The Airfix 1/180 HMS Victory

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Beaufighter

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I have one of these in the stash and fancy having a go at it, but per the curse of modellers, I have had a look at it and don't want even to start unless some fixes I would want look doable.

e.g:

the kit does not include, and the instructions don't indicate, thread of more than one size for the rigging. Can anyone recommend a source of different thicknesses of thread?

Does anyone make suitable aftermarket lower-deck guns? I'd like the guns run out on one broadside run out, but pegs in holes won't do.

are there any noted inaccuracies, aside from the beakhead issue?

cheers

Phil
 
Phil,

At almost 1/200 scale, it is going to be really tough to get things in scale. Many of the differences would be lost in most cases. Even the large blocks in the rigging would look like little more than a pin head and even if they could be made with the precision needed, how would you thread the rigging line through the block. The smallest single blocks would be about 1 mm. :)
Just some things to think about. Not trying to discourage you, just want to make sure that you know what you are in for if you want the high precision. :)

Jeff
 
Hey Jeff

Anything that small is too fiddly and probably to notice, so that I can live without. The issue really is that when you look at the rigging proposed, there almost isn't any.
 
I would recommend that you try to get the book “Anatomy of the Ship” on the HMS Victory at a reasonable price. That will have most if not all of the details you want and you can decide what you do and don’t want. It’s a wonderful resource.
 
Please see this previous build on this forum.
The Hacney book is all you need.

modelshipworld.com

HMS Victory by Demostenes - Airfix - 1/180 - PLASTIC

Hello, I ve recently started with this kit. It is my first scalemodel sail ship (actually second model after more than 26 years pause) , so I am not sure what is reasonably possible in this scale (and what I will be able to do), but this is what is fun on such project. I have no ambitions to fini...
modelshipworld.com modelshipworld.com
 
The trouble with all the books is that they are either very,very expensive - £100 or more for the Hackney or AotS titles - or nearly useless (Osprey's British Napoleonic Ship-of-the-Line being an egregious example - there's nothing in it you wouldn't learn from reading a couple ofPatrick O'Brian novels).
 
Just checked ebay. 2 copies of the Hackney book for around £12-13!
They often appear cheaper.
 
pugwash said:
Just checked ebay. 2 copies of the Hackney book for around £12-13!
They often appear cheaper.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I've ordered one. Amazon, AbeBooks were all coming up at the £100 mark.

Does anyone have any suggestions for rigging thread? I'm assuming that even in this scale, the difference between standing and running rigging would be apparent. Am I right in thinking that standing rigging was usually tarred and running wasn't, i.e. you could use black or grey thread for it?
 
Beaufighter said:
Thanks, I've ordered one. Amazon, AbeBooks were all coming up at the £100 mark.

Does anyone have any suggestions for rigging thread? I'm assuming that even in this scale, the difference between standing and running rigging would be apparent. Am I right in thinking that standing rigging was usually tarred and running wasn't, i.e. you could use black or grey thread for it?
Click to expand...
Rigging will also require many blocks of different sizes.
HiS models (one of our sponsors) offers many accessories for your kit. I have some of their products and they are quite nice. You can find their offerings at the following link.
1/180 Victory accessories
 
Er...at this scale you don't need these blocks!
For gawds sake, when you add up the His models bill it will be freak-out time.
All you need to do is use strategically placed painted blobs of glue.
Dafi does produce some useful etch for this kit, but a little ingenuity should look convincing at your level.
Trust me.
 
Beaufighter said:
Blimey. Where do they go??
Click to expand...
all over the rigging. On the Victory, there are MANY of them. :)
Even used on the lines for all the cannons. On the real ship, there is about 26 miles of rope and around 768 pully blocks according to the National Museum of the Royal Navy.
I agree with you @pugwash , but he was asking about different sizes of rigging to be accurate. This is exactly what I was alluding to in my first post in this thread. :)
 
Corsair, hi.
Without being condescending it's clear our friend is at the beginning of his journey.
At this point I would wait for the Hackney book to arrive and take it from there.
This is what the book was written for.
 
When I built this kit 5 years ago, I had the same problem, rigging blocks-wise. I bought the books, "The Ship Model Builder's Assistant", & "The Art of Rigging". I put as much rigging on as I possibly could, & just forgot the blocks, as they would be impossibly small to work with. It still looks pretty good for what it is, & was a fun build! The kit has no railing for the poop deck, a major fault for me, but I didn't scratch-build one, a major fault ON me!
Rick1011
 
Rick, I get the impression you enjoyed the build and learned a few valuable lessons.
Thats what it's all about.
As Demostenes (above) demonstrated in his fantastic rendition of this kit, so much more can be done.
Again, the Hackney book is written as a guide, which if followed by an absolute beginner can be built into a tremendous first time ship model without undue stress.
Nothing worse than a dissatisfied potential modeler throwing it into the bin of frustration.
I wish Beaufighter every success.
 
Beaufighter said:
I have one of these in the stash and fancy having a go at it, but per the curse of modellers, I have had a look at it and don't want even to start unless some fixes I would want look doable.

e.g:

the kit does not include, and the instructions don't indicate, thread of more than one size for the rigging. Can anyone recommend a source of different thicknesses of thread?

Does anyone make suitable aftermarket lower-deck guns? I'd like the guns run out on one broadside run out, but pegs in holes won't do.

are there any noted inaccuracies, aside from the beakhead issue?

cheers

Phil
Click to expand...
At the tiny scale Phil mentioned (I am not familiar with the kit) perhaps fishermen's fly-tying line (which comes in a variety of beige, brown and black shades) as well as fine wire would make good scale rigging line. It did at 1:192 scale. I also made tiny split rings out of fine brass wire in lieu of blocks and deadeyes. You can thread the line through it as many times as necessary, just as you would through single, double or triple blocks or deadeyes. Fill with a drop of glue after and color with a drop of brown or black paint (or any color you deem appropriate). I have a miniature Balitmore clipper in the "Finished Models" forum at the above-mentioned scale rigged this way, guns, rope coils and belaying pin coils and all. The fine wire works well and can be painted but requires patience.
Best of success with your model,

Pete
 
Again, wait until the Hackney arrives. That should cover most of your questions.
Remember it was specifically written to help build this kit.
Certainly the hull is very accurate; almost identical to the drawings in the AOTS Victory book.
Same for the topsides, masts and spars.
The beak-head can be cunningly modified by scraping with a sharp scalpel and files. Personally, I don't think it's worth the faff.
Remarkable, when one thinks when this kit was introduced.
If your kit plans are missing, you should be able to find them online.
 
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