Keith Black

It could be an elevated compass? That's purely a guess on my part but that is one strange looking device.

Przemek, welcome to MSW. Lovely model. Glad to have you aboard.

The rope attaches to an eye at the bottom of the ladder stringer. Another photo of the same ladder.

I made it to the party on time, that's got to be a first for me. Valeriy, I'm looking forward to watching your new build take shape.

The oar looks great and if it looks a little dark it's due to weathering.

Yes, the baluster at the top. I didn't see the baluster at the bottom, dah. Now that I DO see it, it pinches the door opening a bit. You could do away with the bottom baluster and run a rope handrail like they did in the Tennessee photo.

Tom, the balusters look good but if I may make a suggestion. The balusters closest to the companionway door pinch the ladder access just a tad. If you cut /split a baluster in half and placed the smooth side on the companionway side it would do away with that pinched look. Just a thought from your well meaning little brother. ps.. your grated hatch cover looks much much better than the PE cover provided.

Ash seems to be more frequently used.

Using slip made a big difference in the way the tentacles look and the way the bottle is being held is fantastic, Glen. I can see the fear in Ragnar and his crew's eyes now! I know your wife has an electric hand mixer....."look Honey, it washes right off"

Frankly, I'm a bit uneasy saying "I think your tentacles look great" I make sure the spelling is correct several times before hitting enter.

Ralph, welcome to MSW. Gorgeous model. Glad to have you aboard.

Al, welcome to MSW. Nice model. Glad to have you aboard.

What an incredible little world, it's perfect.

Glen, that suckered tentacle looks really good, the suckers look very realistic. Great start.

"Sir, would you please stop crawling around on your hands and knees and peeling back the carpet"

Jim, I'm basing my views on period photographs, restoration of the Tally Ho, and current ship deck images. Not all restorations are created equal. The deck in the last photo you posted i dare say hasn't been sanded/holystoned since the day it was finished. I still say what you see in a photograph you won't see when a model is seen at actual scale. it's hard to say but I'm guessing if that deck in the last photo was viewed from 50/75 feet away, you couldn't see those treenails even as extreme as it is. Were treenails used/present, absolutely. Were you able to see them when viewing a ship 50/75 feet away, i don't think so. As I said, if treenails are your thing but all means add them but it's not an accurate representation, IMHO. https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=images+of+sailing+ship+decks&tbm=isch&source=univ&fir=3ym8XK_DklRf4M%2C1KAPEFNVrR4k-M%2C_%3BCLj69s9R5zjbJM%2CXnC9XNDmdppEUM%2C_%3BLyoKWmERrt_rvM%2CoddwV3RkBz2j2M%2C_%3BrDchwGL-0wg9AM%2CYwHTUyVSTcPZwM%2C_%3BoZiTB0p57f2UGM%2ClRqIsnQ3r8fHWM%2C_%3BTiQQ1KV0Nt3MWM%2CYwHTUyVSTcPZwM%2C_%3B-Jv5GPNgGEDroM%2C1KAPEFNVrR4k-M%2C_%3BYFVnzkObiQvMCM%2Cujf1IQIPJDloIM%2C_%3BVK_VT_gXjs32OM%2CI71lGtWIa535sM%2C_%3BqHY6BdhDTjcFBM%2CbPB3JYQu4UB_uM%2C_%3BwlP_ygZwpOWeDM%2Cl-igSVlC1oK5YM%2C_%3BeqMJGXRIcm10nM%2CqG4xq9yj4tamsM%2C_&usg=AI4_-kT3gQrSs4brlE-QmaJMH3s1pmzUmQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYsOnwkrj9AhWJCjQIHS5NC_QQjJkEegQIBxAC&biw=2560&bih=1238&dpr=2 View video 17.57 minutes in for holes, 18.40 minutes for plugs, and 18.58 minutes for a close up of both holes and plugs. View video 24.58 minutes in for almost finished deck.

There's a spool of Cuttyhunk on eBay. I have no idea if the size or color would work. https://www.ebay.ca/itm/134414376717?hash=item1f4bb89f0d:g:RgoAAOSwaTNjxYJ~&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4FNgsZTtECZQ5GVwwAijJZ0%2Buwzbw4dW3GlRxfNEn6ogc3oGqSIVzK8I2ztlYp2SV5Mg5yMIMYysNh9bf1Cc8QEAY3YUCSElHaX84%2FZ6z4eHAhyc33XP3Jhzeg65kcmvM7dP3PWA5suwHpPI8zbvztfNnsQtKTzh3r3gU9zDFUYQ%2FOZRR33oC35SGrYRCanbJUi3XxT%2BYf5TFm1XvUC%2BP3NvSOnIVb7sbQJbqwcq54FLOaeApNnu59IALQMdZIojoByEA5EnZhIqBEXVtysBaKCldSbiOy657gZeUOndsMfa|tkp%3ABFBMirXA4dJh

Lord Kelvin patented his compensating spheres in the 1880's, the Harriet McGregor was destroyed by fire in 1895. Your binnacle is just fine and beautifully done, Grant. In fact, your entire build is beautifully done. It's a pleasure viewing your build log.

Scotty, the deck and keel look great. Regarding treenails, I'm not a big fan for two reasons. One, it's too much work and two, all old photographs showing ship's decks, treenails/wood plugs are not visible. A model is viewed in scale from a much further distance than that of a normal photograph. The photo I've posted is that of the USS Tennessee ca. 1880. Even though the deck of the Tennessee would have been metal fastened and wood plugged, the plugs are not visible. IMHO, treenails on models look out of scale for the most part. But hey, if you like doing it, do it.

Dave, that's the sixty four thousand dollar question. It's kinda like, why do we always push king's pawn two on opening.

Mark, I've not seen a pond yacht that didn't have a lead keel. Beautiful old model.

Mark, why don't you contact our approved vendor, Ropes of Scale. https://ropesofscale.com

Yves, you think Italeri are expensive, look up Pocher kits on eBay. Any one of the Pocher kits is crazy expensive. I'm really surprised the Chinese haven't started making counterfeit Pocher kits. https://www.ebay.com/itm/325507304484?epid=2181481725&hash=item4bc9bf4c24:g:2DoAAOSwqxJjy-nj&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoOpVbAm8eR93o8Kj5N1JiSJ3iKmGPKQEbDQ5cyiqeFSURdcT0hS%2FqvgfFqvM2Qx9TutL9Ns9X1ePrMaS%2FjK075bR2oiPsIQMPWJ5Qn6JN12Za4xP71LejWx2bNJHdcABS%2FG%2FRTnADi3gyUcWUICkSo5wHf1CpRRRWMT2gGvpNpyia9Bu04haydjEqU1AWtRDopTRI1pAPWF9POLrLqvDCN4%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR87mgbzSYQ

Giuseppe, welcome to MSW. Glad to have you aboard.

Following along, Ras. There is a kit on eBay for anyone interested. https://www.ebay.com/itm/363907522874