coxswain

Plastic hull, i needed Stabilit Exspress. I wanted a RC sailing scala boat from Norway 🙂 
More gluing with white glue "ponal exspress"

Some more gluing tomorrow 🙂 
 

I too am not so keen on the copper, I prefer the off-white for the overall aesthetic.
 
OK, I have been working on these two small kit, partly to try an nail some new aspects of design. Especially the way the second planking meets with the keel parts. With this very much in mind, I have designed these kits with a 'beading edge' to be glued into position all along both side of the keel after the first planking has been applied. I have included little location pegs for each pattern, so there is no chance of any of the parts slipping/moving while the glue cures. I think it will work, but these two models are double ended, which means the modeller will have to be very exact with their plank lengths or, as I will likely suggest, lay each plank in two lengths, starting each and the bow and stern.. 

Welcome Sundt - I've always been intrigued by these big Colin Archer kits - will you be sailing it or just static?  Steve M

Yes! lol I tried the round versions for the new 24 pounders, and they seem fine, so will change all square holes to round for future cutting.
 
Problem could be when you have 26-28 carriages to make up for each deck, that is a lot of axle filing to get them to fit through the round holes..

Like the inclusion of the bolt holes in the gun carriage trucks, Chris, nice touch.👍
It's something I like to add, but  it's a fiddly, time consuming  business by hand with micro drills.
 
Cheers,
 
B.E.

There are a few frigates I would like to do right now, to be honest, and my potential future development plan has 4 in mind. I wanted to develop one next, but I have spent quite a bit on Bristol/Portland Class development already, and need to do this/these first. (stern and figurehead decoration already done, plus cannon barrels)
Cheers I am adding these 'bolt heads' in the trucks to all sizes of carriage parts now.

So I have finally decided to go with my own maple....

now that I have the magazine with the article I read,  I promised I'd post the pictures.   it's of the Clotilda,  but I think this model can be outfitted like this and not be wrong.   I rather like the layout.

when the Clotilda entered and docked in a cove near three mile Island,  the slaves were off loaded onto a river boat,  which took them inland to a holding facility to be sold and divvied up later.  the Clotilda was then sailed to a more secluded spot and set afire,  to get rid of the evidence.

they were relieved of their clothes as you can see,  and shackled to the deck.   after the war and they were free,  they went on to settle in the place that they toiled.   they called it Africatown.

It is not so much that the parts are crap. In almost every case they are at least more detailed if not more accurate than the kit supplied part. I is just that in EVERY case so far, at least with this kit, where the aftermarket part is intended to replace the kit supplied part, the interface with the kit never matches! While the parts I am using now were ordered from 1001, they were not made by them, at least I don't think they are. They are listed as CMK/Czech Master Kits, and I assume are made in Czechoslovakia. This is my first time using resin aftermarket and I have no idea if this is normal or not.
 
I am not really an aviation enthusiast as such Roger, but there are some aircraft that interest me. I will send you a list, if these other guys have not cleaned you out already! I personally think I should pay shipping though. Postage is getting horrible! Thanks for making them available.
 
As for the "Save the door campaign," I think I may have carried it off, at least I am satisfied with the results and can live with it and not feel disgust at my blunder. So now I am back to where I was a couple of days ago and will start altering the lower part of the resin doors to fit into the kit doors instead of replacing them.
 
Here is the result of tonight's work:

The repaired door is on the right

From the work I have seen on this forum, especially in 1/350 scale ships, I know that others could do better but this is still OK for me.
 
So that is my two steps back for the day, tomorrow I will try for at least one step forward.

My tedious sessions with filler and sanding is over now. What you lack in planking skills have to be compensated with filler and sanding 😓. This is how Aggy is looking for the moment. The build is going forward and I feel happy and almost proud 🙂. 



 
Regards
 
Henrik

Post 70

 
Anchor cables

 
I have already had a dabble at setting out the anchor cables using temporary line but with the deck relatively free, now is a good time to set the anchor cables in place.

 
The sizes of anchor cables are not given in Steel’s rigging tables altho’ the associated ropes are.

 
I am aware of two methods of determining cable size.

As per Lees:- 0.62 of the diameter of the Mainmast.

An alternative calculation:- cable circumference = ½” for every foot of a ships beam.

 
How does this relate to Alert:

Alerts Mast is 20” ø x 0.62 = 12.4” circ. which equates at scale to a line of 1.56mm diameter.

Alerts beam is 25.5’ x 0.5 =12.75” circ.  which equates to 1.6mm diameter.

 
The kit indeed provides *1.6mm line, of excellent quality, and equating to a 12½” circ cable.

The 36” length is more than adequate to provide the option of full lengths to run the deck and down the main hatch.

 
Following the arrangement as per Harland (Seamanship in the age of Sail) the cable is taken three time around the barrel with the turns off the top with the inboard end kept to the outer end next to the bitts.

 
This does highlight an issue; the cable looks somewhat large for the windlass barrel and covers up the outer Handspike holes.

4466
I checked the line with my electronic calipers and it is closer to *1.8mm diameter which perhaps explains the over-scale look.

This is quite frustrating as I do like the quality of the provided cable.

 
The Alert Book indicates an 11½” cable which scales to 1.45mm ø

I have some Morope 1.5mm ø line which looks to my eye a better scale for the anchor cable, particularly when I do a visual check of cables on other models.  

 
I have decided to go with Morope.


I have added ‘normans’ to the barrel to secure the cables; there is insufficient room for this using the kit cable.

Apart from any historical reference, having a fixed point makes it easier to shape and drape the cables.

 

0342
The kit provided cable is on the Starboard side and the smaller Morope on the port.


0343
From the Starboard side the difference in line size is clearly apparent.


0351
One advantage of Morope is that it is fairly soft which helps shaping and draping.


4475
Leading aft and down thro’ the Main Hatch.

 
In the kit instructions the cables are shown to go below decks via two holes just in front of the main hatch.

They are not mentioned by name but they are Navel pipes, not something I think are appropriate to ships of this period.


4472

4474
The cables secured to the normans.

I will now attend to the drape, using very diluted pva.
 
B.E.
14/02/2020

Yes, the laser etched deck was amended, I have attached a pic to show this.
 
I have mostly been getting on with the two small kits, but today I turned my attention to the Bristol and other vessels cannon carriages. Attached is a pic of the Bristol (64th) 24 Pounder carriage, laser cut and etched in 2mm pear, with the cast resin barrel. The pic showing the laser cut parts in the sheet are the 24 pounders (the larger of the two sets) and 32 pounder carriages in 72nd.
 
I have done a few gratings sets too, plus the decks for the two small kits, which I have shown here, as this is their final kit form.

I cut some of the plywood to try it out........not the old stuff.......I'll be attempting it later.  here's a before and after comparison of how the splintering looks:
before and after 
four copies of the #9 bulkhead was traced out......no need to do the glue and split method {as can be seen in the above pictures}.  I did get some cuts that were ragged,  but the wood behaved better on the table {I didn't use the pressure fork either}.
it's not as bad though,,,,it looks more like a grain issue now...ripping across the grain that along it.  the Craftsman did it too.
the hull frame now stands without all the weights and clamps.  the deck looks good....I do need to adjust the bow though {it's a bit off}.

port side at #3 has a slight rise,  but I'm not going to worry about it { a coil of rope will cover it  }.

it looks worse in the picture...once the hull's planked.   I began to fare the frame,  but without #10 in place,  I'll be doing a second sanding.  #10 is the transom bulkhead.......it was cemented in place at an angle;  not as much as the stern stem,  but enough to give the transom a slanted look.

the extra slots intrigued me......I could just plank them over,  but that's quite a span to cover.   with one of the extra #9 bulkheads I cut out,  one was sliced in half and will fill in the slots.   


I still need to add the braces for the transom.  the deck platform is rounded and can be seen protruding above the #10 transom bulkhead.  there is a cover that goes over this bulkhead and will give it a curved appearance when cemented in place.  likely,  this should be done after the hull is planked.  I need to dry fit it to see if this is the case.  more to come soon  

The coppering is going to be a long term project.  I expect to get perhaps 10-20  plates per hour.  I am using CA glue despite my general dislike of the substance.  
 

This is a pretty big hull.  Makes me glad the Winchelsea won't be coppered!!

is it morning...........I feel like I got run over by a truck    ....really gotta change jobs one of these days.   I always feel sort of laggy after a work week........but that didn't stop me last night though     after a bout of falling asleep at the computer,  like I always seem to do,  I got productive.   ....it actually felt good to be at the table    after the last bulkhead was put in place,  I shut off the light and called it a day.  even with how I felt this morning,  I took a look at the frame.  everything looks fine.  for chucks and grins,  I dry fitted the deck platform........it went on unbelievably well,  only needing a few adjustments of the bulwark posts.


the deck isn't pushed down all the way.   I did a few trims here and there and fitted it again.......a lot better this time    so at this point,  I threw caution to the wind and cemented the deck down.   

gotta go for a haircut........I'll see later when it has dried.   I still haven't found the magazine.....I hope I see it at the barbers  

after seeing what J went through to assemble his frame,  I might change it up a little.   I still want to give the deck a little camber fore and aft....I think that's typical,  especially with these ships.  taking a straight 1/16 X 1/16 length of strip stock,  I laid it bow to stern,  pressing it against the tops.  #9 and #8 were cemented in place....some shimming was need to bring them up to the line

blocks were added to give them more bonding area

this went on all the way til I got to #4, making sure that the wood strip was pressed against the stem tops.  I saw that #6 was still a bit low........instead of ripping it out and doing it again,  I just added a shim across the deck area.

others are shimmed to bring them up to the line.   all of the bulkheads,  except #10 are in place now.  at this time,  I loosened the strip to reveal how much camber I gave it

note at the bow stem...the tip of the bow is higher.  pressed down in the center {around #5} it can be seen that the bow and stern are higher than the center of the deck.  it's not much camber,  but it's enough.   #6 and #7 got the most shimming.

as well as #2

looking down the barrel of the frame,  I notices #3 was a bit off.   that one I did remove and reposition....no way to shim my way out of that one  

judging what J said about the deck platform,  I wonder if the supplied platform is even salvageable?!   some how,  it doesn't seem correct that there should be so much stern overhang,  or that the deck so far back at the bow.   I'll do a bit more to strengthen the frame,  and then we'll check out the platform.   it sounds like it will be instrumental in adding the transom.
 

OK time to show that this build actually has some kind of modeling content.
 
I think that I mentioned somewhere back that in addition to the kit that I bought some time ago, I at least doubled the cost of the original kit by buying resin and PE parts in order for this build to even be presentable on this forum.
 
Over the last few weeks I have been going through both kit and after market parts, trying to decide what would be best to use. It would not have been so bad except for the most part the kit supplied items are not all that bad! A perfectly good rendition of a UH-1 could be built without any after market parts at all. Having said that, there are some of the after market parts that are more as I remember the Huey than what is supplied in the kit. If that was not enough there are parts of both the kit and the after market stuff that are very poor fits! I keep finding that the part I prefer to use does not fit properly! Ever since I started it seems like it has not only become a double build, but it has been one step forward and three steps back! For anyone intending to build this kit, just be aware that the fit in places is very poor and it takes considerable work and finesse to make it all work. From what I have read about resin moldings this is to be expected but it is the kit I am talking about.
 
So now the pictures:

In this picture you are able to see the kit deck plate. In some ways I liked the aftermarket deck better but it was too small both in length and beam. I could have easily dealt with the length issue of almost 1/8th of an inch but the width issue was a much bigger problem and much harder to handle. The biggest draw of the aftermarket deck was the properly drawn floor panels and the molded in center console. The advantage of the kit deck was the traction surface and the fact that it actually almost fit the cockpit opening. (I will explain that better later. 
 
Other things shown in this picture are the resin engine/transmission bulkhead and the transplanted resin center radio console. The pilot seats/armor are kit items and the dash is resin aftermarket. The two nose structure pieces are modified kit pieces. I would have preferred to use the more detailed aftermarket pieces but they did not fit the shape of the nose properly. Again I could have fixed the problem but then it would have been necessary to make further mods to make the dash mount properly.  
 
In the case of the instrument panel, I could have used either dash. The kit dash is the longer version and has an absolutely fantastic PE insert that is leagues beyond anything I could paint. BUT..... my memory kept nagging me and one of the things I distinctly remember about the Huey is the offset instrument panel. In real life it is shifted off to the right to allow the left hand pilot position a better view through the chin window for landings. This ended up overriding the panel detail and I switched to the shorter aftermarket dash and modified it to fit in what I feel is the proper location. The after market gauges are still pretty nice but no where near as nice as the kit offered PE.
Here is a picture that better shows the offset instrument panel. It is just loosely sitting in place and is not positioned completely at this time. It also shows the kit supplied seats/armor. There are a couple of issues with the seats as supplied in my opinion. 1st off I do not remember the pilot having cushions that were this sculpted and frankly comfortable looking. My memory shows something much more in the functional range than the luxury range.

This picture also shows something that is somewhat common with many of the kit parts. The kit is a rebox of an older kit that did not include PE parts in the kit. So in this case you have to remove the molded seat belts and harness if you want to use the PE parts supplied. Also the kit provides pilots and if left in place would almost certainly interfere with the seated pilots. It was also necessary to file the armor to fit the seat frames and the cushions to fit  the armor. Also of note is that the left cushion does not fit the right armor and visa versa. Also, in my opinion the seats/armor are too wide and the armor and seat frames too thick. I will probably be going to the aftermarket seats/armor after all.

Here we see the aftermarket engine bulkhead. The fit and added detail are very nice compared to the kit option, but the diamond pattern is not right. Looks more like the tufted pattern of a local bar. The kit pattern of the soundproofing padding is much more accurate in my opinion.
 
Also this picture shows some of the problems I have been having getting the paint to stick properly. The only parts I have painted at this point are the deck and the bulkhead. I have never really used an airbrush before and what you are seeing is after weeks of painting, and re-painting several times. I finally had to give it a rest and do some of the other work you see. After I get the rest of the interior sorted out I will be returning to the painting issues. Hopefully I am not to stupid to learn at least one new trick.
 
 

Another view of the painting issues and much nicer bulkhead detailing. This was my office.

These are the parts that I have not used. They are the kit supplied bulkhead and instrument panel. The aftermarket deck minus the center radio console that I cut off and modified to fit the kit deck. The nicer, more detailed nose pieces that unfortunately did not fit as well. Last but not least are the seats/armor and frames for the pilots. After looking at both sets of seats I think I will be switching out the above seats with these seats. I not only feel more comfortable with the simpler cushions but the armor is slightly narrower and the seats do not seem to crowd the center console quite as bad. This is not as big of an issue for the left seat but the collective is located between the seat armor and the console on the right seat and the fit with the kit seats is REALLY tight. There would not be enough room for the AC to hold the collective or start the engine, (Also located on the collective) when it is in the fully lowered position.
 
So that brings this misadventure up to date. Hopefully progress from here on out will go faster and I can post more often for those few who may be interested.
 
Thanks for looking.

Bob...what a wonderful explanation of your experience building your case.
Actually I had the glass cut afterwords, but my measurements were accurate....and I had the glassier read back to me the measurements.  I insisted on accuracy.
 
I used flexible silicone on all the edge and bottom joints.  The top merely sits on the glass with them resting within their grooves.   I will(when the silicone is dry), remove the top, place the model and slide in the right side, then replace the top frame and then the glass.  Once assembled I will then screw into each corner from atop, small brass wood screws to secure it.
 
Here is a pic of the glass in place.
 
Rob

The two front and back pieces of glass will be 31 1/8" X 47 1/2" the sides are 31 1/8" X 16 1/8" and the top is a whopping 15 7/8" X  47 1/2"
 
 
Bob..the case stand is quite stable.  I'll be picking up the glass today and assembling the case.  I will silicone the glass in place on 3 sides...allowing for the right side to be simply slid into the recesses.  The top fram will sit on top with the glass placed within their recesses and then brass screws will be placed at each corner. The top glass rests in recesses cut along the inner edge of the frame.   This way I can remove the top and one side so I can flip the model if need be.   I test fit the model on the case bed to see how well it sits and how it is harmonized with the stand.   Here are some pics with the model on the stand base.
 
Rob

Spent some time today finishing up the woodwork for the case.  Just finished laying on a coat of tung oil.....
Glass shops were not open today so probably monday I will order.
The drawer will be installed after the case is complete.  The forth corner post is in the other room...it has decided to develop a slight bow.
All this maple came from an 90 year old tree that died in my yard....it lay dry and dormant for about 5 years before I had it cut down and sectioned into 10 and 8ft legths that I had milled into 1 and 2 inch thick boards.   I milled these pieces from that tree....it almost looks like walnut..so dark and knotty...with no rot.
 
Rob

Photos from the first buyer kit "MOREL - Nikonov's Secret Vessel.
The author of the model is Andrey Zakharov from Kazan (Russia)

Gentlemen, with great pleasure I want to show a new model! 
The model was built by Yura Kimborovich according only to our drawings by "MasterKorabel"
Drawings we prepared on the basis of archival information of the 1840s. to develop a new kit.
 
This is a 20-oar 42-foot longboat #1 of the 120-gun battleship “Twelve Apostles” - the flagship of Admiral Lazarev of the Black Sea Fleet.
Date: 1841 -1855
Sailing: the Plymouth bot.
Art.: one 24-pound carronade. 80 shots.
Crew: Midshipman, 160 marines and 22 sailors.
 
Soon we will release this kit on sale. 
art. 0304
 
Scale 1: 48
length - 498.5 mm,
width - 80 mm,
height - 350 mm
 
P.S. The model was built during the development of the new kit, so the final version of the kit will naturally differ slightly from this model.

Well, the gammoning is done now. I think it looks OK. The only thing I’m not happy with is that after running the thread through beeswax, I’m left with some pale residue on the thread which looks a bit unsightly close up. Not sure if its because the wax is cold or if its due to some other reason. In any case, I’ve left it as it for now. There’s nothing stopping me redoing it if I have better results waxing the shrouds etc.

I’ve pretty much reached the end of the written instructions now, other than to follow some vague guidelines about the anchors, but I thought they might get in the way, and will take care of them later. So from here on, its uncharted territory for me!
 
I built the stand, only because I noticed whilst doing the gammoning that when I applied any kind of downward pressure to tighten the thread, the cradle I was using would tip. It’s supposed to be clamped to a desk, but my desk is not flat underneath. The stand gives me a bit more stability. There’s supposed to be a nice sapelly (sapele?) strip around the edge of the base. When I started cutting the edging to size, I ran out of wood after 3 sides, because of my repeated attempts to create pinrails that I was happy with from the same strip. 😞

The next step would be the chainplates/deadeyes.
For this model, this is just wound copper wire (Constructo say its brass, but I’m sure its not) pinned into the hull. I attempted to blacken the wire, but Brass Black would not darken it at all. For now it will remain shiny copper.
I’ve tried to line up the angles of the chainplates with how the shrouds will lie by measuring up the mast, and taping thread at the correct height. Then I ran the thread down past the drilled holes in the chainwales and marked where the pin would go into the hull. To my untrained eye, it looks about right, but time will tell when the shrouds go on!
 


I’ve only done one set so far. I find I end up spending far more time thinking about how I will do something, than actually doing it. The other 3 sets should be pretty straight forwards, and then onto the more tricky bits.
 
Here she is so far.

Will.

A brief update on my Flyer build. I’ve reworked the bowsprit bitt so that sits better with the bowsprit in place, and have been working on the ‘jib boom’ (which I previously thought was all part of the bowsprit).
It needed tapering quite a lot, not least so that the bowsprit cap would slide on into the correct place.
Most of the parts that need tapering are short enough that I can use my Dremel workstation as a vertical lathe to sand them to the correct diameter. I butchered a small screwdriver to create ‘teeth’ with which to turn the dowels. 


I added a small piece of scrap deck plank to sit between the bowsprit and boom, just to make sure that the angles were consistent. I painted it white to try to disguise it in case the woolding didn’t cover it completely.

Thankfully the woolding did cover it so that it can’t be seen at all. I’m trying to stick with authenticity where realistically possible.  I’ve not yet purchased any books on rigging etc, but probably will do in the near future. For the woolding, I followed some guidance from this site here, and managed to get a decent result after a couple of attempts. In theory, it should remain fast, but I coated it in PVA/water just in case!

And dry fitted, snug under the new bowsprit bitt.

Looking forward to doing the gammoning and making some more progress this weekend. I’ve been trying to see if I can splice a ‘rope’ but at this scale it’s beyond me as the thread is much too thin. So I’ve tested a cheat, where I’ve looped some thread around a cocktail stick, and then created some tight twists which I’ve clamped in place and applied PVA/water. It seems to hold OK, and given the thread diameter, it looks fine too.
 
Thanks for looking,
Will.