H.M.S. PRINCE -The Airfix Modification...Part Three/ Rex Stewart

 This third series addresses deck layout, rigging and belay points. There is much to say on this subject, but from this above image, I need to say very little. In short, the information is out there...and can be very beneficial -provided time is taken to find it.

Many Prince models I've seen were rushed to ruin because the builder took on the persona of 'oh well' after realizing errors. This is why I'm adamant about careful study and what I research. If quality is the objective, then persistence and patience must be practiced at 'your' pace. It's 'your' model and 'your' perception on how 'you' want it to be. Whether mediocre or fine, the decision is 'yours'...and you must be happy with it.

During the 1980s and '90s many builders were in competition with one another to grab that 'spotlight' -especially in the arena of sailing ships. As a result, there was mass confusion about ships, their design, rigging methods, etc., etc. Even galleries climbed aboard to promote their 'superstars' until I arrived.

To that end, I faced opposition from all sides, but weathered those storms of vanity to be persistent in my chosen livelihood -with extended support from real experts whom provided me the jewels of their findings. I discovered a page of history unfolding because many were women.

This third series will not be about technique(s), rather about the process as to how I came about my findings -starting with the first images below:

As a rule of thumb I build my models by correctly scaling them; and making changes to kits that don't accurately have the pieces in sync with the build. This is done by drawing a figure to match the model's scale and the supporting items. Most of the time I find that I must discard these items and replace them with custom pieces to match what's on the template. By doing this early, the rigging process becomes less taxing.

The three principle areas of focus I consider for a build such as this are doors, stairwells, and railings. If these elements conform to scale, then everything else will fit accordingly. This closeup view show the doors, stairwell and railing system which I modified to give the appearance of a real ship. There's yet much to do...

Another closeup showing the quarter and poop deck stairs and bulkheads. The plastic windows were removed and replaced with acetate. The doors were tedious by way of removing; these were adjusted in open position with shaved basswood. I find that doors fully and partially open tend to be more attractive -bringing the viewer to it.

Port overview showing the progress of the main and quarter decks. In the Airfix kit limited grating was featured, so I improvised and made the grates for every deck except the poop -or roundhouse deck. I noticed this to be true for other kits on this subject; but the reality was that ships needed these grates to have ventilation -especially when engaging the enemy. The smoke needed a place to escape and the gratings were created for that purpose. Unfortunately, many modelers miss this...or choose not to place them effectively. 

This overview show the complete deck and grating system for PRINCE. 

Another flaw are admiralty type models which are used for a project's absolute...They are not 'absolutes' -they are study models.There must be an understanding what is meant by an admiralty model from this period. Like any ship model of this era, these were prototypes created to present the Admiralty a three dimensional schematic of what the ship might look like. It was not the conclusion, as features were added and/or dismissed during the actual build. Furthermore, rigging was at the discretion of the captain and/or ranking officer, so even in that area nothing was yet conclusive until the vessel went to its sea trials. This is where I encourage modelers to seriously study the basic rigging practices of the period and incorporate it before presenting the word 'museum quality'.

This is not a play on words; serious modelmakers know this.

Below is one of my notable woodsculpted dioramas that I created in the 1990s depicting "The Admiralty c.1660". Here, the Admiralty members are viewing a vessel prototype before it's voted upon for construction. Since that time I only produced two of these which were immediately bought -and since I'm working on PRINCE, I will probably produce my third and last diorama to honor the Airfix Trilogy.

The next views of the build highlight the detail to the forecastle. I studied many PRINCE models to make a fair assessment of the ship. Applying what I studied and researched, this is my conclusion. I noticed that there were no bitts shown at the foremast base. It's obvious that these were there based on paintings and drawings showing rigging leading down to that area. Furthermore, the conclusion of the matter lies with Vasa that was raised in 1961 and the restoration of both USS Constitution and England's HMS VICTORY. 

Bitts lightened the stress of the massive yards and sails -which occasionally had tackles to assist. However, the bitts and knightheads (part of the bitts system) had to be reinforced by way of the deck and not the rail. Again, the admiralty model did not serve its purpose here because I strongly believe it was only emphasizing possibilities. But based on the evidence of Constitution, Vasa, and Victory this feature was essential.

Airfix Prince model looking forward showing enhanced detailing of the forecastle. The belfry was solid which was customized to include the brass bell. Both cabin doors are open so it can afford the viewer  observance of the open ports and cannon. On the forecastle deck behind the belfry are the bitts and galley stack.

Another angle from starboard...

And finally, a starboard profile...

This concludes the decking process on a much heralded kit from Airfix. What makes this kit worthy of build are the many variations one can do with it. Even if I were to build another, it would look entirely different from this; albeit probably one without sails.

The guns and boats are now the next step before addressing the masts. Below, are images of how miniature (and detailed) this will be. One gun alone with full tackle take about two to three hours; but, well worth the investment for achieving a quality model.

It's been a pleasure featuring this build up to this stage -and I hope the next blog will go further in depth regarding the tackle systems, rigging and other details that may have been overlooked in previous Prince models.

Thanks for viewing!

Sailing Ship VASA c.1628 -Modified/ Rex Stewart...Part Three

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!

Sovereign Of The Seas - The Art Of Modification...Part Three/ Rex Stewart

A closeup view-  Sovereign of the Seas forecastle deck, foremast and rigging lines...

Working with this vintage model from the Airfix series is the perfect kit for assessing SOVEREIGN's true structure relative to gun arrangement and layout. Many features throughout this build had to be altered to the degree of scale, guns, gratings and belay points...For a fighting ship there had to be enough space to move around the guns and rigging. Also, the rigging had to be clear of the guns in order for them to operate properly on their carriages.

I noticed the bow chasers on the upper forecastle were positioned four across. Based on the structure of the catheads (and the stepping of the foremast) there would have been no room for these guns to recoil. The mast, alone, makes it evident that only two chasers were there, not four. The falcons (port and starboard) are correct.

On many models I noticed there are no galley stacks. Why?

Meals were prepared forward of the ship, therefore the stove was located somewhere on the second or third deck above the waterline away from the crew.

I did not see any kit or institutional model feature any open companionways for the crew to  have immediate accessibility to guns and/or rigging prior to battle or weather conditions. Because of these factors I just didn't want to build 'another' SOVEREIGN; but have one that was a study model showing authentic deck layout and rigging of the period...Not by assumption or speculation, but by fact.

Before proceeding with rigging of the foremast, I had to concentrate on the anchors and how they were secured to the channels. Airfx anchors were perfectly scaled and correctly matched the channel length for stowing. However, the channel width was too narrow to house the anchor's bill so I had to widen that feature. This also helped to avoid having the ratlines touch the rails on the forecastle.

I kept the bill but modified the stem and stock as shown in the above image.

For my references to the anchor area I used both artist renditions from Van De Velde (the elder) who lived during that period and the contemporary illustration of artist Bjorn Landstrom. I considered these two sources very credible -based on my 40 years of maritime research.

Here, the anchor is stowed which give room for the second to be stowed and lashed properly as illustrated in the above Van De Velde drawing. Notice in the rendition a system of complete gratings covering the gun decks...In reality the system NEVER existed because it would not have given the crew leeway to operate the rigging for the sails. Furthermore, you have capstans which were essential for hoisting the large sails and yards; not to mention loading supplies and dispatching the boats.

It's difficult to fathom many builders ignoring those facts and succumb to so-called historians with their theories based on artist renditions and/or paintings. To make my point, view the contemporary illustration below and ask 'how' the crew was able to get past the gratings to be on deck to trim the sails? The stowed boats dictate grating could not have been present except on the spar deck where the spars are shown! Why won't modelmakers and historians 'do' the homework?

It took me 38 years to bring this truth to bear!

Contemporary drawing created during the 1980s that raised my suspicions at that time relative to the rigging factor and how it clashed with the reality of operational rigging systems. Also the contradiction of painting the topsides 'blue'...stealing the identity away from this ship when it was probably used as the color under the rule of King James when the PRINCE ROYAL was built in 1610. Under the son, Charles I, his ships carried black topsides.

Now, back to the rigging...

Before actual rigging is done, I first address how I want the sails to set -based on the wind setting. I find many models interesting because the builder presents to the viewer his or her view of how the vessel is operating -whether in calm waters or rough seas. Most don't understand that this small detail is the essence to good model presentation -on all levels. However, imagination is the key.

In this image I sketch out the sail from the same paper stock that these will be made from, keeping in mind that I'm focusing on wind movement (first), then on how the rigging will set based on that movement. The image implies that the sail is being let down by the bunts, keeping in mind that the port anchor is being lifted for stowing.

After the sail is drawn, it is cut out and folded to match both the indents and folds where the lines run which include the attached blocks. This add realism to the masts; but the rigging must be engineered in such a way where the lines can pass through the blocks without fouling or getting twisted with other lines. This process is tedious and must be planned ahead of time before securing the sail to the yards. And as shown, the yard is above the finished sail awaiting attachment.

The below image show the sail and yard concept as one unit, and the detail of those lines pre-arranged for the next step of rigging. It all looks complicated, and technically it is; but with practice everything will start to flow and balance...giving an effective result.
                                                                                                                                                                 

The next two images show how beautiful and effective the rigging process is when the completed sail has been attached to the mast. All other remaining lines are then attached to systems at the fore and aft points on the model...Concentration is 'key' so not to disrupt or foul existing lines -and the eyes must always focus in every and all directions during the build so not to ruin work that's taken weeks or months to accomplish.

Two views showing the main course attached and rigged to the mast with lines falling to their respective belay points.

In my study of rigging , I noticed 17th century ships had basic lines for their large ships that were universal. These were lines that contemporary models omitted or used randomly. Some lines were not present because of confusion to their leads and falls. These were bunts, martnetts, relieving tackles, bowlines, and top ropes. Other details were various stay designs between the main and mizzen masts -and tackle systems that assisted in relieving the strain of a line when masts and yards were hoisted or lowered.

In my calculation there must have been 50 - 60 tackle systems operating this ship (and other European ships of those times, re: France, Holland, Sweden, Spain, etc.)...

Coming upon the last leg of the build, I studied the Van De Velde painting in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, England. I noticed the complicated mizzen stay systems of the top and topgallant masts. I had to decide how to approach it on such a small model at 1:168 scale. Below is the procedure and the following photo, the result.

The procedure...

The result...

On a miniature of this size, it is important to have the stays in place before completing the final segment of sail making and rigging. The most challenging part of this process is rigging the braces and bringing them down to their belay points without destroying the ensign flag. This is very tedious, even for the expert...and it's based upon the seriousness of the build.

In this particular image, I address the running rigging of the lateen sail. Since the model will show the sails taking in the breeze, I gently billowed this sail to show this effect without over-exaggerating the realism. In the background is the vintage thread used for the boltropes seen around the sail and the cake of beeswax used to preserve the threads from rotting.

The finished lateen is now ready to be installed...

The final diagram review of modification and corrections before completing Sovereign of the Seas.

Nothing can be more rewarding than to lose oneself in the annals of history and rediscover roads that others have trail blazed. It is not a put down of any individual's work, but rather an opportunity to study and enhance what's already been without ruining a finding based on pride. I have always honored those who opened doors to truths that many have ignored. Always wanting to know 'more' about a thing and not settle for mediocrity.

I am thankful for all those who have built their SOVEREIGNs before I was to actually build mine. All were helpful with my assessments and evaluations to a ship that held unanswered data that brought me into the fold. And because of these individuals, I better understanding for the traditional shipbuilding methods of the period.

No man's findings are absolute, but in those findings there will always be purpose; and that is absolute.

I now depart from this blog to prepare the finale. Thank you for taking the consideration to read and view the images!

For commissioned work, whether scratchbuilt or kit modification, please send your requests to Caseships@yahoo.com. My profile page can be viewed at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart. Videos representing my recent works can be viewed at https://youtube.com/c/RexStewartoriginals


A special note:

Some of you have kits that you want to enjoy...not having the time (or being delayed) to complete -or build them. In my line of experience, I can modify your kits to be historically accurate in fine detail -and can safely package and ship your gem globally.

The contact information is above.