BUILD THE

Soleil Royal
The flagship of King Louis XIV Pack 1

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 Assembly Guide Stage 1

Hull frame, false keel

and first deck half
A
3 4
2
5

1
1A Smooth the surfaces of all the
pieces with sandpaper to eliminate
6 imperfections in the wood. Sand gently
7 so as not to damage the pieces, and don’t
forget the edges.

1 Hull frame 2. 2 Deck half. 3 Wooden strips, 0.6 x 5 x 200mm.

4 Decoration. 5 Wood glue. 6 Sandpaper. 7 False keel.

1C Check that the C

B pieces interlock, and
mark the position
of the hull frame.
Separate the two
pieces and spread
wood glue on the
contact area.

1B Before gluing the false keel, make sure that

the pieces fit together. Place hull frame 2 into the
second slot of the false keel and push it down.
E
70
m
m

1D Check, using a set

square, that the angles
at the intersection of
90° the pieces are exactly
90°. Keep the hull
frame and false keel in
place until the glue is
completely dry.
1E Prepare the 0.6 x 5 x 200mm wooden
strips to cover the deck. Cut the strips to
70mm in length with a craft knife, then
clamp a few pieces together and use a
pencil to blacken all the edges.

3
F 1G Lay the wooden G
strips onto two pieces
of adhesive tape so you
have them conveniently
to hand. Start to lay the
deck planking as shown
in the photograph,
staggering the joins
between the strips.

1F Using a spatula, spread a thin layer of

glue evenly on the deck that is to be covered
with planking.

H 1H Continue to
stick down the deck
planking, keeping the
staggered formation.
As you progress, make
sure that the pieces are
fixed down firmly. Use
a rounded handle, as
shown, to make sure that
I the planks are flat on the
deck surface.

1I Cover the deck, leaving the end portion

bare, as shown in the photos for Steps H and
J. Turn the piece over and use a craft knife to
remove the excess of the strips so that they are
perfectly flush with the edges of the deck.

J K

1J To replicate the nails in the decking, make

a dot with a pencil at each corner of each
deck plank.

1K This stage’s assembly is now complete. Store any materials that you
haven’t used, because they will be needed in future stages.

4
 Assembly Guide Stage 2

Hull frame, second deck half and two

guns and carriages
A
4
3

2 1

5
2A Sand the pieces and all edges to
eliminate any imperfections. Then check
that the hull frame 3 fits into the slot 1 Deck half. 2 Hull frame 3. 3 Wooden strips, 0.6 x 5 x 200mm. 4 Gun
indicated in the false keel. carriages. 5 Guns.

C 2C Using a set
square, check
that the angles at
B the intersection of
the hull frame and
the false keel are
exactly 90°. Keep
the hull frame and
false keel in place,
90°
until the glue is
completely dry.

2B Check that the pieces fit. Mark the

position of the frame, then separate the
two pieces and spread wood glue on the
contact area.
E

D 2D Make sure
that the hull frame
and false keel are
perfectly flush with
each other.

m
70m

2E Now prepare the 0.6 x 5 x 200mm

wooden strips. Cut the strips to a
length of 70mm, then hold the planks
between two clamps and blacken their
edges with a pencil, as in Step 1E.

5
F G

2G As described
in Stage 1, start
sticking down the
new planking onto
the foredeck, as
shown.
2F Take the deck piece from Stage 1 and put it
next to the new piece. You need to ensure that
the planking on both pieces is as symmetrical as
possible. I

2I When the glue has dried, turn the piece over and trim the excess
2H Cover the width of the deck, leaving the aft planking from the edges of the deck. On the planked side, add the pencil
edge uncovered. dots to simulate the nails in the planking.

2J Place the pieces together to see that both

sides of the foredeck fit flush together. The planks
should be staggered in the way shown. 2K This stage is now complete. Store any materials that you haven’t used, as
they will be needed in future stages.

6
 Assembly Guide Stage 3

Two hull frames and stern decorations

1 3

3A Sand all the pieces, as before.

1 Hull frame 1. 2 Hull frame 4. 3 Stern decorations.

3D Check that D
the angles at
the intersection
of the pieces are
exactly 90°. Keep
the hull frames and
false keel in place,
until the glue is
3B Check that the pieces fit together.
completely dry.

C
90°

3E Take both of
the sections of
deck to which
you have applied
planking. Lightly
sand the edges
of each piece.
3C Mark the position of hull frame 1, then separate the two
pieces and spread wood glue on the contact area.

7
F G 3G Use a piece of
sandpaper to smooth the
surface of the planking.
Sand in the direction
of the wood grain, not
across it.

3F Use a nail file to sand inside the notches

indicated. The deck must fit perfectly between the
hull frames.

3H Before fixing the two halves of the deck,

make sure that the frames fit properly in the
slots. Push the first deck half onto the frames
at an angle, then lower it to the horizontal, as
indicated by the arrows.
3I Fit the second deck half into place, as shown.

K 3K This stage is now

complete. Store any
materials you haven’t
used in a safe place for
later use.

3J Here is the assembly seen from another

angle, to show how the parts will look when
they are correctly positioned. Now remove the
deck halves.

8
 Assembly Guide Stage 4

False keel section, two reinforcements and

a deck piece
A
1

4A Sand all the parts smooth, as before.

3

1 False keel (middle). 2 Reinforcements. 3 Deck piece.

C
B
4B Turn the hull
over and place it
on a flat surface, so
you can work on
the keel without the
hull frames getting
in the way. Glue a
reinforcement to the
keel, as indicated by
the arrow.

4C Hold the reinforcement to the keel with a clamp, and leave

it in place while the glue dries.

D E

4D Stick the second reinforcement to the false keel, as shown.

Check that the two are flush with the top edge of the keel
and do not overlap. Make sure that you keep the slots in the
reinforcements (arrowed), into which hull frame 4 will fit,
aligned and clear.
4E Take the middle section of the false keel and spread a layer
of glue on the area indicated by the jagged red lines. Then slide
it between the two reinforcements and up against the other
section of the false keel.

9
 F G

4F Use two clamps to hold the assembly 4G Turn the assembly over, and put clamps
together. Make sure that all the elements are on the upper part of the reinforcements, on either
aligned correctly. side of the slot. Remove the clamps when the glue
is completely dry.

90°

4H Take hull frame 4 (Stage 3) and glue it into the slot in the 4I Take the deck piece and test-fit it in place on
reinforcements. Use a set square to make sure that the pieces are at the hull frames and keel. Apply glue to the areas
90° to each other. indicated by the dotted lines.

J K

4J Place the deck piece into position, and

weigh it down with something heavy until the
glue has dried.
4K This stage is now complete. Keep any materials you haven’t used in a safe
place until you need them.

10
 Assembly Guide Stage 5

Two hull frames and wooden strips

5A Sand all the pieces, as before.

1 Hull frame 5. 2 Hull frame 6. 3 Wooden strips, 5 x 5 x 300mm

B

D 5D Now test-fit
and glue hull
frame 6 into its
slot in the false
keel, as indicated
by the red arrow.

5B Test-fit and glue hull frame 5 into

the false keel.

5E Measure and E
mark a length of
C 5 x 5 x 300mm
wooden strip to
fit onto the lower
projections on
the inside of hull
frame 2. Cut
the strip at the
90°
marked point.

5C Use a set square to check that the

angles at the intersections of the pieces
are exactly 90°.

11
 F G 5G Fit the beam
into position
on the ledges,
keeping it flush
with the frame.

5F Apply wood glue to the lower projections of

hull frame 2, as indicated by the arrows.

I
H

5H Repeat Steps 5E to 5G to fix the beams to hull

frames 3 and 4.

5I Glue the left deck half to hull frames 2, 3 and 4 and the beams, as shown.

J K

5J Repeat step 5I to fit the other deck half

into position.

5K This stage is now complete. Keep any materials that you haven’t used in a
safe place until you need them.

12