Baker

I miss the TRMA.
 
It wan not a site I visited often.  Perhaps once or twice a month.  The last thing the world needs is another model of the Titanic.  I did however enjoy the modeling process, along with research involving support ships such as the Nomadic and the CS Mackay-Bennett.
 
My real passions are watch making and pipe organ building. Those are the forums I mostly follow.   I also have a side interest in volcanoes. 
 
Years ago I worked for Apple in the Imaging division.   I was one of the people known as a Postscript Guru.  I got to know everything there is to know about that printer language.  
 
I even use Postscript as a general purpose scripting language.  I tested fonts, the command line backchannel, and the color imaging operations.  The language can parse anything.
 
When I was in school in the 1970s, I found a book on how spacecraft cameras work.  By chance in one of the non Apple contracts around 1995 I worked for a company that acquired Itek.  The company what made the cameras for the 1960s and 1970s era spacecraft.
 
Not exactly a model ship, I did in the last decade modify a card model of one of the Mariner class spacecraft to represent Mariner 9.  Which is my favorite.  I downloaded nearly 8000 images, which are difficult to read do to data loss and obsolete file formats.  Quite interesting to see images no one has looked at in over 50 years.
 
When I was little I did a lot of card modeling.  Usually the 'Mayflower.'  We visited the site and the ship in 1967, when I was about 7.  I remember I liked to put them into bottles. Usually Orange crush, which had clear sides.  Was really disappointed when we got back to the hotel room and the maid had cleared all the bottles.   Back then it was much easier to recover the deposits as the bottles were washed and refilled.
 
I also collected cathedrals.  These however take up a lot of space.  St Peters sat on top of the refrigerator for years, till the apostles got quite dusty.   It got to the point where I simply let them sit in their flat packs.
 
Two writers I really like are Charles Dickens, and Nevil Shute (Norway).  I have all of their published works.  Jane Austin also rates as I have all her stuff too.  Bit of a romantic I guess.
 
For forty years, I have been involved with the Dickens Christmas fair.  Also the Northern California  Pirate festival.  My education is actually in Film and theater.  I designed sets and stuff for the Big Renaissance faire held in Northern California (Black point.)  We had a full size mock up of the Golden Hind as one of our stages.  (I re-did the Lord Mayors gate house, when the prior one collapsed.)

Nevil Shute wrote a book every Modeler/Miniature mechanic should read.  It is called 'Trustee from the  Toolroom.'  Such is about Sailing ships and small steam engines.  Even Petrol Engines.  This gave me a real interest in scratch building stuff.
 
There were not a lot of Dickens Fairs in the 1990s.  I found myself, as part of the group running Science Fiction conventions.  Even back in the 1980s I would wear my Victorian dresses and watchmaker loupes.  Eventually this became something called steampunk.  The word comes from some novels written back then.  I was one of the first people to re-enact Ada Lovelace.  (really Ada King, nee Byron)
 
I think what I really collect is information.  Over the years I have collected almost everything public about the Antikythera mechanism.  As well As Babbage's analytical engines.  My real passion is the mechanical automatons by the Jaquet-Droz what can write, draw and play musical instruments.  There are also tiny mechanical birds the size of postage stamps what play mechanically.  I collect these as well.
 
Image processing lead me into the world of Photogrameritry.  Which is recovering data from multiple photographs.  I also acquired a rather good CAD program back in the 1990s which I still use.  This is a subject unto itself.  I have spent years messing about with obsolete code drivers and such.  The mathematics behind this are complex and I barely scratched the surface.    To this effect I collect old photography equipment 3D camera stuff and recently since no one wants them APS cameras.   I also have a Photo CD film scanner, and started to make a Holographic projector, until I found the former.
 
I have a full woodworking shop with some metal working tools.  Everything to build a pipe organ.  I also became active in the local Makerspace, what is in an industrial area.  They have the usual 3D printers,  Along with Welding equipment, CNC machines, and my favorite an industrial Laser cutter with about a 1 meter square bed.  Can only cut about 1/4 inch stuff.  There is a lot one can do with that thickness.
 
I built a vacuum forming press for one of the pipe organ projects (to replicate the plaster grill molds.)  
 
I considered making model airplanes. Like the ones Neville Shute wrote about.  I joined some of the modeling sites to download plans of his planes.  None of these were like the TRMA.  Most of the builds seemed to be one and done.  Copied from old magazines and such.  I really want to do some of the merlin engine craft like the spitfire, and the mosquito.  Few people realize these were mostly built by women.
 
The plane though I really want is an Airspeed Oxford, which Shute(Norway) and his partner (Tittle) designed.  Like the cathedrals, and the mariner 9 spacecraft, these would likely up space and collect dust.  I have enough projects for 500 years or more.
 
Somehow into all this mess enter the Endurance.  Yes, that ship.  I sort of mixed up Franklin and Shackleton at first.  A pole is a pole, right?  The Dickensian ships were a bit tubby for my taste.  But the lines of the Endurance, (along with the Aurora, and discovery are beautiful.)  
Somewhere along the lines I found one of the MSW endurance blogs in 2020 or 2021. Which showed all the laser cut parts.  There were also additional notes showing how to fix some of the details.
 
I squirreled all this away in my vast collection of data.   When the ship was actually found, I went to my steammodel folder, only to find I had restored a backup from 2013 over it and all the images were lost.  A reverse image search lead me back here.  I am seriously considering bulding this from the redrawn lines I found here.
 
One book I really liked was called 'The wreak of the Sagwina.' By Keith Robinson, who wrote a lot of popular JA books.  This one was probably the least popular in the school library, but I found it quite interesting.  By chance the Dickens sets were stored in the old Mare Island coal sheds.  More chance last year our maker booth (laser maze)  was in front of self same shed with a huge banner of the Sagwina above it.  (another subject unto itself.)  So this ship is also high on the wish list of models to build.  Someone here started a model, it seems like it was never finished, although it is marked so. 
 
Before the Titanic was found I would have said that the Andra Doria was the most well known passenger ship sinking (at least outside war, since the Lusitania was a war casualty.)
 
Joining MSW is something that has been in the background ever since I became TRMA homeless.  I have been reading it for many years, and some of the regulars actually feel like aquantances.   I sort of intentionally avoided these forums , as there are too many ships.  The best thing though is to choose a few ships to focus on and do one's best to ignore the rest.
 

Hi everyone, I just wanted to say a quick hello after having had my application to become a member approved!
 
Whilst I’m a new member on this forum, I’m not quite a newbie when it comes to model boat building.  
 
I’m a keen modeller and hobbiest, albeit primarily plastic kits and tabletop gaming. That was until about five years ago when I rashly purchased a constructo HMS victory wooden kit from eBay which looked like it was particularly good value.
 
Fast forward five years and I am about halfway through the build having picked it up and put it down several times, but I’m currently back to really enjoying the process.  Work and four children make time Precious hence it’s taking me longer than anticipated.
 
The process of rigging is looming large and I’m pretty sure I’m going to need some support with that hence was looking around for Online advice and found this forum which hopefully will be useful.
 
I visited the real HMS victory last year and a couple of weeks ago went to Chatham historic dockyard where the ship was originally built but which also boasts a huge collection of wooden replica ships of various scales.  This was massively inspiring for me and I would absolutely recommend it.  It was funny seeing the same techniques being used on an industrial scale (steaming wood to fit the hull for example)!
 
I’ve had a look at some of the Previous posts which do warn against first timers starting a very advanced kit, there is definitely some truth to that. I was pretty sure I was only going to ever build one wooden ship and wanted to ‘go big or go home!’
 
Overall for me, I’m pleased that I started with this kit as my first attempt. I’ve definitely made a few mistakes along the way, but my skills have improved massively through the build and I’m now significantly faster as a result of making those mistakes, practising my skills and investing in a small number of high-quality tools.
 
If I were to go back to the beginning, I would give my Previous self (and other potential beginners) three bits of advice:
 
 1. It doesn’t have to be perfect! You can make mistakes (in my experience most of these get covered up with subsequent bits of the build).  Some bits of your build are going to be really really tricky, just do the best you can and if it’s good enough for you then that’s all that matters.
2. If you’re getting frustrated or bored, stop. No one‘s forcing you to do it. Have a bit of a rest, do something else for a bit and you can come back to it when you are feeling in the mood.
3. Look ahead. It’s easy to focus on one particular instruction or part of the process.   Skip forward a few pages, look to see how one particular part of the building is going to impact on other parts.  That will tell you how important accuracy is going to be and how you may make life easier for yourself in the future.
 
Thanks again for letting me join your club and I look forward to hopefully becoming an active member.
 
 
 

Hi all~
 
Just a small update… I realized that for GH1, I forgot to install the ship’s bell. So, for GH2, I made a tiny bell out of left-over dowel and painted it black, varnished with matt varnish. I think it turned out OK.
 
I tried different methods and made couple of more for future projects. I may try to install it for GH1 as well once I resume with the rigging work on GH1.
 
 

More work on the hull…

I use Upol Glazing and Spot Putty to fill in small imperfections…

Then sand some more…

Another coat of primer…
 
Cheers 🍻

Hello,
after setting in the rudder boss, and the stick as rudder, the ship looks quiet different. More like a ship, I think. After work, the ship sits often in the living room. And after looking half an houer at it, I'm often back at the yard and change this or that. 😚 After I have seen the pictures today, I found an other thing I have to change 😐
And I thought, I just like to build a Viking ship. Now I'm building nearly 6 month! And it's not the end.

Today I cut in the oar ports. Next I have to build the oar-port cover. 😟

Preparation of the cannon deck.
 
Since there is no grating in the deck above, there is little or no visible interior of this deck. The intention is to make the carriages of the cannons as simple as possible. And only add the (half) cannon barrels later.
The first attempt failed, fortunately no photos.
The second attempt was with wooden blocks. Reasonably good, but too visible when the sunlight shines on them.

The third attempt has now reduced the size of these blocks and painted them completely black. This will be the method used for the bronze cannons.

Wit wooden block

adjusted wooden block an final methode 

Preparation of the cannon deck.
 
Since there is no grating in the deck above, there is little or no visible interior of this deck. The intention is to make the carriages of the cannons as simple as possible. And only add the (half) cannon barrels later.
The first attempt failed, fortunately no photos.
The second attempt was with wooden blocks. Reasonably good, but too visible when the sunlight shines on them.

The third attempt has now reduced the size of these blocks and painted them completely black. This will be the method used for the bronze cannons.

Wit wooden block

adjusted wooden block an final methode 

Hello all,
I'm joining this forum from Italy, I usually build airplanes and everything related to flight (so also space models), but over time I developed a certain interesse also for ship models, especially warships and the history that surrounds them.
I do hope I will be able to share my works and maybe receive some hints or help from other fellow modelers, I'm sure there are plenty of people here way more skilled than me
 
 

perfect, just like real!

This one is from the Parola tank museum in Finland. (great museum) Own photo, 2nd tank.

 
 

Looks like all the metals are rusting
except the tracks
"Brand new" Comets 
Halle, Germany 1947.

the shadow on the bottom right is not me 🤣

Looks like all the metals are rusting
except the tracks
"Brand new" Comets 
Halle, Germany 1947.

the shadow on the bottom right is not me 🤣

This one is from the Parola tank museum in Finland. (great museum) Own photo, 2nd tank.

 
 

Looks like all the metals are rusting
except the tracks
"Brand new" Comets 
Halle, Germany 1947.

the shadow on the bottom right is not me 🤣

Nice.
Looks much better than the Matchbox kit from a long time ago.
I don't know an immediate answer to your question, it's going to take some searching.
 
Scale 1/1, fore sale 😇
https://tracksandtrade.com/nl/kavel/1944-comet-a34-mk1-model-a-celerity
 

This one is from the Parola tank museum in Finland. (great museum) Own photo, 2nd tank.

 
 

Preparation of the cannon deck.
 
Since there is no grating in the deck above, there is little or no visible interior of this deck. The intention is to make the carriages of the cannons as simple as possible. And only add the (half) cannon barrels later.
The first attempt failed, fortunately no photos.
The second attempt was with wooden blocks. Reasonably good, but too visible when the sunlight shines on them.

The third attempt has now reduced the size of these blocks and painted them completely black. This will be the method used for the bronze cannons.

Wit wooden block

adjusted wooden block an final methode 

Hello, and thank you for your kind comments and likes
 
Today I build the rudder boss and I'm happy that I got it!  First I turned it with some surplus, and then fit it to the ship. That was the hardest part. The rod has 1mm Ø. I'm still looking for the drill bit I first used. There must be a black hole somewhere.

Then I glued it with ca to a piece of wood, to file it to the final shape.

That was then the easiest part, gluing it to the ship.

I assembled the running gear today. No issues, everything fits nicely. Then onto the tracks. The tracks are link and length again but the individual links have more positive locating features so I’m hopeful that this will be an easier build. The instructions call for 7 links at each end of the track pieces and there are exactly 28 links in the kit. No pressure. 

ive fitted the lower sections so far and then got brave and added the first link. It fits to the adjacent track section nicely so I’m hopeful.


Thanks for looking in, the likes and the excellent input to help me out.
alan

Thank you again Patrick, very useful. Looks like a terrific museum too
Alan

Hey Brother,
 
Tank Tracks? Painting.... A long sinuous discussion track...
 
First off, what you paint them depends... Yes it depends on when in the tanks life you want to represent... A new on the ramp tank, a recently issued tank, (Baker gave you a GREAT shot of a recently issued tank, which means original manufacturers tracks) or an old road or battle worn veteran tank... They all look different..
 
A new tank on the delivery ramp? Same color as the tank with bare metal cleat bottoms....
 
A new issued tank just out on manuevers? As I said, Baker gave you an exemplar photo... Perfect, the sprocket ends show the same color as the tank, the track bodies have picked up a coating of dust and the Cleats have almost worn off the initial paint coat on their bottoms showing plain steel.... Perfect for a well maintained or newly issued tank... A note: Tank tracks wear out quickly... One of the major supply issues with tanks is not only fuel and ammo, but replacement tracks... Especially in WWII, all metal tracks were painted in their tanks base color... For a British tank would be British Army Green...
 
A battle worn tank? I would start by black basing the track overall then using dry brushing and washes bring out the rust browns and dirt browns remembering to leave patches of the green showing, for a tank that has really seen the muck then you can go the mucky dirty look with hard basing some kind of medium on the track to show the lumps then the browns and greys to represent the colors of muck...
the world of track painting is just as varied as WWII camuflage, get a few decent color pics and experiment until you gat the look you like...
 
Backer's pic of the late war newly deployed Comet is priceless in this regard...
 
Personally I would go with it....
 
EG

This one is from the Parola tank museum in Finland. (great museum) Own photo, 2nd tank.

 
 

Thank you very much for all the great information and photos Patrick. It’s very helpful. The Comet for sale has some excellent detail photos. And looks like a bargain to buy- maybe.
The photos seem to suggest dark brown is still a good color but not so much silver / bright steel.
I don’t think Ive ever knowingly seen manganese steel. It doesn’t feature in jet engines.
Thanks again 
Alan