Landlubber Mike

Here's my another chance!!!
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Modellismo-Corel-Fregata-Britannica-HMS-Unicorn-1790-1-75-Scale-Model-Ship-Kit-/380680288595?pt=UK_ToysGames_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN&hash=item58a2503953

The thing about kit price is that, most of the time, you get what you pay for. I remember paying almost £600 for my Sovereign of the Seas 20 years ago. The cost didn't end there, though: I bought new and better wood, had to change the model beyond original recognition to get it took even vaguely correct (even deck heights and bulwark lines and curves), new blocks, thread, fittings etc. The model, in reality ended up costing closer to £800. However, if made well enough, they can be sold for a lot more than the original cost of the kit and materials.
 
For me personally, I want to design stuff so that people like me do not have to throw out half the kit contents and buy better quality fittings/materials to make a half decent job of the finished project - it should all be there in the kit without me having to spend an extra dime, aside from paints/glues and tools - and most important of all, the kit I make, when complete has more than a passing resemblance to the vessel it purports to be - not 'It looks about right if you squint and ignore the oversized turned columns, and don't look at the bow and stern too closely...' No kit will ever be perfect due to production and material constraints, but that doesn't stop you trying to get close..
 
I have to admit that one of my pet hates are the sea of kits that, although cheap, are no more than caricatures of the original vessels (and that's even if the vessel that the model is based upon existed at all!) - when I see them made 'out of the box', they remind me the cheap and cheerful made up 'models' you see in every seaside shop. No matter how good a builder you are, they always end up looking like a cheap piece of Chinese furniture - it can be a 16th Century galleon or a 19th Century three decker, they all share the same fittings - and, speaking as a modeller, I do not like them. If you don't want your cheap kit to look like a piece of seaside tat, you will have to spend the equivalent of the original cost of the kit again. These were my thoughts from over 20 years ago, when in my early 20's, and my views haven't really changed that much since - but at least I can act upon them

Chris,
 
I would recommend including a set of flags with the kit, but not sails. I have always included flags (and pennants) with my models. I think they are a nice "finishing touch." For those who would want to make sails, a plan set included with the kit would be nice. If the interest is high, Amati can always make a full suit of actual cut sails available as an option.
 
Assuming you drive the completed Vic to Italy this Fall, I understand your job is basically done. I get that you can't accurately guess on how long it will take to put this model into production - however.... can you (please) tell us how long it took Amati to get the Vanguard (or the Pegasus) into kit boxes?
 
Ron

In the meantime I thought you might be interested in another valuable tool for modelers.
 

 
Yes it is a bottle opener which was forged for me by my youngest son James. You may notice that it has a sort of wood grain effect. This because it is made from a latter day form of Damascus steel. If you were to try to cut it with a hacksaw you would mark the surface then the hacksaw blade would lose its teeth.
 
I believe the original Damascus steel came from India and was used for the finest swords and gave the blades the beautiful patterns that showed as they were turned in sunlight. 18th century officers probably had swords with blades made with this type of steel which had the strength of tool steel and the flexibility of mild steel. Apparently its production ceased about the time this Unicorn was built and the knowledge on how to produce it was lost. Some blacksmiths around the world are trying to rediscover/reinvent the original method.
 
In the meantime the latterday method is to take alternating pieces of tool steel and mild steel and fire weld them together. The resultant billet is then hammered thinner then folded over. The folded parts are fire welded together, hammered thin, folded and so on. This is done about 200 times - the more times the finer the "grain".
 
The photo shows my son (complete with watcher) firewelding a billet of Damascus steel having just folded it over. My bottle opener was one of the items forged from this billet.
 

 
As you probably guess, if I have any metal work queries, my son is the person from whom I seek advice.

I was not happy with the hood front so I took it and the left side off. The next photo shows the replacement side in place. I cut it the right height, plus the rear edge was cut to the correct size, but the front was left over long for now. This was fitted. The replacement hood front is lying in front of the stove.
 

 
I actually had difficulty fitting the new front so I produced a new one with a large tab on the top. When soldering it in place I gripped it using locking tweezers on the tab which allowed the part to be pulled in to position.
 
The tab and the excess on the left side was filed off.
 
To finish the hood body I added a plate on top which has a slight overhang to represent the flange between the hood and the flue (to be constructed). When the stove is installed the main part of the stove will be go in through the waist area. The flue will have to be installed separately down through the foredeck. To help align the flue I have fitted a small length of brass rod on top of the hood.
 
I also decided to model the hood in the open position. The hinges were short lengths of 1mm x 0.7mm strip. They were soldered to the lid part first, bent to shape then the whole unit was soldered to the hood front.
 
The various plans and pictures show the lid either being held up by a latch or a length of small link chain. A reasonable representation of small link chain can be made using two pieces of fine wire twisted together. The more it is twisted the smaller is the simulated link size. I used some core wires from instrument wire. I took a length bent it in two then trapped the cut ends in the vice. I put a small drill bit through the loop end. Then using the bit as a wrench carefully twisted the wire. This makes the two wires wrap around each other. If you grab the end with pliers and twist, one part of the wire tends to remain straight whilst the other wraps around it. This latter approach does not give the desired effect.    
 

 
In hind sight, soldering these hood parts together would have been easier if I had left the fire grills off until after this point. This would have allowed it all to be soldered from underneath.

Thanks Augie.  It’s a photo of Canis Lupis Lupaster, or the Egyptian Wolf.  They are critically endangered and the sheer tenacity needed for them to survive in an arid region captivates me.

Larry,
 
I am using Maple for decking on my current build.  I've attached a picture of how it turned out for me.  It was purchased from Hobbymill.
 
 

There looks to be a good set of plans, but the proof of the pudding will come during the build.

The detailing on the forward and aft decks looks interesting.

Surprising just how big 1.4M is really
Hopefully that covers everything, but if there is anything else, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Regards,
Stuart.

Thanks, all - I think I'm about to take the plunge.

Mike,
 
Thanks for the info. The Guadeloupe was one of the ships that I looked at. My proposed layout of the waist, if observed from above, fits in with the Guadeloupe layout. The 'temporary' parts of  the gangways should only be two planks wide. Mine will be slighter wider to mask the bulkhead extensions. There should be a step up from the temporary to the fixed part of the gangway and again a further step up to the quarter deck. I won't be able to achieve that without rebuilding a great chunk of the hull - but starting from the beginning would be a different proposition. 
 
Your research, I feel, confirms my view that Coral have mixed an early hull with a much later superstructure.

Mike, it would be a wonder (and wonderful sight) to see the USS Constitution in 'full sails', however, I am only adding six out of the thirty-some sails that she might have carried in the past. Even at that, I am having a difficult time but enjoying the challenge.
 
Kim, I appreciate your input about fixing the sails with hair-spray. I have read about using that and decided to try my wife's starch instead. It is less 'sticky'. It sprays on nicely and can be dried/ formed in a similar way you described with a hair dryer. I have taken a cautious route and only tried it briefly (not completely) on the three sails thus far. It works and I know that I can do more later after more of the rigging is in place. I might give hair spray another try on an old piece, but then, if disappointed, I might go back to 'starch' for the square sails.
This is a bit like learning to play the F cord on a guitar!!??
 
I am still trying to finish more of the shrouds and other rigging before adding the mizzen top-sail with its various lines. 
For now, while the weather is rather hot here, I will postpone much action.

Hi Mike:
 
Thanks for the compliments and for stopping in! The Unicorn looks like a really nice ship - generally I think Corel makes good kits (I've done the Toulonnaise, the Brittany Sloop and the Flattie and all were a lot of fun and very high quality - I also have the Bellona and it looks like a real beauty!). The Greyhound seems to be an exception to the general rule - though even before I discovered the extent of the badness, I'd already decided to bash the kit quite heavily.
 
Thanks also for the tip on CMB - I will check it out and see if there's anything at 1:100 that might work! 
 
I would strongly recommend you have a go at scratch-building the transom and galleries - despite some historical inaccuracies on mine (which you can avoid by being less lazy and more keen eyed than I am) I am much happier with (and prouder of) these results than I would have been had I stuck with the material supplied by Corel. Having said that - Harlequin's Greyhound build is proof that you can make a beautiful model even with a kit as desperately imperfect as this one!
 
Looking forward to the Unicorn and bye for now
hamilton

Hi Hamilton, just wanted to say you're doing a fantastic job on this build.  It's very inspiring as for my next build (the Corel Unicorn), I plan to do a lot of similar kit bashing.
 
Not sure if you finished your transom or not, but one thing you might consider is buying decorative pieces from Cornwall Model Boats - here is the link to decorative pieces offered by Corel that they sell (click on other manufacturers for the decorative pieces they sell):
 
http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/corel-decorations.html
 
The Unicorn kit's transom and stern gallery tops and bottoms are cast metal, bulky and not all that nice looking.  I'm thinking of scratching the transom and galleries, and adding the decorative pieces separately.

Hey guys I thought I would share a bit of news not really to do with the Niagara.  Today as the lawyers sign off on everything my wife and I should be the proud new owners of our first house!  So If you don't see me posting much over the next week it's because I will be busy moving the work station to it's new location.   Ps. Happy belated 4 of July.
 
Brian 

Really nice work Brian - you're right, the Niagara has really nice lines.  
 
I'd love to see someone put sails on her - I think she'd look really fantastic

I thought I might post the method I recently used to create my Hammock netting on Caldercrafts Victory 1:72.
I tried a couple of different things, couldn't find anything to buy-either wrong scale or wrong colour.
Victorys nets are diamond in natural.
So I decided to 'weave' them.
Again I tried a couple of methods.
Pins were not the best idea because the pin diameter offsets the thread and you get into more complex winding.
Plus with pins you have to keep constant tension.
So hit on a different method.
First i spent an age getting the nesting optimal.

Picked a shape fairly oblong and found a bit of ex shelf unit (nice shiny surface)
Then I took some offcuts of ply clamped them together and ran a fine tooth saw through them, used a gauge to space the cuts every 3mm.
The pitch between threads is 2mm
Mounted the strips to all four sides.

Placed a bit of .5 x .5 section inside each wall.
That meant that the thread sat off the surface and made threading easier and stopeed the glue sticking it down
Then ran a thread in one diagonal across the whole surface (25 metres!)
The really good thing is that the thin slots grip the thread and no tensioning is required except for each run.

Then ran in the other direction, under, over, under, over etc.......
A light brush with watered down PVA as I went.
I 'tweeked' the spacing to get it even just prior to the glue.
hey presto a bunch of good looking netting, pliable but with good glued joints.
All is cost was a big serving of time and patience
 
Nick

I ran into a similar problem on my 1:100 scale Bluenose.  The instructions called for the rudder to be butt glued to the keel and then cutting the brass strips to lay on the outside of the hull and rudder.  I didn't like the look of it so I did the following:
 
I cut two pieces of 1/32nd inch piano wire, drilled the rudder, and inserted the wires into the holes.  I formed the copper strips (hinges) around the rudder and around the keel.  The hinges that would conceal the wires were notched so the wires would fit between the two hinges.
 
The rudder was lined up to the keel and holes drilled in the keel to accept the wires.
 
The hinges were glued to the keel and rudder then the rudder wires were inserted into the keel and glued with epoxy.
 
The overall affect is that the rudder is spaced from the keel by about 1mm.  This gives a more realistic look to the assembly.

I think bending won't be needed when you're making bulkheads, in fact, that's exactly what you're trying to avoid when it comes to bulkheads.... we want them to be stiff and durable so that they are not deformed or damaged during planking, hence retaining the lines of the ship.

I am a fan of adding some 'ballast' to models particularly for plastic kits. In my opinion it gives a better feel to the hull and does add a little stability when working on the hull. I use washed gravel packed in plastic bags and taped and pva'd inside the hull.
 
I find it less necessary and convenient with wooden pob kits by the nature of their structure, and certainly with my current build with mdf keel and bulkheads it is heavy enough. If I think it is appropriate to add weight to a pob kit I screw metal plates along the keel  between the bulkheads.
 
B.E.

Hi Jason, thanks very much.  To make those hooks for the cannons, I didn't use the photoetch hooks that Norman is describing because they were too big, but instead used the brass eyelets that came with the kit (cut the eyelet out and then bent it into a hook shape).  I think this was the size in the kit:
 
http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/caldercraft83505.html

A short deviation from the main build:
 
Whilst in a local hobby shop I acme across some larger section planking going cheap (app 1.5mm x 8mm) and this gave me an idea for the display stand:
 
I cut the strips to size and laid them with a butt shift:
 

 

 
I then drilled for the treenails and inserted these with pva:
 

 

 

 
Then .5mm black cord caulking, a walnut border and some coats of semi gloss varnish and here we are:
 

 
It mirrors the Pickles' deck and I think looks ok.

Completion Photos
 
This post concludes my log of a nine month build.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
More to follow
 
B.E.

Thanks Mike,
 
I am better with metal than wood. When I was in the first year of secondary school we had woodwork lessons. My woodwork teacher was married to my Father's cousin. ("There's distinction" as my Welsh friends would say). In one lesson my teacher said in a loud voice that "No one so bad at woodwork could possibly be a relative of his wife". From year 2 on I did Latin instead. I wasn't very good at that either!  Maths, Physics and Chemistry were my thing.   

My kit supplies pieces for a stand/cradle that has a keel slot started, but not the hull shape.
 
I found this contour guage at a Harbor Freight store (US chain with cheap tools/hardware) for a few dollars. There are higher quality ones available elsewhere.
 
I used it to get the hull shape to do the cradle piece. I can also see it used to check the hull's shape and symmetry when fairing.
 

 

 
Brian

Thanks very much Gunslinger.  I'm sure you'll be able to do much better than me on this.  The kit is nice with lots of details, but the wood strips are not very good.  The walnut in particular is prone to splitting, which can be very frustrating.
 
Another recommendation I would make is to think ahead and not necessarily do things in the order of the manual.  For example, i would do all of the rails at once, before starting the cannons.  I think the instructions have you do some rails before the cannons, and some after, which just led to me continually breaking off the cannons.  The instructions also have you completing the ships boats at the very end.  I dont think it would be all that easy to install them in the middle of the ship when all the rigging is up, so I installed mine before the masts were set.
 
For the sails, I don't think there are pre-made sails out there for this kit.  I'm building them from scratch, either using sail cloth from Model Expo or silkspan (leaning towards the ME sail cloth).  It's taking me a lot of research though to figure out whether I need to run extra lines, etc., especially for the jibs.