Bounty Launch
The plight of Capt William Bligh has been recounted multiple times in both print and on film. The actual event took place in April, 1789, when a group led by First Office Fletcher Christian took control of the ship commanded by William Bligh, setting Bligh and a group of loyalists adrift in the southern Pacific Ocean in a small ship's launch.
Whilst the mutineers sailed on, first to Tahiti, and then later to form a colony on Pitcairn Island, Bligh and his party were left to fend for themselves, eventually covering some 3500 nautical miles of ocean before reaching safety in Kaupang, Timor.
This model was built by CaptainSteve from a kit by Model Shipways, following an alcohol-fuelled discussion with
his good friend, CaptainAndrew.
Construction began in February, 2014, and the model was completed just over a year later in April, 2015. Having become a
member of MSW by this time, the progress of this build was detailed in his build log on that site.
This was perhaps one of the most entertaining builds of CaptainSteve's short modelling career; it was also highly educational, as during the process CaptainSteve took to reading the complete log detailing the journey, as written by William Bligh his ownself.
"Say what-eth ye will o' Bligh," blathered Our Hero, "he was most certainly an harsh disciplinarian, but-eth he was
also an most accomplished naval officer, navigating the launch to eventual safety with just an sextant and set of naval charts, and
his own knowledge of the seas.
Indeed-eth, the men marooned with him owed-eth him their very lives."
To reflect the harshness of this incredible voyage, Our Hero gave the hull and internal wood-work a more weathered appearance by cutting long grooves along each plank and then filling these with graphite, before applying washes of diluted wood-stain.
By now, revelling happily in his role as a kit-basher, CaptainSteve added many details to this build reflecting the
events of the journey.
For example, the anchor affixed to the bow has only three tines, for Bligh writes that one didst break-eth off
whilst they were making their escape from hostile natives after landing to collect fresh water.
A pair of native spears were also fashioned and added, as at another time they didst trade for these from other islanders. The carpenter's toolchest and four cutlasses have been included, for the mutineers allowed Bligh to take these with him.
As well, a collection of breads, breadfruits, mangoes and coconuts were made from modelling clay; for added realism, the coconuts were coated with glue and rolled in finely-chopped hair follicles gathered from a barber-shop floor.
Lastly, four cutlasses were made from basic office supplies (file-clips and folder-card), before being added. Construction of many of these added details has been journalled in CaptainSteve's forum on MSW - the KitBasher's Guide to the Galaxy.
Whereas in his earlier works, CaptainSteve used the kit-supplied threads to fashion the rigging, for this build he was
able to purchase vastly more realistic scale-sized ropes, as produced by the Syren Ship Model Company.
"These doth give-eth an more authentic look to the model," he commented, somewhat needlessly, "especially whenst work-ething
on an larger-scale model, such-eth as this Launch be at one-to-an-sixteenth".
Cloth was supplied for making the two sails for the model, and hand-sewn.
"The stitch-ething didst tak-eth me many an day," Our Hero bemoaned, "for at the time, I hadst done-th an injure to me ownself
and were a-waiting-ething an appointment with the surgeons."
But he were to persevere and persist and, thankfully, there were but two sails to create ... "Two-and-one-half, actually", he interjected.
"For Bligh didst detail-eth in his log that they carried an spare set o' sails with them".
Okay ... so there were two-and-a-half sails ...
For added realism, CaptainSteve employed a dry-brushing technique to "weather" the sails, and even added bird-droppings along the top (splotches of white paint) ... for Bligh had logged that they were continually plagued by sea-birds as they neared shore, traversing the Northern coastline of Australia.
Although not specifically covered in the accompanying plan sheets which were supplied with the kit, Our Hero chose to fashion the rudder and tiller with working hinges, cutting the parts from tiny strips of brass. The hinges themselves measure just 4mm high.
© Pictures CaptainSteve 2021
These final two pictures show the Bounty launch as she stands today, adorning the mantle-piece in the home of Our Hero's friend, CaptainAndrew.
© Pictures CaptainAndrew 2021