BobG

6 minutes ago, NRG OFFICE MANAGER said:

Bob - Most of the models have name plates and if you click on the picture, you can enlarge them enough to read the plate.

Thanks very much.

On 8/24/2020 at 11:43 PM, Dziadeczek said:

Here is a handful of my pics from my last visit in May 2019.

Thank you for posting the photos of these amazing models. I'm not very familiar with these great warships so if anyone can sequentially identify the names of the ships in these photos it would be great. 

Looking good, Harry!

You only need to sand off the laser char if it is in a place you do not want it to be seen or you need to sand it in order to get a better fit for a part. You can glue surfaces with laser char just fine and the bond will be plenty strong. You can also use a good primer over laser char when painting over it especially with colors that are lighter than the char.

Wonderful progress and problem solving, Grant.

On 8/23/2020 at 1:24 AM, vaddoc said:

Looking very good Bob!

To figure out gaff rigging, Tom Cunliffe's  and Leather's books would be very helpful, you probably will need the basic rigging lines. You might also find my Deben log helpful. These books also explain the top sail arrangement.

Thanks very much, vaddoc.

I recently bought a couple of old, French model boat magazines that feature the Pen Duick that I found on the French eBay. It will be a while before they arrive in California but I hope they will be helpful. One of them features all of the different versions of the Pen Duick yachts from the Pen Duick I to VI which I think will be very interesting to read about also. I may get Cunliffe's book, Hand, Reef and Steer version 2 also. Leather's books are very expensive.

I'm limited to a certain degree as to the amount of detail I feel I skilled enough to add to the AL model at this small scale and the with the materials that are supplied with the kit. I would like to have a reasonable facsimile of correct rigging though. I know it won't be a thoroughly authentic model since it is a kit and not a detailed scratch model. However, I think it can still be quite nice when I finish it and I'm enjoying learning about the history of the Pen Duick and Eric Tabarly too.

I'm at a bit of a standstill at the moment waiting for the magazines which will probably not arrive until mid-September. Also, my son is visiting for a couple of weeks and his job requires him to work remotely due to the Covid shutdown here in California so I had to clear off my ship building desk so he could have a place to work.

I also read over your Deben build log and your build is a absolute masterpiece! Beautiful and exceptionally detailed in every way. Congratulations! 

Thanks for stopping by.  

I just browsed through your build log and all I can say is, "WOW, what a exceptionally beautiful boat you have crafted!" I think your boat is as beautiful as any I have seen here on MSW and the attention to detail is phenomenal. She's a museum quality model. Congratulations on your master craftsmanship!

This is an extremely interesting build. I'm taking my seat for the show!

I enjoyed your website also. Your Livorno Xebec is beautiful and your plastic models are exceptionally well done.

Nice, Bob. Lots of progress on this beauty!

She looks fantastic with those sails, Bob! Great craftsmanship and a unique look for this model with those sails. Well done!

9 hours ago, mugje said:

Received the book yesterday and very happy with it!

That's good to hear. Mine hasn't arrived yet but I'm hopeful it will be here soon. I have the monograph of the Santa Caterina and it is excellent. I'm a long ways from being a scratch builder though!

I just read your build log and it's great, SweepHall. I love all the details you are adding to her. I'll be following along and you continue to make progress.

Just found your build log of the Mary Rose. She's a very beautiful and interesting ship. My guess is that you haven't had any spare time to put into her with all the demo builds you have going. I look forward to you continuing with her at some point.

8 hours ago, DelF said:

Having said that, the very fact that the first level doesn't show means it's the ideal place to practice techniques like tapering and edge-bending the planks before you do them in earnest for the final planking. Some practice here will pay dividends later on.

Excellent advice, Derek! 

Very nice, Matus! You are doing a great job for your first time making a wooden model ship.

Thanks, David. I'm currently waiting for a couple of old, model boat magazines that I found on the French eBay that have articles in them about the Pen Duick. I need help to understand the rigging since the instructions are useless and the plans aren't much more help. My son is also visiting for a while and he needs to work remotely so I cleared off my small modeling desk so he can have a place to work in our second bedroom. The terrible wildfires in northern California have made the air unhealthy with so much smoke and even ash falling everywhere so I don't even want to go outside. Covid and wildfires....sure hope things get better soon!  

Hi Ryland,

The rigging on the Medway Longboat was the first rigging of any kind I have done and I was anxious about doing it since it seemed rather confusing to me. I closely followed the sequence that Chuck recommends in his instructions. I assume that the plans that you got with your kit have all the lines labeled for size. I somehow got a plan that didn't have all the lines labeled and it confused me until I found that the online plans have all the information about the sizes of all of the lines. 

I relied heavily on the photos from other Medway build logs too to help me see how the lines were secured to the mast etc. Rusty's log was particularly helpful and I referred to his photos often. I documented my progress fairly well so I hope that will be helpful to you also.

I went to Jo-Ann's and compared the colors of the lines to the variety of thread they had in the store. I ended up using Guttermann 100% Polyester that comes in 100m spools. The tan color I used is called Dark Taupe #537. Unfortunately, I can't read the number on the other spool of the thread that is nearly black. I used tiny spots of medium viscosity CA to secure the knots and had no problem with the polyester thread. The CA will darken the tan thread though so I was extra careful to use a very tiny amount carefully placed. I don't notice it at all on the finished model.  

I used the Syren Serving Machine to serve the ropes when it was called for. I also purchased a magnetic Quad Hands device and it was very helpful for holding blocks when I was stropping them and for holding the lines securely when I was securing them to the mast. I show it in my log and I highly recommend it.

I read quite a few topics on rigging that I found in the Masting, Rigging and Sails section and picked up little pieces of advice here and there in them. I can't remember which ones exactly though.

I'm glad to see you approaching the finish line with your build. She's a beauty for sure.

Nice to see you back in the boatyard, Dave!

Both are very nice but I'll vote for maple as well.

Fantastic build log, James!

Gorgeous boat, Brian!

You've selected a great model for your first build. These classic fishing boats have their own beauty. Enjoy the journey, Richard!

Tough decision...I now think I actually prefer the maple. The base has quite a nice variety of color and the pear is different than any of the colors. I like the way the maple carries the look of the base. 

I'm really enjoying following your progress, IR3. Good job at figuring things out that are confusing at first. Ship modeling seems to have a lot of that! 

WOW!! Incredible work! 😲