vossy

Hey Oliver, looking at your planking so far it seems to me you need to taper your planks more. Also only taper them on one edge, not both edges. Another thing I notice is your nailing. Don't hammer/push them right in. They have to come out. They are only used to hold the planks against the false bulkheads as the glue dries. Once the glue is dry you will need to remove them. I typically use a small pair of hobby round nose pliers for this. Do not leave them in as you wont be able to fill and sand the first planking layer prior to final planking.
 
cheers
 
Chris
 

Hey Oliver, I would definitely follow OC's advice. Then you never bend the planks upwards or downwards. You taper them accordingly and they will take on the bent appearance on their own. Bending, or trying to bend, the planks upwards will result in snapping and skewing of the plank so they don't lie flat on the false bulkheads. I would recommend not relying too much on the pictures provided in the instructions. Use them as a rough guide only. Good to see you have read Mastini's excellent book. I regard it as the bible of ship modelling, but I would also advise to read the many tutorials on planking that are available on this forum. Just remember that first planking on this, and any other double planked model, doesn't have to/need to be perfect. You will find with some filler and a lot of sanding it is not too hard to get a really good canvas to apply the second (final) planking layer on this model. Also the second layer of planking is far thinner and more pliable wood to use than the first layer on this model.
 
You are doing well mate.
 
Chris
 

Hello Oliver, I have built this kit and can say it is a really fantastic model (but I am a Columbus freak!). I found it had ample wood and pretty good instructions. The rigging I found to be pretty straight forward. Just take your time and ask questions when you come to any parts of the build you are unsure of. I can certainly answer many questions about this, or any of Columbus' ships and voyages, and I am certain I will not be alone here on that count. I will definitely follow your log with interest, and who knows, it may even inspire me to build this model again as I gave the last one to my mother.  Chris

I hope everyone is having a great holiday period.
 
I used some of the spare time to work on the funnels, and they are now all up.  She's beginning to look like a real steamship now.
 
The stays won't go up until some of the deck detail is finished, as they would be in the way.
 
Regards,
David

More detail installed on the deck.
 
Regards,
David

Hey Greg, I really like and admire your builds. Don't know if I should ask this here or not, but you seem to be able to come up with a great deal of different models. Have you ever seen a kit of HMAS Torrens (my avatar, and home for some years), on the market? I must say, I haven't really searched high and low, but maybe you have come across a kit in your travels?
 
Cheers
 
Chris
 

Cabins now installed on the deck; cranes and detail installed near the stern.
 
Regards,
David

any chance of a better photo or more info on the kit?
 
cheers
 
chris
 

Steingraeber kit from the 1970s, 1/90 scale. See link for pics of one listed at auction. One sold on eBay in 2012 for $89.99.
 
https://nazya.com/ebay/single/4946477/orig_desc.html

any chance of a better photo or more info on the kit?
 
cheers
 
chris
 

Some deck detail completed near the bow.
 
Regards,
David

She's starting to look like an ocean liner now.
 
Regards,
David

Does anyone know if a kit exists of HMS Pandora? Either wood or plastic? 
 
Cheers
 
Chris
 
 

this week has been tough to get much table time in........I had the coup de gras at the Dentist,  and holiday decorations to contend with.   of course,  after the visit to the dentist,  I didn't have much gusto to do much else.......but I made myself.  I did manage to do a little on the T.D. as well.  the front lower railings are now in place,  both done in the same manner.......I only have pictures of the starboard side.  funny how I always seem to do the starboard side first,  with just about every bit of progress I make..........guess I'm just a starboard kind of guy  


the windows have also been added to the front and rear of the second level structure.....as I guessed,  the curvature gave me a bit of trouble.  they are not as I would have liked........I'll check 'em out when I remove the rubber bands that are pressing them in place.   hopefully they are good enough to cement the structure in place and add the third level.

The hull is now painted black.  I found that when I went to sand the paint off the nameplate letters, the 2 coats of spray enamel were too thick, and I ended up taking some paint off the background and surrounding areas.  So I repainted the nameplates with acrylic (brush), and that sanded off nicely.
 
It's a flat black on the hull -- the flash just makes it look a bit glossy.
 
Regards,
David

Cannon building continues. I did get some new blocks and rope from Syren to help out. Step by step they are coming together! 

I've installed all of the portholes, doors and scuppers on one side.  All of this brass detail will be painted over in black.  There are a LOT of portholes to install!  The Titanic nameplates aren't on yet.
 
Regards,
David

guess what! 😤.........too small..........    you'll be pleased to see..........
      OK......OKKKKKK!   the stairs were dry..........I cemented them in place already...........jeeze! 
they are not perfect,  but they pass muster.  the only thing I'll need to do is elongate the port side a little......I can do that with them in place.


you can see the port side is missing a couple spindles.   it will bring the handrail to the same height as the starboard side.

the landing didn't come out too bad.......glad I didn't even it out any more though.   it would have ruined it and I would have had to start over.  th white treads don't look too bad either  

when I fit the port side,  there wasn't any problem here.......but you can see a tiny bit of unevenness at the landing.  I tried to straighten it out,  but I think I'd need to alter it......    after what I did to the starboard side........nawwww,  it's fine    I'll have to flip it over to paint underneath though.....I can see the underside as you peer in the front.   small deal........tomorrow.

Far too kind! Doris is definitely someone to aspire to as her work is beautiful pieces of art. 
 
The catheads and their supporting posts posts are in place. I also fitted, though not secured, the bow sprit. 
 
Next up are a bunch of small assemblies. Bitts, railings, knight heads, ladders and more canons. The decks will be coming alive over the next weeks. 
 
Thanks you all for the very kind words, likes and following along on this long journey. 

Here's the hull, taped for painting, and after the first primer coat.
 
It's winter here, and while I've painted my other models in the garage in milder weather, my basement workroom isn't well-ventilated, and the fumes are pretty strong.  So I ordered a small but high CFM flow exhaust fan that I can put into a window.  It comes Thursday, and no more painting until it's in.
 
Regards,
David

I've now decorated the large cabin structure with windows and vents.
 
Positioning the windows to keep them aligned was a bear, even with tape as a guide, because I used CA gel and it sets fast so I had to align and get them vertical quickly.  PVA glue would allow more adjustment time, but I was concerned that the windows might come off either as the model ages, or with any side contact.
 
I think the next step is hull painting.  
 
Regards,
David

The last step in the instructions before painting the hull is to build the deckhouses, so I've done that (first picture).  In the instructions, these aren't decorated and mounted onto the main structure until after hull painting, but I've decide to do it now as long as I'm in "small parts mode."
 
The doors and windows at this level are individually mounted photo-etched brass, and if you look at the finished pictures, the windows show a bluish background similar to the printed ones on lower decks -- but they are solid PE brass (see second picture).
 
I remembered a technique I learned on the Revenge, where I had to paint a large stern emblem with raised "frames" like the windows here.  The technique was to paint the whole thing, and then when it dries sand it with fine paper, removing the paint from the frames but not the recessed panes.  Tried it here and it worked like a charm.  See third picture of my mounted test window.  I used a cobalt blue.
 
For the rest, I can gang paint them while still attached to the PE strip, and then I'll have to still individually sand them.
 
The hard thing is going to be getting all of these perfectly aligned and spaced, particularly on the long cabin.
 
Regards,
David
 
 

In the "not so fast" and "too clever by half" departments, I've now figured out that my clever solution above wasn't all that clever.
 
Pic 1 below shows what I missed -- the dark deck edge, that needs to be painted too.  So back to masking and painting, which didn't turn out to be all that hard (Pics 2 and 3).
 
One puzzler in the instructions and plans is that they show small windows on those thin white edges, but there's no indication of where they come from as there is with every other printed and etched part in the kit.  So more searching plans and instructions -- and after about an hour I found the tiny windows -- attached to railings above.  So those will need to be painted and glued on top of these painted areas, but I think painting these is needed as the fits won't necessarily be perfect.
 
That leaves two issues.  The first is the etched windows.  In all the pics, they show a colored background "through the glass", which for etched windows is solid brass.  So I think I'll have to use a technique I learned on the Revenge, which is to paint them carefully in something like a medium blue, and then use very fine sandpaper to remove paint from the muntins, which are raised from the background.  This will be needed for all the other windows that will be mounted on other structures at this level.
 
The other one is figuring out how to mount the window/railing assembly on the side of the deck shown in Pic 4 (blurry, but shows the point), which has an overhang on it.  Not sure how to mount those strips.  Either there will be room to bend the window part back, or I'll have to sand down the overhangs to create a flat side surface.  That may be the best solution, but we'll see when I get to that point, which will have to be before I mount this deck part.  There is zero guidance in the instructions or plans about this -- and it leaves me wondering why that overhang was specified in the first place.
 
Regards,
David

PVC pipe is great for our hobby. I use a length about 1200mm long capped at one end with plumbers resin and glue. I fill it with water and soak planks prior to bending. The uncapped end has another non glued cap on it to stop the planks popping out before they are soaked. I have used this for about 12 years and it has never leaked.
 
Cheers
 
Chris
 

Always a treat to have more Riverboat fans here!
 
Cheers
 
Chris