Absolutely wonderful
Great job Daniel
VASA 490 Build Log - Billing Boats, 1:75 [COMPLETED BUILD]
Great job Daniel
Thank you, Gilbert!
Looks great Daniel! The Lion is actually not that bad…I’ve seen worse!
Thank you, Dean!Looks great Daniel! The Lion is actually not that bad…I’ve seen worse!
Your Vasa is looking awesome Daniel. Enjoying your log.
Thank you, Grant!
A big relief update. Last Sunday I had mentioned moving on to the lath work on the mast but then it hit me I needed to finish the railing first, that is the upper railing which I have been clueless how to go about it. On the real VASA the upper post goes 'through' the mid-level rail and seat either on the box or in places a sub rail if you will. My solution was to literally place a rectangular post through a round hole, I very cautiously drilled into the mid-level rail hoping I would not entirely destroy that rail. Well, it worked, and I could not be happier! So, using my table saw, scroll saw, and micro shapers I managed this first section over the galleries (3 days of trial and error). I do need to get a micro milling bit that would allow me to mill on a radius. See what you think.
Once again thank you for checking in and happy modeling to you all!
Once again thank you for checking in and happy modeling to you all!
I've been pouring over photos of this ship for months and this is the first time I've noticed what appears to be another canon port hole??
On the lower gallery no less??
On the lower gallery no less??
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Hi Daniel. The railings superb and so natural. Well done! 
It is a most interesting observation about the side gallery "Cannon port" if that is what it is. The recoil of the cannon must have placed a lot of stress on that structure. Not that anyone had to worry about that though!
It is a most interesting observation about the side gallery "Cannon port" if that is what it is. The recoil of the cannon must have placed a lot of stress on that structure. Not that anyone had to worry about that though! 
Being the seat of ease being there I would prefer ventilation instead of a gun 
.
Guess an opening for a musket.
.Guess an opening for a musket.
Hello Maarten,Being the seat of ease being there I would prefer ventilation instead of a gun
Guess an opening for a musket.
Like you I choose ventilation as well however the ship comes with two seats of ease located in the beakhead where one would have unlimited ventilation as well as an occasional spray of sea water to boot.
Thank you for your kind words, Heinrich. I hope there is information somewhere about the opening.Hi Daniel. The railings superb and so natural. Well done!
Well, I had not thought about that but yes surely the captain and officers had separate bath areas.
Hi Daniel. No way there was a cannon there. I saw a picture of the inside of one of these galleries and the best that could happen there would have been a man crouching with a musket. Fred Hocker refutes the notion that there were men crouching there taking care of their personal business as well - there is no 'egress' hole on the bottom of the galleries. I suppose there could have been a bucket though and then dumped overboard. I don't imagine the captain or the king would have been eager to make their way out on to the beakhead...
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Apparently there was an unwritten rule that the beakhead area was only reserved for the plebs. On the Dutch ships that area was called the "luizenplecht" (literally translated it means "place of laziness"). When visiting the beakhead, it was one of the few places where the ordinary men would be out of sight of the officers and where they could "relax" a little.
I'm not nearly as knowledgeable on about the VASA as you are, but I have always wondered what was the purpose of the galleries, surely they were more than just decoration. The openings in them would seem to negate any storage because of exposure to weather unless there exist hatch covers.
You know I know nothing except what I have read in the past year. But here is what I have read: in the 17th century quarter galleries were mostly used during combat. The openings in the sides were the ideal location for a sharpshooter with a musket. By the mid to late 18th century the galleries increased in size and the openings started to be replaced with a row of glazed windows. Now the quarter galleries were suitable for bringing light into the adjacent cabins, functioned as modest cabins themselves, or could be used as small private offices. The portion of the gallery in line with the captain's quarters provided a convenient location for a latrine.
I AM NO EXPERT! But this is what I have read. Perhaps our colleagues can amend what I have posted. At the end of the day I think we can say with confidence that a cannon should not be popping out of that port hole! Yours would be the very first Vasa model in history presented that way (that I have ever seen) - but hey, you're the captain!!!
Yes, I would agree probably not a canon port hole, I used the description canon port hole in my earlier post because the decorations around it looked like the top deck canon port holes. I do not have nor plan to put such an opening on my version. Like everyone else I have no idea what the openings were really for other than lighting and ventilation.
The Swedish navy was operating a bit differently.
If you have the deck plans, you might notice that there are no cabins for officer accomodation.
Officers and crew shared the gundeck and I would presume the heads.
Only an admiral's cabin(great cabin) and the captain's cabin above.
Cheers,
Peter