Keith_W

Thank you for following my log and all the likes, everyone. Greg: I should thank you also for all the messages you've been sending me throughout the year, pestering me to restart my build log. Life got in the way, and life will get in the way again. That's what happens when you're NOT retired and you have to pay off your mortgage! Mark and George and Victor: I can tell you it was a major pain in the ***. As you can imagine, the angle of the windows is adjusted by moving the top plate relative to the bottom plate ... but if you do that, the side curves (the horn-like things which curve from the transom to the hull) are no longer in alignment. Even my carefully made card template got me "roughly" in the ballpark. Each successive iteration was a refinement of the previous. Rick: I read that book when I was a teenager Anyway, I worked on a dummy cabin plate as "proof of concept" before tackling the stern. This part will by partially hidden by the deck above it, so any mistakes here won't be so visible. Here, the acrylic master is being covered by veneer plates. You can see two methods of constructing the windows - on leftmost, I cut out each cross member and glued it in place (VERY time consuming). The window next to it, I simply laid the cross member across. The difference is not visible if you are looking at the window straight on, but if you look at it at an angle, you can see that the window is not quite right (see later). The scratch made part compared to the Euromodel supplied metal plate. I have yet to make the doors. Like the other cabin plates, the doors will be shown partially open. Installed in situ. I COULD make the column decoration, but I think it looks nicer unadorned. What do you think?

Well, if you want to hear something bad about Jim Byrnes, I will tell you that postage to Australia is almost 1/3 the purchase price of the product itself. This is not Jim's fault though ... it's US Post.

This work is just amazing. One day i'd like to try making something out of bone, though nothing as ambitious as a model ship!

Hi all, i'm back! I took a break because I was frustrated by the first galley on the stern. Having decided to scratch build the stern, and not use the metal plates supplied by Euromodel, I had to come up with a method to make the windows and still let the internal lighting shine through. I thought about building a wooden frame and cutting holes in it, but in the end I decided to make the part out of acrylic and veneer over it. This is what I am talking about: This is a surprisingly complex part to make! The part curves in three directions, and must be precisely cut to fit the lower transom, the deck above it AND the side strakes. You can see my various failed attempts ... I made and remade this part four times. I FINALLY managed to fabricate a piece that I liked. This is how it sits on the stern. The upper deck will be built together as a unit. I have also made a start on the next cabin piece. This one is a little more complex, it protrudes out into the deck. Once again, I decided to scratch build the piece myself instead of using the Euromodel supplied plates.

Great work Pat, very neat.

Just superb, Mark. Everything looks so neat. You must fastidiously clean up your boat every time you take a picture of it. I don't see any dust anywhere!

No Mark, I mean the vertical strakes (whatever they are called!). The wales tolerate a bit of error. But if you space the gunports incorrectly, like I did, you won't be able to fit them in. If you look at my build log, I had to correct this mistake by moving some of the gunports after I cut them - this involved enlarging the holes sideways and gluing planks in! Fortunately I realized this mistake before the second planking, so I was able to hide the mistakes under the second planking.

A little tip for you, Mark. Make sure you mark out the position for the side strakes while you are cutting the gunports. If you have enough space for the side strakes, you are good.

Congratulations on your milestone, Vince. I'm still stuck at the first level of my transom. I'll get back to work on it very soon.

That is beautifully neat, Mark. Yours will be the RW to beat, I am sure.

Julie, please let me assure you that your time spent doing this is very worthwhile. As others have said, this process will simply result in your frames sitting better. If ever any doubt creeps into your mind, you will be reminded what a good idea this exercise was when you start planking. Keep it up. I and others are watching your build progress. I think it looks great!

Great to see a build log on this subject. I have been curious how these kits go together. Will keep an eye on your log - thank you!

I love it! One of my favourite subjects for modelling. Looking forward to seeing you tackle the rest of this build. It looks great so far.

I am in awe of the beautiful parts you have managed to fabricate with your CNC setup. This has convinced me, I need to acquire one of these for myself. If you don't mind, could you tell us what you are using?

That is fantastic work! How do you operate your mill? Is it CNC controlled, or do you hand crank it like the rest of us?

I agree, Nigel. In my build log, I remarked that Frame F was too low compared to Frame E. I shimmed mine, but later on in the build I realized that it was deliberately stepped to allow for the installation of the front railing decoration. It was no issue for me, since I ended up scratchbuilding my own. But if you plan to use the Euromodel supplied part, you may have an issue.

I know that this is a ship modelling forum. But I am aware that there are many good projects that don't get posted to this forum because they are not ship models. e.g. I know someone (who normally posts on this forum) is making a wooden framed WW1 aircraft. And if someone else were to attempt this model, I would love to see it on MSW. Perhaps the mods might consider making a separate subforum for these types of projects ... maybe "other woodworking model projects" or something like that.

This thread is starting to turn into a wish list of models I want to make! I came across this a few days ago: http://www.derekhugger.com/ Derek Hugger designs and builds kinetic display models. Illustrated below is a mechanical hummingbird that will flap its wings and dip its beak into the flower when you turn the crank. There are a number of other models on the website, along with Youtube videos showing how they work and move. Downside - these are not kits. He will sell you the plans only. You have to own a bandsaw, scrollsaw, drill press, and a whole bunch of other tools. Even then I am not sure how to cut those parts so precisely.

Great to see another RW log starting up. I agree, you really should study the other build logs. You will come across many problems with your build. I'll keep an eye on your log and see if I can help

Not sure what photos you wanted to see of the bowsprit, but here are a few of mine.

Hi Ted, use a Stanley knife. Instead of making a single high pressure pass, try lots of light cuts.

Congratulations on finishing your ship! Really neat build for a first timer. You have something to teach us!

Good luck with your build! Love the beard, can I touch it?

Thanks Boyd. The reason I left off the jolly boat was because it turned out to be a disaster. It was NOT a creative decision on my part!

Very neat, Boyd. I like it.