Papa

My name is gene1 on the site & my name is Gene. This is my first log on this site although I have done a lot on another forum. I told Popeye, denis that I thought his log on this engine was the best I had ever seen & I think that more than ever now. I used his very well done log & read many parts a lot. He did a beautiful job on his General.
  I will be 89 in a couple days & enjoy building models as much ,or more, than I did back before World War 2. I have built most everything except flying models. I hated to see them crash. My log will not be complete like denis's is, but I will try to remark on some things that might be of interest.
              I have built at least 6 pretty complete train layouts too & my first engine was an HO General, so I have always loved the General & have seen the original several times. Here are a few of my first pictures & I will show more because mine is finished ,nearly. I started it on Nov. 2 & stayed with it until a week ago when I finished it.
 The first thing I do on ships or other models is glue a dowel or 1x2 into the hull to screw into if needed.
   The first thing I did was to glue the tender together backwards, so much for building for nearly 80 years, you still screw up. It didn't fit together quite as well the second time, but filler helped. When I glued my walkways onto the engine I had to take about 1/16" out of the rear of the part that goes into the glue slot to get it to fit to the rear. With the walkway I brushed 2 coats of Tamiya Wood Deck Tan onto them & then masked them to paint the black engine. When it was dry I brushed several coats of Raw Umber very thin oil wash on them. You will have to clean the oil off to get the Cab to stick. 
 I brush painted the inside of the Cab with a green mix & then masked it off all over to paint the red. I was careful to scrape any green off the window frames because red does not cover good. I use 95% Tamiya Acrylic because it does not peel like MM does & Tamiya most often does not need a primer. I always let my paint dry for at least a day before i mask & often times I will put a thin coat of MM glosscoat on the edge of the mask to prevent runs. I will be back & add more things to the build or answer any questions.
 
     I am sure you can see I am not Popeye, denis, because I am not great with a computer. Old people ,I think, are computer dumb.  I will add a few of my latest sailing ship pictures because CDW asked me to
 















Here are some of my sailing ships. I did do a lot of wood kits, but at my age I stick with plastic now. I figure I have time to finish them. At least you can see you can build models until 90 or so. I will try to make a 100.
This is a1/100 wood Constitution I built 35 or 40 years ago & it is still in my living room.
Revell 1/95 Spanish Galleon

My 1/100 Victory under const.

Flagstaff 1/200 Cairo ironclad

1/600 Academy Big E   Beautiful kit easy.


  I have a million more if you want to see more let me know.

TITANIC IS FINALLY FINISHED!
 
I have posted completion pictures in the Gallery of completed kit ships, but I couldn't resist this one that shows the "place of honor" for this model in my office.  Ensures that I will look at it multiple times each day.  😁
 
A few final construction notes.  Some of these you'll see better in the Gallery pictures:
The kit instructions use a plain wood dowel painted brown for the masts.  Couldn't stand that idea so I found a walnut dowel of the same size and used that. I bought a finished walnut base.  The kit includes a MDF base, but I've never figured out how to make one of those look like wood, and I didn't want a black base under this one. You'll see a yellow stripe down the side between the white and black parts of the structure.  This is in the box picture, but not in the instructions.  I did it by using the planking strips, which were perfectly sized, and pre-painting them. Even conserving the supplied rigging thread, I ran out after rigging the Marconi antenna and didn't have enough for the leads down to the ship, so I used some spare from another kit. I wanted to get this done this week as we are headed off for 5-6 weeks for a long Asia trip.  When back and time adjusted, I'm going to do the Dumas Chris Craft Commuter next.  Should be a different challenge to get the finish right.
 
Thanks to all who have followed this build -- for your encouragement and help.
 
Regards,
David

Before going into mass production on the lifeboat davits, I wanted to make sure I understood how it all comes together, so I did two davits and one lifeboat and mounted them.  Result below.
 
The stern lifeboats (like this one) hang partly out from the deck.  The bow lifeboats mount flush to the edge of the deck.
 
Regards,
David

Finished the stern poop deck.  
 
Regards,
David

I put some planking down as reference and then begin assembling coamings for the various hatches etc. In the photo I am test fitting the coaming around the main hatch opening. I still need to trim back the decking at tiny bit.  I am finding it very difficult to work with wood to tolerances of 1/64” or less. 😬 My eyes certainly aren’t what they used to be.  The photo also demonstrates the versatility of the Hobby Zone building slip 

I put some planking down as reference and then begin assembling coamings for the various hatches etc. In the photo I am test fitting the coaming around the main hatch opening. I still need to trim back the decking at tiny bit.  I am finding it very difficult to work with wood to tolerances of 1/64” or less. 😬 My eyes certainly aren’t what they used to be.  The photo also demonstrates the versatility of the Hobby Zone building slip 

I finished it about three months ago. I got carronades from Model Monkey to replace the white metal junk that came with it. Here are some photos from my version.

I put some planking down as reference and then begin assembling coamings for the various hatches etc. In the photo I am test fitting the coaming around the main hatch opening. I still need to trim back the decking at tiny bit.  I am finding it very difficult to work with wood to tolerances of 1/64” or less. 😬 My eyes certainly aren’t what they used to be.  The photo also demonstrates the versatility of the Hobby Zone building slip 

I put some planking down as reference and then begin assembling coamings for the various hatches etc. In the photo I am test fitting the coaming around the main hatch opening. I still need to trim back the decking at tiny bit.  I am finding it very difficult to work with wood to tolerances of 1/64” or less. 😬 My eyes certainly aren’t what they used to be.  The photo also demonstrates the versatility of the Hobby Zone building slip 

I put some planking down as reference and then begin assembling coamings for the various hatches etc. In the photo I am test fitting the coaming around the main hatch opening. I still need to trim back the decking at tiny bit.  I am finding it very difficult to work with wood to tolerances of 1/64” or less. 😬 My eyes certainly aren’t what they used to be.  The photo also demonstrates the versatility of the Hobby Zone building slip 

Well, after a couple of health problems and a serious modelers block, I have finished Mount #9 40mm/56 Twin Bofors in 1/32 scale. This diorama will be donated to the Millville Army Air Field Museum in the name of Owen Garrison. He was an original Plank Owner aboard CVL-26 USS MONTEREY. At the age of 93 He serves as a Docent, and along with His wife, opens the museum every Saturday to welcome visitors.

The ship structure is scratch built. The gun mount is a SRS resin kit with 20 parts and many items added. The jeep/mule, is a reworked Tamiya kit. The 40mm rounds, with clips, and spent brass, are from Orange Hobby. The figures are a combination of Italeri PT sailors, and Warrior PT crew. With the case the size is:
18 1/2" wide
16 1/2" deep
14 " high

Any And All Questions are Welcome

Bob W

The first four are general shots, second four are macro shots.

This should be a quick build with the paint  being the most complicated part of the build in getting the striping to scale with oils.The copit I almost did not bother with for one will never really see once done and so small but gave it a whirl. Kevin

Finished awhile back and I need to post the final display.  Thanks for watching. 

The interior:
Floor boards were separated by paper strips while glue dries.



The interior was then varnished with Danish oil.




To be continued soon...

Next I began work on the top mizzen top mast and royal haul purchases and running them to the crab winches..

Here's the hull frame.  Goes together nicely and a good fit all around.  The frames and keel are plywood -- I prefer MDF (Amati uses it) as it's more rigid.
 
Regards,
David

Hi all,
 
This will be a very abridged version of this build as the full project will be published in a forthcoming SAM (Scale Aircraft Modelling) magazine. The base kit is the Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VIIF
 
I finally decided to dig out my Pheon decals for Wilhelm Hippert's 'Mimmi' Fokker D.VIIF. For this I'm using Wood & Wire decals to accompany the Pheon, and HGW belts. Spandau will be GasPatch and if I have a suitable wooden prop in stash, I'll use that too.


 

 

 
I'll be adding the oxygen apparatus from a German Accessories set in a WNW kit, and modifying it to suit. Work is already way along, so here's a few images:
 




 

 

My Prince of Wales or my version of "fifty shades of grey" is now finished. I have enjoyed the build although Tamiya's PoW is not the best model. In 1976 I would probably have thought the standard was good but now..... no. It is OK if you get the model for a low price and can accept that this is a build for just the fun gluing plastic together and splash some paint on it. I spent some time weathering and overdid it as usual 🙂 but it was fun. Anyhow here is my interpretation of  a dirty Prince of Wales arriving to Singapore in December 1941.
 
Finally thank you all for encouraging comments and thumbs up.
 
Kind regards
 
Henrik
 







 

I experience that this method of lofting the strakes is not ideal. It worked well for my shrimper because the planks were maximum half a ship's length long. On this model they stretch from bow to stern, therefore their shape must be more accurate or they wrench or there are gaps between the strakes. I have to try another system.

I try it this way: I attach a narrow strip of fairly stiff drawing paper along the edge of the strake that I want to draw. I take care not to wring the strip along the edge of the adjoining plank.



Then I draw from the inside of the hull with a sharp pencil along the plank edge the edge shape on the paper. I mark also the stations on the obtained pencil line.



The paper can be taken off the model; the line must now be retouched until it is smooth enough to follow the last strake.



Now it is again the usual procedure of measuring the stroke width and to displace the widths to the paper pattern.


 


The obtained shape of the plank.



The pattern cut out and on the model to check the connection to the adjacent plank.



The pattern glued on the plank to saw it out.


 


After the plank was curved above the heat of the paint stripper heat gun.



Holding the plank on its position.


The plank glued and clamped.


Clamps removed the day after




Thank you to follow.
Thank you for the likes.
And thank you for the constructive comments.
 
Till next week!

All the further strakes do not have one straight side, so from now on I will have to use an adapted method.
To determine the shape of the strake which is in place, I attach a strip of transparent paper to the model. The paper has to be attached as much as possible winkle-free.

I mark the different stations on the paper.

Now I rub with a pencil along the entire stake edge , that's how I get a sharp line of the plank side.

 

Now I take the paper off the model and measure station by station the width of the adjacent strake and mark them on the paper.

 

I connect all the markings with a continuous line. Where the connections are too angulated, I round them off. When all the is done I have a paper template of the strake which I glue on an oak plank to saw out and to sand into shape.

 

 

 

It is always a bit of surprise to see how the strake is bent. Here you see the strake sawn out and still with the paper template on it.

When peeling off the paper template, I take over the station markings on the plank to have a reference to place them on the model.

After a check to see that everything fits, I bend the plank (paint stripper heat gun method), ...

... glue and clamp the plank on the model.

 

 
 

Part 3: The building board
I make the 'building board' as described in practicum of Mr Van Beylen. It is a simple rectangular frame in which the model is fixed with some nails and some small wooden support blocks. A piece of string is stretched to center the stations.

With the stations lined up and centered.

I add support blocks between the stations for strength.

The handy thing about this kind of building frame is that you can clamp it in the workmate in all kinds of positions.
      
With the stations in position, the edges of the inner keel can be chamfered in accordance with the angle of the station bottom.

 
Thank you for the likes and till next week!

I started this kit with the intent of making the Amelia Earhart version of this iconic Lockheed aircraft. I forgot when I started it was so long ago. It is a very poorly made and poorly fitting kit. Attaching things like landing gear is pure guess work as there are no reference points or indents to show where the struts go.   Ditto for many other parts.  I kept putting the kit aside in frustration with filling and sanding and filling and sanding over and over. At one point I tossed it in the trash but later retrieved it. I think that’s when I lost the decals. 😣
Anyway I finally finished it with a philosophy of good enough, far from perfect.  The only positive outcome was that I learned how to produce my own decals. 

i occasionally get visitors of the 4 legged variety outside my shipyard window.  Occasionally a fox.  More commonly deer.

A lesson on reading ahead and studying the plans.  I was about to start the planking when I read the second paragraph in the instruction’s section on planking. It said there is part call a “thick pad” around the main mast and should be put in before planking, so as to plank around it.  This is not shown in the simplified deck plan on sheet (#tbd). On the other hand this plan sheet recommends adding some scrap wood around the hatch positions to help support the hatch coamings and deck planks, which is also in the instructions but I overlooked it at first. So be careful. Plans and instructions complement each other. Additionally, there is no laser cut “thick pad” in my kit. It is not mentioned on the list of laser cut parts and I couldn’t find such a piece. So I scratch built it.  The mast in the photo is just there to keep everything aligned. 

i occasionally get visitors of the 4 legged variety outside my shipyard window.  Occasionally a fox.  More commonly deer.