Jack12477

Good to see you back at it and making more progress.  Exceptional work (as usual).

Greetings Fellow Modelers,
 
Thanks for the comments and "likes".
 
In the past several months, the most I’ve seen of the Pelican has been when walking by it. This is due to a lack of time and not a lack of interest, but with a friendly nudge from Phil, here’s an update on what I have been doing - sacrificial hull sheathing and protective sheet metal in way of the gallows frames. I want to mention that Phil @Dr PR has already installed protective hull sheathing (a feature rarely modeled) on his excellent USS Cape build. Check it out if you haven't already.
 
In my last post, I described the construction of the gallows frames and associated brackets. It would seem logical that the next step is to now paint, weather, and install these frames. But doing so now would greatly complicate installing the sheet metal below the gallows. This led to yet another task that had to be done before the sheet metal could go on - laying down the protective hull sheathing.
 
Many mid-century wooden fishing boats in New England had partial sheathing that protected the hull from damage when raising and lowering the heavy trawl gear. This sheathing (typically ¾” oak) was sacrificial, and the planks were installed straight and untapered making them easy to replace/repair. The Roann, built in 1946, is a small eastern-rig dragger in the collection of the Mystic Seaport Museum. It was designed by Albert Condon a few years after he designed the Pelican. In the photo below one can see that the sheathing under the starboard gallows extends down below the waterline nearly to the keel. The sheathing also extends forward in a waterline band all the way to the stem. This forward band of sheathing was added to protect the hull from floating ice slabs at a time when harbor freeze-overs were not uncommon. Because the Roann was not equipped to “drag” off port side, only the waterline sheathing was installed, which extends back to midships.
 

 
 
Based on the plans and other boats by the same designer, here’s what the sheathing looks like on the Pelican.  The boards are scale ¾” by 4” and will be applied to both sides, because this vessel could drag off both sides.
 

 
 
Vertical strips of wood are installed against the end grain to reduce water absorption, crushing and splintering of the board ends. Perhaps tar or some other waterproofing was slathered on the ends before the vertical strips were attached.
 

 
 
The sheathing extends onto the stem.
 

 
 
I added the rub rail which sits just below bottom of deck. It’s made up of two pieces which combined stand out from the hull about 3 scale inches. The outer piece is half round styrene.
 

 
 
In the cross section below the sheet metal under the aft gallows is highlighted in blue. The metal is #10 galvanized steel, about .138” (3.5mm) thick. I don’t have a forward cross section of this detail to show, but it’s very similar. Note the added wood structure that holds the sheet metal out from the bulwark and guides it over the rub rail.
 

 
 
The main area of sheet metal consists of seven vertical sections, so the structure is constructed to support them.  Here’s the forward support framing.
 

 
 
And the aft framing.
 

 
 
The drawing below shows the individual sheet panels and their arrangement – also there’s a “U” shaped cap that fits over the rail.
 

 
 
I drew up the forward starboard sheet-metal group in CAD and then adjusted it to match the “as-built” framing of the support structure. On the full sized boat, the vertical panel seams overlap, but on the model they simply butt to each other. The drawing was separated into individual panels to be used as templates.
 

 
 
Thinking that copper would be the material to simulate the metal, I purchased foil that closely scaled to the actual #10 gauge used on the real boat – but that was a bust. While the copper was malleable enough, it dented, scratched and crinkle creased way too easily and so I tried a variety of different materials including aluminum, brass, paper, card and styrene. Each had appeal and issues, but for the small panels on this model, I decided on using inkjet photo paper instead. More precisely, the reverse side of the paper because of its smooth coated surface. It sort of looks and feels like styrene and there’s no sign of fiber. When folded, it creates a nice sharp bend, and the cut edges are clean and fuzz free. This paper is left over from when I had an ink printer, and I suspect any dense hard surface paper would work just as well. Out of curiosity, I did try painting the front “photo” side of the paper. Not good. Think of how an old photo looks that’s been folded, creased, reopened and flattened.
 
Anyway, I printed out the templates directly to the reverse side of the photo paper and cut free the lower section panel to work on first. The upper seven vertical panels will shingle over this panel.
 
I began by slowly going around the perimeter with a black permanent marker allowing time for the paper to absorb the ink. I then flattened/burnished the edges with a spoon shaped sculpting tool.
 

 
 
I then colored it with oxide black acrylic ink.
 

 
 
I painted it with True Metal “iron” and stippled it to remove brush strokes while allowing some small peaks to remain. No attempt at a uniform look.
 

 
 
Letting the paint dry half an hour or so, I then polished the surface with a scrap piece of clean styrene sheet. I just flop the styrene (about 4” square) on top and briskly rub in one direction at a time. The thickness and pattern of paint that was applied in combination with the speed and pressure used when polishing will yield different results.
 
This process reminds me of the drywall texturing I did on a house we renovated about thirty years ago. Called “orange peel knockdown”, it was all the rage back then and great for obscuring a less than stellar drywall installation. The procedure was to splatter spray drywall mud on the wall, wait for it to partially dry, and then knockdown the peaks with a clean trowel. Similar idea here in micro scale.
 

 
 
You can create a variety of different looks by modifying the paint thickness, texture and by how long you let it dry. The test piece on the left in the photo below is True Metal iron on .05” styrene. The paint was gently streaked vertically with just the edge of a toothbrush, allowed to dry then polished with the styrene sheet.  In the middle is TM steel with a speck of burnt umber oil paint added and then applied to 24lb copy paper. The paint wasn’t quite dry when polished leaving long streaks. On the right is TM iron on the back side of photo paper. Because all these materials are thin, any imperfections on the work surface will telegraph up onto the surface of the "metal". This can be used to advantage. Back to the example on the right, I took a piece of double-sided cellophane tape with a fine thread stuck to it and fixed it to my work surface. Placing the photo paper on top and polishing it left a vertical image on the metal. A close look even reveals where the butt end of the tape was. This works so well because the paint is wax based and it’s looking for any excuse to clot. A slight protrusion or hump that develops a hot spot when polished is all it needs. For size reference, the piece on the right is a tad over 1” square.
 

 
 
I cut the seven vertical pieces out and blackened their perimeters. It would have been great to do this as a single piece, but it needs to bend in two dimensions, so that was out.
 

 
 
Painted.
 

 
So here it is all glued to the boat. I used aluminum for the “U” shaped rail cap and applied the same paint and polish to it. The paper cap just looked lumpy.
 
The hull paint is not final and it’s more of a color test than anything.  Hull weathering won't be for some time, but I want to see how the metal weathering will look surrounded by those colors. Typically, I like to start with something that looks new and progressively add wear and age.  This "metal" clearly needs darkening, dents, gouges, streaking, rust and other fun stuff.  
 

 
I wish I liked this metal more than I do, so, I’m going to take another crack at using styrene for the aft metal work and see how they compare. I'll post those results and that of the weathering.
 
Until next time – Take care and thanks for stopping by.
 
Gary

Coming together beautifully Rob. The details on the kit are amazing.
alan

After all the body work, now it´s all about subassemblies and not to damage the polished body with scratches or CA fingerprints.

The polished tub went finally onto the floor pan and got screwed there permanently. I further added some details like the pedals.



The rear of the tub received the gas tank with all the needed attachments.



Then I finished the front suspension sans the steering. Most delicate were some turned pins and the intersecting tubes, which hold the nose in place later. There was a need for absolute precision, to prevent gaps from the monocoque to the nose part.



Cheers Rob

You cant bend a strip into that curve.  Yes that sheet is there for you to cut the bow cap.   Make a card template first....as mentioned in the instructions.   
 
Chuck

Hi Steve, there should be several 3/16" lasercut fairing caps in the package you received from Chuck! If not send him a message.
Look at Chuck's build on page 7, post #207, it's described there were to place the 3/16"wide fairing caps to help with the inboard fairing.
Frank.

Question for the group:
 
How did others create the 3/16 wide fairing cap at the bow?  I've looked through several build logs and don't see any real discussion about it, it just sort of shows up in everyone's build without much mention.
 
The chapter 2 build instructions imply the bow fairing cap was laser cut, but it is not part of the chapter 2 parts that were sent to me.
 
I can obviously piece it together using multiple pieces of wider strip stock but wanted to ask in case I'm missing something obvious?
 
This is the last work I need to complete prior to getting into the planking of the lower hull.
 
Steve

Quite the formidable warrior, Alan. And you cranked it out fast. 👍

Excellent work Alan.
 
OC.

I think this warrior is finished. I painted an earth brown onto the base, added light grey for tge rocks and stones. On the large rock I used a diluted light grey on the black primer and then rubbed it back with a cotton bud. The petroglyph was given a diluted black wash. I added Woodland Scenics grass to complete the base. It was easier to do before adding the remaining parts and having to work around them. The sword, shield, axe and his hand and spear were all added. I continued to use the ca glue and it worked great. The faster setting time really made it easier so this may be the way forward. This was a very relaxing subject and I think I will try some more Pegaso figures amongst the Art Girona ones.

Thanks for looking in, for the likes and the great comments.
Time to return to the ships, not sure what though yet. A diorama is attractive.
alan

Thanks @Danstream & @Landlubber Mike for your kind comments and for the likes everyone.
 
After another session with masking tape, I have applied the faded ID stripes, looks black and a cream yellow in the photos , but in daylight they are more charcoal and a pale yellow.  The photo on post #5 you could say the stripes were white/black like "D-Day" ones; and Airfix's instructions say they "might" have been white, but comparing them to the white square on the leading edge of the wing (inner section with the number "86" on it) I have convinced myself they are faded yellow.  Anyway committed now! 😁
 
Getting close to gloss varnish and decal time! - thanks for looking in.

Moving along with the details. I added the trim to his tunic. I painted flat orange as a base and the gold over the top, it seems to look more like gold cloth that way.
i finished the facial details, eyebrows and eyes and then fitted the nose guard. As I suspected the eyes are pretty much obscured. I had a bit of a surprise painting the gold decoration on the guard. Shaking the bottle of clear orange I found I hand a hand coated in clear orange. The plastic cap had cracked. I was able to rescue some paint but I think I’ll have to order another bottle. I have the Mig AMMO clear orange but it is a much thinner color and doesn’t look like gold.
i added the plume to the helmet. I’m using ca glue this time for the small parts. So far so good and it’s easier to make sure the piece stays in place while it dries.

The base is rather nice on this one. Note the petroglyph on the rock. I think that’s rather nice.
Thanks for looking in, the likes and kind comments.
alan
 
 

Yep, the little display case is getting crowded. I just hope there is no pushing and shoving in there. There’s some prickly characters that are carrying weapons.
alan

Excellent work on this one  -  so many  details to it.
 
OC.

Quite the "Army" you are building up Alan! 👏

Looks great Andrew!  Really nice progress.  I love the two colors used together on this aircraft.

Great start Alan.  You've painted up a nice variety of figures - these Pegaso figures are pretty cool.

Big improvement today:-) The refrigeration man showed up to cut and vacuumed out the line set for the mini split. Forecast calls for cooler temperatures tomorrow:-)
 

 

Still waiting to see that new sheathing on the hull.

The last of the batch of figures. Nicely sculpted by Pegaso and a lot of latitude regarding choice of colors.

As seems to happen, I picked up the brush and before I knew it I was well into the painting and hadn’t taken any photos. There is a lot of texture to play with on this one, fur, beard, metal and leather. 

His cloak is heavy fur with the skin outside. I used ivory paint and blended cork brown into it before it dried. It looks a bit rubbish at the top but that will be covered by his shield. The fleece on his chest was done the same way.
 I polished the metal of the helmet, used Tamiya clear orange for the gold bits and a diluted black wash to bring out the detail in the helmet. 



I’m working on the details and the face. I didn’t like the eyebrows so they have gone and I will try again although I think the helmets nosepiece will cover it anyway.
Thanks for looking in.
Alan
 
 
 

Thanks guys. There is a lot to learn on this subject but most of it will be by trial and error. I have learned about another resin type that may be more shatter resistant. The resin I used will shatter if dropped on a hard floor or is flexed too much. Like I said, trial and error.
Don't even think about setting up one of these printers inside your home without a big investment in proper ventilation. It really needs a separate building with ventilation and climate control. 

There are few steps more rewarding in modeling than to finish a car body to a high shine surface. All the work going into took a while, but I love doing the polishing as a last step. I used Tamiya´s polishing compounds starting with coarse, then fine, followed by finish. I didn´t apply wax now, because there are still many parts to add to the body, so this will be kept to the finish.
The coarse polishing is by far the most important and also time consuming one to my eye, as you remove all the tiny imperfections, check against the light and continue until all looks good, always taking care not to polish through the clear coat.
I couldn´t resist a little workbench mock up.











Cheers Rob

Looks absolutely supercool, Craig.

Cheers Rob

I printed out the model in 1:12 scale, then put it all together with a water soluble acrylic glue to check the parts fit. Needs fine tuning, but that’s to be expected with a 3D print. There was an option for the body to be printed whole or with the doors separate. I think the former would have been a better option in retrospect.

Airbrushing is already done and didn´t take up much time. There are three sessions, first primer, than three coats of body paint and finally three coats of clear. The prep and polishing time exceeds the spraying time by far.

Cheers Rob