Landlubber Mike

Joe, by all means please feel free to continue to post pictures on my build log. Your Unicorn/Fox is gorgeous, and the pictures are really helping me (and I imagine others) get a sense of what kind of improvements can be made to the kit. Please don't feel like you're hijacking my log in the slightest I love the touch of adding the small boats. Do you remember if you built them from scratch, or bought them elsewhere? I have the AOTS Pandora book, and I believe that the plans show 3-4 small boats nested in the waist similarly to yours.

Cristiano, thanks so much for your thoughts on this. It sounds like I was completely wrong on the far left and far right figures (except to the extent that they are all animals and not people!). I can kinda see the peacock on the right - I'm having trouble with the fishes on the left. You mentioned using Photoshop to clean up the picture of the stern. Did you use it on the picture in the link that I provided earlier? If so, and if it is not too much trouble, would you mind posting what the cleaned up picture looks like or send it to me via PM? I am not that good at this kind of thing, and when I tried through iPhoto, it didn't really make things clearer for me. Thanks again! This is very exciting, as I have been struggling with what the stern figures are for quite some time!

Good to know about the rigging Ian. I'll have to pay careful attention to all that. I like Joe's build adding the two small boats side by side - I'm thinking of doing something very similar as well. Glad to see that there is such a big Unicorn club No worries Eamonn, I don't have pics of my build yet since I'm waiting on tools and materials, so I certainly encourage lively discussion and pictures!

Thanks Ian, that's very helpful. I took a look at a bunch of models and most don't seem to have flag lockers along the stern area like that. So it seemed odd to me. Plus, taking a look at the Chapman plans, it looks like he drew a stern chaser port right where the Corel kit has the insignia (click link below, and then click the picture to get an extreme close-up view of the plan drawings): http://www.sjohistoriska.se/ImageVaultFiles/id_3085/cf_1803/55.JPG Not sure if I can pull it off, but maybe I'll think about adding redesigning the stern to use a stern chaser port in the center (with a crown right above the porthole), and then the figures on the sides. It looks like a lion to the far left, a man to the near left, a woman to the near right, and some other animal to the far right (possibly another lion, or perhaps a unicorn as per the UK coat of arms). I'll have to learn to either carve or use that sculpty clay stuff.

Oh wow, you're a pro then Hopefully someone else can guide you the right way. Have you taken a look at the Euromodel kits? The kits are probably the best I've seen, and give you plenty of options to add details to the build. I have the Friedrich Wilhelm zu Pferde, and it looks like an incredible kit with fantastic plans. I just need a few more models under my belt before I can attempt to do the kit justice.

Thanks Joe, looks great. I'm actually thinking of doing the same, and possibly adding arches above the windows like in this model.

Hi Joe, thanks for checking in and for the picture. Gorgeous model - feel free to post more pictures, as I can use all the help and inspiration that I can get I love your color scheme and change to a thicker black wale. I think that is how I'm going to proceed with my build, and so it's good to see how this might turn out. Did you end up scratching the stern area? Peter, thanks for chiming in. I have both those books, so I think they will come in very handy. I wonder how the rigging diagrams compared with your kit (which I think was a little older)? I'm probably going to add sails, so at first blush, it struck me that I might need to add some extra rigging points.

I guess it depends on what kind of ship are you interested, the scale, POB vs. POF, kit vs. scratch, etc. I'm moving up in difficulty by starting the Corel Unicorn and the MS Charles Morgan as my next builds. If you like Caldercraft, I've seen Badger builders move to ships like the Granado, the Cruiser and the Snake for next builds.

Ian - good idea on sticking with better resources. Hopefully you don't run into any issues on the rigging One thing I was wondering was whether there are enough pins and cleats on the model for a typical ship of this size. ZyXuz, thanks for following I haven't tried fitting the bulkheads yet - my keel is warped so I am planning to cut out a new one. I was thinking this weekend that I would start looking at the fit of the bulkheads on the bad keel, to just get a sense as to what I might be dealing with. Another thing I need to figure out is how to cut the new keel such that I can add the stem, false keel and stern post in pear. If I remember correctly, the kit's keel is one piece that includes all those items, so I will need to modify the shape of the keel quite a bit. I'm thinking that I will cut out the keel to end just at the edge of where the planking will end, and then add the rabbets and other tapering so that the planking will end right at the new pear pieces. Probably a lot harder than it sounds. Gentlemen, what did you think about the flag lockers on the stern of the ship? I was thinking of dropping them - does that require modifying any of the bulkheads? Thanks again for looking in!

Nice Mobbsie, I didnt realize you guys across the pond celebrated Christmas in April I had the Proxxon mini-lathe before upgrading to a Sherline - it's a very nice lathe. Enjoy your toys!

Excited to follow your progress Rusty - great model and great modeler together are a perfect combination

Hi Ian, thanks very much for looking in. I'm still waiting on my orders for the Byrne's machines, plywood, and upgraded wood from Hobbymill, but I should have all that in hand to start the build in earnest come May. In the meantime, I bought a second workbench for my power tools and a shop vac, so I'm getting myself ready to dive in (not to mention, the research and experimentation that I will do until then). If you're stuck on something and are curious as to what the more recent plans show, let me know and I can see how to best get you that information. Hope all is well! Mike

Nice job! Any plans for your next build?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the kit Brian. I ended up getting a great deal on the FWZP on eBay a few months ago that I couldn't pass up. But, I'm going to reserve working on that kit until I get a few more kits under my belt, as I really want to do the kit justice and get all I can out of the Euromodel kit experience.

Very nice Ian - I love the modifications you are making. You're going to be a tough act to follow I should be starting my Unicorn in the next couple of weeks. I need to source some plywood as my keel is a bit warped and twisted. I also am waiting on some tools and my wood order from Hobbymill

Absolutely gorgeous work Frank! I really love the weathering that you did with great effect. It adds a ton of character to your model. Thanks for sharing your journey with us - looking forward to your Alert build! Just saw that it is 1:24 scale - that should be a lot of fun, especially for the opportunity to add cool details.

Really nice work Eamonn. Very crisp - your painting skills are very impressive!

Hi John, hope everything is well and under control. Good luck, and we'll be waiting for your return

Looking great Bruce. I should be starting mine in a month or two. Are you planning on double planking it? The instructions say that you can plank it with 0.50mm second planking if I remember correctly. I think I'm going to go that route, as I'm planning on using dyed pear.

Very nice build! I just completed my first build, and I wish it came out half as nice as yours!

Thanks for posting this question, as I was wondering the same thing.

It's a really beautiful ship, can't wait to see what you do with it. I have the Friedrich Wilhelm zu Pferde and I have been very impressed with the quality of Euromodel kits.

Thanks Eamonn! Love your Ballahoo by the way, the wood that you are using is fantastic, with very precise planking too.

Hi Cristiano - great minds think alike Glad to see another member of the Unicorn club. Looking forward to seeing you start a log on your build.

Thanks guys! Augie, I think you're right about the keel. I would have had to modify the keel anyway to have the pear components that would be exposed (like the stem, stern post and false keel) added to the keel, so I'm not too bothered by it. The rest of the wood in the kit doesn't seem to have any problems thankfully. Kester, thanks for the vote of confidence. Thanks also for pointing out the fact that the flags are incorrect - i'll have to keep that in mind. As for this build being interesting, it remains to be seen. One thing that I'm sure will be interesting will be the various expletives that will come out on a very periodic basis WQ, it's funny, when I started in the hobby, I didn't understand why people here obsessed about kit inaccuracies. As I went further along with the Badger, completing the model became less of a goal, and I really got into researching and learning about these incredible ships, which was just as enjoyable to me as putting it together. Friends and family always joked as to how long the Badger took me (5+ years), but for me, I got more out of the journey than having a completed product at the end. In any event, I guess I'm a convert to the kit bashing side of the hobby On the Morgan, thanks for the heads up. I have been following the log of my friend John on here, and I expect it might be a little more difficult. I'm actually planning to double plank it, with a second planking of 0.50mm stripwood, which the instructions say you can do. I figure that when I need a break from the Unicorn, it will be nice to work on something else, rather than taking a complete break from the hobby. I have a lot of ideas on how to enhance that kit as well, which I will detail in a build log that I will set up in the near future Peter, thanks for looking in. Your gallery photos are very inspirational. I was a bit worried about modifying the quarterdeck to have the portholes open up as you moved toward the bow, but it sounds like I might need to fiddle with it anyway. Thanks for the heads up about that - I'm going to have to really plan things out carefully, and I might have to bug you with questions if you don't mind. By the way, you live in a gorgeous part of the world - my wife and I took our first vacation out that way when we were dating, and we really loved it out there. Frank, thanks very much for looking in. You've been a great help on my Badger, and always gave me a boost of encouragement when I got frustrated. I hope all is well with you - did you finish the Supply?