David Lester

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
 
 

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
 
 

Planking slowly progressing on the Billings St. Roch.

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
 

David, it will be fun to compare notes.
I measured the timber heads at about 7 inches wide and 3 ft 6 in on center.
I also like adding trim details to the deck structures. However my models have been mostly 1:48 so I admit to being a little nervous about doing that at 1:72.  Old eyes/old fingers.
Sometime tell us where you are getting davits etc. I have used bluejacket blocks before and liked them at 1/4 inch scale and found them difficult at 1/8 th scale.
   I planned on adding waterways too. I traced them off deck before starting on hull. I used 1/32 box wood and plan on laying deck and then placing them on top of the decking because it seems like they are raised above deck on the 360 views.
    I am just started fairing the hull so about the same point in the build as you.
Bill

Hey David, great to see you. I will follow along for morel support. Looks like a fun model. I won't be back in my shipyard for at least a month or so. But I will be watching  . Good luck on your journey!!!

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 love the silk span sails!  It is so nice to see these compared to the burlap material many kits supply and the ensuing out-of-scale sewing that goes with it.  Great looking model overall!!
Allan

Nice boat, really pretty result, I was actually looking for paint schemes and liked the same you did, great work, I was thinking about making this boat from plans (from where that paint scheme comes) but decided I am going to wait for a kit to show up on Ebay, meanwhile I have the endeavour 1/80 and 1/35 and the rainbow is still available in 1/80 scale as well
thanks for sharing

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'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'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'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 in a very disorganized way, turning my attention from the stern to the bow to the hull and back again. Here are a few pictures of what I've been doing.
 
Here I've added the gallery windows and have done some more painting on the hull.
 
I created this elaborate system for organizing and painting the windows, but if I had it to do over again, I'd have just glued them in place unpainted first and then painted them after. Despite my careful application of several coats of white paint, once in place they still needed touch up and I had to file away paint from the corners of the muntins. So I ended up effectively painting them in place anyway, and it was surprising easy to do. Cutting in around the edges was not hard. I think I could have saved myself a lot of wasted effort.

It's starting to look like the Agamemnon -

Here I'm adding the first of the moldings. I was a bit intimidated at the prospect of working with these brass strips and I contemplated replacing them with Evergreen styrene strips. In the end, I decided against that as they can be very hard to glue neatly and I thought they would be hard to keep in a straight line. As it turned out, the brass is not difficult to work with, is very easy to glue in place and it looks pretty good.
 

Here's the first one painted -

Here is the first stage of the bow details -

That's all for now. Thanks again for checking in.
David
 

Looks like a good start, Tim.
It sounds like you're planning to plank the hull. I don't think you'll have too much trouble with that. On a "plank on bulkhead" model, I think the hard part is getting the hull faired correctly. Although I've never done one, I imagine on a solid hull model, getting the hull shape correct will also be the hard part. I also guess that planking a well shaped solid hull will be easier than planking a POB model. (Although a little harder to remove a plank, should that need arise.)
 
If you look at Nic's Red Jacket build, you'll see that he uses quite a bit of filler when shaping the hull, so that's clearly part of the process.
 
Does the kit come with wood to use as planking, or are you going to get some extra to do that.
 
David
 

I'm looking forward to this build log. I believe it's the first Alfred on the forum, which is surprising because it's such a handsome model and interesting subject. It's on my shortlist for my next kit, but I'm a bit worried about tackling a solid hull. I'll be watching your progress with great interest.
David

Hi Tony,
My method is similar to John's but I do it with one seizing. I make a figure-of-eight with the line and do a regular seizing in the centre. I slide the seizing along until one of the loops is just a bit bigger than the block, put the block in and snug the seizing up. Then I draw the second loop until it's just a bit bigger than a drill bit that is the same size as I want the loop to be, put the drill bit in the loop and draw the two ends of the line until everything is snug. A dab of glue, cut the two ends off and it's done.
David

I’ve started working on the dories for my Bluenose build,  and I’ll include that in my build log.

In the meantime I thought I might share a bit about another dory that I have. This one is painted yellow, which I understand is referred to as “dory buff.”
I’m not sure what colour the dories on the Bluenose were. There is some rare colour footage of the Bluenose, but it’s very faded and difficult to make out the colours. In that footage the dories don’t appear to be buff, but it’s hard to say. The MS plans indicate “buff” so it might be safe to assume that they could have been this colour.

 



In any case, here’s this dory. ” It’ about 16” long and it was scratch built by someone I used to work with named Fred.

This started as a little hobby for Fred, but through a friend, he soon found himself supplying them to a gift shop in Vancouver BC. He had to bring that to a fairly quick end however, because he couldn’t keep up with the demand and making them became an onus, not a pleasure. So once he gave that up, he continued to make them upon request for friends and acquaintances.

There are two interesting stories about Fred’s dories –

He learned from someone who had been to the gift shop in Vancouver that the owner of the shop was telling people that they were made by “an old salt from Newfoundland.”  Fred found this amusing because while he conceded that he was old there was certainly nothing salty about him. He was born and raised in Brandon, Manitoba  which is on the Canadian prairie,  just north of the North Dakota border.  I guess it wouldn’t have been as effective to say “an old salt from the prairie.”

Also, Fred had a unique source for the wood he used. We worked at a funeral home which was located not too far from a major casket manufacturer. We had a great relationship with them and Fred would make the occasional trip there and bring back all the free scrap lumber he could use. And I don’t know how he did it, but he even sweet-talked them into planing it down for him to the dimensions he needed!  He always used either poplar or willow.  Sadly, I haven’t had this useful connection for 20 years now, nor would I have had Fred’s ability to finagle custom planing  in any case.
David

Hi Tony,
My method is similar to John's but I do it with one seizing. I make a figure-of-eight with the line and do a regular seizing in the centre. I slide the seizing along until one of the loops is just a bit bigger than the block, put the block in and snug the seizing up. Then I draw the second loop until it's just a bit bigger than a drill bit that is the same size as I want the loop to be, put the drill bit in the loop and draw the two ends of the line until everything is snug. A dab of glue, cut the two ends off and it's done.
David

Hi Tony,
My method is similar to John's but I do it with one seizing. I make a figure-of-eight with the line and do a regular seizing in the centre. I slide the seizing along until one of the loops is just a bit bigger than the block, put the block in and snug the seizing up. Then I draw the second loop until it's just a bit bigger than a drill bit that is the same size as I want the loop to be, put the drill bit in the loop and draw the two ends of the line until everything is snug. A dab of glue, cut the two ends off and it's done.
David

Hi Tony,
My method is similar to John's but I do it with one seizing. I make a figure-of-eight with the line and do a regular seizing in the centre. I slide the seizing along until one of the loops is just a bit bigger than the block, put the block in and snug the seizing up. Then I draw the second loop until it's just a bit bigger than a drill bit that is the same size as I want the loop to be, put the drill bit in the loop and draw the two ends of the line until everything is snug. A dab of glue, cut the two ends off and it's done.
David