Valmy/Jemappes Golden Bear

[Golden Bear]

I'm not certain whether this project is really going to grow wings and leave the nest but thought that I should stop intruding on Michael's thread.

Entirely through Renaud's efforts I have plans for this ship. Valmy and Jemappes seem to be so much alike that I am going to use singular rather than plural.

The plans seemed to be shrunk in some parts and stretched in others - all on the same sheet. In addition I was working with photos taken by Renaud so there was lens distortion on all be the center portion of each image. After some hours of work spreading over several weeks I pieced the images together in a manner that fit the scale and reduced the different errors.

I am hopefully showing a detail of the ship, taken from a larger photo. The ship, Jemappes if the labels are to be believed, was most likely at the end of her career. The funnels are slightly lower than they appear in many (but not all) photos, the secondary guns are not installed, she is painted all over in a uniform color and has torpedo netting attached. Plus there is quite a lot of filth marking her sides were the heads and ash chutes were emptied. I believe that the photo Michael shows in his thread has the taller funnels.

In this detail photo some of the issues for creating a model can be seen. Note how the bow is completely curved for some of its length and then gradually starts developing a flat region for the forward gun deck. Just ahead of side part of the superstructure, it stops being round and has a sharp corner between deck and side. Getting this transition to be buildable is bit tricky especially since the plans and photos do not completely agree.

Then the side of the structure (going aft from the direction of the bow) is continuous with the side of the hull. Frequently or usually there was a small area of deck in this region where the hands could walk from bow to stern without the necessity of passing through any doors.My desire would be to make the card pieces in this region continuous just as the ship appears to be. However, this makes the design of the model much, much more difficult. Usually I can work on the hull as a separate assembly and then fit the structures on to it. I will probably do that anyway but I like to dream. If the color scheme is two-tone the line between hull and structure will match the edge of paint.

More complication is provided by the armored belt that shows just above the waterline. The edge of this matches the edge of the lower, submarine, hull and transitions smoothly. Do I layer up the belt with strips of card that get sanded and colored or do I try to make a sort of hollow box? It should be noted that the belt tapers towards bow and stern so that it projects the most at the beamiest part of the vessel. To make it more interesting, it is not of a uniform height, being taller above waterline towards the bow and gradually tapering lower at the stern.

For a rather small sort of battleship, it has some modeling issues that will take some thought in order for it to look correct at the end!

Carl

[Golden Bear]

Oh, to make it more interesting, I won't be able to avoid deck camber since part of the essence of the ship is how the superstructures slope down from centerline to edge.

Not difficult to design the decking but then each item that mounts upon the deck must also be angled. And, of course, the builder will need to remember which side is downhill and which is up!

Carl

[Don Boose]

Glad to see another Golden Bear maritime history, naval architecture, late nineteenth century ship paper model building project under way. I will be watching and learning assiduously.

Bon voyage!

Don

[Michael Mash]

Here is a larger detailed image I would like to contribute to your effort Carl. (in case you don't already have it).
Mike

[Royaloakmin]

Good to finally see her. Nothing you can't handle, Carl.

[JohnMGD]

Another very "special" model in the making, will follow this with great interest. I am also looking forward to all these great photographs, that will be placed here, without doubt
And Carl, I think they did that on purpose to make such a complex hull shape, they had you and us modellers in mind when they designed the ship, like also the Japanese did with their extra ordinary shapes to make it difficult to make a model of it !!

John.

[Golden Bear]

"Nothing you can't handle." - courtesy of Fred.

grrr. Whining time.

I find my fingers jumping to the correct keys to do things in Rhino (good thing!!!) but I miss my customizations and personal menus. It just takes time to get it all optimized.

What to do when the plan and the elevation disagree? Please tell me! And why is it so rare to find photos showing details from behind the ship and to the side? Grrrr.

But I'm working, which is something different. And by iteration I'm getting about 30 different things to work together. I would show an image but it wouldn't mean much at this point.

Usually I work from the hull up. Get the hull right and start mounting everything on it. In this case I made the best hull outline curve I could and then started working down from the structure sides amidships so that it will all come out nice and flush. Oh, and the plans don't agree with the photos either but that is sort of expected.

Carl

[Golden Bear]

OK, I changed my mind.

This is the work on the superstructure. Hull is not shown. Lower hull hasn't even been started.

[Royaloakmin]

We need a like button here. You have had to make interpretations with all your designs. Few will dare to say you are wrong.

[Michael Mash]

Originally Posted by Golden Bear

grrr. Whining time.

What to do when the plan and the elevation disagree? Please tell me! And why is it so rare to find photos showing details from behind the ship and to the side? Grrrr


Carl

The French would say: "C'est la vie"