James H

For polyurethane varnish, I've used several brands, but currently using Rustins matt varnish, which I've been diluting 50:50 with white spirit. I use aerosols for big stuff like wales and lower hulls, with Plastikote being my favourite generally, but I do like Games Workshop Chaos Black as a spray as it covers so easily. When painting smaller areas, I like Vallejo acrylics that I usually just add a tiny amount of water to so it flows easily. I also use Humbrol enamels for some areas, like blue and ochre, mixed 50:50 with white spirit. Tamiya acrylics also get used, mixed 50:50 with Mr Levelling Thinner. I do sometimes use lacquers too, such as the Xtreme Metal from Vallejo. Those are pre-mixed. Examples are the copper used on horseshoes, depth marks and fishplates etc. That stuff is for airbrushing. Of course, there's the alcohol-based Vallejo Liquid Gold, thinned with a drop of isopropyl. In short, I use many different brands and types from lacquers, acrylic lacquers, enamel, acrylics etc. Generally, whatever I have that I know will do the job.

Take a look a little up my build log on this page 😆

Ok, I wasn't going to publish this picture until the next update with the proper studio photos, but here you go!

Gold is notoriously bad for brush painting. The results are usually crap. The stuff I use (recommended by Chris) really is amazing. You can get a dipped gold effect with a brush, as long as you shake well and just add a couple drops isopropyl to a small amount of paint. It's a revelation for me.

There is a list price I have, but it's not finalised yet so will wait until Chris confirms it. There are over 30 sheets of laser cut material with this one, as well as 5 sheets of photo-etch, laser cut acetate windows, resin castings, 3D-printed figurehead and cannon and of course those three boats that sit atop it too. I can guarantee with the manual (currently around 600 photos), it'll be a whopping and heavy box!

They are also very fine, and don't seem to have the flex of the ones I normally use, which is good.

Artscale have now released some new blades for their razor saw, and these should prove very useful. Got to love the one called 'BATMAN'! 😆 I can't imagine why it's called that! These will be perfect for cutting around circular materials, or even adding panel lines too. The 'OCTOPUS' is perfect for swiping cuts with the shape of the longer edge, whilst the underside presents all sorts of possibilities. If you have the saw, then these are worth getting, and if you don't these are a perfect excuse to go shop one.

The laser cutting on the waterline marker is very fine and really needs cutting though from both sides on the tabs to make sure you don't break anything. Just takes a little extra time. Are you trying an acrylic filler with a little wood glue in, diluted of course? I apply this before any paint, and rub back and fill again. There's always more filler needed when the paint goes on though....never any luck with me in avoiding that 😆

Most definitely! I could barely stand, the morning after 🙃😆

Time for another small update. I'm currently working on the stern and galleries of Sphinx, so I can show you what I've done up to that point. The rudder is built from a 3mm pear core, with 1mm engraved pear facings on either side. This is first glued up and then the rudder pintle straps are fitted. I use cut off pins to insert here so I have the domed head on either side. Laser slots in the timber give the locations for the 'hinges' that hang the rudder to the stern post. The spectacle plate is then added and the upper straps etc. painted in black. The rudder brace straps are then glued to the hull after hanging the rudder. The pins are also then painted white and the upper straps painted black (not shown here). Onto the channels. All of these are also engraved with a position which needs to be drilled to locate the support pins. Those pins match up with holes that are laser cut into the hull, in an engraved area which matches the channel. A small break now to work on the bow area. The v-brackets and bow gratings are assembled on the hull without gluing to the hull. The assembly is then removed and finished off before finally gluing onto the hull. The various bow rails are now added, including the hawse, bolster etc. All of this will be unified later under a coat of matt poly varnish. Some shaping of these parts will need two be done, but they're designed to have extra timber to allow for any hull variations the modeller may have introduced inadvertently. Back to the stern again now. The acrylic windows are now removed, gently filed and fitted to the stern and galleries using acrylic varnish as a glue to hold them. I didn't want to use CA due to potential fogging. I know there are odourless CA types, but I just didn't have any to hand 🙃 Once dry, the white window frames were fitted using more acrylic varnish as glue. The golden pillars between the windows were now fitted. For these, I prefer CA gel as it gives a moment or so to manipulate stuff. The various rails are now fitted... Whilst waiting for things to set and cure, I painted the stern decoration. This was first primed in Tamiya fine white primer, and then airbrushed with Humbrol Matt 25 Blue. Vallejo Liquid Gold was then diluted with a few drops of isopropyl alcohol and brushed onto the stern with a size 0000 brush. The whole lot was then varnished to protect it. Lastly for this update, I completed the stove. After a coat of primer, Tamiya Flat Black was airbrushed over it, and then steel pigments applied to it before being sealed in matt varnish. The bricks were painted in MRP RAF Roundel Red, sealed, and then a light grey panel line wash applied. until next time...

I made up the test one tonight and I do like it. Nice and stable and easy to move around.

Seriously amazing! I'll be following this very closely.

I signed up quite a while ago. Hope this goes ahead!

While we're waiting for some nice laser-cut goodies coming from Italy for this build, perhaps you'd like to take a look at this link and give them your wholehearted support: This promises to be an amazing project and about as close to the actual Trafalgar that any of us could ever hope to get! Go forth! 'England Model Ship World expects that everyone will do their duty'!

Another feature of Vanguard kits is the extensive use of pear for planking, and some kits have options of maple decks too. Mainstream manufacturers don't tend to use pear due to cost in bulk production.

No, this isn't the old Bismarck kit, and there are no electrical parts like the Hachette/Agora.

Hi Chris, You'll find out all the info you need right here on MSW. Best thing to do is to follow this topic and I'll update as soon as I have first-hand information for you. If you read some purposely misleading posts on FB, they'll tell you this particular build stopped 'years ago'. due to 'bad quality materials'. You'll see it was only last August and that's because: Pandemic and Italy being crippled with it, especially in the north where Amati are and the parts are produced. The company producing the parts for Amati, did so from an unsuitable (not bad quality) material. This is now being sorted at the moment and I expect this build to be on again in a few months. Jim

That looks just beautiful. Very clean.

PLEASE share a build log with us! My own Vic will be restarting in the next few months.

A quick end of week update before I delve into the bow area and then onto the stern/decor. This last couple of days been finishing the rudder and fitting it, adding the pintle/gudgeon straps, the horse shoe/fishplates to the keel....and the channels. All channel parts are first drilled with a 0.5mm drill bit in pre-cut laser slots and then painted black (after masking joint edge). Cut-off brass pins are then CA'd into the holes. Corresponding laser holes in the sides of the hull are then used to locate these when glued into position. Once fitted, the channel knees are added. I decided to leave the char on the upper edges of these with bare pear sides instead of just hiding the shapes under black paint. Here's the work so far.

I thought I'd do another quick update as I've managed to put a little colour on things. Before paint, all the areas which would be under colour were first brushed with a little polyurethane varnish to prevent the paint soaking into the timber and looking grainy. For paint, I've used Humbrol 25 Flat Blue and Vallejo Flat Red. These are just brushed on by hand. I've purposely gone a little into the rail area so I know there won't be any areas I need to later touch up. You will still notice some areas where the channels will be fitted. I just want a solid wood - wood connection with no varnish in there. The rails are now added to the sides, making things look a little tidier. The sections over the cannon ports are part cut through with the laser, so I just snip them out. Fenders fitted: The last thing I've done is to get some paint on the quarter galleries and stern, prior to be doing the decoration within the next week. My next update should see things looking quite different. Until then...

Done!

Remember, only staff can see it. To me, I can see your membership number, so you set it correctly.

Ok, done. You also have a button in your profile which you should activate if you are an NRG member. There's a field to put your membership number into also. Only staff will be able to see the number. If members here can switch that button on and add their number, I can also add the badge as I see your number online. It makes things easier for staff.

Beautiful work and some nice info too re: skid beams.