Chuck

I am about half way there with more kits. Getting another wood order late next week because I wasnt happy with the quality of the 1/32" sheets of cedar I have left. There were to many imperfections/graininess for my tastes. Maybe another week to 10 days. We dont churn these out in a sweatshop so they take more time to produce. Quality control and the best materials are super important to me. Chuck

I am not sure if I posted this yet but I want to give everyone a detailed view of the model as it will ultimately appear....hopefully. Here is a link to download sheet one of the plans. I am going to shoot for launching this before it is completed so it is important that you guys see what the Frigate Winchelsea will ultimately look like. This shows the profile and stern view. Dont worry, like all of my plans, this first sheet wont contain any parts so no need to worry about pirating. Download and have a look!!! Because the image has very fine lines so a jpg like posted above is just too light. Click below for full size sheet. Winchelseaplanone.pdf

Sorry to hear that....I hope for a speedy recovery!!!

How goes the progress....looking forward to seeing you build the model. Remember to ask me any questions. Chuck

Take it easy Nic....rest up. When you are back to work you will be able to work twice as hard now!!!!! You are all fixed up.

Enjoy the project!!! Dont hesitate to ask me any questions. The rigging isnt that bad on this one.

I was just checking everyones progress. I noticed there are a bunch of guys who started logs but havent started building yet. Hows it going with those? I checked to see if they were indeed shipped out and they were. I am just trying to keep the momentum going on this build. I look forward to seeing some of you guys start your models. If anyone has any questions please let me know. I am waiting on yet another batch of milled cedar but hope to have more kits available in a couple of weeks. Its never too late to join the group if you are interested. While you wait, check out the other logs and be sure to encourage those already building the model. Thanks Chuck

Nice start...Is it me or is the bulkhead former severely warped and bent? I would also caution on that forward bulkhead. The top timbers dont look like they have nearly enough thickness to fair them properly. Just an observation. I think fairing that hull is going to be a challenge. I see you already added a bunch of strips to fix what looks like mis-shaped bulkheads. Am I correct? We shall see. Chuck

I was just asked where the final chapter of this project was.....sorry guys. I have had this completed for months now and actually thought I posted it. I apologize. Anyway...I have now added it to the download area. Sorry for the delay. I cant believe I didnt upload it.

Added more companies.......remember you can still vote. You can also change your vote. You can pick 3 choices for each question in this poll. Please dont bash the poll. We realize it isnt perfect but the info is still very very valuable. If a brand has high negatives and no positives. I think it is something you might want to know before spending a few hundred dollars. This isnt a complicated poll....its just a snapshot of what you think based on actual experiences.

excellent model!!! You did an incredible job on her. That will be a tough act for anyone to top and should serve as a great guide for others building the kit!!!

Nice Jim...Start making some sawdust already!!!!

Actually if you dont mind the look of an admiralty style model or just a planked hull model, 1:48 is my scale choice. The low but long cases are not an issue to display. Having at least one in your collection is a must in my opinion. The experience of building a larger frigate is something I think everyone should consider at least once. I used to think the same thing actually but now that I have started on one, the build experience is far more enjoyable. I am fortunate to have started a 32 gun frigate in 1:64 many years ago and it is incomplete. But I have just restarted the project in a larger 1"48 scale. The build experience is very different and much more enjoyable when I compare the two. Looking back at the smaller version I wonder why I even attempted building it....it makes for a much more tedious and frustrating experience. Although I know a few people who are building frigates in 1:96 scale. I dont think I would enjoy that building process at all. But yes, displaying it would be easier. If I knew that I was going to spend possibly years building something, I would want to enjoy the process with as little frustration from the small parts as possible. I would rather think about solutions for their eventual display rather than suffer through two years of building something tiny. Maybe thin the heard a bit to make room for the larger model. Also, your skills probably improved over time and culling out your earlier models built to a lesser degree of craftsmanship is something I dont mind doing.

I also just got a wonderful batch of raw cherry lumber. I thought I would show you guys. The Winnie will also be available in cherry. From this very cherry board. Its really nice stuff and some of the best I have bought. Very clear cherry with little to no gum pockets and sap spots. Once I get some of this milled along with a few more boards of cedar I will actually start laser cutting parts for the first two Winnie parts. This way I have a bunch in stock when I am ready to launch.

I forgot I had the pictures from seven years ago of the smaller version in boxwood.....it is freaky looking at them right next to the newer version. I made several small changes in the design and appearance but they look like they could be pictures of the same model even though the wood is completely different.

Case in point about the similarity between Cedar and boxwood. Mike hasnt applied any Wipe on Poly to his Winnie yet. That will be a really good comparison. Hopefully in a Couple of weeks. But to illustrate the color and texture between these two fine woods I can post the images below. The first smaller (3/16" Boxwood) version of Winnie from seven years ago is on the bottom. The Winnie in Cedar clearly has a richer, deeper warm tone. But they are very similar. When mixing some boxwood for the finer details, it blends so well that is is so difficult to tell where the boxwood was used. This helps me exploit the use of boxwood on the thinner more delicate parts of the model without them sticking out like a sore thumb. They will just blend in perfectly.

My longboat is already cedar. The 1/2" scale kit. I have 3 in stock. Some elements are better suited for other woods however. I am certain the ships wheel could be made out of cedar. The same is true for the lantern and a few other things. But having said this, the color difference can barely be noticed. In fact, in many cases you could never tell the difference between box and cedar on the model. If you look at the Medway Longboat, the molding and a few other elements are boxwood rather than cedar. You cant tell and the boxwood is best suited for scraping molding. I plan to use it for such details on this model too. For example....the molding, ships wheel, stern and quarter gallery windows. The beauty of cedar is that it is not so different than boxwood that it cant be mixed on one project without being noticeable in order to take advantage of the best qualities of each of them. The Winnie will have a longboat and a Pinnace. These will be afded and designed much later. They will be very simular ti the two ships boats I made for Confederacy.

grumbacher mars black....thought i would try something new. Works fine and really cant tell any difference from Windsor and Newton I used to use.

Thank You very much for saying....The wales look odd otherwise. The wales were just painted by hand. Nothing special ....no dye or pickling. I used black acrylic paint. The wales were painted before the black strake was glued into position....so no need to be too careful with the top edge. The black strake which was left natural covers any errors and gives you a nice clean edge. I am a gluten for punishment... I could have painted the bottom edge before gluing it, but I just painted the wales after I sanded them very smooth and filled every crack. The trick is just to go slow and use many many coats of thinned paint. Sand with 400 grit before the last few coats. I did buff to a dull sheen. I am sure many more coats and additional sanding will be done before the model is completed. Chuck

When I finish planking her. That is when I will release the starter package and second installment. I just want to get well ahead of the crowd. It will be available in Alaskan Yellow Cedar and Cherry. Depending on what you like better .....both wood choices will be available. I would love to see a cherry version built.

Originally that is how I intended to do it. But I thought it would be a nice change to have guns on both sides. I would also be able to skip making and adding all of those knees. Nobody would ever see them. LOL...but we shall see. I may change my mind from now till then.

Happy 4th to all my fellow countryman.....☺️ I think I will spend this holiday working on the Winnie. With the drop planks completed, I could add the second layer of wales and the black strake. I used 3/64" thick planks for the wales and just 1/64" thick planks for the black strake. One thing I see a lot on kit models are the wales made really thick. They stand proud of the planking by 1/16". This was not the case usually and so the on this model the wales followed this actual practice. Here is a great example on this contemporary model from the same period. This is the Amazon....note the wales and how thick they are in relation to the planking. By the way..this is how I plan to show the quarter deck modeled with exposed beams...at least as of today. So here is the Winnie with wales and black strake completed on the port side. It makes the world of difference in its appearance. And one other thing I would like to mention. The wales and black strake would fit into the rabbet at the stem. It wouldnt stand proud as is shown on most kits and models these days. Its another typical oversight. To fix this, I simply reduced their thickness gradually up to the rabbet so it looks like it fits into the rabbet. I used a sharp chisel and some fine sandpaper. Comments and questions are always welcomed!!!

Hows progress coming along? You are nearly all done with the model. I am looking forward to seeing the finished model. Its coming along fantastic!!!😃

No it is semi scratch....you can buy as much of the laser parts as you want. You must also buy the wood needed separately.... Either from me or from elsewhere. Its an a la carte build which in concept was presented this way so folks might be tempted to scratch some parts rather than buy the mini kits which are sold separately. Chuck

I finished planking the other side up to the sheer. With that completed, I would really like to add the second layer of the wales and the black strake. BUT...it just makes sense to add a few strakes below the first layer of wales first. To do this, we will need to make a drop plank at the bow. The drop plank essentially takes two strakes at mid ship and reduces them down to one strake as it enters the rabbet at the bow. I really good example of this is shown below on this contemporary model. A very similar drop plank was used on the Cheerful model as well. They are not that difficult to lay out and make. But having said this, I noticed that a few people building the Cheerful had some trouble making theirs. So to make that easier this time around, I laser cut the drop planks. Of course this may need tweaking to fit on other models of the Winnie. It will be almost certain that the planks above it will be added slightly different on everyone's model. But it should be very close. At the very least, it could be used as a template and new one cut to fit your model. You will notice another small tool in that photo above. Its two 1/4" wide planks glued together. This will be used as a gauge to mark the two strakes aft of the drop plank. Basically you should mark every bulkhead starting with bulkhead "Q" and work your way aft. Those bulkheads ahead of "Q" will have planks slightly narrower and tapered. Then I took the "tail" of the drop plank which will end on bulkhead "Q" and did a dry fit. I wanted to make sure a 1/4" plank would fit between the drop plank and wales....the "tail" of the drop plank is on the top in the photo below......then I checked to see if the plank fit and matched my tick marks. The drop plank was glued into position. I made sure that the "tail" ended where my tick marks indicated. Then I continued planking the two strakes and worked my way aft. Now I can finally add the second layer of wales and the black strake. That will be done next and after painting the wales this model should actually start looking like something recognizable as a frigate. Heres an overall view of the hull.....it will look much different once those wales are completed and painted. Once again heres that contemporary model.....note how the wales are black and the black strake is left natural. This is what I will be shooting for.