Blue Ensign

Thank you Bob, I'm sure you will enjoy building Fifie🙂 Post 31 The completed model So after around three months Fifie is completed. Starting with some close-up shots. 6552 6555 6571 6549 6545 6572 6561 6562 6563 6566(2) 6540 6543(2) 6541(2) 6538(2) 6569(2) Thoughts on the Fifie kit I have thoroughly enjoyed building this kit, perfect for a novice build, but offering plenty of scope to enhance and add extra detail. As with all of Chris’s kit offering it makes up into a very attractive model, and one that will be fairly easy to keep dust free without the need to cover. On my model very little is glued down and it could be stripped back down to deck level in a short time, pretty much as on the real thing. Being of fore/aft rigging the model takes up only a modest space and makes for a nice decorative feature in a domestic setting. For the new builder, I would say go for it, a great introduction to ship modelling. For the more experienced builder, it provides a short time interval build, a relaxing change from perhaps more involved projects. B.E. 07/08/20

Post 30 Completing the rigging. With the arrival of fresh rigging supplies from Syren I can now complete the task. The Fore sheet The Reaper has the sheets leading directly to the port or starboard sides, depending on how the sail is set. I have taken my lead from the arrangement shown on the Underhill plan for the Zulu Muirneag. 6506 The sheet has a 3mm double block hooked to the clew, with the tackle running thro’ a 3mm single block attached by chain to the portside stringer with the running line secured around a belay pin, and tied off at a cleat 0.20mm line. Mizen sail sheet This is taken to the Portside as with the Reaper. 6513 Outboard set up of the Mizen sheets. 6525 Inboard view of the Mizen Sheets. Burton Pendents The Mizen pendent with a luff tackle is secured in the deck adjacent to the mast partners (skegs) and the fall belayed to a cleat in the partners. 6501 I didn’t glue the masts in their housings, so I fitted the Burton pendent before the Mizen sheets to secure the forward angle of the mast. Fore-mast Burton Pendent. This is the last piece of rigging fitted to the model. 6500 Rigged to the starboard side, aft of the Halyards. 6529 Masthead view of both Fore and Mizen Burton Pendents. The falls of the tackles were separately made and lightly glued to the deck. 6514 The fittings are now ready to go back on the deck. I think Fishing boat models lend themselves and benefit from a bit of dressing up. The Fifie otherwise only has the pretty little steam capstan to provide deck interest. 6497(2) These additional fittings represent the usual equipment carried on Fifie’s, and steam pipes would normally be found for the Galley stove, and steam Capstan. Netting and floats have already been installed in the Fish Hold. B.E. 06/08/20

She's looking superb Derek, and great work on the tackle rigging. That Quad-hands tool looks an excellent investment, I'm tempted.🙂 Cheers, B.E.

Wonderful, we’ve not had neighbours like that for some 1500 years in ‘old’ England. B.E.

Good to hear from you Martin, hope you and Mrs W are settling into your new abode. I can't really refer to her as Mrs W of the prairies any longer, perhaps Mrs W of the Hills.😉 Connecticut looks a place I would love to live in, rural, hills, quaint places, and a historic port, and of course it is in New England, spot on 😀 Regards, B.E.

I'd be very happy with that Glenn, very nice work.👍 B.E.

The elevation and the quoins look fine to my eye, they are very tiny in reality, but I think the guns looks better with them. B.E.

In my opinion you can't beat The Cruel Sea, for a realistic depiction of the Atlantic convoy story. A stark depiction of a corvette in the uboat war. B.E.

Ha, Ha, fortunately on my boat they haven't started fishing yet, so a basket full of 5mm herring is thankfully not required, what a relief.😉 Still some supplies have at last arrived. 6435(2) Wire rope in 0.5mm. 0.8mm and 1mm diameters. I can now fill in my time trying to make bijou shackles to fit. 🙂 B. E. 30/07/20

Post 29 A Basket for Fifie. Still waiting for stuff to arrive to complete Fifie, so looking around for something to work on. One of the additions that caught my eye when researching the subject is the large woven baskets used to lift the Herring catch out of the hold. Landing the catch There are called crans and have a specific and approved measure for holding a given quantity of herring. Their size was regulated and standardized by government decree as a legal measure. The 1832 Act set the cran at 30 inches high, the diameter at its widest 21.9 inches and at the base 18.9 inches – I scoured the internet for something suitable to no avail, so I started to think about how I could reproduce these for display purposes at 1:64 scale. The answer came in the form of an unlikely source – the centres out of the mast hoops supplied by Chuck for the Cheerful build. 6370(2) The centres form the base with a series of holes drilled around the circumference, 0.5mm ø brass wire is used for the frames. 6371(2) 0.1mm line is used for the weave. 6375(2) The brass rods are metal primed. 6379(2) The finished basket. The completed item measures 12mm high x 10mm diameter at the top. This equates to a size of 30” x 25”. 6386 6393 6389(2) I’m not sure that my crans would pass muster by the Scottish Fishing Authorities, but they are pretty close for scale. B.E 29/07/20

Well done Jeff, completing a model you're pleased with is the hook that keeps you involved in the hobby. One of the benefits of the Fifie model is that it is easy to keep clean and can be displayed without a case. Cheers, B.E.

Thank you Nils, Thomas, and Rusty, Alert makes up into a very attractive model One final tweak before the cover goes on, I utilised the NMM plan of Alert to cover the large expanse of varnished wood on the base. 6354(3) 6357(2) Improves the effect I think. Regards, and thank you all for taking an interest in this build. B.E 28/07/20

Thank you Bob, kind of you to say so. Not so sure about definitive, but I do hope my kit interferences provide some ideas that may be of use to my fellow modellers. 🙂 I’m resisting the temptation to start the Zulu before I have done with the Fifie but it shouldn’t be long. Regards, B.E.

There was a protocol for carriage and inboard works, red Ochre mostly up to the late 18thc , with yellow Ochre coming in around the start of the 19thc. I don’t think there was a strict protocol for truck colour, on my Pegasus build I left them natural, as they are on Victory today. On Alert with the shade of red I was using I just thought they looked better painted, nothing more involved than that.🙂 I also painted them red on my Cheerful cutter build, for the same reason. Regards, B.E.

Hi Phill, I got the case from Just Bases, here's the link. http://www.just-bases.co.uk/ Maurice

I thinks she's looking absolutely splendid Glenn, what a fine model Chuck has designed. B.E.

Post build follow up. Since I finished Alert she has been sitting nicely on a chest of drawers measuring only 16 x 24” quietly gathering dust. 6309 6307 Sitting pretty but she really needs to be protected. 6304 I had always intended to encase the model given the delicate rigging, but delivery of the case was delayed due to covid, and it has been sitting in Devonshire for the past four months. 6322(2) It has now arrived, but with the passing of time I am surprised at the size of the beast, necessary because of that very long bowsprit. 6321(2) The case measures 30” long x 11.5” wide x 22.5” high. I could have shaved an inch or so off the length of the case, but some leeway has to be allowed for aesthetic reasons. I am now faced with a rearrangement of my office to accommodate the now covered Alert, and a slightly disappointed wife who rather liked it as it was. 6330 All sorted, at least for the present. I now need to build a mini bookcase to raise up the now displaced Victory, still I can always use some extra book storage. So, if you’re thinking of putting your Alert in a case beware it will take up more room than you may initially think, something I singularly failed to do on this occasion. B.E. 24/07/20

Thanks Dave, I had thought of it, but in the end I was too idle to order any for the short lengths involved.🙄 This has been rectified now and I have ordered some for use in the 'Zulu' build, in 0.5mm, 0.8mm, and 1mm diameters which should cover what is required. Cheers, Maurice

Post 28 Raising canvas With the reef points completed the sails can now be raised and the sheets, tacks, halyards, and Burton pendents attached. 6257(2) 6258(2) Rigging the Fifie, basic as it appears, is an interesting exercise not least because I am unfamiliar with the arrangements on these small commercial vessels, and my researches have revealed details not reflected on the kit plans. I am rigging the model by reference to a combination of reference books, Edgar March, primarily. I have used the plans of Underhill relating to the Zulu Muirneag, and of the Fifie’s Reaper and True Vine. Various photos, both old and of the current Reaper, were also of great assistance. There is an indication on the plans of Reaper that the tyes were of wire rather than rope (not a modern substitution) I did think about using wire, a scale diameter of 0.25mm would be required. This was fairly easy to reproduce from thin twisted copper wire, but I couldn’t get the colour right, so I let it pass. I am using Syren 0.45mm ø line for the Tye, and 0.20mm for the tackle. 6284 The tackle consists of a pendent and two large triple blocks. I am using Syren 6mm blocks. The strops represent iron and wire formed from silver soldered brass wire. 6282 A similar arrangement is used for the Mizen Tye and Halyard with smaller 3/16th double blocks (4.7mm). Mizen Tack. 6295 A chain necklace was used to secure the Mizen tack which I have sought to replicate. The Scots called it a tuckle chain. 6288 A more interesting feature clearly shown on an old photo of the Zulu Muirneag. The Fore tack This is attached to a hook shackled to the eyebolt atop the stem. Often large hooks (horns) were attached to the port and starboard sides of the stem for this purpose. 6248 An alternative attachment point for the Fore tack is set in the deck a few feet aft of the stem. This is as far as I can go with rigging at present, I am awaiting receipt of fresh rigging supplies from Chuck. In the meantime I have been fiddling around with deck fittings. These boats were also equipped with a set of sweeps for rowing. Mine are a scale 23’ overall. There are also two ‘wands’ or hefty push sticks some 36’ long used to fend off and assist movement in harbour situations. A 14’ boat hook completes the set. 6270 In this shot on the near side are the set of six sweeps, on the far side the Boat hook and wands. The alternative hook for the Fore tack can be seen on the foredeck. 6272 Another shot of the sweeps and a glimpse into the hold containing the nets and floats. 6250(2) 6253(2) Not far from completion but I still have the sheets and Burton Pendents to complete, the block sets have been assembled in readiness. B.E 23/07/20

Thanks Glenn, I'm pleased with how the sails turned out. Get what you pay for I suppose Bob, I like them a lot, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to fiddle with them, as you will see below.😉 Post 27 Reef points and other tricky issues.. I have been thinking about reef points, these do not feature on the kit available sails, (didn't expect them to) but neither are they shown on the kit sail plans. Several rows of reef points are appropriate to the sails on these large luggers and at 1:64 scale should really be included. Their absence is noticeable on the prominent sails of the Fifie model. Several things have to be considered. How many points on each sail. How long are the points. What is the vertical spacing of the points. How to apply them to look natural. I have used Harold Underhill’s scale drawings of the Zulu Muirneag as the basis for addressing these points. The points are attached along the vertical seam lines of the sails. To begin I am attaching four bands on the Foresail and two on the Mizen. I have scaled the points to a length of 14mm. From the drawings I have worked on the basis that the tip of upper band is a fraction above the knot of the lower band. Application of the points to the sail is an issue. To do it properly a double length line is passed thro’ a hole in the sail and knotted at the top each side. The issue with this is that getting them to hang naturally can be problematic without resorting to use of pva to hold them down on the sail. This risks marking the previously dyed material. I have decided to simply glue the points to the sail at the knot. This way the point lies flat, and the application of glue is better controlled. 6184(2) The sail is taped down to get the line of the points. 6194 Two lines of points pva’d to the Mizen sail. 6190 I’m happy with the result. 6205 This method seems quite effective and is certainly a lot less time-consuming than feeding them thro’ the sail, adding knots, and then trying to persuade them to lie reasonably flat. I also attended to attaching the parrels. 6200 Still only a temporary rig at present. 6202 The advantage of this simple lugger rig is that I can slip the yard/sails including the parrel over the masthead. Moving on to fix the points to the larger Fore-sail. B.E. 16/07/20

Post 26 Thinking about Masting and rigging. There is not a lot of rigging on this build, but there are simplifications that can be enhanced to better reflect accuracy To rig the Fifie I will be using Syren blocks and thread and referring to details given in the Sailing Drifter book by Eric March. The Foremast can be enhanced by creating a false sheave in the masthead, rather than simply a hole to pass the halyard to the Fore yard through. The kit provides brass etched ‘mast rings’ with six horizontal eyes, one of which is the attachment point for the Burton stays of the masts. 6162(2) I replaced this with an ‘iron’ ring (heatshrink tubing section) and added a vertical eyebolt. The masthead section has been painted white in accordance with practise of the day. The Mizen Mast was treated in the same manner. The Yards 6173 The main change I made to the yards was the replacement of a hitched tye, with an eyebolt/ hook arrangement. The area between the slings I have fitted with a canvas covering, represented by micro-porus tape Attaching the sails These are connected to the yards by Robands. Edgar March (Sailing Drifters) refers to these as Rovings being secured by a ‘Parley’ Knot, no doubt a Scottish description. Given the scale I will use a simple square knot for the purpose. 0.20mm Syren line taken twice thro’ the sail gommets* and secured atop the yard. *For my purposes a hole thro’ the head seam made by a needle. 6168 The top ends of the sail are secured to the yard via the Head cringles using earings thro’ holes in the yard arm. An outstanding question is whether to add the reef points. These can be tricky little additions to get right on model sails, there is a tendency for them to stick out every which way, spoiling the effect. I’ll ponder on that awhile. 🤔 6177(2) A trial fit of the sails in place. 6171 I now need to attend to the tricky business of attaching parrels to the yards. B.E 15/07/20

You’re creating a beautiful model Christian, and must feel a real sense of achievement having built the hull from scratch. As with your Diana build, I love the colour scheme you’re adopting, very nicely done. Regards, B.E.

The contemporary model of the Hawke in the NMM shows clinker planking below the wale, which would still leave an area of the hull above the waterline. The Alert cutter was also clinkered below the wale, but was apparently coppered which raised the question how was it done. Roger Cole wrote an article as mentioned above, describing how this may have been approached, but even if coppered there would be an area of clinker planking on view which may have remained 'bright' rather than painted, and a popular choice for display models. B.E.

Hi Glenn and Bob, The Blackening stuff I use is called Carr's Metal Black for Brass, they are Based in the UK. I think sheen Glenn is more related to the extent the surface is buffed, it's not something I do to any great extent on say period gun barrels which I tend to leave fairly dull. I used Admiralty Paints water based Metal primer in this case, as I wanted to reduce any risk of the painted areas chipping or flaking, but I rarely paint etched brass stuff, I prefer to just blacken it. Regards, B.E.

Thanks Glenn, it does help having a scale figure when making fittings, but I'm afraid Willie is far too rough looking to remain as a display feature. It is almost a sort of relief, no more extensive plating, ratlines, gun rigging, and tackle make-ups, and a whole new field to research. 😃 Having said that it is only a few months since I applied 2500 copper nails to the lapstrake planking on the cutter Alert.😉 B.E. Post 25 Bits and pieces It seems it was practise to have the name of the Registered port on the Starboard aft quarter, and the vessel name on the Port side. 6020 The name Fraserburgh (why didn’t I choose Wick) was made up with 1.5mm brass letters from Scale-link, ca’d to a board. Given the tiny size the process went better than I had imagined. I used the name boards to cover the now defunct steering rope ports. At the stern Port side an iron ring is required to retain the Mizen boom. One isn’t provided in the kit but they are easily made by various methods. 6013 I silver soldered a ring to a base plate, secured to the thwart using ca. At the bow the kit provides a brass etched Bow plate, very nicely done, but I hesitated to fit it. Not that there isn’t evidence for such a fitting, the Reaper has one, but I had concerns that if I blackened it the result would be too stark against the varnished hull, and the lower sections would need to be painted. 6019(2) Nevertheless it is a nice feature so I thought I should at least give it a go. The Brass was prepared by washing in soapy water, rubbed with fine wire wool, rinsed in distilled water, and immersed in diluted blackener, before rinsing again. Buffed up before a second dip, a stable colour was obtained. On reflection I decided to add it. The manual suggests that this part be glued to the stem and that short pins be inserted in shallow holes to represent the retaining nails. I didn’t find this necessary and simply pinned the bow plate to the stem using blackened pins only. (shortened pins for the top two) I was conscious of the fact that any stray ca getting on the Bow plate would spoil the look. 6034 The top of the plate did need a spot of ca to hold it secure to the stem top before the provided brass eye (PE12) was inserted. 6045 6048 The lower part of the plate is painted with metal primer, to take the follow thro’ paint lines of the lower hull. 6109 B.E. 11/07/20