This is a where you can watch my latest project take shape, the HMS Victory built from the 1/78 scale Panart kit. I will update the log at various stages in the construction with photos and comments.
Dock Yard
Hull Painted
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Been a while since my last update and the hull is coming along. I've added the wails and painted it in the black and yellow base scheme. She's beginning to resemble that great vessel we've all come to know and love.
I'm not really sure I like the metal gun port frames. They save a lot of time, and make the gun ports consistent in size and shape, but they just don't look right. I think if I had it to do over, I'd frame the gun ports in the traditional way.
I've also built the galleries and the transom, and attached the skins. The gallery and transom skins are laser etched wood, pre-painted. This presented a challenge as I had to try a half dozen different colors of yellow paint before I found one that was close to the pre-colored parts.
Gun Ports
I finished cutting the gun ports. The hull now looks like it has a bad case of termites.
This kit offers a unique approach to finishing the gun ports. It supplies stamped brass frames. I've included close-ups of a frame in place as well as one separately. The frames are just test fitted for now. They won't be fastened permanently in place until the hull has been painted and the coppering has been completed.
Second Planking Complete
With the second planking complete, I'm now prepping the visible part of the gun deck for fitting of the cannons. I planked the inner bulwarks and cut the gun ports. I also painted the inside of the bulwarks to match the paint scheme. Notice that this kit provides stamped metal frames for the gun ports.
Second Planking Continues
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Well, one side is done.
Where the huge size of the hull made first planking difficult, it simplified the second. Because of the size, the curves are relatively gentle. So I found that the planks didn't even require soaking in order to bend around them.
Second Planking Begins
After planking the fore deck and the stern counter, its time to start strapping on the second planks. These are 1x5mm walnut. The quality of the wood supplied in the kit is quite good. There are a few rough planks in the batch, but there appears to be more than enough to discard the few bad ones and still have plenty.
I use medium thickness, gap filling CA glue for the second planking. The thicker glue sets slow enough to allow for positioning. While it still bonds fast enough that I have to do minimal clamping.
First Planking Complete
I didn't think I was ever going to get done planking that massive hull. Just have to plank the fore deck and the stern counter and I'll be ready to start the second planking.
As expected, this kit yielded some planking challenges. The shear size of the hull meant that the bulkheads were widely spaced. This makes it more difficult than usual to get the planks to lay flat and fit edge to edge. It would be very easy to lose the proper contour if I didn't trim and fit each plank carefully.
But in the end, it finally yielded. What a beast.
First Boat Finished
I finally finished the first Ship's Boat, the 34 ft launch. The Victory's launch was carvel built. The construction of the model is double plank on bulkhead, with the upper bulkheads trimmed away after planking.
Ship's Boats
While waiting for glue to dry on the planking of the main hull, I decided to occupy my time by working on the ship's boats. There are four with this kit, each a plank on frame project in itself. This is my first experience with attempting to plank something this small, so it's an adventure.
Here, I've finished the first planking of the 34 ft launch, which is the largest of the four. The hull has been rough sanded and is about ready for the second planking.
I've also attached a pic of the assembled frame for the smallest of the boats, the 18 ft cutter. I shot it next to one of my scalpels for size comparison. This one promises to be a challenge.
First Planking Begins
And finally, we're ready for the first planking to begin. Due to the size of this kit, the gap between the bulkheads is large. I will have to take extra care during planking to ensure that the planks are securely glued edge to edge. If the planks aren't secured there will be too much opportunity for flexing when I sand later.
The kit instructions called for attaching the main deck prior to planking. But I decided to vary from this a bit. The cannons to be placed on the visible gun deck are on carriages. When in place, they will be visible up under the main deck. The plans call for these to be fitted without rigging. But I plan to rig them, as with the guns on the main deck. If the main deck were attached at this point, the area where the cannons will be placed becomes almost inaccessible. This would make rigging the guns impossible. Therefore I plan to complete the hut planking, cut the gun ports and then fit out and rig these cannons before proceeding to the main deck. Of course I studied the plans carefully to ensure that changing the sequence of things wasn't going to come back and haunt me later.
Gun Deck
The last step before planking begins is to install the false gun deck and plank it. I like the appearance of the decks when black thread is placed between the planks, so I am doing that on this kit as well. Really makes the planks stand out. I've also installed the false bulkheads across each end of the gun deck. The bulkheads and posts have been painted dark yellow in keeping with the color scheme of the ship.
Preparing Bulkheads
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The next task was to bevel the bulkheads in preparation for planking. It's essential that the first layer of planks be able to lay flat on the edge of the bulkheads, especially on a model this size. I've also blackened the false gun supports and the surrounding bulkheads, so they will be less visible when viewed through the gunports later.
Bow and Stern
Here I've fitted the parts that fill out the bow and the stern. Again, all parts fit perfectly without adjustment. Notice that the bow plank supports don't fit up against the keel as with many kits. They are attached at a slight angle. Based on past experience, I think this will aid in securing the planks.
Notice that I've also inserted the plywood strips which will become the base for the false cannon barrels.
Keel and Bulkheads
The keel and bulkheads are laser cut from thick plywood sheets. The plywood is high quality with no trace of warping. Assembling the frame was a breeze as the laser cutting is flawless. Absolutely no trimming or fitting was required. The parts simply went together and fit perfectly. I really like the fact that the bulkheads are braced by two heavy false decks that fit over the bulkheads. This not only keeps everything in perfect alignment but makes the entire assembly very rigid.
The Kit
This is the 1/78 scale kit by Panart. This is basically identical to the Sergal kit except that it has added components. The Panart kit has the ship's wheel kit, the ship's boat kit (4 boats) and 3000 scale copper plates. Upon unpacking you find that the wood contained in this kit is typical of the high quality found in most kits from Mantua (Panart is part of Mantua). The component sheets are also very high quality. The wood and the laser cutting is both excellent. This is the newer kit where the etched brass transom and galleries have been replaced with laser cut wood components that are pre-colored.
The laser cut keel and bulkheads are very precisely cut. The thick plywood is nearly flawless, with no trace of warping. The small parts and fittings come in typical Mantua bubble packs and all look to be good quality, including the cast brass decorations and the turned brass cannons. There are 4 double sided plan sheets which appear to be adequate to the task. The big surprise came in the instruction manuals. Yes, two. The first is a multi-language manual, 63 pages long. The English instructions in this manual are rather brief and cryptic, as is typical for many foreign kits, especially the Italian ones. However, this manual does feature a significant number of photos and detailed diagrams, many in color. But the big surprise came in the form of the second, 33 page English language only manual. This manual expands on the instructions in the main manual, giving much more complete instructions. This is a huge improvement.
I've included here a couple of pictures of the fittings after they have been unpacked and placed in sorting trays. Notice the 3000 individual copper plates which will be applied to the hull. Yikes.
HMS Victory
HMS Victory is one of the most famous sailing ships ever built. Her keel was laid down at Chatham Dockyard in December, 1759 in spite of the fact that the Royal Navy already had two first rate ships of the line in service. The construction of a third was considered to be very unusual. About the time her frame was completed, the Seven Year's War came to an end and construction was suspended for three years. She wasn't completed, and finally launched in May of 1765. Oddly the Admiralty still had no use for her, so she remained in "ordinary", dismasted and covered over. Not until France joined the American War of Independence in 1778 was she fitted out and put into service.
Over the next 20 years, Victory saw action in a number of battles, after which she was left in poor condition, unfit for service as a warship. She was ordered to be converted into a hospital ship and her future looked bleak. But fate intervened when HMS Impregnable was lost in October, 1799. Suddenly the Royal Navy was short a first rate ship of the line. HMS Victory was completely rebuilt. Work was completed in 1803 at which time she became the flagship of Admiral Horatio Nelson.
In 1805, she lead the British fleet against the combined Franco-Spanish fleet at the Famous Battle of Trafalgar. During the battle she lost 57 killed in action, and 102 wounded. In fact, the carnage was so great that the French Redoutable attempted to board her before the 98 gun HMS Temeraire came to her rescue. Sadly, one the casualties she suffered was that of Admiral Nelson himself, killed by a musket ball as he commanded the fleet from the quarter deck. The British emerged from the battle as the victors, but the loss of Nelson was a tremendous blow. Victory returned to England bearing the body of Admiral Nelson, where he lay in state at Greenwich. He was buried at St. Paul's Cathedral on January 6, 1806.
The Victory continued to serve in various campaigns until her retirement in 1812, after which she was moored in Portsmouth Harbor and used as a depot ship. She fell is disrepair over the years and was in horrible shape until 1922 when the British government decided to preserve her as a museum ship in commemoration of Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. She was moved to her current home, No 2 drydock at Portsmouth. Oddly enough, she hadn't yet seen her last action in war, as she was damaged by a Luftwaffe bomb during WWII. German propaganda actually proclaimed that she had been destroyed.
Yet she remains on display today, fully restored to her glory as she appeared at Trafalgar. She receives over 350,000 visitors annually and is today, although not seaworthy, remains the oldest warship still in commission. She is officially on record as the flagship of the Second Sea Lord, Commander in Chief of the Royal Navy's Home Command.