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  Rare opportunity! Royal yacht Fubbs model of 1682
  
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Ships in Scale - Latest Issue
September/October '26

HMS Surprise 1796 by modelshipdood - Vanguard Models - 1:64

Update: The stem, headrail assembly & figurehead
The stern and the bow are nearly completed. The kit offers lots of nicely designed detail that requires patient assembly. Like the construction of the hull's superstructure, there are numerous very close tolerance components to assemble.

The headrail area of the bow comes together nicely after paying close attention to sanding the headrail supports. The catheads are now mounted. The empty gunport openings will get their bow chaser cannon.

I've chosen to keep the majority of the lasered pear parts natural, not painted. This has meant paying careful attention to removing all the laser "char" off these items. I'm painting just a small number of components in grey/black like the two boomkins and the continuation of the wale to the top of the stem; the dark color on the stem serves to highlight the decorative pieces ochre accents like the trailboard and rails. As modelers of this era know, this bow era gets very busy once masting and full rigging starts.

The rigging "bumkins" are made with the 3mm walnut dowel provided in the kit. I soaked them in hot water and then applied the heating iron to give them their distinctive drooping shape. The tapered ends will get a single block to handle rigging. Note the bracket that retains them to the courtesy rail: this is etched into the pear pattern and it could be easily overlooked if one chooses to keep the natural wood look - which nearly slipped by me!

Another view of the bow. There is an abundance of black and ochre paint used to finish the prototype shown in the kit's excellent build manual. I consider the entire model's laser-etched patterns and visible components a "feature;"the precision of the meticulous engraved detail was an easy choice for me to retain their natural wood appearance. However, I did have lots of fun painting the 3D printed French figurehead! Red, silver, gold, blue, ochre, black- even a flesh hue for the tiny neck area. After painting the various colors, minuscule details in the prolific carvings came to life with a tonal wash that accentuated their shadow areas.

The channels are mounted and this bird's eye view clearly shows the wonderful detail of the "head." The port cathead is missing a support: that's tomorrow's project to finish-up the bow area.

The deck furniture and carronades are next. I've decided to paint the carriages in the same red hue as the capstan.
All the holes in the pin rails will be enlarged to accommodate the belaying pins I plan to use.

One choice: I have enough of these scale-accurate brass belaying pins from Master Korabel (Russia*) left over from previous builds. Of course, they need painting - which is a chore - but worth the effort IMHO. However...

...Here is another option. On the left, the Master Korabel brass ones, on the right, two 3D-printed choices from SyrenShipModels. The brown one is simulated pear while the other, boxwood. These are also scale-accurate. One of the considerations for choosing between these is whether or not the plastic belaying pins can handle rigging line tension, which shouldn't present a problem for most running rigging terminations. Syren has "beefed-up" a couple new versions that are thicker, slightly longer (we're talking millimeters here).

*Unfortunately, Master Korabel products are no longer available in the U.S.

I like this shot of the figurehead. It's easy to forget that this photo shows an approximate 300-400% magnified view of this beautifully-designed and printed piece.
And "No," that's not a French ensign draped on the sides of the armored figure.

By modelshipdood · 4 hours ago4 hr
HMS Winchelsea 1764 by Rustyj - Syren Ship Model Company - 1:48 Scale

Thank you Ronald. I was pleased with the way it came out.

The quarter deck rail was next. Started fitting the foreword section. Though the parts were laser cut they still needed some shaping and tweaking.

Moving aft the process was repeated until reaching the stern.

By Rustyj · 5 hours ago5 hr
HM Gun Brig Adder by Russ2025 - Vanguard Models - 1:64

Wales, rails, and travails.
Seems like a good time to update my build. I added the inner bulwark rails, spirketting (really great word), and the inner stern board. I pre-painted the stern board and spirketting with AK 11092 Matt Red. I then painted the inner bulwarks. Next up was the wales and outer rails. This is where the travails come in. I decided to paint the wales with AK 11028 Smoke Black. I also pre painted these. This was definitely the most stressful step so far. The parts were first moistened and bent to the shape of the bow. I started with CA but quickly switched to Titebond. Much like planking I worked my way along in short sections and hand held the wale in place until it was sufficiently bonded and then moved on. I also masked with tape and placed a sheet of paper between the wale and hull as I moved along. The lower rails were installed in the same way as the wales but I clamped them as I moved along. I then painted the upper bulwark black and masked slightly lower than the laser line so the upper rail pieces could slightly overlap the paint line. The rail pieces were more manageable as they are multiple short parts.
The channels were up next which are straight forward, however it might have been wise to add them after the outer stern board. There is a lot going on at the stern. I trimmed the bulwarks and the wales as required and sanded for a tight fit and managed to knock off a few channels along the way. The rudder post cheeks were next up. A bit of work sanding to fit and then masking and painting.
Here are a few pictures to represent the build thus far.

By Russ2025 · 5 hours ago5 hr
Chaperon by driftwood – Model Shipways – 1:48

Well, I think I’ve found a task that’s every bit as monotonous as tying ratlines. The cabin sides on the boiler deck require cutting and gluing what feels like thousands of tiny wooden strips to represent the wall‑panel battens. Once I settled into a rhythm, though, the process went along smoothly enough.

After the glue dried, I found the best tool for trimming the overhangs was a nail clipper. Worked perfectly.

While I was installing the battens, I also glued the boiler deck cap rail in place. The rail was pre‑finished in white before installation. I started with the aft section and then added the two forward pieces.

The vertical posts between the main deck and the boiler deck were installed at this stage as well.

I did run into one issue that I’m still not entirely sure how to explain. When I test‑fit the two side walls of the boiler deck cabin, both pieces appeared too long at the stern. The forward alignment is correct—the deck has guidelines for that—and since both sides are off by the same amount, I’m leaning toward this being a kit error rather than something I did. I’ll double‑check before committing, but the simplest fix will likely be trimming a bit off the stern ends to make the walls fit properly.

Thanks for looking and the likes

By driftwood · 11 hours ago11 hr
Le Dauphin Royal (1752) in 1:48— Hybrid Build by a Ukrainian Team

Beautiful!

By Scrubbyj427 · 11 hours ago11 hr
HMS Surprise 1796 by KillicksToastedCheez - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Fiction Version

Yes they are, the decorative floral pieces are also polybak.

By KillicksToastedCheez · 12 hours ago12 hr
Naval Cutter Alert 1777 by serikoff – 1:48 – Two Hulls: skeleton PoF and fully planked and rigged (based on TridentModel hull)

Chapter 27. On the Decks (Part 5)

Аnchоr Windlass.
1/

I previously showed how I fabricated some of the wooden parts (the bowsprit bitts). All the metal parts were made using the same method as the others I had shown earlier. The appearance was modeled in 3D software...

Then, everything was 3D-printed and copper-plated using an electroplating process. After finishing, the parts will be blackened and integrated into the wooden elements.

But first, we need to build a jig to accurately transfer all the parameters, positions, and angles of the future components, since we must precisely align the winch, ratchet mechanism, and stanchions with the position of the main bowsprit bitts.

This step took me several days, but without it, it’s impossible to install all the elements accurately and predictably. Each part has its own axis, tilt, and precise distance from other objects. And most importantly, everything must be strictly vertical (relative to the sides), horizontal (relative to the horizon), and set at the correct angles (relative to the keel). Plus, the locking pin has to be exactly in place and align with the right points... in short, it involves endless fitting and checking. But the result will be spot-on.

By serikoff · 12 hours ago12 hr
Rare opportunity! Royal yacht Fubbs model of 1682

As far as I know, this is. Only the owner would be able to tell you. If you have a serious interest, PM me.

By druxey · 12 hours ago12 hr
Naval Cutter Alert 1777 by serikoff – 1:48 – Two Hulls: skeleton PoF and fully planked and rigged (based on TridentModel hull)

Thank you very much. I’m glad I managed to spark your interest. I’ve been following you on various forums for a long time, but it’s ironic that your reaction wasn't to the ship I’m actually working on, but rather to the preparations for a French ship—the kind you love so much. Hahaha. It’s a shame I’m not building a French one. 😂

By serikoff · 12 hours ago12 hr
SPEEDWELL 1752 by Giampy65 - 1:96 - Plans by David Antscherl and Greg Herbert

Little step:

By Giampy65 · 13 hours ago13 hr