GrandpaPhil

Valeriy,

  Glad you are doing okay!  Those guns are amazing!

Phil

Eberhard,

  That jolly boat is looking good!

I have some of their old lead models and they are phenomenal!

Those pieces of wire are a life saver.  I first started using them with my Prince de Neufchatel.

However, the tricky part about this particular model will be rigging the lanyards inside the bulwarks, instead of outside, like normal.

This is the only ship I’ve ever seen like this.

It will make tensioning the shrouds interesting, especially with the small deadeyes.

Although, it is also the only ironclad that I have ever built.  
 

So, maybe this became a thing in the latter half of the 19th century.  I will have to do more research.

I don’t really mind the small deadeyes.

The tricky part is that the channels are internal!

I have no ideas how I’m going to rig the lanyards on the deadeyes!

That is going to be very much a case of make it up as I go along!

I have used metal working shears for cutting parts out of brass sheets before, with great success.

That was how the stern and quarter galleries came on my Mantua Victory.

For future reference, balsa is a definite no-no for model jigs:

It didn’t work particularly well (it disintegrated when I took my ladder off of it).

And, it became a single use item.

But, I salvaged the ladder (still pending railings).

I finally finished my puzzle.  It took me nearly three weeks.  A typical 2000 piece puzzle takes me about 4 days.

Continuing on, I made another ladder jig a la Zu Monfeld:

It doesn’t look like much, but it will work most adequately.

Although, I probably shouldn’t have used balsa for the top strip.  Oh well, live and learn.

Time to make the boarding ladders!

Also, until Model Expo discontinues selling ZHL products, those deadeyes that I bought are the last Model Shipways products that I will buy.

Congratulations!  Well done!

Glad you’re okay!

Soleil Royale is looking awesome!

I made my deck level when I built the Prince de Neufchatel (still my favorite build).

I made a cradle using the profiles of two bulkheads (allowing for planking).

I measured off on the plans so that the model would be approximately centered and centered it on the display board.

It ended up like this:

Congratulations!  Well done!

Beautiful work!

Amazing work!

Hope the Admiral is doing better!

Very nicely done!

Thank you very much!

He very likely would call us nuts!

Speaking of which, I got my deadeyes so I can make real shrouds with real ratlines:

The Magentas take almost 300 of them.

Indeed it is.

You can see his madness in his work.

At the same time, that madness is what made it so unique.

Congratulations!  Very nicely done!

There is absolutely nothing easy about this puzzle:

It’s the 2000 piece version from Buffalo Games.

I bought it for a challenge.

I found one, lol.

Usually a 2000 piece puzzle takes me about 4 days.  I started this one Monday (5 days ago).

I bought a Starry Night jigsaw puzzle for $0.99 that I’m putting together.  It is a major challenge.

Welcome!

Putty and small parts

Chris,

  Amazing work!  Well done!

The forecastle railings, made just because I had everything already out for it:

Thank you very much!

Here are the pictures of the Admiral’s Balcony:

The railing needs some care.

Part of the needs reglued down, and the railings need lots of paint and a few new posts.