realworkingsailor

I seem to recall building that kit when I was a kid (the name seems familiar) Very basic kit, simplistic fittings, not any great challenge to build. Andy

I have a set of these: http://www.micromark.com/spike-insertion-plier,8242.html They work brilliantly. No slips, no bent nails. Andy

Very nice work. With reference to the above, those "reinforcements" Are most likely wind deflectors. A concave (when viewed from fwd) shaped piece of steel attached by brackets about 3" ahead of the bulwark. You can see it here in this image on a modern ship: The forward motion of the ship forces air up through the slot. This creates a strong vertical flow that blocks the wind. I can attest from experience, they are very effective, and behind them, you can stand quite comfortably without worrying about losing your hat. Andy

I have had some success airbrushing with Model Expo Paints. However, to work with them (even with a regular brush), they absolutely must be thinned down. Personally I don't like cutting acrylics with water, I use either an acrylic thinner, or clear Windex (same thing, only cheaper and in larger quantities). Some people may use alcohol, but you run the risk of it evaporating while spraying. ME paints, and in fact most, if not all other acrylics, are best sprayed when they have the consistency of milk. For ME that means cutting them down to a ratio of near 1:1 with thinner. Another thing to consider is the type of airbrush you are using. Some types just cannot handle acrylics, and with others you need a larger needle. I use a Grex, and have had no problems with acrylics once I got the hang of using them. Here are some instructions for airbrushing Proto-Paint, by George's Trains, another brand of acrylic. Andy

Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging anyone or anything. I just feel it's time to expand the vocabulary a little bit to help people better understand the goals of other model builders. And maybe help bring model shipbuilding in line with other hobbies terminology. Might even help a few newcomers along the way. Andy

I don't see why there's all this so-called "fuzzy" or grey area. If you start with "A" and end up with a highly detailed and hyper accurate "A" (even if you had to significantly re-build or modify it), it should be considered super-detailing. If you start with "A" and end up with "B" OR if you start with "A" and "B" and combine them to get "C" it's kit bashing. Andy

I don't see any reason why we couldn't expand our lexicon a bit. Andy

Personally, I feel the term "kit-bashed" is being completely misused in the model ship building community. Coming from a model railroading background, kit-bashing means taking something and turning it into a completely different model. Usually multiple kits are used, but occasionally one kit is heavily rebuilt to reflect a different prototype. What I find here, is most builds labelled "kit-bash" are in effect super-detailing projects. Taking something, and increasing the accuracy and detail levels. Fundamentally, the kit remains what it is, as stated on the box, but more closely reflects its prototype, even if a major rebuild is conducted. In other words, Dafi's HMS Victory build is a classic example of a Super-Detailing project. I also consider JGerson's Rattlesnake a super detailing project. A kit bash, would be taking a Revell "Cutty Sark" model kit and turning it into the Great Republic. I'll step down off Mark's milk crate (or is it soap box?) now. Andy

Looks to me like bowsing tackle. Used to keep the lifeboat alongside the ship when embarking. It is eased out and cast off immediately prior to lowering the boat.Typically though, it is two double blocks. Andy

Actually, you want the glue to wick in. It makes a far stronger bond than just having the glue bond the surface.

When I built my Pegasus, I had absolutely no trouble with the MDF. As has been pointed out, it's perfectly flat, no warping, everything fit together and aligned cleanly. I didn't have too much trouble sanding it, mind you I did a little pre-assembly prep work with a rasp. If you're worried about any kind of toxicity in the dust, just use a NIOSH rated dust mask and safety goggles. And as long as the MDF is not fresh off the factory floor, the risk of toxins being released, reduces as time goes by and the binder fully cures. Also notice that MDF manufactured in Europe has very low levels of Formaldehye (per Mark's link: http://www.hse.gov.uk/woodworking/faq-mdf.htm ) To quote: "Q4. How much formaldehyde is released by MDF board?MDF boards manufactured in Europe for construction purposes must meet the appropriate European standards. These are BS EN 622-1:2003 Fibreboards-Specifications - Part 1: General requirements and BS EN 622-5:2009 Fibreboards - Specifications - Part 5: Requirements for dry process boards (MDF). There are two European formaldehyde classes, E1 and E2, depending on levels of formaldehyde emission measured. The release of formaldehyde from E1 boards is less than 0.1 ppm (parts per million) and for E2 boards it is between 0.1 ppm and 0.3 ppm. In Europe, the majority of manufacturers produce only low emission boards. There are some boards available on the market with extremely low formaldehyde emissions and some with ‘no added formaldehyde’, for example those using formaldehyde free binders such as PMDI, i.e. these boards will only have the naturally occurring emissions from the wood itself. Manufacturers from outside Europe may however produce boards that have higher emissions." At 0.1 to 0.3 parts per million, there's probably more formaldehyde in a processed-cheese sandwich. As for the water issue, I had no problems with swelling when applying wet planks in fact I don't recall experiencing any swelling at all. As long as your planks are not running off like a faucet, there's not enough moisture transfer to the MDF. Andy

Hi Michael, An option you may want to consider, have a look at the brush springs for a DC-71 (Pitman) motor: Andy

Hi Jan, I'm afraid I've made very little progress, if any, in all my hobby endeavours. Stupid reality, you see Andy

Have a look here, for a start: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphibious_warfare Andy

Simply stunning. Andy

I think the one in AOTS was metal in order to withstand handling as the model could be taken apart (necessitating removal of the tiller). Realistically, I believe it is more correct in wood. Andy

I need to stop by here more often... Yikes... That's some scary impressive machining. Can't wait to hear it turn over for the first time! (When you get that far, of course) Andy

Good luck with the new project! Andy

Amazing work! And incidentally, those anchor chain "chutes" as you call them, are more correctly known as "spurling pipes" Keep up the good work, and the amazing photography! Andy

Yeah.... Uh.....your sidelights are backwards.... Red goes on the left (port) side, and green on the right.... Andy

It's already been declared a national historic site by Parks Canada. It ain't goin nowhere. Andy

Geez.... all I do is run my glue-encrusted fingers over a medium rasp and the CA usually peels right off... as long as you don't apply too much pressure, you won't take any skin. Andy

I've had a lot of success in the past painting decal sheets. Rather than trying to "paint between the lines", start with a blank sheet and paint a section the colour you desire (spray painting is preferred). Seal it with a clear finish like glosscot or dullcote. Then cut out a piece(s) the size and shape you desire. Apply these over the top of the already applied decal with the miss-matched colour. If you have a few spares, cut out the centre of the 9 and use the decal as a template (obviously, you leave the decal on it's backing paper). It may sound a bit weird (painting decals) but it really works well. Andy

So you haven't been carried off by the Almighty Mosquito.... Very nice planking job! Andy

Definetly a Flower class.. Wonder which of the 267 it is..... Do we start alphabetically... Andy