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I wanted to share with you my current project that I have been slowly chopping through.

Ironclad Bayard/Turenne class, ca 1880. The subject in color:




I will use Doggy Industries 1/700 resin kit as a base. At the time it came out, not much was available in French ships of the era out there. Today (2 years ago?) I would have gone with Combrig kit of Trident, but this in itself is also fun.

The ships were smaller versions of Amiral Duperre ironclads and built for overseas station. Bayard is notable for action during Sino-French wars and it is her that I decided to build. She differs to Turenne in her funnel layout if we go with most easily identifiable features. The smoke stacks are twin format, without the cowl that is added on Turenne, and have those little covers on them that look like Micky Mouse ears once they are are open. Bayard had most action on record and more interesting to build.

The kit is reviewed nicely here: https://www.modellmarine.de/index.php?o ... industries

This pic from the review shows the hull how it looked out of the box.


When it comes to the real subject, here are some reference photos:

Here she is in her white and buff paint scheme, note her copper sheathing hull bottom, built for foreign station where dry docking was difficult:


Here is the ship in her late fit, "clearly" shows the deck layout from top (only photo I found).


This the only on deck photo I found (Turenne here), looking aft, shows the walking gallery on top, a feature not built into the kit and quite crucial to add.

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The kit is so basic and with errors there and there that once you start, you need to do a lot.

For this project, I am making several adjustments:

- replace the gunports with more accurately scaled ones (but I am not opening them up this time, that I save for future work)
- redo anchor supports
- redo all porthole locations
- redo the shape of turrets
- add upper deck (current one seems to terminate at lower level, where photos show the ship had these galleries on top, they need to be added)
- add lower hull because all my models are full hull
- masts are scratch built from brass
- rear walkway added
- reshape the hull itself - bow, stern to more accurate shape

The start was to use available plans to built the lower hull. I used styrene to cut out the cross section parts and add putty in between, sand it all down, and marry this to the upper hull. Unfortunately this is where my plans ran into reality of the hull dimensions, etc. Cue a lot of work...

I start with the lower hull as thats the main bit. Scaled down paper drawing, printed it, and used it as template to cut out thin styrene cross section parts.


How it looks...


After some sanding and filling...


Now even if lower hull height is accurate, the upper half thats in resin is too tall. So I sanded that down as well before marrying the hull halves.


Then problem began, because the styrene was too thin, and it warped when the putty dried.. The keel and stern and bow did not align, it hogged to a side. So I have cut it all up and realigned. This is clearly showing I have no clue what Im doing but this is my first lower hull build, and I am learning.

Also I took care of adding a way to secure the ship to an base (dry dock style) for later using bolt-nut system. nice to have.


I finally was able to get the hull to fit that the ship looked like something that resembles a ship.



This would be great story if this is a final result... Sadly, I had to rebuilt a lot from this, may be taking 5 attempts more at making the rudder, the keel, and the bow ram... and the armor belt. For that bit, I get to later.

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Once I thought I was happy with the lower hull, I built the prop shafts. This is eyeing things, I dont have any plans just some basic disagrams. At the end of the day, I will have to guess the size of propellers (accept they will probably be a bit too small and crude) but as I weather lower hull the copper and such will distract hopefully from a shoddy appearance!

Two brass tubes, supports, and I used approx prop templates from styrene to set the size. Some putty to marry it to the hull and build connectors. At this point I also see the rudder is too small and I will redo it later on.


I began detailing the actual hull then. Using some left over PE bits (in this case, Flyhawk ammo boxes from HMS Hood) I cut up what passes as gunports in closed position, I scored them across to imitate the shut lines (later can be pinwashed) and added them in.



I also add other details that I dont have photos of but a metal wire around the gunwales, and further ports, the sternwalk and bunch of smaller doors.
It looks something like this in the end:


I also a this point fully redone the bow, fixing everything I didnt like about it (its curvature namely and how "dull it was")..

I chopped off the "nose" fully.


Cut out the negative template from plans and rebuilt it first with much thicker styrene from top to bottom, made sure it was sharp enough and straight (i didnt like that the lower hull bit curved slightly to the side no matter what i did) and thus the whole thing looks perfect now to my eye for this scale.




The detail of the bow with other small bits added looks like this:


At this point I still have the armor belt made with styrene (French ironclads had it hanging over the hull on wooden base) and it created a notable "step" that really went all around the ship and even tapered on the ends when viewed from side, so it was always a touch taller it seems at bow and stern. I tried to mimic this using styrene, it was pretty good and may be I should have kept it, but I later went with the electrical tape method as Jim Baumann does. His approach lends a lot more finesse and flexibility. That will be tackled next.

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Im jumping a bit here as I have redone few things on the hull, including those anchor storage shelves that in previous shots look oversized, but they were better than filled-in ones from the PE in the kit (looked like triangles). In reality those things tended to move in and out, storing anchor with chain or without, sort of like a table that opens up or folds, and attached on legs to the tumblehome hull. This also creates an optical illusion when viewed in photos as sometimes anchors are level with each other, sometimes one is stored higher than the other. Crazy.

So here is the added electrical tape after couple of layers of primer was applied, I noticed some incorrect placement and reapplied it correctly.


Here I have the belt painted as well in primers. I will sand it still down few more times to get the bits smoother. The tape was a little too narrow, may be 1mm more would have been perfect. I think I got the taper to the ram part correct though based on plans. There is now a "step" at bow, stern, and to freeboard, as in pictures at least. Below waterline I chose to use some putty and smooth the belt in so there is very faint outline and you cannot really tell the belt is a bit narrow. Sometimes you have to call it.


Reference:



And this is how she sits with the Anchors in place and on their newer, thinner "shelves" (if someone has the right term please tell me).


From above, we get the first view of the rather incorrect deck layout as highlighted in original post, which is the focus of my work next. This is it for now, I will be updating the thread from now on as I build, as I have caught up to where I am today.

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Good progress on an tricky starting point kit(!) of an unusual subject

just how we like it!

just one clarification...

for armour belt tape and similar I use either Trimline tapes ( glossy_





or BEC vinyl tapes Matt



and ... have a look here at the work of this gentlemen with his Solferino

https://www.facebook.com/groups/700scal ... 036336947/

some good works on that equally indifferent starting point!

... ( but sprue rigging will be much finer )

cheers
Jim Baumann

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....I buy them at three times the speed I build 'em.... will I live long enough to empty my stash...?
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IPMS UK SIG (special interest group) www.finewaterline.com

Thanks Jim, that tape would have worked great but I was too impatient to push on with the build. The subject was chosen because 1) I like how French ironclads look and 2) I needed to practice building lower hulls. I will now buy the tape you linked to have in the stash.

The Solferino you linked to was exactly up my alley and I did talk to the guy building it already when it came out. Solferino is a magnificent bastard of a ship, with a very cool hull lines below that marries a ram shape bow to a traditional hull contours of sailing ships of the era prior. A lovely subject. I wish to be back to do more of them. This one though has to be finished as having started I feel compelled to push through with it. Wish me luck!

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No worries!

also have a look at this thread about building the Solferino;

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=82601&hilit=solferino

alas much of the thread has been ruined by the photo bucket fiasco;

but the early part -- with uploaded images-- still works, and there are a few useful tips in there...

cheers Jim Baumann

Very cool and impressive work!

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Martin

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne

Ship Model Gallery

No BAYARD/TURENNE, but some splendid models of French iron-clads as displayed in the Musée de la Marine, Paris, before its remodelling: https://www.maritima-et-mechanika.org/maritime/paris/frenchironclads.html. I gather this models would be a useful reference for how the French did little details on their ships of that time.

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Eberhard

Former chairman Arbeitskreis historischer Schiffbau e.V. (German Association for Shipbuilding History)

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Yes, have those pics, very useful.

Yet to find a model where deck is covered in walkways, which is strange I think, but all those models are builder models, with early fits.
I heard that the museum now after remodeling in Paris doesnt have them anymore, except for just couple. Is that so? Did they really move them away?

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V E R Y I M P R E S S I V E

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Allô "pascalemod"

Having the same kit in my stash, I understand the amount of work needed to make the kit into a presentable model!
You have done an outstanding job so far with the hull and its detail - I will follow with interest your progresses, for joy and of course for future reference for my Bayard

Carry on!
Salut
Rui

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Ship Modelers of the World UNITE

Thank you gents for the support to plough through!

I did a little more on the kit, started to paint the main deck before adding the upper walks (stern section is a test fit). Should be good, I cant figure out why they did this - covering main deck areas, the ratlines going down through it, etc. Oh well, French ship.

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Very nice!

Amazing modification job.

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Pascal

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Call me crazy, but Im staring at Turenne with its single funnel and in black hull guise and very tempted to make a little course correction to that, instead of Bayard...
The single funnel just looks more stately, while black hull is more forgiving to my rather clumsy scratch building work.. Something to ponder on while I continue the deck, I guess.

Turenne


or...

Bayard


am I crazy, or this twin funnel layout is a bit meh looking?

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Beautiful work and much better than my out of the box attempt back when the kit came out. About the funnels and the hull, as you are going to replace the funnel anyway Turrenne's looks better. And a black hull off course. I'm looking forward to see this one finished,

Do you have pics of your attempt? I would not blame you for quitting, im just stupidly stubborn to my own detriment. I know full well that even after all the work it wont be accurate. :S

I think the black hull is happening now, same for the funnel. Just nicer appearance trumps service record. Have to decide on colors of course of the structure and so on (white or buff), and funnel (red or yellow or buff).

So far I have had a tough time nailing the paint scheme as they didnt seem to not only stick to one standard in ship design, but also to colors (or more likely Im ignorant about what each funnel color meant). I see red, buff, black and white funnels. Does anyone know what those were for? Turenne was stationed in the Med as well when hull was black.

In this painting all fun colors of funnels, even the hull bottom some look "copper" while others are "red", either showing different stages in wear or different materials. Some ships there are wooden hulled and copper sheathed and some - steel. Go figure, considering French also painted a red 1m wide strip and then hull was green below. Im super confused if I were to paint them all, but Turenne was copper sheathed, thats making it easier. Can copy Marijns method on Victory for weathering it.

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Sure. This is the point that I quit. Getting reasonable gun ports out of this would be impossible without destroying all other detail and I discovered the problems with the upper deck. Still, the PE and the main guns are nice attempts so I'm thinking of doing DuGuesclin if I ever find the time. BTW I really liked Laperouse by the same manufacturer. He seems to have had good references for that one.

Great project!

I agree that the single funnel looks a little better. But I think the biggest difference on appearance in those two photos is the rig. Turenne has a full rig, while Bayard's is reduced. She doesn't seem to have topmasts, but only topgallants directly attached to the lower masts?! She also doesn't have a jibboom, making the bowsprit very short and stubby. The full rig of course looks much more elegant.

This, unfortunately, is correct. Most of those splendid models are now in storage, safe LA GLOIRE.

_________________
Eberhard

Former chairman Arbeitskreis historischer Schiffbau e.V. (German Association for Shipbuilding History)

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