vossy

Here's one of the lifeboat davits not yet painted and dry-fitted on the deck.  This is a five piece brass assembly with a lot of bending, but it's not too difficult.  I think these will add some real detail.
 
Also a pic of the funnel stays, which are now finished.
 
Next steps are to finish all the davits and paint them, then add eyebolts to the lifeboats, and then mount and rig them.
 
Regards,
David

A lot of kits of such ships as the Golden Hind, Revenge, etc. have similar hull decorations. They tend to use thin printed card, which doesn't look 100% great, but its not too bad either. So perhaps you could print your own and see how that goes?
 
Cheers
 
Chris
 

Now have added the Texas cabin and glued it down after finishing the LED lighting.
No real problems with this phase of the construction.
Now I put the ship aside to work first on the pilot house. With the modifications to the front and side exposures and the subsequent exposure of the interior there will be a fair amount of detailing work to do.
I have a scale stove, one of Syren's ships wheel kits, and a figure that will do for the pilot to add. Also need to figure out the best way to reproduce the small "Chaperon" label - likely will use what I did on the Morgan printing in Word on a color-filled background and applying with Maj-Paj paste covered with dull-coat.
 

Hey Oliver, amid ships simply means the middle of the ship. If you look through numerous build logs here you will probably notice that more people than not tend to plank either side as they go. I certainly do, but you can do one side at a time if you wish. I also tend to start at the top and at the keel at the same time and just fill in the gap so to speak. This way also gives you a good guide as to how much you will need to taper each plank.
 
Tapering simply means that you remove a small amount of wood from the plank at either end (sometimes this is not required), so that the plank is wider in the middle than it is on the ends. Never taper more than 50% of the plank width though. This is where steelers come in if needed.
 
cheers
 
Chris
 

Oliver, also look through heaps of build logs for planking progress pics, especially try to find vessels with the same hull shape as Santa Maria. The vessel doesn't have to be Santa Maria, but it will give you an idea of how to go about planking a hull of the type you have.
 
This model was the first wooden ship I ever built, and I found the planking process to be a lot easier once I had a thorough understanding of the general principles of planking. Don't take short cuts. Ship modelling is a slow process.
 
cheers
 
Chris
 

Looking at your pics it seems you have maybe gone wrong from the beginning. The planking should have begun from the top of the bulkheads amid ships then continue downward one plank at a time on either side to get a uniform planking over both sides of the vessel. Remember that you absolutely must taper each plank fore and aft and only along the bottom edge. As you progress you may find it is necessary to add steeler planks to fill any large gaps that may arise. This is not uncommon.
 
I don't know if you are gluing these planks or just nailing them on. If its the latter I would probably advise you to maybe rip them off and start again. Carefully read any planking tutorials you can get your hands on. Do not just simply nail the plank onto the bulkhead. It must be glued into place. The nails are simply driven in about halfway to hold it in place whilst the glue dries, then the nails are removed.
 
It is a good idea to soak the planks in water for a period of time before attaching them to the model. I usually leave thicker first planks soaking overnight in my plank soaker then roughly shape them to the contour of the hull using a hot soldering iron. At this point I apply a small amount of glue to each bulkhead where the plank will meet it and gently drive in small nails to hold it secure until the glue has set. Once sufficient bond has been established remove the nails and repeat the process until the hull is covered. Any small gaps can then be filled with an appropriate filler. Larger gaps will require steeler planks.
 
cheers
 
Chris
 

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.