1/700 Scale 80-Gun Navio Argonauta

Yesterday I posted my catch-up news. Today I am posting the ship that has been in the works since early March. This is a Simon Mann Montanes class design PLA print. It was painted last March and then set on a shelf with several other hulls I painted then. During the summer I scratch built the masts for all of them. Spending a bit of time here and there, it took a good month to get the sails and spars made and mounted. And then another couple of weeks to accomplish the rigging. So here are the few photos I took during the process and pics of the results. Hope you like!

The scratch built masts for the 12 hulls I painted in March

Masts painted and mounted

Cutting out the sails traced on a piece of printer paper. Note the molded furled course sails at the top.

Primed yards

Yards tied and glued

Mizzen sails tied on with leech and bunt lines in place.

All sails attached

My first use of the 3D ratline jig I printed

1st half of the standard rigging installed with staysails tied in. After this stage the ratlines go on and the rest of the standing rigging gets done. Then rest of the fore & jib staysails and the running rigging gets done. Sorry I didn't take anymore pics of this process. 

The completed ship:

I should probably work on the rest of the hulls I painted before starting any of the newer hulls I printed. But I know myself better than that. I may get the urge to build one of the smaller schooners or sloops or maybe a xebec. And I want to get the printer working again too. After all, Simon has put out two new Spanish ships and Henry has a done new ship as well. Plus David Manley has a several new ACW ships out now.........