HMS Audacious?
So I like the name, would you nautical knights have some ideas for me? I am looking at the Audacious as a repaint and wonder what ship we have might make the closest one to convert? Arrogant class 74 guns 3rd rate SOL 168' length, 46' beam, 28 32# on gun deck, 28 18# on upper deck, quarterdeck 14 9#, forecastle 4 9#. Just lookin' for something to re-build . . . would also appreciate ideas on the log details as well, thanks!
No conversion required, if you mean the 1785 ship. Pick an SGN104 package, and the sculpt's already there so all ya gotta do is re-paint and re-name.
Log will be unchanged, almost all of Slade's Common 74s were functionally identical in statistics and even engineering all the way from 1757 Dublin to end-of-the-line Audacious. (The Large fork of the family saw its last builds in the 1790s.)
A bit on the Audacious.
HMS Audacious 1785 (1st)
3rd Rate 74-gunThe first HMS Audacious was built by Randall of Rotherhithe, launched 23-Jul-1785, as a 3rd Rate, 74-gun, of 1,624 tons builders measurement, 168ft long and 47ft wide. She took part in many actions during the almost continuous warfare that Britain was engaged in at the turn of the 18th Century.
One action was the Battle of the Nile in August 1798, when she fought and defeated the French ship Conquerant.
Vessels like the Audacious were floating gun platforms, their primary task being to undertake offensive actions against an enemy fleet.
Although her type was considered to be the best balance between offensive power and sailing ability; French vessels had a better underwater hull form and could usually out sail their British counterparts.
She was broken up in Aug-1815.
Won the Battle Honours: First of June 1794, Nile 1798 and Gut of Gibraltar 1801.
Rob.
Thanks all! One is sailing my way and should be in Arizona dry dock this Monday for conversion. Btw our local game store sold off all their SOG items : ( but have doubled their stock of WOG WOW : ) strange . . .
So I found the required ship to modify, and whilst looking it over, I kinda dropped it on the unforgiving Arizona tile . . .
Then inspiration struck! I have never cared for the sails/mast filler on the ships. Some have bravely carved them out, but what if I made a mold, then painted the sail area with resin, creating a thin sail with the original details molded in? Sounded good to all the elves, who quickly produced the two part putty mold material . . .
Model bits pressed into the mold putty, allowed to cure - 20 minutes and presto! Sail molds!!!!! The elves do a happy dance . . . very scary. Now to the resin shop!
So I found the required ship to modify, and whilst looking it over, I kinda dropped it on the unforgiving Arizona tile . . .
Then inspiration struck! I have never cared for the sails/mast filler on the ships. Some have bravely carved them out, but what if I made a mold, then painted the sail area with resin, creating a thin sail with the original details molded in? Sounded good to all the elves, who quickly produced the two part putty mold material . . .
Model bits pressed into the mold putty, allowed to cure - 20 minutes and presto! Sail molds!!!!! The elves do a happy dance . . . very scary. Now to the resin shop!
Apart from getting this in sterio Dave, it all looks very intriguing.
I can't wait to see how you regulate the thickness of the new sails.
Rob.
Hmm... An Audacious might be a good repaint.
But I try to stop...
Very interesting project. I will watch with interest!
Will be intrigued to see how that thickness is handled as well. I've thought about this kind of approach, but couldn't come up with a method to limit the thickness of the poured plastic/resin? Waiting patiently to see what the elves come up with.Originally Posted by Bligh
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
As an honoray Elf from way back, I believe the best option is...start again!
Carefully cut the mast from the sail, then trim the filler from the sail.
Cast the sail and mast assemblies, and stick together.
I think this would work quite well.
I got to thinking about this and I dug out my old Mattel Vacuform and took a broken mast to experiment with. Here's what happened:
I've got some sanding and painting to do, but these sails (taken off a broken foremast from Proserpine ((Thanks Aerodrome Accessories))) look like they will do the job. I was surprised that the plastic sails held up to the Vacuform plastic. It must have a much higher melting point that Vacuform plastic. I want to try a hull next. But, considering the ease with which It can be accomplished, I think that this is the way to go to make perfect copies of sails without the extra thick plastic of the originals.
Your vacuform looks great, mine is out of plastic for years now. Did some substituting then bought larger one . . . might have to dig it out. Here's the resin brushed units, not a simple task, best to coat the mold with the fresh mix, then pour off excess and keep it moving till it sets. Great detail.
Still a work in progress. I have tried different plastic/glues/liquids but most have a high shrink rate : ( Meanwhile the hulls are no problem at all! I am going to rework them into bomb hulls so most of the detail will be removed and the decks redone . . .
[QUOTE=Clipper1701;51881]Your vacuform looks great, mine is out of plastic for years now. Did some substituting then bought larger one . . . might have to dig it out. Here's the resin brushed units, not a simple task, best to coat the mold with the fresh mix, then pour off excess and keep it moving till it sets. Great detail.
/QUOTE]
Amazing detail, much better than Vacuform. That's why resin models are the best. I won't even try to do a hull after seeing your resin casts. You can buy new Vacuform sheets for roughly .50˘ a sheet now. I used a white sheet, which is pretty thick. There are much thinner sheets for sale nowadays. I will be very interested in seeing your finished sails. I will finish mine and we can compare the two. I'm thinking piano wire for the masts and yards. The yards on the Ares models are the weirdest things I've ever seen. They look like some concoction from a Chinese junk. Yards taper outwards and have rounded tips, instead of ending in finials. They look like bamboo.
By the way, in the Vacuform method, there's room for all three masts on one sheet. That's a big plus.
Last edited by Kentop; 08-08-2015 at 16:04.
Some time when you have some time to fill in Phoenix give me a PM and we can swap ideas and bits. I will be using aluminium tubes and rods since they are easy to shape. Aluminum welding rod comes in 1/16" diameter and can be reported in a drill chuck with sand paper to taper it. I also use the soft steel tubes from hypodermic needles acquired from the farm supply stores down to .015" for fine spars. Still working on ratlines from .003 copper wire . . .
You are light years ahead of me. I come up to Phoenix (the brown blob, as we in Tucson call it) often to see the Diamondbacks and Suns play. I could never even understand aluminum tubes or rods for miniature modeling. I just get the nearest wood dowel and start scrubbing. I have a few broken piano wires laying around that just might be thick enough to fill in as masts. Lets see your finished resin sails on a single mast, and we will compare it to my Vacuform sails.
Great ideas! Wow! I've not seen a Vac U Form in longer than I'd care to admit. What's even more amazing is they still sell the plastic sheets?!?!
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
Yup. There are a lot of idiots online who are selling their old relics for hundreds of dollars. Don't pay more than 50 bucks for a working model. Plastic sheets for the thing are dirt cheap right now. There's a plastic bed you have to put into the base that is filled with holes to suck out the air. Make sure you get that piece and you are good to go. Vacuform came with a bunch of lame molds for ships and race cars and Mr Potato Head stuff, but the only thing you need is that bed and unit.
You can see the black plastic base for moulds with lots of tiny air holes in it that makes the melted plastic sheets cling to anything placed on it. It really is the first 3D copier.
When does that date from, anyway?
I think I got it! Made the second mold from the first, added some spacers to create a thickness for the resin, appears to be just right!
Detail holds on both sides and the color is just about right as well!
I will let them cure overnight and tomorrow we trim them to shape!
Around 1961, 1962. I was 10 and either got it as a birthday or Christmas present.
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
This is all very exciting gentlemen.
Those hulls look superb already.
The comparison between the two methods is going to be interesting.
I have used brass Brazing rod for spars, but never Aluminium.
I must give it a try.
Rob.
I agree, this is all amazing stuff!
Wow very cool. Can't wait to see finished.
Here's the first set of resin sails, I am planning to separate them and mount them on new spars and masts, original Ares sails are for reference
Close up of one flipped to show the back side, so far I really like them though they are a bit fiddly at this stage . . .
That is very good looking sails!
I would suggest cutting away or filing away the buntlines and clew lines on the second mold.
A very laborious work. I have only one question, these copies are for personal use or also can be sold? I ask for the copyright of Ares and Sail of Glory
Still, a great work.I follow this thread to see the final result.
Definitely not for sale. This is my obsession in action to expand my fleet for fun. Any one crazy enough to go here for profit will not find it down this path : ) to quote a favorite muse "down that path lies madness"
What sort of casting resin are you using Dave, and is it brittle?
Rob.
I am using the Alumi-lite casting resin fast set, so about 1 minute of working time. I do have the slow set but it tends to be more flexible after the cure and is not so good for thin sections. What has been poured has not been overly fragile but I am pouring it quite thin ~.010" for effect. What I really like is the final color which I think is just right for sail fabric. I will be experimenting on them with brown washes on the front side to bring out the details, but not on the back . . . .
Thanks for the info Dave. They are looking very good so far.
Rob.
So after the long hard day I had I needed a bit of unwinding therapy. As I often do I had way over engineered the plan for my masts and spars; so a simple craft stick was hacked into the main spar . . .
I first sanded the stick so it tapered to 1/32" thick at one end. Careful to carve the steps out of one piece of wood, the masts were then given a touch of the old emery boards to round them. . . bits of aluminum wire were cut to make the spars, a touch of CA glue holds them in place. Did this over the grid on my cutting board to keep things fairly square . . .
And the sails were glued to the spars with the proper gaps . . .
Well some adjustments needed to be made . . .
Repeated with the other three masts and then test fitted them into the awaiting hull just to see . . .
Liking what I was seeing . . . I proceeded. One with a bit more patience would of course painted the parts before assembly, but hey I was tired . . . and anxious!
An hour later she was finished, the masts yet to be trimmed and final fitting to the hull to be done, but I just sat and watched the light go through the thinner sails . . . and of course enjoyed a G & T . . .
Maybe tomorrow I will get out the painting elves . . .
Beautiful!
I'm impressed by the result and would like to have the time to do that sails make-over to my ships.
Casting hulls I wouldn't though.
awesome, great work here!
Spectacular! That's way more crafting effort than I'll ever put into one ship, but it certainly is impressive? After the painting she'll really need to be rigged as well.
Well deserved rep on your way if the system allows it.
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
An audacious event overnight here in AZ!
What happened here then Dave?
Have the Elves been at your Jack Daniels again?
Rob.
I found the Bombay Blue Sapphire bottle laying on its side, quite empty and a print out on wave 3 SOG release notes and no elves to be seen, seems they have taken the matter into their own hands . . . beware where the clouds meet the sea . . .
Dave, do I need to send Junior down there to have a "talk" with them? :p (Are elves like Minions?)
Those elves have good taste in gin. Excellent looking ship. Next time I'm up in Phoenix, I'd love to visit and get a tutorial on resin casting. Maybe we can fit in a game, too. I am stalled on my sails. My solution for the masts leaves me with a problem...how to make the crosstrees and caps for the stepped masts. I'm using 14 gauge romex wire for the masts, but I need to work out a simple solution for the mast tops and caps. I will finish them up this weekend and post pics.
Well, I procrastinated on everything I was supposed to do and "finished" the prototype mast. I glopped on too much glue, used too much paint and didn't paint the sails at all, but I have a working version I can refine to make a rather good looking set of sail.
My mast consists of a 14 gauge piece of wire bent to look kinda like a stepped mast. I didn't even bother to make the thing perfectly straight. At this stage I'm just trying out ideas. I'm not really happy with it because the topgallant mast is too wide.
For the mast tops and caps, I slept on it and came up with this idea. I took a hanging file folder index tab, which hooks onto the mast perfectly and bent one side outward in a T shape and then cut it down with scissors, and used it to hide the kinks in the mast. I think it worked pretty well. I will make them a little smaller next time, but they are very sturdy.
The "finished" product. Please be kind. As I said, this is a quickly built prototype to see if I could make a reasonably cheap and fast mast and spars for a vacuform copy of the sails. It needs a lot of tweaking, but the potential is there. They can't hold a candle to David's resin sails. If anybody wants to play around with a set of vacuform sails (you'll have to cut them out yourself). PM me your address and I will send you however many sets you want.
It's an "airship". Apparently of French origin.
Very cool Ken! I really like your use of the copper wire. I will steal it and the mast top idea for my next attempt! I also have re-delved into the Vac-u-Form idea. I did a quick search and found the site that sells the plastic and the upgrade kits, both arrived here today. Your staggered bend is genius! I will attempt to make some tapered wires on my belt sander to give the desired effect to the finished mast. I am also intrigued by the idea of soldering the spars in place . . . too much fun or is it too much G & T in this heat? Not sure . . .
There's no such thing as too much G&T. My weapon of choice is rather old school, though, Gordon's. If it's good enough for James Bond, it's good enough for me.
Good man Ken.
Let's keep the G&T spirit alive.(Sorry no Emoticon here) Hint, hint!
I also like your sails and spars ideas.
I feel an urge coming on to emulate your efforts.
Both yourself and Dave deserve another "How To" medal for this.
Well done both of you.
Bligh.
Kenneth, good work!
I am very interested in seeing if the upgrade kit is worth the money. I preheat the vacuform for ten minutes before loading a sheet of plastic, and I use a timer to heat that sheet for 3 minutes. I find that any more time than that, the sheet starts to sag in spots. Pumping furiously on the thing once I flip the sheet onto the mold makes a pretty good suction, as shown in my pictures where the plastic actually starts to wrap around the sails. When I put two masts on the vacuform, I noticed a distinct softening of detail from just one mast. Maybe the upgrade will eliminate that.
Dave and Ken, great stuff here. Very innovative and impressive modeling ideas.
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ― Plato
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks