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ccoyle

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Everything posted by ccoyle

  1. ccoyle
    I like the subject choices!
  2. ccoyle
    Moving right along, next up on the bench is the steam tug Waratah 1902. I did a review of the HMV kit back in April of this year. But before I go on, allow me to share a little bit of sad, sad backstory -- the story of why I have never actually completed an HMV model (surprise!). On a shelf in my man cave sit two unfinished models. I call this the "shelf of shame." I just made that up, honestly, but it is appropriate. The two ships are USS Maine and SMS Emden, both from HMV. Maine never got finished because I used the PE brass detail set for the kit (which is very nice), only to discover that I don't enjoy working with PE parts all that much. I set Maine aside to work on some other long-forgotten project and subsequently lost interest in it. For Emden, I used the laser-cut card detail set, which is much more user-friendly. Sadly, I hit a couple of build snags late in the construction of that model and thereafter soured on it. One thing that both of those kits have in common is that they are both rated either difficult or very difficult, and truthfully I was in over my head on them. This is partly why I chose to build a smaller HMV kit -- just to see if I can actually complete one. Waratah should, I say cautiously, be within my comfort zone. As nice as the kit is, I'm still going to tinker with the construction methodology a bit. The parts have been separated from the booklet and given their usual coat of matte clear spray, and construction photos should follow soon. Enjoy!
  3. ccoyle
    I do like the fact that these little monitors can be built quickly, but have no fear -- I have plenty of kits left! And here's my display-built-on-the-cheap. And with that, this build is well and truly over. Thanks for peeking in, and see you on the next project!
  4. ccoyle
    And done! A few last bits of railing, a half-dozen davits, the catwalk between the turret and bridge, and a couple of bridge navigation lights constituted the final tasks. I bought a small display case from Hobby Lobby -- the kind used for 1/18 scale collectible cars -- and am going to create a base using the blue cloth seen in the photos. I'll post a pic to show how it turned out.
  5. ccoyle
    Railings continue. Here's a shot of a set of railings wound on the template. If you look closely, you'll notice that there are three rows of railings printed on each side (representing a starboard set and port set) of the opening; each of these represents one set -- deck, superstructure, and turret. This is the deck set -- notice that the wound thread on top of the template crosses the printed stanchions of the railings closest to the opening. And some more railings on the model since the last update: aft superstructure, turret, and starboard deck (plus one pair of davits as a bonus).
  6. ccoyle
    Construction continues with the railings. All of the railings are made using the kit-supplied template, but they must be made in three separate sets: superstructure, deck, and turret. We begin with the forward superstructure and bridge. The railing are made from quilting thread, glued with dilute white glue, stiffened with several coats of matte clear spray, and finally painted, trimmed, and glued to the model. I just now noticed a bent stanchion in the photo, which can easily be fixed, because the finished railings are still a little "bendy" and can be manipulated a bit with tweezers.
  7. ccoyle
    All of us are modelers, but a few of us are artists. You, sir, are an artist! 🏆
  8. ccoyle
    I missed the start of this model, to my regret. I recently saw a finished example of this kit on another forum -- it builds into quite an attractive model.
  9. ccoyle
    Book my flight!
  10. ccoyle
    Good catch! I took care of it.
  11. ccoyle
    Yep, masthead lights. The bridge navigation lights will wait until the railings are done. The ensign probably should've waited until then, too, but I couldn't resist.
  12. ccoyle
    Thank you! I moistened the original part so that I could remove most of the paper layers before folding (not draping) and gluing. To do the actual draping, I use a scribing tool and just try to imagine how the cloth would fold over on itself if it were hanging.
  13. ccoyle
    Well, I only made a tiny bit of progress on Sunday. If you can spot the additions, then you have a keen eye for detail!
  14. ccoyle
    So here's tonight's progress. The biggest remaining task will be the railings, which I will again be making from thread. Other than that there are just a few bits left.
  15. ccoyle
    I just now saw that the display model at Paper Shipwright has the boats switched around in the manner I described above, so I guess that's the way to do it.
  16. ccoyle
    Okay, now I have an issue. There are four boats; the kit refers to the larger boats as "lifeboats," and they are supposed to on the amidship chocks. The smaller boats, a whaler and a cutter, are supposed to go aft. The issue is, if the boats are placed in those locations, then the shrouds leave insufficient room for the lifeboats -- they're too big for those spots. However, I can move the lifeboats aft, as shown in the photo, and everything will fit. The question is, will I be violating some sacred Dutch naval protocol if I swap the boats around in this manner? BTW, the rigging was a complete pain in the Tuchus! I did not attempt to make the masts from the supplied paper parts. I replaced them with turned plastic rod.
  17. ccoyle
    I've done so on prior pojects, but then the resulting part is very flimsy and difficult to get mated to the boat's hull correctly. One has to carefully choose one's paper battles! (And yes -- Dan was a master, and he's missed.)
  18. ccoyle
    I did the port-side boat supports last night and finished up the starboard side tonight, then did the first two boats (not glued in at this point). I usually have quite a struggle with the boats, but these turned out nice, probably because I opted to forego cutting out the spaces between the thwarts and adding the optional internal detailing. That produces boats that are less 3-D, but they're also much easier to build. BTW, the secret to those spindly little support columns is to wick some CA into the cut edges before doing the edge coloring -- makes a big difference.
  19. ccoyle
    Many, if not most or even all, warships have redundant steering systems in case one is put out of commission during an action. I'd bet dollars to donuts that Tijger has an internal steering station somewhere.
  20. ccoyle
    The 3D modeling section seems to be the most popular spot for these.
  21. ccoyle
    Bollards, anchors, chain, anchor davits. The chain is a bit over-scale, but it was the smallest I could find at Hobby Lobby. I had to individually pinch each link with pliers to get the chain to pass through the chain stoppers and hawse holes. Boat supports are next.
  22. ccoyle
    That is a lot of castings to clean up. 😳 But, on the other hand, I've always thought that some of those Caldercraft kits looked pretty handsome when completed.
  23. ccoyle
    Well, I wasn't going to add a picture today, because all the bits I added today are quite small, but since you asked ... Here's an over-all glimpse. The additions are the fairleads (8), ship's wheel, and compass. And a close-up of the wheel (10 parts) and compass (5 parts), along with some scallywag's finger for size comparison (I'm fresh out of matchsticks and Tic-Tacs). Thanks for looking in! EDIT: There's also a new cowl vent in front of the stack. You'll notice it points upward at an awkward angle. I can't get the cowl vents in these kits right if my life depended on it. We'll just call them "Coyle-style cowls" -- or maybe just "Coywles." 🙄
  24. ccoyle
    Very nice! We have a member here whose grandfather was aboard Galilee during her magnetic surveying days (link here). Being a native of Northern California, I have a soft spot for West Coast merchant sail, especially those vessels involved in the lumbering trade.
  25. ccoyle
    Ugh ... this next step looks simple, but it was a real booger. First of all, the stack is not a simple cylinder -- it is oval in cross-section, and these are twice as hard to do nicely as just a plain tube. The second difficulty was the guy wires. These are made from EZ Line, and it is not "EZ" to work with at this scale. The anchoring points are tiny, which makes getting glue everywhere a real issue, and the line itself is so light that the slightest puff of air -- like when the AC cycles on -- makes the stuff want to flutter and fly away. I may have needed "special words" for this part. 😬 But at least it is done.

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