Sovereign of the Seas - Sergal 1:78 (with hopefully many added details)

[oldflyer]

That's a proper fix. Well done. Dilute some brown paint with thinner and apply it as a wash to Edgar and the Kings and that will add the contrast you need to see the details in the parts. Your ship is gorgeous!

Clark and Grant, Thanks for your nice comments

Kurt,

Yes that is indeed needed. I will probably use a mid-brown wash as opposed to thinned paint. I had good luck with that wash process when
when I upgraded the Vasa lantern. Images of Vasa lantern from log as MSW. - thanks as well for the nice compliment.

 

[oldflyer]

Hi Mates,

I had made a mea culpa regarding the masthead figures. After I first polished all of the vintage bronze bits they were SO shinny – I then sprayed them with a metal clear coat protector so that the bits would stay shiny, and not become dull over time. But the vintage bronze masthead king was – well very tarnished and hard to buff up
So, brilliantly, decided to take it to a local jeweler and have it gold plated. (yea over-the-top)

Results looked so great, BUT now it does not blend well with all of the 100s of bronze bits that have lost some of their sheen, and have also slightly dulled over time.

I was tempted to use the current kit’s figurehead but the quality of the casting was not as detailed as from the vintage example – and the plating color was a bit “off” IMO…
========

Also, as Kurt correctly mentioned, Yes, I needed to do a wash of some kind. Here are the results – Much improved look –

I did also finish up the fish davit, along with one railing weight support so far. Now onto the anchors –

Cheers

 

[dockattner]

Perfection!

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Stunning!! I want my decorations to look just like that.

 

[GrantTyler]

Hi Mates,

I had made a mea culpa regarding the masthead figures. After I first polished all of the vintage bronze bits they were SO shinny – I then sprayed them with a metal clear coat protector so that the bits would stay shiny, and not become dull over time. But the vintage bronze masthead king was – well very tarnished and hard to buff up
So, brilliantly, decided to take it to a local jeweler and have it gold plated. (yea over-the-top)

Results looked so great, BUT now it does not blend well with all of the 100s of bronze bits that have lost some of their sheen, and have also slightly dulled over time.

I was tempted to use the current kit’s figurehead but the quality of the casting was not as detailed as from the vintage example – and the plating color was a bit “off” IMO…
========

Also, as Kurt correctly mentioned, Yes, I needed to do a wash of some kind. Here are the results – Much improved look –

I did also finish up the fish davit, along with one railing weight support so far. Now onto the anchors –

Cheers

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Brilliant John

 

[GIG1810]

Hey John,

that looks really nice. Good wash. Gilded, that's amazing.

Cheers, Günther.

 

[oldflyer]

Perfection!

Paul, coming from you that's a huge compliment -

Stunning!! I want my decorations to look just like that.

Kurt, Hmmm your Sovereign decorations will be so so-over-the-top by comparison - still thanks for your nice compliment

Brilliant John

As always Grant -THANKS

Hey John,

that looks really nice. Good wash. Gilded, that's amazing.

Cheers, Günther.

Günther -- thanks as well, glad that you liked the "fix"

 

[oldflyer]

Hi again,

Ok, had an easy morning so wasting some - no consequence - venting time.

BUT, it is still so annoying to me that Mantua/Sergal So “downgraded” the quality of their now very vintage Sovereign kit; first released in the 1960s according to Google AI. with its now current product.

Yes, several better features within the current release are indeed appreciated – still in my opinion it totally ruined the most important purchase incentive for this product by “destroying” what was one of the kit's absolutely best features – solid bronze castings – over 600+ of them, replaced by very poorly cast white metal bits electroplated(??) with a gold look in the current kit.

As I mentioned in my just previous post of why I could not attach the current kit’s figurehead. Here are the image reasons. peruse the comparisons - really??

HELLO Mantua/Sergal are you aware of this and don't care?. And to think that this kit still retails for just about $1,000.00 USD – if you look around –

OK – I was just having some pointless/futile fun. PS: this quality downgrade applies to all 600+ castings as I’ve now noted once too many, and now for the last time

Cheers,

 

[dockattner]

You were better 50 years ago too, John .

 

[oldflyer]

You were better 50 years ago too, John .

Quoting Grant @GrantTyler --- True story -

I'm currently in the process of digitizing 1000s of 35mm slides along with dozens of large binder photo albums. Going back through ones adventures
in life is really interesting - assuming one has no huge regrets with the results, of course..

Hard to believe that it was just last week that I was a young guy, and working no less.

Cheers,

 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

Hi again,

Ok, had an easy morning so wasting some - no consequence - venting time.

BUT, it is still so annoying to me that Mantua/Sergal So “downgraded” the quality of their now very vintage Sovereign kit; first released in the 1960s according to Google AI. with its now current product.

Yes, several better features within the current release are indeed appreciated – still in my opinion it totally ruined the most important purchase incentive for this product by “destroying” what was one of the kit's absolutely best features – solid bronze castings – over 600+ of them, replaced by very poorly cast white metal bits electroplated(??) with a gold look in the current kit.

As I mentioned in my just previous post of why I could not attach the current kit’s figurehead. Here are the image reasons. peruse the comparisons - really??

HELLO Mantua/Sergal are you aware of this and don't care?. And to think that this kit still retails for just about $1,000.00 USD – if you look around –

OK – I was just having some pointless/futile fun. PS: this quality downgrade applies to all 600+ castings as I’ve now noted once too many, and now for the last time

Cheers,

View attachment 537723View attachment 537724View attachment 537725View attachment 537726View attachment 537727View attachment 537728

Yeah, Mantua doesn't care and no one at Mantua probably has the skills to improve the castings. The days of using castings for model ship kits is also long gone. Since no kit has accurate representations of the decorations, it forces you to make your own.