Shipyard's HMS Bellona

[DORIS]

Great result!

[Tapcho]

Ron! One word is enough - WOW! Great work on that planking. And with the other details as well - like the stairs for example. Couldn't be better. I've been following this closely from the beginning and I have the pleasure to enjoy your thread checking the build procedures alongside my own unbuilt kit of Bellona. It's as satisfactory as visiting the opera having the score with you.

Best Regards,

Tappi

[Ron0909]

You guys are way too kind! Thanks for joining in!
This stern is a fiddly beast! I lost count of the pieces around the glazing. The name piece is stuck on for a giggle but we're almost there! I'll wash the windows before I close it up :) I do however have a bit of a dilemma...The kit is supplied with some colorful stuff but in my opinion doesn't do the ship justice unless one is talented in micro sculpture like a certain young lady around here! Is it reasonable to pretend it's on a wartime commission with a poor captain and eliminate the gold curly cue stuff? Anyways, the balcony is still missing along with a whack more trim and fiddly bits. The little flat columns between the windows are drawn fluted in the kit and I'd really like to figure out how to do that in reality. The columns are about 1.5 matchsticks wide! 3 grooves will be a challenge in each! Again, thanks everyone for checking in! I saw how many views our thread has had and was blown away. More to come and some better pics. I found a tripod in the garbage the other day and will put it to good use
Ron

[RdK]

Hi Ron!
Ay ay ay...what a feast for the eyes! Beautiful work and craftsmanship here! If you managed so well with the stern I am sure that sculpturing the little golden ornaments won't be such a big problem! I say: Give this challenge a try! Get a good model clay (that can be hardened in the oven) and prepare some good tools: (among others a toothpick can come in handy as well?) something sharp, something with a little sphere at the end (like the dentist's tools) etc. and go for it!

Doris provides a lot inspiration for that! I will try some sculptures on my next build as well and I would not want to be alone! Please, try it!

Rgds,
Radek

[Gil]

Hi Ron,

Doris [if I'm not mistaken] uses Cold Porcelain for modeling the bric-brac. It's easily made out of common household and modeling materials.

The ingredients may sound weird but I've tried it and it works surprisingly well for modeling all sorts of things. This is a good site for the recipe.

Below is a shot of "Oliphant" - an experiment of adding embossing powder to the Cold Porcelain followed by heating with a heat gun. Made an interesting texture that I liked.

Make some and start messing with it - within a few minutes you'll have something that actually begins to look like the figure you had in mind or want to copy. It's kind of fun to play with - you'll succeed after a few tries. Besides you'll need deck figures soon enough so maybe it's time to try it out. Besides, you can roll the stuff paper thin and use it as a canvas tarp...,

+Gil

[DORIS]

Hello Ron!
The stern looks very nice.
I had to make the balcony and other parts again by my own, because there were a lot of mistakes and inaccuracies. It is important to follow the correct inclination of all these parts towards the hull. Original colorful parts from this kit are very poor, so you can repaint the and upper part decorate with sculptures.
For repainting I used Tamiya acrylic colours. Sculptures are made from modelling clay hardened in the oven. It is not difficult to shape this clay, but it is important to have a suitable tools and plenty of patience.

Here are some helpful links and pics for you:
ModelForum • Zobrazit téma - HMS BELLONA - remake / Shipyard /1:96
ModelForum • Zobrazit téma - HMS BELLONA - remake / Shipyard /1:96



Sculpting from modelling clay:
ModelForum • Zobrazit téma - Sovereign of the seas 1637/1:90/ vlastní projekt/DOKON?ENO
ModelForum • Zobrazit téma - Sovereign of the seas 1637/1:90/ vlastní projekt/DOKON?ENO

Columns between the windows can be improved by narrow strips made of paper or (in my case) self-adhesive foils. You can stick these strips in several layers to reach better plasticity.
For example - here I used narrow strips to improve a cabinet and panels:

Or side panels and window grid - here is made from more layers of foil strips:

[Michael Mash]

You sail ship builders are really putting on a good show.
Great work Ron.
Mike

[birder]

The stern being fiddly is for sure true of the ornate ships of war, although less ornate at the time of Bellona than earlier, and increasingly less later. Ron your wood is very cool, but to imitate the work of Doris, well I don't know if even possible, really, Doris is in her own class...
I have been wanting to make a 74 and thought about turning the Bellona into the Bellerophan (sp) since was a famous ship for several reasons, but the stern decorations held me back even though paintings and drawings exist, I was not sure how accurate I could be...however since now a wood ship model is mass produced, I might get the bug again..although would use card (I know the Bellona has a slightly different hull line the differences are small....)

[marco1971]

Hey Ron,

Very good work!

Marco

[Ron0909]

Hi everyone :)

Sorry about the vanishing act for the last few months. I hope everyone's New Year is going well so far! My wife has had a rough time of it for the last couple of months but is thankfully doing better once again. Bellona as you can guess has been ignored for the most part but I did get some small things started on the bow. It felt good to sit at the desk again! Translating the card and paper to wood takes more time than anticipated especially the edges as they can't just simply be painted. Anyways..this is rough stuff with a ton more goodies to be added so hopefully my mistakes will be covered up with neat distractions!