok. Except they all cut through the upper wale! I cannot imagine any Master Shipwright of the 18th Century being too happy about that. The sweep ports are in the correct place as measured from both above the lower deck and downward from the rail, so the problem seems to be with the wale, being split the top wale is too high up, regrettably it's too late for me to change it now and my model matches the, what I assume to be, the porotype as shown in POF HMS Blandford 1720 in scale 1:48 by Modelship Dockyard, you would have thought someone would have noticed.
The Goodwin's AoS of HMS Blandford shows and states that these ships had duel wales yet the original plan of Blandford, Lyme and Scarborough show a solid 24" deep single wale, (as incidentally so does the 1/48 scale plan that comes with the kit), as does a lot of Navy Board models of the time, although in fairness there are some double wale ones as well. Any way, what is done is done.





I said before that I was worried by the angle of the bowsprit being too steep when allowed to pass over the figure head. It should be 28 degrees to look right. This was easily solved by cutting about 8mm of the top of the figure head knee, as you can see the decoration attached to the knee looks like it will still fit ok.





While I was waiting for paint and glue to dry I thought I would have a go at making a better looking chain pump as the one that comes with the kit is very rudimentary. Here are some pic's of my first try, I thought it would be fun to leave one one of the wheel covers of to have a look at the guppance inside.



Cheers JJ..

 

[Bryian]

Fabulous progress. Well done so far.

 

[Jack Jäger]

This being the largest project that I have so far tackled I now discover, not too soon, that it takes a lot longer to reach an anticipated target, that said things have been trundling along nicely. I now have finished the outer planking in as so much that I can leave the detailing until later. After the cutting the sweep ports I can now return to completing the lower deck beams.

 

[Jack Jäger]

Having decided to try to use mostly PVA adhesive and cut down on Cyanoacrylate I have found, not unexpectantly, I have to wait a lot longer before the sanding of the beams and knees etc. I intend to varnish these parts and cn glue tends to put stains on the wood that are hard to remove. I have installed the stove and shot store / well, I had been wondering about the capstan but should be able to add it later. The 'plans' call for a pair of knees pt.no.SY4 to be added to the transom but I cannot find them so will make them from scratch. They also call for pillars to be fixed under the beams over the hold, I imagine you are meant to use the 3mm sq. pear for this however it looks puny to me so I made some up using some 5mm sq. ramin wood strip that I had for another project, it is lighter colour than the pear so it got a coat wood stain. While turning the pillars I also turned a step for the capstan spindle. The step is shown in the plans but not as far as I can tell included in the kit. The spindle I made using the included plywood templates and the step from the dimensions given in Goodwin's AoS book I found it and the Model ship Dockyard's part fitted together perfectly.
Before finishing the lower deck I have one big decision to make, should I install cook's mate Slushy beside the stove? There to sail like the Flying Dutch man for all eternity or until someone gives their life for a slice of his plum duff!

Here are some pics..

Cheers JJ..

 

[dockattner]

Such nice work Jack! A fun build to follow!

 

[Jack Jäger]

Hi folks,
Today I reached my latest target by completing to my satisfaction the installation of the final few lower deck beams and carlings. After consideration I have decided to leave out the lower deck ledges as I think they would hinder the view of the inside of the frames, pillars etc., besides they will be represented on the main deck so I won't lose their impact. The next step, after a bit of tidying and sanding, is to fit some sets of ladders and gratings then a coating of matt varnish.
As a bit of a diversion between cutting and fitting the carlings I made a pair of elm tree pumps. Only the chain pump comes with the kit and it is on the lower deck so I thought it would be nice to have something on the main deck. Generally they rise from the front side of the ship's well and finish to the fore of the main mast. more for deck washing and fire fighting than pumping out the ship their bases receive sea water via a stop cock through the hull near the keel and have an outlet on each deck. I made them from some scrap box wood and a strip of 5mm sq. ramin octagonally shaped and slightly tapered.
Well the ballot papers where sent out and the result is in and it's not looking good for cook's mate Slushy as the overwhelming majority have condemned him to the galley for all time, plum duff anyone ? hehehe.

Some pics..



Cheers JJ..

 

[Peter Voogt]

Hi folks,
Today I reached my latest target by completing to my satisfaction the installation of the final few lower deck beams and carlings. After consideration I have decided to leave out the lower deck ledges as I think they would hinder the view of the inside of the frames, pillars etc., besides they will be represented on the main deck so I won't lose their impact. The next step, after a bit of tidying and sanding, is to fit some sets of ladders and gratings then a coating of matt varnish.
As a bit of a diversion between cutting and fitting the carlings I made a pair of elm tree pumps. Only the chain pump comes with the kit and it is on the lower deck so I thought it would be nice to have something on the main deck. Generally they rise from the front side of the ship's well and finish to the fore of the main mast. more for deck washing and fire fighting than pumping out the ship their bases receive sea water via a stop cock through the hull near the keel and have an outlet on each deck. I made them from some scrap box wood and a strip of 5mm sq. ramin octagonally shaped and slightly tapered.
Well the ballot papers where sent out and the result is in and it's not looking good for cook's mate Slushy as the overwhelming majority have condemned him to the galley for all time, plum duff anyone ? hehehe.

Some pics..

View attachment 358307View attachment 358308View attachment 358309View attachment 358310View attachment 358311View attachment 358312 View attachment 358314

Cheers JJ..

Why didn't I come by sooner? You're clearly having fun with this PoF build, Jack. It looks neat.
Regards, Peter

 

[Uwek]

Very good execution - all the details very accurate done - you are on a very good way

 

[Corsair]

absolutely beautiful ! I love the small details you are adding !

 

[Kurt Konrath]

Bureaucracy, what would the world do without it? Wicked!

Are they afraid your going to take their old folks jobs away, or just getting to old to be of use to them.

We all know how wise and educated you are on the subjects you deal with.

 

[Heinrich]

This is a beautiful build, Jack full of personal touches and innovations. The kit though, seems to present a good basis to work from. It seems Modelship Dockyard got this one spot on, judging by the superb builds of the model present here on SOS.

 

[Jack Jäger]

Are they afraid your going to take their old folks jobs away, or just getting to old to be of use to them.

We all know how wise and educated you are on the subjects you deal with.

Hi Kurt.
For what it is worth my opinion is the latter. Disposal economy? JJ..

 

[Jack Jäger]

This is a beautiful build, Jack full of personal touches and innovations. The kit though, seems to present a good basis to work from. It seems Modelship Dockyard got this one spot on, judging by the superb builds of the model present here on SOS.

Hi Heinrich.
Yes it is a good kit and you get a lot for your money, but it is also very frustrating mostly because the plans/instructions are confusing and sometimes contradictory, a real curates egg! But I am enjoying the build and hope to put my own slant on a ship from so early in the 18th century, an interesting era rarely covered Will post more very soon. Thank you JJ..

 

[Jack Jäger]

Hi

 

[Jack Jäger]

Sorry about the last post Sir, 'It went off in my hand!'


Hi Folks
Been busy this weekend and didn't get much done with the wee ship. But I did finish adding some small details to the lower deck and all went well with no problems, at least not with the kit. However I messed up a bit when I came to varnish the beams etc.. I should have known better as I have had problems in the past when coating pear wood with an oil based matt varnish, the pear tended to absorb the resin, leaving powdery white traces on the surface. On this occasion I used Humbrol clear matt enamel thinned with white spirit,(a product I have never had a problem with before) but I ended up with similar results. I am glad it is the lower deck as it wont be noticed so much, but leaves me wondering about the main deck beams, a lot of experimenting will be needed. The same can be said when it comes to the deck planks. In the kit they come as pre cut and laser etched pear sheets that when you apply a clear coating to them they turn an ugly mid-brown colour, hardly reprehensive of a RN holystoned and sun bleached deck! But that's for the future.
Before I start on the upper deck I think it will be wise to add a few planks to the lower hull near the stern post, these to support the rudder pintails. If I leave it much later I might cause some damage when turning the hull over. I don't think there is any wood in the kit for this although these planks can be seen on the finished model shown in the on-line plans. Shouldn't be too much of a problem to find something suitable.
Here are some pics., of my progress, as well as the lower deck fittings I have cut the cable hawse holes and added the external bolster and lining. The last pics show the made up capstan and elm tree pumps sitting in place they all have to be trimmed to size after placing the upper deck. Slushy should have had his wooden leg trimmed shorter to save hitting his head on those beams.

Cheers JJ..

 

[Uwek]

Very good work -

 

[Jack Jäger]

I name this Ship.
​

Well that is the fun question, of Blandford and her nineteen sisters non in particular stand out for any heroic exploits, in fact I can only find two that captured any prizes at all. No they where a class of naval work-horses, carrying dispatches to the fleet and convoy duty to America and the Indies, with one or two left in home waters, the Mediterranean and the Baltic. Some of them are of interest for the captains whose career begun with them as their first ship commands, so that is where I have centred my thoughts on naming my twenty gun ship. I narrowed my choice down to three, probably the most notable was Flamborough who at one time was under the command of Capt. Edward Hawke,( later 1st. Baron Hawke ), also Capt. Jervis Porter who went on to command Hercules 74 under Hawke at the battle of Quiberon Bay. Flamborough while under Porter captured five small French privateers in the North sea, she would have been a 'kick in' except she was one of the later builds commissioned 1728 and probably looking very different to Blandford. The second interesting first captain was that of Gibraltar, also 1728, and her first captain was John Byng later Admiral Byng and shot for cardice on the quarter deck of HMS Monarch on the 14th of March 1757. Gibraltar herself had a rather undistinguished career mostly in the Med. and Indies before being paid off in 1748. That leaves the fifth of the class to be built, Scarborough 1722 and first commanded by Capt. George Anson who had her in the Carolinas until 1728. Anson went on to become Admiral of the fleet and the first Lord Anson. He is noted for his voyage around the world aboard HMS Centurion where off the Philippines he captured the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Covadonga (among her cargo was 1,313,843 pieces of eight), Anson's two eights made him a very rich man for life. Interestingly Anson also captained another twenty gun ship the Garland, perhaps his time on the twenties was why he was so critical of their design and he later went on to be influential in the design of the first true frigates of the late 1740's controversially base on captured French cruisers.
It's all a bit thin, but I like to think I am building a model of a ship first commanded by one of Britain's greatest and most influential Royal Navy figures. Therefore I name my build, His Britannic Majesty’s Ship Scarborough.

As to the build itself things have been progressing nicely, although there has been a lot done there is not a lot of change in the overall look. I have started adding the upper deck beams and after adding the first I decked of the lower forward space below the forecastle to make the manger, also adding the bowsprit step with it's 28 degree mortice and some fencing to keep the beasties locked up. I followed this with the fore jeer and topsail sheet bitts. Realising this the ideal time to add the anchor cables I made some tannish coloured cable to a dia. of 2.25mm., equivalent, at 1/48 scale, to the 13.5 inch cable carried by sixth rates. I then continued the beams down to No. 7, the first to be directly over the lower beam and from where I intend to add centre columns. I trial made a couple and decided I liked the one with a twist in it. I thought I might paint them, but on reflection not blue and white if at all! I have started work on the stern but that is still early days.
Here, in no particular order are some pictures of my progress.



Cheers JJ..

 

[Peter Voogt]

I name this Ship.
​

Well that is the fun question, of Blandford and her nineteen sisters non in particular stand out for any heroic exploits, in fact I can only find two that captured any prizes at all. No they where a class of naval work-horses, carrying dispatches to the fleet and convoy duty to America and the Indies, with one or two left in home waters, the Mediterranean and the Baltic. Some of them are of interest for the captains whose career begun with them as their first ship commands, so that is where I have centred my thoughts on naming my twenty gun ship. I narrowed my choice down to three, probably the most notable was Flamborough who at one time was under the command of Capt. Edward Hawke,( later 1st. Baron Hawke ), also Capt. Jervis Porter who went on to command Hercules 74 under Hawke at the battle of Quiberon Bay. Flamborough while under Porter captured five small French privateers in the North sea, she would have been a 'kick in' except she was one of the later builds commissioned 1728 and probably looking very different to Blandford. The second interesting first captain was that of Gibraltar, also 1728, and her first captain was John Byng later Admiral Byng and shot for cardice on the quarter deck of HMS Monarch on the 14th of March 1757. Gibraltar herself had a rather undistinguished career mostly in the Med. and Indies before being paid off in 1748. That leaves the fifth of the class to be built, Scarborough 1722 and first commanded by Capt. George Anson who had her in the Carolinas until 1728. Anson went on to become Admiral of the fleet and the first Lord Anson. He is noted for his voyage around the world aboard HMS Centurion where off the Philippines he captured the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Covadonga (among her cargo was 1,313,843 pieces of eight), Anson's two eights made him a very rich man for life. Interestingly Anson also captained another twenty gun ship the Garland, perhaps his time on the twenties was why he was so critical of their design and he later went on to be influential in the design of the first true frigates of the late 1740's controversially base on captured French cruisers.
It's all a bit thin, but I like to think I am building a model of a ship first commanded by one of Britain's greatest and most influential Royal Navy figures. Therefore I name my build, His Britannic Majesty’s Ship Scarborough.

As to the build itself things have been progressing nicely, although there has been a lot done there is not a lot of change in the overall look. I have started adding the upper deck beams and after adding the first I decked of the lower forward space below the forecastle to make the manger, also adding the bowsprit step with it's 28 degree mortice and some fencing to keep the beasties locked up. I followed this with the fore jeer and topsail sheet bitts. Realising this the ideal time to add the anchor cables I made some tannish coloured cable to a dia. of 2.25mm., equivalent, at 1/48 scale, to the 13.5 inch cable carried by sixth rates. I then continued the beams down to No. 7, the first to be directly over the lower beam and from where I intend to add centre columns. I trial made a couple and decided I liked the one with a twist in it. I thought I might paint them, but on reflection not blue and white if at all! I have started work on the stern but that is still early days.
Here, in no particular order are some pictures of my progress.

View attachment 361921View attachment 361922View attachment 361923View attachment 361924View attachment 361925View attachment 361926View attachment 361927View attachment 361928View attachment 361929View attachment 361930

Cheers JJ..

Nice pictures showing a lot of fine details, Jack. Chapeau!
Regards, Peter

 

[Uwek]

I like the argumentation with defining the ship´s name of your model
Scarborough
Here is the listing of all sisterships of the same 1719 Establishment 20-Gunner

British 1719 Establishment 20-Gunner

Details and list of Ships built to the 1719 Establishment 20-Gunner design

threedecks.org

very good work