cobra1951

Open the box!
 
The box; 58 x 30 x 6.5cm is not overbig, but a hefty 2kg according to the dispatch note, and it alarmed me enormously when I first took possession of it. It rattled as if every component within was loose and this worried me considerably. When opened it wasn’t as bad as it sounded. All the pieces were sound and tied together, the majority of the rattling must have come from the plastic box of preformed components which were well and truly mixed together! Having travelled 1,110 miles this isn’t surprising!
 

 
The box contained said stout plastic box compartmentalised to hold the separate preformed components, an A4 manual c/w full colour photographs, a huge “poster” depicting 3 views of the finished build with limited nomenclature, two big bundles of firmly bound lengths of wood and four more smaller ones including what appears to be a short length of broom handle! This I assume is destined to be the mast, and by its huge diameter gives an idea of the big scale of the kit. Lastly the plinth on which the whole kit sits, and which indeed is an integral part of it. This is solid and quite well cut. Several laser cut sheets of various thicknesses were held together in a plastic bag.
 

 
First impressions were good. The quality of the wood appears very high, as does the quality of the preformed components. The laser cut sheets do worry me a tad, as the laser cuts do leave wide gaps of un-burnt wood, and on thicker pieces this can lead to problems extricating the pieces intact, as I know to my cost.
 

 
The manual however made me groan. The photos are fairly good, and plenty of them, each with individual items numbered. These numbers correspond to the parts list in the rear of the manual, where are also to be found the diagrams of each of the six laser cut sheets. What did make me groan though were the build instructions themselves. I think the word is minimal!
 
Thankfully this shouldn’t be too complicated a build, but just as well if I had to rely on the instructions themselves.
 
However I’ll persevere, the first job to paint the plinth black…
 
 
Bryan

Hiya Guys.
 
Really sorry I've not updated this for such a long time. Life gets so busy sometimes. Some of you may have noticed I am back with two concurrent builds, but that doesn't mean I have neglected my vicky.
 
I've made a fair bit of progress since my last update. Coppering has been finished. For the most part, gunports are all complete except the top row. I've completed the middle gun deck including cannons. I must confess I did only rig the cannons that were immediately visible.
 
I've had to make some adjustments at the stern, I didn't like the idea of just painting bare ply for the galleries, so I have planked them over using some spare .5mm veneer. I prefer the effect as it means the edges are visible instead of just being a smooth surface. I've spent a lot of time filling the joins to the main hull and extending the wales into the galleries.
 
I've fitted the upper deck and am in process of planking that.

She is on the back for now though, as I am building the Bluenose II right through while stocking up on parts for my SotS build. I am in no hurry to finish this one anyway...as I haven't a clue where I am going to put her when she is finished...
 
Thanks.
 

That idea is perfectly feasible extending the gun port cut out and covering up with the planking, but remember you will also have to alter the stern end of the template so that the stern plate and stern facia fit squarley

Wow been a while since I popped my head in here.
 
I love what you did with the wales. Looks fantastic

Thank you all once again for your advice and encouraging words.
 
Of course there's a problem - there would be - the starboard gun ports are about 3mm further back than the port ones. I am not going to unglue them again, instead thinking of either enlarging the port ones backwards by 3mm or the opposite with the starboard ones. I think I will be able to cover up when I timber the sides. But it will all have to wait until we come back from our week in the French Alps - I can't tell you how much we're looking forward to getting away from Britain for a bit.

Hey Elijah I think you're doing a great job on your ship. Blackening metal fittings is always a personal decision, bright metals will eventually dull even if they're coated with a clear lacquer. There are several really good threads on this forum on how to blacken metals. There is a definite learning curve and I would highly recommend reading through these before making a decision.
 
However the coppering is a slightly different story since copper turns green in saltwater. If you look online for photos of the Connie as she was pulled recently into dry dock you'll see a nice green patina. There are chemicals you can use to turn copper green quickly, or if you use wood you can do a faux finish to simulate the patina. This is what I did on my Connie per the instructions in the Mamoli kit.

Looks good

Looking good! I will echo what Mike said about the garboard turning up at the bow. Even if it is only a slight bend, once you start adding strakes that bend will become more and more noticable. One way to check this is to keep measuring your space inbetween the garboard and those upper planks. Do your planks still fit in that space with the correct number and widths? If they do then you are ok. If not then you need to reset.
 
What happens is that the spacing at the bow will close out faster that the rest of the hull as it is a smaller space to begin with. If your planks are turning up there thrn that will accelerate that gap closure and you will not have the space to run the same number of strakes at the bow as you have on the rest of the ship.
 
You may be fine but double check you spacing now. It is easier to replace one plank then have to remove a lot of planks or be unhappy with your results.

Well done Elijah.

MIke I thought the same thing about having to step over that rail and then it being a foot deeper on one side. I could see a lot of awkwardness, tripping and banged shins and knees on either height. Maybe not the best design...

Would look kinda cool but then reality sets in. That rail around the cockpit area would be annoying enough to have to step over to get to the wheel. If you had to step over and down? At nite?

Certainly looks like a strange set up whichever way you go. Bit of a dilemma. But as usual, your kit do it your way :)

Sorry for your loss EJ

Looks great

Looks great

Sorry for your loss EJ

Looks great

Looks great

Whew! Glad to see you got that annoying step out of the way.  That's really the Swan Builder's initiation rite:  if you get those gunport strips on without throwing the whole build out the window, then you're in for the duration.
 
Bravo, and Well done.
 
Martin

I agree, those screws will tear the wood up, there is no pressure on the deck so only a small amount of downward force is needed to keep it in place until the glue sets

The good thing is you're working with wood and you can clean up the bulkhead risers and add more wood to them. Just go slow and it will come good

Mark, Bob, thank you for your condolences.

Sorry for your loss EJ

My condolences on First Mate Brinkley, EJ.   I've lost my mates over time also and it's a hard thing to have happen.  They are family.

I agree, those screws will tear the wood up, there is no pressure on the deck so only a small amount of downward force is needed to keep it in place until the glue sets