BobG

47 minutes ago, Justin P. said:

I use brass ager, diluted in water and then do successive treatments until its as dark as I want it.

Gorgeous, precise work, Justin! 

Is "brass ager" the brand name of the blackening agent that you use?

Wow...this could be a sensational model! Hopefully, it will have instructions and plans that are as good as Chris does on his Vanguard models.

Nice work, B-Ram!

Absolutely beautiful, Rod. Congratulations on a very fine build!

Any further progress, Bob?

On 7/7/2021 at 9:26 PM, gjdale said:

By a stroke of good luck, damage was minimal and relatively easily repaired

Yikes, disaster avoided, Grant! You must be living right!!

Your planking is looking very good, Jeff. 

8 minutes ago, Laggard said:

I also get frustrated when I take my time and the finished product doesn’t look perfect.  There are so many imperfections in my chainplate but don’t have the heart to do it all over again. 

Most of us are our own worst critics. We see the mistakes and little flaws sticking out like a sore thumb. I've pointed out things to my wife that I thought I could have done better and she has always just rolled her eyes and said, "You're the only one who will ever notice that." 

I painted the hull on my Pen Duick 3 times trying to get the finish I wanted while learning to use my new airbrush. Each time I had to sand it, prime it and repaint it. The most tedious part was the careful masking and painting the 3 colors in the proper sequence one color at a time. It took hours to do it over each time and I still ended up with a small flaw that bugged me but I can't bring myself to completely redo it again. It's actually a beautiful paint job and no one would see the flaw unless they were inspecting the hull close up in one very small area. So I'm happy with it even though I know it's not perfect. As my wife says, "No one will see it but you."  

Attention to detail and striving for perfection can motivate us to continue to learn and grow our skills but, at some point, it can burden us and drain the joy out of the process too. We each have to find a balance of what is "good enough" for us individually.

You may not be 100% happy with your chainplates but you can take pride in your effort and what you have learned. Your next model will be better as a result too.

1 hour ago, Chuck said:

This is a hobby that pays more dividends the slower and more care you put into it.  You dont get any prize for finishing first.

This is the "whole truth and nothing but the truth!"

2 hours ago, Chuck said:

I wish more beginner builders would make it a priority to get comfortable slowing down even further and learning to really up their game on craftsmanship and historical accuracy.

I've learned this lesson slowly while completing my first two models and I'm currently progressing at a snail's pace on the third. 

1 hour ago, hollowneck said:

I built WoodyJoe's Higaki Kaisen last year and placed it in a diorama.

Your dioramas are magnificent, Ron! I'm looking forward to you making a build log tutorial on how you make your dioramas.

Wonderful work, Vaddoc!

2 hours ago, Moonbug said:

Which isn't great because quite honestly - I never really got the hang of it - even after go through all the wonderful tutorials available here.

I'm in the same boat with you, Bug. I've come to the conclusion, that no matter how much you read and study about planking, the only way to get good at it is to utilize some of the outstanding examples in the build logs here and then learn from your mistakes as you go along. I envy those folks who have mastered the process.

1 hour ago, glbarlow said:

The weathering powder is a big difference maker. Model Expo has the Doc O'Brien's Weathering Powder

I like Doc O'Brien's Weathering Powders a lot also. I used them on my Medway Longboat and it made a big difference to my eye.

The Pegasus is such a beautiful ship. I'll be following along and look forward to seeing your progress.

Looks fantastic! Treenailing is one of the most tedious and boring steps in model ship building but worth it in the end. Nice job!

That's going to be an extremely impressive model, Don!

3 hours ago, yvesvidal said:

Honestly, unless you want to exhaust yourself and loose your arms, that is the only way to do it. We are dealing with very good 5 plies plywood, almost marine quality and it is quite hard to sand.

The fairing looks great, Yves!

3 hours ago, alross2 said:

When used with a properly set laser, it can produce extremely fine detail without burnout

Thanks, Al. It looks like it's a very useful material for certain circumstances.

6 hours ago, rafine said:

I’m afraid that I can’t afford to slow down. 

I know exactly what you mean!!

3 hours ago, Chuck said:

I wanted to take pictures with the little "mini me" but unfortunately some knucklehead with sticky fingers stole it right off the model at the Connecticut show. 

Well that's a bummer! Did you happen to see an evil doppelgänger of you hanging out at the show with sticky fingers?

On 10/10/2021 at 8:02 AM, alross2 said:

If it works, use it!  In the kits I develop for BlueJacket, I've gone to laser board for many applications where I used to use 1/64 and 1/32 ply.  It bends easily, has no grain, and produces very delicate parts with sharp edges.

 

I'm not familiar with laser board, Al. Where do you get it?

6 hours ago, DispleasedOwl said:

Been really busy this last month. Got a decent job, bought my own car (no more asking my mom for hers ) and met a wonderfull girl i am now seeing almost everyday. Life seems to be on my good side after a few rough patches. Couldnt be happier

A new job, your own car and a wonderful girlfriend...it doesn't get much better than that! 

15 hours ago, travis said:

These chainplates really suck!  The AL design. Just doesn't work. 

I'm really disappointed with the quality of the metal pieces supplied in my Pen Duick kit by AL also. They are crude and often totally unrealistic looking. Hopefully, they are small enough that they won't be noticed that much but I see them sticking out like a sore thumb! 

Replacing many of the plywood parts is making a big difference that you can really see. It's disappointing that the kit even used plywood for some of these visible parts in the first place. Your attention to detail with these little upgrades is going to make your model much better. Nice job, Rodger!

Well done, David!