JPett

Ahoy Augie Looking at your anchors, I see your skills have really progressed over this build. Not that they were in any way bad to start with. Its just you have reached a new level.

Ahoy 4Whelr A little late to this party. I found a great tip here on MSW to prevent bleeding. After taping, take whatever color or treatment you just taped over and paint the tape line. Once this dries and seals the tape line paint the other color.

Ahoy Eric Almost home. Looks good too. I too had some issues that required sanding on my hull. If it helps I took the sanding very slowly and put a finger on the inside of the planks that needed extra sanding. This way I did not sand too much. I also used PVA glue and coated the inside to strengthen these areas. It did a great job too. Read my post about this should you decide to do it. I had some concerns. PS: I used toothpicks for my treenails and would not recommend them on Basswood. Edge grain is too dark.

Ahoy Augie Does this mean its over Can we at least drag the case thing on for a month or two

Ahoy Mates I see the cup as half full when it comes to these issues. Really how accurate is the Conny parked in Mass or the Vic across the pond. As the Morgan's timbers swell, how accurate will she be. I do not hold kit manufacturers to a higher standard. Most kits today are more accurate then their predecessors and who knows maybe one day a truly accurate kit will be available. Should that day arrive I am sure the people who complain about these issues will most likely complain about the price.

Ahoy Brain My condolences on your loss. I am truly sorry to hear this.

Ahoy Hamilton Chuck has a decorative band on his English Pinnace Kit and I have also seen similar bands on the upper section of the gunwales on larger ships. I believe it is easily done by applying something printed. From Chucks instructions http://www.modelexpo-online.com/images/docs/MS1458/MS1458-Pinnace-Instructions.pdf These are printed sheets that were created on an inkjet printer. Before you cut them out, it would be a good idea to apply some sort of fixative. One approach that is effective without having to go out and buy some artist’s spray fixative would be to use some hairspray. This is an old and cheap trick used by starving artists to preserve their work. The UV protection also prevents the colors from fading over time. The frieze is just 1/8" wide. Carefully cut it out using a sharp blade. Some extras were provided just in case. There are two colors to choose from. The red friezes may be too much of the same color for some, so another set in blue was also included. I glued them to the hull with a child’s glue stick. I have three kids who use them a lot and I find they work well for gluing paper onto wood. Apply the glue to the back of the frieze strip and position it below the cap rail. Maybe Chuck can send you the file for the blue one

Ahoy Martin I think that the fact our Captains were not bound by tradition or a code as the English may have led to some interesting and innovative practices. Internet connections were really slow back then too. I am with Brain on the external sources. Premium, top shelf equals qualitiy buzz. Like my build I am on the rocks.

Ahoy Augie 2000 posts Congratz

Ahoy Brian I am wondering if there is such a thing. Maybe these ships just had a base set up and everything else was something always in transition, constantly being refined and streamlined to fit the needs of the day. This would explain all the differences. Maybe the rigging plans we are seeing are just what good riggers would have started with. Each favoring certain working concepts.

Ahoy Mates If I buy anything thats "not on sale" from Model Expo I Google for discount codes Its hit or miss but I only complete the transaction when I "hit". PS: I actually do this anytime I buy anything online, it has saved me some change.

Ahoy Mates After playing with the gun ports today I started looking at maybe doing the deck first. Not the recommended order but my thinking is with the deck in place it might be a little easier for me to align the gun ports and plank the upper half. If you recall I originally sanded my deck flat. "I thought I fixed this but I would hate to find out that I aligned my gun ports up to a misaligned deck. I already know my wales are a 1/16 to low in a few spots. This hasn't caused a problem "yet" but I am sure isn't helping either. I got the idea from one of my other kits (Constructo) that does the deck before any planking. Comments welcome In keeping with the Full Monte theme when I do "do the deck", I would like to "try" and plank the deck using black construction paper as caulking. Comment welcome here too

Ahoy Brian No need to, your word is good enough for me. Any excuse not to have to use the fittings supplied with my kit is a blessing. How is it that other industries such as games workshop can supply beautiful cast pieces but with model ships they all look like hell. I would love to just say its Model Shipsways but that would be unfair. I have yet to see a decently cast piece of britannia from any model ship manufacturer.Some are so bad that if they just supplied you with a block of wood it would look more like the actual piece then what is supplied. I will just laugh and move along

Ahoy Mates : D After installing a few ports (for the third time), and then comparing my work to both the MS plans and the Hahn plans (at the Lumberyard site) I see my current plan of action is flawed. It seems that the sills do not follow the plane of the water line but the deck (as Russ pointed out). Thankfully I did not get too far along and will only need to remove a few. Martin: Where can I find these "Lanford drawings" It seems Model Shipsways and Hahn have a disagreement as to the appearance of the small side window for the Captains Quarters. Hahn shows it as a simple framed window where MS supplies a decorative Britannia piece (that is a mess BTW) Maybe someone with the Mamoli kit can chime in with their take.

Ahoy Eddie She looks good I see you have already found that most mistakes can be fixed with alcohol. Looking forward to following your adventure

Ahoy Mates I am using my cannon jig for the correct spacing off the deck. It is the orientation of the sills that I am addressing. They follow the same plane as the waterline with their height determined by the deck. "Please" do not confuse me with some who knows what their doing either. That would be a mistake

Ahoy Jack Beautiful build, thanks for sharing I saturate these fragile little bits with thin CA to strengthen them before attempting to clean them up. Bob who I see has posted in your thread as a neat trick using paper as a kind of fiberglass reinforcement. Perhaps he will chime in. I have not tried that yet.

Ahoy Hank Perhaps you would consider doing a review in a follow up post. Just a thought Wishing you the best with your new toy either way

Ahoy Michall I find your willingness to make corrections to you kit very inspiring. You should know I modeled my treenails after what you did to here. Not sure if I should blame you or thank you for that one "lol" She looks beautiful BTW

Ahoy Mates Build Update: I am almost finished painting the wales. Almost because I have a small error to correct. It seems I am a little asymmetrical in the stern. It is a minor issue but I have decided to correct it as a learning experience. Next time I do this I will pencil out both sides and confirm symmetry before any taping or painting. Good news, the WOP does not affect the fully cured enamel paint as I originally feared making this repair and painting the gunwales much easier. I had originally tested it on paint that had only cured for 24 hours. After a week it is much more resilient. I can only guess the enamel paint reacted to the WOP used as a base extending the cure time. The next picture shows how I am currently doing the gun ports using a level. There has to be an better way. My earlier attempts had the gun port sills inline or following the sweep of the hull, not flat, like the water line. I also did not like that fact the this framework went straight across the curved areas in the bow. Not sure how exactly I will fix this. Right now I am thinking about pre-bending the wood like planks before installing them. I am also using 1/16 by 1/8 wood (not the 1/16 by 1/16 recommended) which I find much easier to work with. You can also see that I am almost finished coating the inside of the hull with PVA. I did this slowly and in sections, alternating sides when I could to prevent the contraction of the PVA from warping my hull. Dan Vadas has a repair practicum that deals with PVA contracting that caused me to give this some concern. I decided to be safe. Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to comment. Any tips on a better way to do the gun ports would be appreciated

Ahoy Brian Looking forward to seeing how you handle the rigging Its so much easier to follow "lol"

Ahoy John I like to think there is a lot of "assuming" when these plans are drafted If you get my drift

Ahoy Jack WOW You have set a new standard. This build goes beyond words Congratz

Ahoy Richard I could also recommend that after using your compressor you should open the "petcock" on the bottom of the tank and leave it open until your next use. This will prevent moisture from collecting in the tank. I usually run mine for about 30 seconds when I open it and then again before I close it. Good luck with the airbrushing. It can be a lot of fun. Full Disclosure: Just some geek who has used a compressor "a lot"

Ahoy John Have a safe trip. I hope you like seafood, your hitting some of the best places in the country for it. Its one of the things I miss here in TX. The seafood is awful out here but I will say "the Steak is unbeatable"