aliluke

A superb stove Augie. If it is like mine you can't see it anymore but as you say - we know it's there. Did all of those parts come with the kit? If so it is an incredible add to the usual offerings. My Fly kit doesn't even mention a stove let alone provide one...

Hi Jason

She's looking good.

I sometimes revert to the plank nipper - it does the hard angles but I've become a soak and bend planker for the most part. In a tight corner the nipper isn't a bad choice and the poor press it gets here is a little harsh. Nothing is as good as a handy tool to get you, gently, around a really tight bend!

Have a good one and I look forward to your progress in the new year.

That is seriously nice work on your sails. Great photos too. It inspires me to try the furled sails but a while to go before I get to exercise that decision. The sailor figures make it alive. I have a shouting bosun from Amati. I might try to paint him...

Fantastic wee boat there Nils. A perfect complement to your amazing model. Have a great Christmas and I look forward to your updates in the new year.

Ken

As we say down here, your work looks sh*t hot. That rig and furled sails combo is amazing. I look forward to seeing your new ventures in 2015. Have a good one - Christmas and new year that is coming.

Looking good.

My only suggestion would be to taper the planks leading into the stem/bow further back along the hull. That is start the taper from about the second gun port aft of the bow - a long way back. With that taper you get a good upturn into the stem and it pays off later. If the uppermost planks, by this advice, are too tapered the whole planking is easier to fix than heavy tapering on the planks below them later. In other words your upper planks should rise up and the more so the better. If they stay parallel or, worse, downturn towards the keel the planks below will have a lot to correct.

Any way you'll be fine, filling, sanding and paint will sort it out and your planking looks good in any case.

Looks great Mike. I'd probably do that pattern if I had my time over. I did anchor stock patterns on the wales but under the paint the pattern is all but invisible .

In answer to Brian's question my guess is the pattern make the deck planks much more rigid especially under the recoil wheel loads of the cannon. A straight run of planks may be more inclined to lift and pop off the beams. That's a pure guess on my part.

That square tuck is a wonderful detail and precisely executed by you - as we'd expect. I quite like what I see as a slight translucency in the red paint - you can perceive the planking underneath. I'd keep it that way myself and perhaps you intend to?

Hi Brian

I used a jig of sorts. A small triangular piece of cardboard that could rest on the wale. It was cut to the angle I wanted and marked for the three holes. That way I had a guide to keep them all the same.

Hi Brian

I tried to track down my photos for the sweep ports but they are lost (total hard drive failure a few years back).

What I did is tape both sides of the ports with Tamiya masking tape. Putting the tape on the inside is important as it stops the potential of splitting the inner bulwark planks. On the outside tapes mark the the centre of the port with a pencil, then add two small pencil marks for the upper and lower parts of the port. With the tape on, you won't mark the hull timbers. Check each one for alignment and the angles and if all are good use an awl to mark the center and each outer point of each port. Drill the centre with a small bit and the outer points with a smaller bit. Take off the tape and join the centre hole to the outer holes with a # 11 blade. Finish with needle files. Using the tape is the trick - it allows you to pencil mark the set outs and adjust them without damage to the outer hull. It also holds the inner planking to stop them splitting. For drilling I only ever use a pin vise.

My best advice is keep the ports very small at first and widen to make them credible with caution. Many AVS's have sweep ports that are far to big in my opinion. I used an oar to check the credibility of my ports but that stretches me towards madness. With all my advice my sweep ports were a very difficult thing to do and came out just so-so.

Best thought - keep them small!

The planking is looking really fine Brian. I'm looking forward to seeing it natural below the wale but painted above. I'd still argue for a fully painted version but that is my taste. Very impressed by your scuppers. When it comes to the sweep ports I can give you some tips, if you wish, that made mine come out well - to my eye that is. I've seen some ports on AVS's that don't look so good...but given your work you probably have this in hand too!

Hi

It may feel like it's going off track a bit but don't worry.

My advice is to work through ALL of the second planking below the wale and then correct for the bevels or whatever outcomes. DO NOT correct as you go because that will cause gouging and worsen the potential problems. It is all to easy to think I'll fix it up as I work through each plank (or several of them) and you just dig bigger holes for the next belt of planks. My advice is to get all the planks on and then approach the finishing of them together by sand and fill. I emphasised the plank joints above the wales with a very light edge sand but below the wales, with it painted, you can't tell one plank from another in my model and that looks fine to my eye.

So my best thought for you - is plank it to completion below the wale, clean it up with sand and fill and then just rock on.

Keep it up and she'll be fine!

Hi Mike

You have made impressive efforts to figure this out. I used paint for the stern counters - a colour I'd describe as a deep ultramarine. It is sort of the same colour as that on the back of the FFM series. Mine is so close to being black that it is hard to tell but there is a difference - a hint of blue. I like it.

I look forward to seeing your approach unfold. It is looking really good!

A great start Nils - I'm looking forward to the outcome. Given all you have done so far, it is sure to be great!

Looks very, very sharp Brian. Your good call on the blue - I went the blue way but the black looks very good too and she's in your command. I still miss the little gold rail that runs above the black strake. Perhaps because fitting and painting it caused me so much grief that I think you should feel the same pain .

Hi

Nice looking cannon there Brian. Can't believe you can assemble it without glue! I'd suggest you get the sides much tighter to the barrel but you probably already figured that. I just used the sharp end of a toothpick for the quoin handle on my Fly cannons - works just fine and is very fine in size but with the AVS you are at a larger scale so your effort there will show nicely. Good stuff.

Keith - I wouldn't knock the kit supplied cannons on the AVS too much. I used them and they came up really well I think. Fully rigged etc.At the time I had no idea you could get cannons from other sources so I didn't even try.

Hi

Since you kindly dropped in on my log thought I'd have a look at what you are up to. It's looking really good but I don't know much about this kit or ship. You've taken on a pretty tough hull shape for first time planking. That said once you study the tutorials here on MSW and get going it isn't too hard. All I can recommend - if the plank doesn't flow to the hull shape don't fit it. Work the tapering and, presuming it is double planked, use the first layer as a learning curve and fall back on sanding and filling before getting things in better shape on layer number two. Best wishes and I'll keep looking in.

Brian - you are on your way to a gold standard AVS. You are definitely taking those details to where I didn't even consider them. She's looking very fine and the little detail additions are perfect.

Camera wise - I'll still stick with my cheap point and shoot - but I can't deign tat your photos look great!

Been away a while Chuck - well a few days. Your latest work on the fashion pieces and wales just looks great - so precise. When you say you just use "heat" to gently curve the fashion piece, my I ask "heat" from what tool or thing?

That's exactly the way I did it Brian. The only way to go unless you are very lucky to have caps that fit the curve. Great work mate! Looks spot on once again.

Hi Mike

I have to laugh at B.E's suggestion! As you say he sets the gold standard and the bible for this ship - and perhaps many others besides. We will try and if we get there to his standard we will be happy. Nothing is as good as this site to keep us pushing and I, like you, are pleased with the outcomes that come from that. I look forward to all of your updates.You are taking it to another level.

Everything is looking fantastic Timmo. Love that shot of the deck. You and Joe are really setting the standard for Granado.

Hi Mike

That is exactly what I did with the hatch coamings. A very gentle rounding of the top edges of the coaming at the box joints so the hatch sits square into the deck. A very gentle rounding...as you'll see in my log I otherwise left them alone - no stains etc. Good luck with that but in any case what you are doing looks fantastic. Keep going!

Seriously good looking decking there Jason. Love it. Your off the ship method has worked - I'll try that in the future as I can see the advantages and no downsides to be detected. Are you going to do treenailing? (You might have answered that before...)

Brian

No need for sorry! The little gold band I did as a separate strip - 1mm x 1mm or so with a rounded top edge - and painted with gold paint from Admiralty paints. It is a nice touch but no biggy if it isn't there. The top plank under the cap rail and above the three outer planks you have on should be slightly thicker than the planks below but I guess you know that. I painted it Sky Blue with Citadel Paint - very nice paints by the way, mostly used by war gamers who paint those little metal figures.