rcmdrvr

SalD.  Soon you will be building the cannon structures.   I have not posted my cannons yet (I am travelling) I swear that the cannons are too big for the carriages.  I had to do alot of work on the carriages to get the cannons to point out the ports.  Take it slow and test fit over and over.  I also spent a few hours with a jewelers file to get the barrels ready for painting.  Good Luck!

Very much like your deck.  Hope you can build your deck structures to cover the location scribes.  I was only simi successful.

Thanks rcmdrvr.  I've started placing some of the forward deck pieces onto the deck and the scribed deck is making the location scribes a little less noticeable.

Very much like your deck.  Hope you can build your deck structures to cover the location scribes.  I was only simi successful.

I really like the eagles.

I really like the eagles.

I really like the eagles.

I really like the eagles.

Work continues.  Thought I would post a few photos of the planking process.  The planking in this kit is laser cut on 1/32" sheet.  This really cuts down on the cutting, fitting and shaping.  Each strake (there are 10) consists of 3 pieces (fore, aft and center).  Generally the fore and aft pieces require soaking in water before fitting on the hull.  I used a 1" diameter PVC pipe, plugged at one end, tipped on end (vertical) and filled with water.   Just drop each planking piece into the tube to soak.  Worked well.  I soaked the fore and aft pieces for about 10 minutes before fitting and gluing to the hull.  I used CA for the adhesive.  I did have a bit of trouble with the some of the planking bowing between the frames.  I tried steaming or adding a reinforcing piece behind the bows.  This worked most of the time but there are still areas that are slightly bowed.  Hopefully this will not be too conspicuous.
 
The next step was to cover the planked hull with spackling paste and sand, sand, sand.  I used spackling paste because it is inexpensive and sands easily.  Next step, plank the inner bulwark.  This went very easily until I reached the stern where the curve is quite severe.  The provided pieces (again, 1/32" sheet) were soaked about 20 minutes and then carefully bent around the curve.  I did not use heat, just slow bending by pressing the pieces against the bulwark.  Some triming at each end was required.  I cemented these pieces by brushing alphic resin (wood glue) on the piece.
 
  The following photos are of the hull during the planking process, the first round of spacking and sanding and fitting of the inner bulwark planking:
 
 

Having completed the hull bulkhead and spine assembly, the bulwark and bulwark fill was the next step.  Again, the instructions were pretty clear and most of the provided wood was adequate.  You first wrap the bow and sides of the hull with 1/32 inch strips that are about 1/2 inch in width.  I soaked the port and starboard bow strips for about 5 minutes in water and then used CA to attach to the hull.  No problems.
 
The port and starboard aft pieces did not require any soaking.  Again, CA glue was used.
 
The bass sheeting that wraps around the stern presented a bit more of a problem.  I soaked the wood pieces provided and then used a curling iron to set a basic bend in the pieces.  It looked pretty good until it dried.  The pieces shrunk and twisted and looked horrible.  I was tempted to remove them and start over until I realized that a second piece was wrapped around the curve on the inside.   Again I soaked the inner pieces in water and then carefully bent them (by hand, no curling iron).  I left the original two outer pieces glued to the hull but split them with a knife so that they could be lengthened as I carefully glued the new inner pieces in place.  I did not use CA during this process.  I relied on good ole white glue.  Well, the stern is not perfect but I deemed it acceptable.
 
The final steps in this process was to glue 1/32 bulwark inner strips around the entire hull and "plane" the bulkheads flush with these inner strips.  Except for breaking a few bulkheads during the planing process, this went pretty well.  Now I am ready to begin plank the rest of the hull.  Wish me luck.

I have completed my Moncongus Bay Lobster Smack and my Harriet Lane kit has arrived.  I guess it is time to get started on a new build.  The Harriet Lane has been a model I have eyed for quite awhile.  Model Shipways had a small solid hull model of the Harriet years ago but it somehow disappeared before I could acquire it.  The period when ships were evolving from wood and sail to metal and steam power has always intrigued me; so this should be an interesting build.  I do not plan to provide tons of photos and detailed descriptions of my build.  I will leave that for the more expert modellers and photographers.  I will try to provide photos of my progress and comments regarding the build as it relates to a modeller of my skill level.  This is advertised as an "advanced" kit and I am not an "advanced" builder; so I expect I will make a few (if not a lot) of screw-ups along the way.  Hopefully, I will learn a few things and maybe alert other modellers of pitfalls.
 
The kit came in a the familiar blue box and contained what looks to be a comprehensive instruction booklet and several plan sheets.  All the wood was in good condition and there were no obvious warps, cracks or other defects.  The laser cutting looks excellent.  Of course the model begins with building the hull skeleton by gluing bulkheads to a center spine.  The instructions do an excellent job of guiding the builder through this process.  I dry fitted everything as I progressed.  Only a little sanding was required to get tight fits.  When positioning a bulkhead for gluing; I used lego blocks.  They work great to help you align your parts.  I tacked parts in place with CA and then went back over the structure with wood glue.  All-in-all a couple of very enjoyable evenings with this model.
 
A few more parts and I will begin the process of fairing the bulkheads.....a task I find intimidating.
 
 

Welcome.  Model Shipways has a "kit" containing three small models projects that will get you started step-by- step.  There are also build logs that will be very beneficial in your build of these models.  Have fun!

Welcome.  Model Shipways has a "kit" containing three small models projects that will get you started step-by- step.  There are also build logs that will be very beneficial in your build of these models.  Have fun!

Welcome.  Model Shipways has a "kit" containing three small models projects that will get you started step-by- step.  There are also build logs that will be very beneficial in your build of these models.  Have fun!

I might go back and do that.  I am now working on other deck structures.  I am having to cut my own (purchased basswood in various sizes from hobby shop) as many of the structures provided do not hide the etchings.

Welcome.  I think you will find that the only way to obtain the skills for ship model building is to build.  Not all those builds will meet your "excellence" criteria but they will provide excellent learning experiences.  This from an average builder.

Welcome.  I think you will find that the only way to obtain the skills for ship model building is to build.  Not all those builds will meet your "excellence" criteria but they will provide excellent learning experiences.  This from an average builder.

Welcome.  I think you will find that the only way to obtain the skills for ship model building is to build.  Not all those builds will meet your "excellence" criteria but they will provide excellent learning experiences.  This from an average builder.

With the paddlewheels and housing complete it was time to move to the cabin and pilot house.  This deck structure was a relatively straight forward build until I got to the pilot house.  This rounded section of the structure consists of a "sandwich" of three separate parts.  There is a photoetch piece that is on the inside which are the frames that would have held the glass in the forward windows.  Next there is a 1/32 sheet piece of basswood that contains the window frames and finally there is a paper piece that is the decorative surface on the exterior.  All of these three pieces must be "bent" around the forward end of the housing which is a pretty sharp bend.  In addition the window portions of these pieces must be properly aligned such that the window supports of the bass and paper line up and the glass photo etch frames are centered in each window.  I struggled for days with this task.  Soaking the basswood sheet and bending around the base of the structure was not too difficult.  I did have to add a roof piece to get the basswood to maintain its shape.  Next came the photo etch on the inside.  I could not get the piece to line up with the windows in the bent basswood so I had to cut the larger piece into individual window pieces and after alot of trial fitting I achieved a result I deemed acceptable.  The last struggle was with the paper piece that was to be glued to the exterior.  Again, I could not achieve proper alignment of the windows.  I end up cutting out the window frames in the basswood, applying the paper piece and then replacing the supports I had removed.  I hope all of this makes some sense.  In summary, the pilot house part of the assembly was not fun.
 
After completing the pilot house, I discovered that I had some how mis-aligned something and the drive shaft holes in the cabin did not line up with the drive shaft hoses in the paddle wheel structure.  A bit of cutting, fitting and drilling cured this issue.  I painted the structure white before epoxing to the deck.  This exposed another issue.  The deck has been "etched" to show where all the structures are positioned.  In the case of the cabin and pilothouse; no matter how I positioned the structure; some of the etching peeked out from under the structure. 
 
The final step to completing this structure was to add some windows, vents and the funnel.  The windows and vents are no problem but the funnel took a bit more time.  The funnel is essentially paper rolled around a dowel.  This actually went pretty smooth.  Before painting you add a steam escape pipe and a whistle.  These parts are made from "britiannia" metal.  They are very poorly cast.  I was able to scrape and file and get the whistle to look like a whistle but the steam escape pipe was a diaster and ended up in the trash.  I constructed another steam escape pipe using brass wire, a small piece of wood dowel and some brass rings.
 
Well it is the structure is complete, I think it is OK....you be the judge.
 
 

It was now time to complete building of the upper paddlewheel housing and affix these structures to the hull.  Again, I was pleased with the fitting of the pieces.  A bit of sanding of the joints between the housing and the water closets was required.  There are a few photoetch pieces that decorate the upper housing but they fit well.  Just follow the directions, take your time and all should go well.  Once attached there is a "paper" facade that is glued to the inside of the wheelhouse and down to the decking.  It will take a few moments to trim the wood you placed around the base of the bulwarks but this is not a difficult task.  Once everything is mounted; paint is the next step.  I painted white first.  I masked the deck and bulwarks and brush painted.  Next I masked the white area of the wheel housing and brush painted black.  Overall, I am pleased with the effort.
 

With the paddlewheels and housing complete it was time to move to the cabin and pilot house.  This deck structure was a relatively straight forward build until I got to the pilot house.  This rounded section of the structure consists of a "sandwich" of three separate parts.  There is a photoetch piece that is on the inside which are the frames that would have held the glass in the forward windows.  Next there is a 1/32 sheet piece of basswood that contains the window frames and finally there is a paper piece that is the decorative surface on the exterior.  All of these three pieces must be "bent" around the forward end of the housing which is a pretty sharp bend.  In addition the window portions of these pieces must be properly aligned such that the window supports of the bass and paper line up and the glass photo etch frames are centered in each window.  I struggled for days with this task.  Soaking the basswood sheet and bending around the base of the structure was not too difficult.  I did have to add a roof piece to get the basswood to maintain its shape.  Next came the photo etch on the inside.  I could not get the piece to line up with the windows in the bent basswood so I had to cut the larger piece into individual window pieces and after alot of trial fitting I achieved a result I deemed acceptable.  The last struggle was with the paper piece that was to be glued to the exterior.  Again, I could not achieve proper alignment of the windows.  I end up cutting out the window frames in the basswood, applying the paper piece and then replacing the supports I had removed.  I hope all of this makes some sense.  In summary, the pilot house part of the assembly was not fun.
 
After completing the pilot house, I discovered that I had some how mis-aligned something and the drive shaft holes in the cabin did not line up with the drive shaft hoses in the paddle wheel structure.  A bit of cutting, fitting and drilling cured this issue.  I painted the structure white before epoxing to the deck.  This exposed another issue.  The deck has been "etched" to show where all the structures are positioned.  In the case of the cabin and pilothouse; no matter how I positioned the structure; some of the etching peeked out from under the structure. 
 
The final step to completing this structure was to add some windows, vents and the funnel.  The windows and vents are no problem but the funnel took a bit more time.  The funnel is essentially paper rolled around a dowel.  This actually went pretty smooth.  Before painting you add a steam escape pipe and a whistle.  These parts are made from "britiannia" metal.  They are very poorly cast.  I was able to scrape and file and get the whistle to look like a whistle but the steam escape pipe was a diaster and ended up in the trash.  I constructed another steam escape pipe using brass wire, a small piece of wood dowel and some brass rings.
 
Well it is the structure is complete, I think it is OK....you be the judge.
 
 

Those look really great!

With the paddlewheels and housing complete it was time to move to the cabin and pilot house.  This deck structure was a relatively straight forward build until I got to the pilot house.  This rounded section of the structure consists of a "sandwich" of three separate parts.  There is a photoetch piece that is on the inside which are the frames that would have held the glass in the forward windows.  Next there is a 1/32 sheet piece of basswood that contains the window frames and finally there is a paper piece that is the decorative surface on the exterior.  All of these three pieces must be "bent" around the forward end of the housing which is a pretty sharp bend.  In addition the window portions of these pieces must be properly aligned such that the window supports of the bass and paper line up and the glass photo etch frames are centered in each window.  I struggled for days with this task.  Soaking the basswood sheet and bending around the base of the structure was not too difficult.  I did have to add a roof piece to get the basswood to maintain its shape.  Next came the photo etch on the inside.  I could not get the piece to line up with the windows in the bent basswood so I had to cut the larger piece into individual window pieces and after alot of trial fitting I achieved a result I deemed acceptable.  The last struggle was with the paper piece that was to be glued to the exterior.  Again, I could not achieve proper alignment of the windows.  I end up cutting out the window frames in the basswood, applying the paper piece and then replacing the supports I had removed.  I hope all of this makes some sense.  In summary, the pilot house part of the assembly was not fun.
 
After completing the pilot house, I discovered that I had some how mis-aligned something and the drive shaft holes in the cabin did not line up with the drive shaft hoses in the paddle wheel structure.  A bit of cutting, fitting and drilling cured this issue.  I painted the structure white before epoxing to the deck.  This exposed another issue.  The deck has been "etched" to show where all the structures are positioned.  In the case of the cabin and pilothouse; no matter how I positioned the structure; some of the etching peeked out from under the structure. 
 
The final step to completing this structure was to add some windows, vents and the funnel.  The windows and vents are no problem but the funnel took a bit more time.  The funnel is essentially paper rolled around a dowel.  This actually went pretty smooth.  Before painting you add a steam escape pipe and a whistle.  These parts are made from "britiannia" metal.  They are very poorly cast.  I was able to scrape and file and get the whistle to look like a whistle but the steam escape pipe was a diaster and ended up in the trash.  I constructed another steam escape pipe using brass wire, a small piece of wood dowel and some brass rings.
 
Well it is the structure is complete, I think it is OK....you be the judge.
 
 

With the paddlewheels and housing complete it was time to move to the cabin and pilot house.  This deck structure was a relatively straight forward build until I got to the pilot house.  This rounded section of the structure consists of a "sandwich" of three separate parts.  There is a photoetch piece that is on the inside which are the frames that would have held the glass in the forward windows.  Next there is a 1/32 sheet piece of basswood that contains the window frames and finally there is a paper piece that is the decorative surface on the exterior.  All of these three pieces must be "bent" around the forward end of the housing which is a pretty sharp bend.  In addition the window portions of these pieces must be properly aligned such that the window supports of the bass and paper line up and the glass photo etch frames are centered in each window.  I struggled for days with this task.  Soaking the basswood sheet and bending around the base of the structure was not too difficult.  I did have to add a roof piece to get the basswood to maintain its shape.  Next came the photo etch on the inside.  I could not get the piece to line up with the windows in the bent basswood so I had to cut the larger piece into individual window pieces and after alot of trial fitting I achieved a result I deemed acceptable.  The last struggle was with the paper piece that was to be glued to the exterior.  Again, I could not achieve proper alignment of the windows.  I end up cutting out the window frames in the basswood, applying the paper piece and then replacing the supports I had removed.  I hope all of this makes some sense.  In summary, the pilot house part of the assembly was not fun.
 
After completing the pilot house, I discovered that I had some how mis-aligned something and the drive shaft holes in the cabin did not line up with the drive shaft hoses in the paddle wheel structure.  A bit of cutting, fitting and drilling cured this issue.  I painted the structure white before epoxing to the deck.  This exposed another issue.  The deck has been "etched" to show where all the structures are positioned.  In the case of the cabin and pilothouse; no matter how I positioned the structure; some of the etching peeked out from under the structure. 
 
The final step to completing this structure was to add some windows, vents and the funnel.  The windows and vents are no problem but the funnel took a bit more time.  The funnel is essentially paper rolled around a dowel.  This actually went pretty smooth.  Before painting you add a steam escape pipe and a whistle.  These parts are made from "britiannia" metal.  They are very poorly cast.  I was able to scrape and file and get the whistle to look like a whistle but the steam escape pipe was a diaster and ended up in the trash.  I constructed another steam escape pipe using brass wire, a small piece of wood dowel and some brass rings.
 
Well it is the structure is complete, I think it is OK....you be the judge.
 
 

It was now time to complete building of the upper paddlewheel housing and affix these structures to the hull.  Again, I was pleased with the fitting of the pieces.  A bit of sanding of the joints between the housing and the water closets was required.  There are a few photoetch pieces that decorate the upper housing but they fit well.  Just follow the directions, take your time and all should go well.  Once attached there is a "paper" facade that is glued to the inside of the wheelhouse and down to the decking.  It will take a few moments to trim the wood you placed around the base of the bulwarks but this is not a difficult task.  Once everything is mounted; paint is the next step.  I painted white first.  I masked the deck and bulwarks and brush painted.  Next I masked the white area of the wheel housing and brush painted black.  Overall, I am pleased with the effort.