DCooper

Looks mighty fine.  A great improvement over trying to cobble together the broken kit parts.  Did you think to score a deep groove lengthwise down the top rails so you could use a very dark paint wash to fake the separation?  This structure will be much stronger than the kits parts that is for sure.
 
I hope you are on the mend and feeling better.  
 
All my best wishes.
 
Dan

A reply to a couple of the comments above. 
 
Eric--You are correct about the use of proper terminology.  Despite my issues with sheer, I am striving to use and spell the nautical terms correctly.  We should always make an effort to use the correct terms.    If you see additional errors please let me know.  I did some edits tonight and may have not caught all the Shears to correct to Sheer.   For a while I had issues with Bulkhead Zero (0) before I began calling it the center line bulkhead.   I believe it to be the center line bulkhead rather than the zero bulkhead.  Let me know if I am correct on this.   As to the spacer project----it looks complex, but what it really was, was time consuming.  Please remember that I am trying to use minimum tools(not just minimum tools but tools readily available to a beginner), therefore I will not use my table saw or disc sander or drill press. I am also trying to use minimal additional materials.  The scrap wood in the kit lends itself to this blocking project very well.   I elected blocking the model up because it is an accepted modeling process and I believed it would give me a very rigid hull to work with when I faired the hull.  It has done that, it is very rigid and does not twist and flex.  This may make it easier for the beginner.  I do not know if the strips glued along the top would make it as rigid as I have never used that method before and thus can not compare the two.  Above, Toni seems to indicate that they would not.  
 
Mark--You have never meet me, but all my local ship modeling friends would agree with you that I tend to over think things.  I laughed when I read your comment.  Putting aside the criticism of my choice of subject, the purpose of this build log is to try and teach a beginner to build the boat.  The instructions in the kit do not offer the detail of model construction that I am attempting here.  I have learned over the years that beginners really like to see it, no matter how basic.  It makes for greater understanding.  I assume nothing about the skill set of my reader, so I explain the mundane.  I also am thinking though the process in each step so as to figure how to best explain it to someone who knows nothing about building a ship model. Also, this kit has been done countless times on MSW and my log is an attempt to contribute on some level that has not been done before on this kit or on others.   It is first and foremost a teaching effort.  If I was just going to build the boat, I would just refer to Bob F.'s build log for guidance and no one here would know I was building the boat.
 
Building boards are necessary to precision. I also believe they will help a beginner.  My steel blocks would have been nice to use, but a beginner would not buy them.  Thus the flush and perpendicular stationary gantry wall idea.    I have re-structured the building board to hold the model for planking.  Still do not know how it will work out, but we will see.  After all, I get to edit the build log at any point and change my mind later.
 
Additionally, the NRG board has received some feed back that board members are not visible enough on MSW and we should make an effort to participate more.  This was my choice for greater participation.  I have found that because I must make time to write my build log and check up on comments, I am on MSW more and I tend to participate more often in other areas of the site. 
 

Thank you for sharing your wonderful build.  I am very inspired by just how fine and clean your details are.  It motivates me to upgrade much of my past work and improve my future builds.  I am following along and enjoying myself immensely, better still I want to got out to the bench and do better work.  Thanks!
 
Dan 

Thank you for sharing your wonderful build.  I am very inspired by just how fine and clean your details are.  It motivates me to upgrade much of my past work and improve my future builds.  I am following along and enjoying myself immensely, better still I want to got out to the bench and do better work.  Thanks!
 
Dan 

Thank you for sharing your wonderful build.  I am very inspired by just how fine and clean your details are.  It motivates me to upgrade much of my past work and improve my future builds.  I am following along and enjoying myself immensely, better still I want to got out to the bench and do better work.  Thanks!
 
Dan 

Progress to date.  The upper deck has been framed and planked, with the passageway opening to the gun deck framed out.  Ladders will lead below.  The inboard bulwark planking is bloodwood.  Next up is to fit the cap rails and frame in the entryways on either side of the cross section.  I also need to fabricate new wooden carriages for the carronades, install the rosewood trim around the stairway opening and place the stanchions for the rope rail.  There is a bitt with belaying pins that needs to be remade and installed.  Then I turn my attention to the outside of the hull.  If you look closely you can see the holes where the pins fixing the gun port lids will attach.

Damn, I didn’t think of that!  I tried to split those 4 mm strips down the middle and I couldn’t get anything of consistent width.
 I tried to cut some wooden ones on my table saw and came out even worse. I’m curious as to why there are two rails on top, the posts are set apart very narrowly and it doesn’t look like there would be space in there for the human body. Can anybody elaborate on why those rails are set up differently than the ones at the front or the back of the ship?

May I humbly  suggest that you look at using soldered brass strip.  If you pre-tin the top rail and make a simple jig you should be able to put this together pretty easily even if you are new to soldering.  Much stronger result and once painted shouldn't look out of place.  IHTH  I am so enjoying your build and your ship looks beautiful.
 
Dan

May I humbly  suggest that you look at using soldered brass strip.  If you pre-tin the top rail and make a simple jig you should be able to put this together pretty easily even if you are new to soldering.  Much stronger result and once painted shouldn't look out of place.  IHTH  I am so enjoying your build and your ship looks beautiful.
 
Dan

I've heard of folks doing this........likely this is the reason why.  good save   

A wise and elegant substitution for a fragile part that if broken latter in the build would have caused a lot of problems.  
 
Good solution.
 
Dan

A wise and elegant substitution for a fragile part that if broken latter in the build would have caused a lot of problems.  
 
Good solution.
 
Dan

Very productive day today due to the rain.

I have all the top guns on and tie down now. Currently working on getting the launches and the oars painted and mounted.

Time to start tying lines to the cannons. That may take awhile. I do like working with the rigging lines a lot more than painting.

I have the main deck on. I thought I would use some of the styrene strips along the sides, so I am transferring the hole locations to the strips as I glue them on. I also picked up some Bondo spot putty for gaps. It worked way better than wood filler.

Galley stern finally fitted up.

On to the spar deck,,

painted the stern housing,,

 

Well it has been a while but finally had some time to put in a couple of hours of work on this project.
 
I would like to thank all those who have followed, commented on and liked this thread it is greatly appreciated. Also a special thanks to member robdurant who provided a great photo tour of the HMS Victory. I would encourage anyone who has not seen them to follow the link HMS Victory Photos as they provided most of the detail and ideas for this build.
 
On to tonight's progress report
 

Using a scrap piece of bass wood I started rough shaping.
 

and more hacking
 

and some sanding
 

and more shaping
 

Then some cussing. An hours work on what was shaping up to be a nice powder horn in the scrap pile. I tried to repair it but could not make it line up right so I might try again later.
 
I decided to go with the rigging in the stowed configuration shown in the photos by robdurant. I thought it was a little different from all the other examples of this kit I have seen.
 

And I think we can call this one finished. If you are wondering about the "period correct red bucket" follow the link at the beginning of this post.
 
Again thanks to all and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
 
 
 
 

I am having a heck of a time getting the sides to stay glued to the deck. They keep popping out.

Thanks for looking in everyone and for the likes and comments. Not much accomplished in the last few days. I always think I am going to get so much done over a long weekend but never seem to find the time. I got my bore tools finished and started to make the breeching line.
 

 

 
I know that this is not the typical breeching line but I saw a Naval Historical Foundation pamphlet titled Constitution Gun Deck and there is an illustration depicting this style and I thought it was more interesting then just looping it around the cascabel. I also got started on making a quoin I will finish that tomorrow I hope, also all of the carriage hardware is complete and waiting to be blackened. Still a lot to do but getting closer.
 
Best regards and Happy New Year to All

Don't look too closely, but I'm quite happy with my effort on this. Quite a bit of touch up, been at it for the last 2 hours .

Got a little more done today.  I milled my own keelson and deck clamps out of European beech and installed them.  Next is planking the hold.  I'll use beech and include thick stuff as well as footwaling.  I also plan limber boards and a well and shot locker.  This may be a bit challenging at what is essential 1/8" scale.

It is taking a lot of coats of white paint to cover up primer between the gun ports.  I am at four coats already and I can still see some of the primer beneath the paint .  I’m not sure if that’s normal or not .