DarkAngel

Did I mention I bought this model for AUD$250... including postage, unopened and not used. I can't wait to get my package in the mail and then we'll see if I turn out to be a genius or a madman... or maybe both in the long run :) I'm going to try and source some extra strips of lime wood aka bass wood here in Australia. Thanks everyone for joining into this build blog with advice, it's greatly appreciated. Hands up who has built the HMS Victory by Corel before ?

Does anyone have any basic tools they would recommend for me on my first build ?

Thanks EJ You've given me some things to add to my to do list, I like the wedge thing. Much smarter than the polyurethane adhesive I was thinking about. Pencil lines... hmmm... I think I'll try the different caulking methods that have been suggested and see what works best for me. I like the idea of polyurethane because the rubbery caulking if done thin enough would look good... so I think I'll try that too and post some pics of the results in a mock up. The model has hardwood fillers in the bow section and the stern which shape the entire front and rear sections. I haven't worked with Balsa wood for years. Back in the day there used to be balsawood aeroplane kits in two pieces to assemble and fly edit: Bass wood... hmmm not sure if I can get anything like that here locally.

Thanks Mark I think you are the first Aussie to welcome me aboard... (besides Jim that is). 10th POST... now for my signature !

indeed, thanks for the advice. My first thought was to buy a Billings Boat Lilla Dan (a much simpler build). I liked the sail configuration and went hunting for one to buy. Lilla Dan Thats when I found the HMS Victory by Corel SM23 1:98 for a cheaper price !!! And I thought... what the heck. Other newbies managed to build one ok, and there is heaps of help on here with seasoned wooden boat builders. And I have alot of time available over the next few years. I do have other projects, I just completed upgrading my mountain bike to electric and I built my own lithium battery for that. There's also a caravan I've gutted and restoring... so I have lots to keep my mind occupied if one project gets overwhelming. Build log started here :

Ok here's my first question. Regarding glue, adhesives... for the deck planking, has anyone used black polyurethane. That would look great in the cracks between the deck planks... it's a bit sticky and messy. Also I took a look at the real deck in pics and it appears the deck bows and is not dead level. I was thinking, maybe that was designed to stop the cannon balls rolling all over the deck. They would roll back to the cannon if the ship was level... and maybe the slight elevation also helps to roll the cannons back in place once they have fired. To achieve this slight bowing, I thought this could be undertaken at the planking stage. That is working from a level base then raising up the middle slightly with black polyurethane adhesive and then laying the planks ontop of that when sticky pressing lightly to squish a bit of caulking between each plank. Once it has cured it dries like rubber and a sharp blade can be used to remove any excess and scrape the wood for a nice finish. Has anyone tried polyurethane adhesive this way ?

Thanks, and welcome aboard. The life jacket is under your seat and the life boats are fully stocked with scotch whiskey and rum.

It's nice to receive so many likes and friendly responses I have a friend to recommend to this site, and will not hesitate to let him know. He has a HMS Endeavour to build, and we are thinking of starting a local ship building club. mtaylor: Yes, however I am pretty stubborn... lol... I have an ambition to complete this model over 3 years Also the Corel HMS Victory SM23 1:98 kit was only AUD$250 (as new), which was only 1/3 of the normal retail cost.

Thanks John This is a pretty awesome forum too I might add.

I have just ordered my first wooden ship online, an old dusty H.M.S. Victory SM23 Corel kit that has been unopened sitting on a shelf for a few years and is finding a new home with me. So I'm cleaning out my rolltop desk, researching like mad and building up a collection of build blogs and images of the real ship. I plan on tweaking the model with details to make it look more like the real thing and I thought I would try using coloured wood stains in yellow and black to bring out the wood grain on the hull around the cannon sections. I also would like to try some wood carving to add some details and may even buy a mini lathe for wood turning. I think the Caldercraft decorations for this ship are awesome so will be adding their figurehead. So if anyone wants to contribute any advice or comments to this build, you are more than welcome to do so and any input will be much appreciated. Regards, Marcus

Hi everyone, I'm so excited to be here, I am purchasing an old dusty Corel SM23 HMS VICTORY unopened kit second hand from a chap in Australia. This will be my first wooden ship build, and I am looking forward to refining and developing my skills as I undertake this epic challenge. A good friend of mine who is a semi-retired boat builder gave me the idea, he bought a HMS ENDEAVOUR a few years back and had never got around to building it. It was by chance he mentioned it one day and I was curious about wooden ship models so started to check out the models online. I fell immediately in love with the detailed pictures of various ship builds, and as luck would have it found a great deal on the HMS VICTORY. So tommorrow I am laying down some cash to buy my first kit. I have read two Corel HMS Victory builds thus far and am looking forward to reading some more as part of my research into this fine art. There are lots of great images of the HMS Victory in Portsmouth which I am looking at and am planning on tweaking the model a bit to be as close to the real thing as possible. I think I may try various colored stains to bring out the wood grain in various colors instead of painting the hull. Such as the yellow and black where the rows cannons are located. I'd also like to try wood carving some details as well as sourcing the amazing Caldercraft decorations you can find. So keep an eye out for my build blog and feel free to chime in with any advice or comments. Regards, Marcus