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So, to starting the kit.

The two parts of the Bulkhead former were cleaned up and glued together. I sandwiched them between two glass sheets plus some weights to keep things straight.

Cleaned up the bulkhead slots and test fitted them for a nice tight fit.
I’m very conscious of the length of this hull and wanted to be extra cautious to avoid any warping.
So gave some thought to a keel clamp arrangement, this is what I came up with.

I sawed up a few pieces of 18mm MDF. One big bit as a base, one smaller bit as a fixed jaw and another smaller piece as a moving jaw.

I Positioned the former between the jaws with a false keel spacer below and measured/marked the bulkheads positions

Then clamped the parts together and routed out slots to correspond with the bulkhead positions. They are different widths and depths, half the slot in each jaw.

The glued the fixed jaw to the base. Drilled screw holes/slots to allow the moving jaw to be clamped tight. I left the two jaws overlapping the base along the long side to act as a lip for fixing clamps, elastic bands etc.

I won’t photo the kit contents, most of you will have seen the like before.
However some first impressions.
Chuck’s stamp on the kit stands out a mile.
His instruction book with many many colour photos and detailed descriptions is a joy.
Also the drawings are first rate.
There are a lot of features that show a really good eye for the detail and the build has been very well thought through.
The decorations in the form of the etched brass and castings are also numerous.
The timber strips are pretty good quality and consistency. However I’m not a big fan of Basswood for external finish. So I am ordering some replacement timber for Hull planking. I will think about deck planking later, may stick with Basswood, not sure yet.
The many sheets of laser cut Basswood and Ply parts are all good quality.
One downside (for me at least) is that the laser cutting means I will have to spend time removing the char caused by the cutting. My Caldercraft Victory used machine cutting so no char, maybe I’m a bit spoilt.
Also after reviewing some of the parts I decided to revisit Syren
A lot of the line was quite shiny so I replaced it all with Chucks line. Plus I like his Deadeyes so threw in some of those.

And lastly the cast ships wheels were a bit poor.

So imagine my delight a few weeks back when Chuck announced a ships wheel kit at a very suitable size. Two of them also included.

So here we go.
Recently finished my Caldercraft Victory and I've picked the Confederacy as the next victim.
I bought the kit a few months back in preparation.

Also in preparation I went to Chuck for a full set of his great gun barrels.

A big difference from the kit supplied ones.

And also his figurehead (got in before discontinued I think)
Also a very very big improvement on the kits offering.
 
 
Nick
 

Done most of the initial fairing – stern infills.

Bow infills.

And hull. I will need to do some more yet but will wait until I can finish the whole hull together.

So my next job is to plank the sub gun deck platforms. I made them up in sections glued to a paper backing to avoid having to place them in awkward positions one at a time.

Then after trimming the backing they were glued them into position.

Next I made up the shadow box for the exposed hull frames and placed the frames into position.

So this is where we stand, now with the frames faired as well.

Will continue on another post
 
Nick

Next onto Framing the Stern. First the two centre frames, carefully clamped to be square and correctly positioned etc.

Then the four outer frames using the lintels as spacers and the first frames as guides.

Then moved on to the Quarter gallery framing and flooring etc. The objective here is to see how many different types of clamp I can get into place at once.    



Then onto the window lintels and sills.

I used cut outs of the windows from the plans to check that they were positioned to allow the windows to be fitted later.

Then framing the ports in the lower counter.

Then some fairing of the outer face. And, using a converted electric toothbrush, fairing the inside faces.

Next, getting the false deck to fit cleanly.

And before I put the deck in place, painting the faces adjacent to the lower decking black.

Then glue and pin one side of the false decking.


Once the other side was glued on I moved on to getting the gun port Sills in place. First running a batten right along the side. I also checked things out by using a little height gauge from the deck surface.

Starting adding the sills using the batten to confirm height.

 
I still have a bunch more updates to add, so i will continue tomorrow.
 
Nick

hello Robin  welcome to the log as well       I was trying to be a good boy,  and not touch this kit....but what the admiral wants.......
 
let's see!   looking at the thinner parts panels,  I was sad to see that some of the punch outs for the decks were gone.      I like to save these pieces.....they do well if you want to add additional detail.   these odd pieces of cast off wood can serve in many different ways.  the round ones,  for instance,  can create instrumentation bezels,  light lenses,  or even portholes.   square ones can be box sides,  extra detail for doors,  hold covers.....you name it     I've got a whole box of these silly little pieces,  just waiting for a place to go.
 
I forgot to add this in the log posting.........just something I think folks can use.  I hope you enjoy  

the solution is simple.......fill in that cut away.   
 

 
the bulkhead was cemented in place,  using the deck platform and the poop deck platform as the alignment tool.
 

 
now with the rudder dry fitted in place,  the gap is gone.   it was about 1/8th of an inch.
 

 
it does sit slightly off........but it's following the keel line.  I did nothing about that.......
 

 
note that the platform want to curve upward........it's uneven back there.   once dry,  these contact areas were sanded flush.  
     when I initially cemented the bulkhead in place,  I did shim it with 0.5 thin strips,  because I knew it was uneven back there.   at first I was going to add the shimming,  but that would have kept t he curvature......sanding it flush leveled it out.
 

 

 
the poop deck contacts were sanded flush and the deck was dry fitted in place.
 

 

 
...and now for something that I caused.   dry fitting the knighthead,  I noticed that the deck platform was a little off.
 

 

 
putting the fore castle in place,  it was even more evident
 

 
looks like I'll have to loosen the glue and reposition the #1 bow bulkhead.   this isn't a big issue......just stinks that I have to make the adjustment.  this is where I am at the moment........I'll make the fix here,  and then I can move on.
 
 

You didn't get to far yet so i think I will find a spot and join in to watch. I always enjoy seeing what can be done with a "simple" kit. I've always believed that the kits are just a starting point and while they can be nice and make a decent model, the real magic happens we we go beyond the instructions.

as mentioned,  cutting out the bulkheads was painful.  I don't know if it was me,  but I thought the keel and bulkhead part were a bit too thick for this scale of kit.   they are 3/16" thick......dry fitting the frame together,  you'd think they were 1/4" 
 

 
the fit isn't too bad.....the instructions don't specify any specific slip details.  I used the stand parts to prop it up.
 

 

 

 
the frame was then taken apart and all the contact points were cleaned and the char was sanded off.
 

 
removing them from the parts panels was a pain,  as mentioned.   chunks of the back layer chipped off in places.   it's not a big deal.....none of it will be seen once the hull is planked.
 

 
I used my Billing's build slip to assemble the hull frame.   the bulkheads were cemented in place.   the deck platform was used to help keep the bulkheads in alignment as they dried.
 

 
when the frame was dry,  the platform was removed,  and the center spine contact points were sanded.   the center spine was cemented in place.
 

 
at this point,  I've run into the first dilemma.   the last bulkhead for the stern is supposed to sit flush at the end of the keel.       with the deck platform and this bulkhead dry fitted in place,  it doesn't.   it wants to jut out past it and hang out over what is to be the cut away for the rudder.
 

 

 
adding part #21,  which is to be beveled,  to aide with the counter,  is to sit flush with the deck platform.  it does it's job,  if the stern bulkhead is left where it is.   to try and alter the position of the bulkhead,  with throw that off.....not that it would matter if there was a gap behind it.   I have the solution......the next log will show you what I did.

........and then there the instructions.   it's mostly done in Italian....there is only a limited amount of text done in English.
     comparing the wood sheets to the diagrams on the instruction sheets.....they are not 1:1.   even on the initial sheet itself,  it says that all diagrams may be distorted or shrunk.
 

 

 

 

 
these are nice to have.......they are not to scale though.   I took great pains to try and preserve that parts panels,  so that in the event that a part becomes damaged.  I can trace the part out and make it.  I view these as something to be blown up,  in order to build a larger model of the ship.   I am not used to dealing with large sheets either....most of the builds I've done were in book form....broken up and put in a school binder.   it makes it easier to look ahead and plan the build.
 

 

 
one thing that I see,  is that it appears that the rigging shares belaying pins.   nice that the pins are of wood,  but they are too large in my opinion.   multiple numbers are listed on each pin of the rigging sheet.   the sail sheet is somewhat of a let down.......for those who work with these types of instruction sheets......this might be typical.  they are blended into the rigging diagrams.
 

 

 

 
are there shortcomings with this kit........sure.   can they be dealt with..........you bet they can.   I think it best though,  to hold off on the cloning stuff.  besides.......I'm going to need to do some cleaning to the parts panels.  good thing all I care about is the hull parts  
 
let the insanity begin!
 
 

I've mentioned this kit a few times........gotten last Christmas from my admiral.   I wanted to bide my time and complete a few of the projects I have going,  before starting it.   the admiral would ask me about it every once in a while......I'd tell her my reason....and for a while,  it was good.  I think my logic has worn thin.   the time left in the closet was good though.....I was able to find that there is a second version of this kit,  which contains some photo etch.   looking around for it,  following tips from other folks,  I was able to locate it.   the photo etch mimics a wood sheet contained in the kit.  I found it at Cornwall model boats....I ordered two of the photo etch and one of the wood sheet.   sadly,  I only got one of each......I got the last of the photo etch.  I will reorder it at a later date.......I won't try and scare you with what I have planned for this kit....icky mae
 

 
1:124 is a small scale for this ship.....to me it is anyway.......it will be quite compact,  and not as much detail,  as would be seen in a larger kit.  of course I don't believe that....quite a few folks here have proven that theory is only limited to those who don't want to.  there is one build of this model listed here on the site,  but it took a hit with the last crash,  losing all of it's pictures......unless the gent comes and fixes it,  I'm on my own.
    the fittings for this model are very small.......lots of tiny parts.  as I saw with the other build,  there are some thing I will be changing.......railings,  for instance will be a focal point.
 

 

 
wood strips.......got'em.......looks like a lot of smaller sizes
 

 
here'e where the kit starts to get dicey.......their laser cutting methods lead lots to be desired.   normally,  you have the small etch points,  which have to be cut,  in order to pop the part out.  with this one,  the laser cuts are not complete,  with large tabs that need to be cut {or finished}.
 

 

 

 
the bulkhead sheet is even worse........the laser cutting doesn't go all the way through.
 

 
I didn't take a photo of the back side......{you'll see later}.  it's a really nice kit.....too bad there is a lack of quality.   the thinner sheets though are better......they still have the unfinished cuts,  but the cuts are much better.  the smaller sheet is what the photo etch is copied from.
 

 

 

 
lastly......the order I got from Cornwall Boats
 

 
this photo etch seems to be thicker than what I have seen with other builds {not my own}......this will be the first time I attempt etch of any kind.   we'll see how this plays out.....I like the looks of it.  I was hoping that there would be more parts for the windlass and winches,  but some of the parts were done on another sheet and not included here.  again......we'll have to see how this plays out   

Thanks very much Don and others for the likes.
 
I have marked off the starboard side into 4 bands each of which will receive 5 planks. I will mark off each band just as I start planking in it. I think this plan is a bit of a departure from what others might have done so I hope it works. My objectives are threefold: have the planks lie in a more horizontal manner, that is, minimize the sweep up the stem; achieve a uniform plank width at the stem and stern; and eliminate drop planks and stealers. The penalty of course is that almost all of the bow and probably stern planks will have to be spiled therefore significantly increasing the time it will take me to complete this operation. Anyway I'm probably nuts to try this but unless someone talks me out of it that's the way I'm going to go.
 
Best, Ian
 

Thank you to all guys for very nice comments. Building of ship models is my big hobby that brings me a lot of joy. I am very happy that my model can bring some pleasure to you.
Next part - planksheer in the waist.

Some picture of anchor lining.

Thanks Don and hof. hope not to disappoint! 
Here she is out of he clamps and jig. looks strong, nice and straight.

Great start Pierre, you are going to really enjoy building her. You made a good choice using the Batelina as your starting point in your new hobby Have fun and I'll be watching for more

Did a bit more filing of the bulkheads and frames...gluing and clamping... now waiting...

Welcome to my official first build log and first ship build. After careful consideration, and thanks to many of you, I have decided on the Batelina as my first ship build. I was told this would be a good choice to get me going, so, I picked up this kit from Rick at Modeller's Workshop. He also hooked me up with Zoran from MarisStella, both are really nice guy's, going out of there way for the hobby.
 
Now to the kit itself, I noticed how nice a quality the wood was, properly bundled, no warping whatsoever. The laser cut plywood parts are equally nice. The step by step manual looks complete and readable, good pictures and a full scale plan with all the views needed.
 
One more reason I picked this kit was the two build logs I found on this forum. Both have super detailed build pictures and extra info not found in the kit.
 
Here is the one from Zoran
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/11779-news-and-info-from-marisstella-ship-model-kits/?p=420044
 
And this one is from donrobinson
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/14153-batelina-by-donrobinson-finished-marisstella-110/?p=438912
 
 
I'm not sure that I can add much to what has been done. This will simply show how a first timer can do at this kit. All that I can hope is for mine to turn out half as nice.
 
Here are some pictures after a few nights. Slow but steady....
 









Here you can see my home made Keel Clamp. Rudimentary but it works...

A little older video.
 

 
 
Pawel

Continuation.
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
The beginning of the relation is available at this address:
 
 
http://5500.forumact...ndre-1-24#66516
 
 
 
Regards, Pawel

Welcome Gary! I agree that overall the kit is of excellent quality and to build it straight from the box would make an outstanding model, something that cannot be said about all kits. The blocks provided in kits are typically like the instructions, usable but could be a lot better. Rigging thread often only comes in maybe 3 sizes. That is fine and again usable but as you said, there are more that 3 sizes used on ships. Many more in fact. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference and skills. 99% of the people who would view the completed model would not know, or even care about historical inaccuracies. So how do you as a modeler feel and to what degree do you want to take your model? If I built this ship straight from the box, I would be proud of it. I would have an outstanding model that all my friends and family would ooo and ahh over. However, while I am no means anywhere near a master at this hobby, my mind tells me that I want and can do better than what is before me. 
 
So that being said, more time, more money and more head scratching is before me as I take this excellent model and attempt to make it better, whether that is historically better or just my own imaginings remains to be seen.
 
Gary, by the way I took a look at the pictures of your SR and you did make an wonderful model. Very impressive and I am sure I will be looking at your pictures for guidance at times.

Ah yes the good spirits cabinet. Well as I now have a dedicated shipyard I no longer have to share space in the living room with the bar. Therefore it is now in the dining room where it belongs and I can make a drink to take with me to the shipyard. This also gives me a good reason to get up and walk around every so often so I can refuel...

That's alright E.J. being crazy has some good benefits too no one will drink your drink, eat off your plate..........and speaking of drink I don't see that beautiful cabinet in this shipyard yet  

Yep! Had to verify that I was going crazy by doing not just one crazy big project but two!