robert952

Thanks @allanyed. This looks a bit like a rabbet. Or am I over thinking this?

I am considering adding a keel and sailing rig to Midwest Models' Maine Peapod (kit). Peapods with sails were used as lighthouse tenders as well as for lobster fishing using sails to get to the ‘fishing spot.’ I thought a bit of modification of the kit would add a different dimension to this workboat. After reading appropriate chapters of Chapelle’s “American Small Sailing Craft…,” (and even Payson's "Boat Modeling") I found images where a keel was used with sails which, even with my limited knowledge of sailing, make sense. Here’s the reference I am using for the build from Chapelle’s book. (Note: I blame the perpendiculars' angle because I didn't shoot the picture perfectly level over the drawing.) Here’s my attempt to take the model’s assembly drawing and adding the keel (and rudder and mast). I trimmed a copy of the kit’s drawing and went old school drafting to add the additional components. The keel would be around 5 inches on the boat. Looking at other drawing examples I found keels ranging 3- to 7-inch. This example at ~5 inches and gaff rig in the book from a 1937 drawing seems a good middle ground. (I'll have some sail rig questions in the appropriate sub-forum a bit later. ) NOTE: The model is assembled on a strong back. So the main drawing (blue lines) is upside down. Doing so was much easier for me to visualize what I was doing (red lines) on my drawing board. I have a few questions and would appreciate some guidance and suggestions. Such will also serve as a 'sanity check' (which I usually fail anyway). 1. What might be some ways to keep the keel perpendicular to the hull bottom? (The boat has a rather flat bottom amidships and shapes more to a V towards the stems. It's a double-ender.) Does anyone have a suggestion for just gluing the keel in place at proper angle? I could use pins to hold the keel in place while the glue sets. Would that be a better approach? 2. I drew it as if replacing the false keel. Any thoughts on whether I would be better off installing the false keel per the instructions and then add the ‘new keel’ or replace the false keel? Considering the above question where I might ‘pin’ the new keel in place, putting pins into the false keel may be a better method to position the keel as the false keel (assuming I install it correctly) could guide installing the pins for the ‘new keel.’ Does this seem logical? 3. I would suspect it better to assemble the keel in pieces. The false keel is installed in two pieces. But I am considering three pieces cut to shape for my modification with a scarf joint or similar method to join them. Thoughts? Foreseeable problems? Concerns with wood grain and how to avoid problems? (The model is boxwood, so, I would likely use that same wood.) 4. I think so, but I want to ask: Does this seem a feasible approach? Or is there another concept/option to consider? 5. BTW, while proofreading this post, I found my note says add another breast hook to the (now) bow seat - that should be knee. That would add better support for the oversized seat, right?) For me (and my current skill set) I am entering unsailed waters. However, I think I can face the challenges. And this seems like a way to introduce some ‘scratch build’ aspects even if on a small way. Before I start the build, I want to at least feel like I thought through the process. Any input or suggestions will be appreciated.

@kevin - thanks for posting the 'Quick Find Indexes...'. That's a real gem!

WOW! I just stumbled across this thread. I immediately put it in my favorites. Thanks for the work on keeping up with this project.

Got my cuppa and getting up to date on this build.

Thanks for the comments. I am glad you found the log useful. I got to thinking about small pieces that were hard to get aligned like the ladders. A thought: Put a small piece in place (Ex. a ladder) bend one tab and align the piece (since there will likely be some motion of the piece. Put a dab of JB weld (which may hold better than PVA or CA). Let it set, then bend the second tab and 'weld' it in place. Not sure that will look good on things like guns which mount from back side and the tab is visible. That may help keep things in place better?

That's an interesting way to display the oars in position. Do you plan on having an elevated base like the you show with the brass piece? Will it have a crew?

Closing thoughts on the completed project. I started the project back in October 2022. At that time my thoughts were to work with a very temporary work station of small end table as my downstairs was being renovated. Bending over the table to work on the model (CSS Virginia) proved to hard on my back. So I put the build on hold. I started back on the project at the end of January. I was able to work a bit more often and progressed on the assembly. But I did not work every day. I could work a few minutes here and there to add a couple of pieces. I didn't work every day on the models. I doubt I worked more than an hour on any one stretch. Which means that the total assembly time was likely in 25-30 hour area from start to finish. Working with metal definitely provides a unique experience. Those used to working with photoetched (PE) items can appreciate the differences of metal over other modeling media. Putting tab A into slot B seems simple enough. The tabs must be smaller than the slot to even work. But that little bit of space literally leaves 'wiggle room.' To get a tight bend on the small pieces proved to be difficult, at least for me. Bending a tab onto a flat surface could prove successful. Doing the same task on a curved surface creates loose pieces. Hence, despite the claim that no glue is needed, PVA (or similar) secures the pieces nicely. I would highly recommend using some form of adhesive to secure the pieces to anyone deciding to build this kit or likely other Metal Earth (ME) kits. The creep of tabs and slots accumulates which can make lining up subsequent sub assemblies a challenge as the build progress. However, overall, the end results are still good. The package shows a difficulty level of 8 on a scale of 10. The Virginia/Merrimac had more challenge but an 8 may be a bit high - maybe a 7. But that could be from the fact I have assembled a couple of other ME kits and new what I was getting into. The Monitor had smaller pieces to put onto the deck that proved to require a lighter touch when bending the pieces. But, I think that the Monitor was more on a high 5/low 6 level of difficulty. I enjoyed the kits. I would recommend the kit for a different type of experience. I would recommend doing a smaller kit to get a feel for how to work with ME kits. Be patient and make sure you look closely at the instructions. Clearly understand the required bends and their direction. Keep in mind that after 2-3 times bending a piece increases the chances a piece will break. Are the models historically accurate? Yes and no. The models show the concept and general configuration of the ships. If you look at decent source material such as drawings and paintings used in newspapers and books of the time, they match overall the shape and size of the ships. Even in these resources, there's a lot of variations in the looks of the ships. However, people with even a vague familiarity of the history behind these vessels will recognize them. As with a lot of models, the final results look nice and in this case a great conversation piece. My thanks to those followed the build and made comments. These were appreciated and provided information I can use in the future.

Step 29 (final step) putting hull and deck together Well, I must be living right. The side 'skirt' of the deck went on without a hitch. And the two pieces fit together very easily. Here's a couple shots of the finished USS Monitor. This completes the two models. I'll post some closing thoughts on the project.

Step 28 Additional deck furnishings installed to deck This step consisted of around a dozen items assembled to the deck (not counting the previous assembled parts of boats, turret, etc.). Here's a couple shots of the completed step 28. A top down view And a bit more oblique view similar to previous step's images. Last step should be quick to do. It's adding the sides to the deck and then attaching the deck to the hull.

Step 27 Placing parts onto the deck Part 1 In this step I begin placing small pieces on the main deck of the Monitor. This covers davits, covers/hatches, and bitts mainly. I did have a problem with one of the davits. I was holding it in my pliers, looked away for an instant, and the part disappeared! Well, after an hour of carefully moving everything on the work surface and crawling around on the floor, I did not find it. Luckily, for some reason, there was an extra davit piece as used on the Merrimac. A minor modification and I have a passable replacement. (Don't look too closely. 🥴 Here's the deck without any of the greebles. And with the step 27 parts installed. Step 28 continues the process with installation of more small items (forward mast, flag, pilot house, railings, etc.) and the previously assembled turret and ship's boats. Then it's on to the final assembly.

Step 26 Building the ship's boats This shot shows the pieces involved in building the boat and one boat assembled. For scale reference, the grid is 0.25 inch. A shot of both boats completed. The 'davits' are installed on the boat. They get added to the main deck in a couple more steps. The next step adds a few of the smaller (close to the deck) furnishings like bittes, boat cranes, etc.).

Step 25 Turret assembly. A bit of twisting (and I think stretching of the metal pieces 🤔) to get this together. This shot shows turret ready for the canopy top. And with the top installed.

It's a 'buyer beware' world out there. I recall years ago on a user group where someone pointed out what was supposedly an out of production kit for a high price. One respondent made a comment that he found five copies of the kit at his local K-mart at a fraction of the cost. While it mighthave been an 'out of production' kit. it was still readily available. As pointed out, new folks to the hobby don't have a feel for what pricing should be and therefore a good deal. It's hard of us with a bit of knowledge to dig out such information, much less a person new to the hobby.

Step 24 lower hull, main deck, propeller/rudder with housing. I had no issues with these pieces being formed and fitting together. Here's the four pieces. The lower piece in the image is the propeller/rudder assembly from step 23. All are in their proper orientation and approximate location. Here's a couple of views of the finished assembly The turret, guns and awning get assembled in step 25.

Does is have any copyright date on the box or instructions? Maybe a very old (in modeling terms) model that had limited production. Per info at Model Expo - the company was founded in 1942. That's why I think it may be an older model.

Step 23 Start of Monitor assembly - prop and rudder. By now I think most can appreciate the physical size of the components. So, I will just show the final form of the propeller and rudder assembly. The assembly is shown right side up. In step 24 this piece will be placed on the aft keel area of the hull. This model does the hull and deck assemblies first. Then upper deck housing the turret, railing, boat, etc. get assembled. As with the previous ship, the hull and upper deck get brought together in the final step. I hope what I learned building the Merrimac (Virginia) will allow a bit tighter assembly of the components for the Monitor.

Step 22 Final assembly (Hull to upper deck) OK, as I predicted, there was a lot of twisting, bending, and forcing things to fit. The bottom band of flexed a lot. The top band of the hull twisted. Getting a good fit was (for me) impossible. But I managed to put it together. One the 'good side,' I went out to the Metal Earth site to see if there were some secret hints or such. They have 360 degree views of the model with zoom. While their model is far superior to mine in fit. I see that the assembly has some gaps and bends. I also not that the bends of the tabs are not as flat as I would expect. (In my opinion, my folds and bends on the ship's boats is a bit better than their version.) I will try to find a way to bend and twist some more and glue the assembly into a tighter fit. Not so sure I can do that though as there's no convenient way to 'clamp' the assemblyl. Here's the CSS Virginia (what ME calls the Merrimac) completed at step 22.

Looking good. I am enjoying following all the builds of this model on MSW. I should have a good idea how to approach my build of this model in my stash.

Steps 20_21 Adding sub-assemblies to hull Step 20 Attach propeller (Step 17) to aft keel (Step 19) Last post I made a comment about no rudder on this model. I understand why. That portion of the stern which holds the propeller is probably the weakest part of the model. I had a devil of a time even getting it close to position and secured. The prop blades ended up very loose. The stern post wanted to twist when bending the propeller into position. A lot of PVA ended up as the only solution that worked. (I considered epoxy, but the tight quarters, that would have been messier.) Step 21 Attach keep pieces, anchors and band (Step 16) The keep pieces fit easily enough with little effort or tweaking. The step shows installing a bow piece to the forward band. A part of Step 21 installs the anchors. These two pieces interfered a lot with the forward part of the band to the hull. I did what I could but the fit is less than ideal. I will likely end up figuring a way to glue it into position. The rest of the band fit ok with minor bending and twisting of the bow to get the shapes to match. I considered using PVA to secure the band to the top of the hull. However, after doing some test fitting of the deck to hull I see there will be a lot of finagling, bending, twisting (and probably the used of a couple of dirty words.) I will have to see how that goes. Then I will apply glue to hold things in place. Meantime, here's an image of what the piece looks like at this stage. (I 'jumped ahead' and bent the mount so that the hull sits upright for the photo. As preview, Step 22 is the last step for the Merrimac (their name, we all know it's actually the CSS Virginia).

Steps 16 through 19 Various sub-assemblies for the hull. These steps were pretty quick to do. Each assembly will likely require some tweaking as I put these sub-assemblies onto the hull. Step 16 Frame for upper hull. Two pieces meeting in the middle. This will allow putting the two halves together (hull and upper deck) in latter steps. Step 17 Propeller The assembly for the propeller was quite tricky to put the two halves together. Step 18 Forward keel Pretty straight forward. The tabs will fit into the bottom of the hull and mate with the aft keel Step 19 Aft Keel The interesting discovery here is that the model does not have any specific pieces for the rudder which would connect off of the stern post. The underside of the aft deck shows detail for the mechanics of the rudder. From a few images I found, the rudder does extend to the end of the upper deck. Upcoming Step 20 shows the propeller mounted in place and a flat piece to cover the stem. It is good I looked ahead as the propeller gets placed into the keel and then bent into position. (I was ready to bend the section up against the sternpost when I asked myself - are you sure this get's bent now?)

Looks good. Getting my cuppa and a comfortable seat. Looking forward to the build. The pizza cutter is an interesting concept.

Step 15 basic bending of the hull I did the basic bend and folding of the hull. I did not do much to finalize the shape. The next steps assemble a frame work that allows mating the hull and upper decks together. I imagine there will be some twisting and finagling to get them together. Here is the hull just off the sprue And (surprise) generally bent in the proper shape. As I said I suspect some bending and twisting as the two main parts get joined. Before that happens there's some steps bending the aforementioned frame along with the keel and the propeller and it's supporting frame.

Step 14 installing bittes (mooring posts) Here's the small pieces (on a quarter-inch grid). The arrows point to the pieces as cut from the sprue. My big mistake here was folding on in the wrong direction, so it will be shiny and not etched. (Too delicate to risk unbending and rebending.) And hard to see but here they are installed.

Nice work. Look like the making of a side gig. I assume that's an air line of some kind on the side.