Ryland Craze

That would be nice, but it would take hours of work that doesn't generate any revenue. With the state of the economy, it's just not practical.

And a long one at that. BlueJacket alone has over 80 current kits, and 100's more from the past.

+1.
 
Entertained my kids while they were teenagers as well as interest their parents. The Calvert Marine museum at Solomons on the other side of the bay is smaller, but also nice. Both have relocated screwpile lighthouses, Hooper Strait at St. Michaels, and Drum Point at Solomons. 
 
When I was a kid the Drum Point light had been abandoned, and sometime before it was moved in 1975 a bunch of my friends and I went up the ladder and had a look around. It was in terrible shape, and on the way down I wound up slicing my foot open on the rusty old sharp ladder. Small wonder I was always getting tetanus shots...
 
George

I’ve been there a couple of times, I think I’ll go there on Tuesday, the model boat club there is going to rc sail boat races!

It would take several days to see all of the exhibits. 

Haven’t been there for a number of years but this is a GREAT museum, on the scale of Mystic.
 
When we visited, my wife, who is not necessarily  a marine museum enthusiast was fascinated by a display about songs of African American workers in seafood processing plants and another about Chesapeake Bay resorts.  Like Mystic they feature a working shipyard.
 
Roger

If you are ever in the St Michaels, Maryland area I would recommend a visit to the CBMM (cbmm.org).  There are loads of Chesapeake water craft from Bugeyes to log canoes to examine.  There also are several interactive areas that entertained our 11 year old granddaughter.  

So got a air brush for Christmas, never used one until now . Tried it out on all those gun carriages. made life a lot easier.

I liked the insert that ensures they will stay put as my experience with just gluing the wheels always results in one getting loose later. Hers they are with guns dry fitted.


For some extra work I decided to rig the 4 guns on each side that can be seen from the upper deck. Once I slide in the barrel later i can hook the loop over the end of the cannon. Used 2 mm single and 2.5 mm double blocks and 1 mm rigging line.
 

 

Stove pre-paint

 
Post paint and in place. Chimney and condenser dry fitted until upper deck done

Found this from another members Youtube link. Nice 3-d breakdown of the Victory
 
 

Completed most of the lower deck fittings. Will b e spending the weekend making up the stove an many, many gun carriages.

When I received my kit, the previous owner had started the engine and transmission. The subassemblies and other loose parts were inside a sealed baggie. I’m going to start by disassembling what was started then looking to see what pieces may be damaged or missing. Will follow Paul Koi’s guide when reassembling and upgrade pieces where it seems worthwhile.

I didn’t buy the front axle - I don’t think it’s necessary. I did buy the steering wheel - expensive, but sooooo nice! I also bought a number of the low cost items like spark plug boots and ignition wires. Also the decal set (well worth it).  None of them are essential, it’s up to what you think will improve the appearance of your model versus how much you are prepared to spend. It’s easy to get carried away!

2024 07-09: Note from my future self to anyone just starting the Model Shipways Constitution and planning on using the Hunt Practicum without a kit bash.  
 
At the end of this post, I've begun attaching bulkheads to the center keel set.  I would like to advise you now to look waaaay ahead to chapters 4 and 5 of the Practicum to see what will be involved in planking the spar deck.  Also look for XKen's build log (link below) here at the Model Ship World site.
 
Why?  Because I learned that some steps taken at the very beginning would have saved me considerable grief a year later.  In the Hunt Practicum, you will be asked to taper the planks covering the spar deck.  Now, not everyone posting here does that, and there's a case to be made that not doing so will make planking the deck much easier.  If you're a stickler for sticking as close to the plans as possible and following the Hunt methodology, here are a couple of options you may wish to consider very early on:
 
1. Following in  XKen's footsteps.  In particular, the bit about building a plywood carrier deck to facilitate planking off the hull.  There are quite a few advantages to doing the spar deck planking off the hull, not least of which is that you can much more easily achieve the tapered planking the plans really call for.  (By the way, Hunt sort of cheats on this tapering at the foredeck.)  
 
(A tip for you now! In his build log, XKen failed to mention early on that you'll need to shave off the thickness of this plywood carrier from the top of the bulkheads before you affix them to the keel.)
 
 
2. If you don't want to mess around with the plywood carrier, then spend a little time examining the plans and develop a map of where the butt joints for the deck planks will be.  If you want to understand what I'm talking about here, jump ahead to the latter part of page 8 and page 9 of this build log.  Tapering long planks and scratching in fake butt joints sounds easy, but it's not.  Once you know roughly where the butt joints will be, plan early on to put support pieces between the bulkheads.  Again, see page 9.
 
 
If perfect 20/20 hindsight, there are three things I would have done differently right from the start. First, I would have gotten some Baltic birch plywood and cut my own bulkheads, because the laser cut parts that come with the kit are simply the pits.  Secondly, I would have built a plywood carrier for the decking ala XKen.  And thirdly, I would have purchased better planking materials for the hull.  I didn't realize until I finished planking the hull, that I would prefer not to paint the Constitution.  The basswood material that comes with the kit is okay, if you're going to paint over it, but if you would like a nice natural wood finish, you may want to consider investing in alternative woods.  Look at Hipexec's build log for the Constructo kit to see what I mean.
 
 
Let me close this addendum with the best advice I can give you here at the start.  Learn how to navigate this site, and at each stage of your build, consult as many build logs as you can to help you chart your own course.  
 
Here are (hopefully) the links to the build logs I found must beneficial to study:  (I may have missed a couple, but this is a pretty good sampling to get you started). 
 
Good luck!
 
 
 
 
 
 

I've taken care of it for you (and deleted the duplicate log).

some more decor

Progress Photos
 
Finally completed the superstructure.  Painted the Pilot House a second time, a lighter shape of Vallejo Mahogany over a white base coat, followed by light coats of Vallejo Gloss varnish.  Sheet styrene for the windows.
 

 


 

 

 

 

Well done, Jacques! A very neat result.

Sorry for the long break between posts, I was traveling and finishing the trajinera. I've made good progress recently on the dory, though.
 
The thwarts required a good bit of shaping to fit, including beveling the side edges and part of the slot (which would have been easier to cut with a small chisel instead of the no. 11 exacto blade I used), as can be seen in the photo. (I numbered the thwarts on the bottom to keep track of them.)

 
It took a little while and a lot of test fittings, but they came out even in the end. As will be seen in later photos, I then added a sealer-varnish, as I did with the oars, which ever-so-slightly darkened the thwarts.

 
Experiments with using washes for weathering elsewhere proved encouraging, so I ended up applying a very thin black wash to the hull in order to lightly weather it. I didn't want a severe weathering, but just a little suggestion of a bit of grime, as might accumulate after a short voyage or two. My error with the previous attempt at a wash (discussed above) was using too big a brush, which slopped on a ton of wash at once. This time, I used my smallest brush and had a lot more success. It's hard to see in photos, but I do think it adds a bit of character. I also applied a wash to the bailer, but I didn't like the way it turned out--it was very patchy. I ended up later painting a thin white wash over it, and I think it came out looking appropriately aged--while the dory might be relatively freshly painted, perhaps the fisherman cut costs with a used bailer.

 
Next, the beckets. As nearly every build log mentions, the included rope is much too thick. I didn't want to shell out for international shipping with purpose-made modeling rope, so I hunted around a bit in fabric shops. None of the threads I found actually stated the width, so I eyeballed it and ended up with something perhaps a bit too thin. But, it will be useful for other lines on the boat, so I don't think it's a terrible issue. Plus, the beckets are pretty simple, so it will be easy to replace with thicker thread if it really bothers me in the future. The thread I got was white, so I dyed it a bit in the leftover black wash, which turned out ok. Following the kit instructions to attach the beckets worked perfectly, except that I used full-strength rather than watered-down glue, following suggestions in other build logs. I also tried a real stopper knot on the ends, but it was a little small, so I added a simple knot to make sure it wouldn't slip through. The knots were glued, too. Overall I'm happy with how the beckets turned out.

 

 
Next, the thole pins. The squared-off wooden piece you cut them from is very thin and I found it hard to sand it fully round. Instead, I took off the edges a bit--necessary for it to effectively roll for the cutting method--and then only rounded a bit at a time, just enough for one or two thole pins, then cutting them and sanding the next bit. This worked well, and the cutting method given in the instructions worked perfectly.
 
The instructions say that the thole pins are to be vertical. This doesn't follow any of the photos I've seen of actual dories, which have thole pins that follow the flare of the hull and which actually pass entirely through the cap rail and gunwales, as in this image from the International Small Craft Center:

 
Accurately modeling this would require drilling through the gunwales at the correct angle and making longer thole pins. The drilling seems like something that could very easily go wrong, and I'm not sure if there's enough material for longer thole pins, so I decided to just angle the pins out as they would look on a real dory. I think the "vertical" should be taken to mean that the thole pins are vertical when viewed from the side, not completely vertical from all angles.

 

 
At this point, the dory is complete by the instructions, except for making the stand. That said, I'm not marking this build log as "finished" yet, as there are a couple extra furnishings I'm working on that I'll be continuing to post about. Overall, though, I want to say that this has been a fantastic kit that I've really enjoyed. The pieces are well-cut, the instructions are very clear, and the kit has clearly been designed and made with care. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in starting up ship modeling (or anyone with experience who wants a simple, fun build). Anything I do to mess it up in the future stems from going off-kit to do my own additions.
 

 

 

Introduction
I have long had a hankering to build a small launch with live steam propulsion. The African Queen seemed to be an ideal choice of subject, however finding a kit to modify proved somewhat elusive. In the end, I settled on the Billings offering in 1:12 scale as it claims to be suitable for Radio Control (albeit using an electric motor). Here is a picture of the box art.
 

 
 
The next challenge was finding a steam plant suitable for inclusion in the model. After an exhaustive search, I settled on a complete steam plant from Miniature Steam Models (MSM) in Melbourne, Australia. It is a 2” boiler with the “Avon” twin cylinder double acting oscillating steam engine. The steam plant comes complete with a boiler certificate and the engine is matched to the size of the boiler. For the tech heads, it has an 8mm bore and an 11mm stroke (and it is reversing). Overall, it is very similar in size to the “fake” boiler/engine plant provided in the Billings kit.
 
Here are a couple of pictures of the steam plant as provided from MSM.
 

 

 
 
 
What’s in the box?
The Billings kit is fairly typical of the Billings offerings. The hull is provided as a single-piece vacuum formed ABS mould. The rest of the kit includes a variety of laser cut plywood parts, some strip wood (not particularly high quality), some brass components and some plastic components. As I will not be using the provided boiler/engine parts, a lot of these will be redundant.
 
I was concerned by the apparent flimsiness of the hull, and my plan is to sheath the hull in timber, and then fibreglass over the top of that. To this end, I have obtained some 1mm thick Alaskan Yellow Cedar from Hobby Mill EU to be cut into planks as appropriate.
 
I will also be adding some aftermarket timber for the deck planking, as the kit would have you simple draw planking lines onto the provided plywood. I’m currently in the process of placing an order for this with Hobby Mill EU.
 
Instructions are, I believe, typical of Billings – which is to say, next to useless. This is not a kit for a beginner, although it is marketed as “Advanced Beginner”. We shall have to see whether I have sufficient skills to pull this off – otherwise, there is considerable investment “down the tube”.
 
The Hull
Here are a couple of pictures of the ABS hull. 
 

 

 
As can be seen in the pictures, there is a considerable excess lip around the upper edge. I will need to remove the vertical component of this before I can do anything else. My current plan is to do that, and then fit the internal frames to provide some stiffening before attempting the outer planking.
 
Welcome aboard for what might prove to be an "interesting" journey!
 

Ok Boys and Girls… Here it is. Did as much coil work as I dare. I have snagged the rigging so many times it’s a miracle I haven’t snapped parts right off the ship. 😆 I’m calling her finished. Will one of you moderators change the title to FINISHED for me? Thanks again to Paul in Australia for making all the guns and to all the rest of you who helped me along the journey of my first wooden ship build with techniques, critiques and encouragement! Was in no hurry, but I had several months of winter rain that kept me indoors. Keel laid December 4, 2021, launched June 28, 2022.
 







 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi Will, welcome to MSW.   If you're into maritime history, you should consider checking out the Philadelphia Ship Model Society, our next meeting is this Sunday at Laurel Acres park where the membership will be running RC models in the lake.   www.PhiladelphiaShipModelSociety.com
 
All the best, 

Joshua 

Roger, 
 
I suppose I could return the rotary tool for now and stick with some good old fashioned files...makes more sense anyhow. A couple responses above this one you'll see that I am making a decision to save money and not buy too many things. I'd be working on my model like you said, but it'll be here on the 12th or 13th, which is why I figured I'd get the basics before it arrived. 
 
Ask any of my friends and you'll quickly find out I'm pretty darn frugal. Getting fifty bucks back for a tool I nay not need and can put the money to use elsewhere sounds ok in my book. 
 
Thanks again for the wisdom, 
Chris
 

Rotary tools:  I do not use rotary tools for wooden construction for two reasons.
 
First, a mishandled rotary tool can do an enormous amount of damage in an instant, particularly with the soft woods supplied with kits.  Instead I use needle files and very small rifflers whenever possible.
 
Second, hobby grade rotary tools are high speed low torque machines.  They run at MUCH higher speeds than tools designed for drilling.  The centrifugal force created can instantly fling a small wire size drill away from the hole that you are trying to drill.  The archimedes  type drill recommended by Wefalck is a better choice.  If you must use a powered drilling tool, buy one especially designed for this purpose.
 
These recommendations from MSW members, including me, are all influenced by personal work habits sometimes developed over decades.  As such they reflect individual strengths, limitations, and interests.  They may not reflect the, way that you want or are able to work.  Rather than spending a lot more money on tools, I suggest that you get busy building your model and buy additional tools as needed.
 
Roger

This is great advice, thank you. My rotary tool is on the way, I may be able to return it, but I'm not entirely sure I'm at a point where I'll notice a difference with it. I'm still trying to determine whether pins are a good choice for the hull, or of clamps are better. I know my first model is a getting my feet wet project, but I'd like to know if my approach is one I will stick with. Surely that'll change over time. 
 
The lady Olha whose videos I watch, she uses pins all over her planks, and also seems to use filler blocks regularly. 
 
Anyhow, I imagine I'll discover what tools I truly need as I go. I'll look into the ones you mentioned, thanks again! 
 
Chris