Build log Revell 1/96 Constitution...or, a ship that could have been around in the early 1800's.

[WilliamM]

Wow! I love what you are doing with the gunport frames! I'm going to emulate it on mine as I have never thought of painting them like you have done!

Bill

 

[Farmboy]

Hey Bill, thanks for the kind words. Really happy I added to your day.!

 

[Farmboy]

Slowly progressing but progressing none the less. The biggest visible thing is the stripe. I'd seen versions where the stripe was wider than the cannon ports and that's the path I followed. Still the rear side and rear windows to paint and some ocher detailing at the head.

you can also see the rear piece (transom?) has been greatly simplified and modified. My idea is a business battleship with minimal embellishment, being a figure head. Hmmm...what's that lion doing there.....

Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Farmboy]

Changed the bow while I was at it, figuring if it's not the Constitution, why carry the same symbols and filigree on the beakhead. I filed, gouged, sanded, and finally got it to where i wanted it with the help of some styrene rod and a bit of tubing for the hawse holes.. Had to actually shorten this piece at the end due to a mishap with a sanding drum and dremel. Oh well, worked out ok. A bit more fine tuning and it should be presentable

I made the hawse openings by heating the end of a piece of styrene tubing and gently pushing down on a metal surface. It gave me the round effect i was looking for. Sliced off and filed a bit, they fit ok.

Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Farmboy]

I should have posted this when doing the gun port inserts but better late than never....
The cannon port doors are a go on this ship, however, I thought they should have a 'stop' or reveal around the inner perimeter to match up with the insert in the hull openings. Here's what they look like

I cut thin styrene into squares slightly smaller than the door width/height, sprayed black and highlighted the setback in red to match the opening's reveal on the cannon port. Not sure if I'm going to paint the door straps yet. We'll see.

Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Farmboy]

I got the starboard side of the hull covered in copper foil. I was looking for advice on the best way to do this, and of the 90+ views I received, 1 replied, and his response was to paint it. Allan, I appreciate your input. In fact, I actually paint the hull copper before covering it with copper foil. Don't be misled by the finish on the keel as that area hasn't been burnished yet. I find the riveting/nailing as represented by Revell a bit overdone and thought this time I would do foil. I'm pleased with the muted texture so far.

Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Farmboy]

And old shot of one of the Connie's I had built -- this was obviously under construction. It was set out of the way while getting ready to move. Wasted effort

 

[Farmboy]

This is the more or less finished hull, just a small number of 'plates' to make and add to the keel section (cutwater?) at the bow. This photo is after a couple of light coats of Krylon matte clear.

and the rest of it, the port side before the matte finish. Notice how it picks up the lines from the cutting mat. Also have the rudder to do. The rudder supports will be left copper - not black - per a photo of the real ship

Rudder, Captain's quarters, transom, and 30 cannon to build next.

Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Farmboy]

I've given this industrial battleship a name. LION. Not sure if I'll include the HMS on the transom or not as Lion doesn't take up a whole lot of space by itself. I've reduced said transom to the bare essentials, a work in progress is in the photo below. A little more cleanup and it'll look ok.

and the name, well, I found this is a bag 'o jungle creature birthday toys at a dollar store. Off with his head! Still needs a bit of trimming and another coat of gold. Note the top of the beakhead needs final trimming also.

Thats all for now. Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Buster]

I've given this industrial battleship a name. LION. Not sure if I'll include the HMS on the transom or not as Lion doesn't take up a whole lot of space by itself. I've reduced said transom to the bare essentials, a work in progress is in the photo below. A little more cleanup and it'll look ok.

and the name, well, I found this is a bag 'o jungle creature birthday toys at a dollar store. Off with his head! Still needs a bit of trimming and another coat of gold. Note the top of the beakhead needs final trimming also.

Thats all for now. Comments and observations welcome.

No, they didn't sport HMS on the transom, just the ship's name.

 

[Farmboy]

Wow, time flies when.... Back in a 'normal' routine finally. Got the cannon port liners inserted.

Just the odd minor touch up to some of the red or black. Amazing, cause none of the flaws appear under normal vision. These are magnified.

Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Smithy]

I like the results you are getting. I think it’s a cool idea to make Lion instead of Constitution. It gives you so much creative freedom.

 

[Farmboy]

Hi Smithy. I'm all for creative freedom lol! I have no firm agenda in mind and won't hesitate to incorporate ideas from other ships if my skills allow. The lion toy figure/head came first, leading to the name and the dumbing down of the transom and beakhead details to create a 'could have been' ship. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[Smithy]

By the way, the first time I saw your title I read it as

Build log Revell 1/96 Constitution...or, a kit that could have been around in the early 1800's.​

 

[Farmboy]

well....it is an old mold....

 

[Farmboy]

The only cannons I'm planning to fully rig on the gun deck are the 12 that can be viewed at the waist thru the spar deck opening. I will be doing a lesser detailed version of cannon rigging for the others below deck. Besides adding the drill bit to the end of a bamboo skewer for drilling the holes on the inside of the hull, I needed a template for some degree of accuracy. Here's what I came up with

I made the wide part an arbitrary length. The small square was made by holding a piece of styrene against the inside of a cannon port, tracing the opening on to the plastic from the outside with a pencil. It was then cut to size and cemented centered to the larger piece. Using a compass I put the holes where I thought they would look ok. The arrow was done before the piece was cemented so I wouldn't lose orientation as it is a rectangle.

And here it is in action holding the template in position

from the outside...... ....and the inside.

I push a sharpie micro point marker in to each hole leaving a small black dot on the bulwark so there's no need to use the drill with the template. The shot below is just a mockup.

Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Farmboy]

Been away for a while, nice to be back. Think I was too immersed in the ship build and lost my mojo for it. Took some time to build another model to refresh.

Anyway. Part of what I was having trouble with was the thought of detailing 30 cannon on the gun deck... and it not being seen. Then I got an idea. Dafi's thread The Constitution...and beyond just bristles with great ideas and inspiration. I keep browsing thru, and this time something clicked. He had experimented by printing side tackle for the gun deck cannon, and it gave me an idea, beginning with these:

I had purchased these quite a while ago hoping I could use them for something in a build. His printed piece has the tackle wound around the block ropes and it looks great. Here's my poor boy's version:

This is the prototype. I'll wind appropriately sized thread/rope around the swivel barrel, paint everything tan with black scratchbuilt hooks and eyes and voila. I think this will work for all 30 guns. Thanks for the idea Dafi! I'll get most or all of the gun deck cannon done before my next posting.

Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Farmboy]

Finally decided on colors for the spar deck equipment and gunwales. I had originally tried yellow for the gun carriages. Nope. Tried red. Too christmassy. Had an olllllld can of Bronze gathering dust on the back of a shelf. That was it! As for the gunwales, while the dark green I've seen on some Connies could be historically correct I was after something different. Humbrol Olive Drab to the rescue. The top rails in the photos willl be black, and the carriages are the ones going on the gun deck

more to come
Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Farmboy]

Taking some liberties with hard-to-see stuff on the gun deck. I remember reading someone said there was a time where just looping the ropes on the plastic kit hooks was considered enough. Of the two previous of these ships I had built, I don't recall anyone remarking on lack of detail on the lower deck. However, having gone to the trouble of thickening the gundeck hull area, what the hey. I modified an idea viewed on another build log here he 3d printed some very credible looking cannon ropes nicely frapped around the cannon tackle and not left on the deck in presentation coils etc. I made mine from #14 fishing line swivels with scratch ring bolts and hooks.

These are about the length of an average+ thumbnail, and, having already drilled the holes in the cannon mounts are within my required tolerances ('cept maybe for the 3rd one from the right on the lower row) to look at home. These are going to be black primered then a flat beige-ish. No blocks, but in the end, a person will look in the crook of a cannon port and see a rigged gun, the center swivel nicely representing the frapped turns. Modern day trompe l'oeil? Mais oui! Now, off to drill 120 holes for 30 guns.

Comments and observations welcome.

 

[Farmboy]

....and here they are with a semi opaque coating of a Humbrol color 93. I didn't go whole hog on color saturation as I think the black shadows will add to the effect that there may be more going on than meets the eye

I'll touch the hooks and eye bolts with black next before installation.

Comments and observations welccome.