KimatHm

Hi There Andy...!!!  Had to 'Chime In' again here, to compliment your work on the case...!!! Really adds to the overall enhancement

of the whole project...!!!  And fun...Too...!!!  Blessings...Kim

Hello Again, Dave...

   One other Suggestion to consider...!!!  Complete the Ship you're working on, only Replacing the Upper Deck with...Clear Styrene...which would allow the 'See Through' variation, allowing a full view of the existing lower deck, as it is...This really would be a very simple solution, and not very difficult to achieve...

   Additionally. you could do it in One Piece as opposed to the 3 pieces provided by Revell...worth a thought...!!!???  Be Proud of your work, My Friend...!!!

   It is possible to order, and / or obtain sheets of clear, OR slightly tinted, (such as a 'light tan') styrene for this purpose, which I'm sure you would be excellent at crafting, to provide the view of the lower deck, in all its' Glory ...!!!

 Blessings again...!!!

  Kim

   Hi Dave...!!!...  Kim Here...  I have a suggestion here, which may or may not strike a few nerves from some followers, but I really believe that you're at a point whereas you can truly enhance your work, with an additional display...meaning Do Not add the second, or upper deck to this model, or 'Unit'...!!!

   By All Means...(I would) Please consider building a Second Ship, ( or 'Piggy Back' ) that would include the upper deck (sans all of the'extras' on the lower deck) to be displayed along side of this Ship, in order for the viewer to actually see not only your Fine Work!!!, but they'll actually have a chance to view and see just how complicated and 'Busy' that deck was, and how serious the United States was at that time to constructing the ultimate frigate of its' time...

   You have completed some very serious hours in this piece, and it would be almost shameful to have it hidden from the Model Ship World by covering it, per the instructions of Revell...by covering it...

   This also 'proves' (if you will ) how serious a modeler you are, in ('showing off' !!! and) showing everyone the true skills you have offered for anyone to see...!!!

Please consider this...!!!???

Your work is beyond commendable...!!!   Kim  !!

Very Innovative, Evan...!!!  Very Surely the work of a 'Master Modeler Shipwright', if I do say...!!!

Keep it Up, Mate...!!!  Kim

Great Pics, Dave...!!!  The Cell phone pics never cease to amaze me, at how well they turn out, and how crisp a

shot that they take...!!!  All of that work surely pays off in both self satisfaction, and genuine all purpose value...!!!

Keep it up...!!!  Kim

Hi Andy...!!!  Beautiful Job my friend...!!!   Kind of a fun project, doing the case, Eh...??? Sure was for me...!!!  It just seems to enhance the Ship, and absolutely increases the value, considerably...!!!  (PLEASE be sure to contact your insurance carrier...[as I went through this one time with water damage, of all things !!]

and fortunately, State Farm took care of it, without question...the 'Case' made about a $ 670.00 difference, which helped out a bit) Nice Job...!!! Kim

Hi There, John & Dave...Kim Here...!!!   Great to be able to see a picture of all of you together...looks like you all had a wonderful time meeting and being able to share model ship stories ...???!! Hope all is well, and I'll be sendind along a few pics of my two ships, very shortly, to show my progress, and where it stands now...Blessings to All...!!!   Kim

Hi Dave...You're setting yourself, ( and for many others to follow !! ) a new Gold Standard for the efforts available and by all means possible for the modifications that can be applied to a 'stock' or standard 'Plastic' kit...!!! These kind of modifications, or 'Add-Ins' as they're sometimes called, are what we usually see in a more 'Advanced level' wood 'Plank on Frame' kit...Very Nice work...!!!  Your assembly at this point could actually be considered for ( and I'm considering for myself !!) a 'Cut-Away' version, that would enable either a rear or portside view of the inside of a the ship itself....This, of course exposes the details involved of the 'inner workings' of a ship to the novice, or average untrained viewing public or audience...( Usually seen in some museum dioramas ) I say this only because of the amount of work you've invested in the gun deck, which will be 'covered, and 'out of view' once the upper deck is installed....Your thoughts...???!!  ( By the Way...the last time I had done work of this nature was about 15 years ago with on of the 'Cuttys' I completed for an individual for display at a community college...and it was very rewarding, to say the least...!!!) As I said...I may go ahead and do this myself...Again...Nice to be able to talk to you live, and really nice work...My Friend ..!!  Kim

Thanks Jerry & E.G....  ( and sorry for overstepping / Hijacking your build log again...!!!)  A great bit of history being forwarded here, guys...!!! I wasn't able to dig anything close to that up, in my searches in just 'images' , so for that, I that you so much ...!!!   Blessings, All...Kim

BTW...I went ahead and did all my 'mast rings' in the 'gun metal gray'  ... I was only going to do one of the ships...(with sails) but it looked So Good, I couldn't resist doing the additional ship also...It just seems to add to the sake of the appearance of the rings being in such a 'protruded state' in leaving them white...giving way to a 'Plastic / Styrene material appearance, even after having been sprayed with the flat white, if you know what I mean...!!! Just a 'personal choice' I suppose...??!! Thanks again guys...!!!  Kim

A late Happy Birthday, Dave...!!! I don't feel a day over 58 either, come to think of it...!!!?? ( So, I guess it's Okay since I turned 61 last Feb...!!!) Hope all went well...!!! Blessings, Mate...!!!

Great...!!!   I'm glad the glue product(s) worked out for you...!!!  It's funny how some of our best (??) tools & techniques are discovered by accident, as the Plastruct products were for me...!!!!   Thanks for the 'color guides' on the mast rings...I think I'm going to go with the 'gun metal gray' (which is almost a 'blue') on the 'with sails' version, if only for the contrast 'effect'... & any pics anyone has would be most appreciated...!!! Thanks Guys !!! Kim

Quick Question for those that are following this thread, and perhaps the other 'Connie' build logs... I'm at the point in my builds (the two of them as a pair !!) whereas I'm trying to determine from photos of both models and the real ship, if the mast rings on all three masts were of a different color than the white...or if the mast rings were painted a light gray, or,  Hmmmm...I was originally planning on doing mine in a 'light gray', to match the bowsprit, or now, thinking I might just leave them Be...Hmmmm....Suggestions, anyone...???!!! Kim

Thanks for the Comments, and referral, M Taylor...Appreciate It...!!! For Nenad...!!! I've done that feature ( Very Rare on Most Models, and especially the Cutty Sark... Your definitely on the right track, and you're really not that far off as far as scale is concerned...I'm currently awaiting a 'membership approval' for the Yahoo Groups website, to view the photos on your link...Beautiful, and VERY CONCIENCIOUS work going on there...I'm Impressed...!!! Will get back to you soon, as soon as I'm allowed to view the photos...!!! Thanks Again, and Blessings ...!!! Kim

Nice Video...!!! Well Done...!!! You're now starting to remind me of my friend & 'Long Distance Mentor,' Steve Priske ( the shipwright I've mentioned previously from 'Tall Ships of San Francisco'...His Videos were GREAT !!!) Keep it up....!!  Kim

I've been wondering when someone might bring this subject to the table...!!! For YEARS I've been using a cement called 'Plastruct' (Plastic Weld)...General Purpose Plastic Solvent Cement... ESPECIALLY for my rigging issues...!!!  It Doesn't get all dried up and 'cracking, or give that appearance, or get 'yellowed' after a few years, and remains clear... it evaporates almost instantly, and is just what the Doctor ordered for these type of situations... It comes in a 2 Fl. Oz. bottle, with a really nice applicator brush....I've used this, and still use it for my rope coils also...even after the rigging material has been 'waxed'   As most of you know by now...most rigging material has a fair amount of 'plastic' in it, and is one of the reasons it seems to work so well...I Swear by it...!!!   http://www.plastruct.com/  Just a suggestion for everyone...!!! Let me know what you think..( Please Note...This isn't  the same as the liquid cements from 'Testors', for regular Styrene Plastics...)... Kim

Wow...!!!  Thanks a lot for posting, John...!!! Makes me feel as though we're 'Kinda There' with You all, for some reason...!!!

That's quite the model on display, Huh ?? Nice gift for us all...!!! Kim

Great Pics...!!! Looking Forward to Those to Follow...!!!  Kim

Looking forward to seeing more pics on your Connie, as you get back into it...Keep up with your patience, Mate...!!!  Kim

Hey There, Jim...Nice work on your rigging...!!! Ahh....the old Ratlines...those damn Ratlines...!!! They just never seem to end, do they...???!! But when they're finally completed...what a great sense of well being, ehh?? It always was (is) for me anyway...!!! Keep it up, Mate...!!!  Kim

Hey Force9...You're 100% right on your build log taking on its' own life...!!! Amazing how that happens...Ehh???  Kim...!!!

The Illuminated Photos are great...!!! Gives a really authentic look, and a really good sense of the 'Particular, Patient, Conscientious and Serious Modeler'...Well Done, my friend ...!!!  Kim 

Really Nice work there, Dave...!!! Excellent...

Hey There...Rammoz...Kim Here...!!! Had to comment on the 'Sails'issue...Usually I've done my own, or had my 'Sails Lady' sew them...but a cople of the older kits that I had, including one of the Connies I'm doing now, will include the 'Stock' styrene sails that come supplied with the kit...Anyway with a little patience, and a few hundred mistakes under your belt, you can actually convert them into some pretty awesome, very cloth / muslin appearing sails...it really does take a bit of work, but when the comments come from all different professions viewing the ships on display ask "how did you do those cloth sails, and get them to retain their billows like that ??" is the rewarding part, cuz I know the secrets...!!!  Sails are always debatable...whether or not to hide all of your painstaking rigging, or...???  One of the reasons I always build in pairs...One with...and one without...But that's just me...!!!  Any other thoughts...???

Hello Again, Mates...!!! In the one Pic, there's actually 3 Thermopylaes...!!! The one on top I got from an gent in England, and it's a 24" Scale...All of the others are 1/96 Scale, or the 36" Models...If I ever decide NOT to build them, (as I already have them done !!) I'll let you all know, and you can decide who wants them the most...Ehh..???!!  Kim