My Workbench

Friday, September 20, 2024

Black Seas American 44-gun Frigate USS Constitution

This one is the third of the Warlord Games Black Seas US fleet 44-gun frigates I have now finished. I used the kit anchors and quarter davit boats. The stern mounted and stacked boats are 3-D printed. The masts, spars, sails, and base are scratch built.

The painted hull, scratch masts, and rough sail cutouts

Template used for tracing the sails

Dry fitting the masts, Note the quarterdeck and stern boats have been added


Driver and mizzen top sail tied on

Mizzen top sail dressed and t'gallant tied on

Main spar mounted

Main course tied on and dressed 

Main top sail tied and dressed and t'gallant mounted

All fore sails on and dressed

Making the shrouds

Finished shroud/ratlines

All ratlines mounted, all of the standing rigging, and half of the running rigging is done

Mounting the lower stunsail booms on the larboard side

Stunsail booms on the starboard side



Studding sails are on

And rigged



The based finished ship:









Sunday, August 25, 2024

Nelson's Fagship HMS Vanguard

 


This is my version of Nelson's fagship HMS Vanguard, as she appeared at the Battle of the Nile on 1-3 August 1798 in Aboukir Bay near Alexandria. The colors are based on Rod Langton's book, Reference 2



The hull is a 3D Arrogant class 74 from Simon Mann, printed in 1/450 scale.

I actually painted the hull several months ago and built the masts. But then they were set aside for WWII naval projects. Then the working season hit, and I spent little time in the
dungeon. Several super hot days were spent inside, and Vanguard was screaming in the wings to be built.


Tracing out the cloth sails

Creating the furled sail mold

finished furled sails




This is the point I realized the sails are too small
The template I used was for a large frigate!

The correct 3rd rate sails are traced

All of the previous spars and sails have been removed and salvaged

New spars cut

Spars with stuns'l spars prepaired

Ah, now that looks like a third rate



Standing rigging started

I didn't have a jig large enough for the main shroud/ratlines, so I had to makea jig from two expired sandwiched insurance cards

Ratlines applied


Here are the beauty shots with the running rigging on.