hollowneck

FredSC, The Chopper II is one of my most used hand tools. The MicroMark product looks clumsy. But to be fair, I don't own one. For bigger jobs (over 2mm and wider than 4mm) I do use a miniature table saw. This would be a perfect opportunity to remark that one needs to "use the right tool for the right job." I've recently gifted a colleague of a Chopper II for his Birthday; building a large-scale English capital warship means he's got a lot of planking ahead of him! The tool is well made and perfect for cutting THIN sections ( like 1-2 mm thick strip wood). It can cut slightly thicker stock and many of the tips mentioned here (e.g. cut halfway, flip the stock over, or - make four cuts on square stock and/or - hold from the stopped side to prevent blade flexing) are all techniques I use. The company is very responsive and their online ordering is fast; I have ordered new cutting mats (they are inexpensive) and a supply of blades is nearby as I frequently change them. I'll add two more tips: the blade's primary cutting surface is within the last 1/4" or so, near the tool's reference "fence." When the blade dulls, turn it around! Bingo - new blade. The simple set screw makes this an easy and quick task. Other tip: flip the cutting mat over when slight grooves in the silkscreened top surface make the blade "wander" and thus, less accurate. Just remember to tighten the screw down securely each time and WATCH YOUR FINGERS. Most will be aware of this fact: if one is in the slightest hurry or, not paying FULL ATTENTION, this tool can be wickedly dangerous because of the exposed blade and the tendency to reach under it when picking out small pieces that have been "chopped." I've gotten a couple nasty "slices" that have reminded me to treat this handy (and I believe essential) little tool with Mucho Respecto! Quality power tools like Byrnes, Proxxon, even Dremel (et al) are wonderful...however, approximately 95% of my building is with specialized hand tools like the Chopper II. Ron PS I just thought of one other "issue" with the Chopper II. After several years of usage, the pivot for the Chopper's arm loosens and the blade will succumb to gravity- usually when one is positioning wood under it's edge! There is no easy way to fix this; the pivot pin can't be easily replaced. However- my fix has been to slide a thin piece of card stock into the space between the cutting handle arm and the arm's cast yoke, just adjacent to the pin (only on one side). This cheat creates just enough friction to keep the arm raised and in-place and won't interfere with the normal downward cutting leverage. And that's how much I use my Chopper II - the pivot arm is worn loose!!!

Hello redshirt, My experience is that it mostly depends on the scale at which you're building. I've built ships with MDF, ply and basswood bulkheads - in various thicknesses. For smaller scales (and smaller overall models), either MDF or basswood works reasonably well. For large scale (3/16' and up scales), choose quality plywood every time - if you can - preferably 3/16 thick. Any of the "finish" hardwoods are completely inappropriate for the structural work as the fairing required for most models will make this task much too arduous and overly-complicated. I am building a model now that has a 1/8" keelformer with the same thickness bulkheads - in basswood. Both are too thin for the job and create numerous, unnecessary build issues. This model is large (lengthy) and would have been considerably easier (and better) in 3/16" ply for both components. Be aware that a "keelformer" (the backbone that the bulkheads slide onto) is nearly as critical as the ship's shaped bulkheads. Good Luck! Ron

I just noted that the "width" dimension is 13- 3/4" I didn't realize the Essex was that beamy. AND - From the ME (downloadable PDF) Instruction Manual: "Instructions and model prototype prepared by Samuel Cassano, Jr." Flip a coin: "Crain or Cassano", they both start with a "C" Ron

FYI: as of Wednesday, the 5th of November, this info on the Essex kit on the ModelExpo web site: Model Shipways Kit No. MS2041 Length 26-3/8” Width 13-3/4” Height 24-5/8” Scale 1:76 (5/32” = 1 ft.) Difficulty level: intermediate Kit design, plans, instructions & prototype model by Bob Crain. Huh? Ron

Dave, I posted on a different thread a couple days ago about your Conference idea in NC, but I don't see it in that thread - and I can't PM you!...did you edit the thread? I offered that there is another Show/Conference being organized in the Mid-Atlantic... Thanks for your reply on this mystery! And apologies that I had to post here rather than send a PM. You may want to check this out- it's likely your email box is full. Ron

I came across this photo of a French Galley, circa 1690. It has similar qualities to it's historic forbears - namely the Spanish flagship, LaReal which was built 130 years earlier. Life moved a little slower in the 16th and 17th centuries. This finely crafted model is by August Crabtree and on display (with 50 others) at the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, VA. I haven't seen many high-quality models from the war-fighting galley era of the 16th-C, although this one is a very nice and exceptional example. I just placed this Museum on my Bucket List - expressly to see Mr. Crabtree's extensive work. Ron

Joe (and mrcc), I'm sorry you've both had difficulty dealing with Jotika. This is a "trading name" for a manufacturer (Caldercraft) and it is largely a dormant web site that nobody in England pays any attention to from what I can tell. However, "Shipwrightshop.com" is another matter; this IS attended to by Richard Wright, who does take care of business, even small requests and orders. On several different occasions (with Shipwrightshop.com) my experience has been excellent. Also, I've built three Caldercraft kits (Granado, Diana and Agamemnon) and there were no missing parts. Here's my tip: try ordering from www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk for your next project. Their web service is extraordinary, their prices are the lowest I've encountered - including frequent adjustments on the exchange rates. I've bought two of the Caldercraft kits from them. They do know how American Customs works and that's very important too. I believe they check the kits for completeness BEFORE shipping (what a concept!) which is precisely what I'd do with International customers to save time and hassles were I the proprietor. Lastly, I'd bet my Dremel drill that Cornwall is important business for Caldercraft (the whole company especially RC, not just the static ship model part we like). I would also hazard a guess that the respective owners work closely with one another, or even frequently play golf or cricket together, or just hang out at the local pub. The last thing a small manufacturer wants to do is fiddle with small orders and missing parts. Especially ones that are, literally, half way around the planet. Hence, my recommendation for Cornwall who maintain an inventory of Caldercraft stuff (including tiny fiddly bits) and get all those bits in the right boxes BEFORE they ship! Like I said, What A Concept! Good Luck Ron

Hello Ships88. You are quite welcome; I have always felt that one of the more important benefits of MSW has been commentary on vendors - and more important, the comments on various aspects of either kit building and/or tools and materials we use in our unique hobby. I could be wrong, but I would guess that a majority of active MSW'ers still remain largely kit builders (versus "hardcore"scratch builders). If someone here knows of a thread that has taken this type of survey, that would be fun to see. I bought the kit from ModelExpo (online purchase). Age of Sail also has Dusek kits listed on their site - however, the La Real is not included. I've spent some time looking into U.S. and European sources for this manufacturer and it's pretty slim. My opinion (and it is only that) is that Daniel Dusek spends the majority of his time designing and running an engineering-centric company; that is, the marketing is the last thing on his "to do" punch list. I have only seen photos of Reale de France so I can't comment intelligently on the design or quality of this kit. Corel is a respected manufacturer, but I personally have never built a Corel kit. I wil post photos this weekend on my build; I'm at an interesting point on the hull assembly that might be of interest to members in this thread. As I said previously, I'll not be doing a Build Log per se, but I will offer some photos and brief comments as the project rolls along. Ron

Allow me to tell everyone here who is interested that I just purchased the La Real kit. The plans (5 sheets) are quite good with excellent sectional views. It's obvious an engineer (Daniel Dusek) has perfected this unique design on a very interesting 16th-C warship. The instructions are laughable and there are several matching errors on an included parts plan for the lasered wood pieces. All the wood is lasercut. The fittings are resin and brass photoetch. Skeletal wood (hull pieces) is 3mm ply. Nearly all the balance of laser wood (about 6 sheets) is pear veneer. Beautifully done on nice .6mm stock. Strip wood is primarily basswood, and round sections appear to be birch. I'll use very little of the latter pieces. All of the wood quality (even strip wood and dowels) is superb; straight and precision cut ( I measured with calipers). There are several sheets of 2mm with relief laser decorative patterns which are exquisite. The resin needs a lot of flash removal and a couple pieces appear unusable due to bending and basically, inappropriate materials for certain detail items - like anchors (but I will scratch their replacements). I'll replace the handful of cannons with brass ones (5 long guns on carriages), I may keep the falconet-like resin ones. This kit is definitely for an advanced builder - and as mentioned I intend to replace some of the wood despite it being high-quality. It would help to have a good mechanical engineering background when it comes to reading the plans. This ship does consist of hundreds of small pieces to fabricate the oar stations correctly. Sailcloth (included in the kit) is decent, but I will be doing furled sails on the huge lateen masts(2). I'll use a lighter paper material for my sails. The photoetch brass is excellent. There are two sheets of 4-color printed "flags" that I'll also modify or use the designs on something more resembling cloth (like paper I will use for furled sails). So far, I've built the bulkheads and some deck pieces and I've started planking strip wood for decking and lower hull for which I'll use (bash with) precision walnut for the hull and boxwood on the decking as it will be visible through the complex oar stations. I will NOT be doing a Build Log - but I'll be happy from time to time to take a pic and post it here. So far, this kit is easily the equal (or even better) than either Victory Models (Amati's premium line) or Caldercraft's Nelson's Navy range. The resin and multi-leveled laser(ed) wood appears to be as good as Euromodel's decent castings. Bottom line: I intend to strive towards making La Real an award-winning model. I believe I have the rough materials (with good plans) to accomplish this...we'll see... as they say. Hope this info is helpful to those contemplating something "out of the box". Ron PS I paid a little over $300 for this kit. Shipping was about $25. It isn't a heavy box owing to the .6mm pear veneer sheets. Oh yeah, scale is 1/72. This is smaller than I prefer but it lends itself to nice fine detail.

Cornwall Model Boats, Model-Expo and Bluejacket. All three top drawer companies. No B.S. Ethical. Real WORKING web sites. Decent prices and mostly excellent after- sales support. I have not had direct experience with Ages Of Sail. They are a relatively new dealer/distributor/reseller- not a manufacturer. I prefer dealing with a manufacturer for many reasons- this said, Cornwall in the UK is the RARE exception who are not manufacturers (that I am aware of), and they do a superb job of doing more than just flogging stuff. Follow the advice here my friend. There's a collective wisdom no where else to be found on this hobby! Good Luck on your foray into the Ship World! Ron

Jason, Yes, Nic at Bluejacket is all about keeping the high-quality kit market vibrant - and his company, responsive. He is passionate about our hobby, that's for sure. Indeed, I got the news that there will be a Bluejacket Morgan kit but it will be a large scale "tryworks" section; apparently, quite a few people recently voted on his Bluejacket "poll" for this project. Nic was my club's most recent President (CMMS - www.ctshipmodels.org). Nic is very much a "hands-on" leader and a real gentleman. It appears you're solving the problems with the CC Diana keelformer; I wouldn't stress too much as straightening-out the keel with blocks placed between the bulkheads should handle everything. Also, once you get the first few planks handled, the small amount of remaining twist should be virtually eliminated. This was very disconcerting to me too (at first) on my build. The keel piece does absorb moisture and it's virtually impossible to get a straight run without some support pieces along the sheer. I'm glad you got the replacement piece from Caldercraft. I'm not surprised, as I originally mentioned in my earlier post. Good Luck- looks good to me so far; the rabbet and bearding line should yield a decent, smooth run. Ron

Let me add to this thread a couple comments, observations. First, good decision, Jason; you've gone well beyond with your perseverance of trying to fix a bad piece of ply. In my experience of the last 3 years and from carefully reading others comments on both companies on this forum, both Jotika (Caldercraft) and Cornwall are very responsive. I have not had any damaged or unacceptable parts in the kits I've purchased from either (Diana- direct w/Jotika and Agamemnon from Cornwall). Although the "static kits" business of Jotika is an obvious "sideline" for them, they still make up kits pretty quickly - and steadily - and offer decent communication and common sense policies for resolving problems should they arise. My only reservation is about Jotika's marketing: someone in the company (or contracted outside) should pay better attention to their web information and resolve the hangups on moving forward with both the HMS Surprise as well as the "74." The company has invested the resources for both kits - at least the prototypes detailed on their web site. Both of these projects would sell well to an international market, even at the top-end of the kit market's offerings. In the computer business this would be called "Vaporware." In our hobby, I like to call it: "FogWare." When Victory/Amati release Chris Watton's 1/64 Vic it should challenge the aging CCraft Vic pretty substantially. There are quite a few persons who will tackle a huge Vic/Vic. Once this happens (don't hold your breath until at least 2016), Jotika may again start paying attention to our market. I lived in the U.K. for 2 years and I know, first-hand, how big and active the RC Ship business is for Brits. It's a major past time - "pond models"- of all stripes, WW1 &11 and various working boats of different eras. This is Jotika's main business and they are a prime supplier (as are Cornwall) to a very engaged domestic market. Europeans too are big on "pond model" stuff. This said, I am thankful that Jotika still pays some attention to us static model builders. My guess (and it's only a guess) is that this component of their sales is less than 10%. However, my other guess is that static kits (and bits) are very steady - and perhaps near n' dear to the founder's heart. C'est LaVie - Ron

NMM can be painful (and expensive). My wife ordered a large print of the HMS Ardent for me last year as an XMAS gift (kool Admiral, huh guys!). It came in-time, but barely. She ordered it in September; it arrived Dec. 23. Things can go a little slow from The Jolly Land. You and I must remember that we live in an area of the country called "New England." When I talk to friends there, I sometimes jokingly ask: "how are things in Old England?" haha. For research (question re: HMS Camilla), I'm always amazed at what's available on Wikipedia.org. Like any thorough web research one follows all the available links. One does hit dead ends, but Wiki links are pretty good since there is usually extensive citations from other secondary research sources. Try it. Also, Rif Winfield's books are a good source for basic info on English warships. If it floated and had guns, Winfield's books has info on it! I will ask my colleague if he can email me his "cheat sheet" backgrounder on Ariel since we recently compared notes on our two future builds; he's already done his homework on Ariel's history. Ron

Chuck, You are correct to say that I've gotten a lot from my comrades here - inspirational as well as perspirational . I'll decide on whether or not to post a Build Log later this Fall, likely post-NRG Conf. I'm leaning toward doing it - and besides, I hate it when those pins get stuck in that voodoo doll effigy of me! For the record: my Build Log would be for the 1:64 HMS Camilla, configured late 1780's as a 26-gun; fully-rigged, with partial upper deck reveals and probably coppered. Thanks for the support, Chuck. Ron

Tom, I too bought a set of 1/64 plans from Chuck P (syrenshipmodelcompany.com). They are worth every penny! I'm planning on these plans being my early Winter start-up project. I also have been in-touch with Alex, but not for several weeks. I plan to build the POB “Camilla” (named sister ship to Sphinx) and a considerably more interesting history than all the other as-built ships of her size. The research I've been doing on this specific ship for the past couple months is fascinating (her service logs, the captains, numerous actions/campaigns - how about more than 45 known "prizes/captures" and a service life of nearly 55 years); her action history is especially meaningful for a Connecticut Yankee. I do plan to do a full hull plank but leave partial quarter & f'ocsle deck reveals on some beams/framing ala' Alex's approach here. I also plan to fully rig her. Alex's photos will be very helpful; however, I wouldn't anticipate that he'll be able to offer much timely guidance on a detailed build question - at least, I'm not anticipating that kind of interaction. His English is better than my German (but not by much!). And he's got other fish in the fryer-like many of us. Alex's plans are superb (8 large “D-size” engineering drawings including full masting/rigging), the best I have seen thus far in this hobby, period. They are complete, precise, and detailed in extremis; one could build a fully-framed model if one wished - including all the below-deck gubbins.. It's POB for me -per Alex's own personal build nicely detailed in this thread. For reference, the Sphinx plans (in both 1/48 and 1/64 scales) are the equal to fellow MSW master builders Ed Tosti's (Naiad), D. Antscherl's (Swan) and A. Yedlinski's (Euryalus) in my opinion and considerably better than any Hahn or Corrothers plans I've also had opportunity to study. The NMM in London also has a reasonable number of extant prints available on several of the Sphinx Class ships built in this small frigate, post-ship category. I will NOT likely do a Build Log here for Camilla, but I may change my mind as I get into the project. Worst case I will post "progress pics" as I tackle this beautiful, small but effective 18th-C Royal Navy workhorse "enforcer." Even at 1/64 (I did consider 1/48), fully-rigged she is going to be quite large and there are only so many spots left...I'm certain many here will know the problem exactly! Ron

Excellent. Ron

Caldercraft by far. Expensive, but well worth it. Instructions are just so-so, but the plans are very good. Kit wood is decent and all pieces are machine routed, not laser cut. Extensive Photo-etch brass and pewter castings are excellent. This is NOT a kit for everyone; being an experienced builder is mandatory. Hope this helps all who may be looking in on selecting a Victory kit. Ron

Although I have only been in the hobby for approximately 4 years, I relished reading my copies of Conway's Annual Shipwright - always cover-to-cover. I was impressed with such valuable and fascinating information as well as superb graphic presentation. I, too, am sad that there will be no 2014 issue. Perhaps someone can take up the job and continue with the superb editorial; I remain a loyal subscriber to Shipwright should publishing be resumed in the future. Paper or digital, es macht nichts. Ron

Michael, You break no law (or rules) with a photo or illustration here as long as you credit the source accurately with the post. There seems to be no shortage of info/advice on this subject. My 2 cents: I also use no glue, and align masts with rigging and shims. Ron

Duff, Muchos Gracias Meine Freund. This is good info. Ron

Wayne, Jay, Thanks! This info is perfect for my purposes which is to add these features to my current build. Ron

I came across yet another question that I have concerning the specs for "bucklers", specifically, "hawse bucklers." These were used to cover the hawse openings when the ship was under way in heavy seas and obviously, when anchors were heaved and secured. My question is simple: what do these look like? How were they secured to the hawse openings? Did they have a gasket to seal them? Made of wood - or metal? Thanks Mates.

Thanks Jud, good thought about the subject. You could be right about keeping the rope slings in-place and adding the chains. I would imagine they were quite heavy and difficult to rig but better than having the jeers shot away and then losing the main yard during a battle. Apparently, one of the French tactics was to "aim high" in order to disable their enemy's propulsion. Any more ideas or info out there?

I have a question about mid-to-late 18th C Royal Navy warship rigging. I searched but didn't find anything here regarding the use of iron chain (links) for yards. I've read in several novels about how rope rigging used for main course yard slings were sometimes replaced with iron chains when anticipating action. I understand that the jeer ropes and related hoisting tackle was "slackened" and the yards were mainly supported by the rope sling and this was the same for the chain slings. I'm considering using chain to sling my main courses on my current build (HMS Ardent/64, 1764). What size chain should I use (size of links) and was there any special way of rigging the chain that differed from the rope equivalents? Any thoughts or facts on this would be greatly appreciated. Ron

Richard, Cornwall is The Best, period. I just ordered a large Caldercraft kit (32 lbs.) and it took just 3 days to arrive on my doorstep here in CT- and it was NOT expedited delivery. Every past transaction with them (approximately a dozen) has been smooth, flawless. And, they have the best prices (and complete inventory) of any of the internet resources. Now, how is this relevant? Cornwall stocks both 25mm and 35mm Amati cast metal ("Brittania") figures. Both size sets feature a total of six different figure poses. I found that for 1/64 scale that the 35mm figures are a much better choice; yes, they are slightly larger than a 5foot 6inch 18th-c seaman, but they look better displayed in context with the model. Especially the captain figure. I found the 25mm figures a little too small, they look like midgets and dwarves running around, more like Games Workshop Orcs and Hellions... The Amati figures are about $2.50ish ea., but that's o.k. with me. Shipping from the UK is minimal. So far, my other attempts to find nicely molded 17th/18th C sailors in 25-35mm scale has been dismal. Even plastic ones. If anyone here has tips otherwise -even plastic or especially finely cast metal figures, please let me know! Good Luck. Ron