realworkingsailor

I finally attached the rudder to the stern post.   It was very similar to the way we did the hinges on the rudder itself.   But here is the step by step for the folks building her as well.
 
First thing I taped the rudder in position getting it tight against the stern post.  Then I marked the angle and position for the hinges to be placed on the stern post.  I used a very sharp awl for this.  I had laser cut some small notched down the stern post where these were meant to be.  This was also there just for reference and the notches were made narrower than the 1/16" needed to insert the hinge part.  This was just in case you needed to shift up or down a bit from those initial reference points. They really shouldnt be far off.  This also means that yes you will have to chisel those slots wider using your scribed marks.  Its not much and it is yellow cedar.  So it is soft and quick with a sharp chisel or #11 blade.
 

This time we will pre shape the laser cut hinge parts as shown below.  Just knock of the corners on an angle to match the ones on the rudder.  Insert a small length of 22 gauge black wire in each of the four needed.  Thhese were painted black ahead of time as well.

Once you open up those slots on the stern post these should be a nice tight press fit in each slot.  just center them make sure the sides are flush with the stern post.  The wire or simulated hinge pin faces downward.

A quick test fit with the rudder to see if I screwed up their placement.  Luckily everything lined up pretty good.  Note that if you have trouble sliding the rudder post into the rudder opening in the counter after adding these, you will need to open up that rudder port a bit.  Not much but use a file to carefully enlarge the aft side of the opening until the rudder clears through it.  It should sit on the hinge parts (pintles and gudgeons) very nicely.

Then add some 1/16 x 1/64 strips with the edges painted black ahead of time.  Just like on the rudder!  Use the scribed lines you made with the awl to establish the correct angle.  Only make these as long as the stern post at this point.  We will take care of the two longer lower hinges later.  Sand them as you did with those on the rudder and paint them black.

Here is what they look like painted up...

Finally the rudder can be added permanently, or NOT...its up to you.  This is not a working rudder as I mentioned earlier.  Its just simulated.  The rudder hinges were just glued together to mount it.  With the pins sticking out the underside it will look just like it is supposed to.  Then just touch up the paint and add some bolts if you wish to.  Or you can wait until after the lower two straps are added next.

For the two lower straps that extend onto the hull we have a few options.  I will tell you what I did though.  Feel free to go another way with it.  These straps should sit on top of hull planking that doesnt exit on our framed model.  So a modest layer of planking must be added so the strap can sit on top of it.  Sometimes you see a wider strip of planking that the straps sit on but I am going to make them the same width as the iron straps. Its easy to do.  I just took some painted 1/64 x 1/16" strips which were black and glued them to another strip of the same size.  Depending on your model you might need a 3/64" thick strip for the simulated planking or thinner.  This is so the hinge strap lines up with what is on the stern post.  I used 1/32" strips which worked out nicely for the underplanking.

Use the plans to measure how long these straps should be on the hull.  Shape them and glue them on.  Make sure you glue them on at the same angle as the hinges on the stern post.  You can mark that angle once again like you did before using a sharp awl or pencil.
 

Some photos of the completed rudder mounted with my simulated pintels and gudgeons.  Once again add bolts if you want to using the black fishing line.
 


 
The tiller is next...let me know if you have any questions.
 
Chuck

Upper hull sanding and fairing has been completed so I masked off and starting prepping the gunports for paint.
First any little gaps in and around the ports were filled with filler and then sanded gently back and then two coats of Tamiya surface primer was applied, next up will be painting the ports in red ochre, then fitting the frieze panels and finally to complete the lower hull sanding.

 

Back from the break! And first -- time for a little sleuthing! I had a very sneaking suspicion about the reason for my troubles with the grating combs, and sadly, this photo proves my suspicions were well-founded.
 

 
This photo shows a random selection of combs. The middle section is aligned, as is demonstrated by the needle sitting neatly astride the combs. BUT, as you can plainly see, if you go about five rows above or below the needle, the grooves are suddenly all wonky.
 
And wonky grooves, my friends, make combs that don't mesh together!
 
Somewhere in my stash of Long-Forgotten Leftover Parts, I have some Model Shipways combs. I don't remember having had any issues with them -- might have some Amati combs leftover somewhere as well. Heck, the MS combs may have come from Amati -- you know how that supply chain operates! I will have to hunt those combs down and see how they work.
 
Stay tuned!

OK, I have now completed what I need to for the designs. The 'mule' is finished, no need to garner any more info from it - and here she is. No varnish, paint and much abused, Jim's model will have much more finesse (and colour).
I knew I was close to the finishing line (designs) for this, so I was up most of the night, and then all of today to complete it - now I can relax a little before starting the CAD drawings for plans..
 

Happy Saturday All,
 
Slow progress on the Warhawk (lot’s to do while the weather is nice 🙂), but here it is. Front fuselage and cockpit installed. The bulging front end is very hard to do. I’m discovering the “3 foot viewing rule” is working nicely. 😆
 

Well, it's been a mixed bag of results today. First, here's a shot of the finished quarterdeck rails, along with the completed skylight.
 

 
The skylight includes plastic inserts for the 'glass'. Since the model has no interior to gawk at, I painted the backs of the inserts black.
 
After this, I started work on the gratings, and this is where things got super annoying. First, the combs for the gratings fit VERY tight, which makes them stay together nicely when assembled but makes the actual assembly process needlessly frustrating. Second -- and here's a word to the wise -- the combs provided in the kit DO NOT produce the same spacing as seen in the photo-illustrated instructions! So, if you refer to the photos to count the number of combs to use for a particular grating, then assemble the combs and trim them to the 'proper' size, you get a grating that is TOO SMALL!! Ask me how I know this. 😡
 
I am presently taking a mandatory mental health break. 😑

If I’m not mistaken the “Casey” who posted the colour mixes on Britmodeller worked with Alex Mann (Mann’s Model Moments on YouTube), to create a whole plethora of (relatively) simple mixes using ICMs Acrylic paints for WW2 subjects.  The videos Alex made are worth checking out as he covers everything in detail: https://m.youtube.com/@MannsModelMoments
 
 
Andy

If I’m not mistaken the “Casey” who posted the colour mixes on Britmodeller worked with Alex Mann (Mann’s Model Moments on YouTube), to create a whole plethora of (relatively) simple mixes using ICMs Acrylic paints for WW2 subjects.  The videos Alex made are worth checking out as he covers everything in detail: https://m.youtube.com/@MannsModelMoments
 
 
Andy

If I’m not mistaken the “Casey” who posted the colour mixes on Britmodeller worked with Alex Mann (Mann’s Model Moments on YouTube), to create a whole plethora of (relatively) simple mixes using ICMs Acrylic paints for WW2 subjects.  The videos Alex made are worth checking out as he covers everything in detail: https://m.youtube.com/@MannsModelMoments
 
 
Andy

Thankyou so much for your generous comments, and also to those who have shown interest and ‘liked’ my  stuff.
 It is very satisfying to know that my ramblings and musings have been of some help to my fellow modellers.
 
Only one question remains….

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Where am I going to put this fine addition to my Vanguard collection.

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For the present she will remain in my office beneath her protective cover.
 
Thank you Chris for providing the makings.
 
B.E.
22/08/2025

The quarterdeck rails . . .
 

 
. . . and taffrail are now done.
 

Post 107
Completion photos part 2
Close-up shots.

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B.E.
20/08/2025
 
 

Post 106
Completion
After eight months of fairly concentrated work this project is now complete.
This has been an interesting kit to make and one that has taken more time than I had initially imagined.
I had a lot of questions in my mind about certain details and fittings etc; for which there is scant information, and which remain unanswered.
Even so, Chris has done an excellent job of creating ‘Harpy’ which makes up into a very attractive model with lots of deck interest.
A fine addition to the Vanguard range of kits.
 
The completion Photos (part 1)
These are the full hull shots that will feature in my usual build Photo book.

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The display stand has been completed, I do like keel blocks as part of the support, a design that has featured in several of my models.

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Part  2 will cover the close-up shots.
 
 
B.E.
20/08/2025
 
 

A bit more progress. I'm not a huge fan of the brass moldings supplied in the kit (heck, I'm not a fan of PE brass in general) -- if they're not left bright, then they need to be prepped, shaped, primed, and painted before adding them. After that there is still the risk of chipping paint off of them.
 

 
Following the construction sequence in the instructions takes us to the quarterdeck railings next.

Sadly not Ron.
A bit of a time traveller is Bob, think Outlander.

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He began his journey as an able seaman serving on a Flower Class Corvette  circa 1940.

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He was next sighted working as a rigger on a 14 gun sloop of war circa 1776. This was around 2013 in our time.

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In 2020 he was to be found serving on the Cutter Alert circa 1777.
 
Bob’s current muster on Harpy is likely to be his last, but you never know with time travellers.🤔
 
B.E.

To complete the rudder, we have to add the hinges (pintels and gudgeons).  As is usually the case with me on such iron work, I wont be doing any soldering.   You have heard me say often on this project and others..."Fake it till you make it"...this will be the case for these rudder hinges as well.  To start, paint both sides of the laser cut pieces for the hinges black.  You will be thankful you did later on.

Then glue them onto position on the rudder.  Glue them against the top edge of the slots for them in the rudder.  Note...I wont be creating a working rudder with hinge pins.  For the life of me I dont understand why folks do that at all.  Its not like anyone will be playing with the rudder later.  It will be displayed under glass forever so it doesnt make sense to me.  But if you want to show this you can do so by inserting some 22 gauge black wire into the holes laser cut in these pieces.   My rudder will be stationary but you wont be able to tell any difference once its all done.  Hopefully.  Both sides of these pieces should be flush with the sides of the rudder at this point so sand them flush if you need to.  I have also prepared the hinge strips in advance.  They are 1/16" x 1/64" boxwood strips.  They edges were painted black in advance.  Again you will be doing yourself a huge favor if you do that.
 

These strips were added to the rudder using the laser etched lines as a guide so the correct angles are easily found.   Just let them run off the forward side for now.  Once they are all in position, you can sand the hinges to shape as shown below.  You can also see the top hinge has not yet been trimmed or shaped.   Once completed on both sides, sand the faces of the strips a little, especially if you prefer a thinner hinge strap.  You dont want to make them too heavy.  You can even taper the thickness thinner as they work their way towards the aft edge.
 

Now its optional but this is the time where you can drill along those straps and insert some bolts.  I used 20lb black fishing line.  Then paint the straps black.  You can even apply some weathering powder to these hinges if you want them to look more like metal.  I brushed on a little brown powder although its hard to see that in the photos.
 

 
Here is how the rudder looks all finished up and with black rudder hinges.  Its a pretty effective way to make these and can be done on any model...and you dont even need a laser cutter to do it.
 

With the rudder completed I will start making the married partners for these hinges in much the same way so I can attach it to the model.  But at least you can get an idea of how it will ultimately look.
 

 
 
 
 

Transoms being faired in.
 

 

Post 105
Rattlin’ down.
There are different approaches to this repetitive task;

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I only use a card template to work out the number of lines.
For me a card behind the shrouds is more of a hindrance than help.
I prefer to fit them by eye using a 5mm planking strip to gauge the spacing.
 
For the Ratlines I am using Syren 0.20mm line which is pretty spot on for scale size. It is dyed before use, an approach I recommend; the suggestion that it be dyed after fitting is a high- risk undertaking.
 
The kit arrangement shows ratlines across all shrouds for the full length.
Steel however indicates that for the first six lines top and bottom, ratlines are omitted to the first and last shrouds.
Whether this was applicable to all vessel sizes is not clear, but on Harpy I don’t think that would be a good look, particularly on the Fore shrouds.
I will extend the Ratlines across all shrouds.
The Top ratline is 5mm below the futtocks and the bottom starts just above the shroud cappings.
 
I have also belatedly noticed that Steel indicates that on brigs the aftermost Main shroud was served to give protection from the main boom.
 
It has been over five years since I last did this task and it feels more tiresome than I remember, an indication no doubt of increasing decrepitude, and decreasing vision sharpness.

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I begin the procedure by attaching lines with a (5) line spacing. This helps keep the shrouds in shape.

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My Topman Bob has served on many ships, and is a valued crew member for gauging the rattlin’

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One of Chris’s figures is a reasonable fit for a Helmsman.
Pinned to the deck, he provides a human scale reference for the model.
I have positioned the Binnacle just forward and to Port of the wheel, the suggested kit position makes no sense.

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There is a lot of deck interest provided for this model thanks to the excellent fittings provided in the kit.

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The build is nearing completion, only a little tidying up, and tweaking here and there remains to be done.
 
B.E.
18/08/2025
 

Started chapter 10.   The rudder is first thing.
 
The usual treatment for rudder.  It is laser cut and etched on both sides with some lines for the ironwork and to simulate the two parts of the rudder.   The laser char is removed from all edges until its pretty clean.
 
Then the protective strip on the aft side is shaped and glued into position.  But dont add the bolts yet.   In addition, add the protective strip along the bottom of the rudder too. (1/16" x 5/16") The rudder must be shaped first with a taper.  It tapers thinner from the top of this protective strip (1/16" x 5/16") down to the bottom on the aft side.   And from the forward side towards the aft edge as well.  I am sure you guys have seen this before yet so many kit builds still have a massively thick rudder.  The forward edge is also beveled where the rudder hinges will be...again you have probably seen this detail before.  Once the rudder is shaped and I applied some wipe-on-poly, I was able to add the simulated bolts with some 20lb. black line.
 


 
 
Now it was time to do a test fit on the model and see how things look.  You want to pay close attention to the height of rudder head.  It will pass all the way through and into the rudder cover on the poop deck.
 
This is why we didnt glue that top on the rudder cover yet.  If the height looks good, you can actually mark where the tiller will be inserted into the rudder head.   See below.  I did bevel the top of the rudder head but it doesnt really matter since this will be all covered up anyway.  After marking for the tiller I drilled part way through the rudder head with a 3/32" but.
 

 
Here is a view from below...everything seems to fit nicely so I can proceed with the ironwork.  Notice how I removed the brace on the build board but left the strips for the keel slot.  The rudder sits in there good and this will be a great help when trying to get those rudder hinges on.  It holds everything nice and steady.   You just have to make sure everything is sittin properly in that slot and pushed all the way down to the baseboard.
 

Milestone reached as this completes chapter 9.  All of the deck fittings except for the binnacle have been completed.   The last fitting was the rudder cover.   Again very straight forward.  All parts are laser cut.
 
To begin you must build the jig.  Just glue the part labeled "jig" on top of the square with the etched outline.
 

Then start adding the sides of the rudder cover.  Start with the back panel.  All corners will be mitered or beveled.  I just eye-balled it with a sanding stick.
 

Work your way forward and then finish up with the front panel.  Remember not to glue the rudder cover to the jig!!!
 
In addition, you can build the lid or top of the rudder cover.  It is in two layers as shown.  But dont glue it on yet.  This wont be done until after the rudder is installed and the tiller is added.  I did go ahead and paint them red however.
 


You can test fit this on deck...but notice the small step behind the rudder cover.   This is the step for the ensign staff.   This must be added first.  I have laser cut a bunch for you as they are small.  You must bevel the back side to fit snug against the transom.   The front side should be beveled as well to sit flush against the rudder cover.  You can glue them in position, but remember not to glue the top on for the rudder cover yet.  If you do ... you will never get that till inserted into the rudder head.
 

But you can sit the top in position and nobody will know it isnt glued on yet!!
 

Thats it...all fittings completed.   To begin chapter 10 I will be making the rudder and tiller.  Fun times.
 

I hope my fellow Speedwell builders will allow me this indulgence.   The breast rail at the fore end of the poop deck is actually quite plain on the contemporary model.  I usually try to faithfully keep my models to historically correct details but I couldnt resist.  The original draft for the Sloop Fly which is her sister has a very detailed and fancy rail quite different than the plain one on Speedwell.  I have decided to go with that rendition.  It is made in the usual fashion for my fittings.  Nothing earth shattering.  They are just laser cut pieces in layers.  The top rail for example is made by sandwiching 3 thin layers together.  The top and bottom layers are just .025 thick.  The center layer is a robust 1/32" thick.  I still thinned down the top and bottom layers even more after gluing them up as a sandwich.   
 
The only thing that is really important here is to make sure that the two outer columns are lined up with their partners below on the bulkhead between the windows.  I also had had to take care in forming the curve on the column next to the dome roof.  It had to be sanded to fit nicely around that curve and sit flush against it.  The close-ups are brutal and yes I have a lot of paint touch up in my future.
 
The top of the rail is painted black as was done on the contemporary model while the remaining areas are painted red.  Only one fitting remains and that is the rudder trunk cover.   I will make that next.  I will add a binnacle as well, but leave that for the next chapter after the rudder is installed.   
 

 

 

 

For the last day or two, I've been concentrating on some of the smaller stuff, as I usually do at this stage in a VM build. I like to get some stuff out of the way early, such as guns, grates, etc. This update will look at the main guns and the stern chasers. The main guns are constructed like Indy, meaning the barrels aren't actually fitted until the model is almost complete. This means the capsquares in the carriage sides, are open at the front, allowing the builder to slip the barrel through the port and glue the part in place. The stern chasers are more traditional. Here, the barrels are fitted through whole capsquares during assembly. 
 
Fourteen on the main guns come complete with name decals. When the cart is painted, some gloss varnish is applied and when set, the decals are added to the carts before being sealed and matt varnish applied. Here you can see the names.


 
PE is used for eyelets and the small stop bar which sits between the sides. The latter is painted ochre to match the cart.

 
Wheels are now added....remember, large ones at the front, so as to deal with deck camber.
 

 
 
The barrels are NOT glued at this stage. The carts will plug into slots in the deck, and the barrels will be one of the very last things you fit as you build Surprise.

 
Chasers: Almost identical in formula to the main guns, except the barrel is fitted as you close the carriage sides.



 
I'm currently working on carronades. I might be able to update today, but maybe not. I have a visitor later who operates the Modelkits Stuff YouTube channel, and he's coming for a preview of the work and sheets of parts etc. 
 

Roadless supplied the crawler kit as,(what we would call now, an aftermarket kit for a standard Fordson N tractor.  While some may have been used in farming, I believe the intention was more for industrial applications such as roadwork, logging and the like.
 
Andy

OK well here a few pictures of the capstan painted red.  At least folks will be able to see both choices and the decision will be easier for them.
 
I do like it better red...what do you guys think?
 

 

 

 

Roadless supplied the crawler kit as,(what we would call now, an aftermarket kit for a standard Fordson N tractor.  While some may have been used in farming, I believe the intention was more for industrial applications such as roadwork, logging and the like.
 
Andy