ScottRC

Kimberly,

Great progress.  I built the "Pirate Ship" and converted it to a fictional ship from the Alexander Kent series.  I must tell you, that is one of the bloody hell's teeth of a model to start on.  Lindberg kits tend to be more flash and missmolded plastice than actual parts.  I raise a toast to you.

I also have a few of the Revell Columbus ships.  I love the Pinta, and the Santa Maria is tops for a quick, easy, relaxing build.  All three of the kits are great.  The Heller Santa Maria is also in the same boat (pun).

Other fun sailing ships to build are the galleons by Revell. Golden Hind and the large Spanish Galleon.  Although some discredit their historical accuracy, they are by far fun to build.  Since you like working with bright colors, you will have a lot of fun painting these models.

Note that all the above kits I mentioned are simple square rigged ships that will help you move into more complex square riggers such as Frigates and Clipperships.

I would also suggest for future builds the Revell Mayflower, Bounty/Beagle, and of coarse their Constitution.  If your ready for the challange of multiple yards, the Cutty Sark and Stag Hound are great kits to cut your teeth on clippers.

I have built a number of Heller models, and to me, they are beautiful kits, but seem to be harder than wooden kits.

Keep up the good work

Scott

Great work and I really like the idea of the double case.  I have a major problem with dust and doghair in my workshop since its in the basement and by the air returns.  Your system would work well.

the presentation of the model really gives off a feeling and sets the mood.  I really like it.

Superb work!

WOW!  your build gives a true meaning to Ship Shape.

Lookin good on the shrouds and ratlines.  I agree with shrouds, the making of which is like herding a group of three legged cats through a square dance competition, I could never seem to get them to all be the same height.

Great work Jim, and thanks for the pics, they are helping me with my build.

Scott

Looking good!

Hello Robbyn,

Just checked in and saw the latest pics, lookin good.  May not be around for while because of work, so hope everything continues to go well.  Try to look in when I can to see the progress.

Scott

WHEN the SF is completed (hopefully by the end of May),

 

 

I NEED A SHOP!!!!

 

That is good that you are giving youself a deadline to complete a model.  You are doing the right thing by not putting a YEAR to the month, it makes it easier on your sanity.

You need a shop huh?   No you don't, trust me, we are like goldfish, the bigger the tank, then more we expand.    You no longer work in 1/100th of an inch but in 1/10th's of and inch and the shop is never large enough.  

I just found your build log and your work is beautiful.

Scott

Thanks, I hope to get pics ready over the weekend to set up a build log.  However it is getting busy for me at work,  It would be nice to see both our kits progress through the rigging process together.

Scott

Railings??????????????? This kit has railings?  Man, and I tought I would go insane doing railings and photo-etch in 1/700.  Great job!

Steve,

Not to worry about how long it takes to complete the kit.  I think these old kits require one to take time off from them and come back later.  I am glad it is taking the time it is because if I rushed a kit like this, it would have been in the trash long ago.  I found I must really think through each step, which has been a great learning tool.

Scott

Yes, the Endavor was a Barque rig in later years but was ship rigged under Capt. Cook,  She has slightly raised prowl and poop.  Designed as a collier with a blunt bow and shallow draft, not a real pretty ship is you ask me.

Here is it in need to some future attention.  I plan to start back on it after the Constitution is done.

Agree with Steve,

Spray is not a good thing, you cannot control the thickness which ends up with runs, cracking, and orange peel effects.  It also draws dust onto the model, and a wood ship is a incubator for dust.  I prefer to use brush, cloth, and small sponges to apply stain and sealer.

  Yippee, a stick is protruding.

No, just a few pics from later in the build that survived from an earlier HD crash.  This is the earliest pic I have and need to take some updated pics.  I have been doing so much experimentation with this kit such painting and rigging that I was hesitent about a build log. 

I'll be keeping an eye on your Morgan build.  Looks fun!

Yes Steve, Kansas it is.

I am a draftsman by trade so the instructions and plans had enough for me to get by and kinda made it fun in a demented sort.  The kit was just like the old Comet airplane kits except the parts were printed on 3 ply instead of balsa.  I wore out a few jigsaw blades cutting the kit.  Many of the kit parts just ended up being used as patterns to fabricate new parts from solid hard wood.  I think I am about at the same stage you are at so I may start a log so we can compare notes.  I am impressed, the Serapis is a much more traditional build than the Endeavor.  The Endeavor was more an entry level kit and really is just a shape that needs a lot of scratch building in order to represent a decent finished model.  I think it will look  nice with a second planking of hardwood, say Cherry.  I cannot wait to see your Bonhomme Richard.

I did inquire at Nature Coast awhile back and the Essex was no more. I continue to check around for an Essex kit but the ones I have seen for sale are priced much more than I can pay, or am willing to pay, for a kit of this quality, especially with a new Blue Jacket Essex just around the corner.

Regards,

Scott

Folks, we will need to be sure we are her support group throughout the up and coming phase of shrouds and ratlines.  A phase in which she will endure hours upon hours of tying one knot after another, working up one mast, then the other, and through each individual eyebolt, a shroud will be formed and every turn of the thread counted to be equal to the last.  All the time, she will be yearning for the smell of fresh wood being glued to newly sawn timbers and missing the feel of a hull coming together beneath her fingers.   She is going to be tempted to be drawn away from the current build, with its tedium and redundancy, an off to the young, newly acquired, and ready to be laid up and planked kit, until it too may be drawn off to a lesser priority in order to have a new curiosity pursued.

This, my fellow modelers, is how we become masters of many builds at one time.  We do not want her to go into this dark side of our hobby.  Or do we?

Great build log.  I am so glad to see a kit by this company posted.  I have been building their Endeavor on and off for a few years.  Instructions???? If I could read Italian, or is it Portugese?   And the drawings are pretty generic.  But overall it has been a good build despite no detail (great practice for scratchbuilding)  and the use of pressed sawdust and resin bow and stern sections. 

I also have the book "Building Period Ship Models" put out by Aeropiccolla that has all these kits shown in it.  Two models I have always been intrigued with were the Serapis and the Essex.

Steve I had the same thoughts and settled on the following for my USS Constitution, a war ship.

 

I am in the process of adding six sails. The spanker, jib and flying jib, and the three topsails. It is my understanding that this was one of the usual rigs for ships in battle. Others, such as the main course and perhaps the top gallant sails could be furled, but I decided not to do that because of the extra work and 'busy scene'. There are many paintings of ships in battle and they usually show all sails rigged, but unless there was a slight breeze, that was not usually so because it took too many men to handle the sails instead of the cannons.

 

Here is my first sail installed.sail 13.jpg

 

Notice I have not yet finished the rest of the mizzen mast at this point, because the shrouds need to go up first.

 

PS. I just remembered the picture below of the USS Constitution after its last overhaul. I think it was when it arrived in Boston. It had the sails rigged as I mentioned above.

conny rigging 2.jpg

What you are showing is how I like to present the sails.  Enough to show to ship is being worked yet not so many that it detracts from the other details.  I also do not like to rig up every sail nor to I like to rig as if the yards are drawn down in ordinary.

Thank you Sjors, your kind words are very insuring. Glad you liked the pictures. I live on a lake, and it gets difficult to get a good background shot that shows the masts very well. My work table faces out to the water, so I can enjoy the lake and build my ships.

That would be my dream place to build. To be able to look out at the water.  At present I have to build in my basement.  Not to complain mind you, it is a very nice shop, just a little dark for my tastes.  Then again, I just picture myself in below decks.

Lookin great Tex.  I am also working on this kit and am about finished with the standing rig then will start on the yards.  Thanks for the pics. pretty motivational.

Scott

Cannot wait to see more.  Especially when the deck housings wheels start to take shape. 

I also prefer PVA (Gorilla or Elmer’s Tight bond is common locally) for general building.  Easy to clean up, no odors or fumes that burn the eyes, much less expensive, and can be diluted with water or isopropyl alcohol and ran through a syringe to get into really tight areas.  I use CA when I need a really fast, strong joint made. And two part epoxy for high stress joints.