ChrisLBren

Thanks Larry - just did a calculation to find out the true scale of this one - ive got a book by Wolfgang Quinger "Wappen Von Hamburg 1". It states the keel is approx. 36.27 meters. My hull is approx. 91 centimeters - so using a scale calculator - 1/40 scale not 1/50 that is stated on the Corel plans. Im not sure how to correct the title of this build log to reflect actual scale.

Hey Ponto - i admired you WVH - would be great to see her again. David - I actually should throw in my abandoned Bob Hunt Fair American for a shot of all three models i still have ! Brian - i absolutely will paint the clinker green. My approach on this one is to paint her as she appeared and possibly weathered. The sculptures beg for it. I unearthed an airbrush and compressor in my storage unit - so i will paint the white stuff on the bottom of the hull. The wales will also get nails (need to figure out the scale on those). At this scale - treenails could make sense on all visible planking as well. I'm going to upgrade the blocks and rigging line with Chucks gear. The wife doesn't know - but this one will get full rig and masting. Corel did a pretty good job with this one - its fairly accurate from the secondary sources i have. Some of the pot metal fittings will need to be replaced with some carving where they dont fit my model snuggly. Im just stuck as to what to do with the area in the waist where i left off planking to show off the lower deck - the amount of beams are not accurate to the secondary sources and I didnt rig the guns below deck. At the time it seemed like a good idea - but this model wasnt really designed for this approach. So if i leave as is - im going to need to fashion the upper decks like this. Its probably best to just plank over it - any input here is appreciated, Chris

Thanks Brian - it was a bear to single plank her with those strips supplied in kit. Working with Swiss Pear on my Confederacy was so much easier. I really do have some sentimental attachment to the WVH and unearthed a bunch of research i did back in early 2000s. Just wondering as to my approach moving forward.

Thanks Ferit - I almost visited your beautiful city on our honeymoon back in 2011. Scale is questionable - on the plans it says 1/50 but I believe it shares fittings and cannons with The Berlin which is listed as 1/40 as is the WVH on most sites.

Fun comparison between a sleek Confederacy in 3/16 vs big bathtub of the WVH in 1/50

Hi Group, I emptied out my storage unit today and found an old project - WPH - constructed between 2001-2005. I hadn't laid my eyes on her since 2007. On close inspection - she's not bad. I was thinking of giving her away but now Im considering revisiting this build. I've learned a ton since then - especially on my current scratch build of Confederacy. You can see i left planks off the deck to see below into the gun deck - the deck beams are simulated and not accurate - there would be at least 8 visible based on the actual plans. So I can plank this over - which sort of screws up the but joint lines or leave as is. This was my first crack at milling my own wood - I used holly here in place of the kit supplied wood. As far as the hull - thinking id sand off the wipe on poly on the lower hull (not my favorite finish) and either use tung oil or possibly paint the white stuff to the water line. This would hide the planking at the bow - which does not follow the wales (this is a kit - and one where i glued the wales on after planking - which is not correct - but common in kit builds). Inspired by some of the build logs of the Wasa Ive seen here - id love to possibly weather her (i believe ive seen some modelers use Bitumen with varnish to age wood) which could make the kit supplied walnut planking look pretty cool. Id paint her topsides olive/hunter green, the bulwarks continue to be painted in a dark red/wine and all sculptures would be painted in life like colors (similar to the Wasa). Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated - thanks for checking her out! Chris

I use standard Minwax sanding sealer avail at any Home Depot diluted with mineral spirits 50/50 and wiped off almost immediately. Greg (DVM) swears by the water based version - even flatter than the oil based (which is hard to believe my deck on Confederacy looks dead flat with no finish whatsoever other than the caulking lines being slightly more accentuated).

Looks really nice Toni ! Chris

Very nice Jeurgen! Look forward to watching her progress. Chris

Thanks guys ! Ben as far as the wheel is concerned - I cheated - its a fitting from Caldercraft (its comprised of several pieces) and painted to look like wood. I purchased it from Cornwall Model boats - not cheap - but was very impressed with the quality. Hey Dave - i will look at Eds build about those slots. John and Joe - always great hearing from you !

Hey Gang, An update at last ! Ive rigged and installed the rear cannon as well as the ships wheel. As you can see by the profile photo - i probably should have mounted it about 1/32 further aft as the ropes arent centered on the drum. And i think wheel stand is a little too tall by maybe 1/16. Some corrections may be in order.... Stay tuned, Chris

Chris - I think this is an amazing design. Personally i've never considered a build of a Victory or building another kit. But this one has me re considering - the modeler has so many options to fully frame out decks, and add a ton of detail to customize. I do think the price tag will be high - i cant imagine this one selling for under 1600 USD

Thanks for posting Rusty - thats similar to my technique - but ive simplified it a bit further. I use the notched pieces to create the desired rectangular size of the grating. Then rather than "honeycombing" the rest with notched pieces (at 3/16 scale I'm using 1/32nd thick stock which can be delicate and break easily) - i simply use square dimensioned 1/32nd strips for the grating pieces that run vertical and rest on top of the notches of the horizontal grating pieces. Hope that makes sense ?!? Chris

Ive used 100 percent Tung Oil effectively - all you need to do is sand the area you want to glue lightly. Then PVA should do the trick. Once dry you can re apply the tung. I did this to positive effect on my Confederacy, when i needed to sand areas on the interior bulwarks to glue the pin rails.

Hey Randy, I think if you're not coppering - you might want to consider replacing the kit provided wood with some better quality wood (such as Cherry, Boxwood or Pear). The beauty of those models is a large part due to the hardwood used and the finish applied - in my opinion. Good luck with your build, Chris

Thanks Ben ! I doubt I will bother re posting build pics - Id rather spend my spare time modeling. I do have most of them in my iPhoto - so if you or anyone else building her wants photos of a specific area/phase - let me know and Ill post or P.M. them.

Hi Gang, After a hiatus due to my wife and I having twins, she's dusted off and I'm hoping to recommence this build. I've attached some not so great photos from my iphone - the idea here is just to get a log started and motivate me to get back in the shipyard - for at least a few hours per week. This build was started back in November of 2009 using Chucks plans that later were used in the Model Expo kit. The woods used were swiss pear from Hobby Mill for almost exclusively with the exception of boxwood for the decks and a little bit of ebony for the false keel and checkerboard flooring in the great cabin. Im a big fan of Fiebings dyed swiss pear and used this method for all black areas with the exceptions I just mentioned. I used three finishes, pure tung oil for the hull, Watcos Danish Oil for the deck fittings and beams, and diluted sanding sealer for the deck. My goal is to at least get the 6 lb guns rigged and installed along with the ships wheel hopefully by the end of the month so i can begin the headrails this summer if the twins cooperate.... Thats it for now - by the way the photo posts looks a bit different than the old Modelship World - any tips on the best size to upload so they look more standard/fill the screen ? Chris

Looking great Remco - still following my favorite logs while on hiatus with the twins