H.M.S. Surprise (Masts Installed)

Now that the Fore, Main and Mizzen masts are installed work can now begin on the installation of the ships rat lines. This is a very long and tedious procedure and at times cause ones neck to seize up.
So keeping that in mind we'll see you in a few days.

H.M.S. Surprise (Mast Construction Continues)

Now that the lower parts of the masts are constructed the construction of the small top and foretop part of the masts can begin. This part bothers me a bit as there is no real way to know where to place the crosstree supports. So what I am going to do is determine the placement distance by taking the size of the crosstree supports and estimate. I hate doing this but I have no other choice. Thanks a lot Artesania Latina "pinheads".

H.M.S. Surprise (Life Boat/Launch)

Now that the life boat/launch is complete work can begin on the masts.
The first part of the masts to be built will be the crows nests.

H.M.S. Surprise (Stern Completed)

Now that the stern and most of the fittings are completed work can now begin on the lifeboat and masts.
Building the masts are going to be difficult because those gibbering pinheads at Artesania Latina somehow figured that measurements as to where one places parts onto said masts are not necessary. All three masts are of a different size but they only give you basic measurements for one of the masts, then tell you to refer to the drawings for the others. When you look at the drawings there are no measurements plus there are no part number indicators. I will be able to build them though by cross referencing the indicated part numbers to the ones the are not mentioned in the back of the book. From there I can determine positions by part size. I shouldn't have to do this but it is my only choice.
Needless to say this will be the last Artesania Latina kit that I will build. There quality in some areas and attention to plan detail has seriously degraded over the years. A mere shadow of what they once were in my opinion.

H.M.S. Surprise (Side Fittings Continue)

Now that the Chainwales and the Davits are installed work on the Bow's Water Closets can begin.
As you can see the basic structure of the water closets has begun however completion will not be done until later on.
Next will be the the installation of the Hammockholder net and the Rudder chains.

H.M.S. Surprise (Top Deck Fittings Completed)

Now that the top deck fittings a basically finished the side fittings can begin. First up will be the instalment of the chainwales for the rat lines. Unfortunately due to the lousy so called brass wire supplied with the kit I will have to use a black metal wire that I happen to have as its replacement. It's more accurate anyway.

H.M.S. Surprise (Fittings Continue)

I can say unabashedly that I am glad the installation of the cannons is complete. Now I can carry on with the top deck fittings.
One disturbing thing I discovered is that the so called brass fittings and brass wire are not made of brass. I first noticed this when I tried to straighten out some brass wire. To straighten brass wire all one has to do is with two pairs of pliers grab each end of the wire and pull and it will become straight as a ruler. With this wire it doesn't do that. In fact it also sometimes snaps. So I decided to take closer look at the wire and "brass" fittings. Yep a type of brass coated white metal. Has brass become that expensive?
Needless to say I am very disappointed in Artesania Latina. Why they did this is anyone's guess. In the past all of their brass fittings were made of brass.

H.M.S. Surprise (Top Deck Fittings Begin)

Probably one of the best things about wooden ship building is getting to build all these neat fittings that go on the deck. They are like little models onto themselves. This is where the detailing of a ship in my opinion really begins. Plus as you can see more work has been done on the stern and forecastle though by no means finished. Next up more cannons.

H.M.S. Surprise (Upper Deck Planking Completed)

With the completion of the upper deck planking and the gunwale covers the major planking of the ship is now completed. the drilling of the mast holes so they match the lower deck mast holes was difficult.
Next will be the continued construction of the stern and forecastle.

H.M.S. Surprise (Upper Deck Planking Begins)

Now that the lower deck is completed the the upper deck planking can begin. I think the most difficult part about this process is the lining up of the mast holes to the ones on the lower deck. A little hair raising because if I get it wrong...

H.M.S. Surprise (Lower Deck Completed)

Installation of the cannons, gratings, stern transom, etc are now complete. Next begins the installation of the upper deck frames and planks so for the next little while the lower deck will be obscured until the access holes can cut.


HAPPY 144TH BIRTHDAY CANADA!!!

H.M.S. Surprise (Cannons)

It took a couple of days to finish the assembly of all 42 cannons but what's a ship without them.
You may notice that the more detailed cannons have about 27 parts each as they will be readily seen on the ship as opposed to the the less detailed ones which have about 14 parts each. Those will not really be seen except for the fronts of them.

H.M.S. Surprise (Rubbing Strakes Completed)

I have just finished the rubbing strakes and the main shape of the stern (Captains Quarters). Now all that remains for the stern are the windows and decoration but that comes later on. For now over the next few days I will be spending my time building 42 cannons.

H.M.S. Surprise (Stern, Keel and Rubbing Strakes)

I have now started on the stern, keel and rubbing strakes. I like doing this part as it starts to ad to the ornateness to these wonderful ships.

H.M.S. Surprise ( Main Hull Planking Completed)

Just finished the main planking on the hull (whew). Now it is just a question of sanding and filling the seam lines. If you have ever single hull planked a model ship before the one thing you will notice that one has to place the strake on the hull when it is wet. However when these strake's dry they have a tendency of pulling away from each other and as a result seams begin to show between the strake's. So what I do is before sanding I will grind down scrap pieces of the appropriate wood down into sawdust mix with white glue and then place it into the seam lines and allow them to dry. Followed of course by sanding, and more sanding, and more sanding, and...

H.M.S. Surprise (Planking of the Bottom Hull).

One thing I have discovered when planking is to always watch out for knots in the wooden strake's. The strake always breaks so easily at the knot and so is not recommended when planking long sections of the hull. What I find a little disconcerting is that I seem to coming across more of them than is normal. Planking along the bow of the hull is the most difficult. The strake has to not only follow one curve but two. So it is a good idea to make sure your strake's are good and soaked.

H.M.S. Surprise (Hull Planking Continues)

I managed to cut out the cannon ports and complete the base hull planking on the upper part. Now comes the planking for the bottom part of the hull. That part is done with a copper coloured wood called Sapelly.

H.M.S. Surprise (Hull Planking Begins)

I don't care what anyone says, hull planking is the most difficult part to do when it comes model ship building.
One would think that with a kit this expensive ($700 CDN) Artesania Latina would have provided strakes for a double planking the hull option. Though single planking the hull does produce a more realistic effect when done right, double planking produces a much smoother and cleaner look.
I would recommend that anyone wishing to get into wooden model ship building to pick up" Planking Techniques for Model Ship Builders" by Donald Dressel. It is a must if you wish to venture into model ship building.

H.M.S. Surprise (Beginning)

Yesterday and today I managed get the frame together and install the lower deck and planks. So all in all I think it's a good start.

Next comes the fun part in which I sand the frame work to the curvature of the hull. This allows proper installation of the hull planking and makes for an easier and smoother job.

In case anyone is wondering the woods used for this ship are Sapelly, Walnut Basswood, Boxwood and of course Plywood for the frame work.

H.M.S. Surprise (Arrival)

Today I picked up Artesania Latina's 1/48 scale English Frigate H.M.S. Surprise as portrayed in the movie "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World".
This model is big, weighing in at about 30lbs, length is about 4,1/2 feet, 37,1/2 high and about 19" wide.
Building the hull I suspect is going to be a bit of a challenge as it is a single plank on hull format. In other words very little room for error.
The rest of the kit appears to be straight forward.
One thing I do notice about this kit is the incredible amount of laser cut parts which of coarse is a bit of a God send as it negates the need for large scale plans and it reduces the need for measuring to a great degree, however a disc in PDF format is supplied in case one may feel the need to print off full size plans. I may just do that.
The quality of the woods as always when it comes to Artesania Latina kits is first class. However I seem to notice which seems to be running problem with AT kits is they always seem to supply less rigging then is usually required. One can always of coarse pick up some proper thickness croquet thread. It is cheap enough. You can write the company for more rigging of which AT is quite cooperative in the matter (experience). However it does take time.

From the box top"
The French Frigate Unite built in 1794, was taken with no resistance from the neutral harbour of Bona in the Mediterranean on the 20th of April 1796 by the British Frigate Inconstant. She was purchased for the Royal Navy, renamed Surprise, and armed with 24X32 pounder carronades on the upper deck.

In October 1799, 100 of Surprises crew recaptured H.M.S. Hermione 1782 who's crew had mutinied against her officers in 1797, by boarding from the ships boats, led by Captain Hamilton (sorry no Jack Aubrey).

Surprise was sold in 1802 at the time of the Peace of Amiens, reflecting the decision to reduce the size of the Royal Navy after peace had been signed with France.

P.S: During the time in which I will building this model I will be posting building updates during its construction, however during this time my post may not be as regular as they usually are. I am sure you can understand why.