racouch444

A rich and warm, heart wrenching story. To me your task will be a monumental one, and I am looking forward to your log and wishing you the best of success.

racouch444 here Beautiful job. I especially like your cannon rigging, very neat, nice taut lines, and every one alike. I like your idea of using diluted white glue to make your coils. I`ve been using super glue with terrible results ( on my Syren ). Who do you buy Morope from ??? Did`nt you get cast metal cannons with this kit, or did you choose not to use them ??? Your cannons look great, very real, how did you make them ?? Many times I don't like the kit supplied parts, and I make my own, but I find helms or ( steering wheels ) as one mfgr calls them, a bitch because of the scale size. Your whole build is a work of art , and you really can be proud of it. I look forward to your posts on the rigging.

Wow, beautiful workmanship throughout. I too am in the middle of building the Syren by MS, just starting to rig my cannons. Unhappily it doesn't compare very favorably with your build. I changed quite a few things from the kit, some worked out well, some didn't. I re-cast the stern scroll work, badges, and figure head in resin, the cannons in metal. But can any Syren builder tell me where the bars for capstan are stowed ??? My helm is missing 3 hand grips, going to see if MS will send me a replacement - don't know I can repair it. racouch444

A beautiful build. The rework of the stern was incredible -I don't think I`d have the courage, but the results speak for themselves. How did you finish the inside contour of the 34` cutter so clean ??? I love your idea using a template to assist in your rigging, I`m going to steal it for my Syren. I haven't see your previous post, before but glad I didn't miss this one. racouch444

Thanks for the pictures, log and the welcome suggestions. I have just about completed my Syren hull, and the plating. I was`nt willing to deal with all those little pieces of the copper plates, so I put my copper on in strips - after dimppling the strips by a tiny die, made of aluminum. But instead of punches, I center punched the aluminum, with the pattern shown in the manual, leaving a standing sharp edge, and used three strips of rubber glued to the upper part of the die ( punch ) to force the copper face down onto the centerpunched aluminum. It did a damn fine job I think, but I did had to add dimples later where there were gaps in the pattern. The plating looks OK, but the authenticity went out the window. I also had a problem with the cannons ( the paper `test` ) being too high, I cut my waterways out at the gun ports, not a good solution. Those gun ports were a `bear ` to make square, and neat, and the sweep ports impossible. What the hell is a sweep port anyway, - I mean on the real ship ??? If it werent so expensive, I`d almost be willing to start this job over. I don`t like the cannons MS supplied with the kit, so I`m going to re-cast them using a RTV rubber mold, altered to photos I downloaded from Model Ship World some time ago. I dont know thats going to work out, but I have done it before, with moderate success casting small boats. I noticed your helm, very nice - obviously not a kit issue, mine came with half the outside spokes missing. I`m not sure I can make a wheel that small, I`m going to try casting it in resin. Sorry about the lack of pictures, as yet I dont have a camera, but I`m working on that. racouch444

I am building The Syren from MS`s kit, have completed the hull, and am in the process of plating the bottom. The manual is by far the best of any kit I have built so far ( only 6 ). I have made quite a few mistakes, but I still feel it will turn out to be a decent looking piece of work. The mistakes were my own, failing to follow Chuck Passarows detailed instructions, and due to my own impatience. You almost dont need the prints, which are themselves clear and detailed, but it is a kit for the experienced modeler - which I am not quiet yet. But I am enjoying the challenge immensely. I had to push aside my almost completed " Flying Fish ", due to the fustration of the rigging. But I will return to it when I finish the " Syren ". racouch444