Hansa Cog by Zvezda in 1/72 scale

[Faraway]

What on earth ?

I hear you ask.

He's only just this minute finished a U-Boot and now he's starting another build ?

Well let me enlighten you as to my thought process here, such as it is.

 

My original 'next build' was going to be this..........

https://www.super-hobby.co.uk/products/HMS-ALERT-The-Naval-Cutter-1777.html

Doesn't she look lovely ?When I saw this kit it was a definite tingle factor.

It's all your fault @Bertie McBoatface, (well not really. But I'll need someone to blame as my reason slips slowly away )

 

However, as it isn't due to be delivered for at least another week or longer AND as it's model I REALLY DO NOT want to make a mess of AND it will be my first EVER paper/card model AND its been many, many years since I built a sailing ship model. The last time was the Revell USS Constitution, about 30 years ago. 

So all that taken into consideration I thought  I'd have a go at making this........

It might not be paper/card, but it is the same scale and has a single mast and will require rigging, albeit a simpler type of rigging, but it's still lots of lengths of cord for me to try to thread through tiny holes. Also, it's not an overly complicated build.

 

All that said, here are ALL the parts.

 

Not sure I'll be using these sails, they are remarkably thick.

 

 

 

See, I told you it wasn't very complicated. Though I expect I'll regret those words before the end.

 

Anyway, I'll start on this 'practice' build in a day or so and try to finish it, even when the other one gets delivered.

Jon

[JohnWS]

2 minutes ago, Faraway said:

What on earth ?

I hear you ask.

He's only just this minute finished a U-Boot and now he's starting another build ?  ...

Wow, Jon you must have exceptional hearing to hear me from this far away. 

 

I do enjoy following your builds though, because of the variety of boats & ships.  Many not are on my to-do list but they are still very interesting to follow, just the same.

 

Can't wait to see your next build come together.

 

John

[ArnoldAmbrose]

Gidday Jon, she's certainly a sleek streamlined vessel. And no doubt very graceful when under way. 😁 But I guess state-of-the-art maritime technology in her day. Regards, Jeff.

[Bertie McBoatface]

Ha, you nearly give me a 'art attack! I thought you'd changed your mind about the other one for a minute then. After a second's thought, this is a good idea, I think. I follow your reasoning exactly.

 

It's probably a good thing for me to learn to wait for something too. And it's an extra Jon build of something totally alien to my experience, so that's good too. I must say that I'm dashed disappointed not to have been the first to follow this, but I'll be a big boy and dry my tears as soon as you get started.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The sails do look thick but they are well shaped and would really zing! with some zenithal airbrushed highlights. If you thin the edges to a knife edge, the thick plastic will be imperceptible. They were probably woolen sails anyway so would be thick-ish, especially if they were winter woolies.

 

The wood texture, on the wood, not the sails, looks a bit strong for 1/72 but will be fine under paint, I'd say.

 

I see the moulded deadeye arrangement. Perhaps you will be replacing that with real string? A few deadeyes might not be difficult to handmake from sprue sawn into slices and drilled.

 

Now I'm thinking it's a really cool project. Yippee! Let the game begin!

[Ray S]

That Hansa Cog looks to be a good and very interesting choice. The follow up is amazing, I have just had a look at the link for Alert and I think you will have a fun time with that! I like the way they show a good proportion of the instructions, the buyer knows what they are letting themselves in for. It will be good to see how Alert compares with wooden boats and ships like Kev's and Berties when the time comes.

 

All the best, Ray

[Faraway]

8 minutes ago, Ray S said:

It will be good to see how Alert compares with wooden boats and ships like Kev's and Berties when the time comes.

That was my thought too. Also, it shouldn't (?) require lots of specialist tools. At least that's what paper ship building web sites say. We'll see.

Jon

[Faraway]

1 hour ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

I see the moulded deadeye arrangement

Is that these ?

'cos I reckon I can trim off the 'rope' joining the two blocks, drill the blocks and replace the plastic moulding with cord.

 

Am I right ?

Green are blocks or pulleys and blue are deadeyes.

[Faraway]

1 hour ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

I'm dashed disappointed not to have been the first to follow this

When 'the other one' starts, I'll PM you 😜

Jon

[Bertie McBoatface]

3 minutes ago, Faraway said:

Is that these ?

'cos I reckon I can trim off the 'rope' joining the two blocks, drill the blocks and replace the plastic moulding with cord.

 

Yes they are the deadeyes. They work like turnbuckles to tighten the shrouds when setting up the mast. I thought about using the moulded items but I was afraid of voids. These triangles are interesting, later they were round.

 

3 minutes ago, Faraway said:

Am I right ?

Green are blocks or pulleys and blue are deadeyes.

 

Correct.

4 minutes ago, Faraway said:

When 'the other one' starts, I'll PM you 😜

Jon

 

It's silly but I'd like that. You were first aboard my last two sailings.

[Faraway]

That’s the plan then, I’ll cut the joining ‘rope’ off the deadeyes and drill them.

The pulleys are moulded quite well so I’ll leave them alone.

Jon

6 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

It's silly but I'd like that.

👍👍👍

[Bertie McBoatface]

Cogs Cogges are really interesting. I've just been reading the wiki article. Who'd of thought a tubby thing like that was descended from the Viking longboats? Fatter for vastly more carrying capacity apparently, but the same shallow draft for ease of navigation and beaching. They actually were the technological marvel of their day, as @ArnoldAmbrose said above, the trading mechanism of the Hanseatic League.

 

I love the digressions I get led into on here, even though it stops my builds all standing.

[Norseman 3:16]

I will be watching this with interest - I love Cogges and have this very kit in the stash.

 

As has been said previously, I am seriously impressed with the 'range' of your projects - truly excellent!

[Faraway]

8 minutes ago, Norseman 3:16 said:

I will be watching this with interest - I love Cogges and have this very kit in the stash.

 

As has been said previously, I am seriously impressed with the 'range' of your projects - truly excellent!

Thanks. I hope I don’t disappoint.
As to my ‘range’, I just like to do something different, I’ll be back to ‘conventional’ warships in a while, there are a few in the stash.😉

Jon

[Bertie McBoatface]

 

Knowing how fast you work Jon, I thought I'd better point out a potentially misleading or even completely mistaken bit of moulding. The red arrow points to a trailing end of the lashing which goes around the deadeye. It does not go into the hole. The more I look, the more I think it's a mistake and the designers thought it went through the hole - there shouldn't be a trailing end at all.

 

 

This is roughly how it's supposed to go. The pink, red and green ropes are completely different. The green one snakes back and forth like a shoelace and are used in the same way, working the slack to the end by pulling on the middles of the six lengths in sequence. That's called sweating a rope and gets it all tight but with the loose end holding little enough tension that it can be knotted off tight.

 

The moulding of the large deadeye (purple arrow) completely disregards this system. It has that big seizing around the tensioner rope which would add a little extra pull but I'm pretty sure that is an extra and the tensioning rope would snake in the usual way.

[Faraway]

To quote a song.....‘I can see clearly now’

Cheers 

Jon

[Courageous]

An interesting subject Jon, looking forward the build.

 

Stuart

[Faraway]

'ere we go then. 

 

There is a choice of waterline or full hull, as I don't have enough foam to make a seascape I'm going to do her full hull.

So here are the 'above waterline' hull halves.

 

They have gone together nicely, with a flat plate to add some rigidity and a footing for the mast.

Below them is the 'below waterline' hull.

 

Unfortunately, the two sections don't fit together as well as they could. Never mind, filler, file and knife here I come. 

Or should that be the other way round ?

Trouble is, of course, that any shaving or filing is going to damage the grain effect.

 

After a bit of fettling the primer is applied.

And there join is disappearing. And will continue to do so, if my painting plan works out.

 

Now, coat number one of AK Interactive AK5032 'Wooden Deck'

 

My plan being, is to paint all wooden parts, meaning the whole ship, with this colour and as I don't want a perfect surface I'm doing it with a brush.

Now my reasoning for this not perfect surface is that once it is dry, I will start dry brushing a darker colour, probably Burnt Umber to slowly pick up the grain.

Another option is to use Burnt Umber oil paint all over, then start to lift it off with a course brush and white spirit, the same way I used to do propellers on WW1 biplanes, the disadvantage there of course is oil paint takes days to dry.

So I'll probably stick with the dry brushing, at least dry brushed acrylic paint dries quickly.

 

In case you are wondering what size she is.

The gods alone know where I'm going to put her when she's done ?

 

And I have my deadeye 'wiring diagram' courtesy of @Bertie McBoatface

That's where I am at the moment, just need to paint all the other parts ready for their dry brushing.

Jon

[Bertie McBoatface]

Jon, have you ever tried dry brushing enamels over an acrylic base coat? There’s some smell but not much and enamel stays in the sweet spot between too wet and too dry for much longer than acrylic. 
 

It dries overnight and in the worst case, you can take it off with white spirit without affecting the base coat. 
 

I almost envy you that completed hull! 

[Faraway]

14 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

dry brushing enamels

Thanks.

I’d not thought of that.

Jon

[Ray S]

A good start Jon! It is quite a quaint design.

 

Ray

[Adm Lord De Univers]

Fascinating, I also want one of these, but the Thomas version. (Hopefully that leads @Bertie McBoatface down another interesting rabbit hole, as payment for that helpful diagram).

 

David

[Faraway]

17 hours ago, Ray S said:

A good start Jon! It is quite a quaint design.

 

Ray

Quaint yes.
But look at what they led to in about 1000 years.

Jon

[Bertie McBoatface]

These vessels dominated Northern European trade for 200 years, keeping the Hanseatic League at the top of the political food chain. They were very capable warships too when fitted with their fore and after castles. 
 

I see them as the trains (and armoured trains) of the thirteen to the fifteenth century. 

[Faraway]

14 minutes ago, Bertie McBoatface said:

They were very capable warships too when fitted with their fore and after castles. 

I've read that these 'castles' were fitted as a defence against pirates and that the owners always tried to sail in convoy.

Jon

[Faraway]

Today has been a very messy painting day, I seem to have got the paint everywhere.

I think my bench is going to need a little bit of attention.

 

I even got some on the ship.

 

Successive washes of burnt umber seem to have worked, I'm quite pleased with this wood effect.

 

I've picked out the iron hinges for the rudder.