RC Sloop of War Constellation c.1856

[JerryTodd]

I started this model in 1999. It sat for something like 8 years before I got back to it. I've been working on it regularly, if not steadily since 2008.
On July 10th, 2011 it sailed on it's own for the first time.

First Sail

Lots of photos, notes, history, and a full work-log are on the site for the model at: http://todd.mainecav.org/model/constellation/

[Tom L.]

Square rigged and radio controlled; too cool for school!

[JerryTodd]

Constellation's been a little neglected as I built two other hulls; the 1:36 scale British frigate Macedonian of 1812 and the 1:20 scale Baltimore Clipper schooner Pride of Baltimore of 1981.

But recently the ship's launch was built and more work done on her 1st cutter, and the stern was given windows and decorations and really look much more "finished" now.

[JerryTodd]

After 18 years my job decided they didn't want me anymore, so they cut me loose. I knew finding a new job in this economy, in my 50's, and without a degree wouldn't be easy, but I never expected impossible. Over 200 resumes, applications, and just going in and asking over two years, and not so much as an interview. Anyway, the mortgage people like getting paid, and when they weren't they took back their house. Needless to say, the models haven't had priority for a while.

Then I was asked by the director of the real ship if I would display Constellation at the Baltimore Port Expo back in mid-May (2014). I've never done a model show or public display of my models, but I wasn't busy, so I did it. They had a pool of sorts set up, and four or five modeler's showed up and sailed around in it. It was generally too shallow for Constellation and in her unfinished and jury-rigged state, I wasn't going to sail her in the open waters of Baltimore harbor with the breeze blowing around 15+, so the model stayed "anchored in the pool and I talked to folks that asked about her. One such person invited me to take her to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Model Boat Expo two weeks later.

These folks hold this event every year and have a model sailing club on site - so it's run a bit more smoothly and their "pool" is deeper. There were also a lot more visitors to this established museum, then there were to a beat-up old dock out in Baltimore's dying industrial sections.

I took all three models; Constellation, Pride of Baltimore, and Macedonian, though only Constellation was capable of sailing. A lot of people were very interested and asked a lot of questions, mostly about my construction methods - since Macedonian's bare hull was there to show it off. It was quite enjoyable, a very nice museum that I hadn't been to since 1979, and only an hour down the road.

Inspired a bit, I went to work on an improved control system for the model's sails. The square sails winch servos would be mounted on slides that would allow springs to move the entire servo to take up the slack in the braces as the yards were adjusted. The arm-type servo got semaphore arms to control the jibs up on the bow, while the arm itself controlled the driver sail back aft. The whole operation was mounted on a single tray that fit better through the model's main hatch and is more easily accessible. Two such trays were built, one for Constellation, and one for Macedonian. Pride will get a different arrangement. The only problem is the new winch drums I made for Constellation were packed away, and I haven't been able to find them yet, meaning I may have to make new ones.

Looking at the pictures of Constellation sailing at St Michaels, I got the notion to make the last portion of her masts. With a lot of my tools still packed away it was a challenge to turn some square sticks into tapered, round spars, but I managed to rig her with her t'gallant poles.

My 12 x 30 shop is history now, but I'm moving into a 14 x 20 garage. That's 80 square feet less space, but stuffing 20 pounds into a 10 pound bag is what my life is about now. Everything is in, but almost nothing is set-up to use, though I just rearranged the place and made room to put Constellation on her bench where I can work on her. This was prompted by a friend that just built a 14 foot skiff and gave me his left over epoxy which I'm going to use to seal and glue the sub-deck on Constellation. This is a major milestone in completing the model, as a lot that needs to be done is waiting for the deck to be installed in order to happen.

As always, more pictures and details can be found at the model's Web Site

[ModelMonkey]

Brilliant work, Jerry!

[JerryTodd]

The shop doesn't have heat and it was a long cold winter. Before it set in the subdeck was fastened down, filled, and glassed. The 3/16" square bass strip planking was cut to length and waiting, but it wasn't till April 5th that I got back to work on the model - since then it's been moving along nicely as I prep to take the model to another Port Expo in Baltimore May 18th.

Access hatches installed, deck was laid, cap rail installed, hatch coamings, hammock rails, and just yesterday the catheads went in.

All the details are in the worklog on my site

[JerryTodd]

Invited to bring the model to the Baltimore Port Fest on May 17th, by way of a flyer announcing the model would be there, I had to hurry to get her dressed for display...

Getting ready for the Baltimore Port Fest

She looked good, got a lot of attention, but did little sailing as the pond was too shallow.

At Port Fest 5/17/2015

"sailing" in the pool

Too deep a boat in too shallow a pool, but here's all the "sailing" video combined...



Afterward it was back to work making;

The drop-panels forward (portion of the bulwark that folds down for the pivot gun to fire).

Making forward drop-panel bulwarks

The entry port panels, made by tracing a photo of the original, printing it on a color printer, and gluing it to a piece of basswood.

Entry port panels

The "new" winch drums for the yard braces vanished during my last move and I've yet to find them, so I had to make new ones. They got an extra pair of drums for the tacks of the coarses, ie the lowest sails on the fore and main masts.

Making new winch drums

While searching for something in the mayhem that is my shop, I happen upon my engraver and got the idea to engrave the trailboard carvings into something, then pour resin into that to make the trailboards. Here I'm experimenting using clay. It looks promising.

Experimenting with the engraver to make head carvings

[JerryTodd]

Stuffed her into the car...

Stuffed in the car.

and took her out sailing...

Some video...and she's really sailing this time!

[ModelMonkey]

[JIM BAUMANN]

very good!

lots opf long hard work!


JIM B

[JerryTodd]

The aft "folding bulwarks" were built, the forward ones fixed to the hull, and the support rods made and glued in place. This should keep the fellas from falling off the deck.

Inner framing clamped on

Outer sheathing applied

A coat of paint

Gluing on the forward bulwarks

Support rods on the forward bulwarks

Support rods on the aft bulwarks

Some other videos of the model

26 minutes of nail-biting suspense! The full length video of the model's maiden voyage in 2011.


All the video I know about of the model "sailing" at the Baltimore Port Expo in 2015.


A slideshow of the model's progress from start to present.

[JerryTodd]

She's going to sail at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St Michaels Maryland on May 19th 2018

She'll be setting all 17 sails (weather permitting) and she's set up so I can easily reduce her down to 7 sails in just a few minutes.

[JerryTodd]

Under-weigh on the Miles River Maryland, May 2019

[JerryTodd]

Got a 3D printer at last and I've been working on models for Constellation;

A boat howitzer for the launch, and new pivot guns with all their details modeled in
A few other items will get printed, such as boarding steps, blocks, carved entry port boards, binnacles, head carvings, pin rail balusters, crew figures, and whatever I can think of. All of this has to be modeled in 3D from scratch as there's little to nothing out there in 1:36 scale for this period of ship.

[JerryTodd]

Printed, and printing some stuff for Constellation:

Two anchors and boat howitzer all in 1:36 scale

1:36 scale Boat howitzer printed

Pivot gun getting zapped with UV to cure the resin

Three of four anchors printed

[JIM BAUMANN]

Those 3 D prints look lovely!--

I guess--for a working model--they are quite light also...?


JIM B

[JerryTodd]

Those 3 D prints look lovely!--

I guess--for a working model--they are quite light also...?


JIM B

Thanks Jim
The first try was with the gray stuff that came with the printer. The supports separated almost at the start causing the flukes to deform.
The gray stuff was also heavier than this translucent resin by maybe a third, and the translucent resin is noticeably stronger.

Deformed first attempt

The wheels are for a friend's model schooner that's 1:24 scale-ish, with Constellation's boat howitzer, and all four anchors.

Anchors, gun, wheels

[JerryTodd]

Got another bottle of this strong resin except in gray this time and finally got a good print of the pivot guns after making a new higher-poly, smoother, gun barrel in the 3D software.

[JerryTodd]

I started painting the guns by brush, but I think I need to find my airbrush.

A smattering of paint

Made a rail with pivot mounting points for the boat-howitzer in 3D.
Here's the launch and it's gun all painted up and the gun glued in place. The carriage will get tied in.
The gray sticks are oars, and there's some spars, sails, and rudders to put in both boats yet.

Launch and cutter approaching completion

I modeled the pin rail stanchions, or pilasters, a while back, but printed new ones in the strong resin. Then I modeled the rail with the belaying pins in one piece.

Ivan models the foremast pin rail with 3D printed rail and pins, and stanchions, or pilasters.

The mainmast pin rail with 3D printed rail and pins, and stanchions, or pilasters.

Found some Civil War era sailors hanging around on CG Trader and scaled them to 1:36. I printed them as they came to see how they'd look. There's a hole in the resin vat's "FEP" and the tiny bit of resin that leaked blocked the UV light and so they didn't print out that great. I intend to alter some files to get a few more poses and lose the pistols and such. Some will be altered after printing. I still need a few officers and some 1850's Marines. I asked the artist about that and they're thinking about it. In all I expected to have between 20 and 30 figures on deck and in the rig so she won't look like the Marie Celeste sailing around without a crew.

Found Ivan some help (now most of the heavy work is done).

[JerryTodd]

Printed more crew figures, basically the ones that didn't get printed, or didn't print correctly with the first batch. With Ivan and his comrade from the Soviet Naval Troops kit, this makes 19 and a cat, out of the 40ish I intend to have.

The skylight got new panels with more detail and better sized.

I modeled and printed the Night Lifebuoys to hang on the stern. I got drawing of the ship back in 1999, showing the ship in dry dock in 1859 that showed these things, but I had no idea what the drawing was intending to show (I doubt the artist knew what they were either). I finally figured out what they were and made the best models I could with the details I had.

I modeled some studded chain for the anchors and got them to print without bonding the links together. All four chains, and a shackle to attach them to their anchors are printed and painted.