xken

Paul, please keep in mind that the 5/16" dowel is a reference dimension for the dowels to be ordered by M.E. for kit production and given manufacturing variances dowels can be slightly larger or smaller. Please reread page 34 where is says use the boom ring as a gauge when tapering the mast. The cast parts are labelled correctly. As for the 3/8" that is tolerance to allow straightening the mast allowing for variances in the build by individual builders if the mast foot is slightly out. I personally do not like to see crooked ( out of perpendicular) masts. I hope this helps. Look at page 37 for the finished part. I learned very early on about plan reproduction which is why I include a 1 inch reference square on my plans. Plan reproduction variances can be large or small based upon the machine settings, quality of machine and quality of paper. Also file transfer can cause issues as well, to minimize this I and the M.E. folks both work with CorelCAD now. They were using CorelDraw to covert the CAD files for plans and laser cutting and when I would get laser cut parts they were usually 5% off in size due to the conversion from on program to another. This also happens with PDF files we discovered, hence they finally bought the CorelCAD so we all worked with the same program. None of these I can as a kit designer control. I have seen variance as much as 3/8" and if using plans as dimension guide could be disastrous. The greatest challenge I have with the kit designing process is writing the instructions which is a balance between enough information to too much information and I like to err on the too much side. Builders also have to use a degree of common sense and allow for variances in building. When working with laser cut parts the finished dimension is on the bottom of the part sheet not the top, and laser cutting based upon the thickness of wood will have a slight taper (draft) though the thickness of the wood. The hexagon versus octagon is my bad, I should have caught that, but neither did the three other Proof Readers.

Arthur, not sure why you are experiencing the problems you are having. The boat in the pictures in the instructions were built from the laser cut parts in the kit and before being released M.E. also had two independent builders assemble the kit as well as part of the proof of production and the only issues were tweaks to the instructions for better clarification of terms for new builders. This is a standard practice I have asked M.E. to do with all kits I have done for them. I also purchased 1/24 scale sailor figures for my build, not to be included with the kit just for my own display purposes. See attachments. Here is an image of the rear cockpit area using the laser cut parts from the kit. Here is just the hull completed with all the laser cut parts from the kit and all fitting well. As for the quality of the wood in the kit's Basswood that I have no control over; however, they do supply me all the materials used. Good luck with the rest of your build, should be smooth sailing here on out.

My son did a video call this morning with the grand kids showing what I think may be the Hermione on the Hudson river around west 66 street. They were showing it from their 30th floor apartment and my son said that it looked like the French flag. Anyone else seen this ship on the Hudson?

Michael, great brass work on the lantern. I am looking forward to the engine build which is the part I enjoy the most in my builds. Have a great day!

Jon, I emailed Marvin and he said yes to the 1,000 or more discount. Email him with the size and quantity and he will give you a cost. I have known Marvin for years he is honest and fair. Have a great day and keep up the great job you are doing.

Jon, are you aware of these Marvin is set up to sell these in bulk packs of 1,000 for members of this site. You might want to check out the various sizes they offer, this is the smallest and you may need magnification to use them. I have used these and other items they offer in my builds. Just FYI Ken https://model-motorcars.myshopify.com/collections/small-parts-hardware/products/rivet-04-mm-head-diameter-brass-k069

Welcome aboard from a fellow Canadian now living in California. You have come to the right site to learn!

Welcome aboard! A Canadian born in Marathon, Ontario retired and living in California. You will learn a great deal on this site,

Gerald, just another fantastic build that you should be very proud of accomplishing! Now what may be next?

A great looking planking job! Wise to let it set.

Guilty as charged! I will look forward to your progress and feedback. Just a note again on the plans they were 100% size when sent to Model Expo so the size increase is due to what I mentioned above about reproduction. When designing kits the challenge is always the instructions. M.E. wants short and sweet and as few pages as possible while some builders need ever nut and bolt explained. I always try to put myself in the builder's head while writing the instructions and strike a happy compromise between novice and experienced. Keep up the great build you have going.

Great job on the planking and tree nailing! Just FYI look at the second row from the bow at 5th and 6th plank up from the bottom. I marked mine as I planked using a .5mm mechanical pencil while I could see the bulkheads and just pressed the lead straight down. This left a pencil lead mark even after sanding.

Greg, I have been busy on a couple of projects for Model Expo kits. Cannot post until authorized but it does involve some rigging.

Dave, try tinning the thicker copper ring first with a thin coating of solder plummer's 50/50. Then solder the elbow parts with Staybrite solder and leave excess solder in place then with soft binding wire hold the ring to the elbow and heat the edge of the ring the copper will carry the heat faster to the thinner brass and flow the joint. The 50/50 has a lower temp than the Staybrite. Looking at the size of the parts you should be able to do this with a small 40 watt iron. Or if using a torch set the flame as small as possible. Make sure the iron is hot and use the correct flux. Another option is to us a wood plug through the ring to index the brass elbow while soldering; you will love the smell of burning wood in the morning. Solder Putty as mentioned above is available at www.OttoFrei.com , but you should be able to do this no problem. Update: I just checked their site and they no longer sell the Solder Putty.

Looks like you are off to a great start. The increase in plan size seems to be a common problem with plans being printed, I have run across this even having CAD drawings reproduced locally. I now add a one inch reference square to all my CAD drawings and check when I pick up the drawings and have had some off by 5% and had them reprinted to the correct size. They are suppose to calibrate machines every 10 days which I am sure most printing operations are not doing. Keep up the great job!