SOLEIL ROYAL WOODEN IMPROVISED- Heller 1/100

[Rob. T.]

After 2 1/2 years some a lot of which I had to deal with heartbreaking circumstances my Soleil Royal is finally finished. Originally the Heller kit but I heavily improvised her giving her wooden decks, masts, yards, Deadeyes, rigging blocks etc.. while adding a lot more deck detail rigging up all 104 Cannons, 1,864 clove hitches, approx 500 reef points, 520 Cannon balls as well as Barrels and rope hanks not to mention miles of Amati rigging thread in various sizes.

Without the personal circumstances I've had to endure she has been a labour of Love.
I'm not a craftsman by any manner of means and don't have any ambitions to be one either. I just build these ships for the Beauty and historical aspect that each one has.
Some of the photos you will see were taken at a recent Model Show in Scotland i was asked to display at.

I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed building her.

All the best
Robert
(ART's Model Dockyard)

 

[Lorenzo]

Que belleza!!! and I really like the base

 

[Rob. T.]

Que belleza!!! and I really like the base

Thank you very much my friend. The 4 figures are KING LOUIS XIV on Equestrian horseback so these are obviously related to the SOLEIL ROYAL being his Flagship.

 

[Kilo66]

Your model shipwright skills are plainly evident, as is your commendable persistence. I would be proud to display such an exceptional build, as I am sure you are. Arthritis and lessened visual acuity have left me "beached" so now I enjoy the craft vicariously, through viewing the admirable builds of others. Thank you for sharing this beauty with your shipmates; your efforts resulted in a marvelous, literally museum quality display.
PS: Wherever did you find the figures on the base? They so compliment the ship's extensive gilt gingerbread.

 

[marter1229]

beautiful model

 

[Peter Gutterman]

All of the above

 

[MisterCA]

Nice work! Beautiful display at the show in Scotland.
The time put into a model's construction and life's circumstances over that period of time are sealed into every ship model I see on this site. Including mine. It's the nature of hobby. Some just see the ship. The builder sees more.

 

[Marky Torun]

Sensational detail. And to start with Heller plastic was so original and visionary. No one would guess. You got more demanding of yourself as you progressed and reached such a high level. Kudos!

 

[Rob. T.]

Your model shipwright skills are plainly evident, as is your commendable persistence. I would be proud to display such an exceptional build, as I am sure you are. Arthritis and lessened visual acuity have left me "beached" so now I enjoy the craft vicariously, through viewing the admirable builds of others. Thank you for sharing this beauty with your shipmates; your efforts resulted in a marvelous, literally museum quality display.
PS: Wherever did you find the figures on the base? They so compliment the ship's extensive gilt gingerbread.

Thank you something much Kilo66 for your kind words they are very much appreciated. The King Louis xiv Equestrian figures i actually found by accident on ebay, the seller only had 4 of them left which i now think may have been fate and meant to be that I bought them, as you say and I thought at the time of buying them that they so complimented the model well. I wish you well in your health and hope that someday you can return to the hobby you love.

Rob.

 

[Rob. T.]

beautiful model

Thank you very much mate

 

[Rob. T.]

All of the above

Thank you so much Peter

 

[Rob. T.]

Nice work! Beautiful display at the show in Scotland.
The time put into a model's construction and life's circumstances over that period of time are sealed into every ship model I see on this site. Including mine. It's the nature of hobby. Some just see the ship. The builder sees more.

Thank you so much for those words MisterCA. That is very true that some if not a lot of people just see a ship but the builder sees more and improvised on that rather than just building out of the box

 

[Rob. T.]

Sensational detail. And to start with Heller plastic was so original and visionary. No one would guess. You got more demanding of yourself as you progressed and reached such a high level. Kudos!

Thank you Marky. I try and do that with every ship I build regards vision and improvising on a kit. Some things you see straight away, and some you don't until that Specific stage or part of the plan is ready to be made. I try and push my boundaries all time, I don't have ambitions to be a master craftsman or anything like that i just build my ships through my own capabilities and love i have for them not just as a build but taking in the historical aspect of each one too, the ship and it's history has to relate to me first before I even purchase it.