French Ironclad Neptune 1:250 Scale

[Michael Mash]

Originally Posted by romanmodels

looking good Mike are going to add the torpedo nets?

Thanks Shipbuild and Don!

Thanks David: Regarding torpedo nets: There is an old saying . . . that would be a “Bridge Too Far”.
There are plenty of photos showing the hull sides with and without the nets, so I’ll leave them off.
Mike

[Michael Mash]

Hello Modelers,

Here is some new work on this project.
The two vintage photos show all the details that are guiding my work around the stern.

My first photo shows the railing I have created to wrap around the Admiral’s walk (platform) on the stern. As the second (closeup) vintage photo shows, it is more ornate than the standard railing found elsewhere on the ship. The railing remains in the jig, and it is composed of paper and black Testors oil paint.

As one can see in the photos, there are four boats carried on the stern. Note that they are suspended by very long curving slender davits, two for each boat. Image 260 sums up my efforts to replicate those davits. I made 18 from paper and card, using several techniques. The eight “buff” colored ones in the center of the photo were the best of the bunch. I wasn’t completely satisfied, so I turned to my friend Rich at the controls of his “blowtorch” laser cutter to see what he could come up with (for a price of course). The eight black davits in the center lower part of image 260 beat my best effort. They are cut from thick card stock (0.26”), and the openings in the lower part of the davits are visible. The color of the stern davits varies in the photos, depending on the year the photos were taken. In earlier years they appeared to be black. In later years they appeared to be buff. There is one paint scheme where they are half black, half buff. Since this model reflects the very early years, I went with black.

Best Regards,
Mike

[JP64]

Originally Posted by Michael Mash

Hello Modelers,

Here is some new work on this project.
The two vintage photos show all the details that are guiding my work around the stern.

My first photo shows the railing I have created to wrap around the Admiral’s walk (platform) on the stern. As the second (closeup) vintage photo shows, it is more ornate than the standard railing found elsewhere on the ship. The railing remains in the jig, and it is composed of paper and black Testors oil paint.

As one can see in the photos, there are four boats carried on the stern. Note that they are suspended by very long curving slender davits, two for each boat. Image 260 sums up my efforts to replicate those davits. I made 18 from paper and card, using several techniques. The eight “buff” colored ones in the center of the photo were the best of the bunch. I wasn’t completely satisfied, so I turned to my friend Rich at the controls of his “blowtorch” laser cutter to see what he could come up with (for a price of course). The eight black davits in the center lower part of image 260 beat my best effort. They are cut from thick card stock (0.26”), and the openings in the lower part of the davits are visible. The color of the stern davits varies in the photos, depending on the year the photos were taken. In earlier years they appeared to be black. In later years they appeared to be buff. There is one paint scheme where they are half black, half buff. Since this model reflects the very early years, I went with black.

Best Regards,
Mike

Incredible work, Mike....

the ship-paper modeling at the highest TOP !!!

I like really very much the way you built the boats ...very clean and straight hull lines without any sign of cut for the hull shape....

please, when you'll have a little of spare time, can you remember and describe again the way that you use to realize the boats ?
Honestly I really never had a such so clean results in many models I have built until now..

thanks a lot and again my highest COMPLIMENTS !!!

Ciao
Jp

[OgdenBob]

Fascinating project! I have always loved the old french Navy designs from this era. Never pretty, but very interesting and unusual. I'm looking forward to watching your progress.



Bob

[ReynoldsSlumber]

Beautiful craftsmanship! Compliments on your dedication to representing the prototype so well. About the prototype, that must've been a wild era of shipbuilding.

[paperairforce]

Great looking build, and very informative thread! it's interesting to see the old photos too next to the build.

[firdajan2]

Mike, what you are creating here is colossal. I need not to comment the thread, just watch. Everything is perfect, as always.
Four years of building, my hat of.

Jan

[USSMissouri]

Cool looking model. I can see where Steampunk got its influence from.

[romanmodels]

looking good Mike

[Don Boose]

Belated laudatory comments on this latest work, Mike. Always a pleasure to see your superb craftsmanship, to hear about your methods, and to see historic images.

Don