Dubz

Aaahh, you are not 'mixing' paints, as per the thread title, but you want to apply coats of different types of paint onto each other - this is something different, not to be mixed up.
 
There have been already various discussions on this this subject on the Forum.
 
There is a century old golden rule: fat on lean, never the other way around, meaning you can apply lipophilic paints (e.g. oil paints or enamels) onto hydrophilic (e.g. gouache or acrylics) paints, but not the other way around. Water-based paints, such as acrylics, would not stick on oils or enamels very well due to their different physico-chemical properties (surface tension, wetting behaviour, Van der Waal interactions, etc.).
 
The same applies to varnishes, that could be either oil-based or water-based. Varnishes are essentially resins dissolved in some solvent, but contrary to paints do not contain pigments. Some modellers extensively apply 'intermediate' varnishes to seal layers of paint, but these have to be compatible with the paints.
 
It is a common process among modellers to apply a base-coat of acrylics (typically by spraying) and then to work-in details (e.g. weathering, highlights, etc.) using (artists') oil-washes.

Just received the replacements of the warped false keel parts from the Pegasus. This time they are dead straight. Thanks to the good service from Cornwall Model Boats and Amati.

Finally, a small update: Both pairs of carronades are installed. Each is about 20 mm long.
 


 
Here on the deck of La Mutine...


 
... and on the deck of La Topaze.
 



Have a nice weekend,
Gregor
 
 

This book is very good, with a very detailed structure introduction

Post 47

Looking at Anchors.

Taking a break from the tricky business of gun rigging preparation I’ve had a look at the anchors.

According to the Alert Book five anchors were carried:

1 sheet anchor 17/18cwt

2 bower anchor 14/15cwt

1 stream anchor 6cwt

1 kedge anchor 3cwt

The kit provides two white metal cast anchors to represent the bowers. They are cleanly made and to an accurate scale for the Sheet anchor (Best Bower), but perhaps a tad large (by 5mm) for the smaller Bower usually stowed on the port bow.


3976lI
Alongside are outsourced anchors to represent the smaller Stream and Kedge anchors.

I was less impressed by the wooden stocks; they had caught my eye on the photo’s in the kit build manual, looking too thin and without the depth to allow proper shaping.

 Ideally, they should be deeper in the centre section to allow for a taper upwards towards the arm ends.

They did however reflect the taper towards the arm ends when in plan view.


3977lI
The issue can be seen here, the upper stocks are from a Caldercraft anchor kit which are properly split down the centre and allow for shaping.

The lower stocks are the kit provided items which for me don’t pass muster.

 
Using the Caldercraft stock as a template, replacement Boxwood versions were made cut out of 3mm sheet.


3987

3986

3985
I will leave the finishing off until later and return to a last push to complete the Breeching lines, seven down, five to go.


 
B.E.

20/12/2019

 

Not really all that many options, really, and most all of them are really worthwhile. I'd suggest the following in descending order of importance:
 
Micrometer stop. There's no point in owning a saw that is as accurate as this one without this convenience.
 
Extended rip fence. It really is important because the stock fence is really low. It's nice to have something more substantial to lean the workpiece up against when cutting larger stuff, cutting rabets and grooves, and such.
 
Miter bar gives you more control. The miter gauge comes stock with the saw and is very accurate. The bar is $8 and worth it. If you get the sliding table, you probably won't be using the miter gauge as much, but the added length is handy.
 
Miter gauge adjustable extension. It's just a stick of aluminum, but for the price, handy to have. I don't own a miter gauge that I haven't put some kind of extension on and I think I have four or five of them.
 
Sliding table. Yes, it's really worth the money... it expands the saw's utility tremendously and is super-accurate.  For repetitive cross-cuts, you gotta have it. This is the most expensive of the "must haves." If all you are going to be doing is ripping strip wood, you can do without it, but any sort of cross-cutting, making gratings, super accurate miter cuts for case building, lots of little short pieces all exactly the same length, and so on makes this a "gotta have" for me. It's really solid and accurate and slides as slick as greased goose poop. The integral blade cover is also a really nice safety feature. 
 
You should also get a selection of saw blades and zero clearance inserts, because they do make a big difference depending on the application. You can make your own inserts, if you want, but for eight bucks, you might as well get the perfectly-fitting ones from the factory. I don't know that the blades are available for much less anywhere else. I'd ask Jim Byrnes which blades he recommends for the work you expect to be doing. He won't steer your wrong.
 
Same goes for the "spare parts package." For eight bucks, it's worth having an extra of all the little screws that you know you're going to need when you drop and lose one every so often. You'd spend more than eight bucks in gas driving around trying to find someplace that had them in stock locally. A replacement belt is worth having handy as well. Keep in mind that if you order all this little stuff at the same time as the saw, you'll probably save a bundle on shipping costs over buying them piecemeal.
 
As you can see, that doesn't leave much not to buy.   Everybody seems to agree that the tilting table is really not something anybody uses all that often, for ship modeling, at least. maybe the model railroaders do, or whatever. You can always make your own taper gauge, but I bought one of Jim's because they're just so damn pretty. 
 
I guess the accessories are pretty much essentials, although optional, depending on the use to which a buyer is going to put their saw. 
 
Like the man says, if you can afford a BMW, you'd be nuts not to pay a few bucks more for the leather seats!
 
 

Hello Yves,
 
I'm no expert; just an old retired dude interested in U-Boats! At one time when I was a bit younger and had more patients, I had some model building skills. However, not to your level of detail and patients (keep up the excellent work)! In my personal opinion, Mr. Tore Berg-Nielsen is the sole remaining expert on the Type VII U-Boat. Previously, Maciek Florek (snake doc was his internet handle) from Warsaw Poland was a U-Boat expert and translated many German U-Boat documents including my U-Boat Type VII C training manual for Jerry Mason's website uboatarchive.net. Sadly, my very dear friend Maciek Florek passed away on 2 August 2017. In "Skizzenbuch" on page IV, I dedicate the book to the memory of Maciek Florek...
 
Regards,
Don_
 
FYI - The Ball Point Pen was invented in the USA in 1888, see the following website:
http://www.historyofpencils.com/writing-instruments-history/history-of-ballpoint-pens/
 
Sold on Ebay - WWII WW2 German Wehrmacht Officer Soldier Black Bakelite Ballpoint Pen

We now have reached a point, when serious decisions must be taken. Assemble or not assemble?

I am sure you all agree that it needs to be put together. Therefore, here are a few pictures: 




And the silly pictures...




I hope you have enjoyed being reduced to 1/48th scale and taking a tour of that interesting compartment. Next time, we seal it with the ceiling..... but first some crews....
 
Yves

Thank you all! 
 
Party time! 🍻
The shrouds on the second side are equiped with ratlines finally. I'm So glad this nightmare is over

I recently took delivery of Tom’s HMS Enterprize kit.  Wow!  I saw the built up version at his home in Shanghai and was smitten.  Tom regularly upgrades the kits as he figures out a better way or gets customer feedback.  He tries to replicate the look and materials of the Admiralry models, even producing some of the carvings in bone.  Quite an amazing product.  Good quality wood, cast brass cannon, wooden carvings, etched brass, the list goes on.  The kit came in seven boxes and weighed several kilo.  
 
I hope the arrangement with ANCRE gets done soon.  I once tried to build Le  Salamandre from the plans.  I got a long way on it and just ran out personal steam.  I’ve seen his kit and can say it will be a lot easier to realize a ship in frame and far more precisely than I could ever do.  This model has been upgraded too, he changed how the cant frames are cut and assembled to make them easier to build and replicate actual construction.  The method of building the cutter is also improved with a resin cast jig to lat frames and planks.  
 
Welcome Tom, and thank you Chuck!
 
cheers,
 
Kerry
Vancouver, Canada
 

Thank you Johann😉.
Making of "wedges" for main mast mounting.

Hi all,
A little bit more work done again today. First off, the ladders from the Quarter Deck to the Poop Deck. 

Followed by more Rails, these are situated around the ship and will, eventually, hold the netting. The next picture shows the first row of posts being fitted.
This is another of those jobs that get easier as you go on.

 

The next run of shots shows, from various angles, the Rails painted.






Here is the last pair being fitted. I left them until last as their method of attachment differed from the rest. Why it was different is a mystery to me but so are the instructions in general.

A little bit more head scratching and they are on. I have threaded the Rails onto the posts but have run out of time to paint.

on my next session l shall complete the task by painting. 
Best wishes as always, 
The Lazy Saint. 
 
Session.          Time.         Total.   
35.                    5 hrs.         123 hrs.   

I was shocked when I saw this set of drawings for the first time. He was so gorgeous and had so many beautiful paintings. I watched for a long time and slowly appreciated them, trying to understand the craftsman's state from my current perspective
The ribs of British wooden sailboat are very complex. When making HMS enterprise, the ribs are simplified. There are two advantages: 1. The difficulty of making is reduced, the production is convenient, 2. The cost is reduced
But for HMS fly, I want to show its original structure as much as I can, which is a big challenge for me, but I like to challenge


Here's the scale, which can be adjusted to any scale

An overspray of grey blue and I’m pretty happy with a mottled finish looks about the right shade of blue to my eye. 

Still toying, yes literally, with the front bulkhead. I have decided with some spare parts to replicate the fan system, used to bring fresh air and extract used air from the inside of the pressure hull. Of course, Trumpeter does not provide the second set of fan/turbine as well as some of the pipes and it is very regrettable.

It takes a lot of butchering and gluing of the pipes to get to a decent and matching results. I have also added the electric motors which are driving the turbines, as these parts were not designed by Trumpeter. Please do not ask for the electric wires of the fan motors....

Close up on the little wooden desk. Barely visible against the wall, is a German print indicating essential operations of the Diesel engines. On the wooden desk, is a schematic of some of the numerous pipes circuits and a large pen. Not yet visible, is a small light to the left of the red control hand wheel. The micro wires are coming above on the bulkhead.

We now have quite a few pieces to put together. However, before the final assembly, I still have to work on the walkway.

Yves

Hi all,
Today l tackled the Rudder and started work on the Rails.
Here you can see the Rudder fitted. I have tried to attach it as realistically as possible using real pictures and my AOTS book. The method of attachment in the instruction book is very toy like.

l think the iron bands are a little wide but otherwise ok.
The Rails are certainly fiddly and l was, at first, a little concerned l may not be able to manage them but they were ok in the end.
The next two shots are of the Poop Deck posts.

and the next two are on the Quarter Deck. 

l was very pleased with the results although I was, at this stage, still a little concerned about my ability to thread the very thin Rails through the tiny holes in the posts.
My fears were unfounded. 

l am now quite confident in my ability to manage all the Rails around the ship.
Tomorrow l shall cut to the correct length and then paint. I think l will also have a look at the entry port canopies, the Gunport Wriggles and the side ladders.
Best wishes as always, 
The Lazy Saint. 
 
Session.          Time.           Total. 
34.                    4 hrs.           118 hrs. 
 

Post 46

Gun rigging (Part 1)

For this I will be using Syren rigging line and blocks.

The kit provided rectangular single hole blocks belong to a gone-by kit era, and there are many better options now available.

Breeching line 4¼” circ; 24’ length.

This scales to 0.54mm ø and with a length of 114mm.

I am using Syren 0.63mm line.

114mm scale length seems a bit long on the model, the breeching rope needs to have slack to allow for recoil and look realistic, but too much and it simply looks untidy. Conversely one of my pet hates is a breeching line too tight that would allow no recoil at all.

I played around with the length and decided on an 80mm line.

Attaching the line to the bulwark rings and over the button and thro’ the carriage rings is a fiddly business and connecting the line to the bulwark rings I find almost impossible to do neatly with the gun insitu.

One of the objectives is to not have the splice around the bulwark ring too bulky.

Modellers cannot do better than follow Chuck’s method as given in his Cheerful build.


3950(2)
A simple jig is used to hold the bulwark rings at the correct distance apart. One seizing is made, I use 0.1mm Morope line and a needle, the carriage side rings are slipped over the line and the other seizing made.


3948
The line at the centre is split apart to fit over the gun button, and the job is done.


3957
Trial fit on the deck.

 

3958
Difficult to properly arrange the breeching rope at this stage as neither gun nor rings are yet fixed, but the prime objective of confirming the line length is achieved.

 
I can now at last fix some of the hatches in place.


3959(2)

3963
The Main hatch grating has been modified to allow passage of the anchor cables.

 
Twelve sets of Breeching lines have now to be made up. Not one of my favourite jobs, a rather tiresome exercise.

 
B.E.

18/12/2019

 
 

I just had a conversation with Tom and Ancre.  I have been made aware that this arrangement is not yet finalized.  But I am very optimistic that it will be in a very short time.  So please be patient.   There will be an announcement when everything is all wrapped up!!!     I think a bit of this got lost in translation.   
 
Chuck

Hi all,
 
Early next year, Amati will release their new 1:200 Bismarck kit. This one will be a beast! 
 
Here's some info on this forthcoming kit:
 
Length 127 cm Height 29 cm Width 18 cm Hull: plank on frame (also ready to accommodate RC Control) Laser etched wooden decks Anton Bruno Cesar and Dora turrets made in plywood and covered with photoetched brass. Metal gun barrels. Options for three style of camouflage, dependent on career stage. Wooden base for etched plate Decals for Sound Locator System.  
The Bismarck will be unveiled at the Nuremberg Toy Fair between 29th January - 2nd February 2020, by Krick, Amati's German distributor.
 
Here's a few photos. I'll add more over the next weeks  
 

Hello, managed to get a couple or three hours at the workbench, and made a scraper to form the entry steps, I've also fitted them and the fenders to one side of the cross section, the gangway to the same side has been fitted as there are no guns going that side.
Thanks for the likes. 😁
Cheers for now 👍

Highlighting the hull plates. I now need to do a brue grey Blending overspray them maybe some filters. 

Paint time, base coat of sea blue
 
then normal blue, 
 
this lighter blue will be the base for the gantries, floater baskets and radio towers 

Thanks a lot! 
 
Only small progress. I have added tackle of jib halyard and jib downhaul. I thought I make it more interesting and Mark the running of the rope in the photo. Let me know if you find it interesting, I could do other ropes too. It is getting pretty crowded around the mast (I like that) 
 
Jib halyard = blue
It goes from the eye on the deck next to the mast up to the mast head through 3 blocks back down to the bitt on the deck. There is the tackle coming from the eye on the deck. 
 
Jib downhaul = Red 
Goes from top of the stem through the block on the Block attached to the jib halyard to the the deck. 

Next I began work on the top mizzen top mast and royal haul purchases and running them to the crab winches..

After that patience builder...I proceeded to finish up all the remaining mizzen backstays....and the  topgallant stay.
 
Some of the images will show some additions of the port main royal and topgallant braces and their inevitable run to their fairleads and to pins.
 
The mizzen will become a web of lines from the mainmast...however unlike most 3 masters...the mizzen braces do not run forward to the main mast for belaying...they run aft to the spanker mast.
 
Lots of little things added along the way.
 
Rob