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QuadHands are "finestkind." You'll love them. Nobody should waste their money on those near useless ball-jointed "helping hands" that you have to adjust by tightening wing-nuts. They a really junks. (And, like so many others years ago, I bought one, too! ) One thing to be careful about, though, is to make sure you buy the real QuadHands fixtures. There are "carbon copy" Chinese knock-offs all over the internet, but they aren't the same quality at all. The QuadHands uses high quality alligator clips for one thing. Cheap alligator clips are a dime a dozen and they don't hold well at all. Don't subsidize intellectual property theft. Buy the real McCoy!

Seen the main guy on tv buying restoring and selling the real versions - Wayne Carini (Chasing Classic Cars) Looking forward to following this build. OC.

I gave up on VPN since Disney+ stopped ESPN and took away the NCAA football games of me. Can´t see the point in paying for a service I don´t need or not use anymore. I was using Cyberghost for more than 6 yrs, to watch the NCAA football games of my favorite team. Unfortunately Disney (owner of ESPN) stopped the service last year here in Europe. Therefore I can´t watch any games since then, so there was no need for me anymore to use a VPN host since I don´t use streaming services and especially not foreign streaming services. Micha

Hi All Thanks for the likes.... Just a quick post setting out the bow area for planking. This isn't the way I've done it in the past but seeing as how I'm experimenting in how I can use a paper model as the basis of a wooden version I've stuck with the way the paper model is done. From left to right shows the process First I extended the formers (red lines) above the deck level with sacrificial tabs to aid in the planking around the bow above the level of the deck Next shows them fitted and I've added some 6mm ply against the spine that follows the curve of the stem post and in line with the rabbet piece i fitted in post #1 Finally I've filled between the formers with Jelutong wood. This sands quite easy but takes nails better than balsa should I need to More functional than pretty Thanks for looking in Mark

Belated happy birthday and get well soon. Micha

Pretty late here but anytime a blade or mill passes out the back of your wood piece there will almost always be tear out. Using masking tape or duct tape at the end of the cut or really anywhere the surface is exposed to the blade. helps quite a bit. Clamping a sacrificial piece of wood on the end also helps.

Thank you for the additional information. Will wait till the book arrives. Maybe I can contact the author and he is even willing to share information that is not written in the book or has plans to share. Micha

I will be one very smug and self satisfied modeler if my planking looks like that! Bravo!

You are going to love this kit, Gary. I built it long ago when it was offered by Testor's, and could often be found at deep discounts in big box stores such as K-Mart. I don't recall having any fit issues with it at all and it was beautiful when finished. Along with several other built models, I loaned it for display at a local hobby shop. When the owner sold the business, I lost my built models as the new owner claimed it as part of what he purchased. I do have another one in my stash. It came in two versions, one like yours and the other as a spyder with the top removed.

Inspired by @CDW's Ferrari 288 build and also by the way he immediately starts a new build after finishing the previous one, I present the start of my build log for the Fujimi Ferrari Dino 246gt. I actually also have the 288 in my stash but did not want to be too much of a copycat so I pulled out the 246gt. The Car: In the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, Ferrari had a sub-brand of cars named "Dino", after Enzo Ferrari's son Alfredo "Dino" Ferrari. Initially they produced only race cars for some of the lesser racing series with smaller, less powerful cars and engines. In the mid 1960s they displayed a concept car for a road car in the form of a mid-engined coupe. That concept car was well received and became the Dino 206gt. In those days the model number was derived from the engine size and type. The 206 indicated a 2.0 liter engine with 6 cylinders. Before long, they upgraded the engine to 2.4 liters, and so it became known as the 246gt. In the late 60s, this car competed with the then current Porsche 911 in terms of price and specs. The 246gt was sold from the late 60s into the early 70s, with a few minor modifications along the way. For example, the early cars had the "clapping hands" windshield wipers while later ones have parallel wipers. They also sold a spyder/targa version with a removable roof known as the 246gts. The Kit: The kit I acquired is the original version from 1986, according to scalemates.com. This is from Fujimi's "Enthusiast Model" line of kits, so it is quite detailed, including the engine, chassis, and interior, with over 200 parts. And they were not afraid to make small parts, some are literally pin head size. This early kit had some very attractive box art, as you can see below. You'll also note the "early type", indicating this is one of the early 246gt cars. Fujimi reboxed this kit many times over the years, and in later versions they included parts for both the early and later versions of the car. They also created a "curbside" version of this kit with far fewer parts but no engine detail. This kit includes opening front bonnet, engine cover, and trunk cover, giving at least a little bit more of a view of the details included in the kit. The body parts are molded in white plastic. The engine, chassis and interior parts are all gray plastic. There is a small fret of chrome parts, which I may or may not strip. The wheels are a very nice satin chrome and will be left as is. My Plans: While I like the yellow on the box art, I am more likely to paint it red, with a tan interior. As noted, the kit is already highly detailed but there may be a few more things I can add, such as spark plug wires. At least one bank of three cylinders on the v6 should be visible when opening the engine cover.

This model certainly had some challenges for you, Gary, but it looks like the end result was very much worth it. It's a fantastic model!

Mufasa: I read the section of your build when you were working with the copper foil tape with great interest. The Mamoli solution of wood chips that are stained a greenish copper color just doesn't look right to me. That part of my build is a ways down the road so I have time to think about the options. Thanks for your response. I am really enjoying your craftsmanship. Bruce

That's a good tactic! I might have to try that out myself. 😀

Hismodel shipment came in. Not pictured is the wooden deck.

Jon: Thanks for the welcome. It is much appreciated. I have been reading through all the Constitution logs. Even though they are different kits than what I have, I still glean a lot from their pictures. Even their comments about frustrations and mistakes are encouragement to me. I am still studying Bill Edgin's log since it is a Mamoli kit. He did several modifications. His experience and skill really comes through in his builds. I am not far enough along in ship building to undertake changes, I am working hard at just making out what the plans are trying to get me to accomplish. Thanks again for your welcome. It means a lot to a newbie like me.

Looks really great Chris! Andy

For those following at home, my hobby time has been a little curtailed as of late last winter. Other projects took priority and time at the bench has been limited. I'm not yet ready to get back to it, since the weather continues to slowly improve, and the outdoor projects are stacking up, but I thought I would at least start a topic as a placeholder for when I get back into model building. This particular project has come about as a result of another project I've been working on over the winter (and will be working on for a long time yet). It began with a google query made on the spur of the moment, and has since snowballed from there. To provide a little clarity, my great uncle was an officer in the 2nd Medium Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, during the second world war. He served in the Italian campaign as well as the final liberation of the Netherlands. He never spoke much of his experiences when he was alive, and even my uncles and aunt don't really know what he did during the war either. Just for a laugh, I decided to see if the regimental war diary was available online. Well, I had great success there and I have discovered some amazing stories. Cross referencing the war diary with some history books, I've been able to put things in their proper context, and I'm endeavouring to create a more readable history to share with the rest of the family. Anyway, getting more to the project at hand. My great uncle and his regiment arrived in Sicily in early November 1943. As part of the wheeling and dealing that saw the Canadian forces in Italy brought up to Corps strength, they arrived without any of their heavy equipment (no transport, no guns, just the packs on their backs). They remained in Sicily until the end of the year, before moving to the mainland in January '44. While the regiment's time in Sicily was largely uneventful, one particular occurrence caught my eye. On the evening of the 21st of November, a plane was seen to crash near one of the regiment's battery HQs: My uncle was assigned to "Q" battery, so I'm certain he was well aware, if not involved in, the aftermath of the event. The war diary recorded few details concerning the plane that crashed, including the type and the serial number. This provided a great jumping off point and I was able to find some interesting information, and a bit of a mystery. Researching the serial number, I found an online compilation of aircraft flown by the somewhat legendary 112 Squadron RAF. FR213, 42-45817 was delivered to the squadron as in July 1942, and assigned the code letters GA Q. It occasionally wore the code GA ? when used by squadron leader Billy Drake. The record I found doesn't note much else about the plane, other than it was a short tailed P-40K-5. The fate of the plane is recoded as "unknown". From my research, 112 squadron was based at a place recorded as "Mileni" towards the end of October 1943, and didn't move again until early '44. Although I can't locate the exact location, I think it was in the Foggia area. This brings up the first of many questions. If FR213 was still assigned to 112 Squadron, what was it doing in Sicily while the squadron was near Foggia (on the Adriatic side of Italy)? Secondly, it seems to have been quite an old plane by WW2 standards, almost 18 months, to still be in (front line?) operation, especially for the rough service conditions it would have experienced in the North African desert, maybe it's a good testament to the durability of the P-40 (its sister plane FR215 was struck off charge in April 1944, and some others made it until 1945!!). The third mystery is who this American pilot may be. Nothing else is noted, so was the plane returned to the USAAF (which should have been recored somewhere)? If so when? These questions aside, the thought of modelling FR213 (or at least, a version of FR213) proved to be very tempting. I will continue in part II with a description of the kit as well as some of the extras I've bought to go along with it. Andy

that gives me a start. I had the link for Quadhands work bench open when a nap overcame me. When I woke my friend had ordered it for me. She seen how small the blocks are and took pity on me!

Many thanks Druxey! That is very helpful. It is a much simple solution than I had imagined. I was obviously over complicating it due to not understanding the various lines representing the shape of the transom, so thanks also for pointing out how they represent the curved nature of that piece.

Happy birthday? 😬 Hope everything heals up quickly!

Et voila!

Apologies, had a shoulder replacement on my birthday, yesterday. Will get back with you soon. David

I do not know what helping hands cost now, but recommendations have been made here for fly tying vises. Some at the site of this link are not expensive: J.Stockard Fly Fishing

I’m not sure from where you are starting, but alligator clips are a good place. Additionally, if you have a vice into which you can secure the clip by its tail, then you can secure the block in the jaws of the clip. This eliminates the number of moving parts. Stropping becomes easy now. Enough info, or more needed? Tom

Well Captain Marvin says he is done. He left in a huff, said something about getting his little brother and coming back. Yeah what ever. Lol. Fellow Ship mate @Gabek came over to help out. He brought me out a most appreciated gift. A full set of Pilgrims, and a few Vikings. Captain Christopher Jones, is now in charge. I think it looks so cool. The figures are amazing! He made four children, two Quakers and thier wives, and eight sailors doing work and climbing. They are so nice they bring the ship alive. This guy is my favorite, he is just along for the ride. Safe and sound up here on the Mizzen sail lol He's afraid of heights. As you can see I spent the rest of the day playing Pilgrims and where I should place them . What a gift from my freind Gabe! I had to force him to take his cut of potatoes, and threw in a pumpkin and a squash lol. The whole ship justs seems to come alive. Lol. What a wonderful visit. Thank you my friend. Before he left, I started negotiating with him on figures for my Viking boat and The Sea Of Galilee Boat lol. He said Bob, whoa whoa I can't eat that many potatoes, we're going to have to up the price to include corn, tomatoes, beets and carrots too and I might have to up the price more . You guessed it...Shipping fees. The ship is alive with Pilgrams and I still have 9 Bowlines to do lol. I have the flags on , and two rope coils have been finished. 8 more to go. Also, while Gabe was here, he gave me a quick lesson on how to paint the figures. I actually painted the two Vikins with axes. He explained everything. It's pretty easy, but this will be something that gets better the more you do. So now I'm going to order new paint, and putting in my order with Gabe for all kinds of figures lol. So you can see why progress is slow lol. But she be up to speed in no time , all the figures are back in the case. Turning out the lights going to watch NHL hockey tonight, tired from all the fun two modelers could ever have. And just another fantastic memory I hope to retain for ever. This is how the Mayflower looks tonight. With just 9 Bowlines left to do. Take care my friends. More pictures soon as she sails up to the show room. Lol. Will I ever get my Bowlines done lol. Bob M. ..