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

[Hubac’s Historian]

I managed to get the red sprayed before leaving for the Cape. We had a wonderful week in Hampton Bays with lot’s of family fun, good dinners, and plenty of medicinal scotch. I also managed to have a productive week laying down all of the primary colors:



Unfortunately, in my haste, I forgot to mask off the monogramed escutcheons between the main deck guns. The centers, which will be painted ultra-marine really require a white undercoat for the color to come out right. This now necessitated hand-priming of these little ovals.



I deliberated, from the start of this whole project, whether the red should extend up into the amortisement. Ultimately, I decided that it made more sense to follow a continuous, banded approach to each of the three primary colors, with the yellow ocher serving as a unifier.

The impression of the amortisement is a bit skewed, at the moment, because I have yet to pick out the supporting dolphins in gold and silver. I took great care to hand-paint subtle edge borders, in yellow ocher, around the triangular panels of the upper section.

From here, it is the long, steady march of careful cutting-in, followed by rounds of re-touching:



Perhaps, above, it is more apparent how my idea to use ultra-marine along the lower band of fleurs, accentuates the scalloped design of the frieze. This is probably more ultra-marine than would have actually been applied, owing to the expense, nonetheless it is an artistic choice that highlights the effort of making the whole thing.


Slowly and surely, we are getting there! As ever, thank you for looking in.

 

[Stevedownunder]

Simply stunning Marc, beautiful work as usual.

Cheers,
Stephen.

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

Leading into Labor Day Weekend, I realized that I would need to cram-in a ton of hours, if I had any hope of getting where I wanted before the Joint Clubs meeting. And so, my wife and kids went off to CT to stay poolside, with family, and I got to work.

The primary objective of the weekend was to erect the forward bulwarks. I gave the lapping joint of each bulwark piece a third going-over to ensure absolutely the best fit possible. Unfortunately, it cannot be avoided that the part will always be under tension, as it must bend significantly to conform to the run of the hull.

Anticipating this, I had affixed a styrene tab at the point where tension is greatest. My glue plan was to cement a welded bond along the rabbet with liquid styrene cement, but also to apply CA to the additional tab for a contact bond that would assist the tweezer spring-clamps that I bought for this purpose.

Where the bulwark joins the beakhead bulkhead, I similarly used styrene cement below the forecastle deck ledge, and a spot of CA above the ledge. There was simply no good way to clamp this corner, owing to its extreme tumblehome, so I used a tape clamp to assist during drying.

First, I put some blue tape down to protect the deck from any errant glue drops:



I also applied two layers of blue tape to the clamp jaws, as these particular spring clamps apply a really strong bite onto the material; I was hoping not to mar my paint.




For better leverage with the smaller clamps, I made up small styrene clamping cauls that hooked beneath the wales to which they were taped in-place. As with any significant glue-up, a dry-run really helps steer you away from potential pit-falls; before making the cauls, I found that the small clamps only had a tenuous grip on what is really a very shallow lap-joint.

With only a few small gaps that touch-up paint will fill, I ended up with really tight-fitting joints and enough small squeeze-out to convince me that there is a strong welded bond along the part’s entire length:




The relative mass of the model is becoming apparent now:




I will say that while the skid segments lined up near perfectly, I will still have to fill a few gaps, here and there, with sanded shims of styrene strip. This is not a big deal, and I prefer to use plastic, rather than putty, wherever possible. Also, the squeeze-out is not a major chore to clean away. I have a purpose-ground #11 blade that works like a semi-sharp glue chisel to scrape away the excess.

Now that the bulwarks were up, I could install the gusset pieces that serve a dual purpose: they re-enforce the lap-joint by increasing glue surface area between the deck and the bulwarks. Also, they will eventually serve as mounting points for my deck beams. After scribing-in and glueing, the bulwarks became notably stiffer:



Unlike the lower decks, this time I thought to black-out these gusset pieces, as more light will penetrate below these upper decks.

Next, I wanted to final fit the open sheaves I made for the top corners of the beakhead bulkhead rail. I also wanted to make knees for these corners. While the sheaves are a contrivance, on my part, to cover for the height discrepancy between the bulwark top rails, these knees were an actual feature of real practice. Just as they do on a real ship, the knees I made increase surface area and do quite a lot to strengthen the area. Frankly, I just don’t trust CA to do the hevy lifting of holding these corners together, over time:



Although it is not readily apparent in the picture above, I simulated the bolt heads that hold these knees in place. Also, above, I am holding in-place the forward beam ledge for the forecastle deck.

So, finally, I’m approaching the finish-line for painting of the aft port bulwark piece. There is still some gold work to do on the siren figures, as well as the quarter piece, but now the full color scheme comes into clear focus:



My objective with the paintwork, because I have chosen such a vivid scheme, is to identify areas where I can replicate the same colors and techniques, in order to create a sense of continuity. All throughout the ship, anything with a fishtail gets painted first with a grey enamel under-wash, and then top-coated with the ver-de-gris wash.



I also really liked the use of silver metallic beneath a more natural green wash, that I used for the female Four Seasons figures, on the stern. The siren on the aft end of the amortisement received this particular treatment for her dress, and the wash-coat really highlights the sculpted folds of the dress very nicely.

For the face and neck of the quarter piece, I decided to use the same enamel grey wash and wipe-away technique that I applied to the horse-head of the figurehead. It’s subtle, but it really brings out the small facial features of these sculptures. The four Continental figures will also receive this treatment. I think it lends these statues a sense of aged neo-classicism.

So, soon I will make and fit the gusset pieces for the aft bulwark piece, and hopefully get the whole assembly glued-up and touched-up in time for the show. Thank you all for the likes, comments and for looking in!

 

[dockattner]

Majestic. You live and work on another plane - another dimension. Amazing.

 

[Stevedownunder]

Leading into Labor Day Weekend, I realized that I would need to cram-in a ton of hours, if I had any hope of getting where I wanted before the Joint Clubs meeting. And so, my wife and kids went off to CT to stay poolside, with family, and I got to work.

The primary objective of the weekend was to erect the forward bulwarks. I gave the lapping joint of each bulwark piece a third going-over to ensure absolutely the best fit possible. Unfortunately, it cannot be avoided that the part will always be under tension, as it must bend significantly to conform to the run of the hull.

Anticipating this, I had affixed a styrene tab at the point where tension is greatest. My glue plan was to cement a welded bond along the rabbet with liquid styrene cement, but also to apply CA to the additional tab for a contact bond that would assist the tweezer spring-clamps that I bought for this purpose.

Where the bulwark joins the beakhead bulkhead, I similarly used styrene cement below the forecastle deck ledge, and a spot of CA above the ledge. There was simply no good way to clamp this corner, owing to its extreme tumblehome, so I used a tape clamp to assist during drying.

First, I put some blue tape down to protect the deck from any errant glue drops:

View attachment 255888

I also applied two layers of blue tape to the clamp jaws, as these particular spring clamps apply a really strong bite onto the material; I was hoping not to mar my paint.

View attachment 255887
View attachment 255890

For better leverage with the smaller clamps, I made up small styrene clamping cauls that hooked beneath the wales to which they were taped in-place. As with any significant glue-up, a dry-run really helps steer you away from potential pit-falls; before making the cauls, I found that the small clamps only had a tenuous grip on what is really a very shallow lap-joint.

With only a few small gaps that touch-up paint will fill, I ended up with really tight-fitting joints and enough small squeeze-out to convince me that there is a strong welded bond along the part’s entire length:

View attachment 255885
View attachment 255884

The relative mass of the model is becoming apparent now:

View attachment 255883
View attachment 255886

I will say that while the skid segments lined up near perfectly, I will still have to fill a few gaps, here and there, with sanded shims of styrene strip. This is not a big deal, and I prefer to use plastic, rather than putty, wherever possible. Also, the squeeze-out is not a major chore to clean away. I have a purpose-ground #11 blade that works like a semi-sharp glue chisel to scrape away the excess.

Now that the bulwarks were up, I could install the gusset pieces that serve a dual purpose: they re-enforce the lap-joint by increasing glue surface area between the deck and the bulwarks. Also, they will eventually serve as mounting points for my deck beams. After scribing-in and glueing, the bulwarks became notably stiffer:

View attachment 255891

Unlike the lower decks, this time I thought to black-out these gusset pieces, as more light will penetrate below these upper decks.

Next, I wanted to final fit the open sheaves I made for the top corners of the beakhead bulkhead rail. I also wanted to make knees for these corners. While the sheaves are a contrivance, on my part, to cover for the height discrepancy between the bulwark top rails, these knees were an actual feature of real practice. Just as they do on a real ship, the knees I made increase surface area and do quite a lot to strengthen the area. Frankly, I just don’t trust CA to do the hevy lifting of holding these corners together, over time:

View attachment 255881

Although it is not readily apparent in the picture above, I simulated the bolt heads that hold these knees in place. Also, above, I am holding in-place the forward beam ledge for the forecastle deck.

So, finally, I’m approaching the finish-line for painting of the aft port bulwark piece. There is still some gold work to do on the siren figures, as well as the quarter piece, but now the full color scheme comes into clear focus:

View attachment 255882

My objective with the paintwork, because I have chosen such a vivid scheme, is to identify areas where I can replicate the same colors and techniques, in order to create a sense of continuity. All throughout the ship, anything with a fishtail gets painted first with a grey enamel under-wash, and then top-coated with the ver-de-gris wash.

View attachment 255889

I also really liked the use of silver metallic beneath a more natural green wash, that I used for the female Four Seasons figures, on the stern. The siren on the aft end of the amortisement received this particular treatment for her dress, and the wash-coat really highlights the sculpted folds of the dress very nicely.

For the face and neck of the quarter piece, I decided to use the same enamel grey wash and wipe-away technique that I applied to the horse-head of the figurehead. It’s subtle, but it really brings out the small facial features of these sculptures. The four Continental figures will also receive this treatment. I think it lends these statues a sense of aged neo-classicism.

So, soon I will make and fit the gusset pieces for the aft bulwark piece, and hopefully get the whole assembly glued-up and touched-up in time for the show. Thank you all for the likes, comments and for looking in!

Stunning work Marc,

Your work is a feast for the eyes.

Cheers,
Stephen.

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

Thank you, Stephen and Paul!

 

[Stevedownunder]

Thank you, Stephen and Paul!

Hi Marc,
In some ways I think I should be thanking you for allowing us to view your wonderful work.
I hope the show is enjoyable and goes well for you, also stay safe.

Cheers,
Stephen.

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

Thank you, Stephen - truly. The build-logs we (collectively) post are a reward unto themselves because they introduce us to each other. The thanks is mutual, my friend!

 

[kirill4]

Marc,
Looks just Great!!! Great job!!!
All The Best!

 

[Schmidt]

What a moment! After the long time for research and preparations, finally a sight that gives the viewer an idea of what an extraordinary and great job you have done so far. This will be a model that will have a major impact on all of our ideas about the historical SR. Take good care of it.
Schmidt

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

Thank you Kirill and Schmidt! Funny you should remind me to “take care”. I finally got wise and made a plywood barrier to protect the bow as this is, by far, the most fragile part of the model. My daughter is like a moth to the flame, and whenever I have the model out on the kitchen table, working on it - whatever thing she’s looking for always seems to be within inches of my bow, and she swoops in and snatches the whatever and almost gives me a heart attack because I never see her coming.

Anyhow, prep work to erect the aft bulwark has been remarkably tedious. I’ll do a full post on it, later, but I’m finally close to the glue-up!

 

[Gennaro]

Outstanding work Marc! Beautiful.

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

The particular challenge of erecting the aft bulwark pieces is that I don’t have the stock stern plate, in place, to guide their placement. It is helpful that the forward bulwarks are in place, as they provide an anchor point, but they do nothing to help establish the slope of tumblehome that should be present.

The first step was to spend as much time as necessary fettling the lap joint to ensure that the part seated snuggly, along the upper main wale. With that much established, I could secure additional glue tabs to the inside face of the bulwark, just as I had done with the forward bulwarks. It was also necessary to fir-out, behind the upper main wale, so that these glue tabs had a firm landing spot.

Whereas with the forward bulwarks, I glued the bulwarks in-place, and then secured the gusset pieces, afterwards - the process reverses for the aft bulwarks because it is the gussets that establish the slope of tumblehome by providing a positive stop to clamp against.

At the very beginning of this project, I drew the transom by simply tracing the outer profile of the bulwark ends to the increased breadth of the transom; the additional 1/2” would enable me to add the missing 6th window at all three levels. This was my initial drawing:



As a side note, it is funny to look back at my first attempt to draw the quarter galleries; the results were poorly scaled and relatively crude, as I was attempting to include all five false windows along the lower tier of the QG.

Anyway, at the time that I made this drawing, it was pointed out to me that the top of the bulwarks appear to flare outboard, again, at the very top. Back then, I was not too concerned about this.

At this stage, though, I can see that the finished bulwark piece does not look right at all, if I allow it to flare out at the top; the whole upper structure of the ship changes in a way that is neither pleasing, nor reflective of actual practice. The only thing to do, here, was to shape my gussets in a way that would pull these bulwarks in more, thus providing a nicely sloping tumblehome.

Frankly, this is more art than science. I simply manipulated the bulwark, inboard towards the centerline, until I had a pleasing profile. I then took a measurement from the bulwark rabbet to the centerline, along the bottom edge of this window tier: 1 1/2” to center, and 3” overall. This seemed like it would be adequate.

So, I clamped and taped the bulwark in this attitude, so that I could make card gusset templates. I then made the gussets with all necessary beveling, and added a prop leg to make them a little stiffer for the eventual glue-up of the bulwark piece:




I went to bed feeing really good about this. The part would have some minor tension, but I had increased glue surface area significantly enough to cancel out those forces. In fact, there will be a third, aft-most gusset fitted after the glue-up.

Then, I woke up the next day and remembered my original layout drawing. I took some measurements and found that I had effectively reduced the available space for this top tier of six windows by 1/4”. In fact, my new stern, at this top-most level, won’t be much broader than the stock kit stern-plate, which only has five windows. I began to feel a bit of panic creeping in.

Before glueing-in the bulwark piece, I thought it might be prudent to take some really good measurements, and do a little drafting to see what a revised window layout might look like. One quarter inch doesn’t sound like much, but it is quite significant across this short span. If I found that the reduced breadth resulted in a cramped window layout, I would be forced to buy back at least an 1/8”, in breadth, thus compromising my ideal tumblehome. This would require very fiddly firring of the gusset pieces I had just glued-in, so my fingers were crossed tight.

Here is the new layout that I arrived at this morning:



And here, I’ve detailed one pane to get a better sense of the proportions.:


The original by Berain:


Mine isn’t the best drawing, but it’s good enough to get a sense of proportion. I’ll do a much better vellum drawing, when the time comes for it. I found that I only had to reduce each window pane by 1/32”, and each pilaster by a heavy 1/64” to get back the heavy 1/4” I had lost.

And so, I will go ahead and glue-in the upper bulwark, in the next few days. I’ve been busily filling the skid joins, touching up the bulwarks, and establishing the location of the mizzen chanels. A whole lot still has to happen in the next two weeks, but I am confident that I will be on-track for the show.

Thank you for stopping by!

 

[Stevedownunder]

The particular challenge of erecting the aft bulwark pieces is that I don’t have the stock stern plate, in place, to guide their placement. It is helpful that the forward bulwarks are in place, as they provide an anchor point, but they do nothing to help establish the slope of tumblehome that should be present.

The first step was to spend as much time as necessary fettling the lap joint to ensure that the part seated snuggly, along the upper main wale. With that much established, I could secure additional glue tabs to the inside face of the bulwark, just as I had done with the forward bulwarks. It was also necessary to fir-out, behind the upper main wale, so that these glue tabs had a firm landing spot.

Whereas with the forward bulwarks, I glued the bulwarks in-place, and then secured the gusset pieces, afterwards - the process reverses for the aft bulwarks because it is the gussets that establish the slope of tumblehome by providing a positive stop to clamp against.

At the very beginning of this project, I drew the transom by simply tracing the outer profile of the bulwark ends to the increased breadth of the transom; the additional 1/2” would enable me to add the missing 6th window at all three levels. This was my initial drawing:

View attachment 257253

As a side note, it is funny to look back at my first attempt to draw the quarter galleries; the results were poorly scaled and relatively crude, as I was attempting to include all five false windows along the lower tier if the QG.

Anyway, at the time that I made this drawing, it was pointed out to me that the top of the bulwarks appear to flare outboard, again, at the very top. Back then, I was not too concerned about this.

At this stage, though, I can see that the finished bulwark piece does not look right at all, if I allow it to flare out at the top; the whole upper structure of the ship changes in a way that is neither pleasing, nor reflective of actual practice. The only thing to do, here, was to shape my gussets in a way that would pull these bulwarks in more, thus providing a nicely sloping tumblehome.

Frankly, this is more art than science. I simply manipulated the bulwark, inboard towards the centerline, until I had a pleasing profile. I then took a measurement from the bulwark rabbet to the centerline, along the bottom edge of this window tier: 1 1/2” to center, and 3” overall. This seemed like it would be adequate.

So, I clamped and taped the bulwark in this attitude, so that I could make card gusset templates. I then made the gussets with all necessary beveling, and added a prop leg to make them a little stiffer for the eventual glue-up of the bulwark piece:

View attachment 257255
View attachment 257256

I went to bed feeing really good about this. The part would have some minor tension, but I had increased glue surface area significantly enough to cancel out those forces. In fact, there will be a third, aft-most gusset fitted after the glue-up.

Then, I woke up the next day and remembered my original layout drawing. I took some measurements and found that I had effectively reduced the available space for this top tier of six windows by 1/4”. In fact, my new stern, at this top-most level, won’t be much broader than the stock kit stern-plate, which only has five windows. I began to feel a bit of panic creeping in.

Before glueing-in the bulwark piece, I thought it might be prudent to take some really good measurements, and do a little drafting to see what a revised window layout might look like. One quarter inch doesn’t sound like much, but it is quite significant across this short span. If I found that the reduced breadth resulted in a cramped window layout, I would be forced to buy back at least an 1/8”, in breadth, thus compromising my ideal tumblehome. This would require very fiddly firring of the gusset pieces I had just glued-in, so my fingers were crossed tight.

Here is the new layout that I arrived at this morning:

View attachment 257254

And here, I’ve detailed one pane to get a better sense of the proportions.:

View attachment 257252
The original by Berain:
View attachment 257257

Mine isn’t the best drawing, but it’s good enough to get a sense of proportion. I’ll do a much better vellum drawing, when the time comes for it. I found that I only had to reduce each window pane by 1/32”, and each pilaster by a heavy 1/64” to get back the heavy 1/4” I had lost.

And so, I will go ahead and glue-in the upper bulwark, in the next few days. I’ve been busily filling the skid joins, touching up the bulwarks, and establishing the location of the mizzen chanels. A whole lot still has to happen in the next two weeks, but I am confident that I will be on-track for the show.

Thank you for stopping by!

Hi Marc,
You had me worried there, great to hear it has worked out.
The proportions on your sketch look pretty good to me.

Cheers,
Stephen.

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

The aft bulwark is in! I’ll do a multi-perspective photoshoot after everything is prettied up, just before the show, but here’s a sneak-peak preview that illustrates the improved tumblehome:



The three gusset supports make for a very sturdy construction!

I’ve also begun patterning the new channels. The Lemineur monograph for the SP is a great help with these small details:




It is hard to photograph, but the new channels are tapered for watershed:


I’ll have to layout the shroud and stay locations, in relation to the guns. There’s a possibility I may have the main channel in place for the show.

 

[dockattner]

The photo above reminded me how awesome you are at painting. The 'seasons' figures are ridiculous...

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

Thank you, Paul! This is certainly the best paint work that I am capable of, at this moment in time.

Well, last night I completed all of the port side touchups and got the last of the channels installed. The upper main wale and the lower port enhancements still need re-touching, but I won’t bother with that until I have fit all of the buttressing knees of the channels.

For a change, I’ll let the pictures do the talking:











Interestingly, the walnut ink is not as reversible as I thought, in all cases. To some degree, it permanently stains the red ocher, in particular. When I did the QGs, there was some blotchiness in the wash-coat that I thought I’d soften later. Well, I couldn’t even out the tones as well as I would like, in all places:



‘Not a terrible concession to a lesson learned, though.

So, we are off to the show! If you are there, please stop by and say hello. At 10 am, I’ll be giving a presentation on the model, as a representative of the Shipcraft Guild of New York City.

After the show, I’m going to take a few weeks away from the project, as I’m a little burnt from the past three months

Be well, and more to follow!

 

[Stevedownunder]

Fantastic work once again Marc,
Fair winds and a following sea for the show.
A break is quite in order considering the amount of work you have done recently.

Cheers,
Stephen.

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

Thank you, Stephen!

 

[Hubac’s Historian]

The show was really very good - a near-record turnout, with about 110 guests, and I believe 105 models. Toms10 (Szabo) earned the Jim Roberts award for his HMS Leopard, and the recognition is well-deserved.

My only regret of the show is that I somehow missed Fried Clams’s Stonington Dragger. I only realized this after the fact when going through pictures of the show that our club member Vadim had taken (see below). That really is a terrible oversight, on my part, because I would have really liked to see the model and to meet Gary, in person. I’m really sorry about that Gary.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=M0NvMmVWVEloWVRSbzgzWktwRC1BSV9aZTNtd2pR

SR was, indeed, well-received! I gave about a 20-minute presentation, following Chuck’s excellent ropewalk demonstration - which is a hard act to follow. At first, I only had a couple of new friends from the Jersey club at the table, but Mike Swanson did some rustling for me, and I ended up with a very engaged group of 10-12. This was about perfect for me, as it has been a long while since I did any “public speaking” - my voice didn’t quaver much, but my hands sure did!

Many thanks to our club president Dan Pariser who took the time to mount five specific images of SR and her contemporaries, which very much helped with the story I was trying to tell about the ship and this model. Without these visuals, Dan, the presentation would have been a very different experience.

I owe my wife and two children many thanks for coming out to the show and supporting/enabling Dad with his obsession. They enjoyed themselves, and I think they were surprised to see the range of talent and subject matter on display. Many thanks to them, as I know they hear and see quite enough about ships at home.

After quite a bit of traffic, we made it home, we ate and then I went to bed and slept for nearly 12 hours. Today, I am clear-headed for the first time in ages. I will still leave the model alone for a couple of weeks. I want to be excited about it, when I take up with it again.