Black Swan

[GIG23]

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

would like to write a build report on the Black Swan. The kit is from OcCre, is called Black Swan, and is relatively new on the market. It is in 1:75 scale.It has a medium difficulty level and is supposedly ideal for beginners. It has already been presented here in the forum by Jim. I can, of course, do it again if you wish.I will be completely converting the Black Swan into a Royal Navy ship. She will be a proud ship of His Majesty and will strike fear into the hearts of pirates in the Caribbean.Since I will be converting the Black Swan, she will, of course, also be given a different name.

The name of the future ship is Athena!

The Athena is a fantasy ship that bears similarities to the Black Pearl, the Black Swan, the Flying Dutchman, and other vessels. There is no historical evidence for this ship. The design of this ship is not historically documented, but the shipbuilding influences of 17th and 18th-century sailing ships were taken into account during construction. The Athena's construction resembles a galleon.

The ship's design will therefore be modified to be more similar to historical ships of the 17th to early 18th centuries. As mentioned above, my intention is not to build a pirate ship, but rather to design an aesthetically pleasing and majestic Royal Navy ship.

I apologize for any difficulties I encounter as a novice in wooden shipbuilding. Therefore, I ask for your patience and support with this project.

I thank you for the helpful comments and support in this forum.

Sincerely, (the then Queen Mary II)

Best regards

Günter

 

[Namabiiru]

Lovely!

 

[GIG23]

The Athena is a fantasy ship that bears similarities to the Black Pearl, the Black Swan, the Flying Dutchman, and other vessels. There is no historical evidence for this ship. The design of this ship is not historically documented, but the shipbuilding influences of 17th and 18th-century sailing ships were taken into account during construction
The Athena's construction resembles a galleon.
The ship's design will therefore be modified to be more similar to historical ships of the 17th to early 18th centuries. As mentioned above, my intention is not to build a pirate ship, but rather to design an aesthetically pleasing and majestic Royal Navy ship.
I apologize for any difficulties I encounter as a novice in wooden shipbuilding. Therefore, I ask for your patience and support with this project.
I thank you for the helpful comments and support in this forum.
Sincerely, (the then Queen Mary II)

Now for my first report. I already mentioned that I'm not building the Black Swan from OcCre, but the Athena. Of course, like a true model builder, I took a close look at the parts and must say that, since I have no experience with such kits, I was very surprised at how quickly something can break if you have too many fingers...

Inspecting the wood also showed me that it's a very delicate material. The quality is okay, not what I expected. It wobbles everywhere, parts (tensions) are incorrectly spaced. Too small or too large, and you have to rework them. But this has to be done with great care, otherwise something can break again. See the deck picture with Perry. I've posted a few pictures of what the Athena's frame looks like. I've already started work on the upper deck and extended an entrance and the grating support. Another extension to the bow is still to come. I've relocated the mast head for the fuel mast. I also ordered 0.06 mm x 3 mm x 300 mm veneer for the hull paneling. Also balsa wood for the filling (stability). There's still a lot going on here on the upper deck!

So far, I've cleaned the frames of any remaining connecting pieces and done some sawing on the upper deck. Please be considerate and don't stare too long, because Athena looks very, very naked right now, standing here in her Eve costume... Please have a little respect and look away quickly... 8)

Oh yes, how could I have forgotten? I'd like to introduce you to my master shipbuilder. His name is Percy Mcroudy. He's a Scot through and through. But highly sensitive and beyond creative. Unfortunately, he has a theatrical streak and always grabs his head when something doesn't work out. He will guide me and Athena through the stormy seas of model building and provide many a laugh . He's a bit of a goofball, a bit silvery. But otherwise, he's doing well and looking forward to learning from you. :Ok:

So here my first pictures:
.

 

[GIG23]

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Here's a quick status report. What's happening?

I've decided to equip the lower deck not with cannon racks, but with full-fledged cannons on carriages. I won't extend the lower deck or mark the cannons, as they can't be seen. But from the outside, it certainly looks fantastic.
I've drawn the lower deck on the frames so I can see it. It serves as a guide for the approximate height at which I need to position the cannons (height of the carriage and the cannon). (I know the frames are much rounder and curved, but as I said, nothing is being done inside the ship. So it's not that important.)
I've taken a look at the frame. The quality isn't that good. I still have to do some work to get the frame into shape.
But take a look at the pictures. I hope it works...
In the last picture, you can see how I'm going to rebuild the deck.
Old is old and new is new. So the old deck will be converted into the new deck.
Enjoy looking at the pictures.

Best regards and ahoy

Günter



Übersetzt mit DeepL.com (kostenlose Version)

 

[GIG23]

Hello friends,

I apologize for my text being in German. Unfortunately, I realized this too late. I've now tried translating it into English.

Hopefully it worked.

Best regards,
Günter

 

[GIG23]

Hello friends,

I've included a few pictures comparing the gun barrel of an OcCre 12-pounder with my homemade gun for HMS Victory 12 years ago. The scale of the OcCre gun barrel is also incorrect.

The comparison between the two gun barrels is a disaster if you really want to build based on a historical model.
As I said, this is a medium-duty kit from OcCre. If you want to try this kit, just do it. That's what the Black Swan kit is for. It's not a demanding task.

But I want to get the most out of this kit, even if I still have to get extras (e.g., better guns, rams, walkways, additional planks, etc.).
Either I lean too far out of the window and reap ridicule and scorn, and get tarred and feathered, or I build a really great wooden model, entirely according to my wishes and ideas, with a bit of historical ship construction (deck structure, capstan, rigging).

Look at the pictures. As you can see, Mr. McCroudy isn't happy about OcCre's cannon. You can't win a war with that. But with Günter's cannons, you definitely can!

Best regards

Günter

 

[Larro145]

Where do you get those brass cannons?

 

[GIG23]

Hi Laro,

I made the cannon in the first picture myself about 12 years ago. It was intended for the HMS Victory. The cannons in the second-to-last picture are from Krick Modelling in Germany. Here's the link:

Krick Modelltechnik - Onlineshop for model builders

Krick Modelltechnik, manufacturer and wholesaler, your competent partner no matter if you are looking for ship model building or aircraft model building.

www.krickshop.de

You can look on this side. They have a large selection of guns. They're not quite as good as mine, but they're pretty close.

Best regards
Günther

 

[Larro145]

Hi Laro,

I made the cannon in the first picture myself about 12 years ago. It was intended for the HMS Victory. The cannons in the second-to-last picture are from Krick Modelling in Germany. Here's the link:

Krick Modelltechnik - Onlineshop for model builders

Krick Modelltechnik, manufacturer and wholesaler, your competent partner no matter if you are looking for ship model building or aircraft model building.

www.krickshop.de

You can look on this side. They have a large selection of guns. They're not quite as good as mine, but they're pretty close.

Best regards
Günther

Thank you!

 

[GIG23]

null problemo Larro, you welcome!!

Best Regards
Günter

 

[tball4217]

the stern castle is the issue... its too tall. Were essentially talking Roter Lowe with a Soveriegn of the Seas stern castle design.. the first bottom level of the stern castle with the wheel on it... judging by the rest of the ship.. would actualy be a double height deck.. makes no sense.

The stern lanters have to go, the highest part the lanterns are on should go as well.

 

[LucZoRama]

woooowww

GIG23​

I think it is coming out great. I like it and cannot wait to see the end result, love the level and the cannon so far. Please keep us posted.