ccoyle

I have finished the launch and its davits, but not installed them yet. Remembering what Egilman said way back in this log about everything being painted blue on the ship, I thought I should double-check whether this also applied to the launch below its waterline; in the kit, this is printed as a typical anti-fouling red. In the accompanying photo, though, you can see that the launch's hull below the waterline is very dark -- I suspect it may even be black. Any confirmation on this would be appreciated.

And in case anyone is wondering, no, I will not be adding all of the tackle seen in this image, nor the gripes, either. I do plan to try adding a prop to the launch, since the kit didn't include one, and it seems like the launch ought to have one.

Okay, I finished the rigging, and my gaskets are intact. This is not all the rigging that was on the original, but it is as much as I could decipher from the various sources, and it is as much as I am willing to attempt. The rigging that is included consists of:

• forestays
• backstays
• yard braces
• signal halyards
• flag halyard
• lanyards for the two thingies at the front of the stack, one of which I assume is the ship's whistle
• the two lines between the masthead and aft gun director tub -- I assume these were aerials.

The superstructure railings are all done as well. Not too much left to do -- boat, davits, main deck railings, anchors and chain, jackstaff, plus anything else I might have forgotten. Case is ready, too, and brass nameplate has been ordered. The finish line is in sight!

I continue to have more "fun" with EZ-Line. While working with one of the various lines, one of the stays popped off -- stuff like that is aggravating in the extreme, because each line is a pain in itself, and access to the interior lines becomes increasingly problematic as more exterior lines are added. In addition, I discovered I had attached three lines to the wrong points on the mast and have had to remove them and start over. All of this means that two hours worth of work has essentially gone down the toilet. 😑  Right now I'm taking a break before I completely blow a gasket. I hope to have some progress photos later today.

A fantastic result!

All bridge railings and mast stays have been added.

Very nice! And welcome to the Fly & Pegasus hull model club!

2 hours ago, DB789 said:

I don’t plan to add the training tackle as with my rope skills it would just look a mess and wouldn’t improve the model.

My next wooden kit, when I eventually get around to it, will be in 1/72 scale. I'm thinking I will likewise not add the tackles to that model, as in 1/72 scale the blocks get ridiculously tiny.

Congratulations -- nicely done!

In Northern California, where I grew up, we would see similar landscapes when the lupine bloomed.

Can't wait to see the final effect -- betting it will be awesome!

19 minutes ago, amateur said:

On the orher hand: it is about suggestion.

I agree! In this medium, at this scale, and with my current skill set, it's about creating the impression of the real thing. I will leave the duplication in miniature of every last detail to those who are much better at it then I am. I just want to relax and build models! 😊

Have moved topic to appropriate area.

Carol, people looking for restoration help will attract more interest in their project if they post a number of photos of the model in its present condition. Also, I must warn you of two things. First, not too many folks will be interested if the model is a typical curio item such as is typically sold in nautical gift shops. Second, people who specialize in restoration work may occasionally do it out of the goodness of their hearts, but normally they expect to be compensated for their work, and it is not inexpensive. This topic sheds more light on the subject.

Kind regards,

Chris

3 hours ago, Keith Black said:

But they look so nice. 

Thank you, Keith. With that encouragement, I have adjusted the upper limit of the odds to 0.0005%. 😉

The first eight lines are done. Based on how much 'fun' I had attaching these lines, I'd estimate the chance of the other eight getting done at somewhere between 0% and hell freezing over. 😑😑😑

Well, as usual, working with EZ Line has proven to be anything but easy. After managing to secure one -- repeat: one -- halyard, the second one resisted all efforts to secure it -- and there were many efforts. First of all, despite all my care in trying to not trim the halyard lines too short before gluing them, I nevertheless trimmed the second one too short, which meant that the tag end of the stupid stretched line simply refused to be glued, even with fast-cure CA, which, despite the name, is not necessarily 'fast'. So, in defeat, I removed that halyard entirely and made a new one. I'm now waiting for its first glued end to dry completely before making the effort to secure it.

Despite the results it produces, I detest working with EZ Line. 😡

That is superb workmanship!

Nice touch to include the coin -- though I expect that down the road it will only ever be seen if some serious harm befalls your model. 😳  For my wooden models, I typically write down some details in pencil on a piece of acid-free paper and then tuck that inside the hull.

Well, the flag lockers are now on the model (not shown), so a decision had to be made about whether or not to rig signal halyards. I decided to at least give them a try. I further decided to at least partially attach them while the mast is not yet glued in. Once the mast goes in, I will belay the lower ends of the halyards.

You may notice that there is so far only one line per halyard. On the real thing, the uphaul and downhaul for each halyard are very close together; EZ Line carries a slight static charge, which means that lines too close together will want to stick to each other (I've had the same issue on airplane rigging). After I get the mast in, I will attempt to rig a complete uphaul/downhaul pair and see how it goes. If it turns out to be too much hassle, I'll just stick with the single lines and call it "interpretive license".

Stunning! A model to be truly proud of.

11 hours ago, bcochran said:

Ok, I have been gone for 8 months now.  Do I qualify?

Not even close! But we appreciate the effort. 😉

Hmmm -- your model is looking very nice, apart from the rather sad little pivot gun. Have you thought about replacing that at all? There should be better options available in 1/48 scale, maybe even in 1/50.

Well done!

Amidships gangways and railings.

Okay, USS England is back on the bench full-time once again. Work proceeds with finishing off the armament. As mentioned before, the 3"/50 and 20 mm mounts are 3D-printed. Both types have laser-cut training and elevation wheels, and the 20 mm guns have card splinter shields.

The Revell 1/426 Arizona is ancient. I built one back around 1971. Have fun with the project!