Oboship

Chris, first of all I wish your wife a speedy recovery (I was thinking to rename my Speedy to - what's her name again? 😉) Anyway, this might be slightly off topic and I already apologize to moderators. Coming back to Scharnhorst . It may not be commonly known but in the same period there were actually two ships named Scharnhorst: the battlecruiser (we are looking at here), launched in 1936, and the „combiship“ (Kombischiff in German) launched in December 1934, a combination of passenger and cargo ship. This one and two sisters were owned by then Norddeutscher Lloyd and they were designed for a fast Germany / Far East Service. Scharnhorst was particularly innovative in those days because she was one of the first bigger ships with a turbo-electric propulsion feeding two propellers. Besides, she was a beauty in her own right (see picture below) Dimensions: length: ca. 199 m, width: 22,5 m, deadweight: 10.500 tdw, speed 23,3 kts. In 1938, after several other ships, my father sailed as Electrical Engineer Assistant for some months in the (combi) Scharnhorst, and Scharnhorst became his favourite ship because of the then modern power plant, and moreover, because this was his last seagoing voyage before he started studying to become an electrical engineer. In 1974 dad’s 60th birthday was coming up and one day I was asked by one of his colleagues: „Which Scharnhorst did your father sail in, anyway?“ I replied: „It was the combiship, not the warship.“ The colleague replied: „Oh, then we have got the wrong photograph“. The great day came and my dad was given a framed picture of the warship Scharnhorst. Since he would never had admitted that this was the wrong ship he thanked everybody for this nice and memorable present and how glad he was to have received it. After the applause etc. finished he was given another present, this time it was a framed picture of his Scharnhorst. And that left him simply touched and speechless. He was really glad and proud to have this very picture and he admired it literally daily until he died a year later. I still have this picture which is now waiting for an appropriate and decent place in our new appartment at the Baltic coast. I also still keep a special edition of a shipping magazine from 1935 which describes the construction and build of „Schnelldampfer Scharnhorst“ (Schnelldampfer = Fast Steamer). Many years ago I donated the picture of the battlecruiser to the Maritime Museum Bremerhaven. If there were a model kit of „our“ Scharnhorst I would definetly go for it... Take care and stay healthy! Uwe

A new definition of (light-)speed, maybe? Great log of a great model! Uwe

Good luck with your new kit! I'm looking forward to your build log as Alert will be my next build as well. Uwe

Looking great! I'm curious to see your guns rigged. I rigged my cannons according to the instructions with breech ropes only and I think the thread I used is a bit too thin. Maybe I will still change that. Uwe

I'm very curious... Good luck! Uwe

@rshousha: I guess it was nobody's intention to make disparaging or discouraging remarks about Jotika / Caldercraft. Except for the Lady Nelson my entire "fleet" is or has been so far from Caldercraft, and I'm still fond of their kits because they are of high quality and are shipped with all fittings and a comprehensive set of drawings (for clarity, my next two projects will be from Vanguard, though). Fact of the matter is, however, Jotika / Caldercraft have come to a standstill since at least 2010 or 2011, which was when I came back to shipmodelling. Since then there has been no innovation, whatsoever. This is a pity and particularly sad on their own account. Had they continued developing the Surprise and the mystic "Nelson's 74" and pushed forward the sale of the two models, I'm quite convinced that these ships would have added considerably to Jotika's business (and reputation). And please remember: Brexit and its obstructions came up far later than 2010. I still would order from Caldercraft rather than from a manufacturer unknown to me. Uwe

So now we have two more angles to look from 🙂.

Simply: wow! What a beautiful model! I'm looking forward to see her fully rigged. Uwe

The model is, however, not the "Surprise" we know from the movie "Master and Commader". I took the pictures in San Diego, April 2006. Uwe

I had at least the opportunity to look at the prototype. It was displayed at the International Model Exhibition in Dortmund, Germany. I took the picture in March or April 2009 which is 12 years (!!!) ago. At the time I was very excited about the "forthcoming release". A nice model she might be, if ever produced... Due to reasons of local data protection / privacy I blanked the face of the gentleman in the background. Uwe

Hi, The masts, sweeps and both boats are now in their positions and I have started rigging; bowsprit first and the shrouds for the lower fore mast. The jib boom and cap are ready to come on to the bowsprit but I will wait with their installation as long as possible because boom, cap and dolphin striker are prone to snapping off (as I very well remember from previous experiences...😉). The gap above the bowsprit will of course be closed as I move on. I have not found out yet why there are differences in the quality of the photos, probably limits of my smart phone's zoom function. Uwe

Great build log and a superb model! I will certainly be using your log as reference once I have started to build my Alert. Uwe

Here is a quick update on the build of my Jalouse: Deadeyes are attached; to me this is the most unpopular part of the build(s). I hate to bend and work on these 0,5mm photo etched brass thingies! But somehow I made it, finally, and forgot about the tedious time. The pre-cut slots in the channels needed considerable widening before the deadeye straps went in (probably that's why I hate it...). Now I'm working on the masts etc., i.e. the main mast is completed and the lower fore mast is close to completion. On the photos both are preliminary in dry-fit. Below is a close-up picture of the top of the lower fore mast which I included to show that it is possible to do very precise shapings with the Proxxon compound table KT 70. Uwe

Hi Vane, It's my idea too: to do something creatively and enjoy the result once it is completed. As all (or probably most) on this forum share the same passion -historic ships- the beauty of them adds to the fun of building them. I like your idea of switching ships seasonwise but there still remains the question where to store those which are not on display?? Diana to me is a real borderline, sizewise, not to mention the challenging build as has been discussed here. But as I said above -if I look at your Diana as she is now I am tempted... Take care Uwe

Hi, Yes, I've thought to build Diana as an admiralty model. However, the "problem" is that we will be moving to a smaller appartment in a few years. I have -for the time being- 3 completed ship models, one under construction, 2 more from Vanguard still unboxed (all in 1:64) PLUS Diana on which I started about 10 years ago but put on hold for time reasons. Oh, I forgot to mention the three model steam engines that stand here collecting dust... So I will have to make a decision on my preferences. Looking at Vane's Diana in her early stages though, has made me think again. But rationality will winn, I'm afraid 😕. All the best Uwe

You must have a lot of room(s) in your house! I have already started to consider abandoning my Diana because of the room / space issue... Have a good new year and success with your fleet! Uwe

Hi Thomas, Same here with my Jalouse... I have at least completed the hull yet and am preparing to shape the masts etc. Slow progressing... 😒

Absolutely stunning! Both the build and the photographs! Looking at the pictures, I'm tempted to start on my Speedy immediately (however Jalouse is first to be completed). If I ever got anywhere close to this craftsmanship...😏 Uwe

Exactly my opinion, too! Uwe

Nicely expressed... I think Kevin's answer is a good idea. From what I saw in all the threads Chris' wife sincerely supports his passion and deserves a decent dinner or two (once this Covid issue is over). Thanks to both of you! Cute dog, too! All the best Uwe

Thanks for the comments and the Likes! Yes, I am very much looking forward to start building Alert or Speedy, although watching Jalouse and her nice lines develop is fun too!

... by the way, SPEEDY might become JeALOUS(E) if I`m not ALERT enough... Sigh...🤔

During the last couple of months the build of my Jalouse was progressing rather slowly. But I can at least post a few pictures. Guns are assembled and put in place, channels and belaying banks are fitted, longboat is on its cradles, sweeps are being made and the jolly boat is also ready. I hope that I can soon start with masting and rigging.

Have you assembled the guns yet? I noted that with my Jalouse's guns the bore for the brass wire which is to form the trunnions (part no161) is not leading symmetrically through the gun barrel. The bore is rather at a ratio of approximately 1/3 vs. 2/3 of the circumference. This means that the guns might not pass through the gunports if the trunnions are placed wrongly on to the carriages ("top-side down"). I took a picture of the relevant plan section and tried to mark the bore of my guns in red.

Even if Amati and Vanguard have surpassed Caldercraft kits, Caldercraft are in my opinion still in the upper range compared to other stuff I have seen out there. I completed the Cruiser and the Ballahoo, I started with Diana a while ago and currently I'm building Jalouse. All kits highly -and only- benefit from those drawings Chris did and the instructions manual. Same goes for Amati's Lady Nelson. Of course Chris' Vanguard series is in a far different league (I just bought Speedy recently, so I know), but when Caldercrafts Portfolio came to life, times and technologies were different from today. The only problem I had with any of the above mentioned kits was the deck planking of Jalouse. This -the wood quality- is a topic Caldercraft should work on. But to me, it is unfair to simply criticize Caldercraft for not updating their products and indirectly -for that matter- criticize Chris and his earlier work which enabled many people to build representable ship models. Just my two cents. Uwe