HMS Victory by shihawk - FINISHED - Billing Boats - 1:75

[shihawk]

Hi all,i have finally decided to start a build log and hope my limited computer skills wont let me down but doing is the best way to learn.Victory will be my 3rd build and although i havent finished my CC Cruiser im at the rigging and will use it for a change now and again (excuse to leave it and start Victory) .My 1st kit was a Billings BLUENOSE 11 about 3 years ago to see if a 35 year break from building 100s of plastic kits had killed my modeling desire.They say you go back to your childhood ,and thats certainly the case with me ,i now have a fair bit of spare time and intend to spend most of it modeling .I found MSW a great help in my previous 2 builds and looking over the billings instructions i will certainly need a lot of help on this one as well .So i thought id start this log in good time before i get into difficulties.

 

Part of the reason for buying the billings victory (apart from cost) is that i want to experiment with different woods and use a natural finish where possible without paint .Tried it to a limited extent on my cruiser and learned enough to want to take it a stage further and im hoping there are enough like minded experts on this site to keep me right and point me in the right direction, im open to all suggestions / opinions / suggestions /critisms.Illnow try to put on a few pictures and hope it works, i hope to here from you all.

 

photos of new workplace and progress so far and neglected Cruiser

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Alfie63]

Hi,

 

Looking forward to following this build. Have fun and enjoy

 

Andrew

[shihawk]

glad to see the pictures came up,im learning. spent the day cutting out and cleaning parts for hull asembly.dry fitted and cut out bearding line .dont think i need a rabbit line as planks will run in at nearly 90 % .Plus the false hull is part of the main hull and covered after planking with a 1mm strip. New way of doing it to me and took a while to figure out but it may work alright ?.I need to order wood soon but wanted to build the main hull first to get a few measurements         Have decided to first plank with the 1.8 / 7mm OBECHI  provided and cover with MANZONIA on bottom hull ,wales with DIBETOU and usual yellow strips in beech .Had been thinking of lime for decking but further research points to MAPLE being a good deck material. (these may change)                                                Also made up a slip to hold the hull and copied an idea i found on this site for a revolving table ,may need a few alterations but could be very usefull to turn model  pictures if interested

Edited February 26, 2014 by shihawk

[shihawk]

Finaly got the hull glued together today,after much head scratching and searching through these glorious instructions i could find no reason not to ,so went for it .Decided the simplist way to make sure everything was in line was to dryfit the two main decks before the glue got dry.There were several guide holes and sloted pieces so i dont think i can go wrong (famous last words) and although not all the pieces were a tight fit individually when all sloted together it seemed very solid even before glue.I had visions of endless measuring ,clamping and god knows what just to get everything straight . This kit may have downsides but at least the parts fit .Now my next problem is there is no mention at all of making dummy gun ports ,as the pictures show the corners of the gunports have been laser cut plus hole in the centre for dummy barrels  but are these meant to be cut out or left as is and leave a 2mm deep dummy gun port .If so why cut the corners ? .Are the cuts just a guide for planking or are they giving the builder the option ? Or am i being bloody stupid and missing the obvious ???? I think part of my problem is i have read to many logs of CC Victorys and this is very different but i cant decide if this is a simple build or a very complicated one .last picture is of present woods i hope to use ,not to clear  Oh has anyone used black cherry?

Edited February 27, 2014 by shihawk

[shihawk]

I think im getting the way of these instructions ,Burn them and make it up as you go along .After more head scratching i decided to cut out the gunportes and deepen them as i dont think the shallow ones would look right ,this of coarse means i will have to extend the dummy cannons or buy new ones . this will all take time but will mean there is no rush in deciding on which wood for final planking .Plans have changed ,i had intended useing a dark wood for wales and light for victory strips but after some research the strips would be impossible without painting  As this will not be an authentic model anyway i reckon hull all one wood and wales something darker.Nailed on the gunport strips and although not a very neat fit they will be covered with two more layer of wood . Trying to dryfit and check everything in advance as there dont seem to be anyone else building this kit (i wonder why). maybe more pics tomorrow depends on progress.

[shihawk]

Glad to see my fellow Billings builder is back and in a great new fitted out workshop . I think ill trail behind and pick up all the info  Making a hash of this post but was trying to write under each picture .Anyway  gunport strips glued and nailed just a few spaces to fill and sand to leave ready for first planking .I thought this was supposed to be a double planked kit but i think i will have to supply the second planks myself . I decided to go with box type dummy gunports as there is no structure between the frames to work from  .Made from balsa as i have no power tools as yet ,made them up from strips and then cut to size . Seems to work ok and will be easy lined which i hear can sometimes cause problems ,Tryed extending the dummy cannons but think i need something slightly thicker  ,would like a lathe but other things come first 

Edited March 4, 2014 by shihawk

[shihawk]

 so now we are three.I m still working on the gun ports but just wanted to mention about the joint of the gunport strips at the bow  If done as the instructions surely there will be a step for the planking .Maybe im missing the obvious but as i intend double planking i decided to step the strip back in about 1.5 mm leaving a smooth run for the first run of planks .This also meant Ihad to add an extra piece of 4 mm ply to fix it to (colored in pencil in photo)Also meant i had to cut a piece out of the posts ( part 25).I hope i havent overthought this but better safe than sorry. I covered the rough side of the ply on the posts as if stained they show up 

Edited March 6, 2014 by shihawk

[shihawk]

Am still trying to figure out which woods to use for second planking .Latest thought is cherry for main hull planking . I can get a 0.5 x 4 strip localy at reasonable price but have never used this thin before and not sure if it will cause problems apart from the obvious lack of sanding depth .will the thiner strip be easier bent or will it break easier ? ,anyone looking in with views or experience your opinions would be apreciated .As this is an extra layer of planking its not needed for strength only for apearance   Think i have decided on Maple for the decks and Dibetou on the wales,Beech for gun carriages (to replace the plastic) possibly Bakopi for gunport linings  as all these are woods i haven,t used before and this was after all an experimental build . 

Edited March 8, 2014 by shihawk

[Keith B]

Hi Shihawk,

Just been browsing through your progress,and you're doing a really nice job.Remember,it's not a race! I like the idea of cutting the gunports out,but can't decide whether I can be bothered or not!

Don't worry about working with the thin 0.5mm planks when doing the second layer,it's easy to work and as long as you have done the sanding and preparation on the main planking beforehand,it won't need much but just a fine sand over before paint/varnish.

 

Keep up the good work,

Keith.

[Shipyard sid]

Hello shihawk

Yes as Keith says you are doing fine. Don't worry to much about your first planking just make sure it is nice and smooth for your second planking. Are you fitting copper plates to the hull .? Keep up the good work and let us see your first planking finished . DAVID

[shihawk]

Hi Sid ,progress has been slow due to good weather so work takes over . This was supposed to be a double planked hull but i think Billings count the gunport strips as one layer and a coat of paint as the second layer on the lower hull???!!!! .Because i hope to avoid paint i ordered 0.5 cherry to put a second layer on the hull so no i wont be copper plating .Ordered numerous other bits and pieces of timber to replace plastic gun carriages etc ,will soon run into the price of the CC Victory 

Edited March 15, 2014 by shihawk

[Shipyard sid]

Hello shihawk

I have just had a look at the plans for your ship, and just noticed the step on the sides of the bulkheads . So it appears there is only one layer of planking below the ply strips but the same planks also cover the ply strips. So not all the ship is double planked.. The planking is 1. 8mm x 7mm which is very thick. I don't think there is another layer of planking after this. Have a look at Fig 9. of your plans which confirms it. The plans done look very good at all. Good luck DAVID

Edited March 15, 2014 by Shipyard sid

[shihawk]

Sorry David for calling you Sid  . Your  comment on the plans is correct they are useless . I recently looked on the Billings site and see this kit is meant for expert builders which might explain minimal instructions , also read about a newly realeased kit which apparently has greatly improved instructions so maybe Billings are going in the right direction. I know i have complained a lot about this kit but actualy for my purposes it should work out ok  .I didnt want copper plates , i wanted to try out different woods and i wanted to add detail as i felt able  .For the money i think perhaps i got what i wanted so no more    complaining !!!  Time will tell ? I know its not meant to be double planked but feel i have to to achive the finish im hoping for .  Boyd 

[patrickmil]

shihawk, I know you wanted to go with an all natural wood finish. Have you heard of yellow-heart wood. It's absolutely yellow and might serve for the yellow stripes on your Victory. I haven't worked with the wood myself but constantly see it in woodcraft stores. Ebony or a dark wood with ebony stain might suit you for the black parts of Victory as well. I just figured I'd add my two cents while looking in on your log. I plan on tackling the Billings Victory one of these days myself and am looking in on others building the same kit.

[shihawk]

tks  patrickmil all views and suggestions are more than welcome ,and representing the yellow strips has kept me awake many nights although im a long way of that yet .Two problems i can forsee.First is timber choices at a reasonable price in the uk are restricted and i prefare to use a local source if possible for consistancy . Second is to simulate the victory strips in wood could be beyond my ability as to keep the wales in the proper place would leave the yellow strips uneven . However as i never set out to build an authentic victory in the first place some artistic interpitation could be  a solution . At present my intentions are cherry for all the hull and Debetou (a dark wood ) for the wales and although these are ordered as with so much of this kit plans could change in time .               If you are thinking of trying this kit it is value for money , all the basics are there and if built straight from the box would probably finish up a reasonable model ,but as i said earlier this was aimed at expert builders and for relative newbes like me its quite a challange .I have eventualy come to the conclusion to build my own way and with a lot of help from this site am becoming more confident  After all i will probably be the only one to see it anyway ,Look in on the other 2 builds as well they may have different opinions . keep in touch i need all the advice i can get . Have fun! 

[Shipyard sid]

Hello Boyd

Thanks for posting on my log.....don't worry at all about the wales, they will all sort later. Just get your planking done. There will be all the advice you need come the time for the wales. Display case???? Mine needs to be approx 60 inches long x 42 inches in height and 30 inches depth . Good luck with your planking, just take your timeDAVID

[shihawk]

just a few pics to update progress Went ahead and planked the lower deck with 0.5 Maple useing the pencil method for caulking , has been scraped but not varnished yet which i hope will bring up the lines a bit more  .I also planked the the insides of the hull although it wont all be seen a lot of it will be .Next pic shows a simple jig i made to cut the planking , also used it to sand the edges by putting 6 in on their edge and then for the caulking . Now another snag , compered to the cc builds i think we have a deck less which at least means less cannons to rig but as the last pic shows the hole in front of the grates where i believe ther should be a ladder bown to a lower deck is completely blocked . Of course there is no mention of this in the plans so as i see it i have 3 options .1 try to find matching gratings and cover the hole   . 2  make hatch doors to cover the holes or     3 my prefered choice is cut out the obstructions and fit ladders which is how it should be ??          Might be best to do this before i finish the hull planking as i still have some access ?

[Shipyard sid]

Greetings Boyd

Well there's nothing wrong with this . You are doing a great job, everything is clean and really smart. This ladders thing is ridiculous. What does it show or say on the plans, and is there any mention of them.??? I don't think hatch doors would look right ant it's going to be awkward to say the least to remove the obstructive ply. Anyway the best of luck with what ever you decide. You are doing really well, keep enjoying it. DAVID. Are there any other billing kit builds on the site to consult with???

[shihawk]

Morning David         Thanks for looking in and suggestions [always welcome) .Cant see any mention of this problem in the plans and from reading the other 2 logs on this build they seem to have planked over the hole with deck planks  . Im thinking why put a hole there and plank over it ,surely this cant be what Billings had in mind ? will look into ways of  fitting ladders as i agree hatch doors wouldn t look right but no panic there is bound to be a solution ,there always is  

[patrickmil]

The maple planking looks great. That is just about the most perfect shade for a lightly weathered deck. I don't really have any suggestions for the issue you are having with the ladder and possible lower deck.

[shihawk]

Hands up my mistake ,trying to fit the small grating cover over the large hole . Plans must mean to forget about ladders to lower deck and leave hole planked same as deck .Problem solved or is it ,got me thinking maybe i should still put ladders in .Nows the time if ???                              Thanks for looking in Patrick as you can see im creating my own problems now but thats all part of the fun . Im fairly happy with the deck although i picked the best timber for the main deck and there is some variation in colour which i hope wont be hilghted with varnishing  ,time will tell

Edited March 26, 2014 by shihawk

[Shipyard sid]

Hello again Boyd

I have just looked at billings plans and it shows stanchions for handrails around the openings next to the grating. Which tells me there is supposed to be a stair way in the openings next to the gratings, (see fig 18B ) this is stupid as we know. Maybe you can cut away the obstructions to a depth of about 30mm and make up a stairway with sides to slip in, and it won't matter what the area you cut out looks like as it will be hidden by the stairs. This should not be to hard to do. It's an idea . DAVID

[shihawk]

Great minds think alike  Been thinking it might be simple enough to make a false staircase    .  tks

[shihawk]

Decided i would try fitting steps in one grating and it worked out ok so will do the other one as well as a break from planking,     Wood looks a funny color in pic but looks better in real . Had been planking from the bottom but now changed and working from the top down using this layer to try and figure out the best way to go about the final planking ? Been thinking about window frames and how to get something small enough , newest idea is to try thread , havent seen it mentioned before and wonder if anyone has tried it  might do some experimenting to-morrow

[Keith B]

The steps look good mate. I haven't decided what to do yet. Your whole build is coming on really well.Keep it up!

Regards,Keith.

[patrickmil]

Great looking stairs and gratings!

[shihawk]

been wondering about how to simulate the window frames as there are no etched frames included in the kit .Very hard to get wood strips fine enough so thought on thread  .Did up a couple of samples and want HONEST opinons on what you think ? the one on the left is 0.25 and i think too fine .the right is 0.5 which seems better its also covered with a strip of light polythene (the bag the sheet of acitat came in )..look forward to any opinions??????

[patrickmil]

The window frames look good. Personally, I think the .5 thread looks better.

[Glenn-UK]

0.5 looks better. Just need to order some micro.glaze from micromart in the States so you can glaze the windows. I got some recently and was very happy with the test piece result.

[shihawk]

Thanks both for looking in, your opinions are valued . Can get Humbrol  Clear Fix which is supposed to be the same .any experience ??   Not fully happy with windows yet wondering about outer frames but no hurry ill think about it for a while . Back to planking.