Vol. 63, No. 3 autumn 2018 196


Guild’s Model Ship World website. T e kit’s scale is 1:64, my favorite.


I prefer to start my semi-scratch projects with kits that


feature good “skeletal,” plank-on-bulkhead


5. Twenty-fi ve Swan-class sloops were built between 1767 and 1780. T e fast-sailing, ship-rigged warships were potent coastal marauders, eff ective law enforcers and critical to escorting supply ships from England to North America (and the Caribbean).


per side, excluding the bridle-ports) but one pair initially was leſt vacant, and the ships always were rated as 14-gun vessels. However, an eighth pair of guns was added from 1780 onwards, without any change in the nominal rating.


T ese sloops were unusually attractive. Not only did they have sleek lines, but they also carried an extraordinary amount of decoration for their size. T ey were built just before the Admiralty issued orders that all vessels (especially lesser rates and unrated vessels) should have minimal decoration and carvings to save on costs, because of the seemingly ever-continuing war with France and other nations. T e design armament was: main deck, fourteen 6-pounder long cannon; quarterdeck, eight 1/2-pound swivel guns; forecastle, four 1/2-pound swivels.


A Pegasus becomes a Swan: Building the waterline model


Since my “big picture” objective was to create the eighteenth-century sloop-of-war Swan in a waterline diorama, I selected the well-regarded and high- quality Victory Models (Amati) HMS Pegasus kit as a starting point. Readers may be familiar with this Italian kit that is the subject of several well- documented build logs on the Nautical Research


designs and are accompanied by accurate, extensive plans. I also chose the Pegasus kit because of my previous positive experience in creating highly- modifi ed versions of the company’s excellent Revenge (English Navy fl agship, 1577) and Mercury (Russian Navy brig, 1820). My decision was buttressed by the existence of a superbly-written four-volume series of books, published by SeaWatchBooks, describing scratch-building one of this class by the acclaimed author and artisan, David Antscherl: HMN Swan Class Sloops, 1767-1780.


Interestingly, aſt er a lot of research attempting to fi nd either a contemporary or historic model of Swan, I came up empty-handed. A signifi cant number of models of its sisters, both historic and contemporary, exist: Vulture, Atalanta, Kingfi sher, and, as noted above, numerous Pegasus and Fly models, and possibly others I have missed. T is gave me additional incentive to build what I believe is a truly unique ship model. Aſt er I completed my Swan diorama, I was able to ask Mr. Antscherl himself, who confi rmed that he, too, was not aware of any Swan models. One may surface someday, but, in the meantime, I believe my model may be a fi rst.


Building the basic hull of Swan


Once I had secured and shaped the hull’s laser cut, MDF keel former and bulkheads, I added the customary balsa fi ller blocks at the stem and stern. T e extra work involved in making these is well worth it. Although my hull planking would stop just below the model’s waterline, these blocks made easier the task of applying single-layer hull planking. Because I replace the hull (and deck) planking wood provided in kits, I forego the typical double-planking used by nearly every European manufacturer. My Swan’s hull planking is a single-layer of 1-millimeter-thick


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100