JimArr

Thanks for the quick reply.  Alas,  too late to trim the fore strips.  I have already glued them on.   Should I just trim the rear strips towards the fore where the jigsaw puzzle pieces fit.  Or in other words, make new jigsaw cuts so that the ends line up with the end of the stern.  

Jim

I am new to the forum and have been admiring all the beautiful builds of the Fly and Pegasus.  Encouraged enough to purchase the Fly myself.  I am to the point where I am about to glue the rear gunport strips in place but find that they are quite a bit longer than the end of my hull.  Is this normal?

Thanks

Jim

Sam,

Thanks for the link.  Although I have only had time for a quick skim of your thread,  I can see you have done a great job recording your progress.  And its a great looking model.  Will have to take some time later for a more detailed study.  There are lots of ideas here that I will need in the future for my build.  

Jim

Thanks all.  

Pat,  the Enterprise has virtually no instructions and the instructions it had stop once the hull is planked.  Everything has to be interpreted from the plans.  And I am really doing some creative interpretation as I opened and started this kit so long ago.  Matching up some of the strips of wood that are left is quite a challenge.  However,  since I planked the hull using basswood I have plenty of left over material.  So far I have been able to avoid using paint.  All of the contrasting colors are obtained by using different color stains.  However,  I must decide soon if I want to paint the carronades black or leave them natural brass.  What do you guys think?

Jim

BTW Pat,  your Endeavor looks fantastic.  Surely it is not your first model!!!

Pat,

Just ran across your thread.  I too just recently joined this site.  You may remember me from rcgroups.  It's nice to run across someone you know.  Your model looks fantastic as usual.  I wonder how many folks here know just how much modeling skill and knowledge you have.  Are you still doing any flying?  I just have not been able to stay interested enough in airplanes since Pete passed.  Anyways, it's good to hear from you.

Jim

Got all the carronade eyebolts in.  Finished up the cutwater.  If that is what you call it.  And installed all the gun deck pin rails.

Jim

Finally some progress.  Been trying to decide how to make the bow tops.  Not sure if that is the correct name for it.  The parts did not match the plans so I improvised.  May still do some more shaping on the top.  Now making some more eyebolts for the carronades from fish hooks.

Thanks all.

Jim

My local Lowes store has some cedar fencing boards that they claim has a "golden yellow hue".  When I contacted Lowes to find out what type of cedar it was, they told me it was Spanish Cedar.  It is pretty inexpensive so was wondering how well would this wood work as a planking material?

Jim

Thanks guys.   Looks like the general consensus is that poplar will bend and plank well but is not suitable for staining and finishing.  Best to use in situations where it should be painted.  

Jim

I really like the looks of Poplar despite the greenish tint.  Also like the availability.  I have used basswood a lot in my model airplanes and have used it to plank a model ship but it just seems a little too soft for me.  I have started a new ship build in which I am using poplar for the keel and bulkheads.  Was thinking of using it for planking as well.  The ship I have started is the Model Shipways Rattlesnake.  I have the plans and have enlarged them 160% which puts it a little bit bigger than 1/48 scale.  Wanted to get a few opinions on working with poplar for planking and staining.

Jim

Thanks for the responses. 

I live in a small town in East Texas.  Lots of yellow pine in our local hardware stores.  Only other woods available are red oak, poplar, and cedar.  

Jim

What do you guys think of using poplar for bull planking?  It is the only hardwood that I can get locally.

Thanks

Jim

Matt,

I have seen the updated kit on Model Expo and several threads here and Youtube videos.  It appears to be much better than mine.  The price of the updated kit is a lot more than i paid for mine.  IIRC I paid around $75 retail in a Spanish Department store in 1991.  I am glad to have as many as possible along as I am sure I will need much advice.

Jim

Thanks guys.  The cradle I made from some scrap home foam insulation board I had leftover from some RC airplane and model railroad projects.  It works pretty well.  

I do have a building question. How would you all recommend gluing the channels on?  The plans just show them glued to the side of the hull but that seems might flimsy.    I have used a lot of fishing hooks for the eyelets for the carronades.  So I was thinking of using some of the waste left over from the hooks to make pins to glue in the side of the channels and then into the side of the hull to help anchor them.   Is there a better way?

Jim

Does anyone know if Constructo has a website?  I understand that their kits are much better today than the one I have.

Jim

Pix

Hi all.  I am a new member and this is my first build thread.  First a bit of history.  I bought this kit back in 1991 while serving in the USAF and stationed in Zaragosa, Spain.  Started building it in the mid 90s after having completed the Liberty by Artesania Latina.  Also purchased in Spain.  The kit was horrible.  The instructions were non existent.  The wood questionable.  However, the plans were fair and the quality of the carronades was outstanding.  With the help of several books I made a start.  Very quickly I realized that I would have to scratch build most of the parts and provide my own wood.  About the only parts of the kit I used was the false keel and the frames.  I replaced all the planks and decking with basswood.  I used different colors of stain for the wales, decking, and lower planking.  I had reached the point where I needed to cut out the gun ports when I lost interest and put it away.  After 20 years of model railroading and RC airplanes I happened upon some videos of ship models on Youtube.  Next thing I knew I had pulled it out of storage and realized it didn't look too bad.   Starting cutting out the gun ports and next thing I knew I had found this forum.  I don't know if I will have the fortitude at this point to stay at it until it is finished but I plan to ride out my interest until it moves to something else.  If there is interest in this project, I will keep my progress up to date.  I have taken some pictures of my current progress but need to learn how to post them.

Jim