canoe21

Nice going Denis, lovely work.
 
Cheers,

thanks Daniel..........I feel it already       I went to all the trouble to make the stand.......and what do I do......use the stand from the Thermopylae.    I needed to be able to put her at a pretty drastic slant.  I did the chains,  the gun port lids,  and the pegs for the tack lines.   I was going to call it an evening,  and that's when I thought about using Thermie's stand.   I did the starboard side first,  installing everything,  and then touched it all up at once.  I have plenty of that super soft wire,  found in many Billing kits.  it was easy to cut and shape.


then I did the port side.   here I am complaining about this small crane light..........I got better pictures at my desk,  than at my table      go figure.


now I can proceed with the rigging without having to worry about doing that other crap!  

thanks for look'in in......and thanks to all who hit the like button      Happy camper signing off  

you do make a valid point though Russ......I've become too complacent relying on the supplied stands.  I'll do something for this one.......but I'll look towards ramping things up a notch  
 
for this......I'll need a volunteer.   you sir.........I like the cut of YOUR jib!  you look like a perfect 36!   step right up here..........
>the flying Dutchman comes to the table<
 
look!  he' laugh'in so hard his sides split!  com'on my good man...pull yourself together.....here's some tape!  nyuck.....nyuck.....nyuck!   let's take a look here........stick out yer tongue!.....you got a coat on it......put on a pair of pants and take it for a walk!  >where's my cigar<   anyway......you look to be this.....this.....and this   icky Mae.  hold on wilst we go to the wood shed  >lucky man....we're gonna make you your very own seats of ease!

there we are!   I didn't measure anything either........cut the base and the cradle parts!   cemented the front cradle part to the base,  and reinforced it with short lengths of square stuff.


when the Dutchie could climb on board.......the other cradle part was marked off and then added to the base.   I spared no expense with the xtra pieces of wood

after it was dry........there were a couple of adjustments to be made.....totally cosmedic {cosmetic} {pick which one ya want I assure you....both of them gets under my skin}.  Ok....climb right up there Dutchie and have a seat.......newspaper is extra  

not bad.....but a little more off the sides.   I'll make that adjustment.....then it's out to the wood shed for a paint job.  then it can get these nice cushions........a little cush for the tush  

>a paint job and an oil change later...............<
WHOA........BABY!!!!!!!   look'in good!  if this is what the best dressed boat models are wearing today........  I am like soooooo enthused!   

now maybe I can get some rigging done........in peace  

anyway.....yesterday,  I began to rig the bow.   I am going to use the sails ......I sewed one of the spirit sails to it's yard.  that went pretty good     

this was met with little resistance.......but the further I went,  the more it rocked the boat.

I'm using a thicker black thread......it's working out OK.   I sewed the sail at this time.......while I was doing that,  the boat flipped on her side,  and the spanker gaff broke off!

at this point....everything stopped.  I will make a stand to keep her steady.  more on this when I get back.......the admiral announced that she's hungry!    she who should be obeyed.

you can do it if you have the mind to   one would never evolve,  if the envelop is never pushed.
 
I wanted to post this last evening.....but I never got back to the computer.   substituting the rings for blocks,  and plotting them out took a lot of thought.  the mast trees are done now,  and they have been cemented in place.

Since I trimmed the root of the fore mast,  it required being propped up to align it.   it also gives you  good idea,  with the scale of the blocks.


I let this dry for the day.......did some stuff outside and replaced the stereo in our car.   the next day,  came the installation of the lower rat lines.   with the ratlines the way they are....they do not fit.....they are too long!  they need to be shortened,  and the most logical place,  is at the bottom.   Ratz!   I thought I had a picture of the process,  but no.......   what I had to do,  was cut the bottom off,  leaving a stub at the base of each dead eye lanyard.   you need to be careful,  because the plastic is somewhat brittle {trust me}.   after doing this to both sides,  the mizzen lower shrouds are in place.

I will have to do something with the lower part of the channels....there's more to do there anyway.   the main mast shrouds were next.


I will reestablish the grooves in the channels when I complete them......something simple {I hope}.   the fore mast shrouds were done last.....carefully because of the past damage.

the port side is the damaged one.........noticeable,  but it passes muster    all this will sit for another day.......I want them to fully dry.  trivial,  but the fore mast did come loose during the fit.....it needed to be cemented back in place and rejigged for alignment.  the fact is.....they are done!......and once dry,  I can begin with the standing rigging.

while waiting,  I gave the yards the flat black wash.

I'm debating........sails.......or no sails.   it's not going to make a difference,  since one......maybe two sets of lines hang in the balance here....clew and sheet lines {I lumped the tack lines in with the sheet lines.....clever huh?!?!}.   they supply what amounts to black sewing thread........in the instructions,  they tell you that the thread is not to scale,  and to make the model look better,  thicker thread must be used {not supplied in the kit}.   I get it........plastic genericide!   that's OK.......I'm ready for ya!    I have some thicker thread.   more soon my friends 

OK....I'm back.  oh......by the way.....Happy Father's day to all of you out there!   I'm home today....I took the day off     the admiral also talked me into taking tomorrow off,  so I did.  I really hope that all of the Fathers out there have the best day today.   I call it  'white hair counting day'      since yesterday,  I've been doing a little research on the Lindberg line company.  what I've found of it has been somewhat interesting.  I grew up with Lindberg line kits,  and the roots trace all the way back to the 30's.
 
http://www.scalemodelnews.com/2016/12/new-lindberg-line-1959-century-coronado.html
 
the original Lindberg line company was formed later from another company.....after Paul Lindberg joined up with a fellow,  only known as Olsen,  to form O-Lin models.   the very first companies to be formed to create the model industry was Varney,  Hawk,  and Empire.   Keen to note here,  that during the time between 1947 and {I would say} 1955,  these two had also been busy creating molds for other companies too.  Pyro models entered into the fray in this time frame....becoming another link in the chain........they phased out in 1972,  being sold off to a company called Life Like.
 
http://www.oldmodelkits.com/blog/plastic-model-kit-history/early-plastic-model-kit-development-in-the-usa/
 
Lindberg acquired some of the Pyro molds........could be that they created the molds for them too..........but they released the Pyro line of car models.  to me though,  Pyro's claim to fame was the series of gun and rifle models that they  released.....which can now be heralded as collector's items.   I haven't done much more research than this,  but Lindberg has either merged,  or was bought up by Round 2 models.   what I did find out points to this......research uncovered more.
 
http://round2corp.com/product/1967-oldsmobile-442/
 
http://round2corp.com/product-category/lindberg/
 
Round 2 has been reissuing older kits by MPC,  AMT,  and other by gone manufacturers.   Polar lights has been doing the same.   what cause this interest in Lingberg was what the admiral bought me yesterday.  while I was at work,  she went to Hobby Lobby and bought me some thinner and flat red.   she also bought me one of the other installments in the Jolly Rogers series {I now see that this is a series of models fitted under this pirate banner}......the Flying Dutchman.


this ship is the exact same as the model I'm building now.   the plastic that it's molded from is a special glow in the dark formula.   I've built one of these in the past {I believe it was a Revell kit},  in which it was painted with a solution when assembled, to possess this quality.  so long ago...........I forget the name    the parts for this kit is molded in a pearl, greenish white plastic.   it's the same scale.....the instructions are the same {with slight variation in procedure}....and the sail sheets are the same......I paired them up with the ones from the Jolly Rogers kit     the one thing that  ruins the concept of this kit,  is paint.   those who wish not to paint it will benefit more...but if paint is used,  it will kill the glow in the dark quality.  I failed to find the production date on the Jolly Rogers.....but I did look for it on this model.

interesting to see that it also has a date of manufacture too.  also interesting to see that this is laser printed,  and not etched into the mold.   it will be a bit harder to date the association of kits vs molds.   there was a bit of a pause here.......Kevin and his girlfriend Crystal came to visit.   the got me a father's day gift......so sweet!    I was surprised when I saw it.......and it convinced me that the Jolly Rogers and the Flying Dutchman are clones.  they got me the Henry Morgan!


closer examination revealed that this is nothing more than the Capt Kidd.

it has the raised stern and galleys like the Capt. Kidd and the instructions show all the tell tale 'points of interest' similarities.   it has plastic sails and actual decals of the pirate crests.  it can be seen that this kit is also put out by  Round 2 models,  and the date stamp confirms it.

the kit that I'm building now is not put out by Round 2 models........but by J. Lloyd International, under the Lindberg banner.   the instructions are dated 2009,  but I don't believe that this reflects the production date........it might though.   I know......what's the big deal..........I always had this thing about when a kit was produced.......I love the older models.   I think it's cool to pick up an older kit and think that you might have built it in your younger days  
 
there is a small bit of progress with the Jolly rogers.   trying to get a good picture of the blocks tied to the mast trees,  was a pain.  I did get a couple that were palatable.


the main mast is partially done too.

I will try to get more done today..........I hope you find this post interesting    
 

though I'm not quite ready for the rigging yet,  I figured I'd separate the blocks and see what I have.   I used some on the Gundalow,  so I'm hoping they look better on this model too.   better than the rings they supply in the kit.  I still have the revell Cutty Sark instructions......but the United States instructions are right here in the binder I keep at my desk.   on all of the rigging sheets for this series of Revell 1:96 scale kits,  they have a block identification diagram,  since to create some of them,  an eye needs to be cut off.

so,  with them all laid out..this is what I have,


since I have a better selection of the gray ones,  I will be using them.   trying to give you an idea of how big they are,  I could have used a coin.  I used ruler instead.

eye bolts were added to the channels for the back stay rigging.....the starboard side is done.


the mizzen stay rigging will be done as I've seen with other ship rigging logs...there will also be a block assembly associated with them too.  a pair of c blocks {with an eye cut off} are fastened to the deck at the base of the main mast.

for the main stays,  a pair was tied at the base of the fore mast..

as can be seen,  the port side back stay eye bolts are done.   once I've tied blocks to the masts,  they will be cemented in place.  more to come.

thanks Bob    it's not a bad kit.....it just has a few rough points.   
 
I've on and off this week on her.......later today,  I get to do a brake job on a piece of junk.....lucky me      I showed the remedy for the lower shrouds....I just drilled holes through the furthest point of the slots provided for them,  and it made the task easier.   I did install the bow spirit and the plastic imitation gammoning.....I touched it up this morning and made it look a little better.


I also reported that the carpet monster snatched up one of my fore mast shrouds,  and made off to his cavern lair.   it was an easy rescue.......I was surprised that it wasn't chewed to bits!  it was found in three pieces.....and not in too bad a state.  probably got interrupted by the furry four footers that rule the trees {seen out the window},  and rushed off to intervene the oncoming invasion.
     I started to piece it back together......but forgot that I hadn't taken the initial picture of it's rescued state....so this will have to do.  the two halves of the bottom section,  have been somewhat pieced back together.  you might ask why I'm doing this......I think it best to have all the shrouds the same....having hand made ones on the lower,  with the plastic upper ones,  might look a bit weird.  
After the mend job.....sanded and painted with flat lacquer......it doesn't look too bad.   I'll likely make a final adjustment when they are in place.

at the moment,  I'm working on the masts,  installing eye bolts for rigging.   I'm using the smallest ones I have.   they may be hard to see.





I'll be sorting out the blocks in a bit.......I have some brown ones {mostly single blocks}.......but I have quite a few gray ones,  and they are a mix of single and double blocks.   I'll likely stick with one color.....chances are I'll dab 'em with flat black anyways.  I'll be touching the eye bolts up to lose the copper look as well.   more soon  

I was looking at images of the Capt Kidd kit online,  the day I made that earlier post concerning the three kits.  I think it's the same scale,  but it is a lot more involved than the jolly Rogers.....probably more parts to the kit as well.   I wanted to pick it up too,  the day I went.   the lower shrouds posed a problem for a little while.......thinking over just what to do about them.  the lack of instruction is bothersome.......since it doesn't direct what is to go below the channels.  I will have to scratch a solution for this,  I'm sure......most likely with wire     I did figure out how to thread the shrouds through the channels....half the battle.   the channels have slots in them........why,  I'm not certain....but I drilled holes at the innermost depth of the slots,  and now I'm able to insert the tabs of the shrouds in them.

this does pose a small problem for the gun port lids......they might get in the way.   I wanted to add them before I did the masts,  but now I'm thinking I should wait,  so I can better situate the chains under the channels.   should have more soon on this.
 
I'm just as bad EJ.........I'm supposed to go back.......I need thinner and a few paints.   I always wish I could come back with something to add to my trove  

I went full circle........now I'm back here     I was playing 'round today in my meager spare parts bin of plastic,   and I came across the thwarts for a small boat.....darned if I remember where it came from.   I'm going to use it in the larger ship's boat.  this means that I will have to make a pair of chocks for the smaller boat.   I'll have a couple pictures of what I did a bit later.  today,  I started off by adding the fore railings.   they wouldn't line up like the other railings,  and would have looked off,  but I cut off the tabs and positioned them like the others.  it looks much better for it.

the masts were touched up from having the third step added to them.   the woolings were painted and the flat black wash was done.

all of the masts and the bow spirit are done now.


they are dry fitted at the moment.   before I cement them in,  I need to get all the gun port lids done.  .......really don't want to have 'er on her side with the masts in place.....might be asking for trouble.   the boat is coming along.......has to make a special sanding stick.....1/16 wide.  I just too a piece of square stock and glued some sandpaper on it....trimmed the edges.  now I'm waiting for paint to dry.......>look at watch<........yup,  dry'in as we speak........>look at watch<...........wait a minute!  I'm not wearing a watch!
   anyway.......I'm using the supplied shrouds.......I was just reading the next step.   put the ship's wheel in place........If I was to do that now,   how would I cement the rope,  that I wrapped 'round the wheel spool?   that's already done......since I like to read ahead   I'm looking for the numbers for the lower shrouds......and they are not here!   there is no text about them anywhere.   I think I can figure them out though......I'm a good guesser     another mystery here is when these shrouds are in place........there is nothing under the channels.   the holes are there.......but there are no parts that cement to them.   I will have to figure this out too.
       well......I think it's been an hour now........the boats are in place on the model.   the thwart was painted earlier.....it was then sized to fit inside.   the only problem is,  it's a little too short and doesn't reach the transom.

what I made is this raised seat for the transom.  when dry,  it will be trimmed to fit.  

I like to keep certain parts of the parts panels that I don't want to save.   some of the wood from them,  will be used to make extra detail for the model.   I have many of these templates,  since it beats having to draw them out {my laziness kick'in in}.  I forget where I got 'em,  but these are chocks for some ship's boat.   I trace them and cut them out......that's why I needed to make a special sanding stick.......to clean up the keel slot.

after they were cut out....not very easy......glad I made two tracings,   they were cemented in place on the boat.   they will be sanded some more and then painted the color of the thwarts.

all cleaned up and painted.......the paint is dry........it got a flat black wash.   when that was dry,  the smaller boat was cemented in place,  and the oars were cemented on top of the smaller boat.  they were given the flat black wash to kill any glue marks  {god I love that stuff!}.

how the boats are supposed to be assembled is pictured below it.  I think it looks much better.  here is the assembly in place on the model.


...and that's it.   to think......I wasn't going to do anything with them.   it was darn good luck I found that part.......the reason why I don't throw anything away  

I've made some more progress.   starting at the taffrail {which I added earlier},   the aft railings were added.   they have tabs that locate on the outside of the bulwarks,  so it works out rather well.


for the pair on the bow though.....I smell trouble....the tabs want to locate on the inside of the bulwark.  there is to be some trimming at the cat heads as well,  so I guess fitting is in order.  the figurehead was painted at this time.   instead of being instructed to paint it in one color,  I gave it three.


keeping with outfitting the bow,  the cat heads were added.

adding the third step to the masts was going to be a trial.........and it's living up to my expectations.   the cross trees are used to trap the shrouds at the second step cap,  and then cemented in place at the tops.  one of the cross trees was deformed and broken.......I tried to fix it,  but it broke again as I tried to slip it over the top end of the mast.   abandoning the idea of including the shrouds in this endeavor,  it was repaired in place and the shrouds were located on the outside of the cross tree.

the third step was added after the masts were dry,  and the shroud tabs were trimmed off.

along the hull/bulwarks where the deck opening is,  there are two more railings that continue the bulwark railings to the bow.  they were added at this time.

the flag staff was added......painted wood brown and accented with the flat black wash.  by this time I had to make more of it...very easy to make....just botch up some flat black paint    "hey knucklehead........make me a batch of spotted paint!"   "botch a batch of paint!"  

I was beginning to get curious about a few things.....I had to see if they would work.   the bow rails were added to the beak....along with the figurehead.

I don't mean to be,   but I do tend to get a bit flighty with my ideas.........sometimes taking me to other projects.   perhaps I should leave bread crumbs?   to see where I went to next,  you would need to look in the scratch build forum.   the trawler's beckon call   

I thought about what Piet said........and what I said about this kit.   it's true that this kit can be modeled after another ship......but there is a limit.   the jolly rogers can be built to resemble the French vessel le Flore,  and likely others like her.  you've already seen the up to date box art for this kit....... here is the earlier production box art.

to build a replica of the Wappen Von Hamberg,  you'll need to get the capt Kidd kit.   this is another Lindberg kit
             
the third kit I saw at Hobby Lobby,  was another version of the Jolly Rogers.   it's based on the Henry Morgan.   I imagine other ships can be modeled with this one as well.

it's quite interesting what's out there.......I just mentioned to the admiral......and showed it to her.......I want to get the Capt. Kidd  He.......He.....He!
 

I make it a rule to try and cut off the parts,  rather than do any twisting and such.   the plastic is soft,  and won't tolerate it without damaging the part.   as mentioned,  I was in and out {mentally} on the site today.  I'd read.....then get carried away with painting.......snapping back to reality,  when the bubbles on my screen saver would show up  {bubbles.......crap...forgot to change that}.   most of the parts are painted now.....I also ended up retaking pictures I took of the gold decorations at the bow and stern......bad lighting and blur.   I'm using the small crane light that the admiral bought me a while ago.....Halogen and not too good.   but I'm at my desk......so I make do  
     the ladders were added to the grates that locate on the gun deck and painted wood brown.

the belfry part is nearby.....still need to paint the bell.   the ship's boats were next...the exterior was painted.   this is how they will stack on the gun deck chocks.   I'm not too keen about the large boat since there are no other parts supplied for it.  I weighed out a couple thing I could do,  but it will upset the apple cart too much,  so I may just leave it as is.   the added railings I did does get in the way slightly......the boat sits a little off,  but not enough to bother with.   paint them up and they should look fine.

all the yards have the base color........now to add the accent colors and dress them up.

the grates were dry.........they got cemented in place

the belfry is in place too.......

the boats are painted and pretty much ready to go.....

I save all the instruction sheets........in the event someone is looking for them.   so far,  I've posted the Revell Cutty and the United states on one of the blog sites.  to date,  the Cutty is the #1 set to be asked for........I just direct them to the site    these instructions are not faring too well.....I'm getting glue and paint all over them.   they will be useless before long.
the ladders were added to the spar deck opening.

I'm horrible with detail paint like this.....but I still need to touch the areas up.   these are the decorations at the bow and stern.......I made sure the pictures are better than the other ones I took.



I will likely add the monkey chain on the rudder.   it's late.......I'm hoping to get a bit more done.   thanks for looking in and I hope to have another update real soon  
 

This looks like a nice little kit. good work.
 
Russ

Friday,  I did get a little further with the Jolly Rogers........the rails fore and aft of the deck opening were cemented in place.

the gun port lids,  along with a couple other parts,  got the flat black wash treatment.


the exterior of the ship's boats still need to be done.  I took the day off today.....nice that I have an extra day to play.  as with any kit,  any modifications made to it can turn out to be a hazardous move.   models are built with such close parameters,  that there might be a problem with the fit of other parts.   sometimes you gotta pick and choose which mod to do.   here is the first modification of the build.....an idea that I came up with.   there are two stair wells that lead to the lower deck...orlop,  I would think.   railings around these two openings will be added......but first,  holes must be drilled.

following the same lead as what I did on the Thermopylae {but a bit different procedure},  more wire was cut to serve as the stanchions.   eight short pieces were cut from them and cemented in place.

using the jig that I had used on the Thermopylae railings,  they were cut down to 4 mm.    using the thin wire,  it was wrapped around the stanchions,  leaving the front open.   the special tweezers were used again to position the wire,  but instead of being straightened out,  they were given a sagging appearance.

the first one was touched up with paint,  and the second one was done....in the same manner.

the ladders still need to be added.   at this time,  a couple more parts were added near the capstan.  along the sides of the deck opening,  railings were added there as well.  these were a bit of a pain.......they are really fragile and fitting was kinda messy {glue wise}.   I had forgotten what a pain it was to deal with 'angel hair'...the thin hair like stuff you get,  when dealing with thicker glue.
     I use the tubes quite a bit.........I have the Testor's cement in the bottle,  but I rarely use it.   touch ups to follow  

should have more to show later on    

Hey Denis, that's looking real spiffy. Nice idea with the flat back washes, never thought about that.  I bought a 1:130 Lindberg kit, "Captain Kidd," pirate ship for my grandson, many moons go. Your's and mine look identical. Now, my grandson has two left hands and all thumbs when it comes to model building so I inherited that kit.  Hmmmm, someday I'll just be nuts enough to tackle it - - - after all my other wants.
I may just convert that one to a Dutch VOC ship
 
I'll be jotting down a few notes here
 
Cheers,

this should catch the build up to the present.   the transom was my second folly,  but not as serious as the bow.   I had cemented the rudder in place before I painted the flat black wash.   now to swing the transom in place was very tight.   adding cement to the mix,  it was wrestled into place.   all is good.

a fife rail and posts were added to the bow deck.

the transom was washed with the flat black.


more parts added to the stern of the ship........lockers of sorts.

and more parts were added to the bow end.....cleats and the capstan.

this is it............today came and the day was spent setting up computers.   errand day tomorrow......but I'll try to get a little more done.  
 

the upper deck is cemented in place........had to fudge how it lined up with the gun deck.   this was to be my first folly with this model.   before doing that,  the ships wheel was cemented in place and white thread was wiped with olive drab paint and wound on the wheel's spool.  it was fastened under neath the deck.

the hatch was added,  later to be washed with the flat black.  now came the folly........"OK.....smart guy........now,  how do you suppose your going to install the bow deck?
it wasn't easy........and a little messy........I had to figure the height of the deck,  so the bow bulkhead would line up.   the painted deck helped a little,  but I still had to clean up some excess glue.

after a little touch up,  the bow bulkhead was cemented in place.

some trimming was needed to line up the bow spirit hole.   this will now get the flat black treatment.   another plus........the masts line up with the well holes!  


the grates along the mid ship was painted wood brown.....and the aft hatch was washed in flat black.

it gave it a blackened quality.   I gotta trim the galley badge windows a little more  
 

the channels had been added and painted.......some of the deck accents were painted with the wood brown at this time.
this was done on the 26th of May.   you can see that the ill fated post is there to help support the mid ship.  with a semi stiff diagonal brush,  the entire outer hull was gone over.....even the wales.  they will be the third color texture.......the brown of the plastic combined with the flat black.



well.......I just had a bit of confusion here.   I had taken a few other pictures,  in conjunction to something else I want to do with this model..and I couldn't find them.   I was getting the pictures from my memory stick.  when I took all the important stuff out of my old computer,  they went along with it and ended up on this computer.   I'll have to update the log files in the stick     I was looking over the instructions...and what they supply for the rigging is really horrible......three different size rings.



I have some rigging blocks from past Revell 1:96 kits.  the gray ones come from the C.S.S. Alabama........the brown ones either come from the first United States build,  or one of the Cuttys  {I built two of them}.  

comparing them with the rings.....there really isn't much of a size difference.  then again......2 or 3 mm wood blocks may be too large.   the gray blocks are over twenty years old.....I built the Alabama around the mid 90's {that put me in my mid to late 30's}.  I've had them that long!

I got some A blocks,  some B blocks,  C blocks,  and D blocks.......for those who built a Revell kit,  you probably remember how they list out.   I'll see how they look  

one thing I hate is glue marks........'at's all I Kin stand...   so I started to paint the hull......and I started to think about the bottle of diluted flat black I had kick'in 'round. hmmmmmmm...
I did a wood brown for the bottom........mask off the wales.........and do the upper part of the hull.   then go over it with the diluted flat black.   I'm a hack when it comes to weathering and such......I'll give it a try.   this is the perfect practice.....victim!    {Yea,  I'll call'em the way I see'um}.   top and bottom are done.........says nothing about painting below the waterline,  so it saves me a step.

the decks are being painted a light deck tan,  with accents of the wood brown and the flat black treatment.

the masts,  the rudder,  and the transom was painted in wood brown.   let dry completely.

the stand was painted a darker brown......the only gloss that will be used.

so to start things off,  I thought to put together parts that are sub assemblies.   I decided that I'd do a little painting on her,  so the assemblies are narrowed down to what would be the same color,  or as a unit.   the anchors were assembled....and the rudder.

the masts were assembled up to a point.   to assemble the cross trees,  the shrouds need to be set in place,  and it slips over them.   I found that one of the cross trees was broken and badly deformed........NO!  I didn't do it..I tell ya!   so I had to fix it and set it aside.....it'll be alright >icky mae< 

I also closed up the bridle ports....which gave me an idea.   this kit is 1:130 scale........the Thermopylae is 1:124 scale.   these two loose cannon could be important....and that's no laughing matter,  those cannons.   I was wanting to have cannons on the Thermopylae.......Cyril has them on his.   I set the two aside...I'll size them up when I get back to her.


I also thought to change up how the deck process is done.....I though I could line up the cannon locator holes better.   that was a fool's errand.  it can be seen well in this picture.

here a few parts are added.......notice the posts?!?!    there's one missing.   the part number is #10......and there should be.......and for all intent of purpose,  ten of them.   there are ten of them......except they are two different numbers,  and a locator hole is missing.   marking where it should be,  I added the missing one.    for the cannons.....guess I'll be cutting off the locator pins.

last Tuesday.......I was suffering from work lag.   it was a nasty week.....way too many trailer brake jobs!  I didn't have the urge to do anything with the wood projects.  Wednesday came with not much change,  and I knew I had to do something.  ........something I could just throw together,  without much fuss.   since the Jolly rogers was a kit with many problems,  I figured.....what the heck,  if I have to hack it up,  who cares    not like I was going to do a log on it,  or anything      I would forego a lot of painting....no need to be fancy.   a few folks here has built it and experienced problems.....from decks not fitting properly......to masts not lining up in the deck wells........poor fitting parts......just a beginning.   I noticed that the cannons don't line up in the ports too good.  I did this when one particular build was in progress.



there were no hawse holes for the anchors either.   I had shown a gent where he could locate them,  given how far into the build he was........I know that they should be under the trail boards,  but I drilled mine out to show 'em.  I'm going to go this route......at least they'll be close.

I had packed her up and put her away.......and now I bring her out again.  we had gone to Hobby Lobby......and saw three different kits.  the admiral was puzzled.......I was looking at a large scale B24 Libby,  but she said no.........ha-rumph!    so I picked up some black beading thread,  a roll of small chain,  and I hope some stuff to do the bow and stern decorations on the Thermopylae.   after we left,  I remembered that I needed thinner to paint the boats {next week......I got Monday off}.   so here's my try with the Jolly Rogers  

Hi Gang ... Just thought I'd better pop along and let you know what I've been up to .. cos 'no' I haven't been 'skiving off'  .. I have been tipping and tapping along on Ballahoo (The Mast Hoops are ready to install.. I was experimenting with different material and ultimately came back to the ones I made earlier, except that I painted them a more timber colour.. ) Anyhoo with the brighter days I decided to do something ..
That 'something' was to finish off a build I had started many many years before Ballahoo (think 15 to 20 in fact).. well before I ever attempted a Wooden Boat in fact.. she is an adapted French 74 (originally the kit 'Le Superbe' I think) made into a 'Prize' of the RN .. I was rigging her correctly using Lees and it was taking forever (this is about 15 years ago btw) .. Well .. I have been pondering a possibility this past year or two and decided to act on it a few days ago .. I 'cut her down' that is I chopped the masts to a centimeters above deck height thus pretty much finishing the build in one fell swoop (at least she is as finished as she will ever be.. I have no plans for instance to add the Gun Port Lids, to be honest they are long gone after an enthusiastic room clean out ) ..  I will be ordering a Glass Case shortly  (a lot cheaper now, in fact it will be an upturned Fish Tank made to measure by local glass merchants )
 
 
As Usual Thanks For Stopping By, Normal Ballahoo Service Will Be Resumed Shortly (Promise)
 
All The Very Best Folks
 
Eamonn
 
Right .. Enough Talk .. Time for some Photos 
 
 

Hi Gang ..
 
Just a quick note to say I haven't forgotten about ye all, just a wee hiatus whilst I see about getting the House brought into the 21st Century (it is an old 1919 build and is badly in need of some modernization, whilst keeping the appeal of the older 'feel') unfortunately this has left my build room effectively packed away.. and I was sooo close   I'm fully on the rigging now, so it was a tad irritating that I had to pack-up.. 
 
All The Best Folks .. by the way I'm still following along here on MSW .. 
 
Eamonn  (owner operator at Unfeasibly Slow Ship Builders Ltd. )  

Hi All .. Have been away for a mini break over my Birthday ..  No big deal I know  , except that I was over in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard !! with a couple of Victory visits (First person aboard on my birthday itself, virtually the whole ship to ourselves as we were well ahead of the crowds)  ... WOW that entire place is brilliant !
 
All the best Folks
 
Eamonn