lmagna

Sounds like my kind of cooking. Sober or otherwise.

I agree! Somehow I never put Australia and snow together, and seeing Kangaroos hopping along in the white stuff seems like something right out of Alice and Wonderland!

WOW Ron! What did you do to tick off the clock? Or possibly the cats! What a rude awakening! Hope you start healing and don't have any after effects.

Well here we go again. I am not much of a lighthouse person normally but I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with on this one. The lighting kit looks pretty top quality as well. Don't forget the popcorn.

I think that should read 1.1" guns. 11 inch guns would have been almost as large as the main guns.

Too bad on the RC part of this build ir3. But it happens to almost everyone at one point or another. It is good to see that you will finish her as a static build. Just as a forewarning. You may find that RC steam, even in kit form offers a whole new set of engineering issues in getting it to work properly and reliably. Once you get the bugs ironed out though they are interesting to operate and certainly impressive to watch.

Great job on a unique subject Mike. You have truly made a model to be proud of. Hopefully it is located in a place where it can be admired by all.

Has anyone tried this stuff: https://www.vms-supplies.com/flexy-5k-pe-product-overview According to stuff I have read and at least one video that is out there somewhere, it appears that this stuff is both stronger by a considerable margin and flexible as well. It appears that it comes in a number of thicknesses and setting times. The only real place I have seen it sold here in the US is through eBay and is shipped directly from Poland. I bought one bottle so far for use on my Houston build when I can get to it. It has a multi piece hull made of resin and I wanted to make certain the bond was extremely strong. I have not opened it yet as I have not started the Houston build and don't want it going bad after opening. They also seem to carry a bunch of other products for weathering, texturing, painting, and so forth.

Good luck on the carpal tunnel work. That is at least one part that is still working somewhat OK on my rapidly deteriorating body. My wife went through it a number of years ago due to the typing she had to do on a daily basis at work. She has been fine ever since. I expected that I would have to face it as well, after years of shooting relatively heavy caliber hand guns, but except for a little glitch in my right thumb at the upper joint where it meets my palm, that hurts a little more and is stiffer than it should, it does not seem to be an issue. But then I suppose I could fall on my hand going UP the stairs and break it too just for good measure. You never know what a stupid klutz is capable of! There may be little of note when it comes to the painted waterline on any ship, especially cargo ships. They float at one level empty and another when not. I believe Liberty ships were noted as being very unstable when not carrying cargo and they would pump harbor or river mud into the holds to bring them down to proper ballast for ocean sailing. I know that I have seen a number of pictures of Liberty ships that did not show any hull red at all. In fact I think this was more common than not. I also think, (And other more knowledgeable people here could clarify it better) that proper depth was established with the Plimsoll Line, normally located somewhere close to midships. As you can see there is quite a range depending on conditions. You have a wide number of settings before you are "wrong" if that is possible. I was thinking that the heavier draft of the Meany and possibly the later Vance as well, was because unlike a conventional Liberty, she no longer had holds and had a greatly increased top hamper making her a little tender in cross seas or other conditions that would make her want to roll. So to compensate they just ran her deeper in the water than would be normal for this class of ship. Just a thought on my part and not to be confused with any real knowledge!

I must say that you have confused me a little Steve. On picture #1 it shows the red waterline painted close to the 10 foot line. On the Meany it appears that she is resting at 16' and the boot is at the 22' mark. You chose to set the boot at 14'. Was there any reason for choosing this depth, or was it just arbitrary? Just curious.

I think that if you take your magnifying glasses off you will see that those guns are 5". I agree with the others though. She is really coming together and filling out. Just enough color to make her interesting without compromising authenticity.

If I had a location like that a block away and I was a little shorter on three back and one ankle surgeries there would be no way I would have ever stopped running RC ships. I am officially jealous!

Hi Steve It is with mixed feelings that I watched your video. While is is great seeing the Vance in the water at last, it is also sad to see her go. It has been an interesting build to follow and brought back a number of memories of builds and launches of my own. Good days. Your choice of pond/lake is fantastic. I don't know how parking is and how far you needed to carry the Vance but the scenery is fantastic and the whole area looks like a great place to pull up a chair and do a little afternoon of just leisurely sailing. Kind of looked like you guys had the whole area to yourselves. Looking forward to your next build, I am certain that you will again make it interesting and informative.

Good to see you well and back at it OC.

Great work on a unique subject Denis. Certainly worth signing. Congratulations