Ryland Craze

I think USPS cooperates with DHL. When customs were cleared the package was transferred to DHL for delivery within Germany. I was able to track the package with the DHL app, and it is in their system. Usually it's a matter of 2 days maximum until I get a consignment after it was processed in the letter processing centre. Not so this time. Meanwhile I have re-ordered the book, as from similar experiences I have little hope that the package surfaces again.
Of course it's not the fault of NRG, and I'd never blame our guild. Just had to let off some steam 😉
Sorry

Hi Kauz,
We do not ship by DHL, so there must be a mistake in the tracking.  I just checked it and here is what it says:
International Transit
Processed through Facility
FRANKFURT/FLUGHAFEN, GERMANY
March 25, 2025, 6:43 am
 
Hopefully it will be straightened out soon.
 
Mary
 
PS - Please send any further inquiries to the NRG office email: nrghomeoffice@gmail.com.
That way I can figure out faster who you are since we have no members named Kauz.

Hello,
DHL messed up the package. It cleared customs on Tuesday, 25th of March, and since then no further progress. "consignment was processed in letter mail centre". I called, but was told to wait until Friday and then have a research started. When I try to do that, I get the notice that it is not possible to have it researched, as it is a letter, no package. You might imagine my frustration.

Fun with superglue and itty bitty pieces!  So I installed belaying pins and eyebolts on the cap rail.  I dragged each of the belaying pins thru some superglue (conveniently poured into a plastic bottlecap for ease of access).  But since it appears I can still move some of the pins, it apparently didn't do the trick.  However, it looks like these pins are for "show" and don't have anything else attached to them, so as long as I don't hold the ship upside down, I'll be ok!  (I wish my phone could take clearer pics!)


Also created the Traveler.  I went completely off script trying to create this little gem. Couldn't get the legs right using the .22 gauge wire they suggest, but I stole a couple of staples from my stapler and they work rather nicely! The actual Traveler is a completely made-up version of what they asked for, but at this point, it'll have to do!  It's not secured yet since I still need to install an eyebolt under it.

While working on this build, I also took some time to read "All Hands on Deck" by Will Sofrin.  It's the true story of sailing a refurbished 1800"s "tall ship" from New Jersey to California (thru the Panama Canal) for it to be used in filming the movie "Master and Commander" with Russell Crowe.  I learned many new words associated with sailing (who knew that "dismasting" is how to describe a broken mast?)   It's a fascinating story of how a small crew sailed a 3-masted tall ship through treacherous waters, and survived some harrowing experiences (dismasting, for example!) to successfully deliver the ship to the movie makers.  A fun read!

After another 12 hours
(Total 24hours)
I HAVE FINISHED!

Sorry for the lack of progress reports but
things have been hectic on the home front.
 
The detail has been phenomenal!
(Ignore the lanterns. I'll straighten them later)

 
It's been amazing to see how things fit together in 
order to come up with the final product.
(439 pieces!)



 
Final dimensions L19.5cm x W6.5cm x H16cm
ok! 6.49" x 2.55" x 6.29"
 
Build comments:
Pieces are cut to perfection.
It has been a clean and tidy build
not having to worry about paint, glue or cutting.
Instructions are confusing at times,
especially with the rigging!
I defy anyone to complete the build in
the suggested 12 hours.
 
All in all, a fun project with a great final outcome.
 
Thanks to those who followed this short build.
Cheers,
Peter

 
 

Here is what 9 fins look like as compared with 6. I think this will do!

Still a bit of solder clean-up on the top two sets of joints. I have some smaller dimensioned brass square tube on order for the top and bottom caps. I had used 1/8" on the 6 fin attempt. It looks like I might be able to get 2mm square tubing which would give a nicer fit.
 
Currently there are small brass strips soldered on the backside to hold the fins, but your glue and spacer idea would most likely yield a nice result - one that might get the fins even closer together than my slotted jig can achieve!
 
Sorry about posting so often tonight, but this subassembly has just been getting to me and I the venting is helping!

I would probably try the brass as both the fins and spacers.
 
Building in a jig is probably easiest, clean all the brass first, tack the first piece in place with tiny spots of glue, glue the spacers to the next piece then glue that to the previous piece, rinse and repeat.
Slide a knife blade between the first piece and the jig to release.
Blacken the whole thing then fit end caps.
 

Yes, I drew it with the spacers glued to the previous piece, I think the other would be easier.
 
EDIT, I really need to post faster.

Ugh, just a bit frustrated today; now at trial some number much > 3 to make a radiator (2 are needed)!

This one has vertical cooling fins made from 1/16" x 1/64" brass strip. It is reasonably rigid, but there is a bit more space between each than I would really like. I count 15 cooling fins in each radiator on the actual craft - this has only 6. I might be able to get the fins a little closer, but not by too much more. A couple of days ago, one of my many failed attempts was made by binding 15 strips of 0.3mm C. Boxwood (left over from making the hoops) together with thread. In this way I had the correct number of fins together with the very fine space between each; however, the structure was incredibly flexible and would not hold its shape well. Also, I wasn't able to paint it a satisfactory color. 

Maybe one (?) more try to get the fins closer and maybe make the radiator just a little wider. Best case may be 10 brass fins - we'll soon see. 
 
 

In addition to Elmers wood filler, I use Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty to fill "small" gaps and imperfections. Have used it for many years on wood and metal fittings. Its relatively inexpensive, comes in a small tube, dries fast, easy to sand. However, not stainable.

Spectacular! I could hardly tell this is a model. Details and finish are awesome. One thing (among many) that I find incredible is that the paint reflects light like a real car, with smooth and regular reflections. I can well believe that this is the closest thing to owning a real cabrio Porsche Carrera.
Congrats,
Dan

I'm calling it finished. Ready to move on to something else now.
Thanks for following along, for your comments, for all your likes and reactions.

Being an intermediate-level kit, only rudimentary cockpit details are included. Here is the instrument panel laminated to its laser-cut backing and edge colored. No option for glazing is included, but it could be done by using a photocopy of this part. I have depicted glazing in some of my other logs.

 
And here is the panel glued into the cockpit. You might be able to see where I added a center line tic mark on the fuselage skin to help position the panel correctly.

 
The next numbered part is the gun sight. I suggest holding off on that part, because it sits on top of the cockpit dash, which means it might get bumped a lot during the fuselage construction. I have circled this part on the construction diagram to remind myself to add it later.
 
Next we'll work on the bits that go into the cockpit tub.
 

Here's on update on the first stage of the gun port framing.
 
Spent a few hours comparing the run of the batten on port vs. starboard and got the two sides as equal as possible. 
 

 
I got the best results (smoothest run) by using the least number of pins possible and allowing the batten to do the work.  In most cases it wanted to follow the marks on the bulkheads in a fair curve.
 

The image above shows the largest mismatch I have with the mark on the second to last bulkhead.  Not sure where this came from. 
 

 
Working on adding the port sills.  I've found that small spring clips make good temporary supports for the sills.  I can take my time getting the height exactly where I want it and then rely on the clips to control the position when gluing.  Looks like I have at least a week of work remaining to complete the gun port framing.
 

 
Steve

A single fittings box is included. This kit has many cast metal features, such as the black swan, obviously! The latter is cast in three parts (body and two wings). Also note the name plate, anchors and stocks, lanterns, ship's wheel, and unusually, the mast cap squares. Gratings are supplied as combs, as is traditional, and brass wire is included, for things such as mounting the lanterns. Three spools of rig cord in arm brown are included, but this is only to pack out the remainder of the compartment, as the rest of the cord is supplied in an envelope. Also here are the rigging blocks and deadeyes, belaying pins, and other wooden details such as barrels. A good number of brass pins are included too, as are pre-formed brass rudder hinges.
 




 
 
I did mention an envelope. This contains a whole suite of pre-sewn sails and the remainder of the rigging cord, in both natural and dark brown colours. Cord size is clearly printed on each spool.


 
 
There is actually another envelope that lurks at the bottom of the box so that it's kept flat and less likely to bend. This contains a large, single sheet of photo-etch parts. Numerous are the gallery parts, window frames and bulkhead doors from the quarter deck. You'll also see scroll decor, and most unusual are the ladders which are typically made from timber. PE quality is every bit as good as that found in other contemporary kits, and the connecting gates are small enough that only a little pressure will be needed to remove them from the sheet.

 
 
Instructions
All instructions are supplied in the kit, but they can also be found online, should you want to study them on your computer before the next bench session. These amount to 63 colour-printed pages which detail everything in photographic form apart from the masting and rigging drawings. These are supplied as line drawings. There are NO extra plans included here as they simply aren't needed. Everything is in the manual. Here you'll also find the sheet maps so all parts can easily be identified. 









 
Conclusion
This kit is very similar to the Artesania San Francisco that I built as my first ever wooden model, so I don't doubt that a relative beginner should be able to tackle this build, but I would suggest some experience beforehand, or at least in another modelling genre...simply so the modeller has a little focus and understanding of how to approach a build that contains different media. The model is also presented at a good price point too, and will doubtless appeal to those who have a love for pirate ships, but want to build a legitimate wooden kit of such a subject! The Black Swan also isn't 'too' large, relatively speaking. She's 613mm long, including bowsprit, and 585mm tall. If you want to sit her on a shelf, note that she's 257mm wide, so not too imposing. 
 
My sincere thanks to OcCre for sending out this kit for me to review on Model Ship World. To buy this kit direct, click the link at the top of the article. 
 
 
ALSO...
If you need a paint set to go with this kit, OcCre have their own acrylic set. This can be bought HERE for £25.99. In here you will find two 50ml bottles containing walnut dye and satin varnish. The remainder are 25ml bottles. The supplied colours are gold, black, white, bitumen, and lastly a bottle of primer. 
 


 
 
 
 



 
 
 
 

1:75 Black Swan
OcCre
Catalogue # 12012
Available from OcCre for £215.99
 

 
During the golden age of piracy, the Black Swan sailed the perilous waters of the Caribbean, leaving behind a trail of fear and admiration. Under the command of the ruthless Captain Tom Leach, this legendary ship raided Spanish trade routes and boldly faced fleets that tried to stop it. Its dark silhouette and black sails billowing in the wind were symbols of defiance, freedom, and adventure. OcCre's kit is a fictional vessel, inspired by Rafael Sabatini's novel of the same name, and the 1942 film. "From the coasts of Jamaica and Tortuga to Hispaniola, this ship is one of the most emblematic figures in the naval history of the Caribbean."
 
The kit
OcCre's kit is packaged in the same size box that Fram used, and several other of their kits that I've looked at here. This is a generic package, with a cutout that showcases the clear plastic fittings box. A large product label is fastened to the rest of the lid. When the lid is lifted off, the lower carton is folded inwards on itself to secure the contents. All of the timber/ply sheets are sealed with cellophane and didn't appear to have any warp or twist in them. The first sheet out is quite obvious. You can see from the MDF sheet that there are ten bulkheads along its length. The bulkheads are on two separate sheets and are made from ply. A few other parts are on these sheets too, such as the mast steps and various fairing blocks.
 



 
 
One sheet here contains the parts for the cradle/display stand. This is made from ply. The top sheet contains the prow, keel and rudder post. This is produced in solid timber.

This sheet of ply holds the four deck sections (including beak deck), and the various parts that go together to make the ship's launch. 
 

 
This is the sheet which holds all the details, such as rails, cannon carriages, etc. but also things like the mast tops and the lower run of cannon ports, on a single strip. Also on here you'll see galleries, channels etc. Laser cutting is excellent. Notice that these sheets don't have part numbers engraved. You'll need to cross reference the instructions for those details. 

 
 
 
Single piece upper bulwarks are supplied in ply. The quarterdeck upper edge has the ports with a temporary piece in situ so the edge stays straight during the most vulnerable part of the hull construction. Other ports are completely filled and just need the centres cutting loose. 

 
 
There are three packs of timber strip/dowel in this kit. The hull is planked in lime and then the dark, thin veneers are applied. I feel quite nostalgic when I see this as my San Francisco kit was constructed in the same way. The strip wood and dowel are nicely cut, with no fuzzy edges or warp in the parts.....quite important for the dowel!






 
.....more soon.
 

Log #17: The Platforms
Despite my previous promises that I was done with test pieces, I continue to make more of them. The problem is that every one I do is just a little bit better than the last one. At some point I need to decide they are good enough, but knowing when to make that step is hard when you are a perfectionist. Below you can see my latest test piece on the left along with an earlier one on the right.

You can see how much thinner the lines are on the newer one. I am using my dark glue mixture so I can clearly see how big the gaps are on these tests. I have been focusing on just practicing this particular joint as it is the most complex one in the knee of the head construction with 2 scarfs and a number of curves.
 
I have however made some actual progress this week on the platforms. These will almost certainly not be visible, but on the off chance some angle shows them I want the bottom of the ladderways to show the planking. This is something that needs to be done prior to the structure of the bulkheads are assembled so I figured now was as good a time as any.
 
I used scrap boxwood left over from my alert build and marked one edge of each plank with an HB pencil to show the caulking line. Then I sanded in various grits from 150 to 320 to 500 both to smooth the finish, but also to thin the planks. The ones I had were approximately 1/32 in, but I needed to thin them down to 3/128 in as the contract states the planks were to be 1.5 in thick. This really was not necessary, but I figured I might as well do it right if I could. Finally I added a coat of WOP which I quickly wiped off to give just a slight sheen.

Steps 42 (mast-making) completed, 43 (first of two "43s", mast fittings) advanced & 44 (yard) completed
 
Thus far, this log has dealt with topics that mostly belong in the province of the boatbuilder -- which I am not, though I am an end-user and have maintained their products. As the build progresses into the pram's rig, however, I am moving into areas that properly belong to the sailor and there I do claim some expertise. That work begins with three spars: mast, boom and yard. (The rig is technically a boomed standing lug. Lug sails have their heads bent to "yards", which are hoisted by a single halliard at the slings, not to "gaffs", which have jaws encircling the mast and are hoisted by both peak and throat halliards -- albeit some clever arrangements make those from the same length of line).
 
The yard is the simplest of the pram's three spars. I had that more-or-less shaped last night but it was about 3mm deep at the slings, say 1.5" full-size equivalent, which seemed excessive for such a small sail. So I reduced that to about 2mm (1"), restored the tapers and rounding, then gave it a first coat of Model Shipway's clear finish. (It will need a quick rub-down to remove raised grain, then a second coat.) As supplied in the kit, the yard has a top-to-bottom laser-cut hole in each end for the earrings (to stretch the head of the sail along the yard). Those would be better drilled side-to-side but I won't mess with such a small spar. The piece also has two holes at the slings for an eye for the halliard, which leads me to ask:
 
What kind of a sailor drills bolt holes through a spar, at the point of greatest load?
 
Resisting the temptation to question someone's sanity, I suspect that the answer is: The kind of sailor who thinks that rigging a boat starts with a visit to a yacht shop to buy nice, shiny, stainless-steel fittings!
 
The proper way to attach our pram's halliard to its yard is a stuns'l halliard bend (Ashley's #25) -- simpler, quicker, lighter and cheaper than any metal fitting. Plus, it is easy to move the halliard along the yard, if you think that some adjustment would improve the set of the sail. So, while I won't bother about filling the two tiny holes, there will be no metal eye.
 
 
While the yard is better with more depth than width, the mast definitely needs a circular section throughout, yet the two thicknesses glued together made it very much greater in one dimension than the other. Fortunately, while buying miniature plane and chisels for shaping planks, I also picked up a tiny marking gauge for marking bevels on inside curves on a table I was building. That came with a matching double gauge which I never expected to use but which proved ideal for marking the required amounts to take off the mast blank:

The miniature plane then made short work of thinning the mast-blank down. (A case of having the right tools for the job ... though they don't come cheap.) Both ends of the mast are very gently tapered, so the planing had to be followed by some careful sanding. With everything "four-square", it was time to drill any holes. The mast comes with only one hole, for the halliard, laser-cut. That only needed cleaning up with a drill bit (mostly because the two parts of the mast blank were not absolutely aligned). The instructions call for a second hole and some shaping to give the appearance of a sheave for the halliard, set in the mast. I would not do that full-size for such a small boat and hence there is no need in the model. {With such a small, light sail, a "dumb sheave" (a shaped hole, with no rotating sheave inside) is fully adequate, whereas an actual sheave would require a large slot cut through the mast, with a second hole at right angles for the axle -- together a major (and quite unnecessary) area of weakness.} What the halliard-hole does need is a bit of a groove on either side, so that the halliard isn't hauled across any sharp angles. Those grooves were easily worked with a suitable jewelry reamer.
 
Next below that hole, the mast will get two brass photo-etched tangs, for the upper ends of the shrouds. The instructions want each one fastened by its own nail, with those cut so short that they do not interfere with one another -- meaning about 1mm long. That would be madness. I will use one nail and peen its cut end into a second head after all is assembled. However, it did need a hole drilled through the mast, from side to side. No problem.
 
Lastly, the instructions call for two more holes to be drilled, to take an eye for the tack downhaul to reeve through -- though they do not explain where that line should be belayed. That, again, makes no sense. What the tack downhaul needs is a cleat, not an eye.
 
So, with little more than a single hole drilled, it was time to turn the four-square mast into an octagonal section one ("eight-square" in the terminology of mast-making) then round off to circular. The kit includes a "spar shaping jig" -- a narrow board with a stop-block at each end and 5 notched supports that hold a four-square spar with one angle upwards for sanding to an octagonal section. (The kit only provides 4 of the 5 supports but the Muscongus Bay sloop kit has the same rig with another 4, one of which can readily be pirated.)

That worked well, though the previous planing had (inevitably) removed the laser-burn marks showing how much to take off to achieve a regular, octagonal section. I just judged it by eye. Careful work with sanding sticks and paper then produced a nice, rounded mast.
 
There are two, or in my case three, wooden fittings to be added to the mast after it is rounded. The first is a cleat (in the original nautical sense of that term, meaning a projection from a spar or other object, usually to stop something sliding along the parent piece), in this case for the upper end of the forestay. The kit-supplied cleat is tiny, even before char removal, and would hardly be there at all after cleaning up. It was easy to shape a replacement at double the size:

To get that to sit on the curved surface of the mast, I followed the instructions and wrapped 220 paper around the mast, then sanded the base of the cleat to match the spar's curvature. My attempt to glue it in place using white glue failed because it was too difficult to hold the cleat in place while the glue set. A dab of CA solved that one by the much-reduced holding time.
 
The other two required fittings are cleats for belaying the halliard and tack downhaul ("horned cleats" in original terminology, before "cleat" came to mean, amongst the yachting fraternity, any belaying point). Again, the kit-supplied one was grossly inadequate. It was under 1/4-inch, meaning 3" full-size. I might use one like that to belay a flag halliard on a small boat (if our pram was to show any flags) but it is laughably inadequate for either halliard or downhaul. I made two new ones, of 1/2-inch (6" equivalent) size. They turned out clunkier than I would like but that will mostly be hidden by the lines belayed on them:

Note the kit-supplied version in the second image.
 
Once those were glued on also, I had a mast fit for its first coat of clear finish, hence to two near-ready spars:

 
Tomorrow: Boom, maybe rudder and/or tiller. Or maybe I will turn to sailmaking. That should be fun!
 
Trevor
 
 

Step 40 (Display Stand) completed
 
Finally had some half-decent weather, though colder than the spray paint would like (10C, meaning 50 for those who still follow Herr Fahrenheit), so I warmed it and the baseboard over a heater vent before heading out to a windless, sunny spot. Paint went on well despite the challenges, though my masking was less than perfect and I will need to re-touch the oil on the display-stand's plinth. Still, once the paint was dry the model supports went in nicely, all square without trouble (and a drip of CA in each hole to keep them that way:

That's kit supplied basswood baseboard (sprayed with hardware-store primer and gloss white), glued to a $5 offcut of jatoba (run across my router table with an ogive blade mounted, then oiled and wax-finished), acrylic-rod supports (optional extra recommended in kit instructions), with copper tape for filler and decoration, topped with kit-supplied basswood supports (primed and painted with kit paints). Far from perfect but much, much better than my dory model has (so I am learning!).
 
Looks nice with the (still incomplete) model on it too:

 
I have been working on the spars too, but they will keep for a later update.
 
 
Trevor

Been there, Trevor. My shipyard is in a spare bedroom here in our home. When I get the vacuum out and get in here, I hear all the bits of nails (and the odd tiny cleat) scuttling on up the vacuum hose.

Step 48 (first "48", rowlocks) advanced, Steps 42, 43 & 44 (spars) commenced
 
With daylight for aid, I got the brass rowlock-pad protection on. First thing was to drill the rowlock holes down into the inwale (previously, they only passed through the pads). In a full-size boat, the holes would need to pass right through, so that a length of cord or light chain, attached to the rowlock, can hang down inboard, preventing loss of the rowlock but allowing it to be unshipped when not in use. That's great but drilling so deep risked damage to the sheerstrakes, so I only went far enough to accommodate the kit-supplied rowlocks.
 
Placing the photo-etched brass protective pieces wasn't hard. I impaled each one in turn on the point of a bamboo cocktail stick, touched a tiny dab of CA to each end of the brass, inverted the boat, put tip of stick into rowlock hole, flipped everything upright, assisted gravity in getting the brass into place, then gently pressed it down. The only trouble was when I had too much CA, letting the brass swim around before the glue caught. I then left the glue to set before getting onto the hard part.
 
Each of the four brass plates needs two nail holes drilled. (OK after the first one: That time, I drew the drill back too vigorously, it caught in the brass and pulled the metal off its glue. Back up and try over ...) Then each of 8 0.6mm nails had to be picked up with forceps, snipped for length, placed in its hole, lined up ... and pressed home. I think I snipped twice as many nails as I placed, though where the others went, I cannot say. Anyway, the job was done and adds some nice, shiny brass to the model:

Rowlock (technically a "crutch") only inserted temporarily, as I don't want it causing trouble until the rigging is finished.
 
While the CA was setting, I got the three spars out of their basswood sheets. The mast is in two halves that have to be glued together, back to back:

Lots of clamps and yellow glue -- yellow for strength and because the edges where it might ooze out will be sanded for char anyway.
 
Once the two halves were united, they formed a spar with rectangular section. That will need to be taken down to square, including the tapering towards head and heel, matching the laser-cut sides -- all before taking off the corners (making it "eight-square") ad rounding off.
 
The boom has its own complications which can wait for later. I did begin work on the yard (which the instructions bizarrely call a "gaff"). Its lower edge needs to be straight, to receive the straight-cut head of the sail, but its upper edge can taper from the slings towards either end. I just gave it straight tapers. The basswood stock was thicker than the laser-cut piece was wide, so the spar started with a rectangular section throughout. I have shaped the upper and lower surfaces into half-rounds but, so far, I have not tried to reduce the thing to circular. Strength and stiffness would be better with some depth to the section. later, I'll take another look and see whether I like what I have. I might sand more.
 
Enough for now!
 
Trevor

The instructions call for the first section of fuselage to be be built next. Here is the section and its joiner strips.

 
But before we can move on, we need @CDW and @Richard44 to make a decision: wheel wells or no wheel wells? If the former, then we will need to remove part of the joiner strip before gluing it to the fuselage piece, as indicated here:

Found this image at Wikimedia. This is the actual aircraft depicted by the kit. It is on display at the Katyn Museum.
 

Part 1: Cockpit Assembly
I started by separating the booklet pages and giving the parts pages my usual coat of matte clear varnish spray (some modelers have suggested that gloss varnish soaks into the paper better, and the shine can be knocked down later with a top coat of matte).
 
To make the pages easier to handle, I separated the cockpit parts from the fuselage parts.

 
Fold lines need to be scored in advance. For this I use a straight edge and a small-diameter manicurist's spotting tool. A scribing tool could also be used for this task, but it makes a sharper crease, which makes the ink more prone to cracking when a part is folded.

 
The part is then cut out and folded.

 
This task is repeated for the observer's tub. I wrote the part numbers for the two tubs (sounds like a missing novel in the LOTR series -- "Book 2A: The Two Tubs, in which the fellowship finally bathe after weeks on the road without showering") in pencil on the reverse side just to help distinguish which is which. Afterward, I glued one side of each tub. Leaving the other side open for now will make it easier to add internal details, such as the seats.

 
A quick note on edge coloring: At this point, I'm not sure how much, if any, of these edges will be visible later. To be safe, I have colored the cut edges with a gray Crayola marker (hi-tech, I know). At some point, each builder will need to decide on an edge-coloring technique to use and start thinking about matching colors in the kit.
 
That's it for this evening, but looking ahead at the build sequence I saw that laser-cut parts will soon be needed (if you are using them), and I was going to conclude my workbench session by numbering the parts with a pencil. But I was pleased to learn that each part already has its number laser-engraved, eliminating the need to manually add one -- a very nice touch!

 
See you next time!

Introduction
Welcome to yet another build log for a non-wooden, non-ship model! This build is inspired by a discussion that was had in my A6M5a build log. Fellow MSW member Craig (CDW) shared that his only attempt at card modeling was "a disaster," in his words, so I suggested he take a look at WAK's skill level 2 kits and offered to build one along with him, whichever one he wanted. He took me up on the offer and chose the SBLim-2A, so that's how the subject of the build was selected. Richard (Richard44) has also expressed an interest in building this kit (click HERE to see Richard's build) -- let's see if we can get any others on board, maybe?
 
BTW, except for a very simple, free, downloadable, flyable MiG-15 glider I built many years ago, this will be only the second jet I have ever built in card. 😮
 
The Subject
The SBLim-2A is a Polish, license built, two-seat reconnaissance variant of the MiG-15, built by WSK-Mielic in the 1950s. It's actually a conversion of a conversion. Originally, 227 Lim-1 (Licencyjny myśliwiec - licensed fighter aircraft) were built; some of these were later converted to SBLim-1 two-seat trainers (equivalent to the MiG-15 UTI), and some of those were later converted to the SBLim-2A. Confusing, right?
 
The Kit

 
The kit, representing an aircraft wearing the 1993 livery of the 7th Naval Special Aviation Regiment, is designed by Lech Kołodziejski, a respected designer who has published his own designs under the brand name CardPlane. I have built five of Lech's CardPlane kits (see the finished non-ship models section). Lech's CardPlane offerings were all models of either prototype aircraft or planes that entered into very limited service. His designs published by WAK have been more widely recognizable aircraft. Some of his recent efforts, including this one, have been collaborations with graphic artist Marcin Dworzecki, whose work is second to none in the hobby. As you can see, I purchased the available molded canopy and laser-cut frames.
 
A quick pitch here for WAK. They have become one of my favorite publishers and a first-choice vendor. They offer a large selection of kits and always process orders promptly, package them securely, and offer very reasonable shipping rates compared to other vendors. If you shop there, tell them I sent you!
 
The kit is designed with amateur builders in mind, and it shows. In this next image you can see, for instance, that only very rudimentary cockpit elements are included. Stuff on the side walls is printed rather than being separate parts.

 
There are likewise no separate control surfaces nor landing gear bays. (EDIT: Upon further inspection, I discovered that optional wheel well parts are included.)

 
Lech draws pretty easy to follow diagrams. Horrible white balance in this shot -- sorry!

 
There's a lovely three-view.

 
Finally, as a huge bonus, but not shown here, the kit includes instructions in English.
 
The Purpose and Guiding Philosophy of This Build
We all know that when it comes to beginners and wooden ship models, there is such a thing as "too much model." This is certainly true for card models as well. If you have never built a card model before and decide to start with Halinski's Bf-110G-4/R8, you will fail miserably (heck, even I'm not ready for that one). The WAK Skill Level 2 kits are a good compromise between detail and ease of construction. At least I hope that will prove to be the case, because I haven't built one yet -- but I trust Lech. I have titled this as a semi-tutorial, because it is not my intention here to describe every necessary tool and basic technique for building a card model; if you need that kind of help, you can find it in our Torpedoboat V-108 tutorial. So I will not, for example, demonstrate how to fold a part or roll a tube, but I will try to include as much detail as is necessary to get a novice builder through this project. And speaking of 'novice,' I will also try to make this build as much as possible an "out-of-box" project -- except there is no box, of course.
 
So, join us on this adventure, won't you? And if you're feeling particularly bold, get the kit from WAK and jump in! Come over to the Dark Side --er, I mean, the "wonderful world of card models"!
 
Cheers!

One thing I have learned over two decades of building card models is that it pays to study and re-study the diagrams. The part I mentioned in post #12 is not a false air inlet -- it's the interior nose wheel well color. Also, I noticed that the pilot's seat protrudes above the level of the fuselage, so it can't be glued into the cockpit tub until after the tub is in the fuselage.
 
Here's a couple of simple modifications I made to the bulkhead before proceeding. First, I don't know how much of that bulkhead will be visible on the finished model, so to be safe I added some interior color to it. It's not an exact match for the cockpit tub, but at least it's not pulp board colored. Second, I added some scrap card along the lines that indicate where the tub is to be glued. This will make neater and stronger joints between the tub and bulkhead.

 
Here's the fuselage section glued into a ring. Try to get the ring as round as possible -- it will make fitting the bulkhead easier, and the ring will be more difficult to shape once the bulkhead is in.

 
A couple of tips on the bulkhead. Notice that the fuselage section isn't a true cylinder -- it's a conic section. Beveling the edge of the bulkhead will make it easier to fit and enable it to make better contact with the fuselage skin. Only a slight bevel is needed, so don't go overboard. If you want, you can soak some thin CA into the bulkhead to stiffen it.
 
With the joiner strip in place, it can be difficult to align the bulkhead properly, unless you were careful in aligning the joiner strip to the fuselage piece first. If you were careful, then gluing the bulkhead flush with the ends of the darts cut into the joiner strip will also make the bulkhead flush with the cylinder opening. You can see here that the dart tips just touch both the fuselage skin and the interior bulkhead.

 
Tip: With a large bulkhead like this one and any type of fast-setting glue (such as canopy glue), you may not have time to adjust the part if you apply glue to the entire rim of the bulkhead first and then try to position it within the cylinder (or vice versa). What I do in such instances is position the dry bulkhead first, then run a bead of glue around the interior seam -- like caulking a tub.
 
That's it for this session!