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Hi Len,
Been following along...the weathering is superb, very impressive
 

looking really nice Denis, not so bad with the small stuff your own self, i see!   Cabins are sweet   

Hi Len,
Been following along...the weathering is superb, very impressive
 

Thx to all for the continued likes and comments.
 
Look what I found in the G'kids toy box!!!! mine now haha.
 

I needed a method of securing and locating the outhouse so I added a couple of urns each side , the rear urn on each side protrudes below the surface of the deck into tight fitting holes, locates well and secures well, will likely ware as I eat through batteries but I'll worry about that when it happens.

thanks Mark.   I'm slowly getting used to the small parts  >note to self.......must get back to a larger model<  >going nutso here<    
 
thanks J     I'm so used to the larger kits........this one is a test on the nerves.  top it off with the problems I've come across so far,  and it's........well,  a thinker's model.  I've seen a couple of finished models already,  and to be quite frank.....I'm wondering how they managed to do it.   I suppose it was "one piece at a time."    the cabin assemblies are a bit different than what you had to do...I had wooden and metal plates to overlay on the structure 'plugs'.   all this amounted to was an easier solution,  in adding the external detail.
   I took a slightly different road.......having to remake the hold boxes,  I decided to combine it with fleshing out the main deck.  I'm still compiling pictures,  so the next update will be larger.   glad to have you following along  
 
thanks to all who hit the like button.....not sure what the problem is with the like button,  but I appreciate all who chooses to use it  

looking really nice Denis, not so bad with the small stuff your own self, i see!   Cabins are sweet   

No progress to report...unfortunately, work has kept me away from the table for weeks now with no end in sight.  
THX
J
 

looking really nice Denis, not so bad with the small stuff your own self, i see!   Cabins are sweet   

looking really nice Denis, not so bad with the small stuff your own self, i see!   Cabins are sweet   

No progress to report...unfortunately, work has kept me away from the table for weeks now with no end in sight.  
THX
J
 

Thanks Popeye...the small scale is a challenge, but you can display more ships in a limited space      I think it's kinda neat to see how much detail you can pack in...used to have a lot of fun with ho scale armor in plastic...teenie tiny dioramas.
 
A few more pics:
 
I painted the gun carriages a dark sea gray, influenced by some colorized pics I'd seen on line from the era, but they look a little dead and flat

 
so I decided I try a little dry brush on them to see if they'd pop a bit

 
here they are with the barrels set up

 
Spent a little time painting out the hatchways and skylights...still have to make the "windows"

 
Well that's it for now....thanks for your time and attention
J

THX Pop,
You got that right...I'm determined to get this pilot house to be a show piece, the doors are going to be a challenge, the technique I used last time kinda worked, still not as square as they need to be, gotta but more gray matter to use on that one.
 
 Na never crossed my mind, I'm of the opinion that most of us here consider this a place of camaraderie, and as such look to give and take advice...least that's how I see it

looking really nice Denis, not so bad with the small stuff your own self, i see!   Cabins are sweet   

looking really nice Denis, not so bad with the small stuff your own self, i see!   Cabins are sweet   

looking really nice Denis, not so bad with the small stuff your own self, i see!   Cabins are sweet   

from this point,  the aft cabin got a coat of lacquer
 


 
I still need to add the bottom bits of mahogany......
 

I also took a couple of progress pictures of the companionway and the aft cabin.   it's all back together and the roof is done.  I still need to apply the stain and do the companionway roof,  but here is how it looks now.
    for the skylight.......once I had it sanded down to where I wanted it,  I decided to give the sides a coat of med flat green.   I also did the companionway the same way.   I kinda fancy this color...I've used it on a couple of my past builds.  combined with a compatible brown,  it make for a great color scheme.  I think it will work well here.   once dry,  the window panes were filled in with the window maker.   I used a razor blade to remove the excess from the roof frames.  now they need to dry,  where it will become clear.
 

Companionway II
 
Well I finally finished the companionway and the captains quarter skylight. I trimmed out the windows in cherry stripwood, I built the hatch rails and hatch frame out of holly. I finished the hatch roof and door out of cherry strips.
 
This was a chore, and for those of you that have the Niagara plans, you will note a big mistake in the structures, Not a real big one, but since I made the same mistake twice, I had to reveal it.  I created the companionway with three windows per side, BUT, the plans only call for two windows per side. The salon skylight callsefor three windows, and I only put in two.
 
If you have followed this log, you will remember that I REBUILT these structures.  The first time, I made the same mistake, and when I decided to rebuild them, I figured I would fix this.  Well........ In my haste to get these things done (like trying to hurry doing a chore that took three days), I made the very same mistake again. Arghhhh. I have to keep reminding myself to look at the plans once and a while.
 
Here are some photos.  I had to see what they looked like on deck, so I simply put them in place.  
 
Up next, pin and fife rails.
 
 

Companionway
 
Finished the second skylight and began working on the companionway. Even though I have already built one of these, I worked most of the night just to get to this point. I still have to build the slide brackets and top, and then get it all to fit, then the door and the trim.
 
I truly believe I could build a full sized companionway in a shorter time. At least I could see what I am doing. This darn thing is small.
 
Interesting observation on the capstan Joel. You are spot on. With all of these deck structures, and the capstan wedged inbetween the salon skylight and the companionway, you can't. While the capstan bars appear to be mounted above the tops of the two structures, unless the men are prepared to step onto the roofs, it would be impossible. As I look at my build, I am not sure that my companion way will be low enough to clear the bars, making this even more of a problem.
 
I am sold. CASE CLOSED. The skylights and companionway are clearly a modern anomoly. Great point Joel.

​Skylights
 
​​Still working on deck structures.  Months ago, I built the three skylights.  I built them out of bass wood strips per the plans. This was a tedious project that took me days to accomplish. The plans call for the structures to be painted, and all one color, walls, frames and roof.  To be fair, the current ship's skylights are indeed painted a light brown - and all one color.
 
I have viewed posts on this site, and agree with the commenters that these skylights are probably a modern addition, and would not have been present on the 1813 version, at least in this form.  I would imagine however that there would have been some form of structure that would allow light in the hold and protection from rain.
 
Deciding to go with the structures as planned, I decide to forego the all one color.  I elected to line the roofs with cherry strip wood, that I would not paint. I masked off the roofs and sanded and primed the walls, and they sat in my make-shift paint booth waiting for me to find an acceptable beige paint. 
 
I looked at those skylights for weeks, and every time I did, I just did not think I could paint them to look good enough. So, I decided to scrap the existing structures and start over. I have learned that anytime I can avoid painting something, that is a preferable way to go. This time, I would build the walls out of of holly, and would mill some small cherry strip wood for the roofs, window sills and window covers.
 
As I learned the first time around, I cut out balsa blocks to the size of the skylights and used that as a support to build around.  It assured that the structures were square, and made the work with the small strips easier.  I cut 45 degree but joints on my mini miter box.  Getting the right size is a challenge, but once achieved, a block clamped to the fence allowed me to cut multiple even sized strips.
 
I have provided pictures of the process.  The built skylight at the top was the first version out of bass wood with a coat of white primer. The end product of the new design out of holly and cherry was much more acceptable.

I have an idea as to what I want to do with the roofs.   for the galley roof,  it was bordered off with mahogany.....even around the skylight.  I still need to fill in the front walls and the companionway,  but the roof is a good start.   the skylight opening was made larger,  and the inside will be painted.   I'm planning to use window maker for the glass,  so it will be clear.   there won't be much to see anyway,  but the trouble will be worth it.
 

thank you all for the kind comments and all the likes!   yes Sam......there should be tiny handles on the wheels.   I may try and add something to that effect before I paint it.   a lot of the detail was missing........I must study the Masters of Mini.   and draw from them  
thanks John......with an example like that,  how could I miss     thanks my friend!
thanks Bob  
thanks Patrick........yes,  I'm feeling much better.   the admiral can tell......I'm eating everything in sight!   {forget about the losing weight part earlier........I was just pull'in my own leg!   }

as you can see by my posting on a Sunday.......I did not go to work.   I'm still battling the effects of the stomach bug.   I won't go into too much detail.......distasteful as it is,  let's just say,  that after two days,  I'm back up and running again.
 
the one good day I had did result in a bit of progress........the other day was spent at work on Saturday.......by the end of the day though.......I was hoping that the little blue pill I took,  would wear off!.    to dress up the pump,   I ended up doing a few attempts,  bending the shaft to accept the three connecting rods.   I had drilled out the cylinders to give them more room.
 

 
when I had one that was reasonable enough,  brass eye bolts were used as connecting rods.....a little tedious to get them all in order.   it still needs to be trimmed.......but at least it is now assembled.
 

 
thanks for your patience.

Since I don't have an air brush or ready access to modeling spray paint, I decided to use auto touch up paint, readily available down the street.  The plan was to use sanding primer to identify and correct imperfections, then spray the copper and top of the hull.  I found a color (Nissan Mist Orange) that, when dulled with 00 steel wool, worked well for copper, and I had satin black for the top on hand.
The primer went on well but I ran into a problem with the spray can: I could only get about 30 seconds of spray before it clogged.  I had to use three cans to get three coats!  (The auto parts store replaced one of the cans.)  I think the clogs were in the cans, not the nozzle.  No idea what went wrong, but it meant that I was limited in my ability to fix dings.  The primer did wet-sand out very nicely.

 
I made up a waterline marker (based on a plan in the Mastini book).  It worked well but left some indentations in the soft primer.

 
Masked off the top of the hull (the copper follows the waterline very closely) and sprayed the first coat of copper - oops!  You'd think I'd have learned to use light coats by now...

 
Sanded that out and proceeded with two more coats, dulled it with steel wool, and masked it off to spray black above the waterline.

 
With some trepidation, I removed the masking tape, and voila:

 
So, on to the rail cap and the chain plates and deadeyes.