HMS Sovereign of the seas (Steves)

[Mark]

Thanks Steve, That drawing speaks a thousand words. What may not be obvious, is that the black circle on the centre line is the foremast. That would obviously stop the bowsprit being placed in the centre line as the two would interfere. Hence the offset bowsprit now makes perfect sense. Later ships had the foremast mounted further aft, allowing the bowsprit space to be mounted centrally.

Just goes to show that you have to be very critical about what you use as references. Artists drawings are subject to artistic interpretation, and there are dozens of pictures of other models of SOTS with a central bowsprit on the web.

[baby_astons]

very impressive indeed!
btw lighting steve, you could try and route the leads into brass sleeves fixed in the keel which could connect to connecting pieces in the base -
this way you'd hide everything and could have the switch etc. built into the base and even remove the ship without the risk of breakage etc...
probably better than having the leads dangling or showing up below the keel?

[farrabass]

Thanks for your opinion for wiring the lights baby_astons , I will leave the wires where they are. I plan to pass the wires down through the pedestals when I reach that stage in many months(years) time.
I have now started to fix the false decks to the frame work.

As I have made an adjustment to the bowsprit, unsuprisingly an alteration has had to be made to the false deck!
Nothing too severe, just a square section needs to be removed from one of the first sections.

A mix of razor saw and sharp blade cut the square out.

The bit of dowel I had filling the hole has been removed and replaced with a slice of dowel and glued in place.

A small cradle was made up of square section wooden lengths, cocktail stick peices hold the bits of wood in place with the help of some glue!


The dowel was dry fitted for fit and adjusted to get the right angle, I have set the angle so that the bowsprit will meet the centre line of the keel at the end of the beak!! The cocktails sticks had their ends nipped off just for neatness sake.
Steve..

[farrabass]

A very brief update, I managed to escape the chaos of Christmas festivities for a few minutes and installed the rest of the deck pieces into the frame!

Quite a nice snug fit and no need for sanding or cutting to get the sections to fit.


The beak will be tackled next, looks like a quick easy job just to glue a few pieces of precut plywood together?
A Happy seasons greetings to everyone, Steve..

[Eric]

Excellent work Steve, great work on the bowsprite....most impressive. Worth a K for sure.

[farrabass]

Excellent work Steve, great work on the bowsprite....most impressive. Worth a K for sure.

Thank you for the encouragement and "K", glad you appreciate the slight modification.
I have finished the beak.

My favoutite build assistant at the moment "Lego" helps to heep everything square.

The beak has been glued together, very easy!!

The beak has been offered to the build and dry fitted, the bowsprit has been readjusted so that the bowsprit mast intersects the centre line of the keel at the very end of the beak. I have allowed for a final tweak if needed by allowing a small amount of space within the cradle I made earlier.

The stringers have been added exactly as the magazine build instructions direct.

Thats it for this update, I will construct the launch next as parts 14,15,16 and 17 should be arriving very soon.
Cheers all, Steve..

[philjaps1]

Looking good mate

Phil,

[farrabass]

Boredom does strange things to my mind!!! I am waiting for issues 14, 15, 16 +17, supposedly sent on the 09 January? suppose the snow could have delayed them a bit?
In the meantime I had a go at the launch, I was going to leave that part of the build until I had all the relevant magazines and parts but since I have nothing else to do with the build until I get those parts I proceeded with the launch build. I am going my own way with the build of this launch I am using two previous models from a comparable time, probably just 50 years earlier and using those launches as a guide for this one.
But first I painted a bit of black onto the stringers fixed in earlier in the build.

The supports for the next deck have been added at this stage.


The launch jig has been reinforced with some sqare pine section that I have quite a large supply of and the nice bit of lime provided with the magazine has been hoarded away for another use later in the build.

Lego comes in again at this stage to help with getting the right angle.

Past experience has taught me to take a bit of extra care at this stage and make sure the formers remain at the correct angle, as sanding them to get a fairing can cause them to move and result in a banana boat. Thats only my experience and if a bit of care is taken all should be well. Hence the extra strip attached to the lower part of the formers!!


The planking follows for the ( very good ) magazine instructions. The instructions provided with this partwork are very good, a big improvement on the Victory build which I found to be very informative with just one or two lapses.



Consider this a little tip!! If the strake is glued in place it can be cut to shape once its dried, these planks are very thin and with a bit of care and patience the plank can be trimmed to shape after it has been applied,



All the rest of the planks however need to be shaped before gluing to the build, a bit of extra length can be trimmed as before.


Thats it the launch is planked and ready to remove from the build jig.




The keel parts have been added and the whole launch has been painted with a solution of PVA glue to help seal the wood, I dont get on with sanding sealer, makes me cough too much A quick coat of white paint prepares the launch for the next part of the build.


Just followed the magazine build for that stage.

The interior was painted with Citadel Dark Flesh and given two washes of red ink, I dont have any burgundy paint and I like the colour of the flesh tone as it has it rich warm hue to it. The two pieces of cut plywood are the modifications I am using to enhance the look of the boat.

An extension to the stem post has been included and the outer hull has had a coat of off white made from white and a dab of Bronzed flesh mixed in, a rubbing strake has been added on either side also.


A couple of photos show the semi finished launch from top and below, oar locks and thwarts will be added next.
I hope that has been worth looking at and not bored you too much?
All the best, Steve..

[baby_astons]

very tidy and nice steve!! now wonder if harry belafonte has been making a partworks ship while the banana boat song struck him...

[farrabass]

very tidy and nice steve!! now wonder if harry belafonte has been making a partworks ship while the banana boat song struck him...

That'll be the Dayo! dayo!..
Or was the that Buddy Belafonte? or maybe Harry Holly?. Who knows I am not vey good at Cricket either!!!
Anyway thank you for the interest.
All the best, Steve..

[farrabass]

Back with a bit more of the launch, still no delivery!!
I have discarded the provided brass mesh and made replacements from strips of Tanganyka.

These parts were then dry fitted.

Duck boards have been included.

A little embilishment has been added to the prow, a vey small lions head motife! As this was King Charles's flag ship I have done the honour of adding a crest to the launch. My first thought was to try and add a cypher of the initials "C R" but trying to get whe wire to stay in shape beat me.
Now as the lion is in place I think it looks just the job.

Next a couple photos of the thwarts, again artistic licence has been used. I decided to leave the wood unpainted for the thwarts, a touch of Danish oil will be applied just to enhance the natural colour of the wood.


I still have oar locks to add and a rudder plus whatever extras that are included with the magazines!
Just goes to show what I will get up to when awaiting a delivery hopefully I will have something to show on the main build in the next update.
Steve..

[farrabass]

Some more additions to my launch, as I have still not recieved January's issues
I rang the customer services line yesterday and explained the issues hadn't arrived and was advised that a repacement set would be sent out!! She said" they should be with you within 7-10 days but allow up to 28 days before ringing back ":laughing-rolling:
That was about the last straw I asked for the subsciption to be cancelled, and guess what? YES!! THEY REQUIRE 28 DAYS NOTICE. Apparently this months issues have been allocated to me on the 6th! and cant be cancelled. So thats it I have another 8 issues to wait for and then the subscription is out the window.
I have seen comments written elsewhere about how good the subscriptions are and how helpful customer services are . For the most part everything is fine, but I am only into a few months of this subscription and I am already over a month behind with issues.
There were problems with the Victory as well, missing issues, binders being sent when they had been cancelled, the wait for issue 120 paid for in August "recieved January" after four phone calls, the cutout parts still not arrived and unanswered email queries!!
Well now that little rant is off my chest I will post a couple of pictures of my progress.

Some oarlocks have been added and a coat of Danish oil applied to the natural wood. The oarlocks are probably not authentic for the time period but they add a bit of individuality to my interpretation of the build.

Same goes for the oars, the colours appeal to me and to my eye look more in keeping with the artwork on the poster that was included with issue 1. Personal preference only and I have no reference work for the colour scheme.

A final photo shows all the components together, I still have the anchor and a small bucket to add. There maybe one or two other things to add when the issues arrive??
I am looking forward to doing the hull planking on the main build
Steve..

Its not worth entering another post just to complain about the delay in not receiving my issues! I rang CS again this morning (19-02) enquiring as to where my january issues are? Apparently my last phone call had not been acted upon, the subscription had been cancelled on the 6th but the issues that I am missing have not been resent
So today I had to listen to the Deagostini "Mantra" allow upto 28 etc' etc' It really is a terrible way to treat customers, there has never been a problem taking the money from my account that part of the process is flawless
Still no sign of the cut-out parts for the Victory either I have only been waiting FIVE MONTHS for those parts, a good job that I dont need them as I built my model without the cutout!!
So it looks like another month long wait to get hold of some parts!!!
Steve..

[farrabass]

A bit of good fortune came my way when I collected my last issue from the newsagent, a cancelled subscription by another collector meant that an issue 14 was available. So along with my issue I have managed to acuire the issue that was causing the most delay.
This is where I have got to now with the build, the launch has been put aside and I have turned my attention back to the hull of the main build.



The belt and braces approach has been used again with this part of the build, I have pinned wherever I could get a pin in! I assembled the parts in a slightly different order than the magazine suggests but the outcome is exactly the same.


The stern castle has been completed and the start of many many planks has begun.

The transom has been planked and been given a light sanding.

The planking has been trimmed to shape and some balsa fillers included to help form the shape at the rear. I have shaped the balsa to give the lower edge of the transom a more rounded convex form than the slightly flattened concave form that the build is intended to have.
This is a personal choice and I have still to work out how much alteration to the stern planking will be required, I am confident enough to know that with this build having a double skin the first set of planks doesn't have to be perfect. If filler is required to get a smooth finish for the veneer then filler will be used.
Another thought I have had is about stern cannons? if these are provided as short dummy barrels then the last bulkhead is at just about the right distance from the planking, so as long as no material is used to fill the stern formers drilling a hole to accept a barrel should be quite straight forward.
Thats it for today, the main hull is next to receive some planking. All the best, Steve..

Well today is the 05 March and still no parts!!! according to the subscriptions page the issues were resent on the 13 of last month??
What a complete shower of WAZZAKS!!!! More excuses now abound about the final Victory parts. Chinese new year has held up production, that must have been a hell of a party!! poor old Mr Tse Tung will be squirming in his grave/mausoleum over so much lost production time.
Steve.. still waiting....

[farrabass]

After no short delay I am finally in receipt of all my due issues!!
I have made a start on planking the hull.


Idealy a single length of Bamboo would be easier to get a straight first strake in position. In this case I am cutting 45 degree joints for the first line of strakes, the cut will allow a little more adjustment to get the first plank as level as possible. The dummy deck is used as the guide and a small set-square helps to keep the alignment.


To help with forming the shape of the planks and beveling the edge I fasten my small plane to the work surface with a small vice, this frees up both my hands to help hold the plank at the right angle to help shape the wood, a bit of care is needed or a section of a finger tip is planed nice and smooth


The magazine instructions are closely followed for the start of the planking, some changes will have to be made when the lower hull is planked to allow for the slight change I have made to below the transom!.

Again the magazine instructions have been followed to keep the curve of the planking in the correct positions.




The last four photos show how I use a thin card template to form the shape of the plank before offering the wood to the build, this way I can get a perfect fit without having to keep offering the same plank to the hull to test for a dry fit. The same template is then used in reverse to get a fit for the other side.
This is a long tedious job, but not one that can be rushed! The advantage is that a perfect finish isn't needed for this stage of the build, filler will help out at some stage. The next stage will have to be as good as I can get it.
Steve..

[farrabass]

Some more planking has been done. I am including a couple of photos of where I went wrong! these are just for reference in case a similar mistake happens.
I started with the two garboard planks.

I find this method the easiest and most reliable way of starting the planking when working out from the keel, contrary to the magazine instruction I fix the plank in place before shaping it as these two planks are only shaped at the very end.

The first plank has been glued and cut to size, the very tip has had a blob of superglue added to secure the very end tip.


The planks have been pinned, glued and clamped at the stern.


With the addition of the next plank is where the mistake arose. I added this plank as I had done with the first one and didn't shape the plank, although the plank went onto the hull without any fuss it had a knock-on effect to the next plank. The third plank in the sequence wanted to wrap itself right over the top of the second plank!! The split plank that is visible in the above picture has not been removed, as this is a foundation level, filler and sanding will be enough to get rid of the split. The thin veneer will be given a lot more consideration when it's applied.


The plank was removed and I employed my template system to get the correct shaped plank to fit.


At the stern of the build the transom has had a filler peice added to the underside, this is personal preference and only a slight modification to the magazine instruction. I wanted the stern to have a more rounded convex shape than the slightly flattened concave shape that would be formed without the infill. To my eye the hull looks to be an improved variation on the Elizabethan racing hull!




A few more planks have been added down from the water line, there are some blemishes in the bamboo which will be covered with filler and veneer.


The magazine instructions have been followed with the recommended gaps between the strakes at the rear, there will have to be some adjustments to some of the planks due to the change in the shape of the transom, shouldn't be anything too major


I am having further thoughts about lighting up the gallery on this build? electric circuits are something I have never dealt with and the more I look at how the build is progressing the less likely I feel I will be able to light up the part of the build that I had initially intended. At the moment there is no great loss just three lengths of coloured wire? maybe when I start the stern castle I will have a better idea of how to proceed?
I hope I haven't bored anyone too much with a sequence of sticks!!
Steve..

Just an after thought! I am constructing some of the cannon trucks at the same time, I just remembered the height problems when I did my Victory. So this time I will use a completed truck to get the height of the gunport rather than relying on the magazine instruction.

[farrabass]

More planking has been added. I have added planks to one side the other side will be copied exactly the same as this.

Some tapering was needed, not as much as I thought, I just need the planks to follow the curve of the transom and as I have altered the shape slightly I feel that larger widths will fit without too much of a taper. The photos will do the explaining far better than my writings!!



As the above sequence of photos show I have now begun to fill the sides of the hull with planking strips, the templates have been numbered and reserved for the other side of the build.



The gaps have been filled with leftover bits! these have been planed into long wedge shapes and then the most suitable looking "splinters" have been fitted where they fit best. So trial and error with those parts.


The planking looks a lot smoother than these photos show.



I have nearly finished the planking of the lower hull, just a few more strips to fill in on each side. I am quite pleased with how the transom has turned out, the alteration to the lower edge has allowed me to use virtually full width planks which to me looks slightly neater than lots of tapered ones'
The bend at the end of the planks was achieved by using the pliers type benders, as I have done for most of the planking a template was made first and then the plank was bent into shape, the template was then laid over the pre-bent plank and cut and planed to the right size and shape. A small amount of filler has been used where fitting a very thin slither of plank would have been needed, this will all be covered by the thin veneer strips that will cover the entire hull later in the series.
Thats it for this time, Steve..

[farrabass]

The lower hull has now been finished and is ready to receive its skin of pale veneer. The bamboo has been lightly sanded and a small amount of filler used to correct some undulations!





The stern castle/gallery has had its skin applied, again the belt and braces approach has been applied to this part of the build.



I have more or less followed the magazine instructions regarding the placement of the skins, the only difference I have done is trim the bottom of the side panels. They will now sit on top of a full width plank rather than a tapered one! it just seems easier and neater to me?


The pins just need to be nipped flush and a light sanding should prepare the parts for the dark wood veneer. Back to planking the hull now!!
Steve..

[farrabass]

Evening all!
Back with a boring update of "PLANKING"
I have finished the foundation course of planks and I am nearly ready to start cutting out a few gun ports. Carrying on from last time, the pins on the gallery/stern castle have been nipped and filed and a gentle sanding has been given to the whole assembly.



Nothing to report on fitting the dummy gun stringers, I just followed the magazine instructions for those.

A coat or two of black and the rest of the planking could start in earnest!!!



Again the magazine instructions have been adhered to, with the small exception of where I placed the butts!



And on and on the planking goes, as the tops of some ribs were reach sooner than others pins were substituted with clamps.



Getting ready for the last few rows. I did deviate from the build at this point, instead of inserting a tapered plank above the waist gun positions I carried on with a whole width plank.




That just about completes the starboard side, and just the last few rows to complete the port side. I will now spend the next week or so replacing my shed, it has been delivered and has been given a good coat of preservative whilst in its flat pack stage.
Steve..

[Mark]

Nice job on the planking Steve. Not sure why they used the ply sides at the stern. I think planning it may have been easier, but I'm sure they have their reasons.

What material is the second planking ?

[Eric]

Starting to take shape there.

A K for great planking!