maturin52

Sent you a private message. I've built this kit and still have the instruction booklet. You learn early in this hobby to never throw away anything!

That's it exactly. And it's a good idea to purchase several drill bits. They're hair thin and break easily.

OK, Cindy, the instruction manual - 40 image files - should be in your inbox. Have fun!
 
 
Mischief Managed!

OK, Cindy, the instruction manual - 40 image files - should be in your inbox. Have fun!
 
 
Mischief Managed!

That's it exactly. And it's a good idea to purchase several drill bits. They're hair thin and break easily.

OK... btw, you'll probably find that nailer doesn't help a whole lot unless you predrill holes for the nails first. I found a pin drill to be far better investment than a nailer, though I do use both.

OK... btw, you'll probably find that nailer doesn't help a whole lot unless you predrill holes for the nails first. I found a pin drill to be far better investment than a nailer, though I do use both.

Sent you a private message. I've built this kit and still have the instruction booklet. You learn early in this hobby to never throw away anything!

OK... btw, you'll probably find that nailer doesn't help a whole lot unless you predrill holes for the nails first. I found a pin drill to be far better investment than a nailer, though I do use both.

Sent you a private message. I've built this kit and still have the instruction booklet. You learn early in this hobby to never throw away anything!

Sent you a private message. I've built this kit and still have the instruction booklet. You learn early in this hobby to never throw away anything!

Good luck with your build! I made this kit last year, and had a great time with it. It is a great addition to my shelves, especially since I live just a few miles from both the Mississippi and Missouri rivers! I have a build log on this site for the King, and there are at least one other detailing the addition of wiring for lights. I was not that ambitious. I'll be watching your progress with interest.

Good luck with your build! I made this kit last year, and had a great time with it. It is a great addition to my shelves, especially since I live just a few miles from both the Mississippi and Missouri rivers! I have a build log on this site for the King, and there are at least one other detailing the addition of wiring for lights. I was not that ambitious. I'll be watching your progress with interest.

Good luck with your build! I made this kit last year, and had a great time with it. It is a great addition to my shelves, especially since I live just a few miles from both the Mississippi and Missouri rivers! I have a build log on this site for the King, and there are at least one other detailing the addition of wiring for lights. I was not that ambitious. I'll be watching your progress with interest.

Good luck with your build! I made this kit last year, and had a great time with it. It is a great addition to my shelves, especially since I live just a few miles from both the Mississippi and Missouri rivers! I have a build log on this site for the King, and there are at least one other detailing the addition of wiring for lights. I was not that ambitious. I'll be watching your progress with interest.

Well hello boys and girls. My wife mother in law father in law and daughter all chipped in to get my my next project It is something I have been looking at for a year I know it's not the biggest grandest or most impressive model out there but I do believe she will be beautiful never the less I am proud to be building this rendition of a true American antiquity And now the unveiling of the King of the Mississippi Hope you all enjoy

As you can see she is a flat bottomed girl The kit comes with a precut bottom and false keel The peices are straight and with very little adjustment I have been able to tightly place the bulk heads I am definitely more impressed with this AL kit over the quality of the constellation So far looking at all the other metal peices and the etched metal features it looks to be a good build without much need for modification I am very seriously thinking of placing lights but alas I'm not an electrician so I might need some serious hand holding If anyone one has knowledge of the parts need please let me know I do hope you all enjoy this build as much as I do

I can sympathize, Bob. I had a Billings model of the Bluenose that was trashed by an angry kitty. I put it aside, and 10 years later came back, stripped it to the hull and rebuilt it. That's what got me restarted on the hobby. I must say your acceptance of the situation is better than mine was! Hi Baily! Good boy!

I can sympathize, Bob. I had a Billings model of the Bluenose that was trashed by an angry kitty. I put it aside, and 10 years later came back, stripped it to the hull and rebuilt it. That's what got me restarted on the hobby. I must say your acceptance of the situation is better than mine was! Hi Baily! Good boy!

I can sympathize, Bob. I had a Billings model of the Bluenose that was trashed by an angry kitty. I put it aside, and 10 years later came back, stripped it to the hull and rebuilt it. That's what got me restarted on the hobby. I must say your acceptance of the situation is better than mine was! Hi Baily! Good boy!

Your looking great Bryan.  I'm quite impressed with your creativity.  That's where the fun lies.
 
Did you just put some black paint on your 1/2 pounders and the pump handles?  I left all my brass as shiny as could be and now kind of wish I had taken the time to darken certain parts up.  But of course from the start my sole objective has been to put this thing together and make it look like a ship.
 
I notice (it may only be the angle of photography) that you put the holes for deadeye chains in the exact center of the channels.  I did the same following the plans to the letter.  I then found that being so far inboard the shrouds were probably going to rub against the rails.  So I have filled these holes (with the tips of toothpicks) and sawn and filed grooves into the edges of the channels into which the narrowest part of the chain linkage will fit.  Then I'm covering up the slots with a strip of 2mm brass.  I would have used wood strip but its easier to curve the brass and I'd already curved the corners of the channels (as perhaps you have).  I don't know if I've updated my log to show some pix of these changes.  If not, I will soon.
 
Feel free to ask about the construction of the masts as I've worked through and around the A.L. plans in conjunction with Peterson's book on rigging and McKays Anatomy book.  In conjunction with my buddy Boyd (thomaslambo) and a lot of help from Danny V., I think we've got the idea down pretty well now.

Well, I've been quite diligent in working on my Bounty, but not so good at uploading progress reports. I've reached that point that everyone has commented on, where the written instructions suddenly stop, and all you have to work with is the book of photographs and the plan sheets. And Model Ship World, of course! Thank God for these build logs and the pictures and discussions available here. They have been a great source of ideas, inspiration, and solutions! Here is a picture of the mizzen pinrails I've built and installed. I will get a few more detail shots up here over the next few days!

This image is about a week or two old. I've finished the hull planking, as I said above, and am not completely satisfied with the result. However, I learned a great deal in the process, and it is an improvement over my last plank on frame effort, and I am confident that the next model I tackle will be even better. That's what it's all about, isn't it... developing skills and improving the results with each new project. Since this picture was taken, I've been working on the deck railings, and am now working on the stern decoration. I'll get a couple of pics up here within a couple of days.
 

Well, so far I've been keeping to the weekly update schedule. This week, I've completed the mid-deck partitions, stained the panels, varnished the whole works and installed them. I really liked the look in another build log of actually adding plants to the pot-racks in the aft cabin - I suspect that this would normally have been the Wardroom, but when the HMS Bounty loaded breadfruit plants in Tahiti, every possible square inch was taken over to provide room for as many bushes as possible (except Bligh's cabin, I bet!). I used pieces of scrap wood for the 'trunks', and picked up some model train "bushes' to make the foliage. I considered using beads to simulate actual breadfruit, but since juvenile plants were taken onboard, they wouldn't have been bearing fruit before they were all tossed overboard by the mutineers. I liked the size of the ringbolts and rings, so I went ahead and used them for the door hardware. Next are a couple of ladders, then I'll test fit the maindeck and make sure everything lines as it should. So far, so good. I'm really enjoying this build, and I'm in particular hurry to get to the hull planking. It will come soon enough!
 

Well, I fell completely off the map. I had some fairly major surgery back in November and spent a couple of weeks in hospital, and a month or more afterwards unable to work on my Bounty project. In the meantime, I had some computer problems, necessitating a hard drive wipe and OS re-install. Fun times! In any case, I'm back with the computer, running Windows 10 and liking it, but have been unable to access this site. (They don't respond to password reset requests.) I have been back at my shipyard, and have actually completed planking the hull and I am currently staining and varnish her. I am not thrilled with the result, but it's good enough for this point in my modelling career. I'll get some pictures posted in the next few days. Back on track!