palmerit

Another mismatch between instructions and materials (cleared up by looking at the kit content sheet). The actual strongback in the kit has different dimensions from what’s supplied.

A shot of the faring from underneath.

Faring the hull took quite a bit of sanding especially at the stem and transom and sanding the frames was a bit of a delicate process.

Ugh. I do know that from other models but somehow completely flaked on this. That's what I get for working on a model late at night.

While the instructions say you don’t need soak and bend planks, I had to as I got near the end of the first planking.

Adding the frames. Only the center frame is vertical. The others need to “lean” a bit because the bottom will be bent later. It wasn’t clear how much to allow them to bend.

As noted above: Vanguard Models (https://vanguardmodels.co.uk). Maybe a little more expensive than some others, but the instructions are great and the material is great. Given how much time someone spends on a model ship, it's worth it.

Got the frames in place to glue. I had made a couple copies of the plans so I could cut them up as needed. It’s nice to have plans to scale. The Model Shipways plans in the instructions books were unfortunately a few percent off.

Okay, so we have a case of modeler error (actual two errors) and kit error. In the previous post, I lamented that the stem didn’t seem to be the right size given the illustration. Then as I was getting the frames together (next steps) I noticed that the illustration in the instructions showing where the numbered parts are on the sheets (the sheets do not have part numbers like the Vanguard models or part labels like the Model Shipways models). The instructions say that there are three sheets with frames but in the kit there is only one (larger) one. So now I was confused. How was I going to figure out which frame was which on the sheets now. Well I discovered that there was a kit contents sheet in the box that didn’t only list the parts but also illustrated the layout of the sheets (with part labels). I then discovered that the parts I had cut out and glued on wasn’t the stem (from the previous post) but was one of the frames. Earlier in the instructions, it showed a sheet that had the knee and stem next to each other on one corner of the sheet. So I assumed the knee (which has a district shape) and stem were next to each other. Well no. The stem was actually on the opposite corner of the sheet. Because of course it would. Ugh. In my defense, the stem pieces and the frames pieces are very similar. So now I had to first unglue the parts I thought were the stem. Thanks to a few applications of alcohol, the glue started to soften. I was wedging in a flat square tipped hobby blade to loosen the part, which then slipped and stabbed me in the hand. I’m now like the kid in Bad Santa who painted the carved wooden pickle he made for the Billy Bob Thornton character. Thankfully, I didn’t have to go to the emergency room and was able to get the bleeding to stop. The “stem” now had to be separated back into the two frames. I left the pieces in a small bowl of alcohol overnight, was able to (safely) separate them in the morning and add the actual stem pieces to the model.

Another bit of a mismatch between parts, plans, and instructions. This Dory does have somewhat clearer instructions, better drawings, and far better plans than the Model Shipways Dory. But the drawings show that the stem should run up against the lines for the (1) cleat I drew before (the matched the plans). But clearly it won’t. So I’m going to follow the instructions and the inset drawing to have the stem flat flush with the point of the bottom (which is what I also did on the other end.

You could try rebooting your iPhone. You could also try using a different browser (e.g., Chrome instead of Safari or vice-versa). Don’t know if those might work, but worth a try for something simple.

Sorry. I didn't know where to put it. And I don't know how to move.

My wife snapped this photo of a model of the Durmstrang Ship at the Harry Potter Museum in London today.

Definitely check other build logs. You’ll see mistakes you can avoid. And you’ll find problems that are commonly experienced. Some model instructions are confusing or incomplete. Sometimes the model parts have changed a bit but the instructions have not.

You probably don't have to copy photos to your computer before uploading here. If you have a browser on your smart phone you can just post from your phone and upload photos. If you don't like typing long entries from your phone, you can still upload your photos to a post from your phone and then hop on your computer and edit your post to add more text from your regular keyboard. I always upload photos from my phone. I only just discovered that when you upload photos on an iphone there's a way to select what size you want to upload (I've been uploading the full size from my iPhone and they were probably too big) - there's an options button in the corner of where you upload photos from your phone and you can select full size, large, medium, small.

I was also completely lost by the “gain” too. @Bryan Woods pointed me to the@modeller_masa build of the Pram that had some drawings. I didn’t understand what I was doing and why until I had it done (kind of) and it made sense.

Just wondering what color combinations make sense. I usually use Vallejo air brush paints.

Anyone have pointers on paint color options for a Dory? The Midwest kit doesn’t come with paint. I might have some paints I can use, but if I want some new colors I’d like to order so I have them in hand when I’m ready to paint.

@JacquesCousteau I haven't heard about the "burnish the edge" trick. Is that after it's laid down on the surface?

Definitely Tamiya tape. It's not only worked for me but I've found Youtube videos doing comparisons. Way better than frog tape (or regular masking tape). It's pricey but you don't use much of it. As noted, it comes in a bunch of widths. I use the narrow for curves, wider for when I just want to mask areas off. I opted to buy an Iwata Airbrush and have used Vallejo air paints. I also have some Vallejo brush paints. Airbrushing is a luxury (and if you're inside you want a booth to exhaust fumes) but it really does a nice job making a smooth coat. I've been working on a Vanguard (Sherbourne) model and painted some of the wood that had etchings on it and the etchings with airbrushing show perfectly. I'm sure someone with a deft hand could achieve that with a brush (especially if you thin the paint and do multiple layers). It's easier with an airbrush (once you learn how to use it). An airbrush is probably in the same category as a lathe (or a mill) in that it's certainly not necessary but nice to have (I have yet to splurge on a lathe or mill but have bought some other "unnecessary" toys). You definitely want to research the right primer for painting PE parts - lots of models come with them. You can't just use regular primer. I researched a bit on YouTube (the Fine Scale Modeler channel has a comparison) and on their recommendation got Tamiya Surface Primer (even though I use Vallejo paints). Regular acrylic primer doesn't work on PE.

Do you mean where the knee is attached relative to the point at the bottom? The instructions provide a drawing that I tried to follow.

Gluing the transom to the bottom.

The stern and bow knees are made by gluing two pieces together. After drying overnight I sanded off the char and glued the stern knee to the stern transom. The instructions for the front stem knee require measuring and marking two dots 1/8” inches from the front edge of the stem. But the stem is in total 1/8” wide. So I’m guessing it should be 1/16”. The instructions unfortunately don’t specify how far from the top and bottom to mark these two dots.

I'm with you on that. I want something between just tying a plain knot and doing some intricate realistic rigging that you'd never even notice at 1:64 scale (let alone be something that I'd probably never be able to pull off, even at a far larger scale). I've seen some good videos on Youtube for doing ratlines (including using a clove hitch, which is pretty simple). I've also seen some videos on how to seize/whip a line (I bought a fly fishing tool for seizing but I haven't tried it yet). Please post if you find any of the books especially useful.

Some of the planks at the stern were not laying flat so I used my trusty clamps. I know I could have sanded and filled, but I’d rather try to get everything to lay flat as much as possible before sanding and filling.