Monday September 21st, 2009
 
Closed for now the break with the copper plates, I'm back to show new achievements on the Santisima Trinidad's cross section.
 
And all the latest news are coming from the installation of the guns. I finally took the will to proceed with them and, after a week of hard work and lot of patience I finished today also this step. I made very few changes to the method used for my previous experience, but this allowed me to work in a more productive way. I also used a different kind of thread that seems to me more realistic.   
 
01 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050925.jpg

 
02 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050926.jpg

 
The guns are glued to the deck with the cyan-acrilate, gel version. But I am afraid this glue may not be the best glue for this kind of joint. It is the same I used for the lower deck but I have in mind a change for this task that I will use for the incoming upper gun deck.
 
03 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050927.jpg

 
I'm thinking to a change that consists of boring the truck and the deck in order to insert a metal nail inside. This nail, while not visible, will fix better the truck to the deck, avoiding that an accidental blow will detach the truck. Another alternative may probably be the use of epoxy glue instead of cyan-acrilate. I think it has to be said: the power of experience . . .
 
04 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050928.jpg

 
Another intersting task was the building of the rolls of rope . . it's a long way to explain but the result satisfies me.
 
05 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050929.jpg

 
I have also painted the ringbolts with gun metal enamel, much more realistic that leaving them brass coloured. I'm happy of the overall result, but it is possible to do better. Probably in the next deck . .
 
See you next time, Jack.

Jack

Another very nice instalment to your build.

Happy modelling

Tony

Thanks Tony and Alan for your comments, I've greatly appreciated . . Jack

Before starting the Santìsima Trininad's cross section I worked for about a couple of years on the entire model, always from De Agostini. But, when I arrived to finish the hull of this model, the missing things were "only" masting and rigging, I decided, for a crazy idea I had for another project, to sell it. I had quite no difficulties to buy it to another modeler that said to have problems to build the hull (space, location, dust, etc) but was very interested to continue from the point I left it.  
 
Next week this modeler sent me some images of the finished model, completed with masts, sails and rigging and I am happy to share them with you. The model is completed 99%, but I believe the remaining 1% are very few details.
 
The entire models sounds very well to me, although the images don't allow a complete review of the smallest details. I have only some concerns about the sails that should be presented in a more realistc way. I suggest for this task the book from Lennarth Petersson "Rigging Period Ship Models", Chatham Publishing.
 
So, my sincere congratulations to Andrea, the ship modeler that cempleted this huge vessel. Cheers, Jack.Aubrey.
 
01 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/Immagine001.jpg


02 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/Immagine002.jpg


03 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/Immagine003.jpg


04 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/Immagine004.jpg

Friday September 25th, 2009
 
The two planked ply woods that make up the upper gun deck are now completed and I show them here below only positioned. This just to see/show the look and to understand what will be visible and not on the underlying deck. This look will allow me to eventually adjust something. As I supposed, it is possible to see only a few part of the big efforts I lavished . . but what it really matters is to know that they are there, also if you don't see them . .
 
01 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050934.jpg


02 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050935.jpg


03 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050936.jpg

 
In the next message I will show the deck installed and finished. This work was done during the weekend but I wasn't able to get photos. See you next time, Jack.Aubrey.

Jack

Full ship model looks absolutely stunning.

Your cutaway section again is very impressive and as mentioned before the use of coloured stains rather than paint really makes this one stand out.

Thursday October 15th, 2009
 
During these past ten days I did not work too much about ship modeling. I had too many things to do and, on the top of them, there was the planning for setting up a workshop for me. I have found the way to modernise a floor in the house of my mother in law (it is a single-family home/villa on two levels), more precisely the lower level or basement. It is near where I live and I think it is the right solution for my needs. The floor is 100 square meters and my plan is to modernise it and to setup a room of +/- 16-20 quare meters as my workshop.
 
Anyway, while organizing this major task I found some time to progress a little, by preparing the sides of the upper deck using the same method applied till now. Here some new images of the model as it is now:  
 
01 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050957.jpg


02 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050958.jpg


03 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050959.jpg


04 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050960.jpg

 
to be continued . . .

November 22nd, 2009
 
It is some weeks I have other things to do and I was not able to work of the cross section regularly. So I have nothing to show and write about this model. The main part of the time I didn't spent on shipmodeling was related to the activities to setup my long awaited workshop. Let's say a "WORKSHOP in capital letters: it measures 4,5 x 3,5 meters, with all the comforts needed and not needed such as heating, daylight and artificial light, privacy, space, bath, beer, music and more . . launch planned just before Christmas, fully operational from mid January.
 
So, I have nothing to show, but I thought to honour a ship modeler friend that has finished some weeks ago this huge spanish vessel starting from the same De Agostini kit.
 
These images demonstrate that it is possible to build high quality models starting from kits: what is important is to have the right talent and skill, to read up and find the maximum informations about the model and find and implement the right enhancements that may be identified for the model. And this is what has been done with this model, in particular way for masting and rigging, taking documentation from important books such as "Historic Ship Models" by Wolfram zu Mondfeld or "Rigging Period Ship Models" by Lennarth Petersson. 
 
The result is here below, the rigging is particularly highlighted in these images by the dark background.
 
01 01L.jpg


02 02L.jpg


03 03L.jpg


04 04L.jpg


05 05L.jpg

 

Friday November 29th, 2009
 
Three new images . . 
 
01 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050965.jpg

 
The last deck is now ready. Here it is only positioned.
 
02 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050966B.jpg

 
03 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1050968.jpg

 
I'm confident to be able to show new things soon, but in this period my priority is the workshop. Cheers, Jack.Aubrey.

Saturday December 12th, 2009
 
Finally I reached the roof ......
 
After eight months of strong working (euphemistic term because honestly I never worked strongly) I finally installed the last deck of my cross section and I built over it the final bulwarks. Shortly, it is the same milestone as during building an house when you reach the roof level. In the images contained in this message you can view the relevant steps achieved in this last week.  
 
The last deck, that will be fully visible, is now in place and the relative sides are finished, with four gunports and, over all, the gunwale. I am very satisfied of the work done during this week. The mast, or better the piece of wood that will become the main mast, is in place to check its proper positioning and it also sounds good. 
 
An overall view of the fore side . . . 
 
01 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1060012.jpg

 
A close view of the quarterdeck . . . 
 
02 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1060013.jpg

 
A couple of images showing all the wales . . here, again, I am very satisfied of the general looking . . . 
 
03 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1060014.jpg


04 Cross%20Section%20Santisima%20Trinidad/P1060015.jpg

 
Finally an important consideration: until now for this model I haven't used either a milligram of paint or something similar (excluding the guns and their trucks). I used only oil for wood, the same I described in this topic on Friday May 8th, 2009. Additional images will follow. Kind regards, Jack.Aubrey.

Jack

Very lovely build just so impressed with your use of wood dyes rather than paint - looks brilliant.

Hope you do not kind me asking but you add a date to each of your postings and I was wondering if these are builds you have completed a few years ago as your posts are headed up with the year 2009. Only asking because if these are your 2005 builds your skill levels now must be off the scale.

Kind regards

Tony