The vision is rounding nicely into form, Eric. What you have done there on the interior planking is to joggle half-plank ends into hooked scarfs.
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Soleil Royal 1671 by EDub (Heller 1/100)
- Thread starter EricWiberg
- Start date
- Watchers 7
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- Tags
- heller soleil royal
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2023
- Messages
- 17
- Points
- 58
My intent last night was to finish planking the inner hull of the port side... but there was a temporary lack of 0.5mm x 4.0mm finished planks. A trip to the hobby store today will fill the inventory.
I decided to add the anchor linings. I created a template that I taped to the hull. I used more 0.5mm x 4.0mm planks, glueing three planks thogether and four planks together forming two small squares of planks that I placed in between the wales. I then used the template to pencil trace the curves onto the squares (glueing the planks together in advance meant I didn't have to trace and fit individual planks).
The anchor lining is substantially thicker than on SR1671.1, and that is because the wales protrude more from the hull. The lower wales protrude 1.5mm from the hull, the middle wales protrude 1.0mm from the hull, etc.
As I look at these photos, I am not liking the very wide plank seam at the first plank below the bottom upper wale. I am not sure why that appears to be so thick, but I will lightly sand and fill the gap, then use a Tamiya scribe tool to etch a thin line in.
I decided to add the anchor linings. I created a template that I taped to the hull. I used more 0.5mm x 4.0mm planks, glueing three planks thogether and four planks together forming two small squares of planks that I placed in between the wales. I then used the template to pencil trace the curves onto the squares (glueing the planks together in advance meant I didn't have to trace and fit individual planks).
The anchor lining is substantially thicker than on SR1671.1, and that is because the wales protrude more from the hull. The lower wales protrude 1.5mm from the hull, the middle wales protrude 1.0mm from the hull, etc.
As I look at these photos, I am not liking the very wide plank seam at the first plank below the bottom upper wale. I am not sure why that appears to be so thick, but I will lightly sand and fill the gap, then use a Tamiya scribe tool to etch a thin line in.
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It's a shame the MSW site crashed, for a whole host of reasons, but among them is the ability to look back at your early work, when you first decided to start upgrading the stock hull with things like skids, for example. The difference in scaling, attention to detail, and workmanship is literally night and day. It's as though this model has been a kind of apprenticeship into scratch-building, and you are now a journeyman.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2023
- Messages
- 17
- Points
- 58
Thank you, Marc. This is my third iteration, and it certainly has given me ample time to try and improve my skills! But the best teacher for me, has been poring over the magnificent build logs, whether on MSW or on this website!
My MSW build log may be gone, but I still have the pix... it shouldn't be too difficult to decide which photo is SR1671.0, and which one is SR1671.1!
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2023
- Messages
- 17
- Points
- 58
A milestone, of sorts... but there are many more to go. The inner hull planking and anchor linings are completed.
So, next on the list is to do the sills and stops for the Upper Gun Deck gun ports and the QD gun ports. I think I will leave the hull fenders/ladders for thr last step, as they are delicate. I need to drill a lot of holes around every gun port.... about seven holes for any gun port that has a lid. One hole for the lanyard for the lid, two holes for anchoring the lids to the hull (via fine wire), and four holes for gun carriage tackle.
I made jigs for SR1671.1 for these items, so perhaps they will carry over to SR1671.2.. otherwise it is simple to fabricate jigs.
Then... before the fender work begins, my thought process is to get all of the drilling and sanding and cleaning glue squeeze out and scribing touch ups and... ANYTHING that creates dust done and finished. Then I will give both hulls a bath in warm, soapy water and attach the fenders and ladders.
After that, I am thinking I am actually done with hull modifications!
EXCEPT.... as I think about it, since I will be fabbing the Quarter Galleries from scratch, I need to think how they will look and be anchored before I do any painting and glue the hull halves together. SR1671.2 started in December 2025... it's been almost six months to get to this point, and I really can't complain.
So, next on the list is to do the sills and stops for the Upper Gun Deck gun ports and the QD gun ports. I think I will leave the hull fenders/ladders for thr last step, as they are delicate. I need to drill a lot of holes around every gun port.... about seven holes for any gun port that has a lid. One hole for the lanyard for the lid, two holes for anchoring the lids to the hull (via fine wire), and four holes for gun carriage tackle.
I made jigs for SR1671.1 for these items, so perhaps they will carry over to SR1671.2.. otherwise it is simple to fabricate jigs.
Then... before the fender work begins, my thought process is to get all of the drilling and sanding and cleaning glue squeeze out and scribing touch ups and... ANYTHING that creates dust done and finished. Then I will give both hulls a bath in warm, soapy water and attach the fenders and ladders.
After that, I am thinking I am actually done with hull modifications!
EXCEPT.... as I think about it, since I will be fabbing the Quarter Galleries from scratch, I need to think how they will look and be anchored before I do any painting and glue the hull halves together. SR1671.2 started in December 2025... it's been almost six months to get to this point, and I really can't complain.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2023
- Messages
- 17
- Points
- 58
The "Kudin" gun port lid stops are installed (I don't know an official name, but I loved the appearance of the gun port stops that Kudin had on his Le Fleuron YouTube videos). a total of eighty broadside gun ports have these stops installed,
I rechecked every gun port with my laser. Now all that is left is some needle file work and fimal squaring and cleaning up - there is plenty of dust!
I think the next step is to start installing the timberheads and cap railings. When they are in place, I can mark each timberhead vertically with the laser, so that will guide my bolts. This photo is from SR1671.1. You will notice the through bolts at the scarf joints, following what Marc LaGuarda did... this involved cutting a very small square "washer", then attaching a domed rivet head on it (I sourced some very tiny domed rivet heads from a railroad supply store). And you can also see the bronze colored nail heads that I used to represent the regular bolts in the wales. These are tiny metal nails that I found online... the circular heads are 0.5mm in diameter, or 2" at scale (you will note that some of the gray bolt heads have fallen off - they are delicate and I attached them way too early in the process!).
Ohh... with the timberheads on, I can also cut the round fighting holes at the waist that were still prevalent at this time period - they allowed for pikes or guns or whatever to be thrust through in a need to repel boarders.
The final thing that I can think of is fabricating the three fenders and the side ladder.... those are delicate and the last thing that I want to affix on the hull when all else is completed.
I rechecked every gun port with my laser. Now all that is left is some needle file work and fimal squaring and cleaning up - there is plenty of dust!
I think the next step is to start installing the timberheads and cap railings. When they are in place, I can mark each timberhead vertically with the laser, so that will guide my bolts. This photo is from SR1671.1. You will notice the through bolts at the scarf joints, following what Marc LaGuarda did... this involved cutting a very small square "washer", then attaching a domed rivet head on it (I sourced some very tiny domed rivet heads from a railroad supply store). And you can also see the bronze colored nail heads that I used to represent the regular bolts in the wales. These are tiny metal nails that I found online... the circular heads are 0.5mm in diameter, or 2" at scale (you will note that some of the gray bolt heads have fallen off - they are delicate and I attached them way too early in the process!).
Ohh... with the timberheads on, I can also cut the round fighting holes at the waist that were still prevalent at this time period - they allowed for pikes or guns or whatever to be thrust through in a need to repel boarders.
The final thing that I can think of is fabricating the three fenders and the side ladder.... those are delicate and the last thing that I want to affix on the hull when all else is completed.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2023
- Messages
- 17
- Points
- 58
I have spent what ship time that I have had the last two weeks filing and sanding and getting every gun port to be as square and crisp as I can.
This time on SR1671.2, I have kept an Excel spreadsheet for every manner of specification and measurement that I have done up to this point. Unfortunately, some things like all of my SR1671.1timberhead measurements and spacing were in my MSW build log... so I have been trying to reverse engineeer some things!
I have reached the point where I can start mass production... I had to make sure that my dolphin hance pieces would fit on the timberheads and cap railing... I did NOT want to have to recreate four dolphin hance pieces to a different size!
As seen on SR1671.1 below, the timberheads (except at the waist) will be 2.5mm tall (10" at scale), with a cap rail 1.5mm thick (6" at scale)resting on the timberheads. The timberheads will be 3.0mm wide after being framed on the sides with 0.25mm stock. Note that the horizontal framing is wider at 0.5mm' I suppose I will stick with that size again.
Again, as seen on SR1671.1, I will attach timberheads that are taller than the 2.5mm final height, say 4mm or so. You can see the actual pencil line that I drew on the timberheads for the final height, and it was way too much work to sand them from 7mm down to 2.5mm! However, adding some extra height before sanding to the proper height allows me to do a much better job of making sure that even as the sheer lines change, the timberheads are always perfectly vertical.
One thing that I will do on SR1671.2 that I was completely unware of before... I didn't realize that, while the timberheads viewed from the side are always perfectly vertical (requiring different cut angles on the bottom of each timberhead), when viewed fore to aft the timberheads follow the curve of the tumblehome. So where the bulwark meets the beakhead bulhead, the timberheads will actually flare outwards. Going further aft to the rear bulwarks, they will actually lean inwards to match the tumbehome.
This time on SR1671.2, I have kept an Excel spreadsheet for every manner of specification and measurement that I have done up to this point. Unfortunately, some things like all of my SR1671.1timberhead measurements and spacing were in my MSW build log... so I have been trying to reverse engineeer some things!
I have reached the point where I can start mass production... I had to make sure that my dolphin hance pieces would fit on the timberheads and cap railing... I did NOT want to have to recreate four dolphin hance pieces to a different size!
As seen on SR1671.1 below, the timberheads (except at the waist) will be 2.5mm tall (10" at scale), with a cap rail 1.5mm thick (6" at scale)resting on the timberheads. The timberheads will be 3.0mm wide after being framed on the sides with 0.25mm stock. Note that the horizontal framing is wider at 0.5mm' I suppose I will stick with that size again.
Again, as seen on SR1671.1, I will attach timberheads that are taller than the 2.5mm final height, say 4mm or so. You can see the actual pencil line that I drew on the timberheads for the final height, and it was way too much work to sand them from 7mm down to 2.5mm! However, adding some extra height before sanding to the proper height allows me to do a much better job of making sure that even as the sheer lines change, the timberheads are always perfectly vertical.
One thing that I will do on SR1671.2 that I was completely unware of before... I didn't realize that, while the timberheads viewed from the side are always perfectly vertical (requiring different cut angles on the bottom of each timberhead), when viewed fore to aft the timberheads follow the curve of the tumblehome. So where the bulwark meets the beakhead bulhead, the timberheads will actually flare outwards. Going further aft to the rear bulwarks, they will actually lean inwards to match the tumbehome.