Jump to content

Coca by DavidG - FINISHED - Amati - 1:60


Recommended Posts

I decided to get back to ship modeling. In a 10+ years period I always had something to build on my desk (namely a Billings Mayflower, Corel Prins Willem and the Occre Diana), while the birth of my older son in 2009 brought the end of the woodworking. Kids, time, space, work, other priorities.. probably you know.

But the time has came, and I looked for something really simple. No guns. No painting. Not too big, to be able to finish in reasonable time. Visible progress even in an hour. Not aiming for the perfect model. Just to work with the wood, and have some relaxing time. The Amati Coca, a relatively new offering, advertised as a beginner kit just fits the bill.

The kit is based on the famous Mataro ship, and will look like as the Amati picture shows:

full_110.thumb.jpg.0410c54fad08a335255fdf4ca4674b08.jpg

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

as it is not unusual these days, MDF parts used for the frame. The fit of the part is prefect, the result is pretty rigid. And heavy, compared to the size.

two formers lock the frames on both sides of the keel, they also set the alignment for the false deck beams. These beams will stick out from the ship's sides.

IMG_2991.thumb.jpg.873a98db62694902a5345e38462cd21e.jpg

I used toothpicks to hold the plywood deck in place, they worked pretty well.

IMG_2992.thumb.jpg.b1ba8af03c3430d9e895e665cddc8899.jpg

 

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

then on to the deck planking. 0,5x8 mm, unusually wide strips used, very similar the Occre second planking material. The upper beams on the frames make some areas difficult to reach. 

I liked the aged look of the deck in the instruction pictures, and applied a coat of stain to the deck, to be sanded back later. While I like the result in general, I overdid it. Should have diluted the stain, as it was pretty thick. I gave the deck a thorough sanding on the visible areas, and left the covered part as they are - will not be visible and sanding below the beams is an awkward job anyway.

IMG_2996.thumb.jpg.7af2749d43baf3ff6edcc96e04263be1.jpg

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the inner bulwarks to be planked next with 1mm strips. Now, that's a fiddly job between the bulkheads. There are 14 segments to do. Some MDF parts stay visible (like the two short bulwark posts ) - at this stage probably they can be cut off without the risk of distortion, I just chose to leave them as they are.

IMG_2997.thumb.jpg.cfaefdc26edfb69aeb8efa7c016d7cb6.jpg

In the last days I made some progress on bulwark planking, but this is close to the actual stage.

Next task will be fitting the rear deck. So far, this is three weeks of evening work, 1 -1,5 hours, ~4 times a week.

 

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome back to the best hobby, and a nice looking build

Its all part of Kev's journey, bit like going to the dark side, but with the lights on
 

All the best

Kevin :omg:


SAY NO TO PIRACY. SUPPORT ORIGINAL IDEAS AND MANUFACTURERS.
KEEP IT REAL!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the build table

HMS Indefatigable 1794 by Kevin - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - Feb 2023 

 

 

HMHS Britannic by Kevin 

SD 14  - Marcle Models - 1/70 - March 2022 -  Bluebell - Flower Class - Revel - 1/72   U552 German U Boat - Trumpeter - 1/48  Amerigo Vespucci     1/84 - Panart-   HMS Enterprise  -CAF -  1/48     

Finished     

St-Nectan-Mountfleet-models-steam-trawler-1/32 - Completed June 2020

HMS Victory - Caldercraft/Jotika - 1/72 - Finished   Dorade renamed Dora by Kevin - Amati - 1/20 - Completed March 2021 

Stage Coach 1848 - Artesania Latina - 1/10 -Finished Lady Eleanor by Kevin - FINISHED - Vanguard Models - 1/64 - Fifie fishing boat

Link to comment
Share on other sites

welcome back to ship modeling David.  I am really happy to see you are doing Coco,  I love this period and have been thinking of giving this kit a try myself, looking forward to following your progress,  by the way you did a great job on Prins Willem.

John

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

future build: to finish Mary Rose

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8507-mary-rose-by-tarbrush-scale-172-1545/?hl=%2Bmary+%2Brose

 

 

completed builds:  Constructo Steam Launch Louise

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you for the warm welcome and likes.

after planking the bulwarks, I fitted the upper deck. the plywood templates needed some minor adjustment.

this the raw planking of the deck. I will try to be more subtle with the weathering, but still keep some consistency in the look. I have to experiment on this.

IMG_3020.thumb.JPG.70e43d31a834573ce66aebfb4bd12fb7.JPG

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

then planked the bulwarks. as the bulkhead extensions stay as they are, each segment must be planked individually. this takes some time. in the bow area I used a paper template to get the angles right.

IMG_3040.jpg.8b2f94e086f7a4a6d04dc087cd1f979b.jpg

Edited by DavidG

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

while the instructions call for finishing the upper part (build the railings and second plank the bulwarks) I decided to do the hull planking first. I divided the hull into 3 belts, the middle one was the trickiest due to the pronounced round shape. The kit supplies 2x4 mm basswood strips for the job, good quality and well cut. The soft wood easily bends after soaking for ~10 minutes.

The only watch out is the planking around the false deck beams. They are perpendicular to the bulkheads, and do not follow the deck line. The 4 mm strip is not the best choice to plank around 5 mm beams, fortunately I had some 5mm spares. The small triangular gaps are fine at this stage, but I have to do a better job during the second planking. But for now I will sand the hull, and make the railings.IMG_3042.jpg.2745a2f221a0104b52fbd727db84d445.jpg

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice kit u got, there! Getting front row. 😊

 

Edited by Vivian Galad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

great pictures Jan, thank you.

 

Vivian, you're welcomed, I read your story in another post and happy to see you back.

 

Geoffrey, good luck for your build. I'm not a pro modeler by any means, but please ask if I can be any help of you. This is a well made kit, the hull shape requires some time to get over, but once you got the rhythm of it, it goes smoothly.

Edited by DavidG

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

time for an update - I post some before/ after pictures of sanding the first planking. The picture of the finished raw planking is horrible, in real life it was much more acceptable, I even decided not to post it last time:

IMG_3041.jpg.21d75d5360c3e504ab94fb7aa388bb82.jpg

I left the hull on my terrace table, and I did some sanding whenever I was out. For several days, progressively finer sandpaper. The hull took shape nicely, I had to stop myself at the end, remembering this is only a first planking and doesn't need the finest polish.

 

The hull after sanding shows a striking difference:

IMG_3053.thumb.jpg.2aa92f20f0d80bfc5b2ba90670520d1c.jpg

IMG_3054.thumb.jpg.fc69e3bf557c49042c2a40fbd75fa94c.jpg

 The last photo shows the arched lining of the forecastle, which continues as railing over the bulwark. The last task before the second planking is to fit the rear rails, as precut plywood pieces.

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

.. which do not fit at all. I don't know why. Either a build or design flaw, I need a workaround. Nothing too complicated though, on one side I salvaged some part of the kit piece and used a planking strip to extend it. On the other side, I edge bent some 2 and 1 mm strips from my reserves (2x2mm + 1x1mm, to be precise), glued them side by side, forming the rail. This is glued into place finally.

IMG_3055.thumb.jpg.5724e6c20a073ebb9ad97527573f6a1c.jpg

The picture also shows the weathering of the upper deck, much lighter and more subtle than the lower one, while it doesn't really come through on the image.

The second planking is the next task on hand. I will follow a similar, 3 belts approach like I did for the first one. Already made some progress, yet to take a picture.

best,

David

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

here is the progress I made in April on the second planking. The second belt is almost done on one side, and started on the other one.IMG_3128.jpg.99bbd6cab7fc4149745aa6bf4274d849.jpg

despite the small size of the hull, planking goes very slow (as usual). This is my first try on scale planking, but the severe bends on both ends would make it too difficult to shape the plank precisely anyway. Each plank segment needs to be pre-bent. This slows down the process considerably, I can do 1-2 planks per day.

The 1x5 mm planks provided have a lot of room for later sanding, but they are a bit too massive for this size of the hull. My planks are clamped to a former overnight, than use PVA with spots of CA to hold the plank in place.

 

IMG_3129.jpg.f5dcde4fdc564a8cd444acc0109069ed.jpg

The above picture shows my process, I place the tapered, bent planks to either sides of the row, than fill in the middle with full width segments. The second planking of this middle belt seems to be the most demanding part of the build, I hope to finish on this weekend, and than move on to the upper parts.

 

Edited by DavidG

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 9 months later...

a long overdue update to log.. works slowed down a bit last year behind buying and extensively renovating a house, but the model is not abandoned. I finished the planking last summer, and I was able to do some small-scale work, like carving stanchions and other bits. Now I have a dedicated space to work, still not a full workshop but a craft desk in my working room, so works can catch up and I think I can finish the model before summer.

 

a couple of (not so good) pictures of the current status, with the planking is done (if I ever choose to plank a ball, I feel prepared..)

the rudder assembly next, shold be done for the end of the week.

IMG_3910.jpg.383ed6337fed156b490e773888984053.jpg

IMG_3909.jpg.77faa9d84ca0085547d3f33792bea4ed.jpg

 

Edited by DavidG

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the parts for the rudder are made. the giant rudder is a planked mdf precut piece. The pintles and gudgeons are soldered. I still have to varnish the hull first, at least around the sternpost, than I can fit it to the ship. In the background, the silver soldering paste I used. It sticks to the surface and makes the task easily managable.

 

 

IMG_3911.jpg

Edited by DavidG

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

had some time last week to work on the model. first, attached the rudder.

IMG_3931.jpg.d26143447b9b48ce2ed82235b2b605c3.jpg

then built the deck superstructure. there is some detail carved to the posts, but they become almost invisible after the rails are attached.

IMG_3932.jpg.0420132eda951a7274c55ceeba3b457e.jpg

currently assembling the forward rail structure. I lay down the bottom rail first, glue it to the deck to provide some gluing area for the posts.

IMG_3933.jpg.4490c04af2391ccb2f5c4d17aae49380.jpg

finally an overall picture of the hull as it's current state

 

IMG_3934.jpg.972b1c40686bc062fe49538b59508c70.jpgactually there is not much work left on the hull. But will have to spend some time with smoothing out the details, fill the cracks and sand the edges smooth before applying the finish. I also have to make a new stand instead of the temporary cardboard one, as I lost the original in a recent house move.

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I had some spare evenings recently and finished the model.

So, a quick summary of my overall thoughts.

A nice little ship, not too difficult to build. Not having a lot of time, I wanted to build something which shows reasonable progress in even a couple of hours work, and this kit definitely met this demand. The model itself is quite simple, not too much of anything, but sufficiently maintains interest. For most of the time it is an excercise in planking. Plank the bulwark, plank two hull, plank the deck - most of the build is done. The only watch out is the hull shape - while the whole construction is really suitable to beginners, the severe bends are challenging at times.

The kit supplies ramin dowels for the mast and spars, they are fine, but I changed them to walnut to maintain a uniform colour. Apart of it, I built everything out of the box. Here goes some pictures of the finished model:

 

IMG_4237.jpg

IMG_4233.jpg

IMG_4234.jpg

IMG_4235.jpg

IMG_4236.jpg

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...and the ultimate question at last, what to build next.?

I have a couple of options.. An unstarted Vanguard kit, from the first production batch. While it's the ultimate project, and finally I have the space to build it, still not sure to take a 5+ years commitment. Probably I could build the Coca over the same time needed to frame the gunports on the 74.

Other option is to finish my half built Occre Diana, which is so heavily modified, I can not call it Diana any more. I have the hull almost ready, however have some details which now I don't like and needs change. Then to mast and rig the ship, a year long project to say.

Or start another quick build.. there are some nice little kits out there..

 

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very nice work, David. I don't know how I missed this one - I love carracks and would normally have followed the build. But you've done an excellent job and she looks just like the Mataro ship (well, maybe a little newer 😉)

 

Steven 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have this kit and have as of yet started it.  Yours turned out most excellent.  I have a old Ships of Scale mag's, that covers this vessel with scale drawings and scratch building it.   Amati did a wonderful job designing this kit that they market as a beginners kit.  We all know what that means, as long as you have a few under your belt.  The hull shape as you have pointed out is not so easy to plank.  But you just got to love the pot belly shape.  Amati did their home work on this one, but there is a interesting detail they did not do, the upper main deck on my plans of the vessel show a hearing bone lay out of the planking.  Research showed the idea for this as practiced was to add strength to the upper deck area, or so as I understand it.  Anyway, will catalogue your build to refer to when I decide to build this wonderful little cargo ship.

Rick 

Neophyte Shipwright

Wisdom:  When all else fails, read the instructions!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you Rick. while I built this out of the box, there are several great examples of builders supporting their build with proper research, and correct the simplifications of the kit (like the upper bow planking, correct mast top, etc). Woody Joe makes a bit more elaborate version of the same ship (link) The kit is pretty straightforward to build, the only thing I would change is the installation of the deck beams, which are added in a very early stage in the build. The protruding beam ends are very difficult to nicely plank around. I see no reason to do that, the beams could be added once the second planking finished, with the rectangular openings left open during the planking.

good luck to your build.

Past builds: Prins Willem,  Amati Coca

Current Build: Occre Diana

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...