Sovereign of the Seas by Sergal - 1/78 Scale Kit Build.
Good morning Linton. Sorry to hear you have been under the weather but really happy to hear you are working on her again. She is a beautiful build. Cheers Grant
- Joined
- May 7, 2023
- Messages
- 83
- Points
- 143
Channels and chainplates in now. Masts dry fitted mainly to act as template for chainplate angles. On to deck guns now, none of which resemble historical records but I decided early on that this was straight kit build. All the inaccuracies are well recorded but still a nice model when finished. 
The Mantua kit always dazzles.
- Joined
- May 7, 2023
- Messages
- 83
- Points
- 143
Starting to make progress with deck guns. Not sure how I'm going to deal with the for and aft deck guns where they cross up with abeam gun carriages and look untidy. The guide and plan drawings are not helpful. Historical drawings show only abeam guns in place which makes more sense I think or maybe just place the middle guns..
Last edited:
- Joined
- May 7, 2023
- Messages
- 83
- Points
- 143
Yes McKays book describes the guns and there configuration in detail. As we know, the kit has many divergences from the known historical features.
The gun carriages for the 8'-9'long demi-culverin drakes on the weather deck are supposed to be half trucks, with front wheels and rear skids, not full trucks with four wheels. I suspect that the guns on the half deck and forecastle, including the counter-boarding guns (6' long culverin cutts) that face the waist from those locations, were also fitted with half trucks. These carriages may not be unique to HMS Sovereign of the Seas, but it is known that they were used, and mentioned by several sources, e.g. James Sephton's book. The reason for half trucks is so you can incline the barrel higher, and the skids reduce the recoil distance that the carriages travels a bit, which is an advantage on decks with limited space, such as on the upper forecastle. A dolly with two separate wheels would have been placed under the skid of the guns needed to be moved to other gun ports on the deck.
Demi-culverin drakes ready for installation.
Demi-culverin drakes ready for installation.
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2021
- Messages
- 2,459
- Points
- 488
How could a gun so placed be fired with the gun in its port in the way? and for what purpose?
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2021
- Messages
- 2,459
- Points
- 488
You have a fine collection of beautiful models in their cases. This will be a splendid addition. Your work is spectacular!
It CAN'T. When gun ports are in such close proximity, typically one gun is placed there and is used for both ports, moving the gun to aim where it's needed. Keep in mind that most large warships have many more ports than they have guns, and the number of guns on the vessel changes depending on its mission and whether at peace or at war.
Those guns look like the ones I used on my Soleil Royal!
- Joined
- May 7, 2023
- Messages
- 83
- Points
- 143
Probably are. My guess is they out source some of the parts from some mass produced source. Not many kits do guns very well, let alone historically correct, however the overall aesthetic effect is usually pretty good.
Corel is well known for using the same cannon barrels and other parts throughout their line of kits. However, the dark finish on their gun barrels is particularly good.
G
. Masts, yards etc- now the fun starts
. Cheers Grant
Good morning Linton. I’ve said it before but worrrh repeating- the dark stain and contrasts on your model are very effective. Cool anchor storage
. Masts, yards etc- now the fun starts. Cheers Grant
This is an impressive model Linton. Cheers Grant
