Work on the "Actium" has been non-existent over the last few weeks, partly due to being distracted by the 1/200 Sovremenny, but mainly because I couldn't decide what to do about the deck bulwarks!
When I started the model, I intended to build it with railings on the main deck rather than bulwarks - not typical for a steam yacht, but it seemed to me that it'd look OK - but as the model progressed, I became less sure about this; apart from not being very prototypical, the lack of bulwarks made the cabins look rather out of scale with the hull (despite all the dimensions being correct) as it reduced the apparent height of the hull sides. Also, I found I had rather fewer 1/48 brass stanchions in my spares box than I thought - just about enough for the bridge deck, but no more - and buying the several dozen I needed would have cost more than I've spent on all the other materials + parts for the model so far.
However, given that I'd already planked the deck, painted the hull and glued the assembled cabins in place, I really wasn't sure how to go about adding bulwarks without damaging the model, and also wasn't sure how to fix them in place securely (after all the work I put into the deck, I didn't want to cut any of it away).
Yesterday I finally plucked up the courage to attempt building the bulwarks, and after some thought, eventually found a method that worked: I made the main structure of the bulwarks from rather thin (0.5mm) styrene sheet. This is not only easy to bend into shape, but is also thin enough to be glued onto the sides of the hull without sticking out noticeably - so no need to cut away the edges of the deck, as I originally thought I'd have to do. The 0.5mm sheet is rather flimsy on its own, but once the structural ribs are added, has enough strength for a working model.
The bulwark strips are tapered noticeably towards the bow, and slightly less towards the stern. The maximum height - a bit aft of amidships - is about 1.6mm, which only comes up to the waist of a 1/48 figure - this seems rather low, but is about the same as on the
Medea. Low bulwarks + narrow decks must have made things rather precarious for any crew on deck in rough seas!
I glued the bulwarks onto the 3mm approx. section of hull above the top strake (painted white). The bulwark strip was now "flush" with the strake as it is the same thickness, so I glued a new, wider strake over the top, covering both the original strake and the seam where it joins the bulwark, and adding structural strength to the join.
The stern bulwark section is made from thicker (1.2mm) sheet, and is angled outwards at the same angle as the flag staff. I wanted to add a wooden seat here, but it would get in the way of the rudder hatch! A very short transverse section was also added at the bow, behind the bowsprit.
I then added the vertical ribs to the inside of the bulwarks, these are made from Evergreen strip about 3mm x 1mm, and are spaced at 3cm intervals. After gluing them to the bulwarks, the bases of the ribs were glued to the deck with superglue. Next I added a 2mm square strip along the top of the bulwark interior, and a 2mm strip of 0.5mm sheet along the top of the outside. Finally, when the glue had set and everything was sanded down flat, I added 2mm x 0.5mm strip along the top of the bulwark to give a neat, flat surface, and when this had set I sanded down the corners to round it off.
I also added scupper port hatches to the outside of the bulwarks, 4 on each side. These are also 0.5mm sheet, with the hinges made from small lengths of thin strip with embossed rivet detail. The lack of holes for the bollards + fairleads (not added yet!) seems odd, but is correct, judging by the
Medea and the various steam yacht models on display in the London Science Museum; I assume the low height of the bulwarks made it unneccessary.
The bulwarks are now complete but are unpainted - they will be painted white inside, and black outside (same as the rest of the hull) with the deck-level strake painted white as before.
I also added the boom to the aft mast, this is made from a length of brass rod. I drilled a hole through the mast (copper tube), glued the boom in place with CA, then added a representation of a parrel from a slice of styrene tube. A functional parrel/joint would have been tricky to make and vulnerable to damage on a working model. The masts also need eyebolts for rigging, platforms for lights, and a bracket for the ship's bell on the main mast; once these are added, they can be painted.
The model is definitely taking shape - but still has a long way to go yet! Deck fittings, bridge instruments, railings and ladders, rigging and many other small details need to be added.