ccoyle

I'm finished.  Railings completed and all the little do dads done.  The railing for the other side was easier than the first, having had the experience.  Pictures of the completed ship attached.  I'm happy with my decision to keep the brass natural.  It's a showcase of my modeling skills (such as they are)--not something attempting to be a museum scale model.
 
I've decided my future projects.  At first I was going to do the major Battleships:  Bismarck, Yamato and Missouri.  But, thinking about it, I've added Enterprise CV-6--the ship type that obsoleted the battleship.  All in 1:200 scale.  Have to go to all-plastic for this, though.  The wooden hull for Bismarck wasn't all that difficult and I really don't need to do that again (nor would my shoulder want to do all that sanding, again).  I now have all 3 future kits (Nichimo and Trumpeter) in hand, and the super detail PE sets that go with them.  Next up is the Nichimo Yamato.  I have not found any build logs for this ship on this site, so it's going to be all virgin territory for me.  So, for any other future builders, I will do a build log.  I'm thinking that I will actually paint the future models since all the superstructure is plastic, not wood and brass like Amati's Bismarck.
 
I'll see if I can figure out how to log this build as "completed" later.

Alas, I am currently away from the Granado build at the "Roanoke Island Shipyard" on the coast (sigh), so I have established a mini-secondary-shipyard to occupy my free time and irritate the Admiral.  Because of the limited resources available at this inland location, I have elected to build the little wooden submarine "Morel".  It is a kit made in Russia, but I had purchased it before Russia's/Putin's egregious land grab in the Ukraine had begun.  Regardless of its origin and global politics, it appears to be a nice simple kit that will be a lot easier to build and less time-consuming to finish than the Granado build. There are also lots of good build logs out there for me to benefit from (e.g., Secret Vessel "Morel" by John Gummersall - FINISHED - Master Korabel - Scale 1:36).  Because of the existing and outstanding build logs already out there, this one will be abbreviated at best, so please forgive my abruptly jumping in with both feet and a photograph of the build and a beer already in progress:

Hello there, I'm Pietro.
 
While I'm not completely new to scale modeling, I am new to ship modeling, and I am looking forward to learning from the vast wealth of knowledge that is (apparently) on this website. I've always been interested in nautical history and sailing, and only about a month ago I had finally decided to take the plunge and buy my first wooden ship model... before getting stopped dead in my tracks by the challenge of planking the hull. So, I decided to take to the internet and see what I could find to help me along, which ultimately led me to MSW and the NRG.
 
I'm now working on one of NRG's own Half-Hull Planking Project in an effort to learn how to properly spile planks, which is the technique, in my opinion, that shows the most promise for a beginner like me.
 
Anyway, thank you for reading, and I look forward to learning from you all!

Step 23
 
This step didn't require too much work: searchlights, signal lamps, Carley floats, and a couple of lockers. The next step will include construction of the depth charge racks. 😮
 

Yep, scoring is essential. A variety of tools can do the job. I used a scribing tool for years, but it was actually a bit too sharply pointed for the job. These days I'm using a manicurist's dotting tool, believe it or not. They have round tips and come in a variety of sizes. Cheap, too. The set seen below is available from Amazon for $4.98.
 

 
Rolling tubes is always a challenge. Some tips to try out:
Can replace with styrene rod. Dampen slightly before rolling. Roll around tube-shaped objects, e.g. pencils, paint brush handles, metal or styrene rod. Start with a larger-diameter object, then move to smaller ones.  

Dia duit, Brian! I look forward to seeing your work.

Welcome aboard!

Its been a while since the last update but I have been making some progress with the rigging. I finished rigging the lower shroud deadeyes and the stays. I started to move onto the futtock staves and ratlines by first enlarging the supplied plans that show the ratlines to the same scale as the model, cutting out the shroud sections and gluing them to some manila folder material. I trimmed them to fit behind the shrouds and immediately saw that the mizzen mast was too high! The mizzen mast top was almost as.high as the main top, so I should have noticed it sooner. I made the mast the correct height but it did not fit all the way into the hull when I installed it. So off came the mizzen shrouds and stay and out came the mast. I trimmed the bottom of the mast to fit more into the hull and checked the height, which was now good. I was able to salvage most of the shrouds but I did have to remake one pair and the stay. These are now re-installed and I just need to tighten the shroud lashings and tie them off to the shrouds.
 

 
While I was reworking the mizzen mast I also started adding the futtock staves to the fore and main shrouds.
 

 
I have also started making the futtock shrouds using the supplied PE hooks. I did have to carefully drill out the holes in the hooks to fit the line for the shrouds.

I really appreciate the compliment from Andrew. I have not shown the model boat to my friends here, and it is nice to get feed back. I must say that I could do a better job on the next one. Building without plans is difficult.
I just ordered a display case from BlueJacket. I condidered plexiglass. It is less expensive and more contemporary. Contemporary models look very good under plexiglass. But in the end I chose cherry wood to match the other models that I have made. The measurements include the centerbosrd halfway down
The stand and cradle will be as simple as possible. I am working on the design. (Andrew , I have not forgotten your drum and spindle)
Oh, I did not try and make the deck non skid. Too many possible problems.
Woody

Another awesome feature if this 1950's era kit is the holes in the superstructure decks to facilitate some rigging lines from young hobbyists.  She was definitely designed to make a nice display piece, regardless of age level.
 
I opted for stretched sprue lines for resilience (and tautness) and to hopefully reduce dust collection.  A little thick, so I left off a couple of the implied lines to keep a clean appearance.
 

 

Kit decals were a little large.  1/700 scale decals on a 1/535 ship?  Yes, please!!
 

 
Pretty darn close to actual historical photos.

Hi all,
 
After some running around and a lot of searching and discovering, I'm settling into my new (temporary) home in Norway. I managed to bring the shipyard over, and found some space for it:

 
As the moving company did not want to take my current build and my materials (aka the wood strips), Endurance is in storage back home in Belgium, waiting to be finalised when I return there next year. This is how far I got before I needed to pack:
 

 
So most of the hull is done, including painting, just need to add the rubbing strakes. And then everything else of course 🙂
 
Meanwhile, I managed to order and receive a new kit, to cover the long Norwegian winter nights: The Flying Dutchman, by Occre:
 

 
In a way, I'm very happy getting this, as it was the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that resparked my interest in model building, and made me take the jump from plastic to wood two years ago.
 
Having said that, there are some points in the build I think I can improve on, after studying the plans:
 
First of all, the model is delivered with the starboard side opened up, exposing the gun deck. From what I can see, there's not that much extra detail added, and frankly I'm not excited about the way the gun deck itself is split into three pieces of plywood, so the deck does not follow a curve.
 

 
To me it just feels wrong having the hull opened up, it takes away the feel of the curved line of the hull. So I decided to close her up, plank both sides of the hull. Which of course means the plans needs to be adjusted.
 
Here's what I'm planning to do: build the basic frame, ensure the the frames are properly secured by temporarily fitting the decks, plank partially untill I reach the gunports, use the plywood with the gunport cutouts for the port side as a template to position the ports, and cut them out. Then build the gun carriages (12 go in the lower hull), position and secure them on the still open gun deck (thinking of using a brass rod from the base of the gun carriage into the deck), and after installing all of them, put the top deck on. My reasoning is that as the gun barrels are not fitted, the chance of accidentally hitting them during the next build phases and possibly losing them in the sealed deck will be minimised. What do you think, is my reasoning sound?
 
Also, the ship is delivered as a single planked hull. No issues there, I single planked before. But in the plans, Occre builds up the bow by using plywood filler parts, which then are not covered by any kind of planking. In the pictures on their site and in the plans, that looks a bit awkward:
 

 
So according to me I have two options: double plank the hull with any leftover 0,6mm Sapelli strips I have, OR single plank but omit the plywood fillers and bend the strips to cover the bow of the ship (I will need to add some blocks to ensure I have enough space to attach them to the keel). Not sure which is the best way forward, so I'd appreciate your expert thoughts on this.
 
Thirdly, as said before, some parts of the hull are cut out from plywood, with the gun ports not being planked, according to the plans:
 

 
Again, when painting this, the different approach to hull shaping would be visible, so decided to not use the gun port pieces, only as a template to cut out the ports in the planked hull.
 
On the other hand, the metal castings for the gallery and the gun ports seem top notch, although I'm not sure why they went for metal instead of using plastic. Instructions are clear, but a general overview plan of the ship is missing, so I need to guesstimate positions of certain deck items and channels.
 
In short, a number of firsts again on this build:
 
Build up full hull Templating gun ports Install lighting in the gallery Weathering the ship to get that spooky look  
Other changes I'm planning to make: use dark thread for the running rigging (historically inaccurate, but from the pictures it just seems too clean to use light thread, and hey, it's a fictional model to begin with), darken the dead eyes, paint the deck in a slightly different shade of grey (a bit lighter) than the hull, as the Occre approach for a dark brown hull doesn't look right to me. And plank the inner bulwarks, as according to the plans, these plywood pieces are to be stained only, doesn't look right to me either.
 
So a lot of customisation, fingers crossed I'll be able to pull it off. Again, I'd appreciate any feedback on my processes I described above, as this is my first time attempting to kitbash (a little) I'm sure I'm overlooking potential pitfalls. Thnx in advance for your comments!

I finished the display base with a 1/8 inch sheet of acrylic mounted on the matt black MDF board with brass screws. The sheet locates the side walls and gives a finished look to the base,

The keel rests on acrylic cubes. Once the ship is levelled the cubes are glued to the sheet.


Then the scary part - lifting the case over the model and lowering it onto the base. Thankfully I was able to get this done without disaster.

Any doubts about making a case have disappeared. It is great to see the corvette protected from ust and inquisitive fingers and i actually think it enhances the model.
The lighting around the room makes it hard to get good photos but I'll try again
Thanks for looking in
Alan
Thank you 

Yes, this is covered under fair use. Be mindful that there is no standard definition of how much use of a work is considered fair and how much goes beyond the limit; fair use is considered on a case-by-case basis in the event a copyright holder wishes to mount a legal challenge.

Rick,
 
The difficulty with copies is their provenance. If the original owner purchased them from, say, the NMM, then passing them along to someone else would not violate copyright, since the NMM was compensated for what is called the right of first sale, i.e. they received their money but are not entitled to the proceeds of any subsequent re-selling -- it's one set of plans = one fee paid to the NMM. But if the original purchaser copied his copies, kept his original copies, and then gave you the second set off copies, he would be guilty of defrauding the NMM by creating a second set of copies in lieu of a first set you would have had to purchase for yourself in accordance with the right of first sale, i.e. two sets of plans were made but only one fee was paid to the NMM. The upshot of this is that if you can't verify the provenance of the plans, both the law and common courtesy require that you do not distribute the plans.

Step 22 (done -- sort of)
 
The bow is looking busier and busier with the forward gun tub completed and many white spots "killed" by the addition of bollards and fairleads. I say "done -- sort of" because I left off a few details that I think should be left until later, namely the mounting of the anchors and jackstaff. Step 23 will encompass the addition of many more details.
 

Did you stain your paneled parts after gluing them with the 3M? I had a similar experience with 3M spray on my Wuetender Hund model. 3M is solvent-based, and the stain simply undid the glued joints.

Not to be confused with Cracker Barrel!

Rick,
 
The difficulty with copies is their provenance. If the original owner purchased them from, say, the NMM, then passing them along to someone else would not violate copyright, since the NMM was compensated for what is called the right of first sale, i.e. they received their money but are not entitled to the proceeds of any subsequent re-selling -- it's one set of plans = one fee paid to the NMM. But if the original purchaser copied his copies, kept his original copies, and then gave you the second set off copies, he would be guilty of defrauding the NMM by creating a second set of copies in lieu of a first set you would have had to purchase for yourself in accordance with the right of first sale, i.e. two sets of plans were made but only one fee was paid to the NMM. The upshot of this is that if you can't verify the provenance of the plans, both the law and common courtesy require that you do not distribute the plans.

So today I had the great privilege of getting a tour of the Australian war memorial annexe. Three massive warehouses full of stuff. I got to finally show off Roma with a real Fritz X. My guide said no one has ever done this with a model before. 



IMG_1633.MOV

I added the wheel well doors and the canopy after a dip in clear coat to get rid of the scratches. I used some Mig streaking wash to add a bit of leaking oil from the gearboxes at the wing tips.
Some sooting around the exhausts and I think this one is finished.
Photos aren't much better. I need to work on the lighting but at least the canopy is in place.




Thank you for all the kind comments and the Likes and for stopping by.
Alan

Hancing pieces and volutes....
 
I'm a little embarrassed that it has been so long that I've been away, somewhat from the shipyard but also this wonderful site.  With the weather starting to turn and a bit more available time it seemed a good time to get back into things and try to pick up from a point that I left a little disheartened so many months ago.  To be able to move forward, I had to come up with a solution for the hancing pieces which should then really allow much of the final hull form to be finalised.  The problem I faced stemmed from the fact that I had to come up with a hancing piece volute 6mm high (per NMM plans) to transition the upper rails into the waist, and following a profile already established for the other rails.  Although these are not large details, they are features that to my eye need to be sufficiently elegant and accurate to avoid detracting from the lines of the hull.  I tried many different approaches, but here is the one that worked best for me and provided a method of construction that allowed consistent results.  I'll apologize in advance for quality of the photographs, I was so focused on the work and forgot to check the photo quality as I progressed.
 
2.2 mm holes were drilled using a pin vise into some 2mm pear wood (actually 1.5mm + 0.5mm pear laminated together cross grain because I didn't have any 2mm sheet stock), this matches the starting thickness used for the upper rails which started as 2x2mm square strip.  (A 2.2mm hole was found through visual trial and error to introduce the gradual narrowing of the rail into the end of the volute).  A 1.5mm diameter recess was then carefully made at the edge using a round needle file at 45deg to the bottom of the hole.  Each 'blank' was then cut from the sheet, given a slight reduced profile using an exacto blade, and a thin cut made above the filed lobe (explanation below). 

Small sections of 1.5mm diameter pear dowel were then glued into the 1.5mm recess, so they very slightly protruded above the top of the block.  Sufficient PVA glue was used to ensure that these were well bonded.  Once dry, a the top of the blanks were gently cut back and carefully finished against a circular sander so that the top edge of the blank was tangential to the top of the 2.2mm drilled hole (the cut previously made above the recess allows this section to release easily as it will no longer be needed.

A length of 2x2mm pear wood strip was scraped with the same molding profile as used previously in the build, but care taken to leave an untouched section toward the end.  The volute blanks were then attached to the unfinished end of the scraped molding.  PVA glue was used generously, and left to dry overnight to ensure a full strength bond.  Once dry, the excess was then carefully cut away to give proportions pleasing to the eye (mine at least) and ensure that the final volute form would be 6mm high.  The rough cut was then very carefully reduced to its final shape using various grades of sanding sticks.

 
Once the final shape was achieved, a profile needed to be introduced to match, and transition as smoothly as possible from the molding strip into the curve of the volute.  To do this I needed to create a second scraper profile at the very edge of a razor blade to work on the volute curve effectively (the scraper profile used previously for strip had been centered to give best control on straight strip).  This was performed very slowly as catastrophic failure would be very easy!  While it is true that it took multiple experiments to get this method down, it did work well and the four needed volutes were all first time efforts with no rework, and despite the many imperfections highlighted by the macro lens, the results to the naked eye exceeded my expectations.

In position, the volutes will now allow final shaping of the hull profile.  Onto the next challenges!

Hello all - seems I have been a member since 2020 but only of late have I been able to get to grips with some actual modelling. I'm located in SW France (but British). The only "building" I have done of late is adding to the Stash! That will soon change as I have more time now the demands of the summer (running a resturant) have receeded. Main interest are ocean liners and late 19th early 20th century sail/steam with a few modernish (post 1950) RN thrown in. Hope to be able to pick up info and ideas from the assembled experts here. Thanks for the admission to the community.

Yes, this is covered under fair use. Be mindful that there is no standard definition of how much use of a work is considered fair and how much goes beyond the limit; fair use is considered on a case-by-case basis in the event a copyright holder wishes to mount a legal challenge.

Rick,
 
The difficulty with copies is their provenance. If the original owner purchased them from, say, the NMM, then passing them along to someone else would not violate copyright, since the NMM was compensated for what is called the right of first sale, i.e. they received their money but are not entitled to the proceeds of any subsequent re-selling -- it's one set of plans = one fee paid to the NMM. But if the original purchaser copied his copies, kept his original copies, and then gave you the second set off copies, he would be guilty of defrauding the NMM by creating a second set of copies in lieu of a first set you would have had to purchase for yourself in accordance with the right of first sale, i.e. two sets of plans were made but only one fee was paid to the NMM. The upshot of this is that if you can't verify the provenance of the plans, both the law and common courtesy require that you do not distribute the plans.