David Lester

Hi Frank,
You're doing really beautiful work and I'm enjoying watching your progress. I am still just getting comfortable with POB kits so I am greatly impressed with the complexity of a scratch build POF model.
David

Hi Frank,
You're doing really beautiful work and I'm enjoying watching your progress. I am still just getting comfortable with POB kits so I am greatly impressed with the complexity of a scratch build POF model.
David

Hi John,
I've seen different build logs for models that employ those pre-cut plywood panels for the gunport area of the hull and they always look to me as though they're a bit tricky to bend and position correctly. It must feel good to have that particular task finished. Your gunport liners look great.
David

Hi John,
I've seen different build logs for models that employ those pre-cut plywood panels for the gunport area of the hull and they always look to me as though they're a bit tricky to bend and position correctly. It must feel good to have that particular task finished. Your gunport liners look great.
David

Hi Frank,
You're doing really beautiful work and I'm enjoying watching your progress. I am still just getting comfortable with POB kits so I am greatly impressed with the complexity of a scratch build POF model.
David

Great work on the capstan, and have a great party on Sunday. Those family milestones are very important.
David

Hi Frank,
You're doing really beautiful work and I'm enjoying watching your progress. I am still just getting comfortable with POB kits so I am greatly impressed with the complexity of a scratch build POF model.
David

Hi Matt,
My experience with the two MS kits I've had is that you can literally throw the so-called instruction booklet away. (However I don't believe that's the case with MS models where Chuck Passaro has written the instructions.)Pretty much everything you need seems to be in the plans, but as a very inexperienced modeler, the problem for me is how to read the plans and what is the best order in which to do things. This is where I have relied on my Bob Hunt practicums. I know there are two schools of thought on his courses, but from my point of view they have been fabulous. The primary advantages for me have been following the logical sequence they outline and confidence building. There are many elements that are common to all POB models and with a couple of builds under my belt following Bob's practicums, I feel quite confident that I could tackle almost any POB model on my own now and get a half decent result. I know I couldn't have otherwise. So while I'd like to take credit for the idea of holding off on installing the topgallant rail, really, I must give credit where credit is due and tell you that it's Bob's suggestion and it's proved to be a good one. I also learned that once that copper is in place you need to get the model in a stand or cradle right away and not move it any more than you have to as the copper plating is very fragile.
 
You are doing a beautiful job and braver than I would have been.
David

Hi Matt,
My experience with the two MS kits I've had is that you can literally throw the so-called instruction booklet away. (However I don't believe that's the case with MS models where Chuck Passaro has written the instructions.)Pretty much everything you need seems to be in the plans, but as a very inexperienced modeler, the problem for me is how to read the plans and what is the best order in which to do things. This is where I have relied on my Bob Hunt practicums. I know there are two schools of thought on his courses, but from my point of view they have been fabulous. The primary advantages for me have been following the logical sequence they outline and confidence building. There are many elements that are common to all POB models and with a couple of builds under my belt following Bob's practicums, I feel quite confident that I could tackle almost any POB model on my own now and get a half decent result. I know I couldn't have otherwise. So while I'd like to take credit for the idea of holding off on installing the topgallant rail, really, I must give credit where credit is due and tell you that it's Bob's suggestion and it's proved to be a good one. I also learned that once that copper is in place you need to get the model in a stand or cradle right away and not move it any more than you have to as the copper plating is very fragile.
 
You are doing a beautiful job and braver than I would have been.
David

Hi Matt,
My experience with the two MS kits I've had is that you can literally throw the so-called instruction booklet away. (However I don't believe that's the case with MS models where Chuck Passaro has written the instructions.)Pretty much everything you need seems to be in the plans, but as a very inexperienced modeler, the problem for me is how to read the plans and what is the best order in which to do things. This is where I have relied on my Bob Hunt practicums. I know there are two schools of thought on his courses, but from my point of view they have been fabulous. The primary advantages for me have been following the logical sequence they outline and confidence building. There are many elements that are common to all POB models and with a couple of builds under my belt following Bob's practicums, I feel quite confident that I could tackle almost any POB model on my own now and get a half decent result. I know I couldn't have otherwise. So while I'd like to take credit for the idea of holding off on installing the topgallant rail, really, I must give credit where credit is due and tell you that it's Bob's suggestion and it's proved to be a good one. I also learned that once that copper is in place you need to get the model in a stand or cradle right away and not move it any more than you have to as the copper plating is very fragile.
 
You are doing a beautiful job and braver than I would have been.
David

Hi Matt,
Everything is looking pretty good to me.(I'm not expert of course, but I think it's looking good.) You mentioned the topgallant rail. Do you mean the actual rail itself, because if you do, you might want to consider adding it at a much later point. I still haven't added mine and I've almost finished all the upper hull details and deck details. I have found that the model undergoes quite a bit of manhandling up until this point and I was concerned about bashing it too much, which almost certainly would have been the case if it were in place. It's going to be the very last thing I do before adding the horse blocks, davits and anchors. Just a thought.
David

Hi Matt,
Everything is looking pretty good to me.(I'm not expert of course, but I think it's looking good.) You mentioned the topgallant rail. Do you mean the actual rail itself, because if you do, you might want to consider adding it at a much later point. I still haven't added mine and I've almost finished all the upper hull details and deck details. I have found that the model undergoes quite a bit of manhandling up until this point and I was concerned about bashing it too much, which almost certainly would have been the case if it were in place. It's going to be the very last thing I do before adding the horse blocks, davits and anchors. Just a thought.
David

Hi Matt,
Everything is looking pretty good to me.(I'm not expert of course, but I think it's looking good.) You mentioned the topgallant rail. Do you mean the actual rail itself, because if you do, you might want to consider adding it at a much later point. I still haven't added mine and I've almost finished all the upper hull details and deck details. I have found that the model undergoes quite a bit of manhandling up until this point and I was concerned about bashing it too much, which almost certainly would have been the case if it were in place. It's going to be the very last thing I do before adding the horse blocks, davits and anchors. Just a thought.
David

Hello Frank,
This will be a very interesting model. I don't believe I have seen any other models of an Irish famine ship or coffin ship. Have you seen the bronze memorial at Westport in Ireland? It's a moving sight and very interesting artistically. Here's a picture I took when we were there a few years ago. Notice how the "rigging" and other parts of the ship are represented by skeletons. Like many others, I'm of Irish ancestry - County Cavan in my case.
 
I'm looking forward to following your build log.

Matt, that looks like a great way to address the bolt/rivet issue, but it's a big job to undertake and once started, it pretty much has to be finished. It's a subtle detail on the actual ship and needs to be subtle on the model too. It looks as this should achieve that effect.
 
It also looks as though you've hit on a good colour for the bulwarks. The green on the ship is actually quite a bluish green rather than a bright Kelly green. Yours looks pretty close to the real thing. What are you using? I'm sure I broke every rule in the book by buying sample sized containers of house paint from a hardware store. But it seemed like an acceptable approach for this bit of the model as I knew there would be a fair bit of experimenting. My options for model paint are either order on line and wait for it to arrive or drive about 45 minutes away - neither of which seemed practical when I knew there would be multiple stabs at it, and there were because with every attempt to match it, it seemed to come out too turquoise. I'm happy enough with my final colour, but it's not quite a dead match.
 
I don't recall now where I stumbled across that link to the Google maps tour of the ship, but I'm glad you're finding it helpful. You can really zero in on many different details. I use is almost constantly. We toured the ship a couple of years ago and I took some pictures, but they're not particularly helpful as I didn't take them with modeling in mind so they seem to never show what I need to know.
 
David

Hi Matt,
I mitered my waterway at the transom, though I think it could also be coped. Bob Hunt suggests mitering the waterway in his practicum and it seemed to me the best way to go.
 
Do you have the link to the Google Maps "tour" of the ship. Even though some of the details are different than in the kit, I still find it to be an invaluable resource. Here's the link if you don't have it already.
https://www.google.ca/maps/@42.3724197,-71.0564018,3a,75y,96.03h,75.28t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sY3hsBHFmwkkAAAQZN-nfoQ!2e0!3e2!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&hl=en
 
It includes a clear shot of the waterway corner at the transom, but it's still a bit difficult to tell how it was done, although my guess is that it is a coped joint.
 
David

Hello Frank,
This will be a very interesting model. I don't believe I have seen any other models of an Irish famine ship or coffin ship. Have you seen the bronze memorial at Westport in Ireland? It's a moving sight and very interesting artistically. Here's a picture I took when we were there a few years ago. Notice how the "rigging" and other parts of the ship are represented by skeletons. Like many others, I'm of Irish ancestry - County Cavan in my case.
 
I'm looking forward to following your build log.

Matt, that looks like a great way to address the bolt/rivet issue, but it's a big job to undertake and once started, it pretty much has to be finished. It's a subtle detail on the actual ship and needs to be subtle on the model too. It looks as this should achieve that effect.
 
It also looks as though you've hit on a good colour for the bulwarks. The green on the ship is actually quite a bluish green rather than a bright Kelly green. Yours looks pretty close to the real thing. What are you using? I'm sure I broke every rule in the book by buying sample sized containers of house paint from a hardware store. But it seemed like an acceptable approach for this bit of the model as I knew there would be a fair bit of experimenting. My options for model paint are either order on line and wait for it to arrive or drive about 45 minutes away - neither of which seemed practical when I knew there would be multiple stabs at it, and there were because with every attempt to match it, it seemed to come out too turquoise. I'm happy enough with my final colour, but it's not quite a dead match.
 
I don't recall now where I stumbled across that link to the Google maps tour of the ship, but I'm glad you're finding it helpful. You can really zero in on many different details. I use is almost constantly. We toured the ship a couple of years ago and I took some pictures, but they're not particularly helpful as I didn't take them with modeling in mind so they seem to never show what I need to know.
 
David

Hello Frank,
This will be a very interesting model. I don't believe I have seen any other models of an Irish famine ship or coffin ship. Have you seen the bronze memorial at Westport in Ireland? It's a moving sight and very interesting artistically. Here's a picture I took when we were there a few years ago. Notice how the "rigging" and other parts of the ship are represented by skeletons. Like many others, I'm of Irish ancestry - County Cavan in my case.
 
I'm looking forward to following your build log.

Hello Frank,
This will be a very interesting model. I don't believe I have seen any other models of an Irish famine ship or coffin ship. Have you seen the bronze memorial at Westport in Ireland? It's a moving sight and very interesting artistically. Here's a picture I took when we were there a few years ago. Notice how the "rigging" and other parts of the ship are represented by skeletons. Like many others, I'm of Irish ancestry - County Cavan in my case.
 
I'm looking forward to following your build log.

Matt, that looks like a great way to address the bolt/rivet issue, but it's a big job to undertake and once started, it pretty much has to be finished. It's a subtle detail on the actual ship and needs to be subtle on the model too. It looks as this should achieve that effect.
 
It also looks as though you've hit on a good colour for the bulwarks. The green on the ship is actually quite a bluish green rather than a bright Kelly green. Yours looks pretty close to the real thing. What are you using? I'm sure I broke every rule in the book by buying sample sized containers of house paint from a hardware store. But it seemed like an acceptable approach for this bit of the model as I knew there would be a fair bit of experimenting. My options for model paint are either order on line and wait for it to arrive or drive about 45 minutes away - neither of which seemed practical when I knew there would be multiple stabs at it, and there were because with every attempt to match it, it seemed to come out too turquoise. I'm happy enough with my final colour, but it's not quite a dead match.
 
I don't recall now where I stumbled across that link to the Google maps tour of the ship, but I'm glad you're finding it helpful. You can really zero in on many different details. I use is almost constantly. We toured the ship a couple of years ago and I took some pictures, but they're not particularly helpful as I didn't take them with modeling in mind so they seem to never show what I need to know.
 
David

Hello Frank,
This will be a very interesting model. I don't believe I have seen any other models of an Irish famine ship or coffin ship. Have you seen the bronze memorial at Westport in Ireland? It's a moving sight and very interesting artistically. Here's a picture I took when we were there a few years ago. Notice how the "rigging" and other parts of the ship are represented by skeletons. Like many others, I'm of Irish ancestry - County Cavan in my case.
 
I'm looking forward to following your build log.

Matt, that looks like a great way to address the bolt/rivet issue, but it's a big job to undertake and once started, it pretty much has to be finished. It's a subtle detail on the actual ship and needs to be subtle on the model too. It looks as this should achieve that effect.
 
It also looks as though you've hit on a good colour for the bulwarks. The green on the ship is actually quite a bluish green rather than a bright Kelly green. Yours looks pretty close to the real thing. What are you using? I'm sure I broke every rule in the book by buying sample sized containers of house paint from a hardware store. But it seemed like an acceptable approach for this bit of the model as I knew there would be a fair bit of experimenting. My options for model paint are either order on line and wait for it to arrive or drive about 45 minutes away - neither of which seemed practical when I knew there would be multiple stabs at it, and there were because with every attempt to match it, it seemed to come out too turquoise. I'm happy enough with my final colour, but it's not quite a dead match.
 
I don't recall now where I stumbled across that link to the Google maps tour of the ship, but I'm glad you're finding it helpful. You can really zero in on many different details. I use is almost constantly. We toured the ship a couple of years ago and I took some pictures, but they're not particularly helpful as I didn't take them with modeling in mind so they seem to never show what I need to know.
 
David

Hi Matt,
I mitered my waterway at the transom, though I think it could also be coped. Bob Hunt suggests mitering the waterway in his practicum and it seemed to me the best way to go.
 
Do you have the link to the Google Maps "tour" of the ship. Even though some of the details are different than in the kit, I still find it to be an invaluable resource. Here's the link if you don't have it already.
https://www.google.ca/maps/@42.3724197,-71.0564018,3a,75y,96.03h,75.28t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sY3hsBHFmwkkAAAQZN-nfoQ!2e0!3e2!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&hl=en
 
It includes a clear shot of the waterway corner at the transom, but it's still a bit difficult to tell how it was done, although my guess is that it is a coped joint.
 
David

Matt, that looks like a great way to address the bolt/rivet issue, but it's a big job to undertake and once started, it pretty much has to be finished. It's a subtle detail on the actual ship and needs to be subtle on the model too. It looks as this should achieve that effect.
 
It also looks as though you've hit on a good colour for the bulwarks. The green on the ship is actually quite a bluish green rather than a bright Kelly green. Yours looks pretty close to the real thing. What are you using? I'm sure I broke every rule in the book by buying sample sized containers of house paint from a hardware store. But it seemed like an acceptable approach for this bit of the model as I knew there would be a fair bit of experimenting. My options for model paint are either order on line and wait for it to arrive or drive about 45 minutes away - neither of which seemed practical when I knew there would be multiple stabs at it, and there were because with every attempt to match it, it seemed to come out too turquoise. I'm happy enough with my final colour, but it's not quite a dead match.
 
I don't recall now where I stumbled across that link to the Google maps tour of the ship, but I'm glad you're finding it helpful. You can really zero in on many different details. I use is almost constantly. We toured the ship a couple of years ago and I took some pictures, but they're not particularly helpful as I didn't take them with modeling in mind so they seem to never show what I need to know.
 
David