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AL Colonial Schooner "Independence" by DocBlake - 5/16" scale

DocBlake said:
Thanks, Gary.

This "Independence" is a fictional vessel so I decided to rename this schooner "Clio" after the Muse of History in Greek mythology. My friend Mike Shanks was able to laser etch some ebony I had on hand. I then painted the etched name using white acrylic paint. Sanding the face with a 220 grit sanding block took care of any excess paint on the name plate. I then glued the name to the transom.

After a lot of thought I decided to include quarter badge windows. This is a small, simple ship so I opted out of all the elaborate carving and went with a simple 4 pane light that Mike Shanks cut out for me in boxwood. I took a cue from Dr. Clayton Feldman in his "Lexington" build and added a curved rain diverter and sill, both of which stand proud of the window. Simple molding strips form the sides of the framing. All these parts are of ebony.

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Herasee !!! Burn the heretic!!! First it's fictional, then you have the audacity to change it???
Oh the gods of historical correctness surely with to give you 1000 lashes with a wet noodle!!

Honestly and seriously, how the h e double hockey sticks do you make such superb perfect models Doc?
If I only had half of your skill, you'd still be twice as skilled. Beautiful ship my friend, absolutely beautiful :)
 
Thanks, guys!
Time to get to work on the swivel guns. I can't remember where I picked up the guns that I used. The scale of this model is weird so there are no commercial swivels. I had to make my own. The barrels for the 2 pounder swivels measured about 32 scale inches long. Slightly short, but passable.
My first step was to silver solder some brass rod to each gun as a handle. I the made the gun brackets from sheet brass and brass rod, and drilled holes for the trunions. Lastly, afrer blackening all the parts, I made the little balls on the ends of the handle. I build up several layers of thin CA glue until I got the size I wanted, then painted them red. Next is assembling the guns and mounting them.

swivel 1.jpgswivel 2.jpgswivel 3.jpg
 
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Thanks, guys!

I finished up the anchors. The stocks are swiss pear, shaped and tapered. The anchor's themselves were supplied with the kit, and I wasn't to sure about the U-shape. Royal Navy anchors were more "V" shaped in the latter 18th century. The shape was more typical of Continental anchors, so would have been in use on a schooner like this I went with the kit anchors. The simulated metal bands on the stocks are thin slices of shrink-wrap electrical insulation. Cut to size, slip in place and heat in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes. Done!


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I use electrical insulation that shrinks when heated. It comes in tubes of various sizes. You can find it in the electrical department at any big box store, or buy enough to supply several lifetimes on the internet!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QM8249H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

To use, choose an appropriate diameter tube and slice off the bands with a sharp X-Acto knife. Slip them on the stock in proper position and put the stock in a preheated 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes. Done!
 
The ship looks great, and I love the overall work you have done.

Sometimes I think a modeler is cheating when making a stub mast model with no rigging, but it helps show the true beauty of the ship build in its own right!
 
Sometimes I think a modeler is cheating when making a stub mast model with no rigging ...

Nope. In many cases the rigging - because of the height of the masts and large sail areas - dominate the overall effect when the ship is viewed in full. A model which only features stub masts places the emphasis on the ship itself. So, it is a question of horses for courses. I am with Doc on this one.
 
DocBlake said:
Even though I used the kit parts as templates for my remade anchor stocks (using swiss pear), I really didn't like how they turned out. The stocks are too clunky and I didn't like the reinforcing band placement. So I made them over.

Much better, I think!


View attachment 178136View attachment 178137
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The anchor stocks are really looking better - they were too thick in the beginning, so the ratio between length thickness and depth was somehow incorrect.
A very good tip with the shrinking insulation!
Heinrich said:
Sometimes I think a modeler is cheating when making a stub mast model with no rigging ...
Nope. In many cases the rigging - because of the height of the masts and large sail areas - dominate the overall effect when the ship is viewed in full. A model which only features stub masts places the emphasis on the ship itself. So, it is a question of horses for courses. I am with Doc on this one.
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I agree here with you - it is different, but you can concentrate with your view on the hull form and the deck installations
 
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