Vasa - 1:65 DeAgostini [COMPLETED BUILD]

I find that people who have worked in the dental field are always extremely meticulous to a point where sometimes it becomes an obsession. I worked dental lab. Crowns, Bridges, Dentures and partials. Lots of castings and polishing.
 
dockattner said:
Well, today I offer you the smallest of updates - but one of great consequence.

First, the painting report...

View attachment 277385

View attachment 277386

And with this brief report...seemingly out of nowhere...with hardly any fanfare...THESE LAST FOUR FIGURES REPRESENT THE END OF MINI-MINIATURE PAINTING!

If you were not keeping score at home (of course you were) the final count was exactly 531 cast metal figures painted.

Each required filing to remove any casting flash or defects, cleaning and degreasing to remove mold-release and human detritus, mounting to a 'handle' to hold during painting, priming, painting, sealing with a flat/matte sealant, removing the 'handle', and finally the inevitable painting touchup.

The smallest and simplest pieces probably averaged an hour each. Larger and more complex pieces took longer - some in the four-to-five-hour range. I guess the all-in (filing to retouching) average would come in close to two hours for each casting - perhaps a bit more. For me the most challenging aspect (indeed, I never really got it right) was faces and fleshy areas.

As my own harshest critic, I see places on nearly every casting that I wish I could have done better. Still, looking back over the total book of work I have to say that I am really satisfied. This is not how I make a living nor am I entering a competition. This is all just for fun for me - and I can honestly say that I have truly enjoyed this challenge.

I could have done it without you - but it would not have been nearly as much fun! So, THANKS!

Next up: I have a small box of castings to attach to my ship...pictures to follow in the next week or two.

Thanks for visiting!
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As was once said a long time ago (but for a very different reason), "TELETESTI" it is finished! To me the faces on these last four figures are just about as expressive as any human could possibly accomplish. This is a testimony of your given talents, a pure pleasure to gaze at and wonder. Thanks, Paul, for sharing!!
 
Thanks for the all the likes everyone! It is a joy to share this hobby with you all!

GAStan said:
Doc all I can say is WOW! Nicely done!

May I ask what types/sizes of brushes are you using? Paints? I just received some sailors I'm considering using and need to paint them so any help would certainly be welcome.

Glenn
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Thank you, Glenn! I'll PM you some information.

RogerD said:
Your work is astounding Paul and so well done, you certainly should be very proud at what you have accomplished. It’s been a joy to follow your build.

Merry Christmas to you.
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Much appreciated Roger. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well.

Dean62 said:
They look fantastic as usual Paul! Congrats on your painting milestone! ;)
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Thank you very much Dean!

debauchery said:
I find that people who have worked in the dental field are always extremely meticulous to a point where sometimes it becomes an obsession. I worked dental lab. Crowns, Bridges, Dentures and partials. Lots of castings and polishing.
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Ha! Obsessive hardly captures it!

Daniel20 said:
As was once said a long time ago (but for a very different reason), "TELETESTI" it is finished! To me the faces on these last four figures are just about as expressive as any human could possibly accomplish. This is a testimony of your given talents, a pure pleasure to gaze at and wonder. Thanks, Paul, for sharing!!
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I truly appreciate your kind words Daniel (my Vasa brother!). I enjoy following your rendition as well.
 
Paul my dear friend. What you have achieved is truly an amazing work of art. All the comments that have been made about your VASA being a museum piece, is something that you should seriously consider. Even though you have embarked on this journey for your own pleasure, your ship is simply too good not to be seen by others and not to be placed in her proper historical context. I know of at least two museums in China that would make you an offer with a snap of the finger!
 
Heinrich said:
Paul my dear friend. What you have achieved is truly an amazing work of art. All the comments that have been made about your VASA being a museum piece, is something that you should seriously consider. Even though you have embarked on this journey for your own pleasure, your ship is simply too good not to be seen by others and not to be placed in her proper historical context. I know of at least two museums in China that would make you an offer with a snap of the finger!
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I concur with Heinrich - A museum bar in Melkbosstrand has the perfect place for a perfect VASA. Too good Paul, just outstanding.
 
dockattner said:
As my own harshest critic, I see places on nearly every casting that I wish I could have done better. Still, looking back over the total book of work I have to say that I am really satisfied. This is not how I make a living nor am I entering a competition. This is all just for fun for me - and I can honestly say that I have truly enjoyed this challenge.

I could have done it without you - but it would not have been nearly as much fun! So, THANKS!
Click to expand...
Hi Paul.
This 2 quoted lines say so much! :)
On your own work, you see items another won’t see.
But if it's within your own limit, then the overall picture is satisfying.
And sharing with someone else remains is so beautiful. What fun does that rich count in France have with a Rembrandt on the wall that no one else sees?
So, thank you for showing us what you've accomplished so far. Keep it up!
Regards, Peter
 
dockattner said:
Well, today I offer you the smallest of updates - but one of great consequence.

First, the painting report...

View attachment 277385

View attachment 277386

And with this brief report...seemingly out of nowhere...with hardly any fanfare...THESE LAST FOUR FIGURES REPRESENT THE END OF MINI-MINIATURE PAINTING!

If you were not keeping score at home (of course you were) the final count was exactly 531 cast metal figures painted.

Each required filing to remove any casting flash or defects, cleaning and degreasing to remove mold-release and human detritus, mounting to a 'handle' to hold during painting, priming, painting, sealing with a flat/matte sealant, removing the 'handle', and finally the inevitable painting touchup.

The smallest and simplest pieces probably averaged an hour each. Larger and more complex pieces took longer - some in the four-to-five-hour range. I guess the all-in (filing to retouching) average would come in close to two hours for each casting - perhaps a bit more. For me the most challenging aspect (indeed, I never really got it right) was faces and fleshy areas.

As my own harshest critic, I see places on nearly every casting that I wish I could have done better. Still, looking back over the total book of work I have to say that I am really satisfied. This is not how I make a living nor am I entering a competition. This is all just for fun for me - and I can honestly say that I have truly enjoyed this challenge.

I could have done it without you - but it would not have been nearly as much fun! So, THANKS!

Next up: I have a small box of castings to attach to my ship...pictures to follow in the next week or two.

Thanks for visiting!
Click to expand...
Your best paint-work came at the very end! These acanthus leaves are amazing!
 
Unfortunately Paul, I am now going to have to revisit some of my Vasa sculpture painting. You have set a very high bar, and although I cannot reach your standard, you have given me a few tips and the incentive to improve them.

Are you keeping a log of your hours? If you are taking an average of ~2 hours for each sculpture, that in itself is over 1000 hours!!

As ever, a wonderful standard.

Wishing you and you family a wonderful, safe and Happy Christmas.

Regards,

PeterG
 
PeterG said:
Unfortunately Paul, I am now going to have to revisit some of my Vasa sculpture painting. You have set a very high bar, and although I cannot reach your standard, you have given me a few tips and the incentive to improve them.

Are you keeping a log of your hours? If you are taking an average of ~2 hours for each sculpture, that in itself is over 1000 hours!!

As ever, a wonderful standard.

Wishing you and you family a wonderful, safe and Happy Christmas.

Regards,

PeterG
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Hi Peter,

Thanks for stopping by. Well, all I can say is when the student motivates the master we have entered an alternate universe!

To answer your question - no, I'm not keeping track of hours spent (approaching 16 months though). Sometimes I just spend 15 minutes working on the ship in between other tasks so logging time would just become too cumbersome.

Merry Christmas to you and yours as well.
 
Hello Mon Ami, a.k.a. Paul!

May your Christmas sparkle with moments of love, laughter, and goodwill. (Amen!) And may the year ahead be full of contentment and joy. Have a Merry Christmas! May all the goals that you have set for yourself in the near future attain success in the upcoming year itself! (Amen!!! ) Happy New Year 2022 in advance!

christmas-and-new-year-1200.jpg
 
Hello Friends (my apologies for what is about to be a lengthy post...),

As time has allowed this holiday season, I have been attaching decorations to my ship. If anyone cares I found the best product for this was something called: Amazing Goop. It is 'sticky', so things stay in place, it allows some working time for repositioning, and bonds firmly after a few hours while remaining flexible. We'll see if it works over the long term (it better!).

What follows is a series of photos - and if you are unfamiliar with the current thinking on the Vasa's painted decorations this will all be quite shocking. But I used the 1:10 model at the Vasamuseet as my guide (obviously I cannot replicate at 1:65 what the 1:10 accomplished - but I did try to honor the spirit of the colorization).

For the record here is the 1:10...

gIMG_6287.jpg

gIMG_6290.jpg

kgIMG_6283.jpg

And here is the current state of my model. Let's begin with the stern:

IMG_7629.JPG

A few closer looks:

IMG_7631.JPG


IMG_7633.JPG

IMG_7630.JPG

The starboard...

IMG_7637.JPG

The port...

IMG_7638.JPG

And now moving forward:

IMG_7643.JPG

IMG_7645.JPG

IMG_7651.JPG

The newly installed cathead from above:

IMG_7646.JPG

Along the side of the ship there is this little guy. I'm confident this 'device' has a name - it is clearly provided to guide a rope in the rigging...

IMG_7654.JPG

And there are also these mer-men (a frustrating discovery...I am missing three of these guys o_O and have now contacted DeAgostini and Artesania Latina (the current distributor of this kit) to see if I can get replacements):

IMG_7658.JPG

IMG_7657.JPG

Stepping back the 'forest' looks less overwhelming than closeups of the 'trees':

IMG_7660.JPG

I pray you were blessed with time spent with family and friends this Christmas!

As always, I am touched that you would visit my build log.
 
dockattner said:
Hello Friends (my apologies for what is about to be a lengthy post...),

As time has allowed this holiday season, I have been attaching decorations to my ship. If anyone cares I found the best product for this was something called: Amazing Goop. It is 'sticky', so things stay in place, it allows some working time for repositioning, and bonds firmly after a few hours while remaining flexible. We'll see if it works over the long term (it better!).

What follows is a series of photos - and if you are unfamiliar with the current thinking on the Vasa's painted decorations this will all be quite shocking. But I used the 1:10 model at the Vasamuseet as my guide (obviously I cannot replicate at 1:65 what the 1:10 accomplished - but I did try to honor the spirit of the colorization).

For the record here is the 1:10...

View attachment 278164

View attachment 278165

View attachment 278166

And here is the current state of my model. Let's begin with the stern:

View attachment 278171

A few closer looks:

View attachment 278189


View attachment 278174

View attachment 278172

The starboard...

View attachment 278175

The port...

View attachment 278176

And now moving forward:

View attachment 278179

View attachment 278180

View attachment 278182

The newly installed cathead from above:

View attachment 278181

Along the side of the ship there is this little guy. I'm confident this 'device' has a name - it is clearly provided to guide a rope in the rigging...

View attachment 278183

And there are also these mer-men (a frustrating discovery...I am missing three of these guys o_O and have now contacted DeAgostini and Artesania Latina (the current distributor of this kit) to see if I can get replacements):

View attachment 278185

View attachment 278184

Stepping back the 'forest' looks less overwhelming than closeups of the 'trees':

View attachment 278186

I pray you were blessed with time spent with family and friends this Christmas!

As always, I am touched that you would visit my build log.
Click to expand...
Wow, wow o_O
I'm spec SpeechlessExclamation-MarkOkayOkay
amazing work
 
dockattner said:
Hello Friends (my apologies for what is about to be a lengthy post...),

As time has allowed this holiday season, I have been attaching decorations to my ship. If anyone cares I found the best product for this was something called: Amazing Goop. It is 'sticky', so things stay in place, it allows some working time for repositioning, and bonds firmly after a few hours while remaining flexible. We'll see if it works over the long term (it better!).

What follows is a series of photos - and if you are unfamiliar with the current thinking on the Vasa's painted decorations this will all be quite shocking. But I used the 1:10 model at the Vasamuseet as my guide (obviously I cannot replicate at 1:65 what the 1:10 accomplished - but I did try to honor the spirit of the colorization).

For the record here is the 1:10...

View attachment 278164

View attachment 278165

View attachment 278166

And here is the current state of my model. Let's begin with the stern:

View attachment 278171

A few closer looks:

View attachment 278189


View attachment 278174

View attachment 278172

The starboard...

View attachment 278175

The port...

View attachment 278176

And now moving forward:

View attachment 278179

View attachment 278180

View attachment 278182

The newly installed cathead from above:

View attachment 278181

Along the side of the ship there is this little guy. I'm confident this 'device' has a name - it is clearly provided to guide a rope in the rigging...

View attachment 278183

And there are also these mer-men (a frustrating discovery...I am missing three of these guys o_O and have now contacted DeAgostini and Artesania Latina (the current distributor of this kit) to see if I can get replacements):

View attachment 278185

View attachment 278184

Stepping back the 'forest' looks less overwhelming than closeups of the 'trees':

View attachment 278186

I pray you were blessed with time spent with family and friends this Christmas!

As always, I am touched that you would visit my build log.
Click to expand...
Very beautiful work Paul! Nicely done.
 
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