HMS Victory - Occre by jnegrete

[jnegrete]

Hello everyone,

I’m starting a build log for the HMS Victory by Occre. This is my first time keeping a log, so I’d appreciate some indulgence—and any advice you might have!

I might not be very consistent, but I’ll catch up. To be honest, I haven’t been able to dedicate much time to it, so progress is a bit slow.

So far, I haven’t run into too many difficulties; it’s been a very rewarding experience.

I considered planking only half of the lower hull—leaving one side open—as some others have done. In the end, however, I decided to stick to the "spirit" of the Occre kit, which features partially constructed decks (revealing the levels below) and showcases the frames, following the "arsenal" method of construction.

I’ve included a few photos taken since I decided to join the forum; by that point, I had already assembled the initial structure—the frames and lower decks—and was just beginning to plank the hull.

 

[jnegrete]

Here you can see the hull, already sheathed, both before and after sanding.



I marked the positions for the cannon ports and cut them out using very fine, small Dremel saw blades; they make the work go much faster and ensure very straight cuts—though you do need a steady hand…
For this model and using this method, many of the frames must be cut to create the cannon ports. See the detail circled in red.






And for the internal moldings of the gun ports, I used a trick I copied from someone (CrisJaca) in the Foro Modelismo Naval —which saved me a lot of work and turned out well; I used 1 mm pearwood.

 

[jnegrete]

Here are some photos of the hull, first with the wales attached, and subsequently with the openings cut into the wales for the portriggles.















I am making the gratings using 1 mm pre-cut strips from Artesanía Latina—the closest match for the ship’s 1/86 scale. As you can see in the photo, the ones included in the kit have openings large enough for the sailors to slip right through…



I’ve made progress on the gun ports (there are 100 of them in various sizes) and the cannons themselves.
I’ve darkened them using Brass Black—it’s my first time using it, and in some areas—even though I cleaned them with acetone—the result isn’t great. Any suggestions? Also, do you know of any other brands that offer a more affordable version of this liquid?



I’ve also started on the sterncastle, as you can see in the photo.
And that’s all for now. We’ll keep you posted.
Thanks for following along!

 

[AllanKP69]

I’d appreciate some indulgence

From an unknown writer..... The expert in anything was once a beginner. Have fun!!

 

[Simon78]

Looking very good so far, some impressive work there and a very well equipped work bench.
I'll keep watching!