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A few high res pics my sister took when I had the boat around at her house. Much better than my efforts.
 




 
Chris
 

Ken/Griphos,
 
Thank you very much for the links and input. They very much helped me along the way and here is what I finally came up with.
 
As I have said before, I am no metal-smith and after several failed attempts at trying to solder the brass pieces, here is what I finally came up with for my whistle. Below are some of the ideas I used for my design. 

 
At first I was just going to use the kit supplied whistle base and mount my scratch built brass ones to it, but after looking at it, I thought it looked a little cheesy. So, using two different sizes of brass tubing, some small aluminum tubing and small brass rod, I set out on my whistle adventure. 
The two whistles are made with 1/8" brass tubing, the mounts and steam pipe are made from 3/32" brass tubing. Since I was not able to successfully solder the pieces together, I took a small piece of 1/16" aluminum tubing and drilled through the whistle mounts and CA'd them all together. Conveniently, all three pieces of tubing stacked nicely into each other.

 
Since the tubing sizes fit so neatly together it was a lot easier to get the style I was looking for. I used a small 1/32" brass rod for the steam lever and hammered out the end to make the loop for the pull rope.

 
Next I pieced it all together.

 
Then finally I had what I was looking for. I was going to use a blacken-it for the lower portion of the whistle, but with the residual solder and CA still on the tubing, it just wouldn't do right. So I just painted it all black.

 
Here is the end result installed on the pilot house with the pull rope attached.


I think I am happy with the results. Now on to planking the main deck.
 
Thank you for looking.
 
-Brian

i'm getting a bit behind on the log, let me try to catch up
 

 

 

 

 

COMPLETED!
 
Here's a single picture showing the seats.  Full completion pictures of the boat are in the Completed Kit-Built Gallery.
 
It's been a fun build.
 
Regards,
David

Good job. I too am working on this model. One thing though; gloss paint shows more imperfections than flat/matt paint because it is shiny, and thus highlights any imperfections. This edict is true on both small model projects and large houses. Most houses, at least here in Australia, will be painted with a semi-gloss/low sheen exterior as opposed to a ultra shiny gloss level which will only highlight the imperfections.
 
Cheers
 
Chris
 

Looking good, Chris.
 
Steven

Hey Eric, yeah there are bracing ropes etc. You may be able to see a couple of eyelets near the top of the stack? Also there are 2 brass rods that connect both stacks together, so this will also help. I have jammed some wood into the end of the stack that will meet with some timber inside the stack hole, so that combined with a thin bead of glue around the bottom of the white part of the stack should make the whole thing pretty solid. Well that's the plan anyway!
 
Chris
 

Work on main smoke stack and access ladders. I slightly changed the smoke stack from the box art.  All parts, including the pilot house are just sitting there and not glued yet. Smoke stack also needs another coat of black to hide a few glue stains.
 









 
The smoke stack only goes through the deck 5mm so I am hoping it will be sturdy enough when glued.
 
Cheers
 
Chris
 

Another detail missing from the model was the ships wheel. Rather than try and find a scale wheel that look proper for the Chaperon, I decided to scratch build my own. For this I took 14 toothpicks and arranged them in a circular pattern and cut them to fit inside the pilot house. Using leftover wood from the kit I pieced together the bell stand and turned down the rope spool for the tiller rope. Next, I slotted out the floor for the wheel to drop down through then installed the tiller rope.

Other details that I decided to add were the bridle, foot brakes, steering levers, whistle pedals, speaking tube wood pile and a few other handles and levers.



 
I wasn’t really keen on the way the boat whistle was cast. To me it seemed a little flat and not real detailed. Actually, I not a big fan of many of the Britannia pieces in the MS kits, and any chance I get I try to replace them with brass or wood whenever possible. For the whistle I took a couple of pieces of brass tubing, filed a sound slot in them then turned a conical cap for both of them. I also installed the steam tube from the floor up to the whistles just for that added touch of realism. How else does the steam get to the whistles?

 
Using another touch from Kurt’s build guide I used silk-span and flat black paint to simulate the tar-paper roof of the pilot house. I used a small piece of plumbing solder for the stove pipe and turned down the smokestack cap on my mini lathe from a ¼” dowel. Painted the whole smokestack assembly black then installed the brass roof decorations.
 
One minor adjustment that I’ve seen on many of the Chaperon build logs is that the roof hatch and smokestack holes were not properly aligned. Easily fixed by giving the roof a 90 degree turn and everything lines up perfectly.

Now that I finally received my planking, I should be able to make some progress on the main deck and get it planked and finally get this project going vertical. That’s all for now. Thanks for looking.
 
-Brian
 

Hey Eric, yeah there are bracing ropes etc. You may be able to see a couple of eyelets near the top of the stack? Also there are 2 brass rods that connect both stacks together, so this will also help. I have jammed some wood into the end of the stack that will meet with some timber inside the stack hole, so that combined with a thin bead of glue around the bottom of the white part of the stack should make the whole thing pretty solid. Well that's the plan anyway!
 
Chris
 

Work on main smoke stack and access ladders. I slightly changed the smoke stack from the box art.  All parts, including the pilot house are just sitting there and not glued yet. Smoke stack also needs another coat of black to hide a few glue stains.
 









 
The smoke stack only goes through the deck 5mm so I am hoping it will be sturdy enough when glued.
 
Cheers
 
Chris
 

Good job. I too am working on this model. One thing though; gloss paint shows more imperfections than flat/matt paint because it is shiny, and thus highlights any imperfections. This edict is true on both small model projects and large houses. Most houses, at least here in Australia, will be painted with a semi-gloss/low sheen exterior as opposed to a ultra shiny gloss level which will only highlight the imperfections.
 
Cheers
 
Chris
 

So much for regular updates, but at least I now have meaningful progress to report. I finished the doctor pump (photos further below) as well as the little hand-operated feed pump. The latter sat on the starboard side of the boilers and was used for several purposes including priming the boilers when sufficient steam wasn't raised to operate the larger doctor pump, and any other small-scale water needs. Here's the original (displayed at the museum):
 

And here's my version, first as-built using scrap wood and styrene, then painted.


Here's the original in context on the wreck, then a similar view on the model (note that I also made a rough human figure for scale):


I clearly cut a few corners in terms of absolute detail, but I think it captures the spirit of this machinery quite nicely and am very happy with how this turned out. At this point, I've permanently installed the boilers and both pumps on the main deck. Here's a closer view of the finished doctor pump with the original:


I also installed the steam lines running from the boilers to the engines. Right now these are hanging in space, but they'll be supported from the overhead deck beams once that deck is installed.
 
At this point, the model has reached the limit of what is known for sure. This essentially represents what remained when the wreck was excavated; everything beyond this is conjecture. So I took a few special photos to commemorate this point in the build, pairing them with original wreck photos from similar angles:

 



The next step requires some significant planning and thought, and I'll have a post up asking a few questions about this, but am not ready for that yet. For now, I like thinking of the current model as representing the wreck brought back to life for all of us, rather than the few lucky folks who actually walked her decks in that deep pit.
 
In other news, you can partially blame birds and weather for the slow progress. It's been an unusually nice spring here, leading to many outdoor projects and hikes in the evenings and weekends. This morning we took birding walks before and after breakfast and observed nearly 50 species each time. Between that and various sports it's hard to find time for modeling, but as summer turns uncomfortable I'll be spending more time indoors. This build is just past the 1.5 year mark and I sure hope I can finish this within another year but there's a LOT of fussy detail coming in the upper decks.
 
Also, assuming that anyone reading this is interested in American riverboats, please go check out this new build log of the Chaperon, the only accurate kit available in this genre. Brian's doing a great job with her (some poor advice from me notwithstanding) and it's well worth a look. Thanks for reading.
 
 

Hey Eric, yeah there are bracing ropes etc. You may be able to see a couple of eyelets near the top of the stack? Also there are 2 brass rods that connect both stacks together, so this will also help. I have jammed some wood into the end of the stack that will meet with some timber inside the stack hole, so that combined with a thin bead of glue around the bottom of the white part of the stack should make the whole thing pretty solid. Well that's the plan anyway!
 
Chris
 

Hey Eric, yeah there are bracing ropes etc. You may be able to see a couple of eyelets near the top of the stack? Also there are 2 brass rods that connect both stacks together, so this will also help. I have jammed some wood into the end of the stack that will meet with some timber inside the stack hole, so that combined with a thin bead of glue around the bottom of the white part of the stack should make the whole thing pretty solid. Well that's the plan anyway!
 
Chris
 

Work on main smoke stack and access ladders. I slightly changed the smoke stack from the box art.  All parts, including the pilot house are just sitting there and not glued yet. Smoke stack also needs another coat of black to hide a few glue stains.
 









 
The smoke stack only goes through the deck 5mm so I am hoping it will be sturdy enough when glued.
 
Cheers
 
Chris
 

Work on main smoke stack and access ladders. I slightly changed the smoke stack from the box art.  All parts, including the pilot house are just sitting there and not glued yet. Smoke stack also needs another coat of black to hide a few glue stains.
 









 
The smoke stack only goes through the deck 5mm so I am hoping it will be sturdy enough when glued.
 
Cheers
 
Chris
 

Just super David. Congratulations yet again!
 
Chris
 

Just super David. Congratulations yet again!
 
Chris
 

I have cut and shaped and dry-fitted the seat cushions.  When I paint them, I want the paint to continue under the cushions a bit so that nothing of the back side edge is visible.  But that makes painting more difficult.  My solution was to glue a thin stick to the back of the cushions, two to each stick, and use clamps to hold them for drying.  Here they are with sealer on the balsa waiting to dry.  Then I'll use the same approach when I paint them, continuing the paint a bit under the edge to the back side.
 
The sticks will pop off and I can sand down any residue on the back.
 
Regards,
David

Everything is now done except for the seat cushions.  I have to be careful with those because they are made of the hated balsa wood, which has given me so many fits building this model.   
 
This went fast because once you get the finishing done, it's just assembly.  BTW, it's supposed to have two horns, but one of mine was broken.
 
The seats will be hunter green, which should look really nice against the dark wood.
 
Regards,
David

Rear console, windshield and grab rails now installed.  There's a bit more detail needed on the roof.  It's still just dry-fitted -- I won't glue it down until I have all of the detail (hatches, pennant, horns) installed.
 
For the smaller parts, I skipped the third epoxy coat, and it seemed to be fine, but I'm getting better at applying the first two.  I would not recommend that for the hull, which is a large "mirror-like" surface and needs all 3 coats, but on the smaller parts, it doesn't seem to matter to my forgiving eye.
 
The cabin roof is made of balsa, and it's a bear to work with.  I drilled a 1/8" hole for the spotlight, and it chipped away -- had to fill with wood filler and touch up.  So for the grab rail eyelets, I just pushed them through without drilling.  I'm modifying my approach to the rest of the roof details to make sure I don't do any more drilling on it.
 
Regards,
David

I'm now at the small parts stage, and with the epoxy finish process involving heat + mix + apply + hot box cure done 3 times plus at least one more spray coat, I decided to work ahead and prepare all of the remaining mahogany parts so I could finish them all at once.  See pictures of the parts ready to begin the finishing process.  Once these are finished, I can go back in the manual and start detailing the boat.
 
Regards,
David

I am a relatively new modeler and plan to take on the King Of The Mississippi.   Main reason I am attempting this is due to the vast number of build logs on MSW.    I have studied them all and have been intrigued by some of the ingenuity and customization that has been done by the various shipbuilders.    Even the logs have have not been completed were invaluable showing various stages of the builds.    Besides that,,,, the King Of The Mississippi just looks like a cool model.
The version of "the King" I have is 2017..  Maybe some of the issues that earlier shipbuilders encountered have been corrected by Artesania....   But I guess that is probably too much to wish for,,
 
So here we go...
 
Note the date of 2017
 
Box contains three shrink wrapped items
 

 
 
First part of hull structure is pretty straight forward.  Parts fit nicely with only a little sanding to make the bulkheads seat better.
The instructions call to glue in the upper stern board to the slanted portion of the false keel.   Note below that I did not do that at this time.   Turns out the slant in the slanted portion of the false keel does not match the slant in the bulkheads.  Thus later on when you install the bulkheads the upper stern board does not match the bulkheads.
 
Others have pointed out this issue and later had to "fiddle" to make the  upper stern board match the bulkheads.   Instead I decided to glue on the bulkheads and then make the upper stern board match the bulkheads
 
Note the upper stern board not installed.

 
 
I do not have a good picture, but below shows the bulkheads installed and the upper stern board lined up with the slant in the bulkheads.    You have to insert a small piece of wood between the upper stern board and the slanted part of the false keep to take up the space, but this is  a much easier way to deal with this issue than gluing in the upper stern board before the bulkheads.   Ignore that extra piece of wood glued to the upper stern board...  Initially I thought the upper stern board was too long so I cut it down,,,, Mistake on my part.. No big deal as the mistake will not show once the hull has been planked
 

 
On to planking the hull
Lay the first row of planking down the exact center of the hull and let this dry.   Make this a straight as possible as it is the base for all the other planks
Note the planks are paper thin and very easy to bend,,  Should not be a problem bending the wood.   No need to pre-heat or steam.
 
Since there is a bend and it does take some time for the wood glue to dry, I choose to lay about 5-6 planks (at a time) in the stern part and later (about 20 min) bend them over and glue them to the hull.   I could have used CA glue, but I am the world's worst CA glue'er and usually get it all over the model.   However I have since found the the CA gel works great and much more forgiving,,,
 

 

 
 

 
One note,,,,, There are supposed to be 30 hull planks - 6 mm in width...  While there are 30 planks, they are only 5 mm in width.   As such there are not enough planks to have full planks on both the bottom and hull sides.   Since the hull planking on the bottom will never see the light of day on the completed model, that is where you want to have planks with joints.   Basically take some of the planks that extend beyond the bow (picture above) and butt them together to make some of the planking on the bottom of the hull.   In my case I ended up with three bottom planks that were made up of several smaller pieces.    The pieces butt together very well and you can hardly see the joint.  In theory you could do this on the side bulkheads but best to do this with the bottom hull planks that will never be seen.
 
In the end I used 18 planks to cover the bottom and have 12 full planks to cover both side bulkheads

 
Side Planking,,,
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Mastini book is gold! If you can get it do so.
 
Cheers
 
Chris