historyguysteve

Welcome on board with the Revell Constitution!!! I see you are having trouble with the deck, hmmmmm , I wonder where I've heard that before??? So, some common solutions; REMEMBER to look several steps ahead and make immediate decisions with future steps in mind. Specifically, the deck may be warped and you may be able to fix it, however there is no real satisfactory way to solve the obvious join line going across the deck. That line has driven MANY a modeler nuts in the past. Solution, there are several producers who make aftermarket wood veneer deck applications specific to the Connie. Some are a little mmmmmm pricey. Alternatively go to the local hobby shop or internet around and get a sheet of 1/32 plywood. Carefully map out all of the features on the deck, transfer them to the sheet, use a SHARP pencil to draw on planks, CAREFULLY cut the deck out of the sheet, apply it to the plastic deck (use super glue gel not the thin stuff or 2 part epoxy spread really really thin) and you have a deck that looks GREAT and looks like wood ummm because it IS wood. This in turn solves a LOT of problems - the warp, the seam and any mold faults. A simple upgrade that I think will encourage you to proceed! Consider continuing this upgrade to the masts and spars. Wood dowels can be sanded down the the contours you need for any specific mast or spar, just use the plastic part for a template. The advantage is great appearance and resilience- the plastic is very prone to breaking at the WORST possible moment. Consider that by the time you clean up mold lines and construct the part, you could have done it in wood. The bowsprit is an excellent candidate for this simple, inexpensive upgrade. Finally, get a few books on the subject, there are MANY out there. The challenge (FUN) is figuring out how to miniaturize the way the sailors did a task and applying that to the model. The Revell Constitution is an excellent representation of the actual ship and deserves/rewards the builder. HAVE FUN That is the purpose of this hobby! Thanks (veteran of several Connie/United States builds) Steve (History guy Steve)

Tom Wow am I ever glad I peeked into this build! I have both the HMS Victory and the Soliel Royale. I had NO idea that supplemental instruction brochures were even produced! I JUST ordered them both directly from the publisher in France - the Vic is now down to one copy and the SR is ummmm sold out- I got the last one. Whew! Tom; Great job on the ship thus far, keep up the great work. A piece of advice if I may. When it is time for masts and spars substitute actual wood for all of the plastic stuff. 1) by the time you clean up all of the mold lines and paint an prep the plastic stuff you could have constructed wood yards masts and spars. 2)the parts you replace with wood will automatically appear more authentic, very satisfying I assure you. 3) last and most important. The wood is MUCH more robust; stronger, more resilient to getting knocked around during construction. The plastic will break easily and deflect as you add rigging. Oak dowels are easily available at any home center and in a wide variety of diameters, no need for a lathe. If you can use a cheap set of calipers, read a ruler and use sandpaper you are in business. I only tell you this because I just moved and now the t'gallant main on the completed Thermopylae is broken without hope. All of those stays, lifts and braces have to be re rigged. AARRRRGG! Save yourself the aggravation. I put wood spars on Sea Witch, USS United States (44), Young America and others and I urge you to consider the 'upgrade'. Thanks Steve

WOW, I have NO idea what Trumpeter was thinking of with that bowsprit. NO WAY was the bowsprit angled so far from centerline. The Anderson book is pretty correct, follow those guidelines. It seems to me that you have choices, all requiring some scratch-building. Since Trumpeter saw fit to put an access hatch on the centerline, you may be required to place the stump end of the bowsprit slightly to port but still pointed directly forward. Alternatively you could position the extreme stump end of the bowsprit just in front of the hatch (which appears to be spurious under any circumstances) and angle the bowsprit up considerably. The idea is to make the bowsprit appear to pierce the forward bulkhead of the forecastle and terminate near the step of the lower foremast. That would solve a LOT of problems and be historically accurate and be fairly simple given that you must scratch-build under any circumstances. How you will solve gammoning is a real puzzle. Gammoning is a rigging requirement. You MUST lash the stump of the bowsprit to the beakhead through the grating. It appears that you will have to remove some of the grating on this model to properly apply the gammoning. Also you must put an elongated slot into the beakhead; the gammoning will wrap around the bowsprit, go through the slot in the beakhead multiple times and be gathered in the center by more rope winding-check your resources. Allow me to finish by saying what a great job you are doing here, I'm personally excited with this build. One of the real pleasures of this hobby is problem solving. Put yourself in the position of the sailors of the time (in this case the bosun and bosuns mates who were responsible for rigging) and consider what they are trying to accomplish with every stick and rope- sailors have a lot of common sense. You have nothing but friends and allies with VAST experience on this website. Have FUN!!!

Ah-HAAAHHH! This is the old 1/96 Sea Witch made by Lindbergh- I know because this exact model is on the shelf just about 3 feet away from me. I recognized her the minute I clapped eyes to her. She is well worth saving! You were not looking for advice , so..... I'll just give you some. The plastic upper masts and yards were EXTREMELY brittle when new. The model has been out of production for over 40 years. So, the masts and yard really cannot be salvaged- they will not respond properly to ANY glue; the plastic is chemically unstable and will not hold up. Use the yards/masts as templates for wooden ones. Appropriate doweling is easily available and really inexpensive. When you consider the amount of time and effort you will expend trying to retrieve the old sparring you could have easily replaced everything with a much more robust and interesting material - wood. You do not need a lathe- just some sanding paper, get some dowels at the local LOWES or Home depot or order the stuff on any number of sites found on this website. You will almost certainly have to replace the blocks and deadeyes as well - the Lindbergh ones were really well made and historically accurate but, as with the masts/yards, are so brittle and delicate they will not function. As for the rigging.... there is really no way around it - you will have to replace it as well. Of all the things that Model Shipways, Corel, Artesiana Latina or any of the modern makers - appropriate rigging material is the one thing most get right, order the stuff up and by the time the sparring is done the rigging material will have arrived. Consider any tall ship model to be three models: the hull/deck furniture, the masting/sparring, and the rigging. You have one down and two to go. I hope this helps. history guy steve

Hi So far great job on this kit- I have this in my stash so I'm really happy to see a build log on this. A piece of advice; use the plastic masts/yards as templates for wooden ones. Just replace the plastic with wood. The reason why (ask me how I know) the plastic is already 20-30 years old and will get really brittle and positively will fail and at the WORST possible time. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤔Also consider this; by the time you reinforce the masts/spars, sand them to get rid of the seams and paint them and place them you could have used a dowel, shaped it and have a MUCH better outcome long term. Wooden masting and sparring will absolutely look light years better and will be soooooo much more resilient. I tell you plainly- replacing the masts/spars with wood is a win win- you will save time, the ship will look better, and it will last muuuuch longer. thanks- just friendly advice based on experience😃😃😃 historyguysteve

WOW... You really are cooking along with this model. It is really great to see someone do a scientific kit. They are reasonably accurate, fairly simple, yet result in a good representation of the ship at hand are of a great display size. I have this exact kit in my 'stash' and I really pleased that your building it. You will need to figure out some solution to belaying pins and pin rails, Scientific does have some shortfalls mostly due to scale and simplicity. A good reference for better rigging will also be beneficial as their rigging plan is way oversimplified.Great job!! steve

Hi Here is a little tip on weathering the deck. You've got to use pastels. They are pretty inexpensive, just get a small set that has the browns/greys that you might use. Get some cheap make up brushes or even the little nylon/plastic brushes you see and reject at the hobby store. Scrape off some of the pastel into a pile, chop it up really fine and apply with a brush. It is possible to airbrush clear flat as a fixative but be sparing or you may warp the wood deck,(Hint: that would be bad). Colored pencils might work as well but I find it difficult to get them chopped up fine enough and you definitely don't want streaks especially at this scale. Awesome job on the PE- what a difference that stuff makes!😍

I agree with Grampa Phil above. You have a large model so some creativity is involved but heat up the hull in really hot water for some considerable time not less than 5 minutes or so. Have a piece of really flat, strong material and lots and lots of clamps and rubber bands ready. If possible clamp the hull to the flat surface first, then immerse. Another tip for the small parts. Put a small amount of superglue into the hole or on an edge of a part that has been broken off, right away tip on some baking powder. The mix will set up rapidly and become really hard- harder than the surrounding resin. Then sand to finish. For a larger area or to raise a damaged edge just repeat the process adding layer upon layer. It technique works really well and is structurally sound. Have fun!!! looking forward to seeing the completed ship!

You didn't ask for my advice , so... I'll just give it to you 😇 😇Strongly consider replacing the masts and spars with wood. The plastic stuff will get brittle and therefore delicate over time. The LAST thing you want is the be very nearly finished and bust a topgallant or the jib boom! (ask me how I know) Actual wood is readily available and when you consider the prep time necessary to make the plastic spars look good (filling ejector marks, removing mold lines) you could have wood masts and spars that look really good, are more robust by far and provide a strong sense of accomplishment. Also consider replacing the rope with better quality and blocks with wood- Model shipways is one company among several that can provide wood blocks and deadeyes. The deck can also be planked- use super thin wood and gel super glue. This step will solve the problem of hiding the seperation lines of the 3 part deck. I tell you plainly; these simple upgrades are all out of proportion to the impact and appearance of the completed model. Also 'Fright' above recommended some reference materiel. I wholeheartedly concur. You don't want to get into the model, get hung up on some technical problem and be delayed for lack of readily available(and affordable) reference material. As you may imagine the super people on this site are also eager to help. I think it is important to decide early on just how far down the 'resto-mod' pathway you will go. I feel the best ship model is the completed one. Case in point- there are build logs of the Wanderer whaling ship that shows extensive modifications but the build is proceeding, DAFI is redoing the HMS Victory (Heller) and I've been following it with avid fascination for years now - progress is SLOOOOOWWWW. It is a matter of compromise as in all things. Ultimately HAVE FUN!😆😆😆

I'm must confess, I learned a lot on this build log. But.... if I was a-fishing and caught a fish that looked like this vessel..... I would quietly throw it back into the drink. And I would never discuss it with anyone. I find it very surprising that the maker of the kit chose this subject- gutsy or foolish I cannot tell but evidently a well designed effort!!! Great job on the model. Steve

These Scientific models are really underrated. With a little time and effort, and with even modest modelling skill these kits can be turned into real masterworks. I have this exact kit, so I'm looking forward to seeing the build. Have Fun is my motto- the best ship model is the completed one!

Hi Sorry i did not respond sooner As EJ_L suggested above, pin rails are shelf structures that hold belaying pins so that the rigging aloft can be secured at deck level. Channels are OUTBOARD of the hull and provide a place for the shroud/ratline s to be secured.On Sea Witch you have to construct pin rail INBOARD of the hull roughly in the same place as the channels. At this scale (roughly 1/287) you can use actual sewing pins as belaying pins. The first pin hole should be roughly even with the leading edge of the mast. Simply place a ruler across the hull lined up to the hole indicating mast location, Fore and Main only the mizzen is a special case, place a reference mark on the inside of the hull. The pin rail should have about 12 pins evenly spaced (the real pin rail had about 23 belaying pins) The pins should be long enough to protrude below the pin rail but not so long as to go into the deck. As for the actual construction of the rails itself .... use your common sense- thick enough to be strongly secured to the hull thin enough to be realistic. A very good very inexpensive reference is Charles G Davis (a famous model ship builder who actually captained sailing ships) Ship Models and How to Build Them. Sea Witch is on the cover and many of the references are to a ship contemporary of that era. I hope this helps

Allow me to give you a small piece of advice based on experience. Start planning on pin rails. Scientific usually does not provide references or material for in board pin rails, and as it turns out YOU WILL NEED THEM. The best time to figure out where they go, how to make reasonably accurate pins and get it all installed is right about now in the build. What you want to avoid is getting all of the deck furniture in, some of the lower masts and realize you have exactly no place to tie off rigging. just trying to help thanks Steve

I concur-the BEST model is the COMPLETED model; and with grampa too!! It don't GET no better than that!!! cheeeeerrrs! may the wind always be at your back!

Looking forward to following you on this journey. These Scientific kits are waaaaayyy underrated. They are inexpensive, reasonably accurate (with even a little research and basic modelling skills they can be made very accurate indeed), and they are a great display size. Looking forward to seeing a completed ship model, which, as it turns out, is the best ship model. steve