bdgiantman2

Ken, great job on this model you have been building. I personally like the furled sails most, and am wanting to do this on my current build when I get to that stage way later. Looks very accurate what you have done. I am wondering though where the flag would be placed now? Most likely would be a pole in the stern somewhere it would seem to me...... Brian D

I really like that special jig you made to help hold the masts during basic rigging procedures before being attached to the ship. Going to have to copy this idea when I finally get to that stage on my model. Your Niagara is looking really good.

A snow day here in Denver, so am spending some time doing ship building. Yesterday we had nice weather, so I took the time to cut out the remaining keel pieces of the bow. These are in Boxwood like the rest of the keel. I did not take any pictures of the loose pieces, unfortunately. Then last night I started gluing some of the pieces together, and then attached those to the rest of the keel. There are still two more parts to glue on. This is how she sits right now. The rib you see is Frame X and is not attached but just sitting in the jig, further aft of where supposed to be. Also the Transom piece sitting above the sternpost is not glued down yet. But I may be attaching two of the taffrail pieces in the near future. I am waiting on that transom piece until after I can get the rabbet made in about two weeks. Earlier this month I was browsing around on YouTube and happened upon a fascinating documentary about The War of 1812. During the documentary, the narrator was sharing excerpts written by Theodore Roosevelt (pre-presidency, as he was only 23 at the time), who was a history buff especially concerning this war and wrote a book about it still in publication and use today. Roosevelt wrote, "It will always be a source of surprise that the American public should have so glorified Perry's victory over an inferior force, and have paid comparatively little attention to McDonough's victory, which really was won against decided odds in ships, men, and metal.... Lake Erie teaches us the advantage of of having the odds on our side; Lake Champlain, that, even if they are not, skill can counteract them."

Nice job on this model, that cannon came out good. That is gonna be one BIG BOOOM!

You probably have already seen this, I personally have no clue how accurate this is, but this came up on my Pinterest feed if you are interested. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/410460953556550451/ I have been enjoying following your progress on this model, doing a great job. Brian D.

Today we have great weather in Denver, so I happily brought out the scroll-saw and was able to do the rough cutout of first rib for Eagle. The Yellow Alaska Cedar is fun to cut on the scroll-saw. A picture of the rib by itself on a table, and another sitting in the building jig. It still is not fitting right in the space for it, I have more sanding to do to make it fit right.

Between working and doing a lot of research, I have been able to make small amounts of progress on Eagle's construction. Last night I finished the assembly of the first rib of the hull. Naturally, Frame X being the easiest to make. It came out looking rougher than I would like, but for the first rib I know it will be a learning experience. Already have realized two things: first of all, building each layer of ribbing individually (gluing the two halves together after all parts have been assembled together -- and I think Gene was mentioning about this in his own practicum 😧); and that I need to make cleaner cuts as well as tighter joints while gluing. Crazy cold weather hampering being able to bring the power saws outside to use on my small patio right now. Not sure I am wanting to use them indoors, especially over carpeted areas knowing that sawdust will be flying. I live in a condo community, on the second level of my building which is three stories tall. Appreciating all the likes and feedback. Brian D

The printed model of Snowberry is looking great, Yves. You are doing a good job on this ship. I have to admit that I am somewhat disappointed that a model of this size isn't showing some kind of actual engine, since she was most likely diesel powered. I have seen truck engines in larger scales but these will be too modern. Would be cool though if you were able to show some of those vent doors open over the engine department open like in that last photo you have in Post 254. Keep up this great model. Brian D.

The truth of the matter, honestly, is that after I have made my own scale pieces and seeing how small they really are, it highlights all the more just how great a feat it was making all those tiny metal parts and to do so with such accuracy is completely amazing

Thank you, Mark. I appreciate, buddy. I am learning a lot from this forum, you all are a library on here.

I have been working two jobs lately and so stretched very thin on time to be able to do modeling among my many other adult duties. Thankfully I have been able to do small amounts in very limited progress but it all adds up sooner or later. I have finally indeed gotten my deadwood timbers straightened - had to soak in water and then place under weights on a flat surface until dried. Now it is attached to the rest of the keel. I still have the stem pieces to cut out as well as finishing the sternposts. Today I was able to get some cutting done. I made the deck transom piece which will be sitting on top of the sternpost, two of the stern frame pieces, as well as the two frame pieces for one of the carronades. I will in no way be able to match the modeling details of some people on here, especially Archjofo, but this will be an interesting undertaking.

I actually had been considering the same idea in my head for a while now, and with all the lessons I am learning from Toni and Mr. Passaro, this is going to be very fun to watch. Keep up your progress on that model. Brian D

Do you have any specific ships in mind, like a 1:48 scale Niagara or a Schooner like Pilgrim Pride? The Constitution is popular but she is very complex even in smaller scales. There is the Confederacy model that seems to be doing well, I hear that one is also complex. Or would you go for something more simple like a Lobster Smack model that has more details? Whatever decision is made, I look forward to reading more about this new endeavor.

Atta boy, sir! Well done and a great looking model ship. She will look great on display in the future.

Sneeeeeaky! Veeeeeerrrry Sneaky! I like how this turned out though, a creative way to solve those decoration pieces. Great job on this ship model.

Your friezes look great to me on your model. Keep up the great work. Brian D

In my opinion, and I admit that I don't know much about this class of ships, I am thinking that the small boat interiors and especially the oars would be the natural wood colors looking mainly at the USS Cincinnati picture. It's so hard to guess with these old black and white photos, and how much the interiors of any small boats actually were painted back in those times. Keep up this great model of Cairo, your work is impressive and it's great learning about these vessels. Brian D.

Looks interesting, Mr. Passaro. Just for fun I was looking at Blue Jacket and the largest bell they offer is 1/4 inch diameter, your looks like it will be bigger. Did you make your own bell from brass or is there another site that offers larger molded bells?

Mr. Passaro is likely correct that this partial wall was just a wind breaker. It would have been a great place for hanging pans and other utensils not in immediate use for the galley as well just to have out of the way.

Not only you Red Sox fans, but I would include half of the entire MLB (I am a Padres and Rockies fan, both teams have had a number of disappointing seasons)

Those laser-etched planking on the sides of hull are sweet. This model looks really good.

Looks good, buddy. Slow and steady is our game, rushing things in this hobby only leads to sloppy outcomes.

Hey Tom, your model of Niagara is looking really good. Depending on how the playoffs go, the Red Sox are going to have their hands full if compete against the Dodgers in the World Series. Will have to see how the National League playoffs proceed. I am not a Dodger's fan at all, just to let you know. In fact I will be rooting against the Dodgers any chance I can get.

Port side of hull looks great, buddy. I know I need to work at planking myself, have that half-hull tutorial kit to do. Will be having to take top planking off of long boat and reglue it on because of positioning errors I made.

If I remember correctly, wasn't this ship caught in some hurricane like around Fiji and either ran aground or strike a reef? Don't remember the full story, but she was listing pretty badly after the hurricane. She was talked about in a book that my dad has about a number of ships in nautical history. Brian