JPett

Hi Mark  
 
I will second Nigel's response. While is is a very good read for the newbie it does not answer many of the questions you had and will have as you get into planking
 
 There are some excellent and very knowledgeable responses here. As a newbie or someone who has just finished planking his first hull I remember asking myself many of these same questions. My response may or may not help.
 
The belts not only break up the job in more manageable chunks but prevent your planking from wondering. A small error in the first plank might start a wave or other undesirable effect in all your planks. It can actually compound and grow with each plank. Better that you do groups and stop this. Not one after the other but one "to" the other. These restarts will keep your planking in check. The small corrections needed within a belt will be lost in the overall job. Yes that last plank that you will need to fit between the two belts will be one of the hardest. 
 
The belts also force you to taper your planks correctly. On some ships you will need to combine two planks into one (drop plank) or add a filler. The belts will help you see this early on. There is a rule for how much you should taper a plank and its not to a point so you can shoe horn it in. There is another for the width. 
 
This is what I used 
http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/Lining%20Off%20your%20hull%20for%20planking.pdf
 
Well after I tried it my way and failed. I did substitute battens for the string chuck uses but the whole fan thing and marking off the width of each plank in each belt on every bulkhead is the only reason I was able to finish my hull and why I was happy with the result.
 
Here is a link to my instructions and the belts.  
 
http://www.modelexpo-online.com/images/docs/MS2028/MS2028_Rattlesnake-Instructions-Complete.pdf
 
Figure 6 page 10. There is a ton of info on planking too. Its a good "FREE" read for anyone new. 
 
PS: Spiling or cutting planks from a sheet is not that hard to do. You will know if you need to do it when you find yourself bending planks in both directions. 

Ahoy Mates
 
First and foremost "Welcome to my Log"
 
From the manufacturer
 
Corel's H.M.S. Victory is designed with a double planked hull in limewood and walnut, with tanganyka strips for planking the deck. All wooden parts are laser-cut to facilitate assembly. Lanterns, railings and other fittings are brass, gilded cast metal and walnut. One hundred cast metal cannon and carronades are burnished for an authentic appearance. Brass gunport frames open and close with hinged lids. Display stand, five diameters or rigging, flags and hammock netting are provided. Fourteen sheets of plans plus an instruction book guarantee a faithful replica.
 
 
I bought this kit on a whim, my shipbuilding had stalled, it was on one of ME's Super sales (reduced twice), and I was weak, in need of a fix. I had been eyeballing the kit for the last nine months, following similar builds here on MSW, pondering whether or not I would ever be up to this task (this last part is still TBA) and of course watching the price.The owners of Model Expo's recent post regarding their desire to sell may have had some influence on my decision to pull the trigger on this purchase.
 
Regardless I have opened the can and we are now officially at "doors"
 
As this will be a side project for at least the next year (maybe two) please understand future posts maybe few and far between. I have decided to tackle one of my demons on this kit and that is to build it completely using OOB rules (out of box). No upgrades, no side projects, no, I think this would be better if's, but just as Corel designed it along with a practicum of sorts here on MSW. Official OOB modeling rules do allow for painting and I might go there.
 
With that said I will start this build off with a review
 
The box is in a word "packed" and weighs about 11 pounds. Parts were well packaged and in typical Corel fashion; all bulkheads and many parts are precut and bagged. The included lumber was all first rate, cleanly cut, and I would believe "hand picked". I did not find one unusable piece in the entire kit. The Strip lumber was packaged separately in its own box; some bundled by size and type, others a jumbled assortment which will require some effort to sort and identify. Cast pieces come in their own vacuum formed organizer and most are either the gilded brass or the bronzed finish common in most of Corel's offerings. Detail is nice, a step up from the Britannia I have seen included in many other kits . Fourteen sheets ( 2 full sized, 12 half sized ) show both 2D and 3D images of construction steps and various details are included. Accompanying all this are what might be the worst instructions in the industry. Yes that little book is all you get. On a scale of 10, 0 being no instructions I will generously rate this at a 3. In Corel's defense it is listed as an advanced kit and the little book does include what could be considered a basic outline.
 
Conclusion:
Corel's version of the HMS Victory looks to be a great kit. Wood and parts are for the most part "top notch". I found one small knot in a 1mm by 1mm strip of walnut and no laser burn what so ever. I do however have some reservations regarding the pressed wood used for the stern and some trim pieces but do not believe them to be a major concern.
 
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase  at this point and would have little hesitation recommending this kit . Value wise it is untouchable.
 
　
Next on my list is to complete the inventory process, and post some close ups. If there is anything you would like to see, now would be a good time to ask.
　

I cut out a little extra on the sides so they could be folded over and clued.  As I said I was not stitching so I used sewing tacky glue.  I simply glued, tacked and placed it between two pieces of flat metal that I have.
 

Then I put on then put on the blocks that are used to raise and lower the sails.
 
 

Next came the sewing of the sails onto the yard arms.  I use a simple technique.  I'll try to explain it here.  First I simply tie on the end of the rope to the yard arm at the end.  I put the thread through the front of the sail, keeping in mind the position of the foot ropes and blocks which will be on the back side of that sail.  Then I wrap the thread over the yard arm and between the sail and the thread on the front of the sail.  So don't pull the thread all of the way through tight to the sail before you put the other thread under it.  Continue down the sail until you get to the other end.
 

This is what it looks like when done.
 

And the back side.  Again, keeping in mind the foot ropes and blocks.  Almost messed up a couple of times, fortunately you can simple pull the threads back out.

Then furl the sails.  This pic does not show my final furl.  I had to do a little tucking after I pulled it up.  You will see that in further pictures.

Next I put the fore mast lower yard arm up.  Keep in mind that this takes some work.  Be sure to look at the plans and the instructions to see the different angles of the attaching points.  It takes some time to put on that yard arm and the related blocks under the mast platform and on the deck.  It gets a little tough putting the lower blocks on at the base of the main mast with everything that is already down there.  If you are reading this and haven't cluttered that area up yet, put those blocks on now. It will save some headache later.  Also, be careful when attaching the yard arm while working around the rat lines.  You don't want to snap any lines or break the wood.  You also have to put certain ropes around the yard arm before putting in place, like the attaching blocks.  There is no way to put those threads on after the yard arm is put in place.  Again, thinking ahead. I didn't if you were wondering, but I did catch my tweezers on the shrouds and rat lines a few times.  You can also see the spirit sail brace lines now put back, properly in place. LOL

Here is the front of that fore mast lower sail.  The furling is a little cleaner now.

And here is the spirit sails.  Man there were a lot of lines to put on.  I had to add a few more pins to the front rail to make places for all of the ropes since I am adding the sails to this model.  This pic is of the spirit sail parral which is the ropes that attach the spirit sail to the jib boom.
 
 

And finally the spirit sails and ropes.  I still have to put on the jib booms triangle sails.  Pics on that will come.
 

Another angle.  You can see the inner and outer guys in this pic.  In this case I added an extra pin back by the anchor to put the outer guy ropes on.

Have finally made some headway on getting the rails installed.  I'm working from stern to stem so we began with the quarterdeck and stern rails:
 

 
All of the rails are 3/16 x 1/16 boxwood and are faced on the hull side with 1/16 x 1/16 basswood molding which was beaded using a scraper.  The camera is simply not picking this up due to the black color but it's there.  It will be more distinct on the forward railings where the molding will be natural.
 
Then stern rail was a bit of a challenge as it's a compound curve which was made by a combination of lateral and edge bending.  It would definitely be easier to fabricate from wider stock (thereby eliminating the edge bend).  But I love a challenge and needed more wood in my scrap box  .
 
Will be moving forward now as Confed competes with the great outdoors and it's associated activities.
 
 

Ahoy Daniel
 
Welcome to Model Ship World
 
The Elsie is a solid hull and an entry level kit. I would love to say that makes it easy but it only means it is easier then others. All of these kits require a commitment and time
 
I would start a log here. Read other logs, they don't have to be the same ship. Take your time and post questions, review the responses then act. The key to success with these kits is to find out first then do the work. Test and practice before committing to the model
 
Perhaps 4whelr will start a log and the two of you can work togeather to reslove any issues associated with this kit
 
Here are some links
 
"Hopeful" is a very skilled builder and has a similar build here
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/1603-phantom-by-hopeful-model-shipways-scale-148/
 
One of the Moderators did the practicum (advanced instructions) for the Sultana here (under the "Documents tab" )
http://www.modelexpo-online.com/product.asp?ITEMNO=MS2016
 
Both of these will help
 
I am new too and just finished planking my intermediate level kit. Took me over 120 hours
 
Good luck with your build; they are a lot of fun.
 
 

After emailing a few places that sell antique nautical items, I was refered to Bob Hellman who I was told "has one of the best if not THE best whaling collection in the world". Wow, did I luck out! Bob's wife Nina runs Nina Hellman Antiques of Nantucket. If any of you get out that way, please send some business their way as these are some nice people.
 
Matt's excerpt from the story about busting the keg open seems to be how it's done, but it would only be opened in an emergency. I would guess that the hoops would be tapped loose to carefully dissasemble the keg to avoid busting the lantern and getting the food scattered everywhere. This brings up the question about building a lantern keg for my whaleboat. If I have a lantern out, the keg would already be disassembled. I may build a keg anyway though.
 
The following is the info from Bob's email which he said I could share with you here. Mystery solved. Thanks Bob!!
 
 
The lantern keg contained a lantern, candles, matches, tobacco, and lots of hard bread - strictly for emergencies.  I have two in my collection.  They are built like little tapering casks, with 3 metal hoops.  They are usually 18" or 2 feet tall with two heads 8" and about 12" across.  There often is a wooden cleat at one end to receive a light line so it can be tied to the whaleboat for safe keeping.  They never had latches for opening - one opened it by disassembling it - like a cask.  Sometimes the cleat  was at the small end as in Ronnberg's drawings end sometimes it was at the larger end - as one in my collection.  See photos below.
I hope this is helpful,   
 
Bob Hellman
 

 

Ahoy Buck
 
No but I drove one once at a trade show and watched a full demo. It uses gluons to fuse molecules at an atomic level  .
 
You'll love it
 
I want one for my PE. It really is the bomb. You can solder one thing right next to the other and not melt any other solder except on the part your working on. Think tack welder meets soldering iron. It really is you.

For anyone that is using acrylics, Vallejo makes a really good primer available in white, black and grey.  It goes on smooth and provides a nice texture for the paint to stick to.  I utilize it on all my miniatures and plastic models.  I use Vallejo and Badger Minitair paints exclusively.  The nice thing is they are great in airbrushes and when I break out my brushes.
 
The Valejo liquid metals that JPett mentions above work fine on this primer too.
 
From my mini painting hobby, those liquid metals are the bee's knees.  Great coverage, and the metal flakes are very fine and produce a superior finish.  Note: You MUST thin with rubbing alcohol.  Adding any water based thinner to these will create a big mess.  But the finish of these makes the extra work worth it.  Also you can use them on acrylic surfaces without damaging the underlying paint.

Thanks to all for looking in.  
 
Managed to make some progress.  The inner bulwark planking on the quarterdeck has been completed.
 

 

 
Now we'll concentrate on getting the rails on all around.
 
Hope everyone is ready for the (long awaited) change of seasons. Here, in the Northern Hemisphere, it means a decrease in shop time as the great outdoors beckons.  But I hope you all have had a healthy and productive winter 'building season'.

Ahoy Mark  
 
I will second Augie's remark. There's a bit of work in that there pic 
 
She looks great 

Ahoy Mark  
 
I will second Augie's remark. There's a bit of work in that there pic 
 
She looks great 

Ahoy Mark  
 
I will second Augie's remark. There's a bit of work in that there pic 
 
She looks great 

Ahoy Mark  
 
I will second Augie's remark. There's a bit of work in that there pic 
 
She looks great 

I guess it's about time I did something....
 
Gunport stripe (for lack of a better nomenclature) has been sanded, re-sanded, ports cut, re-sanded some more, gaps filled and sanded again...  I've applied one coat of wipe on poly to the stripe and to the counter to protect it.
 
Anyway... onward to the port side.
 
Once the port side is finished, I'll add the ebony chain wales and the French version of the billboard which runs from the stem, past the first port to the start of the second port.
 


 
As always, feel free to enlarge the photos by clicking on them.  Any advice, etc. is always appreciated.

Ahoy Buck
 
No but I drove one once at a trade show and watched a full demo. It uses gluons to fuse molecules at an atomic level  .
 
You'll love it
 
I want one for my PE. It really is the bomb. You can solder one thing right next to the other and not melt any other solder except on the part your working on. Think tack welder meets soldering iron. It really is you.