VASA 490 Build Log - Billing Boats, 1:75 [Completed Build]

Daniel20

Daniel20

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Location
Houston,Texas
It's my pleasure to introduce my version of the famous Swedish VASA warship. I invite all to join in on this my second major build. My wife's mother was from Sweden and her dad was from Denmark. A few years ago she had the opportunity to visit relatives in Sweden and visited the VASA museum . So she insisted that this ship be my next build. I had intended to take a longer break from ship building (see HMS Fly) however I kept finding myself slowly unpacking and looking /working well you know building on it, so my break lasted all of 10 days. I'll start with unpacking the box and go from there.IMG_0573.jpgIMG_0574.jpgIMG_0575.jpgIMG_0576.jpgIMG_0577.jpgIMG_0578.jpgIMG_0579.jpgIMG_0580.jpgIMG_0581.jpgIMG_0843.jpgIMG_0844.jpgIMG_0845.jpgIMG_0846.jpgIMG_0848.jpgIMG_0849.jpgIMG_0851.jpgIMG_0853.jpgIMG_0854.jpgIMG_0857.jpg

I had purchased several after market parts sheeve blocks, deck grating. I'll be buying aftermarket rope line as well.
I know all the external figures are plastic which I'm not too happy about but I will be painting them so should not diminish from the end product.
Hope you all enjoy the introduction and following this will be laying of the keel.
Happy modeling!!
 
Hello all again.
Here is the beginning of my VASA build. I laid out a reference grid for the gun ports and bulkheads on the main board. I've
calculated where all the gun ports go via a CAD drawing I did and will lay in the first side planks which will help me line up the openings.
Enjoy and happy modeling.
IMG_0869.jpgIMG_0870.jpgIMG_0871.jpgIMG_0872.jpgIMG_0874.jpgIMG_0880.jpgIMG_0881.jpgIMG_0882.jpgIMG_0883.jpgVasa Ship Whaler.JPGVasa Ship.JPG
 
Looking forward to your model, as you advanced with the build. The aftermarket blocks look like Master Korabel or Falconet blocks made from Pear. They are of very good quality. Good choice though.
 
Jimsky said:
Looking forward to your model, as you advanced with the build. The aftermarket blocks look like Master Korabel or Falconet blocks made from Pear. They are of very good quality. Good choice though.
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Thanks Jim, the blocks are Master Korabel pearwood.
I bought Tanganika and Walnut for the deck and hull. This is a single hull planked ship but I'm going to use a veneer of walnut over the Obechi supplied in the kit.
 
Daniel20 said:
I bought Tanganika and Walnut for the deck and hull. This is a single hull planked ship but I'm going to use a veneer of walnut over the Obechi supplied in the kit.
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There was a place for Pear veneer Paul @dockattner used for his Wasa. It might be an interest of yours as well. Its color is amazing.
 
Jimsky said:
There was a place for Pear veneer Paul @dockattner used for his Wasa. It might be an interest of yours as well. Its color is amazing.
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Yes, I'm an avid follower of Paul's @dockattner build and to be honest I am a bit up in the air about changing to to a pear veneer. I believe he sourced his wood out of Russia. I also like the look of walnut which I know is much darker so I'll probably stay with it. I'm one of those people if you give me too many choices it can become almost impossible to make up my mind. Like trying to pick out wall paper with the admiral:)
 
I am looking forward to see your Vasa growing - good luck (and a lot of fun)
 
WHAT! I missed the beginning already? That's what I get for going on vacation. Well, it would appear there is still room in the front row so I
I'm going to pull up a chair and commence cheering you on. You are going to love this build - steal all the good ideas from the build logs of others and avoid the black hole of comparing your work with theirs. Trying to match the brilliance of people like Peter or Michael will only make you wacky and take all the joy out of this project. Make it your own and you will OWN THIS THING!

BTW, I think walnut will produce a beautiful hull. Don't forget to order dimensional strips for the wales - or are you going to rip down the sheets you show in your pictures? Staying ahead of needed supplies has been a challenge for me.

If you are going to add color to all the bits you will need magnification and bright task lighting - and you will need the smallest paint brushes you can find (smaller than you have!!!). If I were to do it all over I might personally opt for less detailed painting of the carvings because I'm not so sure what can be seen under 'real life' viewing conditions. The macro images posted by others (and I'll include myself here) show things that cannot be discerned from 12 inches away without magnification.

Have fun! I'm excited for you!
 
dockattner said:
WHAT! I missed the beginning already? That's what I get for going on vacation. Well, it would appear there is still room in the front row so I
I'm going to pull up a chair and commence cheering you on. You are going to love this build - steal all the good ideas from the build logs of others and avoid the black hole of comparing your work with theirs. Trying to match the brilliance of people like Peter or Michael will only make you wacky and take all the joy out of this project. Make it your own and you will OWN THIS THING!

BTW, I think walnut will produce a beautiful hull. Don't forget to order dimensional strips for the wales - or are you going to rip down the sheets you show in your pictures? Staying ahead of needed supplies has been a challenge for me.

If you are going to add color to all the bits you will need magnification and bright task lighting - and you will need the smallest paint brushes you can find (smaller than you have!!!). If I were to do it all over I might personally opt for less detailed painting of the carvings because I'm not so sure what can be seen under 'real life' viewing conditions. The macro images posted by others (and I'll include myself here) show things that cannot be discerned from 12 inches away without magnification.

Have fun! I'm excited for you!
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Hey Doc glad you could come aboard. I'm definitely going to need your help. I'm planning on using the walnut sheets like you did for spilling when needed, If I can pull it off we shall see. When it comes to painting all the small statues I plan on (walking the plank) and using a monochrome approach such as you sometimes see in other builds. Having said that I can almost hear the boo's . I'll mix it up some though. I plan to have a major focus on the rigging because when done well it just makes a ship so beautiful! Hopefully I will not overload my abilities. Anyway thanks for your encouragement.
Dan
 
Hey Daniel, glad to see you started your build log! I always say I’m not working on my ship today...or I’m taking a break today...and I find myself sitting in front of it later...lol. It seems to be an addiction. ;)
I built the Norske Love by Billing Boats, and I found the plastic pieces were very well detailed and looked great painted, especially the cannon carriages and cannon doors. They are suitable for dry brushing. So I agree with you, as long as the detail is nice, it doesn’t really matter the material, if you are going to paint the piece.
I’ll be taking up a chair myself.
 
Good afternoon!
I have a small framing update while the wood glue is drying. I finished setting all the bulkheads. The small subfloor upper deck at the stern is a fairly stiff plywood and I didn't want to soak it to help in the slight curve required so I predrilled and used the smallest wood screws I could find to hold it down while the glue sets then tomorrow I'll remove the screws . The main deck subfloor required a little trimming in every bulkhead notch because I used my own spacing of the bulkheads. Both sides layed in very nice and symmetrical after that.IMG_0884.jpgIMG_0885.jpgIMG_0886.jpgIMG_0888.jpg

I will set the smaller filler/stiffeners in the bow and stern then will begin sanding the bevel on the bulkheads.
Thanks for watching and happy modeling!
 
Ret-Navy said:
Wow, impressive. I look forward to seeing more pics. Working on my first build ever...1805 Swift.

We're almost neighbors. Pearland here.
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Hello Navy and welcome aboard! If you have started a build log I'll look for it. Yes I have spent a lot of time in Pearland over the years building bridges in and around the city. I was the senior survey manager for our construction company.
 
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