mrshanks

Hi Dave!  Your planking progress looks great and I think the stealers was a good idea.  I also enjoy cooking dinner!!  Your garden produce looks top notch!!  I am cooking a German meal this weekend, Jaeger Schnitzel with Spatzle.  It's only fitting considering my recent modeling work on German warships (Graf Spee & Prinz Eugen).  

It looks great John!!  Keep going!!

Don't be hard on yourself Don.  Your planking job looks great!!

Hi Brian.  The deck parts on my Picket Boat warped as well.  After placing them under some weight and finally gluing them in-place they held their proper shape just fine.  

Looking good Brian.  The extra work you put into your builds pays off.  I am about 75% of the way through my build of the same kit but I am doing mine "straight-from-the-box".  This is a well designed kit and so far I have not run into any problems at all.  

Looking good Brian.  I'm interested in seeing all the upgrades you do to this model.  I am building mine straight from the box and just completed painting of the hull.

You did a great job shaping the solid hull.  Keep going!!!

Same thing as Don - Rosewood.  Whatever wood you choose is going to look good at this point!!

Hi Brian.  I'm hanging out as well...

It looks great Dave.  You are almost finished!!!  Been a great project.

Outstanding Dave!!  You are a treenailing machine!!!

Ha ha Brian, you have the modeling bug bad!!  Sounds like me...  I always seem to be finishing one model but starting 2 more...

LOL Dave!!  I knew you would call me out.  My only excuse is that build logs slow me down and not all the models I am building are ships.    However, I will be sure to post pictures of the completed ships and promise to do build logs on future projects!!

Hi Brian.  I should mention that I am also building this kit.  Actually, I have completed all the deck details (steam plant, engine, howitzer, spar torpedo, etc).  I have the keel built with the first few bulkheads installed (like you).   It's one of the 4 models that I am building simultaneously with no build logs.  It seems to be a very nicely designed kit and I love the history behind this boat (they should make a movie about it).  So far I have found no issues regarding this kit.  It is going together as it should.

What's going on over here?  

Coming aboard for the rest of the voyage.  I completed Bob's AVS POF kit this past summer.  It also had the same method of using the strengthening taps at the bottoms of the frames.  It works flawlessly as you will see later.... Thanks for doing this log!!!

Welcome aboard Matt. You certainly picked a great ship to start with. There are so many knowledgable modelers here that any problems you encounter can probably be answered. Keep in mind that there is typically more than one solution. That's the beauty of this hobby. As a humble tip, I would suggest not pre-beveling your bulkheads. The plan drawings may not be accurate in this regard. Better to bevel all the bulkheads after they have been glued to the keel. This way the ship can be faired to take on the planking more smoothly. Good luck and may the wind be at your back!

I finished this model a few months ago. Had the same challenge with the ply bulwarks. You are doing a great job and it's a pleasure to follow along!!

Here is the sanding sealer I use from Minwax. Available at Home Depot in the states. I would be willing to bet you can get it online from Home Depot, Amazon, or directly from Minwax. Here is a link so you can read about it. I use this on wood that will be painted. You can sand basswood super smooth with this. I have used all the way to 600grit in some cases.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Minwax-1-qt-Professional-Formula-Sanding-Sealer-657000000/202579364

A tip to make the paint look smoother, especially with basswood, is to apply a sanding sealer prior to painting.

I second John's comment. All the color contrast combined with your extra detailing make for a very appealing model! Mine looks almost bland in comparison.

I really like the look of the contrasting colors of wood.  Appears to be on par with Amati in materials..??  Question for you:  did you get Admiral approval prior to clamping your keel to the glass kitchen table?  Just wondering.... 

When looking for that special red color used in period ships (i.e. red oxide), please consider the following paints:

Vallejo Acrylic - 985 - Hull Red (spec: FS30059 - RAL8017)

Tamiya Acrylic - XF-9 - Hull Red

Tamiya spray - TS-33 - Dull Red

These are all slightly different shades of this basic color.  Try it and see if you like any of them.  

I always say "go with what looks good to you".  For my own thoughts... it's a matter of scale.  I believe the connie kit is 1:76 scale, so the cannons are rather small.  At that scale I would probably omit it as well.  At a larger scale it might be a different story.  You could rig up just one with the tackle and see how it looks then decide from there..  Regardless of what you decide, I am absolutely sure it will look great!!

Wow Dave... thanks for the tip on the super-fine cut saw.  I found a source here in the states for it and "in stock".

http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Saws/Japanese_Super_Fine-Cut_Saw.html