john2013

Hi all,
This afternoon l managed the Gratings on the Decks and the filler blocks on the Bow and Stern. 
The Decks are not fitted yet of course and won't be until l am happy that the bulkheads and filler blocks are correctly tapered/shaped and ready for the planking.

Here you can see the bow filler blocks, waiting for the glue to dry. 

Once the glue has dried l will carve to the approximate shape and then sand. This will give a good bed for the planks to lay on.

I have started the Stern fillers as you can see in the picture, still a little more work to do on these but nearly there.

I know some builder don't see the need for filler blocks but l think they are vital in obtaining a good lay when planking.
Just my opinion of course. 
Best wishes as always, 
The Lazy Saint. 
 
Session.           Time.           Total. 
03.                     3 hrs.           7 hrs.
 
 

Nice job on scratching the Bowsprit cap Caroline, the kit provided item is worse than useless.
 
B.E.
 

Thanks for all the likes, kind comments, and encouragement. 
 
A mini-update to end the day...  The railings have had their first coat of paint... This angle seems to show every slight imperfection, but they look much better in real life

Arrived safely in Lancashire! I'll do a write up in the next days.
 

Chris,
And I, too, am not upset about the condition of the model.  I hope you did not take my earlier comments that way.  I just thought you would like to see pictures of the condition of the box, which you evidently did since you said you were sending some of the photos to UPS.  I think the model looks great, and I look forward to working on it, although it may be several months before I do so since I already have two models in the boatyard.  I think you are off to a great start with your company and I wish you all the best.  Jim 

We are at the end of a long journey and the Victory has finally taken to sail and made it to her home port without incident I might add. I made sure and rode in the back of the pickup all the way to the Library, which was only about 2 miles, but nail biting miles they were. I felt every little bump in the road, even though I told my son in law not to drive over 10 miles an hour. But it seems not even what you thought was a smooth road really isn't that smooth when moving something so fragile. They had a few guys from the City come by my house to help load it up and then met us at the library to unload and set her up. The news papers were there and will do a press release. But thankfully there wasn't a lot of fan fair or fuss made about it, I wasn't wanting that and I'm glad the City respected my wishes. Like I told the library Coordinator that my gester wasn't all that noble, I just have always wanted to build a large Victory model, but had no where to display it. So now I can come by and enjoy it any time I want.   
 
Here is a few pictures and even one of me, the old fat guy in the yellow shirt.
 
 
mike

I went to the Council meeting last night and was honored with the Proclamation and while there, I also met with a news reporter, who was looking for a story and found me, so she is wanting to do I guess one of those human interest stories about the models that I have built and why I do what I do I reckon. Like I told the council last night, I didn't want all this pomp and circumstance because my motives weren't all that pure. I always wanted to build a large Victory and my house was a bit small to house such a large model. So donating it to the Library seemed like the best thing to do and I could visit the model when ever I want to.
 
Here is a picture of me and the Mayor. I'm the fat guy in the blue shirt. Then a picture of the Proclamation.  
 
 
mike 

Think I've got a bit of catching up to do.  Firstly, heres the Captain Cook Monument in Waimea, no undercooked beef wellington shots in this one   .  Found the beach he landed at, nothing special but couldn't locate the plaque that allegedly marks the spot according to guide books.
 

 
I have managed at least an interim milestone, the completion of the starboard copper...this task just goes on and on
 
Couple of items I've found to be helpful:
Super Solvent - I've found this product to be highly effective at getting rid of any CA glue residue (at least the Admiralty Pro thick stuff).  Wiping over the surface of any potential smearing is usually enough Some plates plates require very acute angles to be cut and when using scissors (which I find by far the easiest), the ends tend to curl and distort horribly.  I found that cutting these as part of a larger section this problem is eliminated, although care is needed still to separate them.
 
And the results.  Some of the photos are before I cleaned to plates with copper cleaner, which I did to ensure that there was no CA residue anywhere.  These will need to be done again once all the plates are on as I can guarantee more finger prints.  Managed to do the copper plate pattern at the bow that seems to be prevalent on so many models and AOTS drafts, slight discrepancies in the plates will only become less noticeable as the copper ages and darkens.  Overall I'm very happy with the Amati plates, and slight plate misalignments that just seem to be inevitable when using CA glue are tolerable.  Not sure I could do it any better if I were to do it again, so I think that's the yardstick to meaure to.
 
At the bow, I plated the cutwater first and tried to shape the plates on the planking to match the required curve.  Its far from perfect but will do.  I think these areas are inherently limited given the thickness of the plates, I suspect using copper tape would allow a more scale appearance.
 
I drilled some small holes in the waterline batten to simulate nails and highlighted with pencil, these are not to scale but felt it gives it a little bit more functional relevance.
 

 
Et voila!  The pinkish hue of freshly cleaned copper reminded me on the AOTS Diana picture, I was very pleased with the lines that appear once the waterline is apparent. Obviously next step is to continue with the other side.... 
 

Cheers guys (Yes Mort, I can only imagine it getting heavier, especially with all the cannons in place as well!).  Good news, the fix to the boo-boo turned out just fine.  Lesson learned, so will be putting some protection on these delicate areas going forward. Not much to show for time but feel I need to get up to date.  Lots of sanding sessions to get a nice shape, and the weather hasn't really been cooperating.
 
 
Batten at the waterline has been installed.  Tried thinning down some 1x1mm strip to approx. .5mm thickness but found that this was just too delicate a procedure, so thinned as much as possible and it was pretty easy to take more off once installed.  Used PVA to attach which worked just fine as it develops a sufficient tack needed for this thin stuff, even in the curved areas which just required a few minutes of finger pressure.  To help with this, I temporarily attached some scrap walnut strip to act as guides.
 
Once in place, put on a single coat of wipe on poly to protect the surface and then used some walnut stain to colour below the batten.  Although this will be coppered, think its better to have a darker surface in case there are gaps between the plates.
 

 
Also started to put in place the oar and vent ports.  Each needs to be individually shaped as I think it would follow the profile of the other planking.  Getting a uniform (or as best I can) fit takes a bit of fiddling.  Captain Sterling is keeping on top of things in his new nice new uniform....
 

 
And where things stand...
 

Superb work there

The tool is good and works well, the pity is that I made it too late to help much during the initial phase of this task . . will be more useful for the left hull side . . Thanks for your appreciatons, Jack.

thanks for likes and comments,
working my way to start planking, chuck.... i havent got the lumber yet😲....
wel , i have adjust the last rear bulkheads i over sanded it ,
an i have started to paint the ports with crimson read paint .
 
svein-erik

Admiralty Models has only a few three pounder Speedwell cannon barrels left. The set of eight are CNC turned in brass with exceptional detail. Bored for trunnions (included). Barrels are 1.125" in length (32 mm). If you are planning on building Speedwell at 1:48 scale then these are the cannons you want! Price for the set is $40 US plus shipping. If interested please send a PM or respond to dvm27@comcast.net.
 

Hi everyone , Picked up a great deal on Ebay last month , got the Grando by victory models and a part finished USS Constitution for a snip . The Constitution is incomplete and you can't get  parts now so I have some spare parts going gratis, so if anybody has the mamoli kit but is missing parts get in touch and I'll see if I can help ,depending on the cost of postage for free .

I hate the look of Pegasus, though, I wanted the second planking in a lighter wood, that model is way too dark. If anyone reads this and is thinking of buying one, use a lighter wood for the second planking, it will look so much better.
 
ETA - I have plans for Atalanta...

An antidote to all the wonderful builds on here I will share my "senior disaster " day to encourage all bumblers here. I have reached the point on my Caldercraft Snake build where I am constructing chainplates. As I realise after researching for a couple of days about how to construct these as sadly the instructions are for people who have a clue what they are doing I began to construct them. Thats when I discovered that for some reason my whale was too low . Never mind too late now Ill just fit them regardless as I cant move the Whale at this stage. Then I notice that the channels don't match up on Port and Starboard sides! Realised that DOH when I fitted the channels I looked at the plan and fitted one side then fitted an identical batch on the other side without turning the ship round so now onone side the three channels are reversed. So rip them all off and start again. I realise that I am the only aged ,partially sighted and brain dead idiot on here as clearly everyone else is a master builder but what the hell I still love this hobby to bits.:))

Building my HMS Snake and got to fitting the anchors. The instructions and plans appeared to be very simplistic in so much as basically saying tie them to the side. I thought this would mean in reality that the couldn't be used and didn't look right. After looking at paintings and drawings of ships of the line I realised that they were loose at the side of the bow ready to be dropped by the crew when required .The clearest schematic was in Stephen Biesty's Cross Section book. I find this book an invaluable reference source.

Hello glenn
Well things are looking good now. Seems you are really enjoying yourself. Well done. But slow down !!!! DAVID

Update.  Not much to add really.  I have had a free morning so finished the majority of the upper section of the second planking in boxwood on both sides.  I will do the quarterdeck and the trimming around the transom area later.  I then cracked on with some walnut planning on the hull that will be below the waterline and will eventually be covered by copper tiles. My planking is not great so I am using this to get practice and improve even though my labours will be masked in due course.  I think this phase might take some time!     

Okay: the upside of the british summer is that you can play cricket, go biking, fishing, sailing, on holiday and hold BBQs; the downside is that time spent on the model gets eroded.  The result is that progress has slowed...but not stopped.  I have been slogging on with the second planking of the ship.  My ambition was to be precise and use the process as a learning experience - improve my planking skills.  in reality I accepted that all this will be hidden under copper plates therefore whilst absolutely important to ensure the shape and flow of the hull is correct, the actual planking is of secondary consideration.   I have finished the portside and am halfway down the stbd side.  I have lined some of the lidded gun-ports and finished planking around the upper bulwarks.  I have noted one error which will irritate me for many weeks to come.  The upper gunports, those around the quarterdeck, have, I believe, been fitted correctly, they are level with each other and in the correct position but the edges of the ports are not vertically parallel with those cut into the ships side for the lower gundeck.   I'm not sure how it came about but suspect the cutting of my lower gunports is to blame especially on the port side where I should have been more disciplined in setting the vertical references.  I'm not sure there is much I can do about this.  A model always has a 'best side' and I think I've just discovered that mine will be a starboard girl!
 
I have to tiddly up some of the woodwork around the lower ports and just file/square the upper ones - the photo is slightly worse than the actual model is!  My plan is to complete the planking, finish the gunport linings, sand and then take stock on how she looks.  First stumble - hey ho. All learning process.

Wow!  Putting that little cap on top of the timber is a nice  embellishment that would be easy ( for me ) to mess up if you were trying to carve it..
 
I can see where this method would be great for a lot of situations..  Can't wait to try it on one of my models..

this is so grait to see, as a amature builder it grait to see how it dunn in photo , 
i have learnd so many things from your photos and gydings how to make it (items) 
and this make me want to do better and learn more .
am not a good bilder as you ,but you  make it so simpel to get to understand it ,and that hetps alot😊!!
 
svein erik

Another vote for a planking video. The results are amazing and you make it look fairly easy. 

Masting and Rigging of Pegasus.
This is my opening post of the reconstructed log covering the Masting and rigging stage of my Pegasus Build. It was originally started on 29th January 2013.
Throughout the mast making phase I refer to Steel and make comparisons with the kit dimensions.
B.E.

 

1:60 H.M.S. Beagle
OcCre
Catalogue # 12005
Available from Ages of Sail for $209.00USD
 

 
HMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy, one of more than 100 ships of this class. The vessel, constructed at a cost of £7,803 (£613,000 in today's currency), was launched on 11 May 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on the River Thames. In July of that year she took part in a fleet review celebrating the coronation of King George IV of the United Kingdom, and for that occasion is said to have been the first ship to sail completely under the old London Bridge. There was no immediate need for Beagle so she "lay in ordinary", moored afloat but without masts or rigging. She was then adapted as a survey barque and took part in three survey expeditions.
 
 
The second voyage of HMS Beagle is notable for carrying the recently graduated naturalist Charles Darwin around the world. While the survey work was carried out, Darwin travelled and researched geology, natural history and ethnology onshore. He gained fame by publishing his diary journal, best known as The Voyage of the Beagle, and his findings played a pivotal role in the formation of his scientific theories on evolution and natural selection.
 
The kit
Hot on the heels of their H.M.S. Terror kit, reviewed HERE, OcCre have hit the ground running with H.M.S. Beagle, of Charles Darwin fame. Both Terror and Beagle are of course well-known for very different reasons, and their familiarity shows OcCre not straying too much from that comfort zone. As with Terror, Beagle is packaged into a standard-type OcCre box with a cut out to display the nice fittings box that is a feature of these kits. A large, printed product label is affixed to the lid, and the kit itself is packaged in shrink film to protect it. For your information, the finished model’s dimensions are given as:
 
Length: 720 mm Width: 230 mm Height: 480 mm  



 
Lifting the robust lid reveals a protective lower box through which you can see the instructions, and this box then splits open to access the contents. One half of the box holds three substantial bundles of very nicely cut timber, held together gently with elastic bands. The most obvious bundle is the lime, which is used for the first layer of hull planking. This creamy-looking material is super sharp with no fuzzy or split edges and is consistent in size.


Our next bundle holds all of the remaining strip wood of all persuasions and sizes. There is more lime here of course, but also the Tanganyika for the second layer of hull planking. Colour is consistent too. Lime is provided for the deck planking. 

The last bundle contains both strip and dowel. 

All of the remaining timber parts have been packaged onto a wrap of heat shrunk and sealed clear plastic. I do think this approach actually aids warpage as the boards have a curve induced in them due to the wrapping. Once the plastic is cut away and removed, we get to look at the false keel and assess it. This ply part does indeed have a warp along its length, so this will need to be steamed and left flat on a sheet of glass or similar. 
\

There is no warp in the next sheet. This one contains the fo'c'sle deck, main deck, poop deck, transom, windlass mount and various interlocking structural elements. All laser cutting on this kit is excellent, with only minimal scorching. 


This sheet is also, thankfully. Warp free, and it contains all of the hull bulkheads and bow profile parts. Three inserts are also included which fit perpendicularly to the false keel and provide mounting points for the masts.


We have a mixed bag with this sheet, with parts from all over the ship, plus elements to help build the four wooden launches/supply boats. Note parts here for the mast tops, trestletrees, cannon carriages, forward cannon rotating ring, channels etc.


As an aid to the modeller, the upper outside of the hull sides are produced as shaped ply parts, with the grain running short-ways to allow them to bend properly around the hull. These are cut with the cannon ports in situ, so there’s no awkward fumbling to try and locate the positions of these. The second planking will of course lay directly over these ply faces.

This sheet seems to deal solely with parts needed for those timber launches, and contains jigs, false keels and bulkheads.


Our last timber sheet is walnut-stained ply. Many parts on this are for the display base, but you’ll also find keep, stem and stern parts, as well as mast steps. My sample does have a slight warp in this sheet.


A single fret of bare brass photo-etch (PE) is included with this release, containing such parts as chainwales etc. Manufacturing quality is excellent with good parts definition and small tabs to remove the various elements. 

If you like your models to be fitted out with sails, then you’ll be happy to know there are a full set included in this release. These already look a little antique in appearance and are quite neat. A little fuzziness can be seen on the edges in some places, but that is easily fixed with some trimming and dilute PVA. You will need to attach your own bolt ropes though. 


There’s plenty of rigging cord included, in both natural and brown, of various sizes. All is neatly spooled with the diameters clearly given. Cord quality is also very good with no fuzziness being apparent. 

All OcCre kits come with these snazzy fittings boxes which are well worth keeping even when the model is complete. They are a great way of keeping organised. Eleven compartments contain all kit fittings, plus four more spools of rigging cord that have been placed there to stop the metal fittings rolling around.


The metal parts are made from a zinc alloy (Zamak) which gives the parts are real nice definition, as can be seen from the gear teeth on the windlass. There are some slight seams to remove, and a jeweller’s file will do that nicely. Note that the anchor stocks are also cast in metal instead of made from wood and these just slip over the anchor stem. There are also davits here for the launches, and a whole rake of brass wire in different diameters.

A set of printed flags is also included.

All belaying pins, deadeyes and rigging blocks are manufactured from a pale wood (box?) and are not at all shabby. A few of the blocks may need a drill passing through them to make a totally clean exit hole.

The brass pins are fine, sharp and with no deformation. Quite happy with those. Here you see the parrel beads, closed heart blocks etc.

Here we can see the various pintles, gudgeons, chain, rigging pins, all made from brass. 

As well as more blocks (this time single hole) and deadeyes, and more metal fittings, such as the cleats, figurehead, wheel, and strangely enough….the quarter galleries. An odd choice of material for a couple of things here, but they are manufactured with good definition.

The last items here are also zinc alloy. Thee cannon do look excellent. Just a few minor seams to tackle.

There are two sets of sheets that involve construction of Beagle. With the first, you see a series of drawings that concern the masting of the model, and there is also a comprehensive parts list.



For the second set of sheets, a series of clear, colour photos take you through the build. These are pretty self-explanatory and shouldn’t provide any problem. Some drawings are interspersed with the photos. Thee last pages are taken over by rigging and masting illustrations, and also a deck plan for reference. 








 
Conclusion
You get quite a lot of kit for your money with H.M.S. Beagle, and most certainly a lot of good quality material. My only real gripe is the packing of the ply parts and the ply they are specifically made from as there is warpage present. I know some modellers aren’t keen on MDF for these parts, but it sure doesn’t warp. Maybe they’ll consider this in future. Apart from that, there’s nothing really to criticise for a kit of this level. It’s also good to see that instead of packing white metal launches into this, all are made as separate projects in their own right. The use of zinc-based metal parts also lends itself to a far sharper end result, although the very minor seams will just take a little more work with a jeweller’s file. OcCre continue with their tradition of providing colour-photo driven instructions with accompanying text sheets, and these seem very simple to follow. All in all, this is a kit which could well provide an in-road for a modeller who wants to try their hand at wooden ships, or even as a nice subject for a more seasoned modeller. Another very nice release from OcCre.
 





 
My sincere thanks to OcCre for the kit reviewed here on Model Ship World. To buy this kit from Ages of Sail, click the link at the top of the article.