texxn5

Planking still keep on going.
I wanted to put a plank on the stern with the strange bend.
That is not working !
As you can see in the picture, the plank was destroyed........
So I have to remove that and try something else.
So I started at the keel and work my way up.
When I'm on that point again I can see what I have to do.
 
 

And so the new journey begins, good luck with her although I feel your not going to need it.
 
I'm going to come along for the ride and no doubt I will learn quite a lot.  
 
Well done on Niagara Patrick, she's a credit to you.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie

And so the new journey begins, good luck with her although I feel your not going to need it.
 
I'm going to come along for the ride and no doubt I will learn quite a lot.  
 
Well done on Niagara Patrick, she's a credit to you.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie

Hello to all. I have completed Niagara and am moving on up in the scope of building difficulty. I have chosen The Constitution for my next subject because I fondly remember building Revell's version of her years ago and I have always been in awe of this ship. I know we have quite a few of her being built at this time so I'm sure you're asking "What's going to be different here?" Like a few of the others, I'd like to show a full gundeck with rigged 24 pounders. I'd also like to incorporate some of the bulkheads and cabin details. Plans to light her up below-deck are also on the table to attempt to show off some of this detail. Part of my plans on the gundeck also include the installing the knees and riders. Now you may be asking "Why? Most of this will be completely covered by the spar deck" I'm doing it because I'll know it's there and I'd like to try my hand at seriously bashing a kit before the possibility of scratch building. I have not yet fully determined the time period I would like to model, but I have been giving some thought to modeling her as she was when she was new with the Hercules figurehead. The biggest headache with that time period are that the details of her configuration are even sketchier than how she was in 1812. My plans are all negotiable until I get to her stern anyway, so here goes.....
 
I photographed the typical box contents and a few resources I'll studying. The last picture is of the main building board materials and a new toy. You may also notice that one of the pics has two false keels. I didn't like the feel of the one that came with the kit so decided that I'd make my own out of 1/4" ply basswood. This build is going to take forever as I plan on making many pieces from scratch and am ordering many aftermarket items like new 24 pounders (if anyone has any ideas where I can get these in turned brass, I'd be indebted to them), new 32 pound carronades (see above parenthesis) and some boxwood deck planking material.
 
As always, thanks so much for looking in and all of the wonderful support this site has to offer.

Really nice Patrick, job well done. Save me a seat for the Conny. That will be a challenge for sure. Thanks for all you put into your log as I will be using it for reference once I begin building her.

Sjors, my friend, you're workshop could be an advertisement for Proxxon.....they are well represented here...nice work and good to see the shipyard look worked in. I'll be doing the same soon...

Sjors, my friend, you're workshop could be an advertisement for Proxxon.....they are well represented here...nice work and good to see the shipyard look worked in. I'll be doing the same soon...

WOW, what great responses on the "like" votes, thank you all very much.
 
@ Mark T:  Thank you very much Mark for your kind words but I see the little things that are not quite right and I thought photos make them so glaring that nobody can miss them       Yes, there are a few spots that need to be worked on but that's no problem, all part of the pleasure in modeling.
 
@ John (Texxn5):  Well now, I'd better watch out then John   
 
@ Remco:  Thank you Remco, do I get a gold star now???    
 
@ Popeye:  Thank you too Popeye.  As with most challenges you either accept them or submit to defeat, I had to give it a shot.  It reminds me of several challenges thrown my way in my life and succeeded.
 
Well, I did some more work on hinges today, i.e. this morning.  I started to make them for the aft torpedo loading hatches but only got to two pair.  For some reason I had more of a problem with these then the front ones but they are done.  Twice I heard a "pinnng" when the 2 mm piece of tubing went flying out of my tweezers.  Good luck finding them on my, ahum - "busy" work bench.  So I had to cut two new pieces and then A third one I couldn't get the pin through so again I had to replace it.  
 
Gwen, the Admiral, really wanted me to clean the patio at the back of the house in the screen room.  So I got the pressure washer out and spend the rest of the afternoon playing with water.  It was fortunately nice and warm today, 26 C
 
Hopefully tomorrow I can make the other two pairs and then removing a few deck slats so I can cement them on.  I hope I won't run into any problems with that easy job.
 
Thank you all again for your support!
 
Cheers,

Ahh my friend....it is because I know you....probably much more than you think.....lol

@ Sam,
 
You are an unbelievable guy you know that ?
At the end of this post you will see two pictures how the workroom looks at the moment !
You are satisfied now ?????   
 
I wanted to start with the next planking in the middle of the hull but I changed my mind.
I'm now have started at the keel and work my way up.
There is a strange bend at the stern and now I can see how it will go.
I can play with the planks.
 
@ John,
 
Thanks !
Planking is just like riding a bicycle....once you know it you will never forget it !
 
@ Kevin,
 
Also thank you !
 
I'm gonna use tiles instead of tape.
That's what they provide in the kit so I'll use them .
 
@ Nick,
 
I know you are busy with school so no excuse please !
Thanks for the good word !
 
@ Sam,
 
Here are the promise pictures !
 

That's an interesting concept as to colors and sails or a diorama. I have photos of a really great large scale diorama at the Mystic Research Center lobby. It is the sister ship to the Morgan, The Two Brothers and it is very similar in construction. It is in the water with a whale tied up along side, whaleboats in the davits. That would be a very ambitious project but really cool looking. I also have photos of another whaler model with a crew.

Sounds great Mike, glad I could help a little. The model with the sails is of the Morgan, it is completely finished on the starboard side, and cut away on the port side, allowing the observer to see inside the hull and deck structures, it is an interesting approach also. Good luck with the decisions on finish and colors, they can be tricky...

Piet,
It just keeps getting better and better.  As for slats needing touch-up.. where?????  Building this sub is one thing.. to add the working details is whole other matter. 

Sooooohhh, I mozied into the shipyard this morning after breakfast and my first fix of coffee to tackle the fwd starboard  hinges, for real this time - - - chuckle - - chuckle. 
 
This time I made sure I had the 0.5 mm brass tube in my hot little hands before I cut the four needed pieces and that without the optivisor 
Everything worked as advertised and they looked rather spiffy after they were all dressed and filed to the proper dimensions.
I found it easier to remove some of the deck-slats to cement them to the hatch doors and the deck.  Then I replaced the deck-slats, and they covered must of the brass strips.
Next I touched up the deck-slats with the dye and then touch-up painted the hatches and the deck where it was needed.   
Then an operational test on the hinges and taking a few pics for the record and for all y'all to see.
 

Ooooh, sorry, a little out of focus but these are the hatches in the closed position.  You can see the hinges because I had to cement them on top of the hatches and the deck.  On the real boat they were bolted to the sides of the hatches and the deck structure.  However, in my case t would not have been strong enough to withstand too many openings and closings, I tried it first with CA and two part epoxy.  Also on the real boat there were only two hatch doors but my error here was that the torpedo loading tube was not angled steep enough so I had to make enough room for the torpedo to slide into the loading tube, ergo the four hatch doors.   I could have faked it and not even attempt to show the model with a torpedo being loaded.   I'll most likely keep futs'n with this to dress it up better.
 

This shows the hatch doors open just as far as they did on the original boat.  Remember that this was also an afterthought.  Originally I didn't plan on going into this much detail but I'm glad having done so.  That piece where the loading tube rests on is a deck frame/bulkhead.  On the real boat that was all rather light steel structures that supports the deck and thus also all the other things attached to it.  
 

This is a straight on shot forward looking into the torpedo loading tube.  Aha, I see a few more deck-slats that need some attention.  Now you understand why I keep picking and futs'n at things.  But overall I'm very pleased as how she's coming along.  With all the futs'n and picking at things she's only getting better look'n.
 
I hope all y'all approve.
 
Cheers,
 
Cheers,

Hello everyone and thanks for your like votes on my dumb error but at least we all had a laugh or two, I'm still shaking my head and snickering about it.  I should have made a picture of that piece for y'all to see but I dumped so I wouldn't reuse it by mistake.
 
@ Remco:  Glad you had a laugh, that was the whole idea.  Optivisor - smoptivisor.  I don't need no stink'n optivisor, I have perfect vision      hmmmm, that's what I like to tell myself.  As it is I do wear 3X magnifying glasses and even with them I grabbed the wrong thingy.  That would make me domkop squared      
 
@ Sjors:  Pffffff - - - to you   No need for a translation, I think all y'all got the idea and besides, unknown to many but English originated from the Germanic tribes Angels, Saksons, Jutes and Friesians, way back in early CE (AD).  And Dutch?  Well, it originated from the same tribes, so we are all one happy family      
 
@ Mark:  Right on Mark - - - pfffff is a perfectly good word - - - in Dutch but we can adopt it.  Now "domkop" may be known to the English speakers as "dummkopf" in German.  In the US we would be quick to say "dumbshit,"  DUCK !!! yeah, my mom would hit me over the head when using such bad words  So, I'm trying to be a good boy and not use such improper words on this very distinguished forum, so I refrained from using it.  Therefore it's "domkop," i.e. dummy, dunce, stupid-head.   You want another Dutch word?   How about "stommerik?"  You are all free to use it - - - there is no copyright on it 
 
@ John (texxn5):  Yup, back in the shipyard but I had to mow the front lawn after lunch, it looked a little ragged.  Thanks for the compliment, the hinges may not be perfect and gold plated because most of it is hidden anyway but the main thing is - - they are functional.  Re the mine bun lid hinges - - - I only made one lid to possible open.  I am in the process of making a jig for hinges but have not progressed very far with it.  Sooooh - - - it is possible that I may figure out a way to make a believable and workable set of hinges.  Your sneaky way of putting a challenge to me is duly noted        , you are just as bad as Remco with challenges but that makes this hobby the more interesting.  I love it.
How did you know I was going to have a Leffe dark to celebrate the completion of the hatches?
 
Okay, enough of the levity and back to some serious work, yeah, right - - - if yuns believe that then I have a bridge for sale.
 

that looks like a wonderful way to construct the ratlines, thanks for the photos.

Ah, back in the shipyard.....can't keep an ole' salt down....much less a Dutchman....Fantastic metal work as usual my friend. Speaking of hinges what are you going to do about the hatches for the mines??? Maybe someting else to do???? Oh, that's right you were thinking about limiting the outside details if I recall. Oh well just disregard that, and please don't think of it as a challenge or anything...I wouldn't do that to ya. One mine would probably be sufficient also..Proost my friend, another Leffe Blond goes down without a fight...

That's an interesting concept as to colors and sails or a diorama. I have photos of a really great large scale diorama at the Mystic Research Center lobby. It is the sister ship to the Morgan, The Two Brothers and it is very similar in construction. It is in the water with a whale tied up along side, whaleboats in the davits. That would be a very ambitious project but really cool looking. I also have photos of another whaler model with a crew.

That's an interesting concept as to colors and sails or a diorama. I have photos of a really great large scale diorama at the Mystic Research Center lobby. It is the sister ship to the Morgan, The Two Brothers and it is very similar in construction. It is in the water with a whale tied up along side, whaleboats in the davits. That would be a very ambitious project but really cool looking. I also have photos of another whaler model with a crew.

Oops, sorry forgot to comment on the yellow ochre color. When choosing how to do mine, I decided I wanted to duplicate the ship as near to real as possible, which involved paint. I wasn't sure of my skills enough to try natural or stained wood. I love stained wood, but I also like painted surfaces, which saved on wood costs and errors were easily concealed with the paint. One exception I wish I had made was on the deck. The color I used was a combination MinWax stain/satin finish acrylic varnish. It turned out a little darker than I expected or wanted. I should have tried the weathered or bleached teak finish so common on military decks of the 20th century, which is a grayish finish. The real deck of the Morgan is Oak left to weather. I do like the natural white effect that boxwood seems to finish off to. It again is a matter of choice and only you can make that decision as to how you want it to look. If you choose to go natural, I would vote against using the wood that comes in the kit....my basswood was not that satisfactory and quite irregular in both width and color as well as overall unsatisfactory, but I lived with it and covered it up with paint. The yellow ochre MS paint is an exact match for the real Morgan finish.

Hi Mike, great finish...now for the encore! Glad to hear you will be joining the Morgan club, yes no cannons, but lots of deck details that are quite fun to build. The seven boats is going to be a challenge. Two of them mount upside down on deck structures, so other than shaping and few small details, they won't be too bad. I hope to do them gradually inbetween other rigging to break up the monotany. I do plan to detail them quite like Salty Sea Dog dig his larger scale ones. They are like a build in their own. When do you plan to start? It will be nice to have someone to go through the misery..I mean fun with and bounce ideas off of...Job well done on the Badger...you're more than ready to tackle the Morgan

Well, Well, it appears you remember how to plank...and we actually got pictures. I'm impressed, way to go Sjors...very nice

really looks great Michael, I understand there is nothing like Chuck's ropes....probably make things easier for you.

Hey Grant, I think you know who is looking for some pictures....

Looks good Mark, glad to see progress, glad you're happier with all of this...