David Lester

I found these pictures, which answer the question about the location of the steering wheel -
 


But there seem to be unending questions:
In the pictures above, which would seem to be about the same era, the first one shows three port holes and the second one shows two. Also the planking around the lettering is different.
 
The boat has clearly had several rebuilds, in which it has been changed considerably.
 
This picture is supposedly from 1928, the year it was launched:

It had a totally different masting and rigging, three port holes, no cabin, I guess that's a pilothouse, big cowl vents, different paint scheme etc.
 
But by the time of its Northwest Passage days, which were in the 1940's it seems it was altered to looked pretty much the way it does now, but then here's a picture from probably the 50's and it's been rebuilt again, closer to when it was launched, but still differing in several ways - the pilot house is different, the port holes have gone from three to two etc.
 
 

I'm guessing they restored it to look like its Northwest Passage years when it went on display at the museum, but that still leaves the question of why the steering wheel isn't there. They obviously made choices at the museum, but I'm not sure what were the deciding factors for those choices.
 
I haven't found any narratives on-line yet that outline these changes, but I'll keep digging.
 
David
 

I found these pictures, which answer the question about the location of the steering wheel -
 


But there seem to be unending questions:
In the pictures above, which would seem to be about the same era, the first one shows three port holes and the second one shows two. Also the planking around the lettering is different.
 
The boat has clearly had several rebuilds, in which it has been changed considerably.
 
This picture is supposedly from 1928, the year it was launched:

It had a totally different masting and rigging, three port holes, no cabin, I guess that's a pilothouse, big cowl vents, different paint scheme etc.
 
But by the time of its Northwest Passage days, which were in the 1940's it seems it was altered to looked pretty much the way it does now, but then here's a picture from probably the 50's and it's been rebuilt again, closer to when it was launched, but still differing in several ways - the pilot house is different, the port holes have gone from three to two etc.
 
 

I'm guessing they restored it to look like its Northwest Passage years when it went on display at the museum, but that still leaves the question of why the steering wheel isn't there. They obviously made choices at the museum, but I'm not sure what were the deciding factors for those choices.
 
I haven't found any narratives on-line yet that outline these changes, but I'll keep digging.
 
David
 

I found these pictures, which answer the question about the location of the steering wheel -
 


But there seem to be unending questions:
In the pictures above, which would seem to be about the same era, the first one shows three port holes and the second one shows two. Also the planking around the lettering is different.
 
The boat has clearly had several rebuilds, in which it has been changed considerably.
 
This picture is supposedly from 1928, the year it was launched:

It had a totally different masting and rigging, three port holes, no cabin, I guess that's a pilothouse, big cowl vents, different paint scheme etc.
 
But by the time of its Northwest Passage days, which were in the 1940's it seems it was altered to looked pretty much the way it does now, but then here's a picture from probably the 50's and it's been rebuilt again, closer to when it was launched, but still differing in several ways - the pilot house is different, the port holes have gone from three to two etc.
 
 

I'm guessing they restored it to look like its Northwest Passage years when it went on display at the museum, but that still leaves the question of why the steering wheel isn't there. They obviously made choices at the museum, but I'm not sure what were the deciding factors for those choices.
 
I haven't found any narratives on-line yet that outline these changes, but I'll keep digging.
 
David
 

I found these pictures, which answer the question about the location of the steering wheel -
 


But there seem to be unending questions:
In the pictures above, which would seem to be about the same era, the first one shows three port holes and the second one shows two. Also the planking around the lettering is different.
 
The boat has clearly had several rebuilds, in which it has been changed considerably.
 
This picture is supposedly from 1928, the year it was launched:

It had a totally different masting and rigging, three port holes, no cabin, I guess that's a pilothouse, big cowl vents, different paint scheme etc.
 
But by the time of its Northwest Passage days, which were in the 1940's it seems it was altered to looked pretty much the way it does now, but then here's a picture from probably the 50's and it's been rebuilt again, closer to when it was launched, but still differing in several ways - the pilot house is different, the port holes have gone from three to two etc.
 
 

I'm guessing they restored it to look like its Northwest Passage years when it went on display at the museum, but that still leaves the question of why the steering wheel isn't there. They obviously made choices at the museum, but I'm not sure what were the deciding factors for those choices.
 
I haven't found any narratives on-line yet that outline these changes, but I'll keep digging.
 
David
 

Thanks everyone for your input on the placement of the portholes vis-a-vis the rubbing strake. I believe most of you favour placing the portholes so that they just clear the rubbing strake and I think that's the way I will go. I think if I place the rubbing strake over the portholes, it will look like I messed up somewhere along the way, (and since that never happens 😁, why suggest that it did!)
 
Bill, your St. Roch is coming along very nicely. You asked where I found the trim for the hawse holes. They are a BlueJacket fitting. Here's a picture of the fittings I bought from BlueJacket.
 
BlueJacket calls them hawse lips(F0743.) They're in the upper left of the picture. The lower one is how they come and the upper one is after a little squeeze to more closely resemble the real thing. The others are Hawse lips for the anchors (F0451.) Also there is an anchor for the deck (F0506,) the davits(F0071,) these are not quite the right arc, but can be easily bent into the right shape. They are a bit too long, but I can either cut them off or sink them deeper. Chocks for the rail (F0089,) and blocks. The blocks on the real boat are all internally stropped. These ones (7/32" - F0378 and F0403) will work well. I'll paint them. Also, I decided to add a ships wheel (F0291)which I think will be visible through the window.


 
I also added a few things from Cornwall Model Boats. On the real boat there are six gooseneck vents along the waterways, which are not included in the kit. I thought I'd try these ones. I'm not sure that they're quite right. As small as they are, I think they are still a bit overscale. My plan B is to make them from scratch using pieces of 3mm solder that I have kicking around. (It's about 40 years old and dates from the days when I was still suffering from the delusion that I could successfully accomplish my own plumbing repairs.)
 
Even if I don't use those gooseneck vents, there's another reason why I bought them and that was to get the valves that come with them. They aren't needed for the vents, but another detail that can be added is the two or three water spigots. These won't be hard to make from scratch, but the valves would be. These ones should work for that quite well.
 
I also bought a ladder kit as well as a couple of anchors for the side of the hull.
 

I mentioned in an earlier post that although I generally don't like the plastic parts included in the kit, I actually prefer the provided plastic portholes to the provided brass ones. The plastic ones match the real ones quite accurately and since they will be painted they should look just fine. Cornwall offers these, so I bought a few more to replace the brass ones, which I think have too big a rim.
 

 
I want to show the ends of the deck planking under the cabin, so I cut the sub deck back a bit and put in a support to carry the ends of the planking stubs. I then filled in the mini planks. This way it won't throw the measurements of the cabin out of whack, as the provided pieces don't account for the extra 1/32" or so that would result if I placed them directly over the sub deck.


 
So that's it for now. This simple kit is proving to be even more fun that I expected.
 
Many thanks for checking in. I really appreciate it.
David
 
 

Thanks everyone for your input on the placement of the portholes vis-a-vis the rubbing strake. I believe most of you favour placing the portholes so that they just clear the rubbing strake and I think that's the way I will go. I think if I place the rubbing strake over the portholes, it will look like I messed up somewhere along the way, (and since that never happens 😁, why suggest that it did!)
 
Bill, your St. Roch is coming along very nicely. You asked where I found the trim for the hawse holes. They are a BlueJacket fitting. Here's a picture of the fittings I bought from BlueJacket.
 
BlueJacket calls them hawse lips(F0743.) They're in the upper left of the picture. The lower one is how they come and the upper one is after a little squeeze to more closely resemble the real thing. The others are Hawse lips for the anchors (F0451.) Also there is an anchor for the deck (F0506,) the davits(F0071,) these are not quite the right arc, but can be easily bent into the right shape. They are a bit too long, but I can either cut them off or sink them deeper. Chocks for the rail (F0089,) and blocks. The blocks on the real boat are all internally stropped. These ones (7/32" - F0378 and F0403) will work well. I'll paint them. Also, I decided to add a ships wheel (F0291)which I think will be visible through the window.


 
I also added a few things from Cornwall Model Boats. On the real boat there are six gooseneck vents along the waterways, which are not included in the kit. I thought I'd try these ones. I'm not sure that they're quite right. As small as they are, I think they are still a bit overscale. My plan B is to make them from scratch using pieces of 3mm solder that I have kicking around. (It's about 40 years old and dates from the days when I was still suffering from the delusion that I could successfully accomplish my own plumbing repairs.)
 
Even if I don't use those gooseneck vents, there's another reason why I bought them and that was to get the valves that come with them. They aren't needed for the vents, but another detail that can be added is the two or three water spigots. These won't be hard to make from scratch, but the valves would be. These ones should work for that quite well.
 
I also bought a ladder kit as well as a couple of anchors for the side of the hull.
 

I mentioned in an earlier post that although I generally don't like the plastic parts included in the kit, I actually prefer the provided plastic portholes to the provided brass ones. The plastic ones match the real ones quite accurately and since they will be painted they should look just fine. Cornwall offers these, so I bought a few more to replace the brass ones, which I think have too big a rim.
 

 
I want to show the ends of the deck planking under the cabin, so I cut the sub deck back a bit and put in a support to carry the ends of the planking stubs. I then filled in the mini planks. This way it won't throw the measurements of the cabin out of whack, as the provided pieces don't account for the extra 1/32" or so that would result if I placed them directly over the sub deck.


 
So that's it for now. This simple kit is proving to be even more fun that I expected.
 
Many thanks for checking in. I really appreciate it.
David
 
 

Thanks everyone for your input on the placement of the portholes vis-a-vis the rubbing strake. I believe most of you favour placing the portholes so that they just clear the rubbing strake and I think that's the way I will go. I think if I place the rubbing strake over the portholes, it will look like I messed up somewhere along the way, (and since that never happens 😁, why suggest that it did!)
 
Bill, your St. Roch is coming along very nicely. You asked where I found the trim for the hawse holes. They are a BlueJacket fitting. Here's a picture of the fittings I bought from BlueJacket.
 
BlueJacket calls them hawse lips(F0743.) They're in the upper left of the picture. The lower one is how they come and the upper one is after a little squeeze to more closely resemble the real thing. The others are Hawse lips for the anchors (F0451.) Also there is an anchor for the deck (F0506,) the davits(F0071,) these are not quite the right arc, but can be easily bent into the right shape. They are a bit too long, but I can either cut them off or sink them deeper. Chocks for the rail (F0089,) and blocks. The blocks on the real boat are all internally stropped. These ones (7/32" - F0378 and F0403) will work well. I'll paint them. Also, I decided to add a ships wheel (F0291)which I think will be visible through the window.


 
I also added a few things from Cornwall Model Boats. On the real boat there are six gooseneck vents along the waterways, which are not included in the kit. I thought I'd try these ones. I'm not sure that they're quite right. As small as they are, I think they are still a bit overscale. My plan B is to make them from scratch using pieces of 3mm solder that I have kicking around. (It's about 40 years old and dates from the days when I was still suffering from the delusion that I could successfully accomplish my own plumbing repairs.)
 
Even if I don't use those gooseneck vents, there's another reason why I bought them and that was to get the valves that come with them. They aren't needed for the vents, but another detail that can be added is the two or three water spigots. These won't be hard to make from scratch, but the valves would be. These ones should work for that quite well.
 
I also bought a ladder kit as well as a couple of anchors for the side of the hull.
 

I mentioned in an earlier post that although I generally don't like the plastic parts included in the kit, I actually prefer the provided plastic portholes to the provided brass ones. The plastic ones match the real ones quite accurately and since they will be painted they should look just fine. Cornwall offers these, so I bought a few more to replace the brass ones, which I think have too big a rim.
 

 
I want to show the ends of the deck planking under the cabin, so I cut the sub deck back a bit and put in a support to carry the ends of the planking stubs. I then filled in the mini planks. This way it won't throw the measurements of the cabin out of whack, as the provided pieces don't account for the extra 1/32" or so that would result if I placed them directly over the sub deck.


 
So that's it for now. This simple kit is proving to be even more fun that I expected.
 
Many thanks for checking in. I really appreciate it.
David
 
 

A little progress to report -
 
I finished up the planking and painted the gray on the hull.
 

 
I intend to add all the stanchions to the bulwarks as well as the waterways, both of which are missing from the kit. In order to do that, I broke off (some by accident) all of the bulkhead extensions.
 
I added the first strip of the waterways (1/32" x 1/16") to the subdeck following its contour. Without the bulkhead extensions, I needed something to place the upper hull pieces against. The waterway created a small lip.
 

I glued the upper hull pieces in place.
 


I added the second strip of the the waterways.


The bulwarks are planked on the inside, just at the stern and bow of the boat. This detail is omitted from the kit, but I wanted to add it. I have the stern done.


There is a hawse opening at the stern of the boat which I wanted to add as well, so I've cut it in, using the hawse trim (from BlueJacket) as a guide. There are none included in the kit, but I'll add them for all five of the hawse openings. The smallest ones from BlueJacket are about the right length, but just a tad too high. A gentle squeeze with a pair of pliers fixed it easily.
 

I added the planking to the upper hull at the bow and the stern.
 


That's everything so far. Please forgive how rough everything looks. I know I still have plenty of sanding and painting ahead of me.
 
Many thanks for the comments and 'likes.'
 
David

I've been working on various deck details.
Here's how I built the hatch -
 
The hatch on the boat as it is at Vancouver Maritime Museum-

The challenge with this kit is determining what size the deck details ought to be. For example, the kit provided hatch is 50 mm long, but on the plan it shows it as 61 mm long. The 360 degree tour that's available online has a measuring tool, which I am finding to be quite accurate. So, the idea is to consider all the different sizes - the kit component, the plans, the 360 degree tour measurement, and the actual model itself. It's a matter of experimenting and determining what will fit and looks about right.
 
Here's the kit provided hatch -
It's three pieces of pre-cut plywood stacked and finished off with a plastic top. Quite apart from its incorrect length, it's a bit too high as well.


Having determined what size it needed to be. (I can't remember off hand, what those dimensions are)  I used 1/16" x 1/8" stock. I built it in the same "finger joint" style of the real one, but that little detail doesn't really show up after it's painted.
 



A thin top brought it up to 10.5 mm which is pretty close to the correct height in scale.
 

I added a canvas cover using sail material from a previous kit -
 

Next up is the cargo scow.
 
Jumping ahead to these details is to give me something to do while coats of filler on the hull dry.
 
David
 
 

I'm back with a build log after a bit of an absence. I've had multiple health problems over the past year, which is in part why I didn't do a build log for my HMS Pegasus and why it took me so long to build it, being away from my shop for long periods of time. However, I seem to be in decent shape for the time being (touch wood) and am back at my workbench.
 
In my hiatus I had been pondering what my next project would be when I stumbled across this model on the Billing website, and after a little bit more research I knew I had found it.
 
This one appealed to me for several reasons:
-I wanted something simpler than my last few builds had been
-this one has almost no rigging!
-it's a Canadian boat. I haven't seen any other one available as a model, apart from the Bluenose
-it has a remarkable history - it's only the second boat to ever travel through the Northwest Passage and the first to make the trip twice - it's the first do make the voyage in under one year and it's the first to circumnavigate North America - it resides today at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, has been declared a National Historic Site and the great Stan Rogers recorded a song about it.
-there are plenty of pictures and videos online to use as a reference
-did I mention that it has almost no rigging?
 

When I was in my 20's I built (very badly) a Billing model, but I don't recall if the quality of the kit was good or bad and I had no frame of reference in any case. So this is for all intents and purposes my first Billing kit and I have a mixed reaction to it.
 
So far the good things are:
-the laser cutting is very good and the bulkheads and centre keel fit together extremely well. They're as good as I have ever encountered.
-there are quite few specialized brass fittings which are really nice and of good quality.
-while the model is simplified, there are no glaring errors in its representation of the real boat.
 
However, there are some negatives too:
-there are too many poor quality plastic fittings which come on a sprue just like it was a plastic model car kit.
-the hull and deck planking material is pretty rough and not very consistent in width.
-while I did want a simpler model, there is too much simplification with this one. Built straight out of the box it would look like one of those gift shop ship models. At 1:72 it's large enough for the designer to have incorporated much more detail.
-the plans are poorly drawn. The instruction book is all but useless, which is fine - I didn't expect it to be otherwise, but the plans are disappointing. They appear to be a 1:1 representation of the model, but they are very inaccurate. For example for some of the deck components there are discrepancies in size of up to 1/2" between the elevation and plan views. It's impossible to take measurements from the plan.
 

Nevertheless, it's going to be lots of fun adding detail and upgrading many of the fittings. I currently have big orders in at BlueJacket and Cornwall.
 
So far, I have the hull planked, in my usual "suitable for filler and paint" style. I'm a terrible planker, but I never worry about it because filler and paint are my best friends. I've used some planking from my stash, rather than the kit provided planking.
 

 
I've made two improvements to the stern area. The kit instructions would have you just cut all of the planking off even at the last bulkhead before the stern. Then you add the two stern blocks and sand them even with the finished planking, leaving them unplanked, just to be painted. I chose to install the stern blocks first and plank over them in the usual way, however I found it to be quite a difficult stern to plank.
 
Secondly, the kit provides for no opening to accept the rudder; it's meant to just butt up against the bottom of the hull. The real boat has a framed rectangular opening, so I added that detail.
 

 
 
That's where I'm at!
 
David
 
 
 

A little progress to report -
 
I finished up the planking and painted the gray on the hull.
 

 
I intend to add all the stanchions to the bulwarks as well as the waterways, both of which are missing from the kit. In order to do that, I broke off (some by accident) all of the bulkhead extensions.
 
I added the first strip of the waterways (1/32" x 1/16") to the subdeck following its contour. Without the bulkhead extensions, I needed something to place the upper hull pieces against. The waterway created a small lip.
 

I glued the upper hull pieces in place.
 


I added the second strip of the the waterways.


The bulwarks are planked on the inside, just at the stern and bow of the boat. This detail is omitted from the kit, but I wanted to add it. I have the stern done.


There is a hawse opening at the stern of the boat which I wanted to add as well, so I've cut it in, using the hawse trim (from BlueJacket) as a guide. There are none included in the kit, but I'll add them for all five of the hawse openings. The smallest ones from BlueJacket are about the right length, but just a tad too high. A gentle squeeze with a pair of pliers fixed it easily.
 

I added the planking to the upper hull at the bow and the stern.
 


That's everything so far. Please forgive how rough everything looks. I know I still have plenty of sanding and painting ahead of me.
 
Many thanks for the comments and 'likes.'
 
David

I am torn!
Looking ahead, I discovered this about the portholes in the hull. The rubbing strake runs right over the flanges.
 

What should I do? If I include that detail then I run the risk of looking like I've made an error, but it appears it would be the most accurate.
 
Or do I locate the portholes slightly higher to look a little tidier, but sacrifice some accuracy.
 
Such problems I have!
 
David

I am torn!
Looking ahead, I discovered this about the portholes in the hull. The rubbing strake runs right over the flanges.
 

What should I do? If I include that detail then I run the risk of looking like I've made an error, but it appears it would be the most accurate.
 
Or do I locate the portholes slightly higher to look a little tidier, but sacrifice some accuracy.
 
Such problems I have!
 
David

I am torn!
Looking ahead, I discovered this about the portholes in the hull. The rubbing strake runs right over the flanges.
 

What should I do? If I include that detail then I run the risk of looking like I've made an error, but it appears it would be the most accurate.
 
Or do I locate the portholes slightly higher to look a little tidier, but sacrifice some accuracy.
 
Such problems I have!
 
David

A little progress to report -
 
I finished up the planking and painted the gray on the hull.
 

 
I intend to add all the stanchions to the bulwarks as well as the waterways, both of which are missing from the kit. In order to do that, I broke off (some by accident) all of the bulkhead extensions.
 
I added the first strip of the waterways (1/32" x 1/16") to the subdeck following its contour. Without the bulkhead extensions, I needed something to place the upper hull pieces against. The waterway created a small lip.
 

I glued the upper hull pieces in place.
 


I added the second strip of the the waterways.


The bulwarks are planked on the inside, just at the stern and bow of the boat. This detail is omitted from the kit, but I wanted to add it. I have the stern done.


There is a hawse opening at the stern of the boat which I wanted to add as well, so I've cut it in, using the hawse trim (from BlueJacket) as a guide. There are none included in the kit, but I'll add them for all five of the hawse openings. The smallest ones from BlueJacket are about the right length, but just a tad too high. A gentle squeeze with a pair of pliers fixed it easily.
 

I added the planking to the upper hull at the bow and the stern.
 


That's everything so far. Please forgive how rough everything looks. I know I still have plenty of sanding and painting ahead of me.
 
Many thanks for the comments and 'likes.'
 
David

I've been working on various deck details.
Here's how I built the hatch -
 
The hatch on the boat as it is at Vancouver Maritime Museum-

The challenge with this kit is determining what size the deck details ought to be. For example, the kit provided hatch is 50 mm long, but on the plan it shows it as 61 mm long. The 360 degree tour that's available online has a measuring tool, which I am finding to be quite accurate. So, the idea is to consider all the different sizes - the kit component, the plans, the 360 degree tour measurement, and the actual model itself. It's a matter of experimenting and determining what will fit and looks about right.
 
Here's the kit provided hatch -
It's three pieces of pre-cut plywood stacked and finished off with a plastic top. Quite apart from its incorrect length, it's a bit too high as well.


Having determined what size it needed to be. (I can't remember off hand, what those dimensions are)  I used 1/16" x 1/8" stock. I built it in the same "finger joint" style of the real one, but that little detail doesn't really show up after it's painted.
 



A thin top brought it up to 10.5 mm which is pretty close to the correct height in scale.
 

I added a canvas cover using sail material from a previous kit -
 

Next up is the cargo scow.
 
Jumping ahead to these details is to give me something to do while coats of filler on the hull dry.
 
David
 
 

A little progress to report -
 
I finished up the planking and painted the gray on the hull.
 

 
I intend to add all the stanchions to the bulwarks as well as the waterways, both of which are missing from the kit. In order to do that, I broke off (some by accident) all of the bulkhead extensions.
 
I added the first strip of the waterways (1/32" x 1/16") to the subdeck following its contour. Without the bulkhead extensions, I needed something to place the upper hull pieces against. The waterway created a small lip.
 

I glued the upper hull pieces in place.
 


I added the second strip of the the waterways.


The bulwarks are planked on the inside, just at the stern and bow of the boat. This detail is omitted from the kit, but I wanted to add it. I have the stern done.


There is a hawse opening at the stern of the boat which I wanted to add as well, so I've cut it in, using the hawse trim (from BlueJacket) as a guide. There are none included in the kit, but I'll add them for all five of the hawse openings. The smallest ones from BlueJacket are about the right length, but just a tad too high. A gentle squeeze with a pair of pliers fixed it easily.
 

I added the planking to the upper hull at the bow and the stern.
 


That's everything so far. Please forgive how rough everything looks. I know I still have plenty of sanding and painting ahead of me.
 
Many thanks for the comments and 'likes.'
 
David

A little progress to report -
 
I finished up the planking and painted the gray on the hull.
 

 
I intend to add all the stanchions to the bulwarks as well as the waterways, both of which are missing from the kit. In order to do that, I broke off (some by accident) all of the bulkhead extensions.
 
I added the first strip of the waterways (1/32" x 1/16") to the subdeck following its contour. Without the bulkhead extensions, I needed something to place the upper hull pieces against. The waterway created a small lip.
 

I glued the upper hull pieces in place.
 


I added the second strip of the the waterways.


The bulwarks are planked on the inside, just at the stern and bow of the boat. This detail is omitted from the kit, but I wanted to add it. I have the stern done.


There is a hawse opening at the stern of the boat which I wanted to add as well, so I've cut it in, using the hawse trim (from BlueJacket) as a guide. There are none included in the kit, but I'll add them for all five of the hawse openings. The smallest ones from BlueJacket are about the right length, but just a tad too high. A gentle squeeze with a pair of pliers fixed it easily.
 

I added the planking to the upper hull at the bow and the stern.
 


That's everything so far. Please forgive how rough everything looks. I know I still have plenty of sanding and painting ahead of me.
 
Many thanks for the comments and 'likes.'
 
David

I'm back with a build log after a bit of an absence. I've had multiple health problems over the past year, which is in part why I didn't do a build log for my HMS Pegasus and why it took me so long to build it, being away from my shop for long periods of time. However, I seem to be in decent shape for the time being (touch wood) and am back at my workbench.
 
In my hiatus I had been pondering what my next project would be when I stumbled across this model on the Billing website, and after a little bit more research I knew I had found it.
 
This one appealed to me for several reasons:
-I wanted something simpler than my last few builds had been
-this one has almost no rigging!
-it's a Canadian boat. I haven't seen any other one available as a model, apart from the Bluenose
-it has a remarkable history - it's only the second boat to ever travel through the Northwest Passage and the first to make the trip twice - it's the first do make the voyage in under one year and it's the first to circumnavigate North America - it resides today at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, has been declared a National Historic Site and the great Stan Rogers recorded a song about it.
-there are plenty of pictures and videos online to use as a reference
-did I mention that it has almost no rigging?
 

When I was in my 20's I built (very badly) a Billing model, but I don't recall if the quality of the kit was good or bad and I had no frame of reference in any case. So this is for all intents and purposes my first Billing kit and I have a mixed reaction to it.
 
So far the good things are:
-the laser cutting is very good and the bulkheads and centre keel fit together extremely well. They're as good as I have ever encountered.
-there are quite few specialized brass fittings which are really nice and of good quality.
-while the model is simplified, there are no glaring errors in its representation of the real boat.
 
However, there are some negatives too:
-there are too many poor quality plastic fittings which come on a sprue just like it was a plastic model car kit.
-the hull and deck planking material is pretty rough and not very consistent in width.
-while I did want a simpler model, there is too much simplification with this one. Built straight out of the box it would look like one of those gift shop ship models. At 1:72 it's large enough for the designer to have incorporated much more detail.
-the plans are poorly drawn. The instruction book is all but useless, which is fine - I didn't expect it to be otherwise, but the plans are disappointing. They appear to be a 1:1 representation of the model, but they are very inaccurate. For example for some of the deck components there are discrepancies in size of up to 1/2" between the elevation and plan views. It's impossible to take measurements from the plan.
 

Nevertheless, it's going to be lots of fun adding detail and upgrading many of the fittings. I currently have big orders in at BlueJacket and Cornwall.
 
So far, I have the hull planked, in my usual "suitable for filler and paint" style. I'm a terrible planker, but I never worry about it because filler and paint are my best friends. I've used some planking from my stash, rather than the kit provided planking.
 

 
I've made two improvements to the stern area. The kit instructions would have you just cut all of the planking off even at the last bulkhead before the stern. Then you add the two stern blocks and sand them even with the finished planking, leaving them unplanked, just to be painted. I chose to install the stern blocks first and plank over them in the usual way, however I found it to be quite a difficult stern to plank.
 
Secondly, the kit provides for no opening to accept the rudder; it's meant to just butt up against the bottom of the hull. The real boat has a framed rectangular opening, so I added that detail.
 

 
 
That's where I'm at!
 
David
 
 
 

A little progress to report -
 
I finished up the planking and painted the gray on the hull.
 

 
I intend to add all the stanchions to the bulwarks as well as the waterways, both of which are missing from the kit. In order to do that, I broke off (some by accident) all of the bulkhead extensions.
 
I added the first strip of the waterways (1/32" x 1/16") to the subdeck following its contour. Without the bulkhead extensions, I needed something to place the upper hull pieces against. The waterway created a small lip.
 

I glued the upper hull pieces in place.
 


I added the second strip of the the waterways.


The bulwarks are planked on the inside, just at the stern and bow of the boat. This detail is omitted from the kit, but I wanted to add it. I have the stern done.


There is a hawse opening at the stern of the boat which I wanted to add as well, so I've cut it in, using the hawse trim (from BlueJacket) as a guide. There are none included in the kit, but I'll add them for all five of the hawse openings. The smallest ones from BlueJacket are about the right length, but just a tad too high. A gentle squeeze with a pair of pliers fixed it easily.
 

I added the planking to the upper hull at the bow and the stern.
 


That's everything so far. Please forgive how rough everything looks. I know I still have plenty of sanding and painting ahead of me.
 
Many thanks for the comments and 'likes.'
 
David

I've been working on various deck details.
Here's how I built the hatch -
 
The hatch on the boat as it is at Vancouver Maritime Museum-

The challenge with this kit is determining what size the deck details ought to be. For example, the kit provided hatch is 50 mm long, but on the plan it shows it as 61 mm long. The 360 degree tour that's available online has a measuring tool, which I am finding to be quite accurate. So, the idea is to consider all the different sizes - the kit component, the plans, the 360 degree tour measurement, and the actual model itself. It's a matter of experimenting and determining what will fit and looks about right.
 
Here's the kit provided hatch -
It's three pieces of pre-cut plywood stacked and finished off with a plastic top. Quite apart from its incorrect length, it's a bit too high as well.


Having determined what size it needed to be. (I can't remember off hand, what those dimensions are)  I used 1/16" x 1/8" stock. I built it in the same "finger joint" style of the real one, but that little detail doesn't really show up after it's painted.
 



A thin top brought it up to 10.5 mm which is pretty close to the correct height in scale.
 

I added a canvas cover using sail material from a previous kit -
 

Next up is the cargo scow.
 
Jumping ahead to these details is to give me something to do while coats of filler on the hull dry.
 
David
 
 

I've been working on various deck details.
Here's how I built the hatch -
 
The hatch on the boat as it is at Vancouver Maritime Museum-

The challenge with this kit is determining what size the deck details ought to be. For example, the kit provided hatch is 50 mm long, but on the plan it shows it as 61 mm long. The 360 degree tour that's available online has a measuring tool, which I am finding to be quite accurate. So, the idea is to consider all the different sizes - the kit component, the plans, the 360 degree tour measurement, and the actual model itself. It's a matter of experimenting and determining what will fit and looks about right.
 
Here's the kit provided hatch -
It's three pieces of pre-cut plywood stacked and finished off with a plastic top. Quite apart from its incorrect length, it's a bit too high as well.


Having determined what size it needed to be. (I can't remember off hand, what those dimensions are)  I used 1/16" x 1/8" stock. I built it in the same "finger joint" style of the real one, but that little detail doesn't really show up after it's painted.
 



A thin top brought it up to 10.5 mm which is pretty close to the correct height in scale.
 

I added a canvas cover using sail material from a previous kit -
 

Next up is the cargo scow.
 
Jumping ahead to these details is to give me something to do while coats of filler on the hull dry.
 
David
 
 

Hi Bill,
To be honest, I had completely missed the tools available on the 360. I expect the measuring tool will be quite helpful. The stanchions are the very first thing I intend to improve upon as well. My plan was to count them on the 360 tour and then eyeball their spacing. But it will be fun to use the measuring tool and see how well they will fit. At a quick look I would say that stock about 3/32" x 3/32" should be about right, but I may have to go to 1/16" square to ensure staying fully within the width of the rail cap its entire length (they can be tricky to install with complete accuracy for their full run.)
 
I think I mentioned that the measurements on the plans are not reliable. For example, the large chest that sits immediately behind the aft mast is shown as being 1 5/16" long in the elevation view and 1" long in the plan view. That's quite a significant difference. Since I am planning to scratch build all of the deck components it will be necessary to take measurements from the model itself.
 
As far as my plans for other improvements, my list so far includes:
-the addition of waterways; the kit doesn't include or mention them
-the addition of the six gooseneck vents - along the bulwarks towards the stem
-the other vents are shown to be made out of 1/16" brass rod bent into shape. I've experimented and it bends quite well and will make convincing pipes, but I have some 0.10" x 0.20" styrene strip and I'm going to apply it to create ridges and more closely resemble the real thing.
-there are many items on the deck, most of them appear to be chests. The plans just have you glue pre-cut rectangles together to create boxes. I'm planning to scratch build all the chests with planking and edge trim etc.
-many of the chests on the real boat are covered in canvas; I'm planning to use some of my accumulated sail material to do that too.
-you'll notice in the 360 tour that the deck planking extends slightly beyond the forward wall of the main cabin. The model has the side planking on on the cabin extend right down to the main deck. I'm planning to correct that tiny detail.
-the davits. At first, I thought that the davits were missing from the kit until I realized that the part number referred to the brass rod, which they simply want you to bend into a gentle arc and that's it. Real davits have a bit of a profile; they're not just cylindrical and the same diameter all the way from bottom to top and they need a hole near the top and cleats attached and what not. So I've order some replacement davits.
 
With respect to the rigging, so far as I can see, it's reasonable accurate. It isn't too hard to follow it on the 360 tour and it differs from the kit very slightly. I am going to upgrade the blocks. The blocks on the real boat are all internally stropped, so I've ordered some from BlueJacket. These are really nice and make quite a big difference. (I used them on my Bluenose.)The kit provides only single blocks, but you actually need a combination of single, double and even triple blocks.
 
Now the question of the plastic parts. I have to admit that it really annoys me that they use them at all. I would gladly have paid a little more for the kit to have gotten proper fittings. That being said, I haven't quite decided on everything just yet, and I haven't discounted all of the plastic parts.
 
For example, the kit provides black plastic port holes for use on the hull, and quite lovely brass ones for use on the cabin. However, in my opinion, the black plastic ones are actually superior. They have a very flat flange and even the rivets or bolt heads are shown. Since they are to be painted, these ones will very closely resemble the real thing. On the other hand, the brass ones, intended for the cabin, have a very heavy protruding flange and no bolt heads - not like the real ones at all. On the real boat the port holes on the cabin are the same as the ones on the hull - very flat, or maybe even flush flanges with bolt heads and painted. I've actually ordered more of the plastic ones, as I think once painted, they will be the best option, despite being plastic.
 
I'm planning to use the plastic life boats. They're really pretty bad, but I'm not interested in building wooden ones and to replace them with metal ones isn't that much of an improvement. My compromise is to paint them gray, and make a "canvas" cover out of sail cloth and cover most of them, just like on the real boat. The interiors won't be visible at all and I think I can easily get away with that.
 
This is not the case for everything. The plastic vents (or stacks) on the other hand are really very bad, so I'm going to replace those with brass tubing. I'm also replacing the plastic propeller.
 
The big remaining question for me though is the windlass and the two winches. They're quite simplified from the real thing, and are a combination of plastic and brass parts. I haven't had any luck seeing upgrade components online from any of the suppliers that look enough like the real ones. So that leaves either living with the provided ones or building new ones either from scratch or modifying the kit ones. I don't know yet. This is a little way down the line, so I will grapple with that question when I get to it.
 
Sorry if this seems like a long winded response, Bill, but you did ask!😊 I'm well know for this in the family and can make my wife pass out in seconds when I share this kind of information with her!
 
David
 

I'm back with a build log after a bit of an absence. I've had multiple health problems over the past year, which is in part why I didn't do a build log for my HMS Pegasus and why it took me so long to build it, being away from my shop for long periods of time. However, I seem to be in decent shape for the time being (touch wood) and am back at my workbench.
 
In my hiatus I had been pondering what my next project would be when I stumbled across this model on the Billing website, and after a little bit more research I knew I had found it.
 
This one appealed to me for several reasons:
-I wanted something simpler than my last few builds had been
-this one has almost no rigging!
-it's a Canadian boat. I haven't seen any other one available as a model, apart from the Bluenose
-it has a remarkable history - it's only the second boat to ever travel through the Northwest Passage and the first to make the trip twice - it's the first do make the voyage in under one year and it's the first to circumnavigate North America - it resides today at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, has been declared a National Historic Site and the great Stan Rogers recorded a song about it.
-there are plenty of pictures and videos online to use as a reference
-did I mention that it has almost no rigging?
 

When I was in my 20's I built (very badly) a Billing model, but I don't recall if the quality of the kit was good or bad and I had no frame of reference in any case. So this is for all intents and purposes my first Billing kit and I have a mixed reaction to it.
 
So far the good things are:
-the laser cutting is very good and the bulkheads and centre keel fit together extremely well. They're as good as I have ever encountered.
-there are quite few specialized brass fittings which are really nice and of good quality.
-while the model is simplified, there are no glaring errors in its representation of the real boat.
 
However, there are some negatives too:
-there are too many poor quality plastic fittings which come on a sprue just like it was a plastic model car kit.
-the hull and deck planking material is pretty rough and not very consistent in width.
-while I did want a simpler model, there is too much simplification with this one. Built straight out of the box it would look like one of those gift shop ship models. At 1:72 it's large enough for the designer to have incorporated much more detail.
-the plans are poorly drawn. The instruction book is all but useless, which is fine - I didn't expect it to be otherwise, but the plans are disappointing. They appear to be a 1:1 representation of the model, but they are very inaccurate. For example for some of the deck components there are discrepancies in size of up to 1/2" between the elevation and plan views. It's impossible to take measurements from the plan.
 

Nevertheless, it's going to be lots of fun adding detail and upgrading many of the fittings. I currently have big orders in at BlueJacket and Cornwall.
 
So far, I have the hull planked, in my usual "suitable for filler and paint" style. I'm a terrible planker, but I never worry about it because filler and paint are my best friends. I've used some planking from my stash, rather than the kit provided planking.
 

 
I've made two improvements to the stern area. The kit instructions would have you just cut all of the planking off even at the last bulkhead before the stern. Then you add the two stern blocks and sand them even with the finished planking, leaving them unplanked, just to be painted. I chose to install the stern blocks first and plank over them in the usual way, however I found it to be quite a difficult stern to plank.
 
Secondly, the kit provides for no opening to accept the rudder; it's meant to just butt up against the bottom of the hull. The real boat has a framed rectangular opening, so I added that detail.
 

 
 
That's where I'm at!
 
David
 
 
 

I've been working on various deck details.
Here's how I built the hatch -
 
The hatch on the boat as it is at Vancouver Maritime Museum-

The challenge with this kit is determining what size the deck details ought to be. For example, the kit provided hatch is 50 mm long, but on the plan it shows it as 61 mm long. The 360 degree tour that's available online has a measuring tool, which I am finding to be quite accurate. So, the idea is to consider all the different sizes - the kit component, the plans, the 360 degree tour measurement, and the actual model itself. It's a matter of experimenting and determining what will fit and looks about right.
 
Here's the kit provided hatch -
It's three pieces of pre-cut plywood stacked and finished off with a plastic top. Quite apart from its incorrect length, it's a bit too high as well.


Having determined what size it needed to be. (I can't remember off hand, what those dimensions are)  I used 1/16" x 1/8" stock. I built it in the same "finger joint" style of the real one, but that little detail doesn't really show up after it's painted.
 



A thin top brought it up to 10.5 mm which is pretty close to the correct height in scale.
 

I added a canvas cover using sail material from a previous kit -
 

Next up is the cargo scow.
 
Jumping ahead to these details is to give me something to do while coats of filler on the hull dry.
 
David