With new Langton miniatures, there is a little work to be done before they are ready for painting. Right out of the box, the models show very little flash left to remove (with a sharp edge, by scratching the flash rather than cutting it out). However, the pewter used is a soft metal alloy and can bend very easily. It is therefore very important to check the straightness of the parts, the way they fit together, and to correct anything that looks out of shape. For that kind of work, a sharp blade and small files are your best friend.
The second thing is worth being done before any paint job is started: dril the models so as to accomodate some passages for the rigging through the hull. On the HMS Victory miniature, the location of each hole is obvious thanks to printings made by moulding. In the present case, I suspect that either the printings were not there or the moulds are worn, because I could not find any. I had to rely on the locations mentioned in Langton's rigging handbook (end of the channels for the side holes), but that is not really an issue. What could have been, however, is that a 40 gun class ship is way smaller that a three decker like the HMS Victory. Question is: is it possible to use the same bit diameter, is there enough room for holes? Answer is yes. I am using 3 sizes: 1/32", 1/64" and 3/64". The largest one is useful for the bowsprit. It is almost the same size as the bowsprit and helps to provide a socket for attaching it to the hull. It is not necessary to drill deep as you just need to make sure that the bowsprit has a un-movable and strong base of attachment. The smallest bit is used for the main mast as a way to attach the main stay and the preventer stay. On the HMS Victory I knotted them around the mast but the off scale strings make a bulky aggregate.
With the holes at the right places, the miniatures look like the pictures on the left. On the French ship I saw that the sails on the bowsprit were in the way of the masts. Since the sails are one piece with two atach points to the bowsprit, I could not bend them to point towards the right location, so I bended the bowsprit instead. Not the best solution but one that should work eventually...
Finally, I made one painting jig for each model with bottle caps. That will allow me to spray the primer and paint every part with no difficulty.
The second thing is worth being done before any paint job is started: dril the models so as to accomodate some passages for the rigging through the hull. On the HMS Victory miniature, the location of each hole is obvious thanks to printings made by moulding. In the present case, I suspect that either the printings were not there or the moulds are worn, because I could not find any. I had to rely on the locations mentioned in Langton's rigging handbook (end of the channels for the side holes), but that is not really an issue. What could have been, however, is that a 40 gun class ship is way smaller that a three decker like the HMS Victory. Question is: is it possible to use the same bit diameter, is there enough room for holes? Answer is yes. I am using 3 sizes: 1/32", 1/64" and 3/64". The largest one is useful for the bowsprit. It is almost the same size as the bowsprit and helps to provide a socket for attaching it to the hull. It is not necessary to drill deep as you just need to make sure that the bowsprit has a un-movable and strong base of attachment. The smallest bit is used for the main mast as a way to attach the main stay and the preventer stay. On the HMS Victory I knotted them around the mast but the off scale strings make a bulky aggregate.
With the holes at the right places, the miniatures look like the pictures on the left. On the French ship I saw that the sails on the bowsprit were in the way of the masts. Since the sails are one piece with two atach points to the bowsprit, I could not bend them to point towards the right location, so I bended the bowsprit instead. Not the best solution but one that should work eventually...
Finally, I made one painting jig for each model with bottle caps. That will allow me to spray the primer and paint every part with no difficulty.
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