Art Of Rigging The 1:144 Scale VASA/ Rex Stewart

Here we are ...the second and final phase of this build -VASA's rigging.

In this segment the standing rigging, along with the tackle systems will be covered. For this, it is important to zone in on what's written concerning this process and/or area of build...I must have said this a thousand times over the years for builders (novice and professional) to not rush their projects for acceptance, but to evaluate (and re-evaluate) their research to make sure ALL the i's are dotted and all the t's are crossed. Especially in the rigging phase.

I have read several contemporary blogs regarding both plastic and wooden kits relative to the impossibility of rigging miniature models with the same amount of detail as their larger counterparts. That incorporating miniature detail to these smaller models (both in hull and rigging) would distort the scale -and that the quality would be compromised to those kits that were readily prefabricated. Not true, because the beautiful word 'modification' bring into existence, by way of research, the probability of achieving the best in any kit.

The first criteria to good rigging is good planning...

Here, I just finished a partial rigging table for VASA.

Rigging tables can be beneficial for both present and future use, especially when possible clients request a second or third build from the original. Every artist/builder has their own style and/or method that makes a work a 'signature'. A work of art that is easily identifiable by a discerning buyer and/or collector...Finally, since builders have their own interpretations, it is best that such information be safeguarded.

For years I have researched and re-worked rigging tables based on the studies of others and have discovered more details that have enriched my line of work.

After finishing rigging tables, sails are bent to how I want them featured. For this particular model I want to make the sails appear wind-blown. This will take a lot of engineering to make paper appear cloth-like. Also, to have the lines appear realistic in their fall/belay locations. Here, in the backdrop of the sails, I show a rough pre-sketch used to support the actual configuration(s).

Notice that all blocks and lines are added to both sail and yard(s). This procedure make it easier for the rigging process to move smoothly. One sail can take a day to produce and rig... Sometimes two to three days as shown in the photo images below which depict the main course sail.

Main Course Sail...front view.

Main Course Sail...rear view


Blocks and tackles...tackles and blocks -one of the areas of build I found to be most challenging (to the testing of patience)...In the image below, the miniature blocks and tackles illustrate how awesome a model can become. To make this happen I utilize my personal tools dubbed the "rigging chopsticks". These were made to perform a jeweler's style art to the rigging as shown in the two photos below:

Applying the blocks and silk lines using "rigging chopsticks".

In the above images, progressive results can be seen with the use of these sticks...and the detail becomes  'front and center' for quality. This instrument is not only capable for securing rigging lines (in perfection), but can also assist with the gentle curvature of lines in areas where it seem impossible to reach.

Billowing effects show the gentle curves on the spritsail edges and sheet lines. Also in the lower photo image, details are shown in a deck closeup of belayed lines and coiling-a result from using the "chopsticks".

Here, another angle showing sheet and tack lines hanging loosely to simulate realism.

Starboard bow showing the attached bowlines on the forecourse -along with the tacks and sheets. Once these lines are established, it is here where patience run its course... Again, the "chopsticks" come into play because none of the lines can be attached with tweezers without fouling existing lines. The long metal point of the sticks are thin enough to get lines through the small areas and be effective enough to secure them to their respective pins. Tweezers only serve to assist those lines.

With the sprit(s) and forecourse sails established (as shown), I now work my way to the flags.

In my most humble opinion, flags can make or break the appearance of a good model. Depending on how a model is presented, it is best to have the flags in unison with the sails. If sails are full and limp, then flags should follow the same pattern. If sails are in a slight or full breeze, then flags should be the same...And finally, when wind push sails back against mast(s), flags should be angled sideways (port or starboard) and/or flying backward. Wind pushing sails forward the mast, sails should be forward or angled sideways in forward position. Former servicemen brought this to my attention when I built commissioned kits during my youth.

This image show the paper flags provided by the Airfix manufacturer. These are not properly scaled for the model; so to correct this, I cut a smaller version and changed the paper thickness -applying the references from Bjorn Landstrom's book concerning his graphics and colorscheme.

Here, the new flags and pennant are fashioned as windswept pieces. By placing these flags on the masts (prior to finishing the remaining sails), gives a visual blueprint on how those sails will be bent based on the formation of the flags.

With the foremast sail and rigging systems in place, I now move on to the mainmast -using photo references to get the proper folds and bends of my sails before applying. This can be a long drawn out process since the sails are paper that can be easily torn or punctured. However, with years of practice, I've been able to achieve realistic settings concerning them.

In my prime as a builder, I studied Asian artists and adopted some of their techniques in my work to get a step higher with miniature projects -especially in the genre of sailing ships. I realized that silk had properties that would later fit into my rigging concepts -and that chopsticks and sandpaper would serve to bring about the very detail I was expecting in ship modeling.

Viewing the images below, the point is proven as I address VASA's mainmast.

In the four above images the main course and topsails are installed...shaped to display a billowing effect in those sails. The last image show the lines secured to the knights and pinrails on deck. These are also secured in the tops to fulfill the assignment of a complete rig.

At best, the latter half of the rigging process is the most difficult because the lines are much tighter together. This is one of the reasons the rigging chopsticks is an invaluable and exceptional tool. I can get immense detailing with it...So now I continue with 'the finish' of the main mast and move on to the mizzen -beginning with the lateen sail shown in the image below.

 This now finalize the last phase of the rigging.

The next blog will feature limited photos on the completed model based on the late Bjorn Landstrom's book "The Royal Warship VASA".  The build has been interesting, to date, because the book brought in depth study of how the ship was built. That, coupled with my research on her rigging made this a unique project of note. So now I close being satisfied that I can encourage other builders (whether hobbyist or professional) to study their kits and make the best of them.

I an not in the business to 'compete'...Never have, never will. My purpose in the maritime is to give insight into the world of shipmodels and take place it on a subtle plateau of visibility so that others can be encouraged to take it to another level of excellence by their choosing.

As for those who have kits that wish to be finished for enjoyment and/or display, I can oblige this. Kindly email me at Caseships@yahoo.com or visit my Linkedin page and supporting youtube page at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart/ and https://youtube.com/c/RexStewartoriginals . I can also be reached at 1-774-757-7137 for details.

I now leave you, the viewer, with these thoughts and look forward to your next visit on this subject of the Swedish frigate VASA. Fair winds!

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

The Sovereign of the Seas overview image showing the deck interior with the supporting profile image of  J. Payne's well-known engraving showing her reconstruction.

In the first part of this build, I made mention of how I discarded much of the plastic parts and modified the kit with the replacement of wooden parts. In other words, going a step above to enhance and give visual clarity to overlooked details. In many models that I studied many details were questionable and not scaled properly -such as the doors, capstan to the height of the doors, and the ladder systems of steps from one deck to the other.

Then there was the accessibility to these decks. Were ladders used and covered with gratings? And for cooking purposes; where was the stack attachment to the stove? On the British  HMS Victory and the American USF Constitution the stack is forward. To secure this detail I redesigned the forecastle
and place it 'there' -forward as shown in the above image.

Since there were no real existing plans on SOVEREIGN (other than the 19th century plan housed at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich), everything was speculative...being based on various artists' renditions of the period. It is from those renditions that I weighed my research values.

These next images focus on the hull details before moving on to mast and sail systems.

This image show the revised half, quarter, and roundhouse decks. I kept the styrene bulkheads and modified them with ornate carvings. All the doors were cut away and replaced with open wooden  ones. The windows were all cut away and replaced with templar. There were no stern stairs leading to the roundhouse deck; just simplified ladders, so I went to classic drawings to give me the correct staircase for that period.

               The finished, modified hull from the Airfix Special Edition Royal Sovereign 1637.

Completed stern galleries...Note the addition of the shield-carrying unicorn and lion. Tedious work, but made of wood all the same. Additional carvings were added to the gallery. All windows were  removed and replaced with templar. The stern lantern was also customized with templar and small dabs of resin to simulate pearl carvings on the roof, etc. This detail took approximately two weeks to accomplish.

After completing the stern galleries, pinrails, bits and blocks were made to assist the rigging. For the world of me I could not understand why many builders did not have them featured in their correct areas on the models. Some argued that pinrails did not exist during the period of the Spanish Armada War, but evidence showed differently -even in ships 20 years before the conflict. Afterall, those many lines had to be attached somewhere...and they were not hitched on timberheads as some historians claim. These men were merely following 'tradition' of the letter.

For years I studied models, paintings, drawings (and plans) -attempting to make sense of the confusion to this particular vessel. Of all the contemporary, detailed models out there; many were rigged properly...including some of the period of SOVEREIGN. But for some reason, focus was on her ornaments and basic rig complimented her sailing features...She was designed in such fashion that she outlived two British kings; making her, in deed, the Sovereign of the Seas!

I refused to settle with galleries at that time with the "take it as it come" attitude concerning my method of research. Hence, I departed from the lot and ventured on my own and took delight being independent to find discoveries concerning European ships. Here, in this image, is one of the rigging plans I created in 1981 and modified in 2018 concerning the layout on the forecastle deck... I worked this process for all deck areas of the ship.

Once the rigging plans were created I then proceeded with the masts and yards -scaling them down to  proper length and width as described in the ship's list of the period. The Airfix kit had them shorter...Notice the 1:168  scale crew figure in the background drawing. I used both it and the capstan for the entire build. Airfix had the spritsail yard further back, whereas I compensated by placing a visible black marking on the styrene as a reference for correct positioning of that yard... but only after careful study of several plans and models.

The next step was to address the fore, main and mizzen masts...My concern was the height of them and how they would factor into the overall rigging. The lines had to run easily through the blocks and belay at the rails/pins without fouling. Below, the two images show new wooden masts and rigging blocks being made in place of the plastic. The kit had no blocks at all, yet it was advanced enough to have them.

                               Here, I begin carving and shaping the dowels for the masts...

                               Masts and miniature blocks in progress...

Customized tops were made...using the existing ones from the kit. Modification to the rails were necessary for holding and securing the shrouds and futtock shrouds The rails were also essential for hitching lines that led from mast stays and yards.                                                                                 

In this image the masts are temporarily stepped so that lines can be adjusted before actually securing. This takes exceptional engineering and planning -especially getting those lines down through the gratings to their assigned pins. Once this is accomplished I then remove the masts and pour glue into the holes -replacing back the masts to permanently seal. The hole cavities were created earlier while arranging the deck layout.

With these features in place I now move toward to addressing the flags...followed by yards and sails.

The power of flags...

From every country, to every region and/or territory, flags are the qualifier for identity. If created in a way that attracts the viewer, it can open opportunities in ways unimaginable. For years these have been my signature on vessels -whether sail or steam. Many of my collectors have always complimented this feature and easily identified my work(s) by them. Some collectors commissioned or bought multiple pieces because they enjoyed viewing how I set my sails and enhanced model to be equally compatible to the flags.

For any builder, this is priceless advice.

The British flags that are shown in the images are hand-painted, made from aged bond paper and treated to prevent from becoming brittle over the years. Some models that I created 40 years ago still look 'new' today. In this powerful modification of  SOVEREIGN , the viewer will get to see how the flags will balance the masts, rigging and sails to make it a collector's choice.

In this image, as if viewing from the water (or dock), we see how the flag and masts have a poetic balance as would be found on a real ship of that period.                                                                         

Rigging is one of the most complex and painstaking endeavors to modelmaking. There is no one standard to this approach. It has its pitfalls and challenges. It is up to the builder as to the level desired in the process, re: simple, mediocre or advanced. No one should judge; and yet, I see this quite often in forums that I've reviewed -or at one time been associated with.

There has been many versions of rig for Sovereign of the Seas, both academic and creative. Some rigging methods could be argued, but in the scheme of things findings can only be based on exhaustive research and comprehensive reasoning -nothing more.

The above drawing illustrates my point. It is a contemporary drawing based on artist renditions of time's past. Some lines are accurate and others are inaccurate. The bowsprit rigging is accurate relative to the topmast and spritsail lines  leading to the beakhead. And those lines extending from the foresail systems of the 1637 period also display accuracy for their leads to the beakhead. However, it's up to the builder to establish those belay points to where the lines actually fell. I have not as yet seen it in contemporary pieces, to date.

A brief preview showing the lines belayed in SOVEREIGN's beakhead...

Once the masts are up rigging and all the elements to it are addressed, re:sails, yards, rigging blocks, etc. This image illustrates how I proceed with the rigging stage regarding small to miniature models.
Because I don't use wire to glue on lines  -rather linen, silk or cotton), the approach is different. I begin at the bow, starting with the sprit mast and all the rigging components thereof and then work my way toward the stern, one mast at a time.

This requires great patience and focus...like a jeweler who works in the backroom placing diamonds and precious stones in ornaments. Hence, my models reflect this; they are like 3D ornaments in miniature that is precise in every detail. Therefore I would not recommend this assignment to anyone who believes they can come to this level 'overnight'...It doesn't happen. For me, it took years...and serious collectors know this.

The first lines to be laid is the standing rigging (black lines), followed by the running rigging (beige lines). In miniature work, if the model will feature sails, it's best to prepare them with the running lines attached to both sail and yard before completing the system to the mast. After that is done it will be time to address the lanyards and shrouds.

Here, I show how microscopic the rigging blocks are. Carving these and drilling tiny holes into them take hours -and for double and sister blocks the challenge is even greater because the hand must be very steady and the eyes keen. Magnifiers, alone can't guarantee quality; the eyes (with the magnifiers) must be in unison to achieve this...Above the blocks is the finished sail. For effect and realism of cloth I made both gentle and sharp folds to areas where the sail will be pulled by the lines.

This effect will be shown in future images.

The spritsail is shown with all its lines before being attached to the mast. It is good to remember to rig all blocks to the masts and stays (which include the tops and caps) before attaching any sail system. Failure to do this will ruin the build...which is why patience and concentration is paramount.

     A brief note...

The blocks and tackles viewed in this starboard image is practically throughout the entire model. Many contemporary models don't show them -or most of them. These were essential fittings for the functioning values of the ship. Without them many lines would not be able to sustain the stress factor of sails, yards or masts. Based on the existing blueprints (and my own ), I have in place nearly 60 tackle systems.

If a good  model is to be realized and counted for accuracy...it's best to add them.                             

So far this has been an interesting second chapter on the build. The next will focus on the foremast and the areas around it. For more information about me visit https://youtube.com/c/RexStewartoriginals . Videos representing some of my recent work (which can be commissioned) can be viewed at https://youtube.com/c/RexStewartoriginals

Correspondence concerning commissions can be sent to Caseships@yahoo.com.

A special note:

Some of you have kit(s) 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 kit(s) to be historically accurate in fine detail -and can safely package and ship your gem globally. The contact information is above.

Fairwinds and thanks for viewing!