Tallshiptragic

Another small update. Brass dead lights added to the dog houses. These were a little harder to pull off as they are flush mounted ports. On the inside is an opening glass frame and a brass dead light covering which are both closed in heavy weather. To pull this off on the model at the small 4.5 mm diameter was easy enough. Some might use brass tube cut to size and placed in a hole cut into the structure, I do them a little differently with I believe just as good results. If you've ever super detailed a plastic model car or airplane, you might have heard of Bare metal foils coloured foils and make your own decal kits. I use the decal kits constantly on my modern ships as either the size or specific Aussie labels aren't available. Anyway for the dead lights I use the gold foil. Using a leather punch, I punch out the outer diameter and attach the roundel to the structure - this stuff is self adhesive and about .25mm thick (as a side note with care you can manipulate this stuff around complicated curves like a planes wing or cars fender). Once it's firmly pressed into the structure I again use a leather punch to punch out the inner roundel (on Leeuwin the dog houses are .5mm thick though I've used the leather punch on styrene up to 3mm thick with clean easy results - leaving me with a perfectly looking flush brass port. It does require care as it is tin foil and super thin, though the effort is easy and works great I think.

All three dog houses painted in their cream colour. The gunwales will also be in this cream as well as all deck furniture that isn't wood. When originally built in 1986 all deck furniture was painted white, though with the quick weathering affects of the ship at sea and being a training ship - teenagers feet scrambling everywhere... The white colour scheme was changed to cream. It works well and no surprise does look white from a distance.

Absolutely superb Matija. My sailing career started on the European regatta scene in France, Greece and Italy and classic schooners similar the this. Beautiful work.

Thanks Patrick. All three dog houses built and primed. Next will be the aft hatch way in the poop deck which goes down the the lazzerette - this is our paint/hardware stores etc. You can also access the rudder shaft and steering mechanism from here. Two hatches midships forward and either side of the main dog house - these act as skylights and vents when open to the main saloon. Two emergency hatches forward just before the foredeck which allow access to the two most foreword accommodation and also for fresh air and the last hatch, on the foredeck next to the anchor windlass which gives access to the chain locker directly below. Around the aft dog house will also be deck boxes and a large fan above the galley between the aft and middle dog house and bin lockers immediately in front of the middle dog house. Then a multitude of vents, helm station bosun boxes and windlass etc.

Aft doghouse (chart house) basic structure built up.

Started work on the dog houses today. The foreword doghouse which leads to the foreword accommodation and the middle doghouse which is the main companion way onboard and leads to the main salon. The aft doghouse which I've yet to start is our chart house. I've made them using .5mm styrene sheet and strips. They're still just the raw boxes and will be cleaned up and edges sanded smooth.

I love seeing how modelers can make so much detail with these miniatures! Really inspiring to watch.

Just another view.

Chain stays attached to bowsprit and jibboom.

As usual, I couldn't resist so ended up making the brackets for the stays etc to attach and the basic bowsprit and jibboom is constructed.

G'day Keith, luckily modern ships don't have all that hull planking and tree nails to worry about plus with my wife working and my son at school, my days are free. I rarely watch the idiot box at home so building keeps me busy

Thanks Patrick. Yeah I should have a few more posts left in me Made a mock up of the bowsprit and jib-boom. The bowsprit is steel as is the lower part of the jib-boom. The rest of the jib-boom is wood. The masts are built in a similar way. The lower masts fore,main and midden are steel with the upper masts in wood. I've used plastic tube for the steel parts and wood for the wood. Not that it'll really matter what material as everything is painted on the real ship. Anyway just wanted to see how it will look.

Hi Patrick, I'be been on leave for the past few weeks so been keeping myself busy. Once I'm back at sea things will slow down but am hoping to have the hull complete before I leave. This will stay at home. There are a few models at the ships office, two of Leeuwin. One is quite an impressive model built out of brass. Not entirely accurate but cool nonetheless. The other in the board room was built during the original design stages so is a little different to how she looks now and some short-cuts were taken. I may donate the model but really haven't decided as yet. I'd like to build one of all the ships I've served on so we'll see. I already have the Endeavour which my father built while working for the building of the replica so that model is a model of the actual endeavour from the NMM plans rather than the replica with the enlarged transom and so forth, so I'll probably make a model of the replica one day rather than the actual endeavour if that makes sense. Haha

Haha thanks igor. I've always enjoyed art and drawing/painting when in school. So that does help. I just take my time with each part and it comes together in the end. I had originally thought of making decals for these but then the color would be similar but different to the rest of the yellow and also a yellow decal on a blue hull wouldn't really work so well.

Thanks very much igor. I just use a 1mm fine hair artist paint brush and paint straight on the model. I printed out an image as close to life size as the model and copy that.

As I had some of the buff yellow mixed up I started the scroll work. Port side and stern complete. Just need to do the starboard bow now.

Thanks John. Yep I'm also much happier with the lion now. Another small update, a little painting. I've added the buff yellow stripe down both sides of the hull under the rubbing strakes. This is the same colour as the lion, scroll work and masts will be also. I used tamiya masking tape- this stuff is awesome - sanded the blue lightly and hand brushed the stripe with four thin coats. She's starting to look more and more like Leeuwin.

Thanks everyone. I'm much happier with the reworked lioness now have to paint the thing! At least it's just basic painting of the mouth, teeth, eyes and outline of jaw and nose. Before refit whishkers were painted on but one of our volunteers who painted it last year (bolts had rusted so needed replacing - so it came off on the slip) didn't paint them this time.. FYI the current figurehead is actually the third one on the ship. The first fell off in '96 sailing back from Indonesia, and the second about three years ago off Geraldton. Both times, it was there when leaving a port and not there when arriving at the new one. Unfortunately in the past the three bolts holding the lioness on where always 'missed' during routine inspections by previous bosuns. Needless to say now, the bolts are constantly checked and tested. Leeuwin is now mounted on a base of Tasmanian oak plank. This is actually laminated planks rather than a single sheet, but I think it's a lovely looking base and its a nice hard Aussie wood. The keel isn't flat as it rises slightly by the bows so I've just used two machine bolts one towards the stern and one further foreword to give the rise. As its a modern ship, I wanted to keep the base and mount simple and clean. Let me know what you think.

Haha thanks guys. Ok so my reworked cat-dog figure head. Gave the original a quick coat of yellow so it was easier for me to see what was coming on and off. Santa hat for Chrissy only! Haha

True masterpiece alex. Brilliant stuff

Wow! This is cool, sorry just gob smacked at what you've done so small!

Attempted my lioness figurehead tonight. With most of my period ships that have carving I've always turned to milliput. I love to sculpt rather than carve so anyway, while I think it looks more like an angry dog. Perhaps once painted it should look fine. Please let me know your thoughts. Sorry no shots during the sculpting as my hands well fingers were covered in milliput. The last pic is our crazy bosun adding Christmas decorations last year the Santa hat is not normally there...

Thanks Igor, I may have to take you up on that! Such a cool desktop idea

Very impressive build Keith. Another kit on my wish list! I've only had a quick flick through your build but very impressed so far with your skill and finish.

Absolutely awesome work there igor! I don't think I could ever manage the detail you do at this size. Brilliant