Piet

hope the stairs haven't beat you on the paddle steamer?
 
chris
 

thanks Kevin    I'll try to make it interesting.
 
thanks Lou......in response......       you should have seen the admiral's eyes when she saw the R.E.L.  at first I just guessed what it was......that is,  until I found the instructions were in the box    thanks for putt'in them in there.  yea....this kit doesn't have too many parts......but I'll add some,  I'm sure.   I will try to do it justice   
 
thanks Tom...I'll see what I can do....this poor model doesn't know what's in store for it,  you know?!?!?!?   I got away without doing the rear brakes,  but I have them,  so I can do them later.
 
thanks to all who hit the like button.   I got whey-layed into planting strawberries and fixing the hose reel outside....but rest assured,   there will still be an update.  

Looks like an interesting little project. Of course you will put your spin on it, which is always fascinating. I'm glad you got the car past inspection.

Hi Denis
 
Glad to see that you are interested in building this ship. At least the cost of postage wasn't wasted!
 
You weren't supposed to say where it came from though! If I remember right your comments about the package went something like, "Thought it might be a bomb," and "Thanks for cluttering up MY HOUSE."
 
Looking forward to seeing what you do with it. It's a pretty simplistic kit with very few parts but i'm almost sure you will find someway to spruce it up and make it more authentic.  

another fine build, in the offering I see, Good luck, i will be here, watching
 

hey there Mike.........I gotta set that table back up.   I used it to organize my parts bin.   now that I have the car finished,  I'll be getting back to that build as well.

the instructions are yellowed in exposed areas,  which suggests that this kit has been around for a while.  how long is unknown.....there isn't anything that suggests a date...not even on the plans.   first thing to do is sand the hull smooth.  I did notice that the slot for the keel is a tiny bit off at the bow.   since it is too deep to correct it,  I just sand the bow to help compensate for it.   the slot for the keel also had a lot of wood fiber in it.......like from a dull blade or something.   I just ran some sandpaper through it,  and it cleaned up well enough.  I noticed a couple of small bumps on the starboard side.....like a knot or hard wood within the wood used to make the hull plug.  not having a small plane,  I took a razor blade and passed it over like a plane,  until the lump was removed.   if you've experienced stuff like this,  it doesn't go away with mere sandpaper.....more times than not,  it makes it worse and more pronounce.

I did pretty good ........it isn't even noticeable anymore     the deck is on 1 mm thick mahogany......printed........it has already start to split,  but not in a critical area.

the bulwarks is the concern I have......not so much for what they are,  but how they are assembled on the model.  the diagram for their assembly is to the left of the deck.  they give you a sheet of that thin stiff 0.8 mm plywood to cut the bulwark panels from.   the templates will need to be cut out.

the stand was easy enough........they supply the base and the pedestals.   the pedestals are routered in one small piece of dowel {at both ends}...you need to cut it equally in half.  the dowel being 1 3/4 long........15/16 did the trick.  the holes were cleaned out that were drilled into the base,  and the pedestals were cemented in place.  the keel part insured that they were even with one another.

I was very careful not to get glue on the surface....I will stain it later and give it a couple coats of clear lacquer.   there is a brass plaque that goes on it later on,  in which I will drill holes for brads,  that might give it some enhancement.   it's better than just gluing it on.    after a short time,  I could remove the keel part and let the pedestals stand on their own until dry.   I began to fit the keel in the slot of the hull.   there will be a gap at the transom........once the stern post is in place,  I can fill in the rest.  I also need to make a hole for the rudder.   the bow stem is on the long card.......in trying to remove it,  I made another discovery...it is glued to the card in a couple of spots.   it was made apparent when I had to rip it away from the card.

again,  I used the razor blade like a plane.......90 % of it came off without removing any wood.   the rest I ended up sanding off....I made it a point to concentrate on just the glue......I didn't want to sand the entire part.   this would cause a couple of problems.....make the part fit loose in the slot,  or alter the part to render it useless.    in doing a dry fit,  it was confusing to center the main part of the keel with the bow stem.   the slot for the stem wasn't routered correctly...too much curve in the hull for the stem........I flied some of the curve out of it.   I also had to adjust the edge of the main part,  so the two parts would join together.  I'll round it off later,  after it's dry.

I've done a bit more today,  but it's still in the camera.   I'm sure more will be done,  so until the next update.....thanks for look'in in.

What's happened to your paddle steamer ?

back from dunk'in the dog.......as I suspected,  he didn't take to it very well.  he was a trooper though.......didn't really start shak'in it off til he got out.  of course that led to clean'in the bathroom.   love the way he struts around the house  
 
anyway........it's a solid hull model.   I've not done one before,  so this should be fun.   there's not a lot to the main part of the model......there is more in the way of the fittings though.   the sails are cloth and the images are printed on both sides {thin enough, the ink bled through}.......all you is cut them out.   the fold over flaps are a bit large......I may trim them down a little....I'll see how they look.  it was set up in a clear plastic tray,  but I took it out to get to the instructions.

the instructions are split.......the two small booklets have the written text,  in about five different languages.  there are two large diagram sheets.....one for building the hull and deck layout,  the other is devoted to the rigging.

there is a parts list that is a bit more legible than the one in the little book.......and the one with the picture of the boat on id is merely a folder for the diagrams,  and has a template for the bulwark panels.  the two bigger sheets have the diagrams for the hull assembly.....

and the other one...the rigging.  they highlight in red the sequence shown,  which I thought was kinda cool.

there is also a side view of the boat as well.

along side,  that is the package of some of the wood parts......the rest are arranged on another long card,  numbered so they can be found easily.   the fittings are another long card,  stapled to it in separate bags.  the deck is printed to show the layout.......I may plank it over,  since I have some 2 mm planking on hand,  or if it doesn't look right {I've never been known to sport a printed deck.....so it's a good bet}.   I have one other concern....but I'll wait till I get to that step to address it.   I started right in.

I finally got through the headaches of getting the family car inspected.   after front brakes,  and complete exhaust {from the manifold back},  I was able to get the car over to the garage for the sticker.  in the meantime,  through all this,  I haven't had much time for modeling.   I did get to reorganize the parts inventory bin and move a few things around.  
    at least I still have MSW to keep me sane.   I was surprised last week,  by a package that came to my door.   recognizing the sender as one of our own,  I brought the package into the house....the admiral was puzzled to the max.   of course I had to assure her that I didn't place any orders without her knowing    opening it up,  I saw the remnants of the Robert E. Lee......he had bought it off E-bay some time ago.  let's put it this way.......it needs work    we had an e-mail conversation about it in the past......he though I could do something with it...he felt that he'd never have the time.  also,  was this kit that he had sent me a picture of during the same conversation.


I have never heard of the company........I thought it to be some defunct company,  but it's actually still in business
 
https://authenticmodels.com/nautical/sailing-ships/
 
Lou thought that this model would compliment the Norden.....he had no interest in building it.   so he sent it to me...he figured I'd have more fun with it than he would.   you really shouldn't have Lou,  but I thank you very much for thinking of me    thanks as well for the R.E.L. .....I'll put that with the other two derelict hulls you sent me....one of these days,  I'll try and make head's or tail's out of it {and them}.  perhaps I'll do as we discussed.........I still like the idea of the ferry     I have more on the model.....I've already started it.....but Gibbs needs to go out,  and he's going to get a BATH    this will be a hoot!.......it's the first of the season!   I'll be back!

Beautifully done Mark - I have my apron on and cooking utensils in hand, I'm ready to cook baby
 
Cheers,

Yep, I begin to see it Patrick, she'll be a beauty!
 
 

Lovely work as usual Dave. Enjoy the model show and share a few pics.
 
Cheers,

Oh, I understand Lou. We did the same with a few others on the forum - I remember Sjors we did it to, more pictures Sjors.
I finally managed to copy the pics I send via e-mail to myself to my desktop. My cellphone also managed to upload the pics to DropBox, which took a lot of time. In any case, I have all the pics now and just need to transfer them to my "Java" folder.
 
Here is the test piece I made that made me decide to go ahead and pour the sea.  The surface became automatically rough without any help on my part.  The only problem I found is that it climbs up on the verticals.  This should not be a problem with the actual pour because I'll have the model wrapped in cling film.


A closeup of the stern during the second pour. The surface was still as smooth as glass when wet, the cling wrap is reflected in it. This caused me some concern with the process of making waves but it worked out okay as you'll see when it's cured.
 

Bow view during the second pour, here you can really see how shiny and smooth the whet surface is. Oh yeah, I had to constantly pull the cling wrap up and out of the poly.
 

Here we see the cured sea and the development of surface roughness. I did scrape the indications for the bow wave into it.
 

I took the diorama outside in the shade to let the defused light shine through the poly, I'm rather pleased with the effect even though the sea appears a little dark.But I hope to dress it up with the added waves in lighter colors and some white.
 

This shows the sea after the cure with the "Java" pulled out. It almost look like the side scan of the sea floor after the salvagers lifted her out.
 

Here I placed "Java" back into the hole. The tapes on the sides are markers where I have to remove some of the sea alongside the hull.  Photos of "java" at full speed show a long dip around the midsection of the hull and somewhat higher at the stern with somewhat of a rooster tail from the propellers.. A bonus is that the poly raised slightly above the sides.

Another shot of "Java" steaming South at 29 knots with her starboard cannons in action against the JIN.
 
Hope youns like it, it sure looks promising to me, keep fingers crossed.
 
Cheers,

@ Lawrence: Yeah, I was wondering where you are, orders from the admiral eh what.  I'm looking forward joining you in the shipyard for the Oliver Cromwell build.
Thanks for the kudos on the sea.
 
@ Denis: Thank you too for your compliments and the observation on the guns. I'll check those tweaked barrels and see if I can untweak them without doing any damage. 
 
@ Sam: Regarding the tints breaking down, you mean that blue will fade?  If so, then I hope it wont be next month   Well, I can always put a coat of paint over it.  Thanks for your input on the BJB product line and their support. As I said before, I have bookmarked it for future use.
 
I have played around a little with the wave action and have come to the conclusion that I'll use the product made for it.  It's a clear polyester gel that can be manipulated with a water - wet brush as it cures.  Then accenting it with their highlighting product. The waves for the sea will be very small, more like long swells with here and there a small foamy break.  Better to keep it as simple as possible.
 
It'll be a while before I can get back to the build though.  Now that re-shingling of our roof is completed I have to make Gwen's flagstone path from the driveway and around the garage back to the side door.  I can only do this when we have a period of three days of no rain.  Next week looks promising. 
 
Cheers,
 
 

That cap is looking pretty good Marcus.
 
Cheers,

@ Lawrence: Yeah, I was wondering where you are, orders from the admiral eh what.  I'm looking forward joining you in the shipyard for the Oliver Cromwell build.
Thanks for the kudos on the sea.
 
@ Denis: Thank you too for your compliments and the observation on the guns. I'll check those tweaked barrels and see if I can untweak them without doing any damage. 
 
@ Sam: Regarding the tints breaking down, you mean that blue will fade?  If so, then I hope it wont be next month   Well, I can always put a coat of paint over it.  Thanks for your input on the BJB product line and their support. As I said before, I have bookmarked it for future use.
 
I have played around a little with the wave action and have come to the conclusion that I'll use the product made for it.  It's a clear polyester gel that can be manipulated with a water - wet brush as it cures.  Then accenting it with their highlighting product. The waves for the sea will be very small, more like long swells with here and there a small foamy break.  Better to keep it as simple as possible.
 
It'll be a while before I can get back to the build though.  Now that re-shingling of our roof is completed I have to make Gwen's flagstone path from the driveway and around the garage back to the side door.  I can only do this when we have a period of three days of no rain.  Next week looks promising. 
 
Cheers,
 
 

@ Lawrence: Yeah, I was wondering where you are, orders from the admiral eh what.  I'm looking forward joining you in the shipyard for the Oliver Cromwell build.
Thanks for the kudos on the sea.
 
@ Denis: Thank you too for your compliments and the observation on the guns. I'll check those tweaked barrels and see if I can untweak them without doing any damage. 
 
@ Sam: Regarding the tints breaking down, you mean that blue will fade?  If so, then I hope it wont be next month   Well, I can always put a coat of paint over it.  Thanks for your input on the BJB product line and their support. As I said before, I have bookmarked it for future use.
 
I have played around a little with the wave action and have come to the conclusion that I'll use the product made for it.  It's a clear polyester gel that can be manipulated with a water - wet brush as it cures.  Then accenting it with their highlighting product. The waves for the sea will be very small, more like long swells with here and there a small foamy break.  Better to keep it as simple as possible.
 
It'll be a while before I can get back to the build though.  Now that re-shingling of our roof is completed I have to make Gwen's flagstone path from the driveway and around the garage back to the side door.  I can only do this when we have a period of three days of no rain.  Next week looks promising. 
 
Cheers,
 
 

@ Lawrence: Yeah, I was wondering where you are, orders from the admiral eh what.  I'm looking forward joining you in the shipyard for the Oliver Cromwell build.
Thanks for the kudos on the sea.
 
@ Denis: Thank you too for your compliments and the observation on the guns. I'll check those tweaked barrels and see if I can untweak them without doing any damage. 
 
@ Sam: Regarding the tints breaking down, you mean that blue will fade?  If so, then I hope it wont be next month   Well, I can always put a coat of paint over it.  Thanks for your input on the BJB product line and their support. As I said before, I have bookmarked it for future use.
 
I have played around a little with the wave action and have come to the conclusion that I'll use the product made for it.  It's a clear polyester gel that can be manipulated with a water - wet brush as it cures.  Then accenting it with their highlighting product. The waves for the sea will be very small, more like long swells with here and there a small foamy break.  Better to keep it as simple as possible.
 
It'll be a while before I can get back to the build though.  Now that re-shingling of our roof is completed I have to make Gwen's flagstone path from the driveway and around the garage back to the side door.  I can only do this when we have a period of three days of no rain.  Next week looks promising. 
 
Cheers,
 
 

That cap is looking pretty good Marcus.
 
Cheers,

@ Lawrence: Yeah, I was wondering where you are, orders from the admiral eh what.  I'm looking forward joining you in the shipyard for the Oliver Cromwell build.
Thanks for the kudos on the sea.
 
@ Denis: Thank you too for your compliments and the observation on the guns. I'll check those tweaked barrels and see if I can untweak them without doing any damage. 
 
@ Sam: Regarding the tints breaking down, you mean that blue will fade?  If so, then I hope it wont be next month   Well, I can always put a coat of paint over it.  Thanks for your input on the BJB product line and their support. As I said before, I have bookmarked it for future use.
 
I have played around a little with the wave action and have come to the conclusion that I'll use the product made for it.  It's a clear polyester gel that can be manipulated with a water - wet brush as it cures.  Then accenting it with their highlighting product. The waves for the sea will be very small, more like long swells with here and there a small foamy break.  Better to keep it as simple as possible.
 
It'll be a while before I can get back to the build though.  Now that re-shingling of our roof is completed I have to make Gwen's flagstone path from the driveway and around the garage back to the side door.  I can only do this when we have a period of three days of no rain.  Next week looks promising. 
 
Cheers,
 
 

That cap is looking pretty good Marcus.
 
Cheers,

@ Lawrence: Yeah, I was wondering where you are, orders from the admiral eh what.  I'm looking forward joining you in the shipyard for the Oliver Cromwell build.
Thanks for the kudos on the sea.
 
@ Denis: Thank you too for your compliments and the observation on the guns. I'll check those tweaked barrels and see if I can untweak them without doing any damage. 
 
@ Sam: Regarding the tints breaking down, you mean that blue will fade?  If so, then I hope it wont be next month   Well, I can always put a coat of paint over it.  Thanks for your input on the BJB product line and their support. As I said before, I have bookmarked it for future use.
 
I have played around a little with the wave action and have come to the conclusion that I'll use the product made for it.  It's a clear polyester gel that can be manipulated with a water - wet brush as it cures.  Then accenting it with their highlighting product. The waves for the sea will be very small, more like long swells with here and there a small foamy break.  Better to keep it as simple as possible.
 
It'll be a while before I can get back to the build though.  Now that re-shingling of our roof is completed I have to make Gwen's flagstone path from the driveway and around the garage back to the side door.  I can only do this when we have a period of three days of no rain.  Next week looks promising. 
 
Cheers,
 
 

I plan to do that as well as hobby lobby and do an online search. 
Marcus 

Thank you Carl for the input and yes, that's one of my tests I'll be doing. I bought some lighter blue acrylic artist paint and white at HobbyLobby.  Have had no time to devote on the trials, maybe tomorrow.
 
Good to see you here Sam and also my thanks for your input and generous offer.  I visited the website you provided the URL to, impressive stuff.  Kinda late in the game at this point though for the sea.  Now I wish I had known the existence of the BJB store but I have it bookmarked.  In addition to the acrylic paints I also bought a special white "stuff" for sea foam accents. Perhaps the same as acrylic white but hey, at this point I'll try anything that may give me the desired results.  Thanks for the complement in the sea Sam and yes, as already mentioned before in this log, it's also my first time using polyester.  So far I'm quite happy with the way it came out, just a tad too dark but then again with the tropical sun out in the early afternoon hours seawater does tend to be rather dark when looking down on it.  I'll keep you in mind for my next diorama, that 1:3000 scale Young America, maybe 2 table spoons for the sea
BTW, I peeked at your Enterprise build, impressive work Sam and blessings with your wedding.
 
I did manage to make a new antenna assembly and installed it to "Java" this afternoon.  Tomorrow I'll do some paint touch-ups on the hull where some of the poly sea stuff found its way to.  After that I'll start with the testing of the waves.
 
Cheers,