ccoyle

Last update for a bit I suspect. The excellent system of twisting supports off above deck level works as well as usual, just take it slow and gentle and they'll break well with no damage. Then I use a scalpel to get the remains as close to deck level as possible and sanding to finish. 
 

 

 
The engraved deck was a perfect snug fit. Just be very careful bending lengthways on this one as the sides coming inward mean it needs a little more bend than you might think. I placed fingers through the hatches to provide support then very slowly bend the sides down. Be very sympathetic to how the wood feels doing this. Once sure the fit is good then a thin application of PVA over the full area making sure to (try) and steer clear of the keel slots. Once back in place then clamps all round the edge to hold it down and some scrap down the middle with weight to keep things in place.
 

 
Stern panel and step fitted but forgot to photograph. The panel took a little while to fit as it's quite delicate but looks great once in.
 
Next the inner bulwarks. I decided to paint these first along with the spirketting pieces, all in Vallejo Flat Red. These received PVA and a lot of clamps.
 

 
Next spirketting pieces (?). Some fettling to fit but lovely once done. I decided to use CA glue in the same way as second planking with lots of clamps just for a short time to be sure.
 

 
The Wales were a minor pain as I had another of my brain blips and didn't soak and shape when I should have. Anyway I painted them first then PVA, pins and rubber bands at the stern.
 

 
Once that had gone off I removed the pins (can someone pop over and find where my craft knife has been hidden by the kitten?) tidied up and painted where the pins were.
 

 
Finally varnished to go away and cure for at least a few days before going further DIY allowing!
 

Here we are. Varnish to go on and cure.
 

 

 
Museum quality it is not but I'm really pleased given my mistakes this time.
 

Welcome aboard, Wayne, and best of luck on your project!

The worst wooden kit I ever built was Corel's Flying Fish. It has been observed in the past by more than one MSW member that Corel kits seem to follow the rule of "you get what you pay for." Builders rave about their high-end kits, but their cheaper offerings have been fraught with problems. On the bright side, think about how much character you're building!

The stern gallery is in place, though not glazed yet.  What an odd looking stern, to say the least.  The windows will be a single strip of plastic, mostly held in place by bracing against stops at the forward ends of the curve; I might score them at the frames so they appear flat-paned. 

Getting the roof together....  The skylights are cut out; the covered section in the middle will receive the stack, which will also serve as the light-switch.  The roof is made from paperboard, and covered with a scrap of book cloth to give it a nice texture. 

The captain's cabin and the wheelhouse are slightly taller, and will have a separate roof-- one that also supports the bell, the side lights, and the primordial head-light, which was an iron basket full of flaming pine knots.  (This will be safely rendered with L.E.D.s).  I'm guessing they must have had a few buckets of water close at hand....
 
'Flame' L.E.D.s and side lights are ready to meet the wheelhouse roof.  The flame lights are big and bulky-- I hope I can pull this off!
 

Just for fun here's a caparison between the corel 1:98 vs the Artesiana Latina 1:72 HMS Victory Cross Sections!
 

A very snowy day in Vermont today, about 18 inches deep. I could a., run the blower, b., go listen to Tucker and work on a boat, or c., sip my cappuccino and post a few pics.  Here's a couple pics of my ADD in action, the assembly instructions make it easy to pic a page and build all the various sections. LOTS of clipping out brass parts and bending them to fit the mdf. 
 


 
My shoot-from-the-hip airbrush skills have mixed results although I can also blame the masking tape but its mostly my amateur knowledge of the art. This is my first crack at this, it looks great if you stand back about 10 feet. 😁
 

Ok, Rant time.
If you are thinking about doing this kit here area few helpful hints.
 
You better be married. So you will already know: frustration, disappointment, and confusion.
This kit should come with a bottle of whiskey.
If there was a test you had to take before you could be allowed to build scratch built... this would be it. 
 
Seriously,
1. bulkhead 9 and 10 need to be built up.
2. do not glue the bulkheads before you put on the deck, test it first.
3. be prepared to alter, build or modify most every part.
 
 
I answered my own question about putting the upper deck on... You have to. But I found out that 13 bulkhead didn't line up anywhere close so I had to take it off.
Most of the BH were too thick for the deck to sit without bending. Those had to be sanded and the cut outs on the deck had to be opened.
 
I made a cardboard template of the deck that I'm going to use to cut the deck planks so I can plank it right.  I may end up planking the template and just gluing that to the deck...That remains to be seen.  I've never seen a "kit" where nothing fit right or the cut outs didn't matchup.  I had to enlarge the front mast hole because that was off a little too.  
 
Rant over... Thanks for letting me vent.
 
 

some steps forward:
everything is still only provisionally resting, I haven't fixed anything yet
 







 
 

The holes for the crampons were still missing on the upper casemates.
I repeat myself, but this is one of Ponto’s great strengths. The drilling templates!
 

 
Simply fix it with an adhesive strip and off you go…
 

 
Next I checked the wooden deck amidships. It had to be trimmed a bit to get it to fit properly. Because of the slightly different approach, I have little leeway when installing the parts.
But done satisfactorily.
 

 
So I was able to add the next floor.
 
  Additional parts placed on top to check whether everything is in the correct position.
Everything fits perfectly.     Here are the pictures to show why I go to this length.
The slits in the four round casemates would still be manageable.     But this one isn’t very nice.     I think this is better.     After sanding three times…     …and prime, I am very satisfied.     And I especially like this one a lot better now.
The extra two days of effort were worth it.
 
 
 

I think I mucked up, I thought I was starting a Build Log, but it appears this Post was in the "Introductions" folder.
So I will now try and start a Build Log here.  And I'll start again.
Introduction
Hello, my name is Wayne and this is my first Post here, I joined the group a couple of weeks ago.
I’m 74 and in Melbourne Australia. I have been on Forums years ago, before Facebook killed off many of them, I was on several RC Tank Forums.
And I’m not real sure of the protocol for posting here, please advise me if I go astray.  
I’m currently building the Billings African Queen.
And this has been a quest of mine all my life, I saw the movie as a very young boy when my parents went to the Drive In Pictures, around 1953. And I have always remembered different scenes from the movie. So I have now finally got around to building it, and with live steam. And intend to have RC for the steering, I will just let the steam engine chug along. Yea being an open launch I don’t want to have servos etc spoiling the look of the model. I hope to hide a small servo for steering under the rear seat.
Yes I have made very many different and varied models over my life, including boats, so I feel I’m reasonably capable to build this launch
And the vacuum formed plastic hull will be water tight when on the water. But I’m thinking of planking over the hull, I hope that will be OK.
And I must say, the most important tip I picked up while researching the build was to leave the top extra mounding there, not cut it off until the hull internals and deck were completed.
I have the ‘Miniature Steam Models’ plant #4034 here to go into the boat. I must thank gjdale, (Grant) for guiding me to that plant, and it looks spot on for the Queen.
And MSM are in Melbourne too.
Just ordered 2 universals, 5 to 4mm, and a brass prop from ‘Float a Boat’, also in Melbourne, and they were very helpful. Will have to see if I use the Billings prop shaft or have to buy a longer one.
Wayne
 

Thanks, Allan ☺️
 

But for you, obviously, it “snot” a problem! 😁 
 
 
Looks great! The fairing on the underside was to help with spin recovery.
 
Andy

And now the tail wheel fairing is on as well.
 

The empennage is complete. The one-piece stabilizer fillets were a real booger!
 

And now the tail wheel fairing is on as well.
 

The empennage is complete. The one-piece stabilizer fillets were a real booger!
 

And now the tail wheel fairing is on as well.
 

And now the tail wheel fairing is on as well.
 

The empennage is complete. The one-piece stabilizer fillets were a real booger!
 

And now the tail wheel fairing is on as well.
 

The empennage is complete. The one-piece stabilizer fillets were a real booger!
 

And now the tail wheel fairing is on as well.
 

And now the tail wheel fairing is on as well.
 

And now the tail wheel fairing is on as well.