Thanks Nick, I understand about the drop keel, I looked at the way Mark did the Constitution kit, I will work on making something similar. I decided to try and carve out the gun ports on the quarter deck.
I had thought about that, but was concerned where the lower gun deck is just painted gun coverings, I was unsure as to how to make the planking work. Where the moldings are between the gun decks I am planning on placing molding there, which will cover the composite deck/subdeck shown above. The upper gun deck, bellow the Spar/Weather deck will be armed with dummy cannons. I was planning on block fill and sanding the bottom of the hull+glass and cloth, but will probably plank over it with segments of 1/16" and seal the planks. I want to plank the actual decks, and have been contemplating the myriad of colors used. I have some of the art students working on the carvings for the bow spirit. I have purchased some leafing for the stern galleys. I want the hull to be a dark walnut color, with the uppermost sides blue, with red gun walls, and gun hatches? and all the moldings and rails a midnight blue/black color. all the decorations I was thinking would look good silver. I am unsure about bellow the water line, White has been tossed around alot.
Realism is relative here, as there will be a 6" (or so) high wall of flat balsa in the middle of the ship (top to bottom), which will not look planked at all.
http://www.dlumberyard.com/Shopping%20Cart/Out/index1.html?c20.html&1 Found this site, has laser cut cannon carriages, looks very cost effective
Below waterline could look awesome painted "copper color", to represent the copper sheeting used to minimize rot & woodborer damage on AoS warships
That's too bad the plans weren't for the Pennsylvania. I'm looking forward to building my own AoS ship. I'm looking at the Russian sloop Mirny. Keep up the nice work!
I have approached the arts department at two of the local universities, and have found a couple students who are attempting to make the bow spirit figure for my ship. I was going to try to either attach it to the ship via magnets, or have use it to make a plug and cast a couple out of resin so if its destroyed I could easily replace it, any thoughts?
I have the anatomy of the ship book on HMS Victory, I was wondering if the rigging was close enough to get my measurements for the yards and masts from the tables within the book. I am sure it would not be exact but I have not been able to discern the dimensions of the French ships'.
I expect it'd be fine. A lot of the ships' rigs changed over time anyhow. Not a whole lot of difference between 120 gun and 100 gun ships I would think.
Little work has been accomplished on the Ocean, with the upcoming Denmarck Straits event this weekend, I did want to post a more recent photo, with a ship others are familier with to give a scale of a 1/48 First rate.
I have had difficulty logging in, but I think I have got it squared away, currently my 1st Rate is progressed to the point of putting internals in, and trying to figure out the best way of mounting the yard arms to allow their rotation. My father has completed much of the work on his Frigate (First USS Constitution) Any how to's for placing the yards on the masts? Brass straps? I still have a few weeks left in this semester, but will try and get some pictures of my first rate and the Frigate uploaded soon.
