• Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
    As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.
  • PRE-ORDER SHIPS IN SCALE TODAY!

    The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026!
    Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue.

    NOTE THAT OUR FIRST ISSUE WILL BE JAN/FEB 2026

H.M.S. Victory by Caldercraft - Build Log

Finished up some of the rigging on the spritsail yards.
This included (I think) the lifts, standing lifts and bunt lines.

I also think I have missed some of the standing rigging for the spritsail yards that I am going to have to go back and address.
These are high quality photos of another build and you can see the black standing rigging on the bow. They go through thimbles on the yards back to the bow.
post-68-0-88790300-1361746432.jpg

I did add most of the running rigging for these yards though....

20260206_160831.jpg20260206_160910.jpg
post-68-0-92571900-1366499049.jpg

20260206_160914.jpg

20260206_160924.jpg
 
After those yards, I took a stab at installing the main mast lantern.
I annealed some of the brass wiring provided for in the kit and installed as close to the live pictures I had.
I tried to drill a small hole under the lantern for the main pipe (so to speak) to fit. Then took smaller wire to create the back up pipes.

It was my first try, I know what I'll need to do for the 3 main lanterns and I will have to do some touchups on this one before I get the rest of the main sheets, clews, etc in place.
20260206_161002.jpg20260206_161009.jpg

I then went out of order, or rather was confused at what I was looking at instruction wise. The next steps were to install the fore topmast yard sheets and clew lines. I didn't see or understand what I was looking at and ended up creating the tri-block setup for the fore main yard clew, sheet and tacks.

This will probably cause me trouble getting in the way, but the end result is kind of nice. This is a three way system and while the standing ends can be secured to eyebolts and stanchions, you have to leave the other ends loose until they are all in place so they can be tightened and secured to look neat.

My only concern is that they are rubbing up against the fore shrouds, I don't think in reality this would be right...
I am going to check on pics I have.

20260206_160837.jpg20260206_160842.jpg
20260206_160831.jpg
 
I wish I could remember which builder these are from, his pictures are great because I uses a nice background to show the rigging.
It does appear that his tack/clew/sheet setup seems to run close to the shrouds, so I am not too disappointed.
post-68-0-80739500-1366499645.jpgIMG_7175.thumb.JPG.68c03c257829bb6ff1a231d811430821.jpg

I also included his work on created the tri-block set up using kit blocks.

post-68-0-35374200-1385425759.jpgpost-68-0-37180700-1385425747.jpg

I then looked for some of the live shots I had...these are harder to find as they have a lot of the masts and yards off the boat as they are working on her.

You can see that perhaps the standing end of the rigging that is secured to the the yard may be a bit farther out to keep the rigging away from the shrouds....

46534710_7de1e540b9_z jjjj.jpgBow - Port Detail.jpg
 
The grind continues and it is actually exciting!

I have completed the following:
All of the tyes that hold/hoist/lower the yards on the three masts.
All of the lifts, buntlines and leechlines for the yards
All of the yard sheets and clew (clue) lines for the yards

I started on the braces today with the first being the spritsail yard.
The braces will utilize the pendants that we worked so hard attaching to almost all of the yards. Without looking ahead and ruining the story, I would assume they will have a secure point, run down to the pendant and block then back up (somewhere!) to finally be secured somewhere on deck.

The spritsail yard starts just behind the mainstay mouse, down to a pendant back up under the foremast platform, through two blocks then back down to the belfry rail.

20260208_180910.jpg

This was hard, the blocks under the platform are now very hard to get at and needed some creative modeler's yoga to get to!
At the time, I was using the kit's blocks and some of the holes are pretty bad. I was able to get my 'cordless' drill in there earlier to open the holes, but it was still a task!

20260208_180918.jpg

After they just end at the belfry rail and I'll create coils later.
20260208_180929.jpg

Honestly, there is symmetry to layout of you look at it. All triangles, all look similar, which helps to keep them straight.

I mean, here we all are, building these models. For some of us, like me, it's our first time and I think when you get to this point and start to see what the finish line is going to look like, I'm amazed at the sheer brilliance of it all. The perfection created to address every aspect of how the wind will affect the ship and how to make it work to the boat's advantage. Just beautiful....

20260208_180945.jpg20260208_180953.jpg

My hope is to create a nice background using a sheet or something to get some nice detailed pictures of the build. Closeup pictures can magnify the flaws and errors, but they have helped me immensely as I have worked on this!

20260208_180915.jpg
 
Back
Top