Structural Model Works 1 of 4

She was a fourth-rate battleship of the time, also known as 12pdr Fifties, a small battleship with a gun deck length of 131 feet (about 40m).

This class of ships was used quite a lot, and I did not dare to name the ships.

The wood used was pear wood as a main, boxwood, rosewood, and other woods. Based on the frame drawings designed by Mr. Iizawa, the hull was assembled in the orthodox way, with the stem, stern post attached on the keel, and built up upright position.

It is a full-scale structural model built by former chairman Masayuki Komatsu. It is a typical 74-gun ship most commonly built in various countries at that time, which was meticulously researched and studied by Mr. Jean Boudriot. With a gross weight of 3,000 tons, a crew of 600 to 750, 28 36-pounders on the gun deck, 30 18-pounders on the upper deck, and 16 8-pounders on the quarterdeck, a total of 74 guns, she was a third-rate battleship with excellent firepower and maneuverability.

Masayuki Komatsu spent 10 years on this laborious work. After completing the hull, he spent several days thinking about it before making a drastic cut to the hull. Thanks to this, the interior structure, holds, and cargoes can be seen clearly.

The 74-gun ship, designed for naval functionality, has a sleek and sophisticated appearance and a three-tiered gun deck that carries many cannons. Therefore, the location of deck beams and other components like masts, some of which penetrate the deck above them from the keel, are a constant struggle of anticipation, always thinking ahead in their fabrication. This time, I worked to complete the quarterdeck and stern gallery area, but I spent most of time on the large, gracefully curved rail at the end of the hull, which is characteristic of French ships, and the detailed parts around it.

She was designed and built in 1778 as a fast pleasure boat (royal yacht) for King Gustaf III of Sweden. The designer was F. H. Chapman, a Swedish royal researcher.

This model is based on a kit drawing by Corel, and the metal sculpture parts are used as they are, but the way of assembling the keel and frame, and the way of attaching the exterior panels are different from the full model. Construction began in March of this year, but completion has not yet been decided. I will continue to build it slowly, unhurriedly, and carefully at my own pace.

A modified version from the second expedition voyage (1831-36), with a mizzen mast added to make it a bark-rig. The dry-dock was raised to improve surfing ability. The steering was changed to inboard to maintain safety in maneuvering in rough weather.

The rope weaving and serving machine was modified and rigged. The project was not completed, although it was intended to be. 

It has already been more than five full years since I started working on my first structural model, a 1:48 scale structural model of the Royal Navy's Bellona, launched in 1760, as well as a complete model of the ship painted and rigged at the time, so I have a fairly clever idea of what the ship looked like in practice. However, the Conway Anatomy Series book used as reference does not describe the detailed internal structure and dimensions in many parts, and there are many uncertainties. The materials seem to have been compiled from many sources, and there were subtle errors in the dimensions and shapes of various parts, which made it difficult to create the model. In addition, the construction of outfitting parts involved a continuous process of trial and error, including the selection of construction methods and materials, and the devising of jigs and tools, which resulted in the disposal of as many rejected parts as adopted parts.

This is the fourth time for me to exhibit this work, and it has been five years since the start of production. Since my retirement at the age of sixty-five at the end of January, I have been able to produce the work every day, so production has progressed three times as much as before. The basic hull has been completed except for the sculpted parts such as the figurehead, etc. There are many unsatisfactory parts that cannot be corrected, such as the misalignment of the window frame of the stern section caused by the misalignment during the hull structure fabrication three years ago.

Since I chose 1/96, some parts, such as the window cleats, are less than 1 mm, and I had to use a laser cutting to fabricate them. The laser cutting also needs to create the data to match the hull, so it took time to create the final data by modifying the initial creation. I am planning to produce the sculpture in the future and hope to exhibit the finished product next year.

Following the Charles Yacht, Victory, and Cutty Sark kits, I decided to build this one because it incorporates some of the components of the structural model and because I considered it to be a high-quality kit in terms of both number of parts and contents. The detailed assembly instructions, which were translated into Japanese by Mr. Iizawa, were very helpful in the building process. There are two boats, which are several levels higher than the Victory and Cutty Sark boats, and I was able to make my own original components, making it interesting to build. The drawings were highly informative, not only the assembly drawings, but also the actual size drawings of the parts.