hamilton

Hi there: I've spent a bit of time this past weekend getting deeper into the Greyhound and I have to say the deeper I go the more I realise exactly how vague and unsatisfactory the plans and illustrated instructions are....there is no plan sheet for the rigging - this is all covered in a set of very disappointing drawings which often indicate little about how the lines are to be belayed and breed a lot of confusion....I began today to make my belaying plan - perhaps not essential to do before launching into the build, but why not? I need a break from actual building, but since I can't seem to keep away from the kits, I might as well do something. In beginning my plan I've already noticed several omissions and errors in the plans/instructions....more to come I suppose....anyway, my past experience of Corel is being soundly defeated on this one....I think someone warned me that this one would be frustrating....anyways....we'll begin in earnest next week.....

Thanks for the compliments, Alistair! And good to see you back on MSW. I'm guessing you were on a bit of a summer vacation down there? Nothing but the wind and rain up here.... Yes, I'm actually very proud of this one. I took my time a bit more than with some of the previous builds and I think it shows. In the "old days" (two years ago) I probably would have tried to rush through this in a couple of months - doubling my time was definitely a good idea and on the next build (Corel's Greyhound) I will take considerably longer, considering that the plans and illustrated instructions are dismal! It's a fully rigged frigate, but Corel did not even include a belaying plan! Lots of work to do just to get ready.... Anyway. Here's one last shot of the finished Glad Tidings before I move on....thanks all for following and for the feedback! hamilton

Looking great Jim! Though it's a while back in the log now, I have to say I love what you did with the dories. Nice detail! hamilton

Well I'm nearly finished the Glad Tidings, though the photos below do not represent the progress to date. I've fabricated the fore and main boom and completed the running rigging on the main boom as well as completing the anchors and anchor rigging (which you can see in the photos below). I still have to complete the running rigging on the fore boom, and make & rig the fore and main gaffs - which will take a few days. I'm pulled away from the workbench for the next few days so the build will likely be completed middle of next week. All in all this has been a very enjoyable kit to put together. I love the large scale on this beautiful little working boat and as I think I said before, I wish there were more kits of this type available. This is one kit I would actually consider building again, though if I did I would modify the bulkheads under the cabins and include some interior detailing and leave the hatches off/skylight open and possible rig it with sails....anyway, it's one of those kits that I see on sale on ME every once in a while so who knows....maybe in a decade or so I'll return to it again.... Anyway, next time will be my last post on this log I think....here are some photos in the meanwhile hamilton

Thanks for the comments Mark and Augie - I never realised that plans could be affected by changes in humidity! Unfortunately, I live in the Pacific Northwest where humidity is the rule of the day! Right now it's mild and rainy. Last week it was cold and rainy. And in a month or so it will be warm and rainy before becoming cold and rainy again in June! Then the sun will come out for a couple of days and my plans will return to scale! Can't wait! In any case I'll check the scale on the plans to see what's what...I've also heard that the scale can be put off incrementally through the printing process.... It shouldn't be a problem to muddle through even if the plans are a little off. I've long since learned that you often have to deal with the ship in hand rather than the ship on paper.....Bye for now hamilton

A much more troubling thing is that there is no clear belaying plan included here - very disturbing on a fully-rigged ship (indeed the first ship rig I've ever attempted!) Belaying points are all numbered together (so timberheads, e.g., are all numbered "64") with no reference to the run of the lines. When the time comes, I will have to create a detailed belaying plan of my own - no doubt at this point I will be turning to this forum for some advice on how to prepare it accurately! I'm also a little worried about the stern framing - on which there is precious little detail. The measurements of the outboard vertical frames can be taken off the profile plan, but there is no plan drawing of the stern framing itself, only a general drawing in the instruction booklet... The gunport framing presents a similar issue.... I do plan on trashing some of the metal parts provided and scratch building them - the cabin bulkhead, the capstan, the head rails, possibly the ship's boat, etc. In any case, this should be a fun - though potentially frustrating - kit to build. If all goes well it will produce a nice little model. Any and all advice, guidance and commentary is, as always, more than welcome! More in a week or so once I dive in.... hamilton

I've built several Corel kits and I've enjoyed them all. And when I first opened the box about a year ago I was not disappointed. The wood and parts supplied with the kit are of very high quality and they even include some yellow coloured strips for the outboard bulwarks. I got a little more concerned when this evening I took a look at the plans and the instruction booklet, and began testing some of the CNC parts against the plans... While Corel's instructions have always been a little off, the plans they provide have always been excellent. Not so here, I think. Four sheets of plans are provided with very general information. These are complemented by a more extensive illustrated instruction book, which is alright at showing basic construction steps. However, when I tested the centre keel against the sheet showing the ship's profile, I was shocked to find how far off it was...Thankfully the kit-supplied part did match the plan containing the CNC templates...however, now I wonder how trustworthy the plans will be for taking measurements during the ship's construction. I'm sure this won't be too much trouble....

Hello all: I've not yet quite completed the Model Shipways Glad Tidings, but since I've been under the weather today and in no mood to work on the current build, I thought I'd jump into some research, reviewing and trouble-spotting on my next build, Corel's HMS Greyhound. According to Corel, this kit represents a 20-gun frigate of 1720, and in my initial (albeit solely electronic) research, I did discover a couple of references to a "Greyhound" dating from 1720. However, I also found more common references to a sixth-rate 20-gun frigate built at the Deptford yards and launched in 1719. It seems that the Corel kit could reference one of three historic ships: 1. HMS Greyhound (1712) - a 20-gun sixth-rate captured by the Spanish in 1718 2. HMS Greyhound (1719) - a 20-gun sixth-rate broken up in 1741 3. HMS Greyhound (1720) - a 20-gun sixth rate on which I could find little information. In addition, I found references to a sloop called Greyhound, which is clearly not this vessel, but that has a much more colourful history chasing pirates. The National Maritime Museum also has in its archives the log of a Lieutenant serving on the HMS Greyhound with the dates 1713-1727, dates which overlap all three of these vessels - though it is possible that this is the sloop... In any event, it was only after the 1719 Establishment that the sixth-rates were formally defined: -- 20 guns on the upper deck (6lbs) -- 364 tonnes -- 106ft (gundeck); 87ft, 9in (keel) -- 28ft Beam -- Complement of 140 officers and men Apparently three sixth-rates were newbuilt to the 1719 specifications, one being Greyhound, while seventeen others were rebuilt to accommodate the Establishment. I suppose the 1719 and 1720 vessels I've found could be one and the same. In any event, the Corel kit corresponds to the most general specifications - full ship rig and 20-guns on the upper deck. Though I found out that technically this type/size of vessel would have been called a "Post Ship", frigates being defined as ships of at least 28 guns....confusion and contradiction abounds! Anyway, that's about all the historical information I could find...now on to the kit....

Looks great! Quick question - how tough do you think it would be to rig the canons on this one....I know the scale is quite small, but....I had thought of adding breeching lines at least but it looks like it would be pretty tight in there.....what are your thoughts? hamilton

Thanks Dave! Here's another update. Recent steps include 1. Completion of iron work for rigging - chainplates, bobstay plates, gammoning iron - pretty straightforward. I drilled a lot of holes in brass strip using a drill - not really designed for micro-drilling, but a steady hand (and a number of broken bits) did the trick. I used blacken-it on these parts, and I have to say I'm quite disappointed with how rapidly the blackened parts either fade (which doesn't look too bad) or corrode (which looks really bad)...I've ended up touching most of the blackened bits with paint in the end anyway.... 2. Standing rigging - One pair of shrouds on the main and two on the foremast - very straightforward. 3. Bowsprit rigging - I had a devilish time with the outer bobstay - the chain was very finicky and difficult to get to fit tight. Until I discovered that the Aeronaut turnbuckles I'm using actually work! A little bit of tensioning on the turnbuckles and the chain pulled taut. Nice!! The footropes and grommets were treated with diluted weldbond prior to installation and then weighted with alligator clips to get the right hang. This worked very well on the grommets but the footropes look a little bend where the clips were attached..... Anyway, I've just got the anchors, the fore and mainsail boom and gaff & the running rigging left to complete and she will be done! hamilton

Thanks all for the comments - and thanks especially to you Dan - your build was an inspiration...maybe you should add some photos to the gallery here so we can revisit your Glad Tidings. I've decided against sails for this one....though as I recall your sails were superb. I've made sails for the last several models I've built and while 2 of them (the Mamoli Gretel and the MS 1:100 Bluenose) worked out alright, I thought that my relatively low level skills tarnished a couple of otherwise decent builds - the San Francisco and the Toulonnaise....They don't look BAD, they just don't look GREAT. Yours DID look great! Anyway, since this one is for friends, I didn't want to overstep my limitations.... Since I'm not adding sails, this will mean a slightly simplified rig. I'll be omitting the jib club as well as its attendant sheet, and I'll be rigging the jib club topping lift as an anchor tackle (hooked to an anchor slung through the sheave on the bowsprit). At this point I've started the standing rigging, after having made the chainplates, bowsprit plates, and gammoning iron. Photos later. I've also decided to use these aeronaut metal blocks with brass sheaves for MOST (though not all) of the rigging. I will use the kit supplied walnut blocks for the throat halliards (1/4"), boom sheets (3/16") and mainsail clew outhaul tackle (1/8"). The peaks, topping lifts, anchor tackle, and jib halliard will use the metal blocks. This might be too much of a wild contrast, but I like the look of the blocks - again, photos later. I also sourced some replacements for the Brittania anchor pulleys and main boom topping lift pulley, which MS suggests making out of bras strip. Also from Aeronaut, these are roughly the same size as the Brittania parts (for the bowsprit pulleys) and slightly larger than model scale for the topping lift pulley...I guess I'm kind of going nuts with this and creating a kind of Frankenstein's scale monster here....I'm trying not to punish myself too much for it, and I promise that I'll try to be more of a purist on my next build! No improvisation, I swear! I'll make a proper update in a bit once I pull my photos off my phone. hamilton

I've been curious about this kit....what's your estimation of the quality? hamilton

A very cool looking model - well done! hamilton

Nice work so far - I love the detail on the head rails - well done! hamilton

Great rattling job! I personally don't mind doing these...I did almost 1000 clove hitches on the San Francisco a while ago - the most I've ever done...Throw on a movie or a couple of good podcasts and the time will fly! Anyway, she's really coming to life..... hamilton

Hi "Prophotog" (sorry - but I didn't get your name!!) I built the Sultana a few years back. Station 4 appears on both the FWD and AFT templates (I think) because these marks are supposed to meet - at least that's how I remember interpreting it - it was a while back and a lot of builds have happened between.... I can see you have quite a bit of extra space at the stern (judging by how your deck plans fit atop the hull) - so removing that amount of wood across the entire stern (all the way down to the keel) will help get those lines to meet up. But given the distance I see in one of your photos between the marks for station 4 on the FWD and AFT templates, I don't think removing all that material all along the aft end of the hull will make the lines meet.... It is common for slight inaccuracies or discrepancies to creep into kits. If the station lines on the profile templates don't exactly meet up this will not affect the overall model too much - as long as the overall hull shape is correct - this you can determine by using the profile templates individually and the station templates, and the deck drawings you have pasted to the top of the pre-formed hull.... hamilton

Beautiful work, Geoff - glad to see your log back up and running! hamilton

Amazing! I remember your build from the old MSW - a real inspiration. hamilton

Hi Jim: I am seriously considering the Echo cross-section as an entry into scratch building - followed by the Hannah from the Lumberyard....I wish I could head down to Baltimore, but alas, it's way too far away! Maybe if I was living back on the east coast it wouldn't be so bad...I'm sure you're going to learn a lot! Looking forward to following your progress here hamilton

Well I've made two attempts now at the mast coats and the second, while a bit out of scale, seems to have turned out ok...here's the story. I had read on Dan B's Glad Tidings log on the old MSW about how he had constructed the mast coats. He provided a very detailed and helpful description of the process - I had planned on consulting it during the construction of these little features....alas! Anyway, my first attempt (pictured below) was the result of me trying to construct from memory what Dan had done...you can see how that turned out! Sheesh!! I'm almost too embarrassed to share this... Anyway, I thought I'd just live with this, but this idea came to be too deeply dissatisfying, so I decided to have another go, this time following the kit instructions and carving them from wood.... I found some 1/4" and 3/8" thick basswood and drilled some 3/8" holes in it. I quickly decided that the 1/4" was the better choice for scale... I then sawed the 1/4" strip into small squares and trimmed them into circles... I then bevelled the ring with a small sanding block as steeply as a dared... Much better - though as I said probably not in scale....I suppose I could have spent a bit more time getting it down to a more reasonable size, but I had to run out for pizza! And then I guess I was just so happy that they didn't look like my first attempt that I put it out of my mind. Anyway, here's a couple of shots of the build to this point - now I have to add fittings to the main mast and prep both masts for the standing rigging.... Bye for now! hamilton

Can I just say - THANK YOU!! This clarifies a lot about spiling - the detail you put into logging the construction details on this build will undoubtedly prove to be of great benefit to many in the future hamilton

Great work on the Syren Augie! She looks beautiful. hamilton

This is exciting! I haven't seen a Corel Bellona on MSW before and I have one under the workbench as we speak...it will be nice to have a good cheat sheet to work from!! Looking forward to following this! hamilton

Thanks for the compliment, Augie. At first I thought that serving these little parts would be a pain, but it ended up being a pretty quick job and immediately improved the look of the eyebolts. The photo doesn't show this, but I touched up the eyes with a very thin coat of black paint to get rid of the flecks of brass showing through here and there... Anyway, I'm taking the night off modelling to read up through the forum...also I'm facing a bit of a re-do of one of the trickier features on the Pinky - the mast coats. Dan B, in his excellent build log on the old forum, posted his technique for making these in response to a request of mine, but alas it's now gone, and he doesn't seem to have rejoined the forum (or maybe he has under a different handle...). Anyway, I have to try to figure out some way of doing it, but tonight is not the night.....Dan B if you're out there, please enlighten me once again on the mast hoops! Even a rough approximation would be great... And if anyone else has ideas, let me describe what they're supposed to be like - a short (roughly 1/4") conical shape, attached at the mast and deck with an iron hoop. The mast coats flare out from the mast by about 1/8" all around. Can you picture it? Sorry I don't have a photo from the plans - I'll try to post one tomorrow if anyone has any ideas....Thanks in advance! hamilton

Hi Ron: Believe me, the list is more impressive than the models! I hope someday to achieve your level of craftmanship. Someday when I have more space and more time, I'll set up a workshop for a Lumberyard kit - I had thought of the Hannah....but that's for the future.... hamilton