De Zeven Provincien 1665, scale 1:100 from Seahorse

[The--Mouse]

After more than 1.5 years of working on the Jahre Viking, it is time for a new challenge at the paper shipyard:


De 7 Provinciën


De 7 Provinciën was a Dutch ship of the line from the 17th century and is best known as the flagship of Lieutenant Admiral Michiel de Ruyter. The ship was built at the Admiralty Shipyard in Rotterdam under the supervision of master shipbuilder Salomon Jansz. van den Tempel. Her keel was laid in 1664, and she was launched on 4 March 1665, just in time to take part in the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
De 7 Provinciën was a so-called three-deck warship, although the upper gun deck did not extend along the ship's full length. Upon entering service, she carried approximately 80 cannons distributed over several decks. During her career, her armament was increased to around 96 cannons. Depending on the mission, her crew consisted of approximately 420 to 500 men, including officers, sailors, marines, gunners, and cabin boys.
The ship measured approximately 48 metres in length on the gun deck, had a beam of about 12 metres, and a draught of around 5 metres. Her displacement was approximately 1,600 tons, making her one of the largest and most powerful warships of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.
De 7 Provinciën played a leading role in several of the most famous naval battles in Dutch maritime history. As Michiel de Ruyter's flagship, she fought in the Four Days' Battle (1666), the St. James's Day Battle (1666), the Battle of Solebay (1672), both Battles of Schooneveld (1673), and the Battle of Texel (1673). She also took part in the famous Raid on Chatham in 1667 as part of the Dutch fleet.
In addition to her military importance, De 7 Provinciën was renowned for her richly decorated stern, magnificent wood carvings, and impressive appearance. The ship remains one of the most famous warships of the Dutch Golden Age and a symbol of the maritime power of the Dutch Republic.
After 29 years of service, the ship was broken up in 1694.
(Source: ChatGPT)

The model is produced by Seahorse, and I purchased it through Scaldis.
The difficulty rating is 5 out of 5, and the description states that it is intended for highly experienced model builders... it should be manageable, right?

It's quite a substantial kit:


The kit includes, among other things:


The ship itself, consisting of an entire book of printed paper sheets.
I have placed all the sheets in plastic sleeves to keep everything neatly organized together:




Laser-cut frames:



Laser-cut first and second planking:





Even more laser-cut parts:



The masts, which are made of wood:


The sails:


The cannons, deadeyes, blocks, decorative figures, and many other parts are 3D printed:


I think this will once again be a model that will be standing on my workbench for quite some time. I will have to learn new techniques again, including painting the 3D figures and assembling all the rigging...
The ship will be built completely, including all the masts and with a full set of sails.
So it will not be built like the photo on the cover of the book.
I have started studying this ship, and the actual construction will begin from mid-September.


Fred

 

[The--Mouse]

For the study of the Seven Provinces, I had purchased two books..






They are nice and informative books about Michiel de Ruyter, but not really about the ship itself.


Until Robert Schotman from Scaldis told me that there is a very comprehensive book about this ship and that he owns it.
The question of whether I would like to borrow it during the construction was answered with a resounding YES, and today the book was delivered:


It is a very large and heavy book about the research and construction of the wooden model.
It contains many detailed photographs and a great deal of information:



The book also contains A0-size drawings with an incredible amount of detail:

And for me, of course, a very interesting and helpful drawing showing all the rigging:


This book will be on my workbench for the coming weeks, allowing me to study it in great detail.


Fred

 

[Iterum]

Hello Fred,
great to see this beautifil project starting here.

Could you kindly be so Kind to show some pictures of the JAHRE VIKING (as I do love her but never was in the mood to buy a kit)?

Best wishes from Berlin Card Yard,

Chris

 

[The--Mouse]

With a lot of valuable information at hand, it is finally time to begin building this ship.


Last week, the keel was laid, officially marking the start of the construction of this vessel:




The keel was carefully aligned and kept perfectly straight between LEGO blocks, providing a solid foundation for the build. Once everything was properly positioned and checked, work could begin on installing the frames.









And with the framework complete, work on the decks could begin. Installing the decks not only adds strength to the hull structure, but also starts to reveal the true shape and proportions of the ship.




Before the next decks could be installed, the interior first had to be painted.

Very little of this will remain visible later on, as this area will eventually be occupied by the cannons. However, leaving the white cardboard visible in the background would not look very convincing, so it was time to get the paintbrushes out and start painting.


Fred

 

[The--Mouse]

The decks were then painted further until everything had a nice, even brown finish. This not only gave the model a much more realistic appearance, but also helped conceal the cardboard material, creating a convincing representation of a wooden deck structure.


After that, work could begin on the first gun carriages.

Since very little of them will be visible in the finished model, they have been kept deliberately simple. Wheels and tackle have been omitted, as these details will be hidden from view once the ship is completed. In the end, only the cannon barrels themselves will remain visible, protruding through the gunports.


The gun carriages were laser-cut and first given a coat of red paint. This not only provided the characteristic appearance often seen on period naval artillery, but also helped seal the material and prepare the parts for final assembly.


Each gun carriage consists of four individual parts, which is not too bad for a single one. However, a total of 28 gun carriages are required for this deck, so what starts as a simple task soon turns into a considerable production line. Fortunately, the parts are relatively straightforward, making it possible to assemble them efficiently in batches.


(These must be fast-firing guns, because the gun carriages have been painted in Ferrari red... )




And this is what the finished gun carriages look like. Enjoy the view while you can, because once the decks are in place, very little of them will remain visible!


Next job is to glue the gun carriages into the hull. The cannons will be added later when the hull is complete. Then I can move on to the next decks.





(This text was translated from Dutch into English using AI.)

Fred