HMS Worcester, 80-gun Ship of the Line

HMS Worcester is one of the so-called 'W'-class of Albionic third rate ships of the line. The 'W'-class are the work horses of the Union, carrying the flag all over the globe, and fighting in the thickest of conflicts. They are old but sturdy vessels, and their captains take great pains to preserve them in a fighting condition.

Worcester has a sturdy build, and although somewhat slow and sluggish, she fits well in a line of battle. The model is entirely scratch-built, the only commercial attachments are the towed boat and anchors, which at one time belonged to the Revell 1/450 HMS Victory. The anchors have been shortened, and a hole was drilled where the cable should be attached.

The hull is a hollow piece of balsa, made of 6mm layers I believe, with some strengthening pieces to hold the deck. The deck itself is 1mm thick, scored with a pen not to look so flat. The bow piece is made from thin strips of card. The masts and yards are from bamboo, the sails from a piece of faux-satin polyester cloth, painted to a tan colour. The rigging is made from three different types of thread, and the cable connecting the boat to the ship is a fourth one, larger in diameter.

All in all an OK build, I especially like the way the colours turned out, but the hull is quite big and blocky compared to, for example, the Heller Le Superbe. Sanding that concave tumblehome is a very difficult job. I think my next few large ships will be modifications of the Revell Spanish galeon again, but right now every non-essential store is closed, so that's for the future.