Scott Crouse

Somewhat productive week. Used the Occre Putty for the first time. It's not bad, you can wipe it thinner with a bit of water if you use too much and dries rock hard. Does seem a bit prone to chips during sanding but one of the better products I have tried. Got the stern blocks in and sanded down along with hull sanding. Did a primer over the whole thing to see how it looks. I want the boat to look wooden planked such as an older boat would be so, went light with the putty. Thoughts? Does it need more putty/sanding or look good for an old wood work boat? Gonna look at it for a few days to decide if I think I like it or not

Survived my first official planking. Not the prettiest. Lots of sanding and filling ahead. Holes, cracks, craters to fill. But was not near as bad as I thought it would be. But already I know how I will do it different on my next build. Continuing to learn. Excuse the few blood stains, the top of one of the sewing pins came off and impaled my finger. Dang things.

Well done Alan! Here is the link - https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZLrNC2TouaACxRqo8

Good job, most definitely HMCS Huron That is very interesting that they have it as HMS on the box when they sell the HMCS Huron in 1/350 (which I built) and I thought that one was small hahaha. So big hand clap for your work at this scale. btw, I have a build log in a google photo album if you would like a link to it for reference. Just let me know if you want it on here.

Well done!

WOW, very nice and clean. Well done. Bravo.

Thanks Jacques. Yes, just put them on the sticky side of the tape, mix of PVA and water, let it dry and carefully remove. Works well.

and completed. Numerous things I am not happy with and will take away as lessons learned. First I will never hand sew sails again hahahaha, that was extremely time consuming. Replace ropes, need to find better and more to scale cleats, need to find a solder that brass blackener will work with, would make the sail rings smaller and I need a steadier hand in hand painting the bowsprit. After some time away from this kit, I might go back and fix the bowsprit and mast rings as they stand out too much to me and can be fixed relatively easily. But over all, for my 3rd model (this is the last in the midwest series) I am happy. Can't thank Olha enough for her online classes and tutorial and for the comments here on model ship world. She is now proudly displayed in my living room. As always, I created a google album of all the gory pictures if anyone wants to see the build pictures from start to finish - https://photos.app.goo.gl/PEPshL8zixs5suDi7

Yikes, just realized how negligent I have been with my updates. Before I show the final pictures, a few shots of working on the rigging and ropes. I did purchase some ropes from "Ropes of Scale" which I used around the sail itself, but I kicked myself, after the fact, for not removing the kit rope that I had already started with and completed the model with. The Ropes of Scale would have been so much nicer to look at but even easier to work with. Ah well, I am learning what parts in a kit to use, and which ones to put aside. All part of the learning process.

Welcome! Look forward to seeing your builds mate!

Its been a while since my last update but the class teacher has been spending a lot of time on the sails. We put a bolt rope around the sails and have added the tails. Mast is in place, stained some of the wood and stand is in place. Fingers crossed the rigging goes well this weekend and we can start the finishing touches.

Not much of an update as I have been working on the Lobster Smack which is nearing completion. Finally started planking, must first attempt. So far so good and have calculated out how much to start trimming and angling as I go along. Not as scary (so far) that people make it out to be but sure see lots of sanding in my future . Have a great weekend all.

Good idea, thanks for the tip. I still need to iron them out and I believe we are putting a bolt rope around it yet as well, which should clean up the bit of wonky in the shape.

Time for an update. After messing up the first batch of sails - they shrunk when washed in hot water, I purchases a couple of meters of fabric and started again, this time staining before drawing the lines and cutting. Although I have access to a sewing machine, I have never used one. So I figured 3 or 4 hours tops to hand sew.... ya no. Took 10 hours to hand sew. In that time I could have taught myself how to use the machine, did 4 practice runs and still make the sails . Now I know! More of the finishing touches in the cockpit and on the hull. Seats in place and did some metal work and blackened the pieces. Hatch and bow will be next and should get to stepping the mast and adding sails and rigging shortly.

Finally some time to get back to this build. Got the ribs shaped for planking and got the strake in place. Looking forward to trying planking for the first time

Thanks Chris, still learning all the nautical terminology haha, old dog, new language

There are indeed some really good ones out there but the problem I have is shipping from out Canada being sooooo expensive. Still learning best sources for fittings in Canada. In this case I have some ordered from Great Hobbies (a Canadian franchise) but the new wooden cleats are from Model Shipways, still very blocky looking but I don't mind shaping them and putting holes through them to put make them look more realistic. Same for some 3mm and 3.5mm blocks, from Model Expo but much nicer than the ones in the kit. Sometime I am ordering a big model from the states or elsewhere, will get a bunch of packets of ropes, blocks, cleats (all the little stuff) to make the shipping costs worthwhile. I know they consider these beginner kits but it would be nice to have quality fittings included. I have kept my rigging holes very small at this point and will only slowly make them bigger if I need to but so far it looks like everything will fit on the expo version of this kit. PS - I know that Expo and Shipways are the same company now but I guess it is old expo stock, half the stuff in my local store is marked one way or the other. I do think the newer shipway version of the Lobster Smack looks to be a nicer construction and parts but without having my hands on it, all I can go by is all the build logs. So similar yet so different.

A bit of work done this past weekend. Managed to get the bottom painted. Tamiya Hull Red. Added some porthole windows. Kristal Klear dabbed into the holes and let to dry. Learning how to tie blocks and realizing after the fact that these blocks are not very nice. Staining them to at least improve the colour. Needs another coat yet. Really Midwest? These are the cleats you put in the kit? These are sooooooo bad. Pewter? Really? So have an order in with my hobby supplier for new cleats, blocks for future builds and some other goodies but I am not putting these crap cleats on this model. I don't even think they are in scale either. Wish my brain would have clicked in sooner as to how bad these cleats are and poor the blocks are. Another lesson learned.

They are both acrylics so very minimal smell. Tamiya acrylics are not water based though, you can use lacquer thinners with them or Isopropyl Alcohol or Tamiya X-20a. I do have an airbrush booth but you can get away without one, just wear a mask if you are concerned about particles. I avoid enamels as much as I can but most the rattle cans (particularly the Tamiya cans) have been banned here in Canada now, so that limits the number of primers and clear coats that are available. But with my weather it is difficult to spray outside so I rather use the airbrush when I can.

yes completely agree, the only way I have ever gotten it to work is to use my .5 needle, jack up the pressure, thin at least 50% and add flow improver. But even then, takes forever to dry and I am not a fan of the texture it leaves behind. Their model air colours are much better and the model colours are the same as the primers, need a lot of love and mixing. I know others who love all of the Vallejo products but I just find them so inconsistent compared to Tamiya or Mr Color etc..... But I do recommend trying this Occre one, dries quickly and very nice and the brush seems to like it. Down side is that it is expensive.

It has been some time since I last updated, need to get into the habit of doing my logs. My learning experiences continue; Could they make these blocks a bit bigger please? I love cutting and sanding Wood filler time. Lots of folks seem to cover the entire hull in various putties and fillers, which I thought was kinda silly for a turn of the century ship, but boy did that come back to bite me in the ***. Made the homemade bender they have in the instructions. It kinda work haha. Bending done with the homemade candle/soap can. Came across a 3d print file for a waterline marker, don't need it yet but saved a few bucks. So it appears that my sanding is a bit aggressive, and I can see the light. It will be fine with some primer, just be careful right? WRONG! as soon as you put primer on a soft spot, it bubbles. I put filler on, some putty and the result just coming out the same, you could visibly see and also feel that soft bubble. The noob in me hates to touch it but I need to learn so..... I cut the thin spot out and extended it rib to rib to have something a new piece could attach to. I should have saved the piece, I swear the paint was thicker than the wood was. Just about cried seeing this hole in the boat and all I could think of was turning it into the Minnow from Gilligans Island. But we recovered with a piece of scrap wood and more wood filler. Next problem, priming. I HATE primers. On plastic models I gave up on them years ago. Tamiya paints really do not need them but when it comes to wood, it most definitely needs a primer. I have a bottle of Vallejo primer that does nothing but clog up my airbrush and splatter all over the place. Tried using it first and got so frustrated with the crap that I threw the bottle in the garbage - horrible stuff. Then I noted that OCcre has a primer, what the heck, bought it and gave it a try - I think I have found a primer I like. Spays nicely, sticks really well and smooth as a babies bum. Sanded the boom, mast and gaff - that gaff is very thin....gonna have to be careful. The hole sizes the instructions call for are too scary to drill in that fine width so went smaller for now. Started with the Occre ochre - I hate this colour, nope. Changed it to deck tan. Still not loving it. Since I knew I was going to paint over it, decided to check some hull colours, some greens, blue, grey...... I like the blue. Changed the deck again, a mix of deck tan, yellow and white. I like this colour better. The blue on the hull is ok but needs some highlights to offset how dark it is. Masked off all the rails and side strips and airbrushed some white paint. Pops a bit more now. Also dug out the brass black and started darkening up the brass pieces. Next steps is to get all the hardware on the spars, mark the hull for bottom paint with my fancy dancing homemade 3d printed hull thing-a-bob and get the last of the paint on. Meanwhile the spars are drying after a couple of coats of varnish (going to move to shellac for future builds) but all is going well Cheers.

Starting putting a few deck pieces together, just enough that I can map out the deck.

Trimming, sanding and more sanding and even more sanding and some filler for a few gaps.

God some work done today, I decided to join the two halves together, to me it does not make much sense doing it half and half. Took some time and made a strip to go around the deck, will be adding scuppers at a later date.

Slowly plugging away but not getting too far ahead of Olha's build as I am enjoying watching and emulating her techniques (for the most part) Planking on this thing involves 4 large sheets of balsa. After shaping the ribs, soaking the first board and bending it into shape, the biggest issues is that clamping this shape is difficult to say the least and discovered that one of the ribs, despite sanding, just did not allow the board to sit right. Cut that part open and added a piece to the rib and I am much happier. CLAMPS, CLAMPS AND CLAMPS! Trying to get these pieces in place for future filling, sanding and shaping. I know the Shipways version of this kit has moved to a more traditional style of planking which I think would have been easier.