petervisser

Hallo Riat. You would be better off getting some thin plywood or sheet stock and starting from scratch. I am building an old Cutty Sark that Billing produced and had the same issue. Starting with fresh lumber is the way to go, I think.
 
Cheers,
 
Peter

I have display case ready for plexiglass, but the store I'm going to have do it needs to order and then cut to fit, so that's on hold.
 
I finally got around to taking some "final" photos of Syren.  I tried using focus stacking and it seemed to work pretty good.  But in the process my computer got extremely slow and I'm still trying to figure out what's going on.  I've got my computer running fairly well again except for Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, so I'm suspecting that somehow that software was what messed things up.
 
First photo is of overall boat.  The other photos of the deck are the focus stacked ones.
 

Hallo Riat. You would be better off getting some thin plywood or sheet stock and starting from scratch. I am building an old Cutty Sark that Billing produced and had the same issue. Starting with fresh lumber is the way to go, I think.
 
Cheers,
 
Peter

Hi JR,
 
As a fellow Cutty Sark builder, I will definately follow along with great interest. Although our kits differ, the ship is the same and it will be of interest to me how AL have designed their kit. I am envious of their hull decoration, which I believe is much better than Billing.
From the pictures of your shop you appear to be very organized and I'm sure you will do the model justice. I also noticed that you have some liquid inspiration on your shelves. Don't forget to refer to the artwork on the bottles as well as the books to gain insight on the construction of the ship. 😉
All the best with your build!
Peter

Well, my Zulu, BF 1479 Fidelity is finished.  
 
This has been a really fun and informative journey, which began when I received this kit at the end of last August.  Despite a very busy professional and family life, I’ve managed to prioritize enough time to keep construction moving forward, slowly and steadily, and it paid off.
 
Since my last update, I snugged up all of the rigging, fixed it in place using the clear nail polish, completed the sheet and line tails, and trimmed all lines to proper length.  
 
I am really feeling good about how she turned out.  Although there are scores of things I would improve, and all sorts of things I’d do differently next time, I think that Fidelity came out really well, and is a pretty authentic representative of the Zulu type.  The way the sails are set,  she appears to be charging home on a close reach, in the early morning breeze, her hold full of fish ready for market.
 
I hope that this build log and these photos are helpful to those who may be building this kit in the future.  I can’t speak highly enough about the quality and thoughtful detailing and engineering in this kit from Chris Watton at Vanguard.  I think this is a perfect first project for someone wanting to get into this hobby, and it’s designed to help set that person up for success.  I’ve learned so much from building it, and absorbing the wisdom embodied in the design of this model.
 
Many thanks to all of those who have helped me along the way, notably Chris Watton, James Hatch, Bob Garcia, Rik Thistle and Blue Ensign. Here’s some photos of Fidelity, including one showing her in her new home on the console table in the entry of our house.  
 
 

Fantastic work Mark. You are giving this model the treatment it deserves. Thanks for all the great photos too!
 
Peter

Hi all - moving along at a snail`s pace, the upper gunport lids were glued in place & the ropes added.  Then, I thought it would be a good time to fit the channels.  After double checking the plans, I discovered that I glued the moulding above the upper gun deck ports too low & there wasn`t room to mount them below the moulding as the plans showed .  So, after assembling one chainplate,I saw I could mount the channels above the moulding & still be ok.  the channels are not glued on yet & I haven`t got to the starboard side yet.  I still have to blacken the channel brackets & some other brass parts before I glue the channels on.  Still trying to figure out how I got that moulding so far off.
 

 

 
Mark 

Hi Dave,
Have you thought about using bee's wax on your rigging? I use it all the time for most of the rigging I do. it adds a bit of stiffness to the thread you're working with and it does away with the "fuzziness" of the thread as well. Try drawing the thread through the wax a couple of times. It also adds a little tackiness to the thread which helps hold it in place to certain contact points and holds knots a bit better.
The only places to put glue on rigging is on the knots to make them permanent. However, I prefer dulcotte laquer on my knots, using a paint brush.
Hope this is a help.
Cheers,
Peter

The continuation of the construction of the Nordlandsboat...
It is almost finished: only the flags are missing. The shape of this boat is really beautiful, the rigging simple, but really efficient!
I'll make some final pictures then.😎
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Hi Ian,
 
I believe we corresponded on the old MSW site over the Unicorn. I completed mine just last year in the record time (I thought) of 15 years. You have out-paced me, so I have read from your build log.
 
I remember buying this kit because of the fact that it was a frigate. I learned early on that it was not an accurate model and the description given by Corel was way off. However, it was a frigate and I charged ahead. Reading what little research I did, I made some minor modifications regarding the smaller calibre guns on the quarterdeck, and re-arranging some of the deck furniture and fittings. I also fitted some proper pin racks at the bases of the masts. I used John MacKay's book on the Pandora to help me with some of the details. It was good fun and I enjoyed the build. You are certainly doing your homework and will have a much more accurate Unicorn than I have.
 
There are some completed model photos in the gallery if you care to take a look.
 
Good luck with your build and I'll be sure to check on your progress from time to time.
 
Cheers,
 
Peter

Minor update - I thought it would be a good time to work on the gunport lids before tackling the chain wales.  First thing was to make a couple of jigs so the hinges would be equally spaced on all the lids.  After adding the scuttles & eyebolts, they were painted - 2 coats of black on the outside & 3 coats of red on the inside.  Finally, all the holes for the hinges were drilled & the lids were temporarily put in place to make sure they lined up - some of the mouldings had to be chiseled out a little for the lids to fit against the hull.  Still need to drill holes for the lid opening ropes.  I will probably leave the ropes for closing the lids off.   Thanks for looking in.
 

 

 

 
Mark

It starts to look like a sailboat !

The rigging is quite simple, but extremely efficient and smart: nothing is random or too much, all the maneuvers are very accessible, the lowering of the yards and sails, and even of the mast is fast and simple...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you very much Silverman. Thanks for the like! 😇
 
I have been thinking for a long time about finishing the connection of the front stem according to Witsen..
 

 
Replica of Barents' ship..
 

 
So I added it. The cuts were made with a 0.15 mm thick razor saw, and 0.09 mm black paper was placed..
 

 

 

 
Klinkbout will be added after grinding..
 

 

 
And now really a balcony..
 

Before building the rig (the 2 sails are not there yet, and I'm waiting to receive some stitching wires), I had to work a little on the presentation of this boat.
Of course, as usual, I don't like the "thing" that is used as a base in the kit: it's ugly and it "crushes" visually this Norwegian fembøring. It looks like a big barge!

So, I made a new base to give it an airy look, to bring out its streamlined lines, without the base being too obvious. So I made it, piece by piece, with 3 simple bays (including the brackets), and painted it in matte black like a part of the hull.
It will be off-center along the length of the boat to make the bow stand out even more! 😁
 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi - another small update.  The 3 deck railings were assembled & painted along with the belfry.  Pretty straightforward, as all parts were laser cut.  They were all glued down to the edges of the decks.  The poop deck railing will get some hammock cranes & sand buckets, which will be added later.  The quarter deck railing will also get some cranes added later.
 

 

 

 
Mark
 
 

Small photo complement with a few more things like the rudder, the chimney and the carpenter for the scale.

 

 

 

 

 

The colors continue to make this Nordland even more complete.

The cabin roof "with clinkers" questioned me a bit to know how to do it (the kit, of course, asked for everything flat without relation to the reality of these boats). So I finally proceeded flat to compose the offsets and keep a regularity.
Then, I had to glue this "plate", adjust, cut, glue, paint.

The bulwark rails are in place, the chainplates, the positions of the oarlocks, the dressing of the blue strake with black bands.
The rudder is done, the whole rudder will soon be in place.

It's going well!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow! Just a beautiful model you are building. Really one of a kind!
 
Peter

Wow! Just a beautiful model you are building. Really one of a kind!
 
Peter

Thanks Denis.
 
Meanwhile, I got the catheads done - just had to chisel a little of the mouldings away so they would fit flat against the hull.  I added some trim strips to them as was suggested in the instructions & finished the head rail to the bottom of the cathead bracket.  Also added the bolsters to the hawse hole openings - they were not shown on the plans, but were provided in the kit & were shown in the instructions.
 

 

 
Mark

Fantastic work Mark. You are giving this model the treatment it deserves. Thanks for all the great photos too!
 
Peter

Fantastic work Mark. You are giving this model the treatment it deserves. Thanks for all the great photos too!
 
Peter

Fantastic work Mark. You are giving this model the treatment it deserves. Thanks for all the great photos too!
 
Peter

Wonderful work Mark! It's going to be stunning when she's complete. Enjoy the journey.
 
Peter

Brilliant! Thanks for the great explanation and thanks to Chuck for the idea! I will try this on my next build as I find the "clinking" affect kinda troublesome. Too much sanding, if you know what I mean.

Cheers,
 
Peter