hollowneck

Thank you, gentlemen. Indeed, this is the "fun part!"
 
Ron

Well done, Sir.
I like how you've tackled the one-piece wale patterns and solved the dilemma at the stern. After scratch-planking my wales I moved the six scuppers up from the wale to just above the black strake. The "angle of drainage" from the waterways still works.
 
Perhaps Chris can 3D print Lord Cochrane sitting on a seat of ease for you!
We need to be able to view him thru the gallery lights though...
 
Ron
 
 

Post Forty-two
 
Fixing the wales.
It may be thought that this is a fairly straightforward procedure, given the marked lines of fitting on the hull coupled with pre-formed wales, there is no working out for yourself that critical wale position.
 
I considered constructing my own t&b wales as I had with Pegasus, but the thought lasted but a nano second.

1367(2)
The kit supplied pieces are nicely engraved with the Top and Butt planking lines, and it would be a pity not to use them.
The trick will be colouring it without covering up the plank lines.
 
I followed the given procedure and used fine pins liberally to secure the wale strip against the hull for the shape forming process.
The hull was then left overnight to fully dry out.
 
Probably due my increasing decrepitude I didn’t find fitting the wales the easiest of tasks.
They have to be correctly positioned, and held in place while pins are inserted to hold them fast, all before the pva starts to set.
 
Preparation is the key. I have the fine pins inserted in a balsa block for quick access, a micro pinvise, a jar of water and brush to clean off any pva overspill, and the pin pusher close to hand.

1376
The pva is decanted into a small jar and is slightly diluted. It is applied by brush as the wale is fixed along the hull.
The hull is secured in the keel clamp, better to see the required line and piled towels are used on the opposite side to support the hull against the pressure of the pin pusher.

1377(2)
Tamiya tape is applied above and below the wale position to mark the glue line and reduce the risk of overspill marks.
The forward end of the wale strips needs a slight bevel to fit tight against the stem.

1381
On my build the wales required a lot of pins to hold it firmly against the lower edge and additional pinning and clamping on the upper edge.

1387

1388
A prime objective is to get the wales looking symmetrical at the bow.
The stern area is the tricky part where the aftermost lower edge needs to curve downwards laterally very slightly, to meet the round of the hull.

1393
 I was able to clamp this by using a pin head on the wale and the rudder port as anchor points.
The  set-up was then left overnight for the glue to fully cure.

1402(2)

1405(2)

1408(2)

1410(2)
 
Before I move on I need to resolve a puzzling issue with the  pre-drilled scuppers, of which there are six.

1412
The forward two are offline against each other and the preceding four, which run along the top edge of the wale. This is not reflected on the plans where they all run along the top edge of the wale.
 
This in itself is an issue as they are too close to the top of the wale with no allowance for the flange that would surround them.
I rather think they should exit thro’ the Black strake above the wale, which is how I will position them.
 
The holes on the wale will be filled before painting.
 
This is a small thing and overall the wales look good and surely save an awful lot of T&B  cutting.
 
B.E.
28/11/21
 
 

More paint color choices on the wheel as well.  Here are some photos.  For the contemp. model as you can see, the supports, drum and rim of the wheel are red.  The spokes are ivory.  I may be doing the same except leaving the spokes natural boxwood.
 


and some winnie parts for the wheel being tested and contemplating color choices as well. This just taken with my
Phone.
 

 
 
For other cont. models its similar but there is some variation.
 
Minerva...which has a double wheel.   Winnie does not have a double wheel.   But you can see how the supports are black in this case.
 

And Amazon...all read with ivory spokes again.  Again a double wheel.
 

The ships wheel for the Winnie is sold separately and is already available.  Sold one per package.  For those guys waiting for the next chapter this is something that could be bought and made in advance.  Its just the wheel as the other parts will be part of chapter 10. Buy the larger 1 1/4” wheel for Winnie.
 
The wheel kit is built just like other master model builders build them.  There are lots of small parts but it makes a beautiful boxwood wheel as you can see.  You just need to go really slow and take your time.  If you rush through the wheel mini kit …it will look a mess.  So take your time and practice.
 




 
 

Well er about that.....The prospect another huge undertaking is a worry of mine.  BUT, I may be taking the plunge into a Fully-Framed design for my next subject, whatever it will be.  I think there needs to be some more choices for model builders rather than just those POF kits from the east that are emerging.  If anybody wants to build a POF kit they are forced to only buy the stuff that comes out of China.  So I may be the first to develop a full kit done in a style that is different from those being made in China at the moment. I think I can do better.  We shall see how it goes over the next few months. 
 
I can tell you that tests are already underway.  But its still 50-50 which way I will end up going.  Not just a cross section either...but a full hull.  You have seen my other tests into this type of POF development by now.  There are more on the drawing table at the moment.  I think I should do this only because I am not getting any younger, LOL.  So I may as well get this out of my system before I get too old to consider it.
 

 

 
 

Post Forty-four
 
That stern business
I had intended to fit the port linings next, but with the stern patterns and Qtr galleries on my mind, I won’t settle until it’s sorted.
I have to admit that I approach this task with a deal of trepidation. I have not actually fitted a Qtr gallery  for over thirty years, Pegasus had a Badge, not a gallery, and that was tricky enough as I recall.
 
This is one of the critical areas of construction with multiple parts requiring to be aligned.
 
Additional self inflicted difficulties arise because my intention is to open up the galleries and install seats of ease, which means a deal of modification to the Quarter gallery patterns.
Whether I can pull this off, or come to the conclusion that it’s not worth the effort I don’t know until I get into the assembly.
 
I had done some preliminary work when I fitted the lower counter, so I will start with the Stern facia inner and work everything from that.
This needs to be high enough to allow for the 1mm  Quarterdeck rail with 1mm to spare.
The Upper counter (inner) requirements will then be clear.
 
The assembly will be looked at concurrently with the Qtr Gallery fitting as the top and bottom edges of the counter are critical to the mouldings that match up with those of the  gallery. There will be a lot of temporary pinning and fitting before I finally commit to glue.
To begin the process I separate all the parts relating to this area so they are handy to check fit as I go along. Identifying, locating, cutting, and sorting all the parts took a surprising amount of time.

1451
The Inner stern facia is pinned into place; tape is used to mark the line 2mm below the point where the bulwark meets the facia. A check is made to ensure the extensions are equidistant each side.
 
The upper counter can now be tried in place.

1469
As can be seen there is a gap between Facia and counter, not unexpected but I need to decide whether to fit the upper counter hard against the facia or fill both sides.

1474
At this point I am also trial fitting the Quarter Gallery pieces to get a feel for how the assembly will  hang together.

1465
I think I will  bevel and butt the upper counter against the facia bottom, the lower gap is less  important as is more easily filled and covered with a moulding.

1462
The line of the galleries suggests to my eye that the positioning is  ok so tomorrow I will glue the facia and upper counter in place.
 
B.E.
30/11/21
 

Hi Bug - on Pegasus  I think I used  thin slices from small diameter aluminium tubing flattened on the anvil.
As I recall there was a big attrition rate to get the dozen or so required.
 
@ Chuck - Thank you Chuck, I am leaning heavily on your wonderful Winnie build for ideas, and I hope to replicate the minimal planking pattern design of the Foc'sle and Quarterdecks. I do hope you don't mind. 🤞
 
Regards,
 
B.E.
 
 

That is looking really good.  Nice planking job.  That will be a fabulous model.
 

Progress...more detailing. Upgrading the binnacle. Fashioning and finishing the fife rail. Snatch block with sheave. Bitts and belaying pins. Gratings for the q'deck "fix."

The kit's binnacle is laser-etched pear and it assembles nicely- however- it was missing its windows! The brisk and unrelenting wind on the weatherdeck would have constantly blown out the illumination source and made it difficult for the helmsman to see what heading the ship was on! I remedied the situation with a couple small pieces of clear acetate before I buttoned-up the assembly.
 

Voila! Kool brass chimney (painted flat black) on this little top deck eye candy. Stained with Natural Minwax only. Needs some rope to keep it from toppling over; on my punch list for later this week... a detail that can't been seen in this photo is the thin, internal P/E brass piece that depicts dual compasses and a place for an oil lamp in the center. I know it's there, a "sweet touch."
 
BTW: the cannon on this deck will be early 12 pounder carronades on "trucks" (essentially a version of long cannon carriages). I am looking at where the four carronades will be positioned along the slender bulwarks and exposed timberheads and fife rail stanchions. 6th-rate (and 5th rate) "post ships" quickly adopted carronades on their quarterdecks (and later the foc'sle). It didn't take long for the Navy Board to discover that these ships needed to have "built-up" bulwarks to protect the crews and come up with a new method for mounting the powerful "smashers" to the bulwarks.
 
The unique "sliding carriage" was invented specifically for these large-muzzled, close-range intimidators (it also pivoted the carronade on a single-point axis in the center of the gunport).
 
I'm making my HMS Camilla an "early adopter" of carronades (just four on her q'deck), but prior to having her aft bulwarks enhanced with more planking. I'm liking the superbly-designed fife rails provided in the kit, their delicate look that is part of the OTT decorative "art" she was so confident to display.
 

Cut the Falkonet gratings to size, testing their locations.
 

Another view of the quarterdeck showing the breast and fife rails. I'm keeping both in natural wood finishes. The gunwales will still be painted black, but I may leave all the timberheads in natural; haven't decided on this color detail just yet. I'll scrape-off the black paint on the pair of black-painted timberheads shown here should I go for the "all natural look." Black paint hides so much of the delicate wood carving.
 

Another midships view; starting to paint the gunwales in black.
 

Another view showing the slender fife rail mounted. A cannon placed temporarily (a placeholder, of sorts) for evaluating the positions of the four carronades that will be mounted on the quarterdeck (two on each side).
 

A close-up of the aft-most portion of the fife rail.The arrow points to the "alignment holes" that are provided to align the three-piece, built-up rail. Thin nails help align the pear pieces for gluing and are then removed. The holes are eyesores (like others sprinkled throughout the design) and need to be filled. My choice again: stainable filler. The "O" ring is a rigging piece in P/E that will be painted black.
 

I've added pear sheaves to the snatch blocks located on the foc'sle gunwales. The 4mm diameter sheaves are from Falkonet, a Russian ship model company that are making very nice, scale-accurate "bits" (as well as a few kits)... I'll likely feed anchor rigging ropes through these blocks. It would look really peculiar to see ropes winding through empty assemblies.
 

Snatch blocks with sheave, mounted and ready to do some heavy lifting.
 

Enlarging the holes in the forward bitts to make room for belaying pins. I'll add 9mm turned pear belaying pins throughout my build (from Falkonet as previously mentioned in my thread). These are things of beauty, scale-accurate and they'll be stained natural (unstained shown here). I used a needle file to gently turn the square P/E pin lasered holes into round-ish ones.
 
I'm approaching the halfway point in just a few weeks. I call it this because the masting, rigging and sailmaking will take about the same amount of time that I've devoted to the kit's completed hull build. My personal rule-of-thumb over the past several years of building ships in the Era of Sail is that I'm still many fathoms away from home port when the hull is completed.
 
I know there are ship modelers who don't look forward to the "other half" of their sailing ship's completion. I'm not one of them. I relish the next stages; it's not over until the wind meets the canvas ... and with HMS Camilla, her keel hitting the H2O.
 
Ron
 
 

Progress...more detailing. Upgrading the binnacle. Fashioning and finishing the fife rail. Snatch block with sheave. Bitts and belaying pins. Gratings for the q'deck "fix."

The kit's binnacle is laser-etched pear and it assembles nicely- however- it was missing its windows! The brisk and unrelenting wind on the weatherdeck would have constantly blown out the illumination source and made it difficult for the helmsman to see what heading the ship was on! I remedied the situation with a couple small pieces of clear acetate before I buttoned-up the assembly.
 

Voila! Kool brass chimney (painted flat black) on this little top deck eye candy. Stained with Natural Minwax only. Needs some rope to keep it from toppling over; on my punch list for later this week... a detail that can't been seen in this photo is the thin, internal P/E brass piece that depicts dual compasses and a place for an oil lamp in the center. I know it's there, a "sweet touch."
 
BTW: the cannon on this deck will be early 12 pounder carronades on "trucks" (essentially a version of long cannon carriages). I am looking at where the four carronades will be positioned along the slender bulwarks and exposed timberheads and fife rail stanchions. 6th-rate (and 5th rate) "post ships" quickly adopted carronades on their quarterdecks (and later the foc'sle). It didn't take long for the Navy Board to discover that these ships needed to have "built-up" bulwarks to protect the crews and come up with a new method for mounting the powerful "smashers" to the bulwarks.
 
The unique "sliding carriage" was invented specifically for these large-muzzled, close-range intimidators (it also pivoted the carronade on a single-point axis in the center of the gunport).
 
I'm making my HMS Camilla an "early adopter" of carronades (just four on her q'deck), but prior to having her aft bulwarks enhanced with more planking. I'm liking the superbly-designed fife rails provided in the kit, their delicate look that is part of the OTT decorative "art" she was so confident to display.
 

Cut the Falkonet gratings to size, testing their locations.
 

Another view of the quarterdeck showing the breast and fife rails. I'm keeping both in natural wood finishes. The gunwales will still be painted black, but I may leave all the timberheads in natural; haven't decided on this color detail just yet. I'll scrape-off the black paint on the pair of black-painted timberheads shown here should I go for the "all natural look." Black paint hides so much of the delicate wood carving.
 

Another midships view; starting to paint the gunwales in black.
 

Another view showing the slender fife rail mounted. A cannon placed temporarily (a placeholder, of sorts) for evaluating the positions of the four carronades that will be mounted on the quarterdeck (two on each side).
 

A close-up of the aft-most portion of the fife rail.The arrow points to the "alignment holes" that are provided to align the three-piece, built-up rail. Thin nails help align the pear pieces for gluing and are then removed. The holes are eyesores (like others sprinkled throughout the design) and need to be filled. My choice again: stainable filler. The "O" ring is a rigging piece in P/E that will be painted black.
 

I've added pear sheaves to the snatch blocks located on the foc'sle gunwales. The 4mm diameter sheaves are from Falkonet, a Russian ship model company that are making very nice, scale-accurate "bits" (as well as a few kits)... I'll likely feed anchor rigging ropes through these blocks. It would look really peculiar to see ropes winding through empty assemblies.
 

Snatch blocks with sheave, mounted and ready to do some heavy lifting.
 

Enlarging the holes in the forward bitts to make room for belaying pins. I'll add 9mm turned pear belaying pins throughout my build (from Falkonet as previously mentioned in my thread). These are things of beauty, scale-accurate and they'll be stained natural (unstained shown here). I used a needle file to gently turn the square P/E pin lasered holes into round-ish ones.
 
I'm approaching the halfway point in just a few weeks. I call it this because the masting, rigging and sailmaking will take about the same amount of time that I've devoted to the kit's completed hull build. My personal rule-of-thumb over the past several years of building ships in the Era of Sail is that I'm still many fathoms away from home port when the hull is completed.
 
I know there are ship modelers who don't look forward to the "other half" of their sailing ship's completion. I'm not one of them. I relish the next stages; it's not over until the wind meets the canvas ... and with HMS Camilla, her keel hitting the H2O.
 
Ron
 
 

Progress...more detailing. Upgrading the binnacle. Fashioning and finishing the fife rail. Snatch block with sheave. Bitts and belaying pins. Gratings for the q'deck "fix."

The kit's binnacle is laser-etched pear and it assembles nicely- however- it was missing its windows! The brisk and unrelenting wind on the weatherdeck would have constantly blown out the illumination source and made it difficult for the helmsman to see what heading the ship was on! I remedied the situation with a couple small pieces of clear acetate before I buttoned-up the assembly.
 

Voila! Kool brass chimney (painted flat black) on this little top deck eye candy. Stained with Natural Minwax only. Needs some rope to keep it from toppling over; on my punch list for later this week... a detail that can't been seen in this photo is the thin, internal P/E brass piece that depicts dual compasses and a place for an oil lamp in the center. I know it's there, a "sweet touch."
 
BTW: the cannon on this deck will be early 12 pounder carronades on "trucks" (essentially a version of long cannon carriages). I am looking at where the four carronades will be positioned along the slender bulwarks and exposed timberheads and fife rail stanchions. 6th-rate (and 5th rate) "post ships" quickly adopted carronades on their quarterdecks (and later the foc'sle). It didn't take long for the Navy Board to discover that these ships needed to have "built-up" bulwarks to protect the crews and come up with a new method for mounting the powerful "smashers" to the bulwarks.
 
The unique "sliding carriage" was invented specifically for these large-muzzled, close-range intimidators (it also pivoted the carronade on a single-point axis in the center of the gunport).
 
I'm making my HMS Camilla an "early adopter" of carronades (just four on her q'deck), but prior to having her aft bulwarks enhanced with more planking. I'm liking the superbly-designed fife rails provided in the kit, their delicate look that is part of the OTT decorative "art" she was so confident to display.
 

Cut the Falkonet gratings to size, testing their locations.
 

Another view of the quarterdeck showing the breast and fife rails. I'm keeping both in natural wood finishes. The gunwales will still be painted black, but I may leave all the timberheads in natural; haven't decided on this color detail just yet. I'll scrape-off the black paint on the pair of black-painted timberheads shown here should I go for the "all natural look." Black paint hides so much of the delicate wood carving.
 

Another midships view; starting to paint the gunwales in black.
 

Another view showing the slender fife rail mounted. A cannon placed temporarily (a placeholder, of sorts) for evaluating the positions of the four carronades that will be mounted on the quarterdeck (two on each side).
 

A close-up of the aft-most portion of the fife rail.The arrow points to the "alignment holes" that are provided to align the three-piece, built-up rail. Thin nails help align the pear pieces for gluing and are then removed. The holes are eyesores (like others sprinkled throughout the design) and need to be filled. My choice again: stainable filler. The "O" ring is a rigging piece in P/E that will be painted black.
 

I've added pear sheaves to the snatch blocks located on the foc'sle gunwales. The 4mm diameter sheaves are from Falkonet, a Russian ship model company that are making very nice, scale-accurate "bits" (as well as a few kits)... I'll likely feed anchor rigging ropes through these blocks. It would look really peculiar to see ropes winding through empty assemblies.
 

Snatch blocks with sheave, mounted and ready to do some heavy lifting.
 

Enlarging the holes in the forward bitts to make room for belaying pins. I'll add 9mm turned pear belaying pins throughout my build (from Falkonet as previously mentioned in my thread). These are things of beauty, scale-accurate and they'll be stained natural (unstained shown here). I used a needle file to gently turn the square P/E pin lasered holes into round-ish ones.
 
I'm approaching the halfway point in just a few weeks. I call it this because the masting, rigging and sailmaking will take about the same amount of time that I've devoted to the kit's completed hull build. My personal rule-of-thumb over the past several years of building ships in the Era of Sail is that I'm still many fathoms away from home port when the hull is completed.
 
I know there are ship modelers who don't look forward to the "other half" of their sailing ship's completion. I'm not one of them. I relish the next stages; it's not over until the wind meets the canvas ... and with HMS Camilla, her keel hitting the H2O.
 
Ron
 
 

Progress...more detailing. Upgrading the binnacle. Fashioning and finishing the fife rail. Snatch block with sheave. Bitts and belaying pins. Gratings for the q'deck "fix."

The kit's binnacle is laser-etched pear and it assembles nicely- however- it was missing its windows! The brisk and unrelenting wind on the weatherdeck would have constantly blown out the illumination source and made it difficult for the helmsman to see what heading the ship was on! I remedied the situation with a couple small pieces of clear acetate before I buttoned-up the assembly.
 

Voila! Kool brass chimney (painted flat black) on this little top deck eye candy. Stained with Natural Minwax only. Needs some rope to keep it from toppling over; on my punch list for later this week... a detail that can't been seen in this photo is the thin, internal P/E brass piece that depicts dual compasses and a place for an oil lamp in the center. I know it's there, a "sweet touch."
 
BTW: the cannon on this deck will be early 12 pounder carronades on "trucks" (essentially a version of long cannon carriages). I am looking at where the four carronades will be positioned along the slender bulwarks and exposed timberheads and fife rail stanchions. 6th-rate (and 5th rate) "post ships" quickly adopted carronades on their quarterdecks (and later the foc'sle). It didn't take long for the Navy Board to discover that these ships needed to have "built-up" bulwarks to protect the crews and come up with a new method for mounting the powerful "smashers" to the bulwarks.
 
The unique "sliding carriage" was invented specifically for these large-muzzled, close-range intimidators (it also pivoted the carronade on a single-point axis in the center of the gunport).
 
I'm making my HMS Camilla an "early adopter" of carronades (just four on her q'deck), but prior to having her aft bulwarks enhanced with more planking. I'm liking the superbly-designed fife rails provided in the kit, their delicate look that is part of the OTT decorative "art" she was so confident to display.
 

Cut the Falkonet gratings to size, testing their locations.
 

Another view of the quarterdeck showing the breast and fife rails. I'm keeping both in natural wood finishes. The gunwales will still be painted black, but I may leave all the timberheads in natural; haven't decided on this color detail just yet. I'll scrape-off the black paint on the pair of black-painted timberheads shown here should I go for the "all natural look." Black paint hides so much of the delicate wood carving.
 

Another midships view; starting to paint the gunwales in black.
 

Another view showing the slender fife rail mounted. A cannon placed temporarily (a placeholder, of sorts) for evaluating the positions of the four carronades that will be mounted on the quarterdeck (two on each side).
 

A close-up of the aft-most portion of the fife rail.The arrow points to the "alignment holes" that are provided to align the three-piece, built-up rail. Thin nails help align the pear pieces for gluing and are then removed. The holes are eyesores (like others sprinkled throughout the design) and need to be filled. My choice again: stainable filler. The "O" ring is a rigging piece in P/E that will be painted black.
 

I've added pear sheaves to the snatch blocks located on the foc'sle gunwales. The 4mm diameter sheaves are from Falkonet, a Russian ship model company that are making very nice, scale-accurate "bits" (as well as a few kits)... I'll likely feed anchor rigging ropes through these blocks. It would look really peculiar to see ropes winding through empty assemblies.
 

Snatch blocks with sheave, mounted and ready to do some heavy lifting.
 

Enlarging the holes in the forward bitts to make room for belaying pins. I'll add 9mm turned pear belaying pins throughout my build (from Falkonet as previously mentioned in my thread). These are things of beauty, scale-accurate and they'll be stained natural (unstained shown here). I used a needle file to gently turn the square P/E pin lasered holes into round-ish ones.
 
I'm approaching the halfway point in just a few weeks. I call it this because the masting, rigging and sailmaking will take about the same amount of time that I've devoted to the kit's completed hull build. My personal rule-of-thumb over the past several years of building ships in the Era of Sail is that I'm still many fathoms away from home port when the hull is completed.
 
I know there are ship modelers who don't look forward to the "other half" of their sailing ship's completion. I'm not one of them. I relish the next stages; it's not over until the wind meets the canvas ... and with HMS Camilla, her keel hitting the H2O.
 
Ron
 
 

Progress...more detailing. Upgrading the binnacle. Fashioning and finishing the fife rail. Snatch block with sheave. Bitts and belaying pins. Gratings for the q'deck "fix."

The kit's binnacle is laser-etched pear and it assembles nicely- however- it was missing its windows! The brisk and unrelenting wind on the weatherdeck would have constantly blown out the illumination source and made it difficult for the helmsman to see what heading the ship was on! I remedied the situation with a couple small pieces of clear acetate before I buttoned-up the assembly.
 

Voila! Kool brass chimney (painted flat black) on this little top deck eye candy. Stained with Natural Minwax only. Needs some rope to keep it from toppling over; on my punch list for later this week... a detail that can't been seen in this photo is the thin, internal P/E brass piece that depicts dual compasses and a place for an oil lamp in the center. I know it's there, a "sweet touch."
 
BTW: the cannon on this deck will be early 12 pounder carronades on "trucks" (essentially a version of long cannon carriages). I am looking at where the four carronades will be positioned along the slender bulwarks and exposed timberheads and fife rail stanchions. 6th-rate (and 5th rate) "post ships" quickly adopted carronades on their quarterdecks (and later the foc'sle). It didn't take long for the Navy Board to discover that these ships needed to have "built-up" bulwarks to protect the crews and come up with a new method for mounting the powerful "smashers" to the bulwarks.
 
The unique "sliding carriage" was invented specifically for these large-muzzled, close-range intimidators (it also pivoted the carronade on a single-point axis in the center of the gunport).
 
I'm making my HMS Camilla an "early adopter" of carronades (just four on her q'deck), but prior to having her aft bulwarks enhanced with more planking. I'm liking the superbly-designed fife rails provided in the kit, their delicate look that is part of the OTT decorative "art" she was so confident to display.
 

Cut the Falkonet gratings to size, testing their locations.
 

Another view of the quarterdeck showing the breast and fife rails. I'm keeping both in natural wood finishes. The gunwales will still be painted black, but I may leave all the timberheads in natural; haven't decided on this color detail just yet. I'll scrape-off the black paint on the pair of black-painted timberheads shown here should I go for the "all natural look." Black paint hides so much of the delicate wood carving.
 

Another midships view; starting to paint the gunwales in black.
 

Another view showing the slender fife rail mounted. A cannon placed temporarily (a placeholder, of sorts) for evaluating the positions of the four carronades that will be mounted on the quarterdeck (two on each side).
 

A close-up of the aft-most portion of the fife rail.The arrow points to the "alignment holes" that are provided to align the three-piece, built-up rail. Thin nails help align the pear pieces for gluing and are then removed. The holes are eyesores (like others sprinkled throughout the design) and need to be filled. My choice again: stainable filler. The "O" ring is a rigging piece in P/E that will be painted black.
 

I've added pear sheaves to the snatch blocks located on the foc'sle gunwales. The 4mm diameter sheaves are from Falkonet, a Russian ship model company that are making very nice, scale-accurate "bits" (as well as a few kits)... I'll likely feed anchor rigging ropes through these blocks. It would look really peculiar to see ropes winding through empty assemblies.
 

Snatch blocks with sheave, mounted and ready to do some heavy lifting.
 

Enlarging the holes in the forward bitts to make room for belaying pins. I'll add 9mm turned pear belaying pins throughout my build (from Falkonet as previously mentioned in my thread). These are things of beauty, scale-accurate and they'll be stained natural (unstained shown here). I used a needle file to gently turn the square P/E pin lasered holes into round-ish ones.
 
I'm approaching the halfway point in just a few weeks. I call it this because the masting, rigging and sailmaking will take about the same amount of time that I've devoted to the kit's completed hull build. My personal rule-of-thumb over the past several years of building ships in the Era of Sail is that I'm still many fathoms away from home port when the hull is completed.
 
I know there are ship modelers who don't look forward to the "other half" of their sailing ship's completion. I'm not one of them. I relish the next stages; it's not over until the wind meets the canvas ... and with HMS Camilla, her keel hitting the H2O.
 
Ron
 
 

Progress...more detailing. Upgrading the binnacle. Fashioning and finishing the fife rail. Snatch block with sheave. Bitts and belaying pins. Gratings for the q'deck "fix."

The kit's binnacle is laser-etched pear and it assembles nicely- however- it was missing its windows! The brisk and unrelenting wind on the weatherdeck would have constantly blown out the illumination source and made it difficult for the helmsman to see what heading the ship was on! I remedied the situation with a couple small pieces of clear acetate before I buttoned-up the assembly.
 

Voila! Kool brass chimney (painted flat black) on this little top deck eye candy. Stained with Natural Minwax only. Needs some rope to keep it from toppling over; on my punch list for later this week... a detail that can't been seen in this photo is the thin, internal P/E brass piece that depicts dual compasses and a place for an oil lamp in the center. I know it's there, a "sweet touch."
 
BTW: the cannon on this deck will be early 12 pounder carronades on "trucks" (essentially a version of long cannon carriages). I am looking at where the four carronades will be positioned along the slender bulwarks and exposed timberheads and fife rail stanchions. 6th-rate (and 5th rate) "post ships" quickly adopted carronades on their quarterdecks (and later the foc'sle). It didn't take long for the Navy Board to discover that these ships needed to have "built-up" bulwarks to protect the crews and come up with a new method for mounting the powerful "smashers" to the bulwarks.
 
The unique "sliding carriage" was invented specifically for these large-muzzled, close-range intimidators (it also pivoted the carronade on a single-point axis in the center of the gunport).
 
I'm making my HMS Camilla an "early adopter" of carronades (just four on her q'deck), but prior to having her aft bulwarks enhanced with more planking. I'm liking the superbly-designed fife rails provided in the kit, their delicate look that is part of the OTT decorative "art" she was so confident to display.
 

Cut the Falkonet gratings to size, testing their locations.
 

Another view of the quarterdeck showing the breast and fife rails. I'm keeping both in natural wood finishes. The gunwales will still be painted black, but I may leave all the timberheads in natural; haven't decided on this color detail just yet. I'll scrape-off the black paint on the pair of black-painted timberheads shown here should I go for the "all natural look." Black paint hides so much of the delicate wood carving.
 

Another midships view; starting to paint the gunwales in black.
 

Another view showing the slender fife rail mounted. A cannon placed temporarily (a placeholder, of sorts) for evaluating the positions of the four carronades that will be mounted on the quarterdeck (two on each side).
 

A close-up of the aft-most portion of the fife rail.The arrow points to the "alignment holes" that are provided to align the three-piece, built-up rail. Thin nails help align the pear pieces for gluing and are then removed. The holes are eyesores (like others sprinkled throughout the design) and need to be filled. My choice again: stainable filler. The "O" ring is a rigging piece in P/E that will be painted black.
 

I've added pear sheaves to the snatch blocks located on the foc'sle gunwales. The 4mm diameter sheaves are from Falkonet, a Russian ship model company that are making very nice, scale-accurate "bits" (as well as a few kits)... I'll likely feed anchor rigging ropes through these blocks. It would look really peculiar to see ropes winding through empty assemblies.
 

Snatch blocks with sheave, mounted and ready to do some heavy lifting.
 

Enlarging the holes in the forward bitts to make room for belaying pins. I'll add 9mm turned pear belaying pins throughout my build (from Falkonet as previously mentioned in my thread). These are things of beauty, scale-accurate and they'll be stained natural (unstained shown here). I used a needle file to gently turn the square P/E pin lasered holes into round-ish ones.
 
I'm approaching the halfway point in just a few weeks. I call it this because the masting, rigging and sailmaking will take about the same amount of time that I've devoted to the kit's completed hull build. My personal rule-of-thumb over the past several years of building ships in the Era of Sail is that I'm still many fathoms away from home port when the hull is completed.
 
I know there are ship modelers who don't look forward to the "other half" of their sailing ship's completion. I'm not one of them. I relish the next stages; it's not over until the wind meets the canvas ... and with HMS Camilla, her keel hitting the H2O.
 
Ron
 
 

Progress...more detailing. Upgrading the binnacle. Fashioning and finishing the fife rail. Snatch block with sheave. Bitts and belaying pins. Gratings for the q'deck "fix."

The kit's binnacle is laser-etched pear and it assembles nicely- however- it was missing its windows! The brisk and unrelenting wind on the weatherdeck would have constantly blown out the illumination source and made it difficult for the helmsman to see what heading the ship was on! I remedied the situation with a couple small pieces of clear acetate before I buttoned-up the assembly.
 

Voila! Kool brass chimney (painted flat black) on this little top deck eye candy. Stained with Natural Minwax only. Needs some rope to keep it from toppling over; on my punch list for later this week... a detail that can't been seen in this photo is the thin, internal P/E brass piece that depicts dual compasses and a place for an oil lamp in the center. I know it's there, a "sweet touch."
 
BTW: the cannon on this deck will be early 12 pounder carronades on "trucks" (essentially a version of long cannon carriages). I am looking at where the four carronades will be positioned along the slender bulwarks and exposed timberheads and fife rail stanchions. 6th-rate (and 5th rate) "post ships" quickly adopted carronades on their quarterdecks (and later the foc'sle). It didn't take long for the Navy Board to discover that these ships needed to have "built-up" bulwarks to protect the crews and come up with a new method for mounting the powerful "smashers" to the bulwarks.
 
The unique "sliding carriage" was invented specifically for these large-muzzled, close-range intimidators (it also pivoted the carronade on a single-point axis in the center of the gunport).
 
I'm making my HMS Camilla an "early adopter" of carronades (just four on her q'deck), but prior to having her aft bulwarks enhanced with more planking. I'm liking the superbly-designed fife rails provided in the kit, their delicate look that is part of the OTT decorative "art" she was so confident to display.
 

Cut the Falkonet gratings to size, testing their locations.
 

Another view of the quarterdeck showing the breast and fife rails. I'm keeping both in natural wood finishes. The gunwales will still be painted black, but I may leave all the timberheads in natural; haven't decided on this color detail just yet. I'll scrape-off the black paint on the pair of black-painted timberheads shown here should I go for the "all natural look." Black paint hides so much of the delicate wood carving.
 

Another midships view; starting to paint the gunwales in black.
 

Another view showing the slender fife rail mounted. A cannon placed temporarily (a placeholder, of sorts) for evaluating the positions of the four carronades that will be mounted on the quarterdeck (two on each side).
 

A close-up of the aft-most portion of the fife rail.The arrow points to the "alignment holes" that are provided to align the three-piece, built-up rail. Thin nails help align the pear pieces for gluing and are then removed. The holes are eyesores (like others sprinkled throughout the design) and need to be filled. My choice again: stainable filler. The "O" ring is a rigging piece in P/E that will be painted black.
 

I've added pear sheaves to the snatch blocks located on the foc'sle gunwales. The 4mm diameter sheaves are from Falkonet, a Russian ship model company that are making very nice, scale-accurate "bits" (as well as a few kits)... I'll likely feed anchor rigging ropes through these blocks. It would look really peculiar to see ropes winding through empty assemblies.
 

Snatch blocks with sheave, mounted and ready to do some heavy lifting.
 

Enlarging the holes in the forward bitts to make room for belaying pins. I'll add 9mm turned pear belaying pins throughout my build (from Falkonet as previously mentioned in my thread). These are things of beauty, scale-accurate and they'll be stained natural (unstained shown here). I used a needle file to gently turn the square P/E pin lasered holes into round-ish ones.
 
I'm approaching the halfway point in just a few weeks. I call it this because the masting, rigging and sailmaking will take about the same amount of time that I've devoted to the kit's completed hull build. My personal rule-of-thumb over the past several years of building ships in the Era of Sail is that I'm still many fathoms away from home port when the hull is completed.
 
I know there are ship modelers who don't look forward to the "other half" of their sailing ship's completion. I'm not one of them. I relish the next stages; it's not over until the wind meets the canvas ... and with HMS Camilla, her keel hitting the H2O.
 
Ron
 
 

Some progress on the planking. I almost finished one quadrant of the ship: 
 

 

 

 

 
Most of the planks were placed in this crude jig: A little dipping in pure alcohol and then placed between the nails - 
 

 
Four planks can fit nicely, while drying in shape. When released, they rebound a little bit, but are more willing to comply to the difficult shape of that hull.
 
Now, I just have to do the other side, with more than 24 planks....
 

 
A first pass of "scraper" and some rough sanding took place. I am still debating if I will paint the hull (anti-worms white) or copper plate it. I would love to do the copper plating but need to learn about that process. Non-covered section of the hull may require a second planking made with 0.4 mm thick maple planks, provided in the kit. 
 
I still have plenty of time to think about it....
 
Yves

Impressive work Yves, that model is certainly going to have 'presence'
 
B.E.

Usually keel scarphs are in the vertical, not horizontal plane.

Be careful of that heater plugged into the power strip! My friends had the cord to their's catch fire 2 weeks ago! Thankfully they caught it in time.

Finding trades people the last year or so has been a nightmare.   One of my local friends is pulling his hair out over it.   We've talked about the both of us doing what he wants but then getting it inspected and approved is a big problem as the inspectors and codes insist on licenses for doing any plumbing or electrical.  It's not that there's a shortage of them but that they are all so busy re-working houses that been bought by new owners.  

It sort of is! Development starts soon.
Trying to get electricians has been a complete nightmare, no one seems to want the work!

One of the other sets of prints, the frigates, looks sort of Indefatigable style to me if I’m not mistaken.
 
Gary

Chris,
Nice set-up! Is the orange flash drive sending prototype files at 18.02 to the BIG GCC for the HMS Bristol?🤫
Inquiring minds need to know!
Cheers,
Ron

A change of mind on Camilla's Foc'sle deck details...namely, "super detailing" the belfry. NO black paint here.
 

The "enhanced belfry" assembled, modified and mounted in position on the foc'sle deck.
 

A closeup; the black bar will get a length of rope so the bell can be rung from the gun deck.
 

Tweezers shown for scale. The kit's basic pieces that comprise this delicate item are fine, however, this little jewel still screamed out to me to be "Superdetailed." I replaced the thin cleats with two beefier ones (at the base of the assembly). An extension bar was added so a rope can be attached to the bell's support yoke (a tiny brass eyelet shown in front forms the bar for attaching the rope). Incised marks were carefully cut into the yoke's ends (it has to swing on a fore/aft axis in order for the bell to ring!). Tiny alignment holes in the layered, laser-engraved capping on both sides were filled and then stained. I also "darkened" some areas with a chestnut stain to highlight carved details like the marks to either side of the bell's yoke.
 

A set of starboard belaying rails have been mounted alongside the belfry. To me, these small items look especially good in natural wood finish after I bevel-detailed the three post heads. I'll add a complementary set of rails to complete the port side.
 

I can't recall where I bought these very small brass eyelets; if I remember I'll post the source later. I use these eyelets in several instances that demand very small hardware. In addition to forming the extension bar for the belfry, I'll use these eyelets on the tompions for the ship's cannon. When I begin rigging, I may add a few in strategic spots in addition to the P/E that's provided in the fittings that came with the kit. These brass eyelets blacken nicely and of course, can also be painted.

I've been anxious to see what the delicate breast rail and fife rails will look like. The kit provides two complete sets of pear wood balustrades for the breast rail. I was able to shape these six supports without pinging one into the ether...still, it was comforting to know that if I'd bunged a couple, there were more at the ready. The kit includes many duplicate laser-etched pieces as spares.
 

Fastening the lower and upper rails requires a light touch to get all pieces aligned. After gluing the balustrades while ensuring they were perfectly perpendicular to plumb and all aligned to the transverse on the beam, the top breast rail fit perfectly; I also used my thumb drill to align the hammock crane holes in all four pear patterns. The top rail is two laminated pattern pieces that required clamps to set correctly. Again, I used scrap pieces under the mini-alligators to keep from marring the smooth wood.
 

The completed breast rail. This is one of a number of very attractive aspects of this model. The manual shows all the elements of this item painted in black. I chose to keep the upright balustrades as well as the top rail in natural pear which I have stained with Natural Minwax. The holes at the top hold the hammock cranes when they're installed later.
 

A close-up of the breast rail. The delicate shape to the laser-etched 2mm thick balustrades was demanding; time-consuming and twitchy due to their small size and the delicate sections. I spent 3 hours fashioning these 6 pieces. I am pleased with the result, the time was worth it.
 

Even Lord Cochrane thinks it's a good idea to hang out by Lady Camilla's fancy breast rail...😂...
 

The basic belfry assembly at the foc'sle deck's edge. A cleverly-designed, and nicely detailed little thing, this is. I may paint it black as shown in the plans, but I'm not certain yet. I may keep it in natural pear after fixing the tiny alignment holes (at the top) with stainable filler. Also, the cleats (lower portion) will be replaced with extras from thicker stock. There will be rigging lines attached to these cleats and I want them sturdier than the thin ones shown here. The belfry supports I will likely paint black regardless of my decision on the finish for the belfry. 
 

 
Vanguard Models includes nice"surprise" goodies with their kits - like this useful coaster that supports a Peroni beer every once in a while...🤪
A previous photo that shows the nicely-molded scale figure of Lord Cochrane came with an earlier kit I purchased from Vanguard. I also received a paperback novel in another kit (the story of Captain Cochrane). Nice perks, Chris (Watton)...much appreciated.
 
Ron