BobG

I'll pull up a chair and follow along too, Rick. The Cheerful is a gorgeous model that I have always admired and I'm sure I will learn a lot watching you build her. Good luck!

The weathering looks great, Tim. This is turning out to be a very fine model.

You've built a beautiful longboat, Rick. Congratulations!

Nice progress, Bill! I'll follow along as well since I really like this ship and its history.

Gorgeous models, Ben!

Really nice work, Tim!

Beautiful work!

Your carving skills are outstanding, Pete!

Wonderful photos, Glenn! They brought back a lot of memories of our trip. It looks like you may have had some better weather overall than we did. We got a mix of everything from 75 mph winds to torrential rains and snow flurries. We had some days with puffy clouds and blue skies also just fewer of them. A second trip is on my travel wishlist.

The book, Endurance, is one of my favorite books about arctic exploration that I've ever read and I've always wondered why it took so long for a model kit of this historic ship to become available. I'll be following along with great interest, Tom. Good luck!

Amazing detail work, Grant! Is DSPIAE an acronym or a brand name? Also, what brand and model is your small drill press?

This would be a fantastic diorama and you most certainly have the skills to pull it off! I hope the idea grows on you and we get follow along on epic build at some point.

Coming along nicely, Kevin. I noticed that you have some Titebond Thick & Quick glue. I really like that glue as well.

I really like the addition of the chests, bucket and grapnel anchor, Jean-Paul. I might have to think about adding something like those to my model as well.

Whoosh....I can feel your excitement from across the pond, Kevin. Great start!

There have been many discussions of the pros and cons of CA glue here on MSW and there is not definitive consensus that it is hazardous to your health and is to be avoided like the plague. CA is widely used safely without allergic reactions by most users. That doesn't mean we need to not be cautious in it's use and, certainly, if you have found that you have a sensitivity to it, you should avoid it or take precautions to protect yourself. I personally do not like the CA fumes but I'm sensitive to just about any strong odors like perfumes and household cleaning agents etc. However, I have found CA glue to be very useful especially for planking without the need for extensive clamping and for other situations where I need a quick, strong hold that would be very difficult to achieve with other adhesives. When I do use it, I use it with good ventilation and I have CA debonder readily handy. Have I glued my fingers? Yes. Have I messed up with it in other ways? Yes again. Is it my favorite glue? No, but it certainly has it's place at my modeling table and sometimes just a tiny spot of it applies with a needle or something similar will get the job done very effectively.

Thanks, Bob. Visiting those sites will be very interesting and fun. Also, I can't get any of the photos you posted to open.

My son lives in San Francisco. He loves living there and my wife and I visit him fairly often. He's a young professional with a great job at Google and the city is an exciting place for him with such a great offering of world class fine arts, an amazing music scene, restaurants of every ethnic variety, wonderfully diverse neighborhoods with beautiful parks with stunning vistas and a fabulous waterfront. Yes, it's very expensive and traffic can be a nightmare and, of course, it has it's own social problems just like any other major city but we think it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. There's also the Giants, the 49ers and the Warriors too! It's hard to believe, after all the time we've spent in San Francisco, that we've never been down to the Hyde Street Pier and explored the ships there. Visiting the C. A. Thayer is high on our list of things to do there now after seeing this video.

I'm coming along for the show, Kevin. Good luck on your build!

You're off to a good start, Joe. I really like these working boats. Good luck on your build.

She'd make a beautiful model and I'd buy a kit of her in the blink of an eye.

That's a really good list, Melissa. I'll emphasize a couple of things you touched upon: 1. Select a model that you are really, really drawn to for whatever reason and make sure that it is a model that is reasonably within your ability level. You need to like the model a whole lot because it's the passion you have for the model that will sustain you if and when things get confusing and frustrating and every build will undoubtably have some of those moments. 2. Do your homework by reading build logs about models you are attracted to and choose models from companies that have good reputations for excellent instructions, materials and service. There are lots and lots of intriguing models that look stunning on the box cover and on the model company's website that come with poor instructions or barely any instructions at all. Many of these models have been around for years and, unfortunately, they haven't been updated. Sure they can be built into fine models by dedicated, experienced modelers who don't need good instructions and who are willing to substitute new materials into the build but, for newer model builders, they can be so frustrating that they simply get set aside and never finished. You'll enjoy the building process much more and have a much higher chance of successfully completing your model if you choose a model that you love from a company with a good reputation for high quality materials and excellent instructions,

Your QAB is looking really good, Mike. Are you continuing to build it? It's such a lovely model and it's really tempting me.

Absolutely beautiful and your display is fantastic! Wonderful job, Matthias!