Royal Caroline 1:50 YuanQing/ZHL [COMPLETED BUILD]

The next stage of the build consisted of mounting and rigging of the bowsprit and rigging the standing and running riggings by deciphering where each line went based on the following drawing. The instructions had a corresponding diagram of the belaying pins where each line went.
PSX_20230204_065924.jpg

It seemed quite daunting at first but once I learned to be patient and isolate each section, it became quite manageable. The kit only came with one kind of blocks so I had to be content with using them. There were instances where I had to dig into my stash or improvised my own blocks and pulleys. I didn't use the rope that came with the kit because I liked the ones that I bought from John at Davaoshipmodeller, using black for the standing rigging and beige for the running rigging.

I did my best to follow the instructions but I am not sure if it's 100% accurate. The ZHL kit admittedly was far from perfect. Some measurements were off. Some pieces were missing so I had to make my own. The parts were a mixed bag of good and bad. But in the end, with all its imperfections, perhaps even because of its imperfections, I had many many hours of fun and learning in building it. I gained some skills that I was forced to learn as I was trying to improvise. As I look at it once it was finished, I bask in the wonderful journey that I shared with it, and can't help but smile at how the ugly duckling transformed to a beautiful lady.

Here in its final form is my Royal Caroline, dedicated with love to my daughter.

PSX_20230203_103133.jpgPSX_20230203_103055.jpgPSX_20230203_103335.jpgPSX_20230203_103911.jpgPSX_20230203_103919.jpgPSX_20230203_103929.jpgPSX_20230203_103937.jpgPSX_20230203_103945.jpg

PSX_20230203_102712.jpgPSX_20230203_102701.jpgPSX_20230203_102634.jpgPSX_20230203_102730.jpgPSX_20230203_102748.jpgPSX_20230203_103010.jpgPSX_20230203_102955.jpgPSX_20230203_103023.jpgPSX_20230203_103107.jpgPSX_20230203_103621.jpgPSX_20230203_103856.jpg
 
Hello friends. This will be my second build. My first project was the Black Pearl Golden Edition. For those who may want to visit my previous build, here is the link:


I learned a lot from my initial foray into wood modeling. I was very happy with my experience with the ZHL kit, so I chose to buy my 2nd model again from Max at ZHL.

As I was looking at various models, I was tempted to shoot for the moon and dive into one of the more advanced kits like the Royal Caroline 1:30 by ZHL, the San Felipe or the Le Soleil Royale. But, recognizing my limitations, I decided to be patient and hone my skills a bit longer and take on something that I thought I can handle.

So, finally I chose the Royal Caroline scale 1:50 made by YuanQing and sold by ZHL. Not to be confused for the exquisite Royal Caroline 1:30 scale which is bigger and has a lot more bells and whistles. I will have to defer building the RC 1:30 for a later time once I get more proficient.

As I did for my Black Pearl, which I gave to my son as a legacy gift, this next ship will be for my daughter. Hopefully, many many years from now, when I am gone, they will look at these ships and fondly remember me.

I will not show the contents of the kit in this thread because I already did a box opening thread earlier. If you wish to see what's in the box, I invite you to check out my thread at this link:


I hope you enjoy reading my thread and thanks to all our friends in this forum for their support and encouragement.

Reggie

Hallo @WarrLight
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthday-Cake
 
Back
Top