Cathead

If cutting an insert into the base is too hard, Brian could also make a veneer sheet the same thickness as the mirror and cut the mirror shape out of that, which is almost certainly easier to do than routing out the base with a laser or regular router.

Absolutely. To my way of thinking, not only does it show off your workmanship more effectively, but it gives the viewer a better angle into something we otherwise never see in the real world (details below the waterline). If part of the goal of modeling is education (a core mission of the NRG), then given you've put the work into those normally hidden details, make them as accessible as possible! I'd bet the vast majority of people have no idea that's what towboat propulsion looks like, as opposed to a vague idea of some sort of basic ship's propellor like on the Titanic or something. 
 
As for proper lighting, pretty much everyone has a flashlight in their pockets these days, so it's not hard to get light to where it's needed. This is one of the reasons I haven't bothered running lighting into my steamboat models; it's so much easier just to point my phone light in toward the machinery if anyone wants to see it in detail. That and I don't like working with electronics but that's not the point!

If cutting an insert into the base is too hard, Brian could also make a veneer sheet the same thickness as the mirror and cut the mirror shape out of that, which is almost certainly easier to do than routing out the base with a laser or regular router.

Yes on the mirror for the reasons Eric gave in his post above. IMHO a larger mirror (slightly larger than the width and length of the hull) would look better. Also, get a better quality mirror, one that's not so blurry.  

Absolutely. To my way of thinking, not only does it show off your workmanship more effectively, but it gives the viewer a better angle into something we otherwise never see in the real world (details below the waterline). If part of the goal of modeling is education (a core mission of the NRG), then given you've put the work into those normally hidden details, make them as accessible as possible! I'd bet the vast majority of people have no idea that's what towboat propulsion looks like, as opposed to a vague idea of some sort of basic ship's propellor like on the Titanic or something. 
 
As for proper lighting, pretty much everyone has a flashlight in their pockets these days, so it's not hard to get light to where it's needed. This is one of the reasons I haven't bothered running lighting into my steamboat models; it's so much easier just to point my phone light in toward the machinery if anyone wants to see it in detail. That and I don't like working with electronics but that's not the point!

Absolutely. To my way of thinking, not only does it show off your workmanship more effectively, but it gives the viewer a better angle into something we otherwise never see in the real world (details below the waterline). If part of the goal of modeling is education (a core mission of the NRG), then given you've put the work into those normally hidden details, make them as accessible as possible! I'd bet the vast majority of people have no idea that's what towboat propulsion looks like, as opposed to a vague idea of some sort of basic ship's propellor like on the Titanic or something. 
 
As for proper lighting, pretty much everyone has a flashlight in their pockets these days, so it's not hard to get light to where it's needed. This is one of the reasons I haven't bothered running lighting into my steamboat models; it's so much easier just to point my phone light in toward the machinery if anyone wants to see it in detail. That and I don't like working with electronics but that's not the point!

So I thought that I would give into peer pressure a bit and give the mirrors a try. I had bought a package of locker mirrors for my Cairo display and had a couple left over, so I used one here as a test. Since the hull is pretty hefty I didn't want to make it too top heavy, so I made up a base that is the length of the hull and slightly narrower and set the pedestals at 2" high. You have to get at the right angle to see the underside properly, and when viewing from the port side, only the starboard rudders and Korts can be seen and visa versa. However, when viewing from the stern, all the details are visible. With the black hull the lighting also has to be right to reflect upward and highlight the features. Apologies for the blurry mirror images, I could not get my camera to focus on the hull and the mirror at the same time.
 
Looking to get an opinion from everyone, should I go with the mirror or scrap the idea?
 

 
-Brian

It just hit me last night - I've been in the throes of writing the Great Viking Novel for as long as I can remember (may never get published, but hey, it's fun), and my hero goes on a trading trip in a knarr in 1065 to the realm of Jarl Thorfinn the Mighty, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorfinn_the_Mighty) whose base was the Brough of Birsay in the Orkney islands north of Scotland. Here's a wonderful map https://maps.walkingclub.org.uk/os/explorer/463-orkney-west-mainland
 
At the very top left of the "mainland" you'll see "Brough Head". Zoom right in and there's the Brough of Birsay, a small island cut off whenever the tide is full (sea-level changes dramatically with the tides), and that's where Thorfinn had his settlement. Brough is basically the same word as the Old English burh - a fortified settlement - which appears as "-burgh" or "-borough" at the end of many place-names in Britain.
 
The island slopes upward from almost sea-level at the eastern end where the settlement was, to high cliffs on the west. As far as I can see traders coming here could have pulled their ships up on the sandy beach at high tide and perhaps unloaded when the tide was out. Here's a video with really good views of the island -
 
 
 
I hope that is of some help to you. Maybe you could consider this as a setting for your Roar Edge.
 
Steven

Even pulled up on a shore, you could have one armed guard (easier to source) watching things while assuming the rest of the crew are off refilling water barrels or taking care of other essential business. Lots of possibilities! I do think a wharf scene would look pretty cool, and same point about a single armed guard.

You can build a diorama without crew...perhaps moored to a wharf, or pulled up on a beach with cargo unloaded?

Those instructions are startlingly bad for an American manufacturer. Not because Americans are any better than anyone else, but because the English in there reads like the non-native gibberish normally encountered in badly translated foreign manuals.
 
You're doing a good job of being persistent and developing new and interesting ways to meet the kit's challenges.

I can tell you, the instructions read sometimes as a Chinese instruction, translated by a Japanese who is originated in India and then tried to let his French wife translate it. (Sorry for the rant but I would have expected at least a proper instruction manual, but these few pages, not even in order properly and mist likely only copies is a bit disappointing. But I go on with it... challenge accepted
 
 
Thank you for that kind words Eric. Gives me a boost but yes, challenge accepted, I don´t like giving up, some tell me it´s my crux, I think it´s a gift. I think it depends on the point of view lol but my grandpa told me all the time, when there is a will there is a way... you just have to find it...
 
Micha

Those instructions are startlingly bad for an American manufacturer. Not because Americans are any better than anyone else, but because the English in there reads like the non-native gibberish normally encountered in badly translated foreign manuals.
 
You're doing a good job of being persistent and developing new and interesting ways to meet the kit's challenges.

Those instructions are startlingly bad for an American manufacturer. Not because Americans are any better than anyone else, but because the English in there reads like the non-native gibberish normally encountered in badly translated foreign manuals.
 
You're doing a good job of being persistent and developing new and interesting ways to meet the kit's challenges.

Thank you for that idea Eric, sounds somehow reasonable and I agree, much easier to archive. The scene sounds even really cool when I´m honest... will give it a go, but first I have to finish the ship ^^
 
Micha

Even pulled up on a shore, you could have one armed guard (easier to source) watching things while assuming the rest of the crew are off refilling water barrels or taking care of other essential business. Lots of possibilities! I do think a wharf scene would look pretty cool, and same point about a single armed guard.

Hi Eric and thank you. True and valid point even if an half unloaded ship without crew doesn´t make sense (to me) but moored to a wharf sounds more legit, the crew could be in a near tavern for a drink or some rest. Thank you for that ideas, my idea was just to display the ship in a rough sea close to a shore line... but ideas are not always possible to do...
 
Micha

You can build a diorama without crew...perhaps moored to a wharf, or pulled up on a beach with cargo unloaded?

I see I’ve still got Chris Watton’s attention, which reminds me to salute him for the wonderful interview in the recent issue of the NRG magazine. Also, nice to put a face to all of his communication on this site.
Tom

I've gotten all the hardware on the various fore masts:


The topmast is posing, it's not affixed yet until after the lower shrouds and stays are looped around the foremast. I'll turn to the hardware on the main masts now.
Tom

After pulling some hair out, and the remainder going gray, haha, I have finished the backstay plates and chain plates . . . on the port side anyway.  I revisited blackening them, using advice here and on the internet.  My test brass strips looked OK, but I couldn't avoid bare brass spots being rubbed off after lightly wiping them down with a dry cloth.  I'm pretty sure I didn't clean the brass well enough beforehand.  After being left frustrated by that, I just went ahead and followed what Chuck had done on his, and painted them black and used a rust brown weathering powder to give them that iron look.  I'm happy with the results.  A trick I learned years ago as a model railroader with brass, is to bake the brass after painting.  Just put the parts under a hot halogen or incandescence light bulb, about an inch away from the bulb, for about five minutes.  This hardens the paint on the metal surface and makes it much more scuff resistant.  The nails themselves I ordered from ModelExpo (being my first ship build I didn't have any extras from prior builds to use).  They are the smallest ones they offer.  They're slightly rounded on the bottom of the heads, so don't appear the sit flush when pushed in.  So I used a larger diameter drill bit than the holes in the brass were drilled with, and counter sunk all the holes in the backstay and chain plates.  I also ran a sharp angled file on the underside of the heads of each nail.  This helped get the nails to snug down flat when pushed in.  After getting the parts mounted and nailed in place, I went ahead and touched up the paint and weathering powder.
 
Of all the processes involved on this build, metal working is probably the one I have the least experience in.  The backstay plates and chain plates have taken a lot longer than I thought they would.  That said, I've learned a lot, even with the error part of Trial and Error being frustrating at times!
 
Erik

After getting one of the larger Quad hand sets, I later added the smallest one which has been handy for more options as shown in this photo. I love how heavy the bases are on these, nothing moves when using them.

Here I've attached all the lines to the topgallant masts which are ready to put in place once I make sure I haven't missed anything that might be more difficult to access later on.

I think I have more or less settled on this color scheme for Phoenix:
 

 
While I was at the local Hobby Lobby to get some fresh CA glue, I decided to shop for paint for trim work. I wanted to go for the yellow ochre + red ochre look seen in the photo, and I think I may have lucked out. These two colors are a pretty close match to what I was looking for:
 

 
In fact, they are a better match than can be seen in the photo, because no matter how much fiddling I did with the camera settings on my phone, I couldn't get the image colors to match the real-life colors (imagine everything with a redder tone, if you can).
 
Anyways, I really must wrap up my Hurricane build and get back to this one.

Rigging the Jib…


 

Jib Sheet belayed through fair lead to Pin #12 (starboard)

Jib Sheet (port) belaying and fare lead located behind engine box. 🤨

Jib Sheet belayed to Pin #11 Port side. 

Jib Sheet (port) completed 


Jib Halyard Tackle tied off to itself. (port)

Jib Halyard fair leads. 

Jib Halyard belayed to Pin #16 (starboard) 

Jib rigging completed, with exception of the down haul. 
 
Onwards 🍻