leclaire

Bob, with the skills and imagination you have shown on this build, the rigging on the Philadelphia will be a piece of cake.
 
Bob

Bob, with the skills and imagination you have shown on this build, the rigging on the Philadelphia will be a piece of cake.
 
Bob

Take all the time you want with the base - I am enjoying this as much as the Philly itself.
Kurt

Thanks, Ken. I'm just about done, I've got enough extra for at least two more similar scale projects.
Yeah, the bones don't fall far from the tree, do they?
 
I made an EPIC SCREW-UP trying to use real rock on the base. Sure, it looks like rock (it is rock!) but "in scale" the rocks just don't cut it. Way too big and not fine enough detail. Also I had to "work around" the real rocks; compromising the overall layout of the base. My original idea was to cast the rocks using some Woodland Scenics silicone rock molds I have. I should have stuck with the original plan.
   So, out came the chisel and hammer. After about an hour of messy and curse filled pounding, I got the basic proportions back to my original concept. I cast up about four mold sheets (6 to 12 rocks per sheet) of layered rock that is typical of the area Philly sailed in. The rocks are universal scale, and the molds are really cut well with great detail. I used casting plaster for the rocks, and FastMache to attach them and blend everything together. I also decided to widen the feeder stream and provide a place for the gangway from the starboard bow to rest on the shore, and a path leading off the base. The above water part is now about done, it just needs to bake out a few days and then I can start adding color and detail. The riverbed is the last thing to finish. I still need to raise the elevation under the bow of the boat  some more and add shore rocks around the area where the riverbed meets the shore. I included a pic of the shore rock castings, it's pretty slick how they designed them to be run in various different courses.
 
   Here's some really ugly shots of the newly modified base, drying mache and plaster. I think this will look TONS better than before. Oh well, only wasted some mache, styrofoam and time so I consider myself lucky...
(BTW, I left one small real rock as a memento).




In process pics from a few hours later. I still have to raise the riverbed under the bow about 1/4" so the stem will appear to be run slightly aground. Added some shore and bottom rocks and did some more blending. The black rectangle in the center is the base of the boat, and the three 5/8" holes are to push the hull out after casting the resin water. More on that later. A couple of days in the sun,
and it'll be ready for finishing. Back to work on the boat.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Eric,
 
I don't think the Model Expo boats come in scales, just lengths. They leave it to the builder to get the correct size in relation to the scale of their build. One option you could go with if the scaling of features isn't right is to cover the boat with a tarp. I've seen this on several builds and it looks great.  The boat I used on my build I wasn't real happy with the way the insides looked so I just turned it upside down and mounted it keel up.
 
Just  a couple of suggestions. I'm sure with your expertise and inventiveness you'll come up with something that will definitely look great.
 
-Brian

Mark, I meant the scale of the craft overall. I can know that I need a boat that's X long in inches, but depending on how the parts are scaled it may or may not look right. For example, a boat with parts scaled for 1:48 just won't look right in 1:64 even if it's the right "length". And I can't find any info on scaling from MS; need to check out MK. The scanner idea is interesting but then I have a boat kit I don't otherwise need. For the moment I'm going to keep stubbornly experimenting for myself but I'll keep your idea as a backup.

No problem today, it's been raining steadily since last night...🌧️
   Because the higher humidity is slowing the base work to dry out, and the base work is delaying further work on the Philly, I went to work on some of the resin deck additions. I still have some touch up to do, and after everything dries I'll shoot them with Krylon matte tomorrow. They'll be scattered about on the deck with the crates, barrels and other stuff I've already completed. I have about 20 more to do, it seems like a lot but all this stuff will also be used on my next build, the 1:24 USN Picket Boat #1 (same scale).
Here's the first batch:

Added pic of stuff on deck (demo only... won't end up this crowded).
 
Slim found another keg of grog... What could possibly go wrong?  ... 
 

No problem with the images - fair use applies.
As to what kind of boat - it's up to you as I have seen photos of just about every type of small boat used on riverboats.  John boats were common as were the type you show.  I have seen photos with a mix of boats carried on the same riverboat.  They were work boats meant to service the big boat.  Some of the more prestigious riverboats certainly had matching boats but the smaller guys used what was available to them.  I don't think you can go wrong with either of the two you show but if I was picking a boat to make that was easy to make I would go with a John Boat - no curves, flat bottom and easy to make.

I managed two more steps this week. First was gluing in the chimneys, which was scary as now there's a much larger delicate feature to bump or snag. No photos of this because it doesn't look any different from past test-fittings. Second, I worked on the main deck stern railings. This was difficult because I needed the railings to hold the full curve around the stern without any other support as the boiler deck doesn't extend out over this. Here's an example of what I'm basing this on.
 
So what I did was build a basic jig that would hold the railings in the right curve while I (a) soaked and bent them and (b) painted them, as I've learned the hard way that painting makes thin strips like this lose a lot of their pre-bent curve.
 

This worked really well. After the initial soaking and drying, I painted them in place. When that was dry, I took them off and painted the small bits covered by the clamps and jig; this wasn't enough to lose the curve. Then I mounted three thick posts on the main deck using small pins, one at each end of the railing and one at the very stern. When these were solid, I mounted the railings, then went back in and added smaller spacing posts. Here's the results:
 


I think it came out nicely. Now I'm terrified of bumping the stern. Oh well.
 
I've also started thinking about the two yawls I'll need. These were a pretty distinct design used on the Western Rivers; there was some good discussion of these over in Brian's Chaperon build, such as here and here. Basically I need to build two 16-18' boats with a flat stern and a hard chine (no rounding between the bottom and the sides). In addition to the photos shared in the second link above, I found two relevant drawings of what these craft might have looked like, but these differ in one important respect and I'd like an opinion from the resident experts (look, I'm asking ahead of time for once!).
 
First, drawings of an Ohio River yawl from Howard Chappelle (sourced from Google Books). This has a fully flat bottom from side to side.

Second, a sketch of a riverboat yawl from Alan Bates (photo from a book in my possession). This has an angled bottom from side to side:
 

I'm not sure about posting these images as it technically may violate copyright, but I'm also not sure how else to explain what I'm trying to work out about these two designs. Happy to take them down in a moderator thinks it's a problem. Meanwhile, I'd like to better understand the difference between the two and which version might be better for me (and/or easier to build). Any advice/input?
 

I got some Woodland Scenics trees today (cool shade #TR3521) and couldn't resist test fitting them... and the Philly...
Pics:

 

Thanks, Ken. I figured Philly needed a "picture frame" to provide context and concept. This is the messy (and fun... like a four old kid type of fun...) part of the build, and Slim and I are both slinging plaster outside. I'm getting tanner, but I think Slim is just bleaching out.
 I've been breaking rocks today, I kinda feel I'm in an old prison movie. I was going to cast all the rocks on the base, but I ran across some rocks that with a little "mechanical excitation" look like they'll work for most of the rock work. I'll still do some rock casting, but not near as many as I originally planned.

Here's the main materials I use to do the terrain work. As mentioned earlier, I used Styrofoam for the coarse elevations. It's cheap, easy to rough form and doesn't add a lot of weight. The next pass is FastMache, kind of a blend of plaster and paper flakes. It works great for forming out the terrain, is light, has a long working time and dries hard. After I did this pass, while the mache was still workable I embedded some rocks and blended them in. I'll be using the casting plaster for some more rocks and detail, and The Durham's for the final pass before adding dirt, gravel, foliage, trees and other stuff. The hot melt glue gun is indispensable!

Here's some shots with the mache and rocks...

Greetings All,
   I got a lot of work done on the base. It's time consuming, as I'm using water based stuff and things need to dry out good between steps. Luckily, the Florida sun is assisting nicely, not only for bake-out but also for some more outdoor pics. I love "real" lighting! 
 
Here's some of the ideas I use to improve dioramas.
 
   First, scenic compression. Most of the real world is pretty spread out and featureless, with interesting stuff scattered few and far between. This means "real scale" distances and dimensions are too great to model effectively. To overcome this, I try to "squish" my interesting sections together more so than they would be in the real world. This trick gets rid of "dead spots" and allows the viewer to focus on the interesting stuff. It also tightens up the display and saves on work and materials.
 
   Second, vertical exaggeration. Like scenic compression, this helps overcome nature's boring tendency to make gentle grades. Rapid changes in elevation seem to add more "space" and give more of a dynamic effect. My base (from the second picture onward) has an elevation change of three and a half inches from the lake bottom to the highest part of the frame in a span of only four inches. In scale, this would be about seven feet, much higher than what nature would usually do but effective. 
 
   Third, use the rule of thirds (bad pun intended). Painters, photographers and other artists divide the work into nine rectangles, and put the focus around the intersection of the four points in the center. Try not to orient either the model or scenery square, this can constrict the overall appearance and pull the user's eye off the display. I like to use a lot of diagonals, they seem to draw the viewer's eye into the display better.
   
   Fourth, KISS (not the band...). Keep it simple... reduce the overall size, eliminate anything that doesn't add to the model's presentation and try not to have abrupt transitions. Remember, THE MODEL is the primary focus. The base is just the stage.
 
I'll continue to describe my progress and methods as I go along.
 
Here's the base after the first glue-up.

   Here's the base after I decided to add a feeder stream and some more elevation. I also contoured the frame and and lowered the part around the water (I'll build a temporary resin dam when I pour the water).

Here's the base with some minor changes. I put some reference coats of different colored paint to both seal the work done so far and get an idea of the evolving appearance. The board in the center is to elevate the boat to it's proper distance above the bottom (approx. 1/2") and make the boat appear to be "floating". After all this stuff dries, I'm going to start on the riverbed grade, rock casting and terrain buildup.

Here's some outdoor shots with the boat oriented about where it's going to end up. I also scattered some deck ornaments that I've finished in random locations to start planning the deck build-out.
Gotta love the Florida sun!🌞

The display method is just as important as the model itself.  No need to skip details of the display.  It will help many who have not done it and want to try.
I for one would appreciate you providing details.
Kurt

Spent the last two weeks working on various details. The railings on the boiler deck have been giving me nightmares, but I finally figured out a "good-enough" way that works at the level of the rest of the model (representative if not precisely accurate, don't look too close). These were really difficult to bend and shape, especially where they didn't extend between two decks for extra support.
 

I left a gap on either side, forward of the wheels, to allow access to where the boats will be stored. Figured a chain was enough to keep passengers out; this was leftover scrap from a past model:

These stern railings were especially tricky:

Ladders up to the pilot house and various Texas cabins:

A couple broader views:
 


And here's one posed with the painting this model is loosely based on:
 

It's getting ever scarier to handle this model as the fragile details go in. I'm so paranoid about bumping these railings, they were such a pain to do in the first place. And it's just going to get worse...
 

A company called Tichy-Train Group makes dozens of different sizes of nuts and bolts- square and hex head with either square or round washers. They also have a lot of other cool hardware that can be used on our builds. I got them off ebay, but there's probably other vendors on the Interwebs. Also, Grandt Line used to make a lot of nice hardware, but they are getting hard to find (Company gone under?).
Slim better be careful... we have five cats, and with Slim packing only single shot muskets and a cutlass he'd better not start any trouble... The cats are swift and vicious and would take Slim down like a pair of cheap gym shorts if he gets out of line.

If anyone is interested and is planning to do a Philly build, here's an All Philly build pictures-Raw and Uncut! photo album on Google Photos in chronological order
This is all the shots- the good, the bad and the ugly. There are a whole bunch of them that show a lot more of the construction phase. Some cat pics, too.
Any questions on what I did are welcome.
I'll keep it updated.

Hi Bob - as many have already said, your level of detail is awesome. It has giveen me a lot to think about in planning for the start of my own Philadelphia project. From your responses to other posts it appears that you have a rather extensive background in model railroading (as do quite a number of others on this forum) and this has provided a number of resources and leftover parts, etc., that you have used in your detailing processes. Unfortunately, I don't have that in my modeling experience but it has given me the desire to know more and to explore the various sites available to all of us. Frankly, I am amazed at what is out there already and I just started my search. Thanks again for your fine work and most importantly, sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.
 
Bob

Hi Bob - as many have already said, your level of detail is awesome. It has giveen me a lot to think about in planning for the start of my own Philadelphia project. From your responses to other posts it appears that you have a rather extensive background in model railroading (as do quite a number of others on this forum) and this has provided a number of resources and leftover parts, etc., that you have used in your detailing processes. Unfortunately, I don't have that in my modeling experience but it has given me the desire to know more and to explore the various sites available to all of us. Frankly, I am amazed at what is out there already and I just started my search. Thanks again for your fine work and most importantly, sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.
 
Bob

Wow, I really appreciate the kind comments!
   This is a whole new set of challenges to have to add to my skill set. I've only had to work with wood on my model railroad projects, and that's all flat panels and straight boards and stuff. NOTHING like the spiling, bending, fitting, etc. required to build ships... let alone the new terminology, long history and that DREADED RIGGING. There are so many examples of world class woodwork and top shelf builds on the forum that I truly consider myself a novice. Once I get a few more ships under my belt I'll feel a lot more comfortable.
   Speaking of which, I've officially got "the ship bug" I haven't had this much fun in years of building, and doing this log makes me very careful of what and how I do stuff. In fact, I just ordered a Model Shipways USN Picket Boat, which will be next build up on the workbench. (Yay! no rigging and lotsa metal stuff to spiff up!)
   Again, I'm not trying to sandbag anyone, this is all stuff I've never had to do before. I would never have gotten this far without all the great build logs on the forum. As I have said before, If anyone has questions on any of my techniques, please ask. I'll be honored to share and explain, in the tradition of all the other members who graciously do the same.
   Just finished some touchup on the cook stove, found the coffee pot and cook pot, and some stray cat wandered in...
 
   
Yikes! Slim found a sword!

Hi Bob - as many have already said, your level of detail is awesome. It has giveen me a lot to think about in planning for the start of my own Philadelphia project. From your responses to other posts it appears that you have a rather extensive background in model railroading (as do quite a number of others on this forum) and this has provided a number of resources and leftover parts, etc., that you have used in your detailing processes. Unfortunately, I don't have that in my modeling experience but it has given me the desire to know more and to explore the various sites available to all of us. Frankly, I am amazed at what is out there already and I just started my search. Thanks again for your fine work and most importantly, sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.
 
Bob

Absolutely fantastic job on your gun carriage detail. How on earth did you make the nuts that go on the bolts? As well as all the other hardware? I'm hoping you found a place to purchase this stuff. My skills are not quite up to making something this small.
 
P.S. my Philadelphia is still on the shelf but I'm planning ahead.
Bob

Thanks Bob and Kurt for the link and the suggestions. Once again, MSW shows its value.

Thanks Bob and Kurt for the link and the suggestions. Once again, MSW shows its value.

Absolutely fantastic job on your gun carriage detail. How on earth did you make the nuts that go on the bolts? As well as all the other hardware? I'm hoping you found a place to purchase this stuff. My skills are not quite up to making something this small.
 
P.S. my Philadelphia is still on the shelf but I'm planning ahead.
Bob

Looking great, Eric.  She's coming together.