Soleil Royal 1671 by EDub (Heller 1/100)

[EricWiberg]

I started a build log on MSW in December 2023. Of course, that build log has (apparently) vanished, so, what to do except start another build log! I will begin with several short posts to show how I got to this point, as there were several - "course corrections"! I will then pivot to "now".

In 1977, I started to build the Heller 1/100 Soleil Royal. I had worked on many tanks and airplanes in my youth, and just finished the Revelle USS Constitution, so this kit seemed magical in its size and splendor! I worked on it for two years, getting through the general hull and deck assembly, and then I went off to college. For the next 43 years, the SR sat like a prison ship, first at my parent's house, and then in my basement. Parts broke and fell off, and I have no idea why we never threw the hulk into the trash.

In December 2023, I discovered YouTube videos (I constantly listen to history podcasts) where marvelous models of tanks and planes were being created. I coudn't believe how the skills and equipment had progesssed over 40+ years. I had just watched a video on Nelson and Trafalger, so I searched for HMS Victory and found... Dafi's build log. I was certifiably blown away. Hmmm, could I work again on my SR to develop my meager skills to even try HMS Victory at age 62?

I went into the basement, pushed aside the Christmas decor, and... I gently started tugging her apart. It pretty much worked out alright; as those old glue bonds released cleanly for the most part (there were a few areas were chunks of plastic came along for the ride). My intent was to strip off all of the old paint and start over again. Ahh, how naive I was.....

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

Welcome to the forum, Eric!

 

[EricWiberg]

By April 2024, I had discovered the two incredible build logs of GuyM and Hubac's Historian...

Soleil Royal 1671 modified Heller kit

So, on this log I am in the very early process of modifying and building the ship as close as possible to what it would have looked like in the spring of 1671 when the ship was to make its maiden voyage along with 4 others for the king's visit at the new Rochefort shipyard, which he cancelled...

shipsofscale.com

Soleil Royal by Heller - an Extensive Modification and Partial Scratch-Build by Hubac’s Historian

Hello, Ships of Scale! My name is Marc LaGuardia, and for the past three years, I have been extensively bashing the Heller kit in an effort to transform it into what I believe is her re-fit appearance of 1689. The project exists in its entirely, here at Model Ship World...

shipsofscale.com

I was amazed at how they were transforming the Heller kit into something entirely new - apparently it was called "kit bashing". So... I abandoned my orginal 45 year old ship (let's call her SR1671.0) and bought a new kit onlne... I also saw a seperate set of hull pieces that I also ordered.



I mmersed myself in both logs, and discovered Guy's veritable treatise on the history of Soleil Royal. I messaged both Guy and Marc, and they were exceptiona;ly gracious in sharing their knowledge and passion. So.... I went full throttle to try and create a plausible Soleil Royal 1671. I learned that ships built in that 1660-70ish time period by Laurent Hubac likely appeared "Dutchier" than later ships. For example, the sheer lines would be different than on the Heller kit. So the existing wales were ground off, and...



As I absorbed more information from Marc LaGuardia and his build log, SR 1671 likely had a different looking head, and even a different figurehead, per Guy. So....



Oh, I learned about scuppers and fenders and ladders and timberheads and.... you get the idea. To be fair, some areas of the ship looked like Frankenstein's monster; as my skills got better, I wouldn't like my prior work and went back in to redo it! Sometimes 2 or 3 times! Finally, after almost 18 months of work, in December 2025, I started to "plank" up the hull. This was really getting exciting for me!

 

[EricWiberg]

And then in December 2025, disaster struck. The starboard bulwarks had a catastrophic failure from the rabbet ledge on the hull. That joint is tenuous enough, but when I sanded the upper wales off, I had removed too much plastic at the rabbet. it was thin and weak and gave out at the wrong time.

What to do? All of that work down the drain.. time to give up this hobby! And then I remembered that other hull.. (I had also accumulated some other spare parts, specifically bulwarks, on EBay).

SR 1671.2 was born. But, since I had already been down this path before, I knew that my work would be much better - and gentler (much less agressive sanding, for example0. But there was a key difference... I had found Cedric's log on MSW where he proposed to create La Reine from the Heller kit. That meant he would fill in all of the gun ports and carve new ones. That sounded incredible! Many sources attribute the first Soleil Royal as having sixteen Lower Deck gun ports, and the kit had only fifteen lower Deck gun ports. Hmmmmm.... I ran the concept by Marc LaGaurdia. His encouragement and expertise made me decide to take the leap.

So I ground the wales off, plugged all of the gun ports, and...





And after three months of work, I had redone every single gun port... I think the total was 108 gun ports.



I started planking up the sides, and now it is May 2026.... and now we are all caught up and are back in the present day.

 

[iutar]

Eric, good evening! I was following your story and was very disappointed when it all disappeared. I like how you're reworking the kit, making it more accurate and realistic.

 

[EricWiberg]

Eric, good evening! I was following your story and was very disappointed when it all disappeared. I like how you're reworking the kit, making it more accurate and realistic.

Thank you! Hopefully both my build and all of the build logs experience no drama from here on out

 

[EricWiberg]

Today I decided that I should install the gun port lid stops on the Lower/Middle Gun Decks. A bit fiddly, as five pieces have to be installed in each piercing, but as the gun port openings are very consistent, I can cut a bunch of the same size on my Chopper and it moves along fairly quickly.

I saw this type of lid stops on Andre Kudins Le Fleuron build. I think his build is circa 1738(?), so my SR1671.2 is about 60 years ahead. I am not sure if this is period specific, let alone nation specific, but I simply liked the delicate appearance and unique look (since the stops really only on the sides of the percings). From what I could determine, the stops would be about 2 inches thick, so I used 0.5mm strip. You may note I mixed in some black strip with the standard white strip, as the contrast helps with any minute adjustments that had to be made.



For example, my Lower Deck gun port openings will have a finished size of 10.0mm x 9.3mm (39" x 36")... so my intial piercing must be 13.3mm x 11.5mm. Since I first frame every gun port with 1mm wide strip, this lowers the size to 11.3mm x 9.5mm (I framed each gun port so they would be square, in case my cuts were a little rough). I then install the 0.25mm thick sill... the height is now at the desire 9.3mm.

Mimicing Kudin, I then affix two (white) 0.5mm x 1.5mm strips on the sill to support the side stops. I then attach the sides... the outboard edge of the stop has to follow the shape of the hull, of course. I then notch the side stopso it tucks into place.





I then need to make sure that the edges of the piercing ar esmooth and straight, and I end up with my target of 10.0mm wide x 9.3mm tall. I am finding that I don;t have to be perfect with the top edge, as the bottom edge of the gun port lid hides it. For this gun port, I will have to add a fine piece of 0.25mm strip to smooth out the plank right under the edge of the sill.

 

[Peter Schaap]

A warm welcome Eric, Hope you will feel at home!

 

[EricWiberg]

The "Kudin" gun port stops are installed on the Lower/Middle Gun Decks.



One slight "delay" before I finish planking and start the timberheads... I didn't like my forecastle gun ports. Over a year ago, I ordered some 3D resin wreathes (from Skutznik in Poland). I specified 6.7mm ID to match the kit circular gun ports, but when I started SR1671.2 in December, I decided that 6# cannon needed slightly smaller gun ports, so I made them 6mm... and decided that I couldn't use the wreathes.

Now, I didn't like them - they were too fine and delicate, as I saw a photo of a St. Phillipe wooden model, and the circular gun ports were just... "beefier". So back to 6.7mmID, and then I could also use the wreathes from Skutznik. I simply cut out two gun port rings from a spare bulwark, and glued them together to make the cylinder that I needed. I cut out out a 6mm gun port to test (after embedding the cylinder in 2.5mm thick styrene sheet to match the hull thickness at that point.



The cylinder doesn't have to be perfectly symmetrical in width all of the way around the ring, as the wreath will completely mask it.



Aftet a quick test fit...



OK... I liked that a lot more. Now, instead of having to fabricate six seperate gun port rings, I am simply resin casting five other blocks. They do NOT have to be perfect, as they will be entirely covered by planking on the inside and out.



This is is one block just laid in place as a test, but you can see it is more robust in all dimensions that the "orginal" gun port on the right.