In this third of a five part series, my focus is on the rear deck and bulkhead detail(s) - followed by the stepping of the masts.
Because the kit was warped (and there were testimonies from other builders), it was necessary to clamp the hull halves during the early stages of construction so that I could assess how much space was needed to fit decks and bulkheads without causing too much stress on the plastic.
In the above photo the helmsman bulkhead is shown in plastic which will be partially customized
in wood. Much of the decorations will be copied from the Landstrom book. The delicate part of this build will be to shave paper-thin wood doors and have them appear open.
A view of the stern deck bulkhead cabins on the actual ship at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. One flaw that I own up to is my placing the main knighthead portside. In the photo it is clear that it was located starboard. There is no argument here; I concede.
Concerning detail, I transferred what was visible in this photo to my VASA miniature.
This overview of the VASA show the correct deck layout of the ship's furniture (in scale) which include the pinrails and knightheads. The gratings had to be reduced and scaled properly to fit the guns -giving enough room to show the gun carriage run in system when in action.
The wood decking is the highlight which add overall realism...especially with the accent of the coiled ropes which will show freefall from the sails and masts.
Now that decks are finished, I carefully inspect the decoration, gunport and lanyard channels for paint spotting -making sure everything is completely covered. All details must be finished before moving on to the anchors. Usually the build take two days to complete due to the model's miniature scale...but well worth the effort (based on past projects and/or commissions).
The below photo images show the fashion of anchors during the early 17th century on Dutch ships of the period. Since VASA was designed by a Dutch builder, the practice applies to the vessel. I studied contemporary models both here in the States and Europe and was slightly disappointed with my findings which prompted me to return back to Bjorn Landstrom's book for the finer details.
From his book, coupled with my personal research of the Dutch and English Masters (artists), I found his work to be very credible and applied the rigging system accordingly. On either side of the model, the rigging system of these anchors differ. Portside show them stowed and starboard has them fished.
Stowed anchors...portside.
Fished anchors...starboard
Now with anchors completed, the next step of the build are the miniature cannons and boats, followed by the stern lantern and flagstaff.
Armament can be complexed when customizing small scratch-built cannons. Much planning and thought must be weighed -especially when scale is involved. Kits are not designed to be perfect. In fact, kits only present a basic generic of detail -and much of it is not guaranteed to be scaled properly. It's a matter of choice as to the level of detail pursued, but it will cost many hours of research and patience. There are no shortcuts. In the supporting images I begin working on the cannons -building them (to scale) accordingly to the ship's deck furniture.
Below are images that reflect the level of 'miniature' I desire to achieve.
As viewed, these cannon miniatures are no longer than two-thirds the width of an American dime (as shown above). The materials used are bass and birchwoods, paper, copper wire and vintage carpet thread for the recoils.
In this image the cannons are installed. To compliment them, I secure the shot trays between the guns. In them I simulated cannon balls which can be seen with a magnifier...Below a closeup view of the shot tray.
On many VASA models I noticed the capstan not properly clearing the stowed boats. But what really caught my attention was the absence of the belfry. All ships, especially naval, carried this forward at the bow area of the forecastle.Without this (the belfry) ships would not be functional, especially in battle.
My draft and build of VASA's belfry -using birch for the bell and basswood for the overall structure. A fine sable brush was used to achieve the hairline gold-edged corners and scroll work on the roof facade.
After carefully investigating VASA's forecastle layout, I concluded that the belfry was located between the barrister rail and foremast which void all fouling of cannon tackles and sail rigging as shown in the supporting images.
Stern detail of VASA's deck furniture and cannon. No kit involvement here; all details were scratchbuilt in wood. The next and final approach to finishing the hull will be the inboard boats and ship lantern.
In this three-stage process I use Mr. Landstrom's book to scale (in miniature) the VASA's stern lantern. Measuring both top and base features, I move the template down to the transom for scaling. From there, I am able to make a template (red half-circle) to assist in the building of an accurate miniature for the model.
The three supporting images show the finished lantern...At least 46 pieces combined in wood, paper, acetate, and metal make up its design. Not only can one see through the simulated glass; but looking closely, wings can be seen framing the windows from the sculpted uprights.
Fast forwarding, I now address the ship's boat -the longboat that was discovered next to VASA when she was raised in 1961. From Mr. Landstrom's writings it was defined as a sloop that carried leeboards port and starboard. On many models (small or large), I have not seen this item featured; so after many hours of study, I decided to add them to further authenticate the miniature.
The supporting images show the start and finish of the build:
The VASA longboat (sloop) shown as it appear at the museum.
Above, these three images show the build's progress, the rigging of the leeboards, and the final installation of the sloop. Overall, it took approximately three days to build...using pine, bass and birch woods.
Now that this segment has been achieved I will move on to the masts and rigging in the hopes that it will encourage many of you to take on the Airfix Classic Series kit of Wasa c. 1628.
I never snubbed my nose at the fact that the kit was plastic. I studied details and researched products to modify it into being a museum piece. Taking nothing away from it's properties, rather adding to it to prove how exquisite a regular kit such as this can become...with patience.
I appreciate the follow and hope to read your accounts relative to this.
Fair winds!
