kpnuts

Hi all here is todays efforts. The rear galleries should be open (in fact even on the boxart they are open) so I've cut them out(very nail biting as one slip and I could have ruined them) now I just have to do the floor on the 2 galleries.

Hi all well in my haste to move this from the leak I've lost the inner skin at the front so will have to model it with the front doors shut (don't think it will notice then) I thought I would add curtains to it, hope you like them.

Hi all here is my next update. Anchor ropes made and some of the superstructure made

Hi all well the after a day to calm down and looking tonight, its not as bad as I feared, most of the bases are rubbished, but the models are ok and the guilding on the Soliel bits have cleared up (just a bit of staining on the transom ) the models just need a wash in clean water, the warspite dio base could be saved but to be fair its taking up too much space so will probably break it down and make some smaller dios I'm just glad the Thermopylae and Soliel hulls were in the living room. here's the warspite dio and here's the Soliel guilding As I said after a day to calm down not as bad as I thought, not too worried about the bases as I needed room anyway, so maybe its a good thing.

Well most of my models are stored in the outhouse. We had lots of rain and hailstones last night and the roof leaked right over where my models are stored, a lot of the guided parts of the Soliel will need redoing (they've gone all cloudy, I have them on the radiator hoping they will clear when dry) to say I'm upset is an understatement.

Hi all here is tonights bit, I've corrected another flaw of this kit There is a big gap in the knee of the head (which according to the experts would not hold the weight of the head and should have been filled with carvings of some sort ) here is the gap and (since i'm no carver her is my fix, I know its not very elaborate but it fills the hole)

Thats peanuts, what I'm not looking forward to is the actual rigging. now is scary, and that is simplified.

Hi all here is the next update.

superb work, looks great.

Hi all here is tonight update may I first say anyone contemplating this ship, please read the rigging instructions alongside the build instructions and dont leave them till the end, as you can plainly see I have not done that and still I've made things extremely awkward for myself, there is some rigging from the main mast to the four iron rings in the deck which now I have the belaying pin racks and the foremast shrouds in place will be extremely difficult to attatch. anyway here is where I'm at now.

Hi all here is todays bit.

Hi all here is the next update, I needed to drill the holes for the gun port doors ropes, but I wanted them all in the same place so I made a jig.

Hi all well repairs made. This believe it or not was the worst bit ( I glued that wheel on at least half a dozen times) and made a bit more progress

Hi all here is the next update

Hi all here is the next update, 12 of the lower deck cannons, not done much detail work on the carriages as they wont be seen, and done some of the deck furniture, next job to drill the holes out for the gun door ropes( that is going to take some time 104 guns X 2 208 holes then I have to try and think of a way to make the rings for the gun port doors for the ropes to go through. as you say Jim fascinating, did you know the rear of ships like Thermopylae were designed to break waves to stop swamping because they sit so low in the water compared to the Soliel, apparently the shape breaks the base of the wave making it collapse.

Totally agree but in a fight SR has 104 guns how many does the thermopylea have? And however fast she was she couldn't outrun a cannon ball.

Hi all these 2 ships are pretty much the same scale (I think it just goes to show how big this ship was)(although the Victory would dwarf the Soliel)

Hi all here is the next update some of the many, many cannons, think I will see them in my dreams Couldn't resist trying the gold up against it

Hi all, I was asked by a few people how I did this wood effect so thought maybe some of you would be interested. First of all I apologise my the first pics of the procedure are missing as the pics on my phone we're corrupted for some reason, it dosn't really matter as the process it the same throughout I will explain as we go. First here is the huge list of things required this is where my phone let me down I have no pics if this part as they were corrupted(sorry) the pastels wont stick to plastic so you have to use matt paint (I've no idea if this will work with acrylics as I use enamels but I think it would) I picked the lightest colour of the wood I'm trying to replicate for the base colour (in this case Humbrol m 63) paint the wood with a thin coat in the direction of the grain if it looks patchy that is good (helps with the effect)as long as it all has some paint on it (look at the pictures of the hull you can see its very patchy) once that is dry take the darkest wood colour pastel you are using and lightly drag it over the grain in a random manner not everywhere so it all looks the same , then with the brush, again in the direction of the grain brush it in then with the highlight colour (we have pictures of the rest of the process from now on) do exactly the same again brush in the direction of the grain next get some black pastel and dab on details (anywhere that may get stained from water or nooks an crannys where swilling the deck wouldn't get plus a few random areas now brush across the gain (only very lightly and only a couple of passes) now brush with the grain as much as you like till you get the desired effect now comes the important bit (DO NOT VARNISH THIS YET) the varnish stays wet too long and the pastels merge and you just end up with brown blotches. spray with your missus hair spray at a distance of at least 12 inches ( you don't want it to look wet when that is dry then you can spray your varnish. Just to show the versitility of this here is some wood from my Mefistofeles which I wanted a mahogany effect (its 1/12 so the wood grain effect is much couser) red base coat first pastel colour the genius of this method is if you make a mistake or don't like the effect (untill you varnish it) wash it under the tap dry with a cloth and your missus hair dryer, ten mins and you're ready to go again, you tell me any other method that's that easy to redo. Hope this is of some help to some one

that looks amazing, and thats just from seeing the bowsprit.

Yeah all the bits are there, it's just so annoying.

Well I'm so cross with myself, went to do some rigging on this and dropped it, snapped off the rear mast broke the shrouds on the fore mast snapped some of the rigging on the bowsprit, a few of the hatches have come off, broken some of the stanchions round the top of the rear cabin. luckily nothing that cant be fixed but its put me back quite a bit, Grrrr and no one to blame but my butter fingers. I could almost swear, flippin heck, blimey and fiddle sticks (sorry for the profanities there)

Hi all here is tonights update .

That is the very ship ( I didn't name it, as there are so many flaws with this kit I don't have the skills or the knowledge to correct, but, it is a good likeness of a generic french ship of the line) that said it is an exquisite kit(yes all the guns are moulded ) it is a kit of over 2300 pieces, they recon on average its a 2 year build (we'll see about that)

Hi all well now the hull half is here I'm like a cat with 2 tails, so my first job to remove the moulded plimsole line (I'm raising it a bit to improve the look) (seen it done elsewhere (davidk's build) and it looks much better) I must say I think it's worked really well, you cant tell it was there at all couple of strengthening strips in the bottom She is huge.