hamilton

Your AVS looks great, Brian - I really like the naming! You're not alone in this particular brand of nerd-dom... hamilton

Thanks for the suggestion Don! But now this issue has been placed on the back burner due to other more near-term concerns..... Though I'm not yet finished the Hannah-in-a-bottle, I spent this evening doing a bit of preliminary work on America. This is my second Mamoli build, and since their fire, I'm assuming it will be my last. The first was the yacht Gretel, which built up into a very nice little model though I recall that the framework needed considerable attention. The same is certainly true of America. The laser cutting is quite good (mostly accurate to the plans) but there is a lot of shimming and trimming to do - most of the trimming will probably be done in the fairing process, but many of the bulkheads require significant shims along either one or both edges. More importantly, the centre keel is significantly off through the stem and in the forward part of the keel. In places along the stem about 1.5mm needs to be added to bring it into line with the drawings. This piece is also slightly bowed - nothing that can't be fixed in assembly. (As a side note, I've always wondered - if the laser cut parts on a kit are found to be quite inaccurate to the plans, does this through the accuracy of the plans into doubt? I suppose you have to take your reference from somewhere....) Anyway, I also test fit the bulkheads to the keel. They were all very loose fitting with a significant amount of play in them.....I'll add thin shims to the fore and aft faces of the bulkheads and the port and starboard sides of the keel to stiffen and straighten them. Between this work and some added brace strips between the bulkheads, the framework should come together nicely. Here are a couple of shots - nothing particularly exciting.... There is, however, one oddity that I've found - a discrepancy between the stern end of the centre keel and two drawings provided by Mamoli in their plan sheets. Here are a couple of pics of the keel piece next to the two drawings in question - you can see the discrepancy. The drawing showing the profile of the laser cut centre keel shows a part identical to the actual keel piece. But in the profile drawing of the assembled framework there are two discrepancies: 1.You see filler blocks 20, 21 and 22 in the profile shot - but also a mysterious white space like some kind of filler block between fillers 21 and 22 and bulkhead 15 - compare this plan view of the stern, where this filler is not indicated (though in the first drawing part 20 fits over this mysterious filler so maybe that's why.....). It seems that the mystery filler is there to provide the correct shape of the counter, but it's hard to say..... 2. This is less visible from the photos I have (sorry!) but there is also a discrepancy in the shape of the keel in the two drawings. Again, the drawing depicting the profile of the keel part is identical to the part itself, but the framework profile drawing shows a section at the top of the stern post that seems to be cut lower than the part..... In any case, I'll have to work through these puzzles as I assemble the framework - once the bulkheads are made to fit properly I'll see how the stern parts fit in - maybe an answer will come clear then. In the meantime, if anyone has experience building this kit and encountered this issue, I'd love to hear how you navigated it. Thanks a lot for dropping in and any and all feedback is, as usual, gladly accepted! hamilton

Hello all: I'm not sure if this is the right area for this question, but....moderator's I'm happy if you move this wherever you think it belongs. I'm at the final stages of building Amati's Hannah in a bottle and am nearing the point where I'll have to actually put the tiny vessel inside the bottle.... The instructions say to first fix the stand inside the bottle and then manoeuvre the ship onto the stand....my first instinct was to use CA to install the stand in the bottle, but I was nervous about crystalization of the CA vapours on the interior glass....I had thought of using a 5-minute epoxy, but wondered if this would produce the same effect? Can anyone tell me if the epoxy is the way to go, or if there is another adhesive I should use that won't have any adverse effects on the glass? Thanks very much in advance! And happy modelling to all hamilton

Well it's been almost 4 months since I finished the Fair Rosamund, but I obviously haven't put a stopper on the log.....it seems a little weird to be doing it so long after the fact, but I thought I would at least share some photos of the finished model. Overall, I enjoyed building this kit greatly, though I ended up spending some extra cash replacing most of the kit supplied wood (first and second planking and deck planking in particular). the laser cut pieces were very poor - well, the laser cutting was fine, but the quality of the wood was on the low end from my experience. Very soft and not very nice to work with. Many of the metal parts (the carronade stand and riding bitts, e.g.) I scratch built to much better effect, in my humble opinion, and I think providing wood stock for building these rather than supplying metal parts would have improved the kit. I also made some modifications on the cabin - not the overall design, but the finish and features. Finally, the plans, while for the most part decent, lacked precision in the rigging, and I had to do quite a bit of planning in advance to get things sorted out. I think if I had followed OcCre's rigging and belaying suggestions it would have ended up a tangly mess. Despite these criticisms, I think I would recommend this kit to a modeller who had a few kits under their belt and wanted to have a go a something more or less straightforward but that also provided some challenges in terms of modifications to the kit - nowhere near what I had to do on Corel's Greyhound, but not exactly an out-of-the-box build, as I had initially thought it would be......It does build up into what I think is a very fine looking model. And quite large - over 3 feet from the tip of the bowsprit to the end of the boom and about 24 inches in height from the base of the keel to the top of the main mast. Anyway, here's a photo and I'll put more up in the completed model gallery. Bye for now hamilton

Thanks Chris: Great suggestion - happens that I have an extra roll of copper tape lying around......Have to say I was kind of suspicious of these little "tiles", too..... hamilton

Hello there: This is just a placeholder for now, but I hope to dive into Mamoli's America kit in early September, once I've finished the Amati Hannah (in a bottle). I admit, I'll be happy to get back to building at a larger scale!! I've been more of a lurker and very occasional contributor here for the last year, since I finished my HMS Blandford (see link in signature). It has been an extremely busy time at work and though I've kept up with modelling (finishing the Fair Rosamund and now nearly finished the Hannah) there hasn't been much time for the more social side of things.....Hopefully the coming year will be a bit more relaxed (HA!) and I'll be able to maintain this log and be a more active contributor on the forums. For now, some brief notes on my impressions of the Mamoli America kit. Wood Not bad. At first I was concerned less with the quality than with the amount supplied. There did not seem to be nearly enough for the double planking and deck planking. But then I read the instructions, which provided some explanation, though not much reassurance..... Metal parts The mast hoops, mast coats, boom saddles, and many iron bands for masts and spars are supplied as pre-made metal parts. This is a relief for me, since my metal working abilities are non-existent. The parts seem to be well made and well dimensioned and though they look quite similar, the plans clearly identify each one. Plans/Instructions The plans are clear and complete, which makes the instructions more or less unnecessary except as a (frequently vague) guide to interpreting some of the drawings. There are a few parts/pieces missing from the kit - one of the blue plastic skylight windows and 4 of the 6 capstan whelps. The whelps I can make from scrap wood I think, but I'll have to replace all the windows.... There is also a particular oddity about this kit. The instructions state that the second planking should only go as far down the hull as the waterline, after which the second planking is replaced by small wooden pieces simulating copper plates. To my way of thinking this seems like a very difficult way to approach the planking of the hull, and if anyone who has built this kit can give me guidance here I'd appreciate it! I'm tempted to just apply the second planking to the entire hull. There's not enough material supplied in the kit to accomplish this, but given that the hull is "coppered" and painted it won't make much matter what material I use for the lower part.... Anyway, that's it - sorry for the lack of photos. I'll post some a little later hamilton

Thanks Dwaine! I'm thinking of going with maple, but I think I'm going to take stock of some wood replacements in a few kits I've got on the shelf and try to make a bulk order....... hamilton

Hi JPett (and other commenters) I just purchased this kit (couldn't resist another ME sale!!) and am very impressed. I've build a few Corel kits and have the Bellona on the shelf and this Berlin looks truly wonderful too. I, too am thinking of double planking the hull, mostly because my planking skills are not of the best.....the 2 x 4mm walnut supplied with the kit can easily be replaced by either 1.5 or 1mm lime plus .5 or 1mm walnut and would be more forgiving for those who are not as confident in their planking skills.... One interesting feature I noticed about the wood supplied with the kit is that the square stock they supply for the masts and spars is both pre-cut to length and pre-tapered, which is a very unique feature I've never encountered before. I also miss the deck planking and would like to plank the deck rather than use the method suggested by Corel. I'm assuming, though, that increased supports for the deck planking will be necessary (especially for the large main gun deck) so the planking doesn't sag....does anyone have any thoughts on this? Anyway, it seems that there are a few Berlin's waiting in the wings - if some people start in the near-ish future, I might move mine up in the schedule a bit to tag along. Thanks for posting this excellent review hamilton

As usual, Bob, I'm late to the party. But I just wanted to repeat what everyone else has already said - amazing work - I remember following early on and watching you struggle with this kit - I'm glad you finished it too! It looks gorgeous and is a great credit to your skills. I've been absent here a while due to other work, but I'll be keeping up on your Cheerful as she comes along. Bye for now and congratulations again! hamilton

I usually use straight pins to batten the sub deck down....but this can be a pain.....rubber bands are never plentiful enough in my house to take that route - the kids always manage to get at them somehow..... hamilton

No problem! Best of luck - I'll be sure to keep an eye on the build as it comes together hamilton

Hi there: That last post wasn't too helpful, but I think you might need to widen the bulwark slots on the sub deck. The deck piece should have little slots around the edge that fit around the bulwark extensions. Often times these slots are not in exact position or are cut too narrowly. The sundeck piece should be flexible enough that it will just bend into place - you shouldn't have to steam bend it. Some decks I've worked with are pretty fiddly and need to be worked into place with a bit more effort than others....work the slots a bit with a square needle file to widen and/or deepen them as necessary.... You might also check the bulkheads to make sure that their tops are flush with the centre keel when they're fitted. If they aren't then the deck will ride up a bit and cause a bit of mayhem. It's hard to tell from the picture whether this is an issue or not. Hope this helps hamilton

Hi Homer: Wow - I think your Greyhound is turning out fantastic! You've definitely done a lot with this particular sow's ear. This kit is, indeed, atrocious. But you should not let it tarnish the Corel brand in your mind (for that matter, perhaps Corel should not have let it tarnish their brand). As I mentioned in my build log, I've built several Corel kits and have one (Bellona) on the shelf - all (save Greyhound) were of excellent quality. The Greyhound kit felt like it was rushed to market, and as such came with A LOT of problems - the style of plans was different from what Corel usually provides and while my wood stock was decent, the metal parts were pretty bad and the CNC parts were in many cases totally off - I noticed from one of your earlier photos that the bulkhead frames aft on your kit showed a similar inconsistency as mine had.... Anyway, there is a lot to overcome with this kit, but I think you've done a great job of wrestling it into a really fine form. And I would encourage you to build another Corel kit in the future and not let this one sour your experience. I think this one came out at the same time as their Eagle and Peregrine, so I would avoid those. But I've built the Toulonnaise, the Brittany Sloop and the Flattie, all of which were quite a bit of fun (though the Toulonnaise had some issue to overcome, too - nowhere near those I found on the GH), and the Bellona looks really top notch all around. Keep up the good work! hamilton

Amazing, Mike! Thanks for posting the pictorial lesson on getting her into the bottle! I know I'll be coming back here in the future when I get to the Hannah. Also - may I note that I think this is the first 1-page build log I've seen on this forum! Another achievement! hamilton

Great detail work - love the quarter gallery windows hamilton

No problem all! Didn't take much - I have it bookmarked for the time I start on this same kit.....hope you all find it useful - I know I'll be referring back to your logs when the time comes.... hamilton

Hi Carl: Looks great! I'm very interested to see how things go getting it into the bottle.....As I recall from an old build log on another (now defunct) forum, Dry Dock Models - it's archived on this modellers website and if you haven't seen it, here's the link http://s.kahn.lyshanpress.com/blog/blog4.php/hannah-1775-amati-ship-in/ There's a little right-pointing arrow at the top-right of the pages that allows you to navigate - there are some instructive photos and description of placing the model into the bottle.....hope this helps - or if you've seen it already apologies for the duplication! hamilton

Looks great so far! I'm working on the OcCre Dos Amigos at the moment and have found the materials mediocre all around, but also that magically the kit builds up into something really quite nice with some extra care and attention - I too have replaced all of the metal parts and this has, I think, made a difference. I'm sure your Candelaria will be beautiful. Looking forward to following this build hamilton

Hi Carl: Looks good from here! I'm really curious about the process of inserting the model in the bottle and raising the masts.....I imagine this will be a very difficult process to document, though! Anyway, looking forward to more hamilton

Hi Carl: Just stumbled across your log - it's great to see this kit underway here on MSW - I followed a build of this same boat on Dry Dock Models when that forum was still running and I have this kit on the shelf (excited and intimidated to get to it at some point)....thanks for paving the way - your build looks great and I'm glad you opted for the finished hull! Wonderful work hamilton

Hi Crackers and Bob Crackers - I've seen that version of the flying fish and LOVE the sheathing on the hull - from what I understand, this tone (yellowish) is more accurate to how the hull would have looked - I would love to try to recreate this look (the other images of this build really show some amazing craftsmanship)! Bob - what a tragedy!! My crappy Phantom build has been through the ringer in the last few years, and I feel bad enough about that - I can't imagine how the news must have made you feel!! Do you have any pictures of the finished model? Judging by your Essex, I can only imagine how beautiful she was - feel free to post an image here if you have one - I would love to see her.... hamilton

Thanks Augie - you might have a bit of a wait for the Flying Fish - it looks really tough (from a cursory look through the plans/instructions) so I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet.....I want to do that beautiful ship some justice! hamilton

Thanks all for the compliments! Christmas baking continues - salty chocolate toffee, chocolate ginger cookies, and blood orange shortbreads. hamilton

Looking very nice Bob! hamilton

I almost forgot! I also wanted to share an early Christmas present I received.......this one looks like an incredible challenge! And I probably won't be getting to it right away, but I've had my eye on this one for a while and am happy to add it to the stack! hamilton