Blue Ensign

Completion of the Main Wales Everything went fairly smoothly, the trickiest part is the last short plank of the lower strake which has to be shaped and follows the curve beneath the counter, but even this is fairly painless given the 1mm stuff which bends easily. Had I thought about it earlier I would have done the Upper deck with the correct top and butt planking for the outer four strakes but I had advanced the deck planking too far by then. Something to bear in mind for the future. Hope this looks fairly matched port and starboard, too bad if it isn’t at this stage, there’s no going back. I am satisfied with the sheer of the wale. Joint gaps that are a little too wide will be filled and re-scribed for the caulking, but thankfully there is not much of that to do. How well defined the top and butt will be once the wale is blacked I don’t know at this stage but I’m hoping the joins will show thro’ the black paint. How that translates to photos remains to be seen. B.E.

Considering Top and Butt Main Wales As mentioned previously the depth of the wale is a scale 12mm which is fine. In considering Top and Butt some 2mm of the overall depth of the wale is lost using the standard 4mm strips because the lower two strakes are tapered to half their widths and the middle strake has to start with a 2mm plank rather than 4mm. The rules for Top and Butt are one edge is straight, each end tapers to half its width with a short taper one quarter of the length in, and a long taper to the opposite end. In each case a long taper meets a short taper at the butt where two such planks meet. I first needed to work out the plank lengths in relation to the hull, and decided as follows: Top strake: First plank from bow 130mm = 27.29’ (Short taper =32.5mm) Middle Strake: First Plank: 65mm = 13.’ (no taper) Lower Strake: First Plank: 97.5mm = 20.5’ (short taper = 32.5mm. This gives around a seven foot shift between the butts on adjoining planks. In order to achieve the overall 12mm depth of wale and given that the top strake of 4mm stuff is already fixed I am going to have to use 3mm stuff for the initial middle strake plank, and 5mm stuff tapered to 3mm for the rest. Looks like another order to the Model dockyard. Here’ s my rough sketches and a mock up to get a feel for the layout. About 16 planks cut top and butt will be required to complete the wales and whilst waiting for the timber to arrive I need to work out a method for replicating accurate cuts. The general run of the planking can be seen here with the short and long tapers. One of the problems with doing Top and Butt is that the whole arrangement may disappear under the sanding and painting, the trick is to have it apparent but not too much so. The width of the wale is now up to the scale 12mm. This modification is not too difficult to do and adds a little more authenticity to the build. All that is required are a few wider walnut planks, a ruler and a fresh scalpel. B.E.

The top Strake of the Main Wale is fixed. I cut a little mortise in the stem to rabbet the strake into to assist the hold. Quite easy to cut into the stem, a piece of Walnut cake one might say Fixed with ca the strake presented no problems, individual plank lengths of 130mm will be marked and scribed. I prefer to do this where a plank follows a sheer so that an even curve is obtained. Getting the wales to look right is a critical part of the build and it is a relief once the top strake is in. If I had a criticism of the plans it would be that an extra drawing should have been provided bow shot on purely for the wales position at the stem. The only drawing of this view is cluttered with other fittings. So crisis over, I can now progress to seeing how well I can cut Top and Butt planks for the lower two strakes. B.E.

Fixing the Main Wales. In the kit these are represented by (3) 1mm x 4mm walnut strips, 12mm o/a. This incidentally accords well with the Swan book drawings. I had thought of using the black strip but this would need laminating so I have had a change of heart and will use Walnut. I had been pondering for a while my decision to mark the top line of the wale using a black strake over which the wale would fit. Increasingly I had thought that where the wale meets the prow it rises too far up the stem although that was its natural lie. In the Swan books they refer to the ‘apparent reversal of the sheer curve’ where the wale appears to flatten as it rounds the bow, mine didn’t seem to flatten at all. Nothing for it but to remove that section of black strake which may otherwise appear above the repositioned wale. I was pleasantly surprised and a little relieved at the ease with which I was able to remove the sections of the black strakes. In about an hour the job is done and the forward section is fitted with boxwood strip, just a little sanding and filling of the lower edge which in any case will be covered by the wale. Nobody likes going over old ground but there is very little that can’t be rectified when working in wood and I mention this to demonstrate the point. The new wale line is marked by the tamiya tape. The next major question is whether to just slap the three strips on or go for a little more detail with Top and Butt for the lower two strakes. The top strake can in any case be fixed and this will be the next job. B.E.

An update on the paint saga. I really wasn’t happy with the pinky purply look of the enamel red ochre I had used for the Spirketting so I hunted out a pot of the water based version to trial on the bulwarks. Here’s the result. The shade difference can be seen here between the bulwark and the bulkhead piece. This is the shade I had envisaged, a deeper darker colour bordering on dried blood in tone. Now happy with the colour I will leave the final coating until after I have drilled for the gun tackle rings and cleats etc; and have painted the insides of the ports which will be approached from outside the hull once the sanding sealer has been applied. Couldn’t resist putting the deck fittings in place to see how it looks. B.E.

Having done a comparison between the false fixed blocks and the separately inserted versions I think no real benefit is gained either in appearance or function for the effort of making the separate blocks. The final piece of the jigsaw along the inner bulwarks is now fitted, the angled face of the waterway thro’ which the scuppers are fitted. This along with the Spirketting has been coated in Red Ochre, the rest of the Quick works will be done later once I have finished messing about with the ports. The scupper positions have been marked and drilled, I have gone with the Swan books and fitted seven along the hull including the larger Pump dale and Manger scuppers. They are quite small at scale, 1.5mm ø for the scuppers and 2mm ø for the Pump dale and Manger scuppers. All the scuppers except the Manger scupper outlet thro’ the Black Strake (which isn’t black in my case) ; the Manger scupper seems to outlet between the first and second strakes of the Main Wale so this will be fitted once the wale is in place from the outside only. The bulkheads up near the bow prevent a more accurate representation. Decided not to risk the angled drill thro’ the hull from inside to out, seemed fraught with difficulties in getting the scuppers all in line on the hull, I opted for the safe option of drilling from outside. I’m still pondering on the question of the scupper flanges, I’m sure something will come to mind. (hopefully) Don’t know why but the Admiralty Red Ochre strikes me as having a distinct pinky look to it, more so than on my previous builds, leaving me to wonder whether it could be tad brighter. Maybe it’s the contrast with the Boxwood planking, that will disappear once the whole bulwark is painted, I’ll have to reserve judgement until then. B.E.

Spirketting Some 1mm thick limewood strip is used for the Spirketting, divided into two planks where it shows in the waist but otherwise a single strip. Above this three strips of 3.4mm boxwood forms the Quick works with some 4.5mm stuff to form the top planking below the rail. For the sake of clarity and neatness I am thinking of using some 1.5mm quarter round styrene strip, flattened off, for the angled face of the waterway thro’ which the scuppers will be cut. Port side Spirketting and partly completed Quickworks planking. All this will be painted Red Ochre when the time comes. Two items not previously mentioned are the fixed blocks to take the Fore sheets and Spritsail sheets, (Double sheaved fwd of Gunport 4) and the Main Tacks. (Single sheaved aft of Gunport 2) These should go thro’ the bulwarks so that they can be removed for replacement. They do however lie flush with the internal and external planking. On the Starboard side I have tried two methods for the fitting of these, the aftermost larger double sheaved block I have allowed for separate fitting with a hole cut thro’ the bulwark to take the separate block. For the smaller single sheaved block I have cheated a little by fitting a representation of the block face on the inside and simply scribing the face on the outside planking. The sheaves are then drilled thro’. Before I fit the Port side I will decide whether the effect of separate blocks is worth the extra effort involved. The fixed block in progress Alternatively the kit rigging plans show simple holes drilled thro’ the bulwarks just beneath the rails to take the lead of these lines. With the inner planking all but completed I can verify that the thickness of the bulwark above the Spirketting works out at 4.1mm which equates to 10.4” and seems to accord with the drawings in the Swan books. Perhaps more importantly it looks right to my eye. It is the very devil getting clean lines around the ports both Gun and Sweep, so as an aid I will take a series of close-up photos that I can relate to each port showing where the scalpel needs to be applied to square them up. I am finding it quite difficult by eye alone – we shall see how successful it is. B.E.

As a small diversion from the seemingly endless port linings, I have returned to the stern to progress the internal area and prepare as far as possible for the stern gallery fitting. The remaining item in the Great Cabin is the Rudder head trunk, a version of which I have cobbled together from bits of boxwood. This feature is visible thro’ the centre light of the stern gallery. The internal bulwarks within the cabin area will be whitewashed to reflect what little light there is but even so very little will be seen within the Great cabin. The main purpose of giving depth behind the glazed lights will however be achieved. This is a good point to do a little preliminary work on the Rudder and check its fit up thro’ the counter to the deck. A bearding has to be put on the forward face of the rudder, effectively to allow it to turn whilst fixed close to the stern post. This is not mentioned in the kit instructions but is a necessary modification. This having been done and its movement within the rudder trunk checked , it may be put aside for a while. The gallery fit is not too bad and only the minimum of fine tuning will be required. The join lines between the gallery and counters will effectively be covered by the mouldings. onwards, ever onwards B.E.

A small but important milestone in the build - time now to remove the three bulkhead extensions in the waist. No problem with the aid of a veneer saw and the foresight to partly cut tho’ the pieces from outboard before the first planking. This allows for a clean cut and no splintering. With the extension pieces removed deck planking can be completed. I have fitted a waterway plank along the exposed waist. This is scaled to 4.5mm at the widest point. The waterway is divided by a hooked scarph. The decking has now been completed allowing for the inner bulwarks to be progressed. Once the inner bulwark planking has been completed the deck will be scraped and sealed with flat varnish. Bulwark thickness The Swan book drawings would suggest 11½” depth at the port stop which equates to 4.5mm at scale although it does diminish in thickness at the port top to 10.4” As touched on in my previous post I have used 1.5mm lime-wood strip to line the inner bulwarks, later to be faced up with stuff for the spirketting and 0.6mm boxwood strip for the quick works. First layer of Limewood planking. An exercise in pure frustration... Opening up the sweep ports whilst trying to keep them nice and square. For this job the model has to be lifted to eye level, and it is a long., slow, and tiresome business, how lucky modellers are to build models sans sweeps. Still some way to go with the sweep ports. How one is supposed to line sweep ports with an internal measurement of only 3.3mm square I can’t get my head around at the moment Before the second planking is applied the port stops have to be fitted as the spirketting runs up to meet the back edge of the stop and the quickwork planking runs over the side pieces. There is not a lining to the upper edge of the port. According to the Swan books the thickness of the Port stops is 1½” which equates to 0.6mm at scale, the boxwood strip is just the right thickness for this. The Swan book also suggests that all the ports are lined not just those with lids. The kit instructions make no mention of such niceties, maybe ignorance is bliss afterall. Looking at the gunports with a little more concentration as I line them, I note that the aftermost three ports are some 2mm narrower than the others although the same height. This threw me for a while until I checked the plans which confirmed the relative sizes. Still puzzled tho’ because the Swan book drawings seem to show all the ports the same size. I am not at this late stage inclined to adjust these latter ports. This is the most fiddly part of the build thus far and there will I suspect be a lot of finishing work involved to make the ports look presentable before any paint is applied. B.E.

Baulking at the Bulwarks My attention over the past week or so has turned to the bulwarks and the planking thereof. There are quite a few things to consider if slightly more detail is to be included beyond simply planking up the top. What scale plank lengths are to be used – I have decided on 28’ planks = to 135mm. Where do the scuppers emerge from the hull - not on a plank join I hope, except for the pump dales. What width planking is to be used, I know the black strake is 10” wide which equates to 3.96mm but should be slightly wider than the remainder of the planking. I have therefore gone with 4.5mm for this first plank to be fitted above the Main wale line, and 3.4mm thereafter. How does the sheer strake fit in relation to the gunports, a modified planking arrangement may be required at some points. Life would be much simpler if the kit plan was followed, but where’s the fun in that. First up the Black strake, which is not necessarily black, and on my Pegasus I am fitting it as a boxwood strip. Around the area of the Gunports wider planks have been used to meet the top or bottom edges of the ports where otherwise thin slivers of planking would result, these planks then taper back to the standard size of plank. With the Black strake fitted attention now has to be given to the stern. The counter has already been planked, but there is a gap between the lower counter and where the stern gallery pattern fits. This needs to be attended to now so that the side planking can run over and cover the end grain of the counter planking. The kit blurb suggests just planking this over, using the kit 1x4mm stuff but beyond this has little to say on making up the stern pieces, and a degree of trial and error is required to get all things to fit together properly. This part is quite a tricky little operation, making this Upper counter to fit with the right camber to meet the bottom of the stern gallery at the right height. The shape was taken directly from the plans and transferred to a piece of stuff used as a backing piece for the planking. Once satisfied with the shape it is glued to the stern extensions and top of the lower counter. Constant checking with the stern gallery pattern is required. When fully satisfied the pattern is again transferred to a boxwood strip which is glued over the top. Planking then continues. Above the Black wale four strakes of 3.4mm stuff fit between the gunports and sweep ports. This is a fiddly area of the build, I prefer to fit and clear the ports as I go along rather than almost plank over the openings and trim back later. The remaining space in the waist is completed by the addition of the Sheer strake. This has an interesting feature, a hooked scarph in the centre of the waist which I have attempted to replicate. This was cut from 6mm stuff as 4.5mm was barely wide enough to meet the waist rail top. This did mean that the two hooked scarph planks had to be reduced to 4.5mm planks where they butted at the Foc’sle and Qtr deck points to match the planks forward and aft of the Sheer strake. The position of the butts above and below the strakes between the ports has been taken from the Swan books drawings. For the purposes of this model I see no point in marking out the frames specifically as the number of visible butts are quite few. A final squaring up of the ports and sanding is now required before a coat of sanding sealer is applied. I can then move onto removing the waist bulkhead extensions and complete the deck planking. B.E.

Second Planking completion So just over three months from the laying of the keel the lower hull planking is completed. I will spend a little more time fussing over the sanding and filling any tiny little cracks that are apparent. For this I use the model lite filler with a few drops of yellow ochre and natural wood acrylic paints to simulate the boxwood planking. I am fairly satisfied with the result and can now start to think about the bulwark planking. Just to show that it didn't all go smoothly........ One sprung plank caught me out. B.E.

To Spile or not to Spile – a no brainer really Once a strake refuses to sit flat even with a taper it is time to spile. Some lateral twist is possible with 0.6mm planks, but to force it into position with lateral twist is not a good idea. Even if the glue can be made to hold, the problem will be repeated lower down, and with only 0.6mm planks to play with I cannot afford to sand out the difference. Small spiles have been used at the bow but along the Starboard side a larger gap appeared which needed to be rectified. Tamiya tape is placed over the gap, cut to shape using a scalpel, applied to a planking strip, and the pattern cut out whilst the plank is wet. The spiling plank in place, barely noticeable. Planking now continues to completion. Looking a little rough but only a light sanding will be required to smooth everything down. Final push The two planking lines converge, and I am pleased to note that gaps Port and Starboard remain constant. At this point odd shapes start to appear in the planking line which will necessitate a little spiling. One advantage of using bought in planking is that different widths are available, which allows for larger than standard plank widths which are better to cut spile planks from and avoid too many very narrow pieces of planking. What you see here is my version of a spile cum half stealer arrangement. The plank is cut to fill the space and at the stern the half stealer is cut out and fitted as a separate piece. Might cause the purists to shudder but hey the whole thing is to be covered by copper plates. On this build I have used 4.5, 6.0, 8.0, and 10 mm plank widths for the second planking, with the standard being the 4.5mm plank. At the sharp end the remaining space is a little too narrow to fit a standard plank without a sliver being left to fill in further along the hull. The answer is a Drop plank which allows the final remaining space to be filled with two planks of similar breadth. The remaining space is spiled using the Tamiya tape method and the resulting plank is halved to make the two planks. The Spiled plank cut out. The spile plank has been halved and is fitted as two separate planks. Remaining space for the final plank. The final piece of the jigsaw is put into place. B.E.

Second Planking As a first step I fixed a length of 4.5mm black strip which is effectively the top line of the wale. The wale will later be built up using black strip over this and the two strakes below. The rest of the main hull planking is done in Boxwood strip. At this point I have also attached the stern post having taken the first planking on the bearding line as thin as I dare. The lower counter was then planked using 4.5mm black strip. A moulding strip will be fashioned to cover the join of the lower counter and the hull planks. Very little sanding is required to bring the planks flush with the stern post. The garboard planks were next fitted using 8mm strip, planking then proceeds. I decided against cutting a second rabbet at the stem, using the thin boxwood strip made it unnecessary, had I used the provided 1mm stuff then a rabbet may have been required, and would be easier to cut. The planks at the bow hold well using thick gel ca. I dampen the hull a little to accelerate adhesion. B.E.

The stern counter has now been fixed, and I now need to blend the stern timbers into the counter allowing for the planking yet to be applied. The broken plank from my little accident can be seen on the Starboard side For some obscure reason Amati have chosen to leave a gap between the stern counter and the stern gallery piece which they just suggest is planked over. This will have to be done in conjunction with ensuring the stern gallery piece is properly aligned. I’ll return to that later. Marking the wale position is a critical part of build and it is very important to get this right. Using the plans the measurements were taken from the top of the gunport pattern (as suggested in the blurb) at each port and transferred to the hull. Tamiya 10mm tape was then used to position the wales both Port and Starboard. In practice where the hull meets the stem the wale top is right on the line between the gun-port pattern and the top planking strake, it is on my Pegasus anyway. Measurements were then taken on the plans from the gunport bottoms to the wale top and checked against the tape position on the hull. A minor adjustment from gun-port six aft was required both sides. At the aft end the wale seems to take on an interesting profile where the planking starts to go under the counter, according to the Swan book this is how it should be. For the second planking I am using Boxwood strip obtained from Original Marquetry. One of the advantages of using non kit wood strip for the second planking is that differing widths can be obtained which is a great help. B.E.

One of the things I found with the Gunport strip was that it had tiny irregularities along the length where it was pinned to the bulkheads. These needed a small amount of filler, but very little filler has been required overall. One thing to note is that the hull is handled a lot during the sanding process, and I don’t think I would have liked to fit the deck fixtures and deck beams prior to this stage as suggested by the instructions. The dust marks on the Upper deck, would mar nicely finished gratings and fittings, and there is a real risk of damage to the beams. I think I've had enough of sanding now, I'm going to do the blind feel test, and in the absence of anything significant - I'm moving on. The next job up will be the marking of the Main Wale, and fixing of the lower counter. B.E.

That sanding business I forgot to say in the previous post that Amati had provided more than enough lime wood strip to do the first planking even given my usual excessive use of such material. The planking was of good quality strip with clean edges, and uniform thickness. I did initially have reservations about the 1.5mm thick first planking but I think it is probably needed to allow for adequate sanding. For sanding I use those flexible sanding pads in different grades, along with profile sanding sticks and home-made sticks and blocks with the paper stuck to them with either pva or super-glue. For filling I use Model- lite filler which dries quickly and sands easily. So the burning question that has been occupying my mind over the past four days is how smooth is smooth enough. I may be in danger of not knowing when to stop and end up sanding away the entire planking. I think I may be getting a little obsessive about it. My main concern apart from sanding out the joint ridges was to re-establish a bearding line at the stern. A considerable amount of material has to be taken off to allow for the second planking to lie flush with the stern post with only a light sanding. You can see here how much tapering at the stern was necessary. Near enough a mm per side was removed where the stern planking will butt up against the stern post. It’s amazing once you start this process how many irregularities keep popping up. Just when you think you have it sorted the light catches yet another little bump or depression. I suspect you could go on forever to achieve a perfectly smooth and even surface but how smooth is smooth enough to take the second planking without any irregularities showing thro'. The photo has highlighted yet another little bump that needs attention on the starboard side near the false keel. B.E.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating, cutting the rabbet in the stem surely does aid fixing the planks at the bow , and assists with a neat finish. The earlier damage to the stern has been repaired, and I’m not displeased with the run of planking up to the stern counter. So now it’s a period of sanding and smoothing, and hopefully only a little filling, to turn this ugly duckling into a Swan. Now where did I put that dust mask. B.E.

The first planking is 1.5mm Lime, thicker than I would have liked but I think it needs it to allow for sanding back to the bottom edge of the gunport pattern. The downside is it barely fits in the rabbet, and there will be a lot of sanding down at the bearding line. The lengths are 24” and look to need some taper both ends, there is quite a curve along the bottom edge of the pattern. A soaking along the full length is therefore required. I intend to fix the first strake beneath the pattern and then the Garboard strake and then try to calculate the degree of taper for those in-between. Here she is sitting on the ‘invert’ building board on which the planking and ultimately the coppering will be done, the degree of curve is clearly apparent. I hope to do the first planking run as neatly as I can but I’m not intending to apply the niceties of drop planks and correctly cut stealers as all this will be covered up, probably not least by filler First Planking 5mm x 1.5mm Lime wood strip is provided for the first planking. The Garboard strake was fitted first and with only the slightest of bevels slotted into the rabbet. There is quite a twist in this strake from the ninth bulkhead aft, less so from the fourth bulkhead forward, but the soaked limewood strip took it well. It is instantly apparent that the bearding at the stern has been filled by the 1.5mm strip thickness, and will need to lose around 0.7mm to allow for the second planking. The uppermost plank below the gunport pattern was soaked and required a taper down to 3mm from the third bulkhead to accommodate the curve around the bow. The benefit of cutting a rabbet at the stem produced dividends when it came to securing the planks. The round of the stern and upsweep of planking to the counter always presents some difficulty. The benefit adding the balsa blocks right up to the counter made things a lot easier to achieve a smooth round to the planking and avoid those ugly angles sometimes seen in this area. A slight taper was also applied to these planks from about bulkhead 8 to the stern counter. Looks quite odd in this shot but I think it’s the angle; one of the subtle curves in the plywood pattern that the planking will have to follow can also be seen. There are some imperfections where this strake meets the pattern, but I couldn’t see how to avoid them. Hopefully the ample 1.5mm thickness will allow for them to be mostly sanded out, and a spot of filler covers a multitude of sins. With the Garboard plank and top plank beneath the pattern fitted the number of planks at the widest bulkhead (6) and the smallest (1) can be calculated and thereby the required taper which works out at just shy of 2mm. The balsa wood blocks were sealed with diluted pva to prevent too much absorbs ion of the glue. Medium ca was used around the bow area, across the balsa fillers and bulkheads, and pva along the plank edges which are clamped up tight to the one above and temporarily pinned at the bulkheads and allowed to set. Extra care needs to be taken to ensure that the planking is well secured, unlike with my Pickle build it is not possible to get inside the planking as it progresses to apply diluted pva to provide additional security. I hate this part of a build which seems to go on forever, I’m only achieving four planks a day and the planking never looks right until it’s been sanded and the ridges are taken out, but everytime I look at it I think it’s cr**p But... one must persevere so it’s on with soak, mark, fit, taper, refit and pin, and hope it all turns out ok in the end. Oh Dear Just when things were progressing nicely fixing the last pin in the last plank of Thursday's session ended in this: A slip of the pin pusher and half the internal stern fittings are demolished as effectively as a raking broadside of round shot. I have started to repair the damage but better had it not occurred. Lesson to be reminded of - when resistance is met, don’t push harder, the end result may cause the onset of model rage . At the moment my satisfaction level is not high, but planking has recommenced, with a little more care. I have now started to add planks from the keel up as well as from the gunport pattern downwards. Once the garboard plank has been fitted, I allow the following planks from the keel upwards to fall naturally at the stern, although I do add some taper at the bows. The result at the stern is that gaps are left requiring filling by the use of stealers. In reality stealers would not taper to a point, but as this is only the first planking layer, later to be covered by a second layer and copper, I simply haven’t bothered to rebate the planks top and bottom of the stealer to reproduce a more authentic arrangement. On an un-coppered hull I would feel the need to show the proper arrangement with the second planking layer. As planking progresses I use little wedges as well as pins to hold the plank up tight to the one above. Only light pressure is applied to avoid indenting the plank edges. As the planking progresses I work both down from the top and up from the keel. The aim is to get an even gap, in my case nearly but not quite. Has it really been only twelve days since I started, it feels like half a lifetime, but the planking is at last done. The last few strakes resulted in some interesting spiling shapes, but I’ll gloss over that. B.E.

No going back I should declare that I have deviated somewhat from the kit instructions for fitting the patterns. It is recommended that the deck beams be fixed at this stage to provide some rigidity to the hull and help form the hull shape. Because I am fitting out the decks beneath the Quarterdeck these beams will get in the way, but the first beam 2A beneath the foc’sle can be glued in to provide stability in that area. The three bulkhead extensions in the waist are removed once the external planking is completed and to this end the external faces of the extensions are nicked with a razor saw before the Patterns are glued on, to assist the removal process later. Double sided tape is applied to the external faces of those bulkheads again to ease their Later removal. Before starting I once again soaked the pattern in hot water for a short while to allow lateral conformation to the bulkheads. So with everything to hand pva is applied and the port pattern is glued on using clamps and pins for the lower edges. No real problem and three hours later the pva has cured. The Starboard side is temporarily clamped in place and the across deck level checked thro’ the ports. Close enough I think. It is advisable to make up a gun to gauge the likely fit thro’ the port. The glue process was then repeated on the starboard side, but didn’t go quite as well, and the bally thing had to be removed because I detected a slight mis-conformation around the bow area. but I got there in the end. The rear gunport patterns Shorter and less complicated than the forward patterns these fit into a jigsaw pattern just aft of the ninth bulkhead – should they have met on the bulkhead, who knows, but the rear of the pattern is pretty close to the end of the stern counter patterns. It does present a weakness where the adjoining patterns meet so a small supporting tab was glued in to beef up the arrangement. Don’t want to risk a sprung plank happening sometime down the line. This shot amply demonstrates that you can’t have enough clamps when it comes to this type of build. All done now and fairly shipshape and Bristol fashion; according to the blurb the external planking should now be started having already glued in the deck fittings and beams. The Quarter deck support beams can’t really be fitted at this stage if the Upper deck is to be fitted out as I intend, and I don’t see why the lower hull first planking can’t be done before any further detail work is undertaken. The two additional sweep ports at the rear of the forward pattern can be seen here. Deck beams temporarily in place, a notch has been cut out on the Foc’sle beam, which would otherwise cut across beneath the galley steam grating. The modified stern framing and cut out for the Quarter Badge light can be seen here. A huge sigh of relief that this task has been done, and on with the Hull planking. B.E.

Getting to grips with Gunport patterns The fixing of these is a critical part of the build, and although a simplification in terms of model making there are lots of background niggles to creep into the mind. Will the ports be the correct height above the deck, will they match port and starboard, will they adhere properly to the subtle curves of the bulkhead frames; will the guns sit in the correct position thro’ the port; It is easy to think oneself almost into inertia at the prospect of this part of the build but get it wrong and I’m in deep doo doo and forced into fiddling with the ports or trying to prise the bally things off to start again. This has to be correct or it may affect the whole look of the model, and have repercussions down the line. Prior to anything else I cut out two additional sweep ports and an opening for the Quarter badge light. A soak for an hour in hot water and a trial bending and fitting can begin. An initial trial left me thinking that I needed three pairs of hands to correctly position, clamp, and mould the pattern to the frames. The starting point is at the bows and to this end I found it helped to clamp a piece of wood to the stem to mark the lower edge of the pattern and insert a piece of dowel to represent the bowsprit around which the pattern template is pre-cut. A further piece of wood strip is temporarily glued to the stem to help hold the pattern close to the hull framing. There is quite a sharp bend around the hull at the bow, but even further along there is a shape to the bulkhead extensions to which the pattern needs to adhere. When this Part of the operation begins it helps to ensure that everything needed to perform the job is to hand. One handed clamps; small G clamps; spring clamps; push pins; brass pins; pin pusher; I also made up a gun to check the fit along the ports. The port side is trial fitted using just clamps and a few pins; the starboard side is then fitted in the same manner; now it should be possible to gauge if the port height matches each side by running a length of 8mm square stuff thro’ opposing ports and checking the level. Marking the bottom line of a gunport on a piece of strip quickly indicates if the height levels are the same along the broadsides. As it worked out having the top edge of the pattern level with the top edges of the frames did result in an even deck to port cill level along the broadside; what will matter will be to ensure this remains the case when glue is applied. The thing is then set aside overnight to allow the bow curves to retain some memory, which thankfully they do. I am now all set to go. B.E.

CAPSTANS Pegasus has two capstans, an Upper deck Lower capstan which should be connected to the second Capstan on the Quarterdeck. The kit has not been designed for this arrangement, each capstan being a separate fitting, each with its own drumhead. With a two tier arrangement the lower capstan has a Trundlehead thro’ which the barrel extends to the Upper capstan. This is more than enough reason for me to want to connect them, so a slight diversion from the kit instructions is necessary. Firstly a capstan step has to be fitted over the deck, capstans didn’t sit directly on the deck. Secondly the Quarterdeck support beam needs to be recessed on the inner face to allow passage of the connecting barrel; I also reduced the depth of the beam to more scale size which also allowed more space for the lower capstan. The style of the kit capstans although reasonable have two extra whelps and bar sockets than that suggested in the Swan books, which indicate five whelps on the lower capstan, and six on the Upper. There are seven whelps on each of the kit provided capstans. The whelps also appear to be a little thin compared to the swan book dimensions. I decided not to mess with the number of whelps but joined two together to increase the thickness. I also inserted upper and lower chocks, made up from the walnut disc which is indicated to be glued to the base of the capstan. At this point only the lower capstan will be fitted and very little of it will be seen once the deck is in place. Finally pawls were added to the Capstan step to complete the arrangement. Pump covers The pump cisterns and heads are quite plain affairs as provided with the kit, consisting of a rectangular walnut block for the cistern and a domed piece to represent the covers. I felt that the provided parts were a tad under-scale compared to the references in the Swan books, but they can be quite easily beefed up by overlaying with boarding, and by the detail fitting of the pump dales and drain plugs. The bearing or rhoding thro’ which the axletree passes and which sit atop the cistern was made from my old standby the brass strip from the Jotika eyelets. The pump dales are represented by some boxwood square stuff, an interesting addition which helps show how the pumps operated. Bitts and pieces Of these the Gallows are probably the most distinctive. An early dry fit is required to check the relationship of the axletrees/winches to the pumps and gallows rhodings. The kit provided cross piece looked a little large to my eye and I’m not too sure about the shape. The proportions looked too long, too wide, too shallow, and the gallows a tad too tall; apart from that they are just fine. The scale cross piece measures out to 13.8’in length, 12.7” wide, and 6.1” deep. By comparison the Swan books give dimensions as 9’ long, 7” wide, and 11” deep, and a shape I’m more familiar with. A little later in the build I may have to make a replacement cross piece that sits easier with my eye. The time has now come to fit the Gunport patterns; this is a critical part of the build ensuring that the gunports sit an equal distance from the deck along each side and are level in respect of the opposite side. Not quite worked out a strategy of how to achieve this yet B.E.

Coamings and Gratings The kit blurb suggests using 3x2mm walnut strip to make the coamings, but this does not allow for the curve in the head ledges which should be similar to the deck camber. I therefore used 5x2mm stuff to make the head ledges to allow for the round up. To begin, a template of the hatch sizes was made around which the coamings will be constructed. I used the ply cut outs from the deck for this purpose. For those who may not have considered it, there is an orientation in respect of gratings. The athwartships timbers are deeper than the longitudinal timbers which run in notches cut into the former. When viewed along the deck of the ship the longitudinal timbers should appear unbroken. A small point and one that will be noticed by very few, well perhaps only me, but if gratings are being made up from strip, they may as well be fitted to reflect the correct method. It is suggested that the coamings are mitred at the corners in the same manner as a picture frame; this makes for a neat arrangement but was not the case in reality, the head ledges were half tenoned into the coamings the end of which are apparent from the fore aft view. The corners of the coamings were rounded above deck, an early nod to Health and Safety perhaps. Once the gratings are made up they can be fitted into the frame and sanded to the rounded profile. Fore Hatch /ladderway, this will most likely be left open. Here the Capstan step has also been fitted (not part of the kit) with the pawls set in place. The run of hatches along the deck, yet to be fixed after a little more fettlin'; I haven’t quite decided at this stage how to finish the coamings, varnished or painted red ochre or black, but there’s time to decide yet... I have also been working on the Capstans and pumps which will be the subject of the next update. B.E.

What’s Cookin’ I always intended adding the Galley stove to my Pegasus build, but being a lazy modeller I had in the back of my mind the 1:64 scale white metal stove supplied by Jotika. None of that scratching business for me thinks I. Sadly I find that the Jotika version is too large to fit in the galley space on Pegasus where the stove has to be shoe horned between the Riding Bitt standards, and the Foremast Bitt extensions. Stoves were standardised in size for each class of ship, so even at the same scale sizes differed. So a disappointed man, I have to consider scratching one. Fortunately there are clear drawings of the Pegasus stove in the Swan book series. The basic carcass of the stove was carved from balsa and then covered with styrene sheet and strip to form the detail. Here the basic build is completed ready for priming. Once primed it starts to look more like a miniature stove. Before the final top coat is applied the grating bars and hinged pot arms have to be fitted. This is the most fiddly aspect of the build, because even at 1:64 scale which seems quite large, the items are quite small. Getting there, the grating bars and pot arms fitted and weathered, the lifting rings also added at this point. So Pegasus now has a stove completed with the brass rail around the oven sides, and the drain cocks for the two boilers. Still, rather pleased now that the Jotika white metal version didn’t fit, although I think it could be improved with a few scratch enhancements. A word of advice for those contemplating adding a stove to Pegasus, temporarily fit the riding bitts and standards to doubly make sure your little gem fits. The cowl of the galley flue will fit over the protruding pipe when I get around to making it. A final shot giving the relative size ‘on board’ Now what else can I do to avoid getting down to those Gun port templates, well there are the gratings to make, and the Upper deck Lower Capstan.... B.E.

Partition panelling A small update but one that has taken several days to achieve. I like to fit the internal panelling even tho’ it won’t be apparent once the Quarterdeck is in place, except perhaps thro’ the skylight. Two athwartships bulkheads separate the Great Cabin and the Coach/state room/dining room whatever you wish to call it, from the rest of the ship. An additional longitudinal bulkhead separates the Captains Bed Place from the State room. The foremost bulkhead gives entrance to the State room on the Port side and the Bed Place on the Starboard. The aft bulkhead gives access to the Great Cabin on the port side. The Starboard side view of the Great cabin and Bed Place. All the doors open aft, and as with the bulkheads can be quickly dismantled for stowage below. These were only temporary fitments on the real ship. It was necessary to get the fit of these items at this stage - easier before the gunport strips go in, but they will now be removed for final finishing and fitment at a later date. The next job up should be fitting the gunport strip patterns, perhaps the first testing item of the build, but I need to be in the mood for it, and I may bottle it for a while in favour of building the Ships stove. B.E.

Fitting out the Great Cabin- or how to assemble an Ikea flat pack at 1:64 scale Before I go much further with the build I need to sort out how the internal fittings run up to meet the stern windows. All this work is of course totally pointless as once enclosed none of it will be seen again - but I know it’s there, and now so do you. Running across the deck at the stern are seats which double as lockers, and above them a further row of lockers that run up to meet the gallery windows. The arrangement is split in the centre by the stern post which runs up to attach to a deck beam. Behind this the rudder head proceeds to the Quarterdeck. Around both stern post and rudder head is fitted the rudder head trunk. The seat fronts are made from boxwood panelling, and the seats from stained something or other (Georgian Medium Oak – what else) The facing piece of the rudder head trunk is just dry fitted at this stage. The Locker lids were scribed into the top and micro brass tubing sections used for the hinges. The assembly has yet to be sanded and varnished. It took a full day to make and fit the lockers and associated bits after which the stern counter timbers were fitted. It’s always more time consuming making it up as you go along without a specific plan to work to. The rudder head trunk can’t be completed until the stern post is in, but there will be access before the Quarterdeck is fitted. The following shots show the make -up of the revised stern arrangement. The stern counters are now fixed, necessary before attaching the gunport bulwark strips. The painted ‘sail’ cloth is only a template at this stage to gauge the fit and how large the squares should be. I think they will stand some enlargement. The Quarter deck is tried for fit against the end stern counters. I will now make the internal partitions. B.E.