hollowneck

Apologies for the out-of-sequence post! I jumped right to the beginning of your thread thinking it was the latest. Won't happen again... 😁 Ron

Wow. What a nice set-up; wraparound curvy koolness. Ron

I mentioned "Simulated wood carvings to P/E" in my last post. Here's what I use to turn the Vanguard's multilevel P/E into "wood:" 1. A base coat of Liquitex acrylic Raw Sienna and 2. a Citadel wash of Seraphim Sepia - both water soluble. With Vanguard's "multi-level" P/E in the Sphinx kit (and I believe all other Vanguard kits with decorative P/E), it isn't necessary to add more than a paint and wash. However, on single level P/E, I simulate the thickness of a wood carving by applying a gesso - or a matte medium (both by Liquitex) - before painting. The gesso or matte dries fairly quickly and you may need more than one application. The results for "carved wood" simulation are so much better looking than just sticking on a flat piece of P/E. I realize not all this P/E was actual carving on some ships but it is a good approximation of a hand painting technique which is difficult (to say the least) at modeling scales below 1:48. Ron The arrow points to the column decorations on the beautiful HMS Bellona model in the U.K. This also shows very clearly the colorations of these elements. I have chosen to paint my HMS Camilla gallery and stern light columns in white and the window sash and mullions in brown to simulate varnished wood, the reverse of the chosen colors in the kit's manual. I believe this choice creates a more historically accurate rendering. The frieze decorative painting on this particular model (trompe -'loeil - "fool the eye") is stunning; I want to do this someday - either directly on the finished bulwarks or by painting off the model on a piece of paper and then applying it. This won't happen until I build my first 1:48 model! A correction: actually, the Sphinx manual shows that the decorative columns for both the galleries and the stern in gold, the window sash in white. Similar to this model of the Bellona, I'm using the gold color (Vallejo Liquid Gold as recommended) very sparingly and predominately on the stern where the color will act to highlight the one-piece, detailed resin casting; you can see the edge of the model's stern carvings finished in gold.

Continuing with work on the bow of HMS Camilla. Affixing the cathead and support knee. Delicate P/E application tool. Filling the "GG" the Gunwale Gap. Pics first, commentary to come. I know, I know: there's char on the edge of the gunwale pattern: see the next photos. The sticky bit on the end of this handy tool is wax and it's a lifesaver for applying tiny stuff like P/E decorations. It can also help for placing tiny wood parts in hard-to-reach places. It rarely happens, but If a bit of residual wax is left from the "Pulp Dent" tool, no problem, just wipe it off. These plastic sticks come in packs of two dozen (see other photo). A couple will last the better part of a single build. You'll need to remove the lower portion of the curved molding in order to get a proper fit for the cathead support knee. As can be seen, I just used my X-acto to slice off the offending bit and then it popped right off, clearing the area for the subsequent mounting of the knee (to a flat surface!). I could have hacked all the other molding pieces away to mount the knee directly to the hull, but this degree of surgery is not called for with this model ... wait!..I changed my mind. ...This detail is still slightly awkward; On reflection and seeing this enlargement, I'll do something to fix it. I'll carefully slice off the leftover bit of the upper curved molding and paint the area blue. This, indeed, is small stuff to think about; unfortunately for me, I often sweat these details... There is more touch-up to come: CTBR, the residual char on the knee (aaarrrgh) and adding some paint to the simulated wood carving of the decorative P/E. Note Bene: If for no other reason, I'd recommend to all my colleagues to take good close-up photos of your model as it's being built (like this and others logs); you'll really see where future problems can crop-up and you'll undoubtedly discover how much more time you need to invest to sharpen your skills (and eye)!🤣 Described previously, the handy applicators. A dental practice staple I'm told. I think I got them from a dental supply company: Google it. Love that stainable wood filler! It won't be stained here however since the gunwale is painted black. But the gap, even at .3mm, would have been awful looking. The "spikeys"...The spikes show why the holes are important (should you choose to rig/prep her anchor rigging). The little nails run through the cathead pulley holes are just a reminder to test fit the size of the rigging rope for the anchor tackle - before I get too much further on the build. With this kit, it pays to look WAY AHEAD of where you are in the moment. This is a good rule-of-thumb, of course, but it's especially important with a high-calibre model like this one. I think it's important to mention at this point in my log that I am only loosely following the sequencing of steps outlined in the (well done) manual. I have departed from the step-by-step approach for a number of reasons. Generally speaking, if you do follow the manual page-by-page you'll be fine. Ron

Building out the foc'sle and some related details. Ron I've used small nails to accurately help position the gunwale for gluing to the forward bulwarks. The nails are pushed through holes in the gunwale pattern and when it's carefully aligned along the entire (curved) length, the nails are gently pushed into layered wood of the bulwarks. This helps to keep the gunwale piece accurately aligned during subsequent gluing. Close-up of a properly mounted cathead in the slot through the bulwarks layers. The gunwale will fit tight against the cathead after gluing. A cathead slot after two additional inner bulwarks pieces have been mounted. I will again use a small handsaw, a new sharp blade in my X-acto and small diamond files to prep this slot for the final cathead mounting to the deck. You'll need to remove all the layers right down to the deck surface in order to properly mount it. This angle is quite steep, nearly 40 degrees from vertical to the deck is my best guess. Two views of the positioned starboard gunwale, ready for gluing. No cathead knee yet. The eagle-eyed among you will note the tiny sanded "relief" on the underside where the gunwale meets the cathead. I could have filed a slight notch in the cathead too, but opted to delicately sand into the outside of the thick gunwale that will get black paint and no one (except you guys) will be the wiser! Nailed it! A location nail thru the gunwale pattern, a clamp for downward pressure (holding on to a nail); the tiny gap will disappear with some paintable filler (and black paint). Ta-da! a completed starboard bulwark, all pieces glued, alignment nails removed. The pear pieces are dimensioned with extremely close tolerances, so take your time getting these built-up items to fit properly. The next step is the port side and the thin pear finishing pattern (.6mm) needs to meet its twin to starboard very precisely at the deck's peak. Mind The Gap. A little stainable wood filler here and no one will know that there was a .3mm gap. The open area under the downward "lip" will be covered by a combination of the gangway and mid-deck gunwale patterns. The starboard side decorative volute at the foc'sle bulwarks. Including the rail patterns on the hull's exterior there are five (5!) layers here to match-up. I've done a little filing/shaping here and again, a 500% magnification will show EVERYTHING. I'll do a tad more, knowing that this piece will be painted black to match the gunwales. The gunwale fit to the volute is very, very close as seen in the previous photo. Drilling down, guys. The tiny laser holes in the foc'sle deck (and the q'deck) are for rigging eyebolts and when I attempted to push and glue one into a hole, the P/E part bent! Another assignment for Mr. Thumb Drill! Open-up those squarish holes so eyebolts can be glued into the deck(s). Here's a bird's eye view of the twin "thrones" - sometimes referred to in 19th-century literature as "seats of ease." This arrangement must have encouraged quality bonding experiences with your shipmates... uh, back to facts: I've fixed the offending gaps, did some paint and stain touchup and added a strip of molding pear (1.5mm) below the lower rail to better join the slotted planking to the hull. I'm still not 100% happy though; I'll add another tiny piece to fill the obvious space in the lower rail. I clamped onto the temporary "alignment nails" to get downward pressure on the gunwale after applying wood glue to the bulwark. There may be other techniques to get this critical part of the model properly built, but this worked a treat! Even pressure applied and no ripples or gaps. After glue dried, I simply removed the clamps and pulled the nails out of their small holes.

Glenn, this kit is a gem - however, it is not for the faint-of-heart. The tolerances are the tightest I've yet encountered in a kit build - which, is a good thing. Despite little niggling details that are for the most part, very minor annoyances, the results of Chris' design is that he demands a level of attention that kicks the entire build up by several notches. One of those notches being the one at the prow!...haha (joke).😂 I see on your log that you've taken delivery of a second Sphinx kit from Vanguard. Bravo. Measure once, build twice, I say! Ron

James, That these two pieces didn't align better is likely my error; it makes perfect sense to me that you and Chris would allow a liitle extra "margin" - even if it's only 1.5mm. Do you think the tiny gap here may have been the result of some minor "shrinkage?" (i.e. hot water) I didn't glue the pieces together and that likely didn't make the job any easier. Thanks for the kind offer for an extra coaming set, but I'm good now with my glue job. As I said, the only ones who will ever know is the entire MSW universe of builders.😆 Ron

Thanks, James. Good fix, true, the "unfathomables" ...and it looks like you're a more exacting fettler than I! Allow me to comment that those annoying little holes in the rails still need some stainable wood filler in them.😂 Ron

A small problem area and my fix. At the very peak of the bulwarks prow the ply and pear patterns didn't meet one another very well; there is a small gap. This annoyed me, even after placing a gunwale over this area to see how well it hid the visible "hole." As noted below the two pictures, this how I improved a minor flaw (a combo of my imperfect building and the basic kit design). The second set of three photos is how I prepped the quarterdeck coaming pieces which are coming-up soon in my build. Granted, this is an extreme close-up (don't all of us BuildLoggers love this 600% macro view?). There was/is a gap where the ply patterns meet at the peak of the prow area. The gap is a little smaller with the single piece, pear overlays. Placing a temporary bowsprit into its entry hole helps to visualize this area, as well as my fix. You can see a small sliver of 3mm X 1mm pear tucked-in between the ply and directly behind the outer pear patterns. A little CA applied here. Yes, the top view will be covered by a tight fit with the mating gunwales, but not from a front viewing angle. It also doesn't help that the rails don't meet precisely, but I'll fix this with a small piece of horizontal pear strip to fill it: see next photo. Voila'! Another thin piece of pear (1mm) to fill the most forward gap (vertical strip wood). Resting along the bowsprit In the foreground - (with slightly fuzzy focus), a 1.5 mm strip of "molding" pear from which I'll add yet another tiny horizontal filler piece between the rails that don't flush. I'll post a final photo of this area after I've mounted the forward gunwales; this will be the final "test" to determine whether or not all this fettling (great English word) is worth it. I think it will be, but we'll soon see! EDIT: Forgot to mention that, of course, I'll touch-up the paint and stain after this filler-fix. It took me approximately 1.5 hours to completely remove all the char from these three über-delicate, 1 mm thick quarterdeck pear coaming pieces. I also carefully sanded two sets of foc'sle bitts, that have been satined with Minwax Natural, my preferred "finish" color for pear. As you see, one section of the quarterdeck combo-coaming piece broke...😭 Broken 1mm pear coaming. Gulp. In the next photo, you'll note my repair with the blobs of white glue on the two joints. I scraped the excess glue off post-photo. The two diamond files are my preferred way to remove char from delicate sections - which in this instance - is not only on the perimeter of all these highly-visible items, but also on their interior, lasered cutlines. No, I didn't take time to remove the char inside from the capstan mounting hole nor the .3mm stanchion holes. What are you, crazy?! FIXED. No one will ever know. After sanding-off all - repeat - ALL THE CHAR, I rounded the outer edges which will match all the other coamings on both the upper and lower decks. Ron

An update that shows some steps to mounting the foc'sle deck pattern and bulwarks finishing. Like elsewhere to this build, it pays to take one's time with the fitting of all these components. It has helped me immensely to gather ALL THE VARIOUS PIECES, prep them and then sand and/or file to get an optimum fit. This is pretty critical at two points: the volutes lining-up at the deck's edge and at the peak of the prow. As you'll discover there are a total of four (4) layers that comprise the bulwarks. I have also removed and fitted the forward gunwales to ensure the bulwarks patterns are in the right configurations and have close fits. First, a quick pic of the boarding steps and some cautions. The Boarding steps. These are trickier than they look to get right. If they're slightly off on the horizontal plane, you'll see it immediately; so will others. Sand the char completely off on each thin (0.6mm) piece (2 pieces /step) and carefully place and glue the first one. I started in the middle purposefully: I chose the step on the lap strake and then worked up four more steps and finally adding one below on the wale. This way I made certain the completed steps were as closely aligned as my eye (and tweezers!) could place them. One's eyes are very unforgiving on the horizontal plane; when there is even a slight misalignment of parallel elements, it is easily noticed. On we go to mounting the forward deck, mates. Bending the bulwark build-up boards. After soaking in hot water and then clamping in-place as the manual advises, I let these two pear wood items dry overnight. Once properly fitted into place they'll make the prow's bulwarks nearly complete. After this step, there is one more layer to add: the twin "skins" of .6mm pear pieces (2). The bulwarks pear pieces on both sides have been soaked in hot water and then clamped into place along the plywood shell of the hull. Make sure these are butted tight against the forward MDF hull-forming filler pieces before you clamp the wetted wood in-place. The circled area shows how four(4) total layers of wood comprise the forward bulwarks. The .06mm pear "skin" will bend easily to conform to the thicker one (3mm) that has been soaked and clamped overnight. Note how the layers overlap here. This is the final "skin" layer of thin pear. This thin piece will butt against it's opposite side piece and should form a near-perfect butt joint. I will slightly sand an angle on the ends of both mating pieces so the abutting line is as visually narrow as possible. The foc'sle deck pattern now mounted. As you see, this step will require lots of clamps - be careful, clamps can damage and/or mar the exterior, delicate pear rails. Work fast with your white glue; I didn't dilute mine so it would remain "stickier" as it takes a couple minuttes to accomplish this preparation. I applied glue across most of the underlying superstructure (beams and carlings), insuring that the glue extended to the very edges near the bulwarks so when all had dried, the curvature/camber on the deck wouldn't randomly spring up along the outer edges. This isn't critical but it will deliver a better fit with the final pear bulwarks items that have been previously described. The items under the large 'gator clips are to protect the edges of the mounted deck pattern while it dries. The alignment of cathead slot/holes isn't perfect here, but not to worry. If you've previously made a tight-fitting cut to accommodate the catheads in the outer pieces (ply) this will help immensely to prep this area to present well in the end. After the final two layers of formed pear are glued in-place, I'll use my precision hand saw - and using the previous cut in the ply as a guide - I'll carefully remove each inner layer of pear and subsequently fit each cathead. Make these cuts slowly; better to remove less than too much. File and sand these layers after the saw cut for a more precise fit. The cathead pieces should mount flat and straight against the deck just below the "slotted opening" when it's all said n' done. Ron

Vanguard carronade "kits" pictured here. Got to order these pretty soon. They'll mount behind the built-up bulwarks on the quarterdeck per late 18th-century upgrades to these 6th-rates (4 on the q'dec k). These new and improved bashing weapons were a very effective tech innovation for close actions in boarding/marauding, capturing prizes. Sort of like depth charges for destroyers to go after submarines; game changer, sort of. Ron

Before I button-up and mount the patterns to the beams for the forecastle and the quarterdecks, one last look at some details. The engineering in this kit is particularly impressive with the extensive provisions for the upper deck beams, stem and stern (foc'sle & q'deck). Again, the tolerances with all these pieces are exacting, the fits precise; this can be easily verified by placing one of the two deck patterns into position and seeing if there is much "play" from side-to-side, or front-to-back: I measured less than .15 -.20 in both deck positions. Stated in fractions this is approximately 1/64". If you've sanded and glued all the (many) beams in place carefully you'll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to mount and glue a precisely-cambered deck in-place, with a minimum of sanding and trimming. A view of what you'll see peeking out from under the foc'sle after the deck gets mounted. Not much. Goodbye beautiful little oven... The quarterdeck beam and carling structure: impressive. CTBR (Char To Be Removed), my new acronym for builder/followers of this log. Correct: I didn't bother making or installing the second cabin screens beyond the capstan. None of this additional fine detail will be viewed in my particular build. Perhaps, if someone uses a high-intensity flashlight and looks through the stern lights they might see the parquet flooring in the captain's cabin. No cannons in the officer's quarters. No hinges, window mullions nor doorknobs on the cabin screens, despite these superb little gems (mostly tiny P/E) that are provided in a revealed "Admiralty-styled" version of the kit. The foc'sle deck pattern should be flush with the engraved pear MDF beam overlay. The kit provides plenty of sanding margin for these deck pieces. I actually sliced-off about 3/64" with an X-acto, since it's a straight cut across the pattern at the rearmost beam. The fit all-round to the pinnacle of the stem and along the sweep of the bulwarks revealed very little "play." Circled here, this is what you want to shoot for, tight to the edge of the beam and all the way across from starboard to port interior bulwark. I removed a little residual overhang with a sanding file to flush it, side-to-side. Char removed from the foc'sle beams and carlings. Cathead slots are not deep enough here (fixed). One set of the "Y" bitt posts are glued in position; this will help to locate the proper position of the deck pattern. Builders of the kit will see I also omitted the clever little doors to the galley area: this detail covered-up what little would be seen of my oven. Test fitting the quarterdeck pattern to the interior bulwarks. The clamp is holding one of two additional bulwarks pear finishing pieces that build-up the thickness (and adds the attractive pear boarding) in this quite visible area. Note how precise the volute layers line up, three layers visible on the left. This area will also get MORE thickness with additional layering so it is reasonably critical to get this part of the build correct in the previous build steps. Here, my oak stain colors the edges. Once all components that make-up this volute are in place, I'll use a recommended small file to shape these attractive elements of this ship's decorative pieces, then re-finish. The interior gangway and the gunwale will fit into this tight area very precisely. Another close-up view of the fit at the quarterdeck. Make sure the deck meets the forebeam area flush like the foc'sle pear decoration. I also trimmed this part of the deck pattern with a straight across cut that removed about 1/64". The slots above the gunport are for the gangway supports. The hanging knees on the far side of where a cannon will be mounted will hardly be visible, but for me, they're worth the time to make and mount. The etched spirketting piece, deck clamp and added waterway are visible, as is the added bit of pear to the sill I added to all my (visible) gunports (14). A good view of the highly-detailed oven that few will see besides me (and my wife). This is made from a clever combo of pear and P/E pieces. For realism, I even rubbed grey chalk on the bricks to simulate ash, thinking this might invoke an aroma of a tasty roast beef pudding for Camilla's officers. Only I will ever know this detail: sometimes this can be part of the fun of doing what we dedicated ship modelers do. That's still my story and I'm sticking to it. Ron

Making the kit's gangways. As is clear here, a wooden ship modeler can never have too many clamps (or have too much money). BE CAREFUL with these two-part pattern pieces. They require adroit clamping (after applying regular TiteBond to the thicker etched pattern, not the thin pear one). The edges will peel apart unless you clamp all along both sides - and at the ends. How do I know this? Don't ask. I had to re-glue the first one which opened-up. I'm nearly ready to mount the ship's chains and deadeyes. First things, first: stain all the deadeyes in the color "Chestnut." Admittedly, this is a subtle color change from the provided oak-colored deadeyes. However, this color is a more accurate representation of actual pulley blocks and deadeyes of the era that were often made from English chestnut. Imagine that! English chestnut for His Majesty's Royal Navy. I'm also looking waaaay ahead for accurately-sized belaying pins when it comes to rigging. These puppies are sweet! I'm going with the slightly larger ones after testing them in a sample bitt piece. Ten pieces at 9mm - anything else here you need to go to Google Translate. From Russia, With Love, I say: Falkonet. Like Vanguard, this relatively new kit company (as well as offering numerous pear bits n' pieces) also specializes in Awesome. Last photo here: the saw I use for the cathead and MDF chain pump surgery.

Ahhhh, yes. Gotta read the fine print. Evergreen can be everyone's Friend. But it begs the existential question: "Grasshopper: do wood and plastic go together?" Thanks, Ken.

Alright, alright...a good time to talk about whether to "Admiralty" or Not-to-Admiralty. I made my decision early-on but I suspect some builders of this kit will get well into their builds and then encounter the dilemma I faced early-on: which PROVIDED deck pattern to use? The Vanguard kit provides this choice, which, to my knowledge is a first: go "scratch," and go barebones with a thin ply fitted deck piece, or toss this item into your scrap bin and choose the nicely laser-etched - and thinner - maple pattern for both weather decks (foc'sle & quarter). Here are a bunch of photos to illustrate how I approached "fixing" (upgrading) my decision to go with the very kool "etched" (laser engraved) decking. The preferable decking patterns (.061 vs .071 thick for the ply version), have the "reveal" punch outs burned into the pieces. These are quite objectionable if one wants to use these for a fully-decked model - like me, for Camilla. I arrived at a remedy that I think works reasonably well. First, sand off some of the residual char on the surface areas around the cutout lines (both deck patterns) - you can't miss this. The lasered lines will still remain prominent, but that's o/k....because... You'll next fill the laser cut lines with stainable wood filler. This stuff is magical IMHO. It's STAINABLE, pilgrims. Which means it can take on a pretty good amount of color you'll apply to it. In this case, my MinWax Weathered Oak stain- which another photo shows as being quite grey at application. Don't panic, grey is good. Let it soak into the wood (Maple has decent open grain). The grey will subside slightly after you wipe off with a soft cloth. If one has made mental visual notes of the actual color of wooden decks on replica sailing ships, this will make good sense without going overboard (pun intended!) on ""weathering." Carefully sand off the stainable wood filler residue after it dries - which is about 30 milliseconds. Cap that Wood Filler stuff or it turns hard as a rock in a few minutes. Use your fingers to apply it; fingers are good. I use these genetically - inheirited digital applicators all the time for aliphatic glue (TiteBond) and various fillers. This technique doesn't work as well with CA however...😂 Next comes the fun part: I use a crazy sharp stainless awl (one of my favorite bench items) and carefully (repeat, CAREFULLY) re-scribe the etched lines in the deck patterns - including all the planking lines, the butt end lines and....wait for it: the individual trunnel representations. I also scribe plank lines along the full length of the punch-out pieces (both deck patterns, BTW). The reason I do all this is that I want the deck patterns to ABSORB the stain I'll apply after all this minutiae - by slightly breaking through the wood surfaces - so the offending reveal opening lines are diminished. Note this word: diminished. These lines are not going to disappear entirely and hence, my next "fix" to make these unfortunate cut lines disappear, well, almost. I'll add scratched, gratings of pear (from Russia's Falkonet kit company) near the quarterdeck front hatches which are presented open (since there are no provided kit gratings to add here). The tiny Falkonet grating piece I have on-hand is slightly out-of-scale, but acceptable to me because these "cover-ups" are going to be rather small anyway, lying next to the small coamings. These scratched pieces - that will not be entirely out of place - will cover-up the etch lines at one end of the deck. And at the far end, my added carronades (four- yet to be acquired) will cover-up the other set of cut lines, depending on where I mount them. By the time all the other deck candy and rigging is added - including belaying pins, the kit's kool detailed binnacle, a nice helmsman's wheel and rope coils - nobody will hold out a pointing accusatory finger and say to me: "Hey! what happened on the deck here?" At least that's my post-build fantasy, and I'm sticking to it. Obviously, this is an irreversible decision as soon as I commit to adding deck furniture to the patterns...photos to come. More pics later, maybe this weekend. Two ways to go: use the etched maple pattern (left) or scratch-plank the plywood one (where you'll need to glue the reveal punch-outs first). The sublety of the staining: this is coat #1. After it dries, I'll add another. After 2 coats, it's diminishing returns on the effect of staining. Brush it on liberally, it'll soak in: then wipe it off and apply another coat after thoroughly drying. The "magic" filler and one of my secret weapons - my scribing awl. "A-ha!" New ventilation covers for the open hatches; they'll lay askew alongside the coaming openings, both sides and cover-up the offending laser etch lines for the quarterdeck punch out reveals. Voila! A cover-up placed over the reveal etch lines. These are two of the kit's cannons in position for a visual check; I'll add proper carronades to the quarterdeck in good time. Mein typical glue selection for a build; guess which one I use with my fingers?... The matte medium is used as an adhesive for most of the small P/E decorative pieces (upper bulwarks). Dries fast, most importantly, it's invisible when dry. However, be aware it is also a slightly flexible material post-drying.

Welcome Jesse! There is a wealth of information and specialized knowledge here. This is matched by very amenable and helpful members. There are members here who build in both plastic and wood. You might be surprised by some of the "crossover" skills between the two disparate sides of the model making hobby! Jump right in; the water's fine.😁 Ron

I just realized I forgot to upload a photo for the hand pump after I added the scratched spout. You can also see the larger square spout on the chain pumps body; this one is 3/16" square so you can see that the hand pump spout is less than 1/8" square! Getting that round hole on center so it wouldn't break through the side of the square stock was nerve-wracking! I had to grip the tiny piece with a tweezer clamp when I drilled it. Ron

Thanks, Mark. I'm going to try and show as many tools and materials as possible as I continue. I know this helps me when I read a log. We all use different tools and approach building tasks in our own ways, so seeing how something is achieved is just as valuable as why it was done. My next post (perhaps tomorrow) will be about how I approached solving a problem that had me in a slight dilemma. It's about the option that this kit offers for not making it as an Admiralty-styled ship model. Sneak preview shown here... Ron

Jacek, That's exactly what I dd with these pieces: cut them into bite-size chunks very carefully and THEN de-char and mount them. Chuck has also suggested just tossing these (with the exception of the upper volute piece) and making one's own. This requires accurately cut 1.5-2mm hardwood strips (pear in this instance for aesthetic reasons) and making a necessary scraper tool. Ron

oops, forgot this pic. This photo shows (background) the scratched waterway with a couple scupper holes. You can also see the added pear lining piece on the base of one gunport. On the cannon, tompions will be affixed to most, with added release ropes threaded thru the gunports. These are made from toothpicks and tiny brass "eyelets." I'm certain the actual mechanisms were more complex than this...🤫 I have since removed the char on the carriage axles after someone noted this...(thanks, Chuck). Important edit: You'll see the breeching rope is mounted to the cannon's cascabel BEFORE attempting to rig the eyebolt hardware into the corresponding holes alongside each gunport. This process makes mounting the cannon so much easier to accomplish. I don't do training tackle on my cannon (or trussing tackle, the upper eyebolts over the openings). There are modelers of this era who do add this embellishment and it can be impressive. For me, adding fiddly 2 mm blocks with .12 dia. proper rigging rope is beyond my patience level, especially for rigging 20 cannon (14 of which won't even be seen!)... ...that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Ron Technical note: all my log photos thus far are taken with my old iPhone 6, for convenience (2016?). Not great resolution with any of them, but it does the job.

I know, I know. Most scuppers of the era were made from lead. But in my workshop the EPA has been looking over my shoulder lately, so I made Camilla's scuppers in a more environmentally and human-friendly material. Ron

Amazon. Where else? A set of 4 is $20-something, but worth it. https://www.amazon.com/Finger-Drills-Package-of-4/dp/B06XF39QTX I also think MicroMark carried them a few years ago but not currently. Ron

em·bel·lish·ment - /əmˈbeliSHmənt plural noun: a decorative detail or feature added to something to make it more attractive. Although the kit supplied rigging materials are quite adequate, I decided to use a slightly smaller size for the mid-deck companionway safety rope. The manual calls for rope that is .5mm. I substituted .35mm diameter rope from my stash and I liked the appearance much better: not least of all, the better color and the way it hangs, the "swag." As will become apparent in additional photos, I have concentrated on fine details of the mid-gun deck, like the pumps that are very cleverly designed in this kit. The chain pumps are lasered from MDF as a single piece with added cladding pear boards: nice. However, the "spout" isn't a spout exactly, just a square lump. After failing to make this look like a convincing square opening, I hacked this protuberance off and glued on a small slice of Evergreen Plastics 3/16" square white styrene extrusion. Say that 10 times! The CA held well and then I painted it in brown acrylic, two coats. Next time (ha-ha) I'll roughen-up the plastic's smooth surface so the paint adheres a little better. The hand pumps too are clever: the mechanism is crafted with several pieces of small P/E which then attach to a walnut dowel. I wanted the hand pumps to stand out against their larger brothers behind them so I substituted a piece of birch dowel, stained it in weathered oak and glued-on the tiny square spouts at their base. The tiny spouts were made from a piece of 2mm square stock, very carefully drilled-out. I use a sharp awl to create a tiny starter hole, then use a thumbdrill (my favorites for many detailing tasks) to accomplish this. Two photos show the addition of "fancy" moldings on the channels (the Brits spell this "moulding'). I fashioned these with 1.5mm strip pear that has been shaped into a routed profile with a small brass scraper (other photo). Moving toward mid-deck, the other close-up shows the addition of (copper) scuppers, also missing from the kit's bulwarks: I added six per side, per historical convention. One doesn't add these unless there are proper drain holes where the bulwarks meet the deck internally. I added the appropriate drain holes with a small drill into the added waterways which are 1.5mm strips of pear, shaped to a triangular section and affixed to the deck at the base of the spirketting. I put a daub of dark paint to the drain holes. Lastly, for this update, two pictures show the added gangway supports and the fit of the gangway along the top edges of the mid-deck bulwarks. The white "stick" is temporarily wedging the gangway pattern down onto the supports to see how the tolerances add-up before trimming and gluing said pieces to the bulwarks. This is going to be a slightly tricky task to pull-off convincingly, but I think it can be done by taking time to get very exacting tolerances right - like so many other areas of this kit. An observation, and certainly not a criticism: the tolerances to a large number of this kit's components demand an extra high attention level to take the time to fit things together - that - in many circumstances is simply removing char. As I've noted elsewhere (Kit Reviews), this kit has numerous components (not just the P/E I'll also note) that have tolerances that measure +/- .005 on adjacent fittings. Gulp. Pay attention, builders. Ron

You are most welcome, Bob. Thanks. Some of this knowledge will be my particular deep dives into how I modify kits with various degrees of "scratching" to make them my unique vessels, re-badged, but actual and not "fake." For example, my LeTigre was a renamed "Alert" cutter kit (Vanguard). I my mind, I envisioned HMS Alert being captured and re-branded while she was sailing and raiding while in French hands. Which, as I understand, wasn't for very long.🤣 Ya'll will just have to put up with my humor though! Ron

"Alexa"- play Irish sea shantys." For those who may have noticed her in my first image post here. I nearly always have music in the background in my shop. If one could wear out CD's, the soundtrack to Master & Commander would be on its sixth reincarnation. Music helps me concentrate, but I realize others may find it distracting. I think it depends on whatcha like. In addition to pretending I'm standing on the decks of my models as they're being built, I imagine a small consort playing Corelli in my drawing room. You know, late baroque (my favorite) welcoming my guests from London into my country house, just a few miles from Portsmouth...afterall, I do own the shipyard where she is being built! Ron