Le Soleil Royal, vaisseau de 104 - De Agostini - by Jack Aubrey

[jack.aubrey]

Additional images of the whole ship hull. I have to recognize that it is huge and bulky , , I'm a little worried where I will find the space at my home to keep it, if I will succeed to finish it. I'm thinking to alternative finishing ways . .

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Kind regards, JackAubrey

 

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday October 23rd, 2010 - Gratings

One task planned in the building instructions for issues 18-25 is the construct and the installation of some gratings, on the upper gun deck and on the quarterdeck.

The only change I made was the wood used for the frames: instead of walnut I used boxwood.

Here below are shown the gratings I build and I have then fixed in place . .

Gratings installed on the upper gun deck:

01 P1060990.jpg

Gratins installed on the quarterdeck:

02 P1060992.jpg

An overall view:

03 P1060993.jpg

With this further work I have completed the material I have, but, in order to continue, I decided to build the doors and the windows that will be installed in the vertical walls between the decks. Having no ideas of the layout of these doors and windows I based my work on Mantua Models plans, just for reference. I'll show in the next messages.

Cheers, Jack.Aubrey

 

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday October 30th, 2010 - Doors & Windows - Part 1

As I disclosed, while I was waiting to receive additional material to start working on the hull sides, I began to study an alternative solution to the doors and windows supplied with the kit.

First I had to realize that there are several versions of these elements (i.e DeA, Mantua, Lusci and the famous model in Paris by Talleron)

With the structure anyway setup in my Soleil I wasn't able to made them as in the Paris' model, it was too late, so I decided, in lack of precise documentation, to inspire to Mantua's plans, but not 100%. There is no historical evidence but . .

In the first image in this message, taken with a scanner, I have inserted the outline that I choose for these elements on the various decks. Above the outline there is a semifinished piece from which I obtained some final elements, that are the doors and the windows. There are two kinds of doors and two kinds of windows. Windows are single and double. The semifinished here shown is for single windows.

01 PorteFinestre2R.jpg

Here below a zoomed view of the semifinished. It is made with bitch ply of 0,4mm. thickness. The base is coloured before installing the frames, made with the same ply. External frames are 1,5x0,4mm. while the internal (not yet visible here) are 1x0,4mm.

To obtain these strips I used a home made jig as spacer.

02 PorteFinestre1R.jpg

Here below the semifinished of the double windows.

03 P1070001R.jpg

to be continued . . .

Saturday October 30th, 2010 - Doors & Windows - Part 2

Once finished the single elements I cannot resist to see the result on the model . . . also because I spent an entire week to build them. So, as soon as they became available, I installed them. Here below how they appear once applied on the model.

04 P1060995R.jpg

05 P1060996R.jpg

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Something is still missing and I need to think to handles and joints, but It's a great achievement for me . .

Here below some news in the bow area . . the beakhead bulkhead.

07 P1060998.jpg

Cheers. Jack.

 

[jack.aubrey]

Sunday November 14th, 2010 - hull sides and gun ports

After having at last terminated the work on the ship decks (. . for now . .) and having finally available all the pieces needed I started to work on the hull sides. In practice at this point the hull structure is complete and the next activities will go towards the external plaking.

Before the planks there is some other work to do, and this is the matter of this and the following messages.

What I have now to do is to mount on the upper side of the hull some pieces made with ply of 1.5mm thickness where there are pre-cutted the gun ports. Before mounting them is necessary to finish their sides with sandpaper and small files.

Given that these pieces can be weak, in order to be able to reproduce them in case of breakage, I made a photocopy of all of them . .

As glue I used the aliphatic glue but I helped myself also with some brass nails. It is obvious that all this work was not done in a sigle day, I spent five days to reach this result.

Here some images of the work done.

Left side near bow . .

01 P1070008.jpg

Left side near poop . .

02 P1070009.jpg

Right side near bow . .

03 P1070010.jpg

Right side near poop . .

04 P1070011.jpg

 

[jack.aubrey]

November 14th, 2010 - Continuation

Here below four other images. In the first two images you can see the entire model. It is very big and to focus it with my digital camera I need to stay quite far from it !! It has not the size of Dolphyn, that you can se in the background on the left.

01 P1070012.jpg

In these other images it's possible to see also all the doors and the windows in place . . elements not totally implemented when I published the images of them.

02 P1070013.jpg

03 P1070015.jpg

04 P1070014.jpg

See you next time, Cheers, Jack.

 

[El Capi]

This Ship was my last build. Yes, it took 4 Years to build it- 900€ plus- apart from all the other materials I bought. I did Not use a single one of the Planke. I used full-length strips. I was so lucky as I found a link in the Net from Italy, where every single delivery was scanned, so when I started, I knew exactly what was in the next delivery and so on. I must admit that I today is an Enemy of the Agostini. The Weekly delivery is always made so that you must wait a few weeks to make your build correct. de Agostini is NOT a KIT manufacturer- Selling Books etc_- so they will make sure that you will need to buy the next one.No plans 1:1 is giving out before the end. With the help of the Italien info and Book of Drawing -scale 1:100- made by one of Spain's top modeller Isidre Olivera- to book can be bought for 60 € about, with all plans needed to make even an admiralty model I finally finished it, but be careful, there is some big mistake in the rigning and sail both on the "fore" mast but mainly the mizzen mast. I did this mistake. With the result, I did NOT like the Ship.after 4 tears standing out on the terrazzo, last Feb it went to the Wast mill, recovering all the metal parts and a few other things. I know that special in Germany de Agostini is selling a lot, but in spain, they are out. Tried with Bismark and a few others on the facebook, but no sales.
These NOTES are not to criticize you and other builders but meant to thing. Here in Spain, they used to advertise on



TV, Magazines with the Message, that even a boy of 14 could build it

 

[jack.aubrey]

Wednesday November 24th, 2010 - Upper hull sides and gunports - continuation

Thanks to new materials just arrived i can continue to install the preshaped ply on the hull sides . . Now it's the right time for the upper gun deck. In terms of experiences, nothing new with respect of previous similar work but I had to close the background of some gunports otherwise I will not reach them after the installation. This is clearly visible in the images.

As usual, here below the poop zone on the right:

01 P1070016.jpg

And here the bow zone on the right:

02 P1070017.jpg

Here below the bow area on the left side:

03 P1070018.jpg

and the poop zone, same side:

04 P1070019.jpg

I have coloured with mahogany stain the internal side of the ply that simulates the handrails, but I don't like this kind of finishing, it is not realistic. I will plank this internal side with walnut stripes of 1mm. thickness. In addition, before starting this planking I will install a shaped stripe to simulate the waterway.

But these are for now only plans or ideas, before this become true I must finish the hull sides, where two pieces are still missing . . See you next time, Jack.Aubrey

 

[jack.aubrey]

Continuation . .

Here below some other images belonging to November 24th. With this work done I am aligned to the work that should be completed with the material and instruction provided with the 36th issue, with some small exceptions that are not important for now.
In the background of the first image a german heavy cruiser I made +/- 40 years ago.

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02 P1070021.jpg

03 P1070022.jpg

04 P1070025.jpg

See you next time. Cheers, Jack.Aubrey

PS: I have received a new shipment from De Agostini, package n° 10 containing the issues n° 38, 39, 40 and 41. There is some new interesting work to start . . although I have some new ideas for a more realistic and practical result.

 

[Maarten]

Hi Jack,

I read you are building the Lennox also, what is the status on that one? That is a very interesting project.

 

[jack.aubrey]

Friday November 26th, 2010

Here are the last two ply preshaped panels . . They completely close the upper part of the Soleil Royal hull.

Left side:

01 P1070027.jpg

Right side:

02 P1070029.jpg

A view from the decks:

03 P1070028.jpg

04 P1070030.jpg

And a view aback:

05 P1070033.jpg

I'm now in sync with issue 38th.

Next steps are to start planking all this ply covered area with strips of softwood 5x2mm.

But, at this point I need to implement some of my planned customisations to enhance this model: I will show these tasks in the next messages.

That's all for today, cheers, Jack.Aubrey

 

[El Capi]

Friday November 26th, 2010

Here are the last two ply preshaped panels . . They completely close the upper part of the Soleil Royal hull.

Left side:

01 P1070027.jpg

Right side:

02 P1070029.jpg

A view from the decks:

03 P1070028.jpg

04 P1070030.jpg

And a view aback:

05 P1070033.jpg

I'm now in sync with issue 38th.

Next steps are to start planking all this ply covered area with strips of softwood 5x2mm.

But, at this point I need to implement some of my planned customisations to enhance this model: I will show these tasks in the next messages.

That's all for today, cheers, Jack.Aubrey

Your build looks very good- as the instruction says- I have only one COMMENT -and that is not only to You- Why do all KIT manufacturers insert and finish the Decks, before the Planking. It is not only your build. By doing your and others way, you are forced to insert False Gunports and use the Small Nose guns (Just the save money from the manufacters side. If later, when planked, one or more of this guns+port are getting loose, it will fall into the hull, and cannot be recovered. apart from you cannot reinforce the hull from Inside and it will later give some rignings problems. Anyway according to instruction "WELL DONE" you can always contact me. p:S. when coming to the BOW, be careful here as there is some very fragile part-bad wood and to thin. it is made by bad wood and breaks easily in the curve, apart from to thin. One of my German friends got it made finally in metal.

 

[El Capi]

Buen Giorno Jack. I see that you are living in Italy- Milan- where I was travelling to until 45 Years ago to Mainly Milan, visiting customers from Tutino, Genova, Modena, Bologna etc..I have a lot of information about Soleil Royal even a book of Drawings scale 1:100 made by maybe one of Spains best Modeller (nov mid 80th) If you are interested in something, send me a mail: peandersen@telefonica.net. My ship went into the wast Bin, but I recovered all metal part, guns etc. so interested you can have free of charge-only cost will be the shipment cost

 

[jack.aubrey]

Hi Jack,
I read you are building the Lennox also, what is the status on that one? That is a very interesting project.

Hi, Maarten,
the built of the Lennox was in my plans some years ago.

To achieve that I purchased from Richard Endsor, the author of the book "The restoration warship", the ship plans in 1/48 scale. Then I worked with AutoCAD to scale the original plans to the planned dimension.

The intent was to setup a cooperative project with a friend of mine, but, unfortunately, he went hill and the project was abandoned. I tryed to continue alone but at the end I decided for the HMS Guadeloupe, another cooperative project with another modeler.

The original idea for the Lennox was to build one single model with the work of two people and the hillness of the second project member was fatal. The Guadeloupe, instead, is a project that shares the experiences but anyway consists in building two separate models.
The log I'm presenting on this forum is my side of this second project.

Regards, Jack.

 

[jack.aubrey]

Buen Giorno Jack. I see that you are living in Italy- Milan- where I was travelling to until 45 Years ago to Mainly Milan, visiting customers from Tutino, Genova, Modena, Bologna etc..I have a lot of information about Soleil Royal even a book of Drawings scale 1:100 made by maybe one of Spains best Modeller (nov mid 80th) If you are interested in something, send me a mail: peandersen@telefonica.net. My ship went into the wast Bin, but I recovered all metal part, guns etc. so interested you can have free of charge-only cost will be the shipment cost

Hi El Capi,
I appreciate your offer of help regarding the building of this model . . .
but . . .
probably you didn't take care of the dates listed on top of each message of this log.

I'm publishing events happened many years ago, more precisely I started this build in 2010 and I finished it in 2014.

I used to maintain records of my work in italian and now I'm publishing the english version on this forum.
If you are eager to see the finished model you may look at it here https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/media/albums/jack-aubreys-soleil-royal.50/

Anyway, many thanks for your comments and if you like we can share ideas about De Agostini and partworks in general. Regards, Jack.

 

[El Capi]

I thus saw. Some Years ago.

 

[jack.aubrey]

Saturday November 27th, 2010 - Waterways

As I wrote, before starting the external hull planking I decided to make some customisations: one of these customisations is the installation of the waterways and the planking of the internal sides of the headrails.

In the following four images you can see the waterway installed onto all the decks of the ship. With this operation it also becomes evident that a consequent benefit of doing so is to totally fill some gaps in the joints between the decks and the headrails. In effect without this "trick" the deck presented some small openings that the waterway simply hided.

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The waterways dimensions are 2,5mm. wide and 0,8 mm. thick. Its installation was quite simple: the main problem was to remove as well as possible the exceeding glue.

Now let me spend some time writing about the shape of this element and how I obtained it.

The section of the waterway is visible in the left side of the next image. Having in mind the strip dimensions, I did not though to obtain it by starting from a simple small strip and rounding a part of it. So I tried an alternate way.

05 Trincarino.jpg

The right side of the image shows the section of a beechwood tablet found in a wood store. It is 1cm thick and 8cm wide.
I rounded the external angles as shown in the picture. With my circular saw I cut the highlighted (Yellow) parts obtaining two strips of 10x0,8mm with a rounded side. At this point, with a cutter and an iron ruler I obtained my strips of 2.5x0.8. That's all.

See you next time. Jack.Aubrey

 

[jack.aubrey]

Here are some detailed images about the internal planking of the headrails. The gun ports are not yet refined and the rounded ones on the higher decks are for now closed to avoid possible crashes. At the right time they will be reopened and refined. The visible part of the waterways is now smaller.

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Cheers, Jack.Aubrey

 

[jack.aubrey]

Friday December 3rd, 2010 - Hull enhancements before planking

Let's now show another small enhancement I planned and realized.

The idea is to fill the bow area with some softwood blocks in order to make easier the installation of planks in this traditionally difficult area. I used several layers of 1.5cm wood to fill the area and then I shaped it correctly with some levelling blocks. I made a lot of sawdust.

In the same task I shaped the bevel of the first 3-4 bulkheads. This is particularly well visible in image n° 3.

I have also doubled the thickness of the keel reinforcement, visible in the first image with a lightning shaped mark.

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Cheers, Jack.Aubrey

 

[jack.aubrey]

December 6-12, 2010 - Leveling blocks

In my previous message I introduced the term "leveling block".

Here follow two images of these blocks I specifically built to fair the hull. The raw material I used is 1) wood blocks of different shapes (rectangular, semi circular, circular), found in wood stores and 2) sheets of sandpaper of different grain but of very high quality. High quality is mandatory if you want to be able to use the block for long time.

Sandpaper is glued on the block in a way that you can remove it and eventually change it with another piece with higher or lower grain. If you use these blocks for wood only, they are long living, but they can also be used succesfully on metals, such as copper or brass, obviously with a shorter life.

01 P1070054.jpg

02 P1070055.jpg

Here below a collection of some blocks made just for the gun ports of the Soleil Royal.

03 P1070056.jpg

Cheers. Jack.Aubrey.

 

[jack.aubrey]

December 6-12, 2010 - Start planking

I finally finished the planned customisations and enhancements and now it is time to start planking the hull. This activity can be considered made of two main steps: first the planking from approx the waterline upwards and, second, from the waterline downwards.

Before I had to do a preliminary session for fairing and beveling the bulkheads. This is a mandatory activity and the best this work is done the best the result of planking will be. It is something very important that cannot be underestimated.

The instructions contained in issues 39, 40 and 41 describe with great detail how to proceed but I don't take much care of them because I know very well this process, having used it when I built the Santìsima Trinidad.

Then, I started and I spent three half days of work. I was able to install only nine planks of 5x2 on both sides, 18 in total. I know that I am not Speedy Gonzales, but one reason comes from the need to work around the gun ports, and this takes time.

In addition I prefer to level the planks as soon as a small number of them are installed and dry. I do this to maintain better control over the work and to avoid, at the end, a long, tedious and weakening leveling session.

Here below some images of the work done during these days.

01 P1070049.jpg

02 P1070050.jpg

Just two words about the wood strips: they are made of softwood, erroneously, for me, called "ramin". They are about 30cm. long and it is necessary to install three or four of then to install a full plank. A little bit as in the real ships . . The problem is that they are not calibrated and I must keep great attention to find and use three or four of them equal before proceeding with a full plank.

03 P1070051.jpg

04 P1070052.jpg

Here below, in spite of the controls, an example of non perfect strip that was installed . .

05 P1070053.jpg

That's all for this week. To the next one. Jack.Aubrey