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Blue Ensign

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  1. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Rusty and Jean-Paul, Chuck is a clever Guy, and I marvel at how he designed this kit, it is a great subject to work on. B.E.
  2. Blue Ensign
    Wishing you every success in this major step forward with Vanguard. Best Regards, Blue Ensign.
  3. Blue Ensign
    Nice sea base , perfect for a rolling Corvette. I liked this kit so much I built it twice, once as Bluebell, once as Snowberry, it was fun doing the modifications necessary for Snowberry. Great start. 👍 B.E.
  4. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Chuck, better than I had imagined I could achieve, which is not necessarily saying much. 😉 Post Thirty-nine External decoration and the dark art of weathering powders. The first thing I add is the ‘iron’ strap that runs over the stem, rather than use wire to represent the bolts, I used fine pins. 2298(2) I rather like the resin impregnated fibre board that Chuck uses for the purpose, so much easier than the blackened brass strip, I would otherwise use. 2292 A light dusting of dark brown weathering powder and a realistic impression of iron is achieved. I next attended to the provided resin decorations using weathering powders, as suggested by Chuck. I am using a combination of Revell, and Vallejo powders, Light Yellow Ochre, Sand Yellow, Snow White, and Dark Brown. 2262(2) Once the coating had been applied the piece was lightly sprayed with fixative. 2264(2) 2280 The full set. 2303(2) The Queen Anne bust is glued into place on the Flying Transom. 2338 I found fixing the Bow decoration a little tricky, not least because of the marring of the paintwork once again, as I secured it into place. 2337(2) 2339(2) I will almost certainly continue to tweak the highlighting and shading of the resin decorations up to completion of the model. I will leave the remaining decorations until I have trialled the fit of the acanthus leaf friezing along the stern sheets, which I must now get back to whittling. B.E. 04/06/21
  5. Blue Ensign
    Excellent work Richard, looks great. 👍 B.E.
  6. Blue Ensign
    Post Thirty-Eight The making of a Queen. (Sort of) Before I continue with the Barge I re-visit Queen Anne. 1850 Previously I had modified the head to reflect an 18th century hairdo, added a coronet, and sculpted the skirt area to fit the barge seat. 2201 Primarily the sleeves need to be made looser, again using the modelling paste to build up the fullness. Layers are built up and as the paste starts to set it is shaped and smoothed. Early Eighteenth century dresses were close fitting at the waist but very full in the skirt and often hooped. The model as presented is quite good with the folds gathered around her but requires a little more fullness spread out over the seat. To achieve this, I needed to make a mock-up of the bench seating of the barge so I could form the folds around her. Parcel tape covers the benches to prevent the paste sticking. 2205(2) The idea is to get sufficient paste around her that can be shaped and smoothed, and the figure removed once the paste firms up a little. 2215 The built-up areas are primed. I have dressed her by reference to styles of the early 18th century. In my mind for a trip upriver to Hampton Court Palace, a favourite of the Queen. 2260 2248 Acrylic paints were used, and altho’ I belong to the Blind man on a galloping horse school of figure painting she looks ok from normal viewing distance, better than the macro would suggest. 2259(2) 2258(2) 2257 2252 2250 2261(2) I will leave the tricky question of the Bargemen until later. B.E. 01/06/21
  7. Blue Ensign
    A fine looking model with great presence, the deck shots give a wonderful impression of how crowded these small vessels were. Very well done.👍 B.E.
  8. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Hubac, I did scrap a couple of them, but fortunately Chuck had the foresight to provide a few spares for us finger fumblers.😀 Post Thirty-seven Completing the inboard works. The Bow bracket is completed. 2131 Still to drill the socket in the Fore deck to receive the Flagstaff heel. The final part to assemble is the step down into the stern sheets. 2179 A simple assembly job of four pieces. 2183(2) I added the Royal Monogram to the Flying transom, and the Boxwood moulding. The Monogram I whittled earlier, and a coat of wop was applied before I fixed it in place. Again, micro spots of ca were used for the purpose. I also applied a coat of wop to the Boxwood frieze panels using a fine brush. Three months work has brought me to completion of the internal work on the model, with the external decoration and fittings now to do. Some photos to mark this milestone in the build. 2159 2161(2) 2164(2) 2185(2) 2186(2) 2191(2) 2192(2) 2198(2) B.E. 29/05/21
  9. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Chuck, I am impressed by the thought you have put into the design of this model, it is a joy to build. I can't imagine that new batch of kits will hang around long. 🙂 Regards, B.E.
  10. Blue Ensign
    Post Thirty-six Applying friezes. Before I started I re-sprayed the friezes using Windsor & Newton fixative. 2079(2) An improvised spray booth. 2077(2) A kit was put together to aid this rather tedious task. 2080 Diluted pva applied with fine brush was used to glue the friezes in place. A centre blank attached to a toothpick is used to press the friezes into place. 2091(2) The addition of the friezes transforms the look of the barge. At this point I add the support bracket for the bow Flagstaff. This probably also doubles up as a hull brace. 2085(2) Quite a tricky little beggar to fit, ensuring it is central and sits as best it can down on the bow frieze panels. Even so a touch of filler is required to smooth out the edge joins. 2083(2) I ran a bead of diluted pva along the joins. Once that has cured, I will complete the filling and paint the bracket. 2084 2089(2) Best part of a day to see this task completed, time to crack open the Merlot I think. 🍷 B.E. 26/05/21
  11. Blue Ensign
    Thank you Allan, the simple answer is I didn’t. I used two melt points on the brass elements, but the glass seed beads were ca’d onto the brass. I’m not sure they will remain as small as they are they still seem a tad over-scale. The crown was actually constructed from the two parts of a small brass etched grapnel trimmed to suit. Regards, B.E.
  12. Blue Ensign
    Post Thirty-five Adding the Decorative panels. Chuck emphasises the fragility of these fancy little frames, but at least had them laser cut saving a lot of time and effort. I well remember forming the mitres for the panels on the 1:48 scale Pinnace and have even less fond memories of doing the same for the 1:64 scale Pinnace I made for Pegasus. The first issue that comes to mind is how do I glue these frames to the inboard planking without marring the paintwork that I have just spent hours fiddling with. The majority of pieces fit simply enough guided by the thwart edges, but I can’t afford to have excess glue squeezing beneath the outer edges or be faced with any form of hard-edged clean-up. 2056 To fix the frames I decided on minute spots of ca applied to the back face. With the bottom edges sitting on the thwart the question of moving around to fix position does not arise. As advised by Chuck I did minimal cleaning up of the frame edges, using the centres to support the piece whilst light pressure was applied. 2058 I wet the curved bow pieces for a few minutes, clamped them into place, and applied heat for a few moments. This was sufficient to de-stress them before gluing into place. The panels that gave me the most trouble were those for the Sternsheets. There are no fixed points of reference for height and distance, and the shape and dimensions of the Boxwood patterns differed slightly from those shown on the plan. 2061 I used Tamiya tape to define the inboard position of the larger frame, (7mm) and the distance between the two frames, (6mm). 2059 A 1.5mm thick piece of scrap wood was used to get a uniform height above the benches. 2064 The final item is the Frame to fit on the Transom, to get this centred I used a cut-out from the plan. 2073 Careful as I was, the paintwork was marred a little as can be seen on the benches here, but I managed to get thro’ this exercise without any breakages. 2074 Further evidence of paint scuffing on the Fore deck. 2072(2) 2068(2) 2070(2) A small repair to the paintwork and then the panel friezes to fit. B.E. 25/05/21
  13. Blue Ensign
    Coming along nicely Paul, a fine job on the hull planking. 👍 B.E.
  14. Blue Ensign
    Post Thirty-four Paint, sand, fill, and repeat. Any obvious areas needing filling are attended to and a first paint layer applied. This has the effect of revealing multiple deficiencies, not entirely unexpected, so it’s a case of sand, fill, and repeat. The result, better, but not there yet. The following control photos are the result after two further sand and fill sessions. 2055(2) 2054(2) 2053 2051 2049(2) One thing I should have realised is that the paint dust on my fingers has a tendency to mar the bare Cherry wood hull so it was necessary to tape over the woodwork. I should have done this at the outset. 2050 Painting the inboard panels and capping rails has given me a chance to get a better appreciation of how leaving the thwarts as varnished wood will look in the overall scheme. 2048 Time to repeat the sanding process, but this time I am using a light touch and fine grade paper. B.E. 24/05/21
  15. Blue Ensign
    That looks wonderful Chris, a serious temptation.👍 B.E.
  16. Blue Ensign
    Thanks Glenn, I went into a little more detail on fitting the bow section internal planking, as I thought it may help those following on. Chuck didn't have any photo's of this part of the build to include in the Instructions. Regards, B.E.
  17. Blue Ensign
    Post Thirty-three Inboard Planking. Spiled Laser cut strips are provided for the purpose, but these still need tweaking to fit properly. The bottom edge sits tight against the riser top and across the thwarts, the top edge is required to run up to the lower edge of the capping rail. In the case of my build the strip simply requires sanding of the top edge to reduce its width a tad. I marked the position of the thwarts on the strip and measured the distance between riser and capping rail using a tick strip method. The marks were transferred to the strip and the sanding line marked. It was then simply down to sanding and test checking. 1966 Once satisfied, the strip was clamped into place and given the hairdryer heat treatment to take the tension out of it before final gluing into place. 1972(2) Note the rabbet formed with the Capping rail. 1971 Both strips fixed into place. The trickier element of the inboard planking is a shorter section that runs forward around the curve of the bow. These are also pre- spiled but will need some fettlin’ to fit. 1976 The first task is to water/heat bend to fit the curve. 1977 The forward end is firstly trimmed to fit beneath the rail. 1987 By degrees the top edge is sanded and the length cut to meet the long strip. 1988 To support the panel I added an additional ‘false’ frame each side beneath the rail. This something Chuck mentions in his pdf Instructions and is worth doing to properly secure the panels. 1993 Sections glued into place. 1995 The final assembly of this part is to add small sections to provide a wider surface for the thole pins to sit. These sections are laser cut, and simply require sanding flush with the capping rail. 2002(2) 1998 A little filling and smoothing and she’s ready to lay some paint down. I suspect there will be several sessions of paint, fill and sand, before she is ready for a final coat. B.E. 23/05/21
  18. Blue Ensign
    Ah, I see where you're coming from Tim, I think it is a kit simplification, but in the overall scheme of things, once all the top hamper is on, it won't be that apparent. Cheers, B.E.
  19. Blue Ensign
    What are the narrow sections above the heels and fids on the Topmasts, Tim? B.E.
  20. Blue Ensign
    I remember you mobbsie, and your magnificent 'aggie' build. A long time on the beach, but I doubt there is any time limit on MSW, welcome back. B.E.
  21. Blue Ensign
    Post thirty-two Completing the seating. Decision made, I am leaving the thwarts unpainted which I think will make a nice contrast to the Red paintwork. There is also an element in me that dislikes painting nice wood. 1906 I firstly fixed the position of the step for the Royal Standard Flagstaff. This is far easier to fit before the thwarts are glued into place. 1901 The kit provides 2.25mm ø dowel for the Flagstaffs which is a tad narrow for the step socket meaning it readily flops about even when fitted thro’ the hole in the thwart. 1902 This is not helpful when trying to position the step on the floorboards to give a staff that will be vertical in both planes. A small ring was added atop the step to securely hold the Staff. 1909 The Foredeck is painted, and the first thwart fitted into place. 1907 The remaining thwarts are then fitted sequentially, each with its centre section to be glued into the thwart before it. The thinnest smear of pva is used to glue the thwarts in place, and the run is checked to ensure a smooth transit. 1910 Small Weights are used to secure each thwart as fitted. 1914(2) A final check of the line run. 1919(2) 1920(2) A coat of wipe-on-poly has been applied at this point. 1922(2) 1921(2) The Flagstaff seems to be ok, so the next stage is fitting the interior bulwark planking. B.E. 20/05/21
  22. Blue Ensign
    Nice job on the oars Derek, can't beat the Boxwood look on small boats and oars. The whole model is looking splendid. 👍 B.E.
  23. Blue Ensign
    Nice set up on the gun rigging Richard, I bet you're pleased that repetitive and fiddly exercise has been completed. B.E.
  24. Blue Ensign
    On the NMM version the helmsman still sits behind the sternsheets, perhaps lines were a less intrusive option. On the kit version the tiller is quite short, but the space for the helmsman is pretty small. Thanks Ian, that's what I would plan to do, the red painted internal planking and capping rail would join the two sections together. B.E.
  25. Blue Ensign
    Post thirty-one Progressing the seating This involves placing sections that fit between the thwarts centrally down the boat. The main objective is to get a tight clean fit up against and either side of the thwarts. I start by gluing a section into thwart one, the forward end fitting into the Fore deck edge. The sections will require cutting of one edge to fit the space, the length is marked and cut sufficient to leave a final sanding trim. 1880 To this end I made a simple jig to hold the thwart and centre section for sanding. I took this process very slowly with constant test fits. 1877 I moved progressively down the boat until each thwart had a centre section that fitted into the thwart forward of it. My decision to notch the thwarts around the frames proved the right one. On three of the thwarts, I did need to tweak the fit to get the centres in line; had I initially trimmed them to sit only on the risers, one side may have been left without support. Once I had completed the whole thing I reviewed and replaced three centre sections where I thought the joint insufficiently tight. Fortunately, Chuck includes a few spares no doubt for this purpose. 1882(2) One of my concerns is that viewed from the side the centre line planks run in a subtle sheer line from bow to stern without any hint of an angle. 1885(2) Being unglued at this stage the centre planks can move about a bit but once I have confirmed I can achieve a look good to my eye, I trust I can replicate it as I glue the sections into place. 1895(2) Worth getting my oarsman in to check the seating arrangement. 1898 1896 1888 1891(2) 1890(2) At this point I am torn between painting the thwarts red or leaving them natural, sealed with wipe-on-poly. B.E. 18/05/21

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