Ryland Craze

It makes me laugh, it makes me smile, it makes me think back to times when I watched my Dad (who I thought was God) making or repairing whatever at his bench. That same sense of awe sweeps over me, Gary. Thank you. 

SOMEONE HAS TO DO SOMETHING!!!!       This has to go in the gallery...  WE need a section for the art of modeling...
 
A Michaelangelo in plastic.... can't say it any better than that...
 
Virtuoso my friend virtuoso.... One of the finest pieces of modeling I've ever seen...

I am still looking for my jaw which dropped when I saw these pictures and in particular the last one with your spectacles. Fantastic result, moreover, it was also greatly entertaining to follow step by step your build. Each combination of lightning conveys a different mood and I cannot decide which one I prefer.
Cannot imagine what would be next,
congratulations,
Dan.

No words Gary. Absolutely spectacular! i had to look onto any of my HO scale car to imagine how tiny those details are. Marvelous!

That's for a change a real diorama in the true sense of the word and not just a scenic display on a base-board !
 
The close-up photographs let you forget how small it is in reality - one only realises it on the last picture.
 
The lighting inside and outside looks very convincing.

Absolutely outstanding diorama,  Gary.  👍👍👍👍👍 

Greetings fellow modelers.
 
The last item to finish on this diorama is the exterior (through the windows) lighting and the wiring. 

A styrene bracket overhangs the end of the building and LEDs are glued to the underside.
 

 
 
There are four warm white 5050 diodes and a single 0805.  The 0805 fills in the area above the door.
 

 
 
This model is a lot like real estate – it looks OK until you walk around back.
 
The black smeared all over the seams is a PVA and acrylic paint mixture and keeps the light from shining through the cracks.  In fact, I've painted the back side of the thin plastic door with the goo to prevent it from glowing as the bright light makes it almost translucent.
 

 
 
Originally I had intended on using an industrial/commercial scene, but decided instead on an image with colors that would feel more like a sunny day and contrast with the drab interior.  The scene also needed to be a subject that could be wrapped 90 degrees through the corner which would be difficult to do with close up buildings.  The line-of-sight created by the window positioning necessitates this continuous scene because it allows for viewing positions where the side wall and the back wall can be seen at the same time through a single window.  So two separate scenes (one out the rear window and one out the side) can't be used.

 
The trimmed-to-fit image is attached to the side wall and the back gets folded in after the dio module is inserted.  The flare of the lower portion of the photo keeps the viewer from seeing the inside bottom of the shadowbox.  The red wire along with an identical one on the bottom holds the dio in place up tight within the face frame inset.
 

 
 
Two latching push buttons are recessed into the bottom - one for the interior and one for the exterior. This recess gives me the option to set the shadowbox down on a horizontal surface if I chose not to wall hang it. 
 

 
 
The lighting is controlled in 3 main groups with each group having its own PWM (Pulse Width Modulator), so I can adjust their light levels up or down if need be.  The groups are the 5  exterior lights, four pendant lights and two mezzanine lights.  The bench light and pit light are separate with a fixed output.

Here is the final result.  None of the images are focus stacked and the star-like rays coming from the lights are due to the use of a wide angle lens, a very small aperture and long exposure times in attempt to gain the greatest depth of field.  Also, they are not HDR composites although I did open up the shadows in software on some of the images which gives them an HDRish look.
 
 
All lights on.
 

 
 
Interior lights only.

 
 
Exterior only.

 
All

 
Interior only.

 
 
Exterior only.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Thanks to all for stopping to take a look and for the likes.  And I especially want to thank everyone who left comments.  Your encouragement, suggestions and input made this a better model than it otherwise would have been – and much more enjoyable as well.   Thank you so much.
   
Be safe and stay well.
 
Gary

I will add that working with Al is a real joy. He has a great sense of dry humor. Here's a photo of his workshop door.
 

 

Wow! Rock on! Thanks for taking a moment to share that. 

Glued the figurehead into the stem.  It fit ok, but there are small gaps I'll have to fill in which you can see in photo.  I'll do this before proceeding with rails and other bow structure.

I finished this kit a few months ago.  Loved the quality of materials, detail, variety of wood types supplied.  Very enjoyable.  If you want to see more, I posted an abbreviated build log under DelmerModels.  Great kit for someone who prefers woodwork over rigging!  For those considering, I’d recommend adn I hope you enjoy it as much as I did

Maybe try a little test area first to make sure it works and doesn't stain or cause you other problems.

Jimmy,
 
The forum has the potential and demonstrated ability to help with your journey with this hobby as much as can be done, short of one-on-one in person mentoring.   Also, lots of opinions here - it helps if you develop a filter.
 
As I read your biography above, it reads as though the hook is not firmly set in you for all this.
Given that base, you should proceed with care with your choice of first few projects.
 
When I read Flying Fish,  I first thought of my vessel - an 1830's NY pilot schooner - but it is only possible to do it as a scratch build.
Model Shipways is an excellent kit manufacturer,  even after it evolved from a labor of love by a group of guys in Ft. Lee, NJ. to being bought by another company.  Their version of a pilot schooner is Phantom  (and Katy).   It used to be available at both 1:48 and 1:96 - but now it seems it is only 1:96.  It is solid hull and relatively simple - you could do much worse for a first project. 
But your Flying Fish is a 1:96 extreme clipper.  It is also POB.   A clipper - except for all the guns - is about as difficult and involved a choice for a first thru fourth project as would be a first - second - or third rate warship.  The learning curve can seem near vertical.  The complexity when seen as a whole can be overwhelming.    A large vessel at a small scale gets you into miniaturist level fabrication.   POB is an idiosyncratic and not an intuitive technique for building a hull skeleton.   Observation over years here has this combination of factors yielding the same probability of success as a first project as Picket's charge - even with someone who starts with addiction level enthusiasm.  
 
Spotting you Model Shipways - they have a new series  for beginners  (Shipwright Series)  that are a more kind way to accrete experience, skills, and confidence.  The second vessel in the series is from your region.  A down side is that at present, it seems to be loved too much.
 
There are many appropriate paths and projects for a beginning ship modeler.  I see the one that you have to hand as requiring a really extraordinary  degree of determination and dedication to be a successful first project.   These factors to a level that do not allow much room for fun and joy in the doing of it.  
 
 

Welcome to MSW Jimmy. Thank goodness ship modelers don't have to rely on clear skies!

Jim, welcome to MSW. I'm enjoying following along on your Flying Fish build. 

Hello Jimmy, and a warm welcome to the forum from 'Down Under'.
 
John

Welcome to MSW and enjoy. I'm a little quicker on building models but not much as I'm coming up on 4 years on my current build with years to go. 

Last weekend I joined MSW and would like to tell a little about myself.
 
My name is Jimmy and I was born and in Southern Sweden for 62 years ago where me and my wife still lives.
Model building I guess is probably like the most of you here, an interest that started when I was a boy, though back then
it was the cheap plastic models that I did and as I came from a not wealthy family there was only a few of them.
Over time the interest faded but it never vanished completely and 12 years ago it woke for a short while when my wife bought
me my first wooden model "Flying Fish 1860", I was not well equiped then so I just did a little on the ship then it was hidden away
somewhere as I was not really ready for it.
 
Around 7 seven years ago another of my childhood interest really came to live, Universe and astrophotography.
I bought some equipment and started and loved it. Though during summer I can't do anything with this hobby if you don't like to engage yourself in the sun.
So 2 years ago I expanded the photography to animals and nature so I can keep myself busy with that as well, I am at amateur level and will keep it like
that. The hobbies are excellent during Corona escpecially for me. Normally I would be rather occupied with astrophotography now but the weather is certainly not
getting any better here. I started a counter last autumn on my website and that counted 92 days without a whole clear night. The counter has been active this season as well and today I have reached 97 days without one chance to carry my equipment outside, so this hobby is very tough right now for me and I feels the interest is slowly fading.
 
As tha AP hobby is not giving me anyting atm a couple of months ago I remembered the "Flying fish" model and the interest woke again. I have now got myself tools and what I needs to complete the ship. I guess I will ask questions now and then as I am totally new with this kind of modelbuilding. And this ship is maybe not the easiest as a starter.
 
A little fun info is that my working life started at Oersundsvarvet as a trainee/apprentice ( don't know correct term ) on a 3 year school education to be a shipbuilder Oersundsvarvet is/was a shipyard located in Landskrona that build rather big ships, 123000DW, my education was actually sheet metal worker (thick plates ) and welder. My 2 older brothers also was on that school but another direction, one of the became a mechanic and the other a plumber. Oersundsvarvet large ship building time ended 1982. Actually yesterday I found a website about the ships build on the shipyard, it was odd to find that those large ships build when I was working there 1975-1980 is in use no more and has been cut down into pieces, some of them sunk, 25-30 years lifetime on a 123000DW ship.
 
I still work 40 hours week but are not sure for how much longer, as my work today is in an office and Corona hit us all, I have been working from my home since soon 2 years now. For me personally it is just fine as I am that kind of person that really do not need so much social contact.
 
So there you have it a little bit of my and my life.

Looking good, Dan. Using scrap to practice on is always a good idea!

Thanks very much to @turangi and @druxey for the wood bending suggestions! Today I glued the keel plank. Doing it in 2 stages as suggested in the instructions worked great. Shaped the bevels on the garboard planks. I am still practicing cutting rabbets one inch long on  the ends of pieces of scrap to try to get mine to look more like the ones in the instructions. I"m getting a bit better at it with more confidence with removing a bit at at time with the chisel blade.  I may try the hair dryer to help bend the garboard planks. 
 

 
 

A little more progress today. I added another layer of the Krystal Klear to the headlights and while that was drying I thought about the load for the rear deck. I think a line of four petrol cans and a tarped pile of gear.
The wartime British petrol can for aircraft and vehicles was the square "flimsy"

These were considered disposable and were also capable of leaking a significant part of the contents. On rough desert crossings such as the Khufra convoys cans were damaged and would lose half their contents. They were packed for transit in wooden crates with cardboard dividers.
The discarded containers were used as route markers for the convoys and there are stacked cans filled with sand acting as pillars. They were also used as markers for the desert air strips. The arrow points to the landing strip of "8 Bells" which is just south of the Gilf Kebir

The airstrip is identified with more cans although its difficult to read from ground level

With the British army running on tea several of the cans can be found that were used as desert stoves. A side of the can was cut out and the can was filled with sand and petrol poured in and lit. If a kettle wasn't available a second can was cut in half and used to hold teh water

These cans were found well away from the convoy route so are probably from a Long Range Desert Group brew up.
I have read that the flimsies were painted green in Europe and Sand in the desert but all the ones I have seen have no sign of ever being painted. They just have the typical patina of desert rust on bare metal as seen above
This photo of a soldier in the desert refuelling a Crusader tank shows a bare metal can too. I will use a dull metal paint for them

The flimsies were four gallon containers 15 inches high and 9 x 9. That scales out at about 5 x3 x 3 mm. I planned to make a strip of four cans from two pieces of plastic strip glued together to give me the appropriate dimensions. I made a cardboard base to carry teh load thinking it would be easier to build and paint it up off the model and drop it in when completed. The load is a foam offcut glued to teh base and a square of toilet paper acts as a tarp.

The toilet paper was glued down with diluted white glue and the plastic strip was scored and filed to represent the individual cans,

The strip of cans is not as neat as I hoped but may look better when tidied up and painted. The detail of the top of the cans is too small to attempt I think. I have ordered some 1/8 square plastic rod to make individual cans if this doesn't work out. The load will be painted when the glue mix dries and rope added.
I checked the forward vertical piece of the rear wheel arch and I didn't like the way it leans back and it was also too close to the rear wheel so i clipped 2 mm off the running board and I think it looks better.

Thanks for looking in
Alan

Good ones I'm sure!
 
Should we be talking about rhythm method?😉
 
 If I had to make these for a living I'd have to charge so much It'd cover the cost Chuck's next model! 
 
Making these was a real pain in the.........hands. 😂
 
Well while I was at it I figured I should make the larger ring bolts for the deck. There are 8 of them and Chuck used a #31 drill bit. I did not have a #31 drill bit so I looked up what size it is and found it to be 0.120. The closest I had was a 1/8" bit that is 0.125". Close enough for me. 
 
So I started to make them with the 24 ga. wire when I remembered that they needed to be made out of 22 ga. The one on the left is the 24 ga. You can see it is a noticeable difference.
 

 
And here is the deck with the ring bolts installed. Nothing fancy just followed the plans.
 

Gluing Bottom Planks to Transoms
 
This was more complicated than it looked in the instructions. I glued the bow without much trouble and let it dry. I spent a long time trying to fit the planks to the stern transom. I installed some wood scraps to keep the transom holder steady, but the transom was still wobbly an it  sits a bit  off the building board. (looks that way in some of the pictures in the instructions also). The planks tended to twist toward the midline. I broke the transom holder as I was trying to get it all to lined up and get the transom square with the board. Took a deep breath, and glued the holder back together. Bushed water on the planks and used rubber bands to get the planks to be a bit less twisted using just the transom to get the hieght and spacing correct as the they dried out for a a while. 
 

 
The planks fit better in the slots in the transom  after they dried out. It still took a major rubber band party to get the stern transom level and in alignment with the molds, including rubber bands around the transom holder to keep it seated in the board and a bunch around the transom. Once it was finally  square, I lifted each plank enough to slip the glue under it with a paint brush.
 

Hi Ken!  
 
I know there are a lot of builds out there…some are rough, others are like works from pros. Don’t compare yourself. It’s your ship, and and deviating from the plans is fun!  A couple options: 1) Go without rivets at all (who is really going to check?) 2) Paint the hull white below the waterline instead of coppering.
 
For the foil not sticking, a lot of folks recommended sanding sealer or primer. It cleans up the wood surface and gives the foil something to stick to. 
 
When your build gets you stressed, do a side project to reset your head and allow your creative juices to give you ideas. 
 
It’s a marathon!!  (A really long one!)
 
Best 
Pat