by Cliff Lauzon, Sr.
1/350 HMS Royal Sovereign (ISW)
The Royal Sovereign was one of eight battleships laid down under the Naval Defense Act of 1889. This class of ship was designed by Sir William White, who was a strong proponent of the barbette system of heavy gun mountings. The Sovereign carried two thirteen and one-half inch guns mounted on turntables in armored pear-shaped barbettes projected above the weather deck located at each end of the ship.There were no shields. The ship was commissioned in May of 1892. It measured 380 feet in length and had a crew 712.
The most important requirement in the making of the Royal Sovereign from Iron Shipwrights was patience, patience, and just a touch more patience. The hull as spray painted black with an undercoat of gray. The superstructure and deck was sprayed grey with Tamaya light grey and then hand painted with acrylics from Vallejo and Polly. The mast are actual wood, and the longboats came from my own personal model ship graveyard. The rigging was constructed from used paint brushes. Thanks for looking. Any questions regarding the construction of the model please contact me at the available email.
