Ships rigging

[Col Gre]

I have recently found an HM Bark Endeavour online great kit but old tooling, my question/comment is Airfix supply a shroud rig to make your own rather than the moulded type just wondered if there are any pre made shrouds out there to buy

Thankyou in advance

[Ratch]

Not sure whether you can get Aftermarket shrouds. Why not have a go with the jig?

[oldmodeller]

Hi Col

Posted a reply to this under "endeavour bark" if you are still interested. Ratline jig does work but beware if you try modelling the Wasa kit. This may be in an Airfix box but it is a rissue of a Heller kit and the instructions leave a bit to be desired especially the ratline sizing. I had to measure the distance between individual deadeyes and length of the ratlines to recalculate the vertical shroud positions.

[Ratch]

Hi oldmodeller, the Wasa is not a Heller tooling, it's an Airfix original.

(1) 1972 Wasa 1.144 - - The Airfix Tribute Forum - (tapatalk.com)

[oldmodeller]

I may be wrong but in the kit I had the rigging jig was marked Gauche & Droits rather than Left and Right as in the Endevour kit. The instructions were in A3 format a-la-Heller, the part identification on some parts was almost illegible, the sprues were overlarge (by Airfix standard), and some parts of the kit especially around the stern gallery and the masthead trees were very ill fitting and needed rework or replacement. This ties in with previous assembly problems that I have had with Heller kits. Also the kit was moulded in a light tan colour peculiar to Heller. I have recently purchased the Heller Columbus set (Nina, Pinta & Santa Maria) and these are moulded in exactly the same tan colour and have the same overlarge sprues

[peebeep]

Heller would have been moulding the kit for Airfix from the time that Borden acquired Heller until Airfix was sold to Hornby. It strikes me that there is a possibility they may have tooled the jig in France when it was decided delete preformed ratlines with the classic ship kits. It may also account for the colour of the plastic if your kit was issued before the Hornby takeover.

Edit: 'delete preformed ratlines'. Doh!

[oldmodeller]

That is probably the answer then. I also have an 'Airfix' Golden Hind to build which is also moulded in heller tan with large sprues but does have the premoulded ratlines

[peebeep]

also moulded in heller tan with large sprues but does have the premoulded ratlines

 

 

They may have been leftovers from a previous run or included at a time when they were still supplying them as part of the kit package. I wonder where these particular items were made and who made them? I think the deal would be that Heller supplied the plastic parts for packaging in the UK. It's quite possible stuff such as preformed ratlines and vac-form sails were manufactured in the UK.

[oldmodeller]

This is my effort at the Airfix -Heller Wasa As I said in another post, the rigging jig instructions were a nightmare. must have made 3 or four sets before I got it right