mtdoramike

Thanks for the link Mark, actually I have seen his build log quite a while back and his work on this model is amazing to say the least. I will be using this link and his build as references for my build. I'm going to do the same with mine where he used quite a bit of filler blocks between the frames, which will aid in fairing the hull planking since the frames are quite thin for a model of this size in my opinion.
 
 
mike

Here is a little progress on the Montanes. The frames went into the keel slots with ease and a nice tight fit, unlike the Latina Victory, which was quite sloppy and loose. Also, the decking went in rather easily, and I have to say out of all the models that I have built, the decking just slipped in with very little trimming and filing. To me, most deckings on models were always way off and needed all kinds of trimming to get it to fit decent. Now this model has a white cast metal stern plate, which I always hate on ship models and I usually opt to replace and build up my own out of wood. But I will see how this one looks before passing judgement on it since I have seen a few videos of the construction of this model on Youtube and thought the stern section looked rather good. But we'll see, I'm not even close to worrying about that part yet.
 
Also the parts list is posing a tad bit of a problem since it doesn't offer English translation, but I'm muddling along with it and  have only had to check out some translation issues a few time on the computer. I'm curious to know if OcCre every really intended for a western release of this kit and a few others because of the lack of English translation in the kit information.
 
 
mike

To you as well JP.
 
 
mike

Well I'm getting about ready to start the Montanes Build after a nice break from building the Victory. Now this was not a new kit when I purchased it, which was from a forum member last year hence the tape all over it to secure it while shipping. I went through and did a inventory and all parts seem to be present along with 7 sheets of plans. Now this would not be a beginner kit especially for someone in the United States unless you speak Spanish, which I don't because the instruction booklet is written in Spanish only. I'm sure this kit was for the Overseas market and was purchased in Spain. This little issue doesn't phase me though because I rarely ever follow instructions and mainly build by plans. Now the construction booklet is great with colored photos, which will help during the build if needed. I assume if you can find a Montanes kit in the U.S. it would have English translated instruction, if you can find one. I love a good challenge and this will add to the challenge.
 
I noticed while unpacking the kit contents that the keel and frames seem to be made with a thin plywood of like 1/8" thick, which I thought was a bit thin for this size model because the Victory keel and frames were twice as thick, but it also made the final product quite heavy. 

Thank you for the kind words Tom, I have to admit it turned out quite nice indeed.
 
mike

Thank you for the kind words Tom, I have to admit it turned out quite nice indeed.
 
mike

Mike, just tagging along as this model has always appealed to me but at this point it is out of my price range.  I will wait till my skills improve before I lay down that kind of cash.  Good luck with your build and whomever receives this donation will be quite lucky.  I saw the pics of the one you donated to the library... beautiful piece of work.
Tom

Hey tom tagging along too huh I'm the same with the skill level I have for this model vs price range I can't wait to see this girl take shape

Ah -- Finally found your build Mike. Hope it ain't too late to pull up a barrel out in the wings. 

Thanks for the link Mark, actually I have seen his build log quite a while back and his work on this model is amazing to say the least. I will be using this link and his build as references for my build. I'm going to do the same with mine where he used quite a bit of filler blocks between the frames, which will aid in fairing the hull planking since the frames are quite thin for a model of this size in my opinion.
 
 
mike

Thanks for the link Mark, actually I have seen his build log quite a while back and his work on this model is amazing to say the least. I will be using this link and his build as references for my build. I'm going to do the same with mine where he used quite a bit of filler blocks between the frames, which will aid in fairing the hull planking since the frames are quite thin for a model of this size in my opinion.
 
 
mike

Here is a little progress on the Montanes. The frames went into the keel slots with ease and a nice tight fit, unlike the Latina Victory, which was quite sloppy and loose. Also, the decking went in rather easily, and I have to say out of all the models that I have built, the decking just slipped in with very little trimming and filing. To me, most deckings on models were always way off and needed all kinds of trimming to get it to fit decent. Now this model has a white cast metal stern plate, which I always hate on ship models and I usually opt to replace and build up my own out of wood. But I will see how this one looks before passing judgement on it since I have seen a few videos of the construction of this model on Youtube and thought the stern section looked rather good. But we'll see, I'm not even close to worrying about that part yet.
 
Also the parts list is posing a tad bit of a problem since it doesn't offer English translation, but I'm muddling along with it and  have only had to check out some translation issues a few time on the computer. I'm curious to know if OcCre every really intended for a western release of this kit and a few others because of the lack of English translation in the kit information.
 
 
mike

To you as well JP.
 
 
mike

Well I'm getting about ready to start the Montanes Build after a nice break from building the Victory. Now this was not a new kit when I purchased it, which was from a forum member last year hence the tape all over it to secure it while shipping. I went through and did a inventory and all parts seem to be present along with 7 sheets of plans. Now this would not be a beginner kit especially for someone in the United States unless you speak Spanish, which I don't because the instruction booklet is written in Spanish only. I'm sure this kit was for the Overseas market and was purchased in Spain. This little issue doesn't phase me though because I rarely ever follow instructions and mainly build by plans. Now the construction booklet is great with colored photos, which will help during the build if needed. I assume if you can find a Montanes kit in the U.S. it would have English translated instruction, if you can find one. I love a good challenge and this will add to the challenge.
 
I noticed while unpacking the kit contents that the keel and frames seem to be made with a thin plywood of like 1/8" thick, which I thought was a bit thin for this size model because the Victory keel and frames were twice as thick, but it also made the final product quite heavy. 

hahahahahahahaha, Yep I know the feeling.

Thanks JP, it is a very interesting ship for sure and it seems a fairly rare one to be modeled as well. I found only one or two builds on this beauty on YouTube, but at least there are a couple for viewing in case I hit a snag or want to change something.
 
 
mike 

Not letting the cat out of the bag, but I have spoken to a representative from my local Hospital, who would be interested in displaying this model at their hospital if I decided to donate it to them. But I'm not really entertaining any plans on that aspect yet until I get quite further into the build.
 
I'm also hoping to find a business or group who would be willing to supply the display case or fund the display case on this donation because on the last one almost got me kicked out of the house when I told my wife that not only was I buying the kit, supplying all the materials, and spending 2500 hours building the model, I'm also supplying the $900.00 display case. That went over about like a rock.
 
 
mike

The only change to this would be if I get the opportunity to build a Sovereign of the seas, which is my dream model to build.
 
 
mike

I wasn't going to do a build log on this next project, but after checking on the forums, I found only a few builds of the fine ship model kit.
 
I bought this kit from a forum member some time ago with the intent on building it as a donation project once I finished the Latina Victory Library donation project. I will start the build in a month or so once I have taken a break from the Victory build.  This would just be my observations of the kit, manufacture and content. I also will not make a decision as to who or what organization will be the benefactor of the Montane's donation until I'm about 3/4 of the way through the build as to not place any added pressure on myself while building. I went ahead and ordered a nice brass & black plaque for her, don't it look classy? This kit produces a large model at 49 inches long and will need a display case at 55" x 42" x 22". The average cost of this kit in the U.S. runs around $899.00 if you can find one because they don't seem to be that common.
 
A little back ground on the ship: The figurehead of this ship is not the royal lion but a “Montañes” (highlander), in gratitude for the financial contribution towards her construction made by the people of the mountains. She was launched in Ferrol on 14th May 1794. It is said that she was an extraordinary vessel, whether sailing close to the wind, running free or with a following wind, and that, more than any other ship, she kept her batteries out of the water. She was engaged in a number of battles, including Trafalgar, where she mounted 76 guns and 4 carronades with mortars, located on her quarter deck. On 6th March 1810, in a violent storm, she sank off the Bay of Cadiz.
 
mike

Thanks for the link Mark, actually I have seen his build log quite a while back and his work on this model is amazing to say the least. I will be using this link and his build as references for my build. I'm going to do the same with mine where he used quite a bit of filler blocks between the frames, which will aid in fairing the hull planking since the frames are quite thin for a model of this size in my opinion.
 
 
mike

Here is a little progress on the Montanes. The frames went into the keel slots with ease and a nice tight fit, unlike the Latina Victory, which was quite sloppy and loose. Also, the decking went in rather easily, and I have to say out of all the models that I have built, the decking just slipped in with very little trimming and filing. To me, most deckings on models were always way off and needed all kinds of trimming to get it to fit decent. Now this model has a white cast metal stern plate, which I always hate on ship models and I usually opt to replace and build up my own out of wood. But I will see how this one looks before passing judgement on it since I have seen a few videos of the construction of this model on Youtube and thought the stern section looked rather good. But we'll see, I'm not even close to worrying about that part yet.
 
Also the parts list is posing a tad bit of a problem since it doesn't offer English translation, but I'm muddling along with it and  have only had to check out some translation issues a few time on the computer. I'm curious to know if OcCre every really intended for a western release of this kit and a few others because of the lack of English translation in the kit information.
 
 
mike

Well I'm getting about ready to start the Montanes Build after a nice break from building the Victory. Now this was not a new kit when I purchased it, which was from a forum member last year hence the tape all over it to secure it while shipping. I went through and did a inventory and all parts seem to be present along with 7 sheets of plans. Now this would not be a beginner kit especially for someone in the United States unless you speak Spanish, which I don't because the instruction booklet is written in Spanish only. I'm sure this kit was for the Overseas market and was purchased in Spain. This little issue doesn't phase me though because I rarely ever follow instructions and mainly build by plans. Now the construction booklet is great with colored photos, which will help during the build if needed. I assume if you can find a Montanes kit in the U.S. it would have English translated instruction, if you can find one. I love a good challenge and this will add to the challenge.
 
I noticed while unpacking the kit contents that the keel and frames seem to be made with a thin plywood of like 1/8" thick, which I thought was a bit thin for this size model because the Victory keel and frames were twice as thick, but it also made the final product quite heavy. 

I wasn't going to do a build log on this next project, but after checking on the forums, I found only a few builds of the fine ship model kit.
 
I bought this kit from a forum member some time ago with the intent on building it as a donation project once I finished the Latina Victory Library donation project. I will start the build in a month or so once I have taken a break from the Victory build.  This would just be my observations of the kit, manufacture and content. I also will not make a decision as to who or what organization will be the benefactor of the Montane's donation until I'm about 3/4 of the way through the build as to not place any added pressure on myself while building. I went ahead and ordered a nice brass & black plaque for her, don't it look classy? This kit produces a large model at 49 inches long and will need a display case at 55" x 42" x 22". The average cost of this kit in the U.S. runs around $899.00 if you can find one because they don't seem to be that common.
 
A little back ground on the ship: The figurehead of this ship is not the royal lion but a “Montañes” (highlander), in gratitude for the financial contribution towards her construction made by the people of the mountains. She was launched in Ferrol on 14th May 1794. It is said that she was an extraordinary vessel, whether sailing close to the wind, running free or with a following wind, and that, more than any other ship, she kept her batteries out of the water. She was engaged in a number of battles, including Trafalgar, where she mounted 76 guns and 4 carronades with mortars, located on her quarter deck. On 6th March 1810, in a violent storm, she sank off the Bay of Cadiz.
 
mike

Or much easier and less work involved which I love, I order the lettering and waterline markings from Cornwall models in England. Yep, takes a few weeks to get to the U.S., but if I have a few ships in the wings at different scales, I can order most in one order and the shipping isn't that bad.
 
 
mike 

Here is a little progress on the Montanes. The frames went into the keel slots with ease and a nice tight fit, unlike the Latina Victory, which was quite sloppy and loose. Also, the decking went in rather easily, and I have to say out of all the models that I have built, the decking just slipped in with very little trimming and filing. To me, most deckings on models were always way off and needed all kinds of trimming to get it to fit decent. Now this model has a white cast metal stern plate, which I always hate on ship models and I usually opt to replace and build up my own out of wood. But I will see how this one looks before passing judgement on it since I have seen a few videos of the construction of this model on Youtube and thought the stern section looked rather good. But we'll see, I'm not even close to worrying about that part yet.
 
Also the parts list is posing a tad bit of a problem since it doesn't offer English translation, but I'm muddling along with it and  have only had to check out some translation issues a few time on the computer. I'm curious to know if OcCre every really intended for a western release of this kit and a few others because of the lack of English translation in the kit information.
 
 
mike