Jaxboat

Now that other folks have received their kits I would be interested in other points of view on the kit

Best

Mike

Hi Chris,

Anything new? We're all suffering from withdrawl from our lack of Victory Prototype fix      

Best

Jaxboat

Great work, Bob. The rigging takes the entire model to a different level. I have the LSS Kingfisher. You have definitely inspired me.

Best

Jaxboat

I will definitely replace the cannons if I can. The gallery pieces can be filled and used . I would really also like to get a better figure head too

Mike

OK, Had some time to take pictures of the kit and contents. There are some teething problems  . For example, the parts list call for three feet of anchor cable and1 yard each of several diameter tan and black thread. Instead the kit contained three feet of the anchor cable but only 1 FOOT each of the smaller diameter threads  . Sam calls out the thread by their metric diameter in the instructions but ME listed them by their english measure diameter on the parts list.

All in all the manual is very good as are the drawings. But there are other minor discrepancies that speak of editing issues. There is at least one photo illustration missing except for its vacant framing box.

Laser cutting looks excellent very clean and sharp

The castings are very crude although better than Confederacy's. Still there are opportunities for someone making better resin after market versions

(wink, wink, nudge, nudge, no what I mean!!       ).

The cannon are mostly ok although some are ovoid and some have off center bores  . One of the two ship's wheels provided was missing most of a spoke apparently from a poor metal pour. Perversely the other wheel part was one of the crisper castings in the kit. Virtually all of the stanchions were warped to some degree. All in all nothing disastrous but their poor quality detract rather than add to the model.

Bottom line:plans, instructions and anything wood seem ok. Castings are poor and not up to the prototype. Wrong thread size shows lack of detailed quality control and planning on the part of ME. Would I buy the kit again?: yes! most definitely.  Despite the problems, It's a good buy at ME's sale price.

 I give Essex 4 stars for subject, instructions, kit design,drawings and value, 1 star for castings (that's generous), 1 star for new kit assembly attention to detail (especially the short sheeted thread lengths) and 3 plus stars for laser cutting.

Best

Jaxboat

Understand Sam,

I will have time on Friday to do a more comprehensive review. Also need to charge up my digital camera batteries. I-phone is not good enough.

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Jaxboat

It looks great. Did not have too much time to go through everything, Having a copy of the original plans is a very nice touch. I also like that your plans often reference the instruction book. ME has certainly added three wonderful kits between your's and Chuck's two. Great kits and excellent instructions. Congratulations!

Best

Jaxboat

Well, here it is  . Box is surprisingly heavy. Instruction book and plans are extremely well presented. They are the best executed of any I have ever seen from ME. The instruction book in particular is much better printed than Confederacy. Only glitch is the Label on the front of the box indicates the hull has been machine made   which is an obvious mistake. Looking forward to building this gem. Congrats, Sam!   

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Jaxboat

All

Great discussion. I would be interested in thoughts about how long the bed needs to be for large masts.

Best

Jaxboat

Chris,

Love the idea of the flags. Especially, the famous Trafalgar signal hoist  . 

Sails? Meh! Of course, why would you have a signal hoist bent on if the ship wasn't moving  ? It just so difficult to make the sails look authentic. Any thoughts in that area?

Best

Jaxboat

PE! Very interesting. What are you etching , the nail holes?

Jaxboat

Chris,

Are you using a new technology for the coppering?

Jaxboat

Very pretty dogs and, I am sure, smart as a whip based on other dachsies I have known. In the US, we often call them Wiener dogs. The American Cartoonist Greg Larson who drew "The Farside" for many years had a collection of cartoons where he imagined "Weiner Dogs", as he called them, in famous artworks by Dali, Rubens and my personal fave Edvard Munch's "The Scream"      .

Thanks for sharing pics of your canine friends with us.

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Jaxboat

Here is a question totally not about shipbuilding. What is the name and breed of your Avatar pup? Very pretty dog

Jaxboat

Another idea would be to look at rigging plans for Constitution in theAnatomy of a Ship series. I believe Ohio was a "74" like Independence. They really were enlarged 44s. In fact Independence was razeed back to a 44 in the 1830s.

Jaxboat

Great Stuff!

LOL about your spouse redecorating around you  .    As I always say: we all have to answer to a higher authority!

Now for a serious question: how do you decide which parts should be laser cut?

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Jaxboat

I bought this bench as a result of everyone's comments. My initial impressions are very favorable  . It is well constructed and designed. I like the drawers and they supplement other storage arrangements I have including two fisherman tackle boxes that are great for bits and bobs. My experiences with drawer operation are mixed. Some are fine others stick although they seem to get better with time. IMHO the bench is a great value for the money.

Happy Modeling

Jaxboat

Hi chris

How goes the prototype?

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Jaxboat

Amen!    

I think we soon have to deal with the question of how much  technology to use to help in our hobby  . Are parts made with a 3d printer really a good thing? Of course, is it any different then resin casting or even Britannia metal fittings? If you use a digital milling machine is that less authentic than using pure hand tools? What will define a true "scratch build" in the future.

Jaxboat

All

For the record here is my original post. The responses have been varied, well reasoned and spirited.  I do feel a little guilty that my question has turned the thread away from Chris Watton's glorious proto type.  However, certainly one of the pleasures of this blog is to share ideas and points of view on what our hobby is and isn't with those who are most passionate about it.

Jaxboat

Adhesives (Glues) bond in two ways: chemically and mechanically. A rough surface provides a good surface for mechanical bonding. Chemical bonding depends on the chemistry of the surfaces to be bonded as well as the chemistry of the adhesive. I read the labels of my adhesives to determine what materials they can and can't bond. I try to keep surfaces that I am bonding free of paint or sealers as much as possible. I find this usually allows me to achieve sufficeint bond strength with the proper adhesive. Hope this helps

Jaxboat

Hi Chuck,

This post is of great help to me. I received what must have been one of the first kits. I was reading ahead and noticed that in the chapter on constructing the rudder some of the piece measurements are list as ?x1/4, ?x1/8 for example. So now I can access this copy and fill in the missing dimensions. Very helpful!

Jaxboat

Thanks for the comments, guys. I am thinking the USS designation came into being with the offical founding of the US Navy in the mid 1790s when congress funded the first six frigates.

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Jaxboat

Yves

Thanks for sending the link. What a beauty! Hope Chuck does a rigging package although the man has a lot on his plate these days.

One question. Should this vessel really be called "USS"? I mean was the Bonhomme Richard or the Alliance called USS? I know it is picky but I really would like to hear some opinions

Jaxboat

I have always liked Minwax products. I will give both versions a try. I am always concerned about WaterBorne products because of wood grain raising but sounds like that is not an issue

Jaxboat