KurtH

A very beautiful build!  Congrats!  I seem to recall doing a plastic model of this ship by Revell as a kid.

So, as I understand it, these beads are premade seizings (?).  Fascinating idea.  Thanks so much for the info and the pics!  I will definitely give it very serious thought.  I understand how adjustable shrouds can change the alignment of the masts, but I don't yet see how it solves a curving mast, or, in some cases, a double bend that makes the mast a lazy "S".  As far as mast alignment is concerned, I  worked on the places where I will step the masts until I had perfect alignment, as well as the exact angle when I inserted the dowels.  I have procured dowels for the lower masts that are straight, but if I blow it, I may not be able to find others.  Then I will make the masts from square stock like many other modelers on this site do.  That way, I can try again and again until I get it right. 

Thanks for the tip.  I will continue to follow your build.

Very nice job!  Your hull shaping is evidently much better than my effort which is too sharp.  Beautiful job with the bulwarks.  Your solution to the quarter galleries is fascinating.  I never would have thought to orient the lower stools in that manner.  The parts they give are way out of scale, but it looks like you are getting around that by curving them more.  Your idea of staining instead of painting is something I would never have thought of.  Great way to preserve detail.  I may well try that on my next project.  By the way I did not have gore strakes on my model.  The Revell kit doesn't show them,  The Marquardt Anatomy of Constitution doesn't show them, and the photo of the real ship in dry dock doesn't show them.  Stealer strakes aft, yes.  Gore strakes no.

Amazing work!!  I am learning a great deal from reading your build log. This will be a truly excellent model when completed!  I am almost ready to begin making the masts and yards.  The birch dowels provided by Bluejacket are mostly warped. They say all you have to do when your mast is warped is pull it straight with the rigging.  I am not buying that.   It looks like my best bet is to start from square stock as many other model makers do.  I would like to use basswood as it is easy to work, but I do not know how strong it will be when tapered down.  Do you know of other woods that work better?  The masts and spars which have square, round, and octagonal sections intimidate me greatly.  I am trying to figure out how I will do that.  Perhaps planing the square stock to make it all octagonal except for the square section, then sanding the sections which I want to be round using an electric drill and sandpaper will work.  Your amazing work with the rigging is most instructive as well.

Wow! You have done some most impressive beam work yourself!  You even included ledges which I did not do because I thought they might make it too hard to see the gun deck detail.  The design of these is very different from the present arrangement.  Are they from the Campbell plans?  Incidentally, I downloaded some pics of a scratch built plank on frame model by Herb Ebson.  I do not see any diagonal knees there either.  All in all, this is amazing work.  Your use of the bluejacket crane irons is ingenious.   I cannot conceive of making those little hooks for the gun tackle blocks.  Unfortunately, I cannot see a way to install lights in my model at this point.

I so admire anyone who can do human figures sculpture on a ship model.  That aspect, more than any other is what stops me from attempting a scratch built model.  I am also struck by your making diagonal knees.  This is an aspect I have not seen in the build photos I have seen thus far.  I wonder if you and I are the only ones who have done this on a Constitution model.  All in all, really beautiful work.  I am learning a lot by looking at your build photos!

When going though your posts, I came upon your planking of the spar deck and saw that you have tapered the planks as they go aft.  Wow!  I have seen a lot of photos by master modelers in "how to" books in which this was not done.  Amazing!

I am a novice modeler who is working on Bluejacket's Constitution.  I have the hammock crane irons installed, and am ready to install the netting.  I would like to know the pros and cons of using thread versus wire on top, and good techniques for installing the netting itself.

I so admire anyone who can do human figures sculpture on a ship model.  That aspect, more than any other is what stops me from attempting a scratch built model.  I am also struck by your making diagonal knees.  This is an aspect I have not seen in the build photos I have seen thus far.  I wonder if you and I are the only ones who have done this on a Constitution model.  All in all, really beautiful work.  I am learning a lot by looking at your build photos!

I so admire anyone who can do human figures sculpture on a ship model.  That aspect, more than any other is what stops me from attempting a scratch built model.

This looks like a very lovely build indeed.  I wish I could achieve the excellent results in painting and finish that I see here.  I will need to work on that aspect as I learn.

Absolutely superb!  A first rate build!