HMS Sirius 1786 Deck Cannon - Modellers Shipyard 1:20 [COMPLETED BUILD]

[Richie]

While recovering from my damaging escapade I wanted to keep doing a bit of modelling when I could.
The Revenge is still in dry dock while waiting to start on the rigging as it was going to be fiddly work which I wasn’t yet ready for.
My goal in the meantime was to build a small project and not worry too much about the finer details and just keep it light and breezy, it was really just to keep my mind and hands busy for now.
I happened to have this project in the cupboard which I was going to do after the Revenge but decided now was the time.

So here is a brief build log which I will pretty much just follow the instructions in the box with just a few small tweaks.

Below is a brief description, there is quite a bit of general information on the web and there is a museum on Norfolk Island dedicated to the wreck.

HMS Sirius | Norfolk Island Museum

norfolkislandmuseum.com.au

The H.M.S. Sirius was the flagship of the First Fleet that arrived at Port Jackson in 1788 along with the H.M.S. Supply.
Unfortunately the H.M.S. Sirius met it’s demise carrying supplies to Norfolk Island when it was wrecked on Norfolk Reef on the 19th of March 1790.
A bronze cannon and anchor were recovered from the wreck and installed in Macquarie Place Sydney in 1907.

This inscription on brass plate at the base reads:
This Gun is believed to have formed part of the armament of the HMS Sirius, the flagship of the first fleet, which entered Port Jackson in 1788.
The gun returned to Sydney after the Sirius was wrecked at Norfolk Island in 1790 and used as a signal gun at south head.
This gun was placed here in 1907.

 

[Richie]

And so it begins.
Not a lot of pieces in the box and at a scale of 1:20 nothing too tiny.
I found the plans and instructions didn't quite match up with the physical parts, it seems there was a revision miss-match but not a big deal as I will make it work.

 

[Heinrich]

Good luck Richie. I will be cheering you on from the sidelines!

 

[Richie]

Good luck Richie. I will be cheering you on from the sidelines!

Thank you Heinrich, it's a small low key build so will be a very small staduim to cheer from.

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

That looks like a fun small project.

 

[Tony H]

My first venture back into model building was a couple of naval guns from model expo. That was nearly two years ago and haven't stopped yet. This looks like a good quality kit and should be an interesting build.

 

[dockattner]

Nice idea with this 'restorative' build.

 

[Richie]

That looks like a fun small project.

Yes I think it will actually be a nice change from working on the whole ship, short and sweet.
Something like this is probably a good starting point for someone starting out if they are unsure.

 

[Richie]

Nice idea with this 'restorative' build.

Thanks Paul, I like it too.

 

[Kurt Konrath]

During the Covid lockdown periods when I was working from home, I built one or more small gun displays.

They are not as complex as a whole ship build but have enough details to look nice.

Have fun with yours and enjoy.

 

[Richie]

My first venture back into model building was a couple of naval guns from model expo. That was nearly two years ago and haven't stopped yet. This looks like a good quality kit and should be an interesting build.

Its a good way to start I think, nothing too ambitious.
With a 1:20 scale there is plenty of scope to bury yourself in the finer details on this model but I wont be doing that and deliberately keeping it simple.

 

[Richie]

During the Covid lockdown periods when I was working from home, I built one or more small gun displays.

They are not as complex as a whole ship build but have enough details to look nice.

Have fun with yours and enjoy.

Thank you and yes I agree, they are small enough to be placed on a shelf without taking up too much room.

 

[Richie]

This image of the recovered cannon is from www.visitsydneyaustralia.com.au web site.

 

[Richie]

I pondered whether the base was meant to actually represent a specific part of the ship or merely a display stand for the cannon.
Looking at various completed models I found nothing to indicate it was a certain part of the ship so decided to go more with the latter.
Only 4 pieces made up the main part of the base with the bulwark being planked on both sides.
The plans called for teak planking on the bulwark but I decided to make the inner side a light colour using a few leftover pieces from a previous build.
Unfortunately I didn't pay attention to the shades of the teak planking material used on the outside so was left with the unusual pattern as shown, oh well it's a bit of individual character.

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

I pondered whether the base was meant to actually represent a specific part of the ship or merely a display stand for the cannon.
Looking at various completed models I found nothing to indicate it was a certain part of the ship so decided to go more with the latter.
Only 4 pieces made up the main part of the base with the bulwark being planked on both sides.
The plans called for teak planking on the bulwark but I decided to make the inner side a light colour using a few leftover pieces from a previous build.
Unfortunately I didn't pay attention to the shades of the teak planking material used on the outside so was left with the unusual pattern as shown, oh well it's a bit of individual character.


View attachment 294552View attachment 294553View attachment 294554View attachment 294557

I think it would look best if you scratch built a section of the ship's hull to go with the cannon, including some camber curvature, trenailed deck planks, and even cannon tools like a worm, water bucket, swab, etc. hung from the bulwark on hooks or placed on the deck itself. There are so many details you could add, perhaps even a hinged gun port lid. It depends on how far you want to go. Sometimes just keeping it simple is more fun than going all out and making a model that could be used as a set in a movie.

 

[Heinrich]

I like the unusual pattern of the planking Richie. That's what I did on the Willem Barentsz (I used whatever plank was next out of the box) and I am very pleased with how that looks.

 

[Richie]

I think it would look best if you scratch built a section of the ship's hull to go with the cannon, including some camber curvature, trenailed deck planks, and even cannon tools like a worm, water bucket, swab, etc. hung from the bulwark on hooks or placed on the deck itself. There are so many details you could add, perhaps even a hinged gun port lid. It depends on how far you want to go. Sometimes just keeping it simple is more fun than going all out and making a model that could be used as a set in a movie.

Indeed all your comments are valid and at this scale very possible.
My intent with this kit was a small low key build to get me back into the zone, and not having to think too much about the finer details and just enjoy the process for what it is, building a model wooden kit.
Of course this is a world away from your highly modified build which will be amazing but right now it is enough for me to keep it simple.

 

[Richie]

I like the unusual pattern of the planking Richie. That's what I did on the Willem Barentsz (I used whatever plank was next out of the box) and I am very pleased with how that looks.

Thank you and that is exactly what I did, it's not something I would have done by design but now I am ok how it turned out.

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Indeed all your comments are valid and at this scale very possible.
My intent with this kit was a small low key build to get me back into the zone, and not having to think too much about the finer details and just enjoy the process for what it is, building a model wooden kit.
Of course this is a world away from your highly modified build which will be amazing but right now it is enough for me to keep it simple.

Whatever you do, it will look great.

 

[danielsje]

I have a similar pattern in modeling. After spending up to a year (often a lot longer) on a complex three masted ship I look for a break with a smaller less complex project. The cannon replica looks like just the type of kit needed to keep one’s sanity and still enjoy the modeling. Keeps one from turning to wild drink and babbling to oneself!