USS CONSTITUTION REVELL 1/96 scale

Scott Totten said:
Welcome, I'm fairly new to modeling and this site also. Everyone here is wonderful about sharing their knowledge. I was given this same model over th holidays and look forward to starting it. Enjoy yourself and don't be concerned about asking questions. Btw, my plan on the sails, when I get that far, is to use the plastic ones that are supplied as molds for cloth material.
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That’s where I’m leaning. Saw some linen at hobby lobby that I thought would look nice. The wife’s all aboard as she wants a new sewing machine. lol
 
You have obviously made a good start on your model. Before long you will begin the best part of recreating sailing ships - the rigging! I have two suggestions. I recommend using a 15" square lazy susan turntable to spin the model around as you work on it. When I have installed all of the deck pieces and BEFORE installing the masts, I attach the rigging to the pinrails. I then estimate the length of each line by inserting the mast temporarily into the deck. I identify the number of each line using a small piece of tape folded over the free end of the line. Then I lay the line over the side of the ship on the turntable. When they are all done, it looks like a pile of spaghetti along each side of the ship, but the lines separate with no problem if you slowly pull them apart.Screen Shot 2020-02-02 at 10.33.45 AM.pngScreen Shot 2020-02-02 at 10.34.04 AM.pngScreen Shot 2020-02-02 at 10.34.33 AM.png
 
Thank you for the input. Sounds like a good plan. I bought some beeswax for the lines as many others suggested. Didn’t have much time to spend on it this weekend but here are the latest07B03B95-F136-4088-A2C9-55913540F53C.jpegE02102F4-D878-41FE-909E-E1491D29471F.jpeg
 
Brought it all flooding back! - I built her 50 years ago.
She's still sitting on a cabinet in my workroom, quietly gathering dust and cobwebs. The bowsprit and mizzen t'gallant have gone by the board, and left her looking like she's just been in action.
A word of caution - there's a lot of rigging on the ship, and the temptation is to tension it all up - however, the t'gallants, upper spars and stun'sl booms are very delicate, and will very easily distort if you tension everything - go carefully!
Enjoy

Ted
 
pbryan said:
Brought it all flooding back! - I built her 50 years ago.
She's still sitting on a cabinet in my workroom, quietly gathering dust and cobwebs. The bowsprit and mizzen t'gallant have gone by the board, and left her looking like she's just been in action.
A word of caution - there's a lot of rigging on the ship, and the temptation is to tension it all up - however, the t'gallants, upper spars and stun'sl booms are very delicate, and will very easily distort if you tension everything - go carefully!
Enjoy

Ted
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thanks Ted. I’m already a little worried about any kind of tension as it is. Some of the eyelets are pretty delicate. My build is going to slow way down.
 
I love rigging. I’m not overly crazy but I actually love doing it. I hate starting but I have a process. Before I mount the yards I attach all the blocks, manropes, literally everything that will be on them. Then I install the stays - one mast at a time. I never work more than 20 minutes rigging. Walk away, clear your brain, and come back 30 minutes later and do another 20 minutes. When finished with the stay install the running rigging from inside out. Install that which is closest to the mast up and down the ship first. Also, I try to get the bowsprit out of the was asap. I make tools as I need them. Different sized needles work well. Cut part of the eye away, put the needle in a long dowel and use it to put or pull line through areas too little for your fingers. A needle threader attached to a dowel works for blocks. I find it very relaxing.
 
A lot of great advise, most important is never give up, so many build logs I look at just end. You never know if they quit or lost interest in posting. I love the build, doing or watching, and I want to watch your build to the finish!
 
Definitely not quitting. I did however, wish I had done the upper deck before the hatches over the cannons... I have to tie twine to cinch the sides together. Knocked off 3.
 
This is the latest. Should get some headway today as we got a snow day :)

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So, I decided to try to cover up the seams with some putty. Not real pleased with how uneven the deck panels are but it is what it is. I’ll have some sanding and toucup

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Something for you to think about:
All warships will have basically the same rigging "Pattern". The easiest as has been mentioned is to work in an orderly fashion and I would go as far as saying that it is really a necessity to work in a order to avoid being trapped in a situation that you can not reach or get to a particular section. Below is in my opinion is a good order of things with the first item mentioned would be the FIRST thing to rig up:

STANDING RIGGING (Stationary)

  • All Stays. All Stays support the mast running in the CENTER of the ship from Fore to Aft. For instance, a "Stay" will run from the very top foremast down to the bowsprit tip. Then with that in mind, you will also have another stay on the foremast located about halfway down that will run down to the bowsprit. This "pattern" is repeated with the Main Mast. An example, the top of the Main Mast will have a line that will run from the TOP of the Main Mast to the BASE of the foremast. And again, take the Mizzen Mast. From the TOP of the Mizzen Mast, a line to the BASE of the Main mast. What I mention here is an example or typical. It is possible to have several STAYS but they all run center-line fore to aft. It is also possible to have some stays that attach to mast and will run to each side of ship to offer even more support. They are all STATIONARY.
  • All Shrouds. All Shrouds support the mast as of Port to Starboard (or side to side support). All Shrouds will attach to the Deadeyes which have their own rigging. The Shrouds also have Ratlines that run horizontal. ALL mast will have Shrouds.
  • Stays for the "Flying Jibs and Staysails". This portion of rigging could be allocated in either section, but I chose to include it here because according to some research I did, the Flying Jibs and Staysails need to have a STATIONARY line of which the sail is "supported by". For a Staysail that is mounted between teh foremast and mainmast, there would be for instance one line that would run from the BASE of the aft foremast up to the end of the staysail, then run the length of the staysail, using a pulley and then terminating at the "fore" BASE of the Main Mast. Where the line travels from mast to mast at the top is where the staysail will be "attached" with loops or rings. Then each staysail will have its own line to tie off (running part)
RUNNING RIGGING (lines that move or make adjustments to sails or yards)

  • Yard Lifts. All yards must be lifted up and down. Most all yard lifts are basically rigged the same. Each end of the yard has lines that travel up to the mast with a pulley of some sort and that line eventually makes it way (usually) to the BASE of its Mast.
  • Yard Braces. Yard braces have lines that attach to each end of the Yard. The Yard must be able to swing from side to side to allow the wind to capture which makes the ship go forth. Yard braces also will have pulleys that the line eventually end at a "BELAYING PIN RAIL" This applies to every yard must have braces.
  • Sail Management. ALL sails must be managed. Lifted up and down and managed the tightness, etc. You will have Sheets, Leech lines, Bunt lines, Clew lines, etc, ALL of which MUST be used and eventually terminate at the BELAYING PIN RAILS. It should be noted here that there is an order for tieing off the belaying pins. The LOWEST sail management will tie off at the LEADING pin whilst the TOP most sail management will tie off at the most TRAILING pin.
All of which is simply repeated over and over again for each Yard, each Mast, and each sail. It will become obvious that at some point, you will see that just doing one mast - yard - sail situation that all of them are rigged the SAME. Nothing is different basically. Everything is GROUPED. The PIN RAILS will be grouped for EVERYTHING that has to do with that one mast and yard set. You will have a first group of Pin Rails for the running rigging of the Foremast. Then you will have a second group of Pin Rails for the running rigging of the Main Mast, and lastly another group of Pin Rails for all the running rigging for the Mizzen mast. remember that most of the time, the yard lifts most likely will have a PIN RAIL or BITTS at the BASE of each Mast that handle the Yard up and down motion.

Lastly, make sure you have real beewax. Some places sale it as beeswax, but it is really nothing more than candle wax, which will NOT do the same. Real Beeswax will allow the cotton line to run through the wax a few times and become rather stiff. I do prefer cotton over the nylon. Nylon as a mind of its own and just does not have the realist look. (my opinion ofcourse). Probably the reason why most kits when the way side with Nylon is probably to appease the builder as the nylon does not have any fuzzies. That is the ONLY thing going for it. But the cotton / wax routine always wins out.
Hobby Lobby does have a large range of cotton line. Usually black or a very dark brown for all the Standing. Then a lighter tan for all the running rigging. See if you can rig your yards complete before you hang them on the Mast.

I have seen only one builder that tied all his lines to the belaying pins first and had a ton of lines tied in bundles laying all around his ship. I personally would stay away from that method as it can easily turn into a nightmare. Again, my opinion. For one thing, you do not know which belaying pins will be used. I am not in any way saying that the forementioned way is wrong - no - I am just saying that I chose not to do it that way. You might have a better experience.
 
Thanks for the input. I have been looking at the thread that came with the kit and some are nylon. Think I’m going to go get all cotton. Don’t like how it looks as I’m pretty sure nylon wasn’t available in 1812. Lol
 
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