BANYAN

That's looking so good Glen; you could get a second job in movie model making. cheers Pat

Looks good! Nice use of the tools to achieve this nice crisp bit of joinery. cheers Pat

Looks great Steven, a creative solution. Do you have any concerns that the PVA may be affected by humidity in the future? cheers Pat

I'll hopefully stay away from any inuendo and simply say your creations are looking great Glen . Oh, and I still think a couple of spears sticking out of those creations will look great Sorry, couldn't help it., my fingers just kept typing. cheers Pat

I hope all works out well for you Richard. this will be one eye-popping sight to see with the mechanism in place and working the oars. cheers Pat

Looking good Vlad, those carvings came up really well. cheers Pat

Great info Bruce, thanks. It helps to clarify some of the issues. Seems this Uni has a decent Maritime/Naval Archeology department as Mark Staniforth is a Professor here and he had produced a couple of papers on this subject also. cheers Pat

I hope it arrives soon Harry; hopefully all in good working order -- no trouble with mine as it was well packaged. cheers Pat

That's a very interesting find Druxey, thanks. cheers Pat

That's the sort of approach I am also looking at Keith. If I restrict its use to simply laying down primer then even if I only get 10 uses out of it, then that is probably 10 models as I use my high-end one (H&S) for the finer and smaller parts. The big 'seller' for me was the interchangeable larger volume paint cups which is what I needed. Roger, I agree, there is not much fine detail work I do with an airbrush. If I was an artist or doing heavy weathering of a plastic model then there is no other way but to go for a better quality brush. Harry, I think you are in an even more restrictive situation than me. I put some water through the other day it it worked fine with the two larger needles. I'll be putting some [aint down soon using the large cup, and that will be the real test. I wouldn't want to drop the thing though, it is very light weight. cheers, and many thanks for all of the comments and feedback. cheers Pat

What an outstanding model Keith; it has been a true pleasure to watch you bring her along. She is a testament to your skills. cheers Pat

HOF - I will see if I can find some Harry, I think the best bet would be to contact the guy that runs the Barbatos Rex YouTube channel as he seems to have an inside run with these guys. Will let you know if I find anything. Kurt, James et al. The great pity of all this is that I only became aware of a local guy (Scale Model Supplies - SMS - who lives just up the road from me) who makes great paint, but I just found out he also makes / has a range of airbrushes called DragonAir (probably made off-shore though) a few days after posting this. If I had known of him earlier, I would have ordered one of his airbrushes instead. Just to clarify, I wanted something cheap, with a larger needle and had an extra-large cup option simply to lay down primers. I did not want to spend the sums some of the 'brand names' charge for this purpose. I will stick with my H&S for fine work though. The problem with some Brand names however, is that to buy them or to get spares etc down here is SUPER expensive due to the high postal rates from the US and some other countries these days - this has done no favours for US companies we typically use in this hobby, and I have had to stop purchasing from the likes of Sherline etc as the postal costs are just not sustainable (the postal charges are the same if not MUCH more than the items). As an example: I wanted a glass bottomed airbrush cleaning pot. I very recently looked on Amazon and found one at a very good price (less than US$25), but only available through Amazon US - that price was inviting until they added US$83 for postage for quite a small item - GO FIGURE! For this very reason, while it is great to be able to support local businesses (and I fully support this intention) those kinds of fees/charges just do not make it viable to order from the larger companies. Prices within the US may be okay, but for us international customers to buy say a Badger, you can double or triple the prices down here for such items. That is why we look at these cheaper options occasionally. I am not trying to start a flame war here, nor to belittle any products or such, and actually agree with the sentiments expressed - its just that in reality it is hard to put into practice when these sort of prices affect people whom may be on a budget? This post, and the original, was simply intended to try and help out others in a similar situation - buying 'Branded' is sometimes simply not an option; it would help if these 'big brands' tried to do something about the exorbitant postal costs sometime applied. cheers Pat

Ouch indeed Vlad, but it looks like you're well on the path of recovery. I think this might be a 'right of passage' for builders. I can't remember how many jib-booms I had to replace on my Endeavour. cheers Pat

Thanks again Eberhard, that's the one. I have some original plates I purchased on-line which appear to have been cut from this or similar article. I also had seen some patent descriptions/articles in a couple of contemporary magazines, but the linked thesis is great, thanks. I'll keep my eyes open for any other release mechanisms I have come across, especially if in good condition. cheers Pat

Thanks for that very helpful explanation Eberhard; much appreciated. I would agree, this looks very similar to the three-leg sling chain arrangement used by the RN. At one stage (about 1858 I think) the "Victoria" experimented with a new lifting and lowering arrangement, especially a new release mechanism designed by a Mr. Clifford. I have yet to determine the result of the trials and whether she kept that arrangement. Happy to send you some details if you would like them. cheers Pat

Neat (and not so costly) solution Glen. cheers Pat

A mini-masterpiece Eberhard. I love the weather worn look of those bench seats/thwarts. I am also grateful for the photos which show how you have addressed the chain sling component of the boat lifting/lowering arrangement as that is something I need to address also. cheers Pat

Cheers HOF, thanks. I just received one with the intention to see how it performs also. Everything in the box looks OK, and surprisingly of better quality than I had thought it would be, but have yet to test it. One note of caution, the needles seem extra fine/slim (not the tip, but overall) so they may be prone to damage quicker than for a name brand version. It may pay to find a source for replacement needles (I will let you know if I find a source) as I am not sure if other brand needles will fit through? I have yet to test for spray pattern, atomising etc but even if I don't use the airbrush, the parts alone cover the cost. I intend to have it permanently set-up with the 0.3 or 0.5 needle to use for putting down my base/primer coats, and use my H&S for finish coats and detailing. That way I am not constantly changing needles, and for primer coats, if the atomising works as well as the guy claims in the online test, then it will be just fine for this purpose. cheers Pat

Very thorough description Joss, much enjoyed reading this. cheers Pat

You're doing a better job than I could Vlad. cheers Pat

One option that I use is my mill or if you have one a small press-drill. I put the piece (well protected) in a vice, or lay it in a 'V' block braced/packed to keep it level. If I lower the drill slowly, I have had success in keeping it centred. I have since obtained a 'sensitive' drill attachment which allows me much more 'feel' and control. However, if doing it by hand (pin-vice etc), SHJ has given the best advice for using a small awl to prick a light dent. Alternatively, you might file a very small flat using a small needle file at the point you want to drill - this may help with the bit wandering? cheers Pat

A very clever solution Richard; looks good. cheers Pat

All 'gobbledy goop' tech talk to me Ian, but I am impressed with where you are going with this build - can't wait to see it in action. cheers Pat

Looking great Glen; a testament to your skills. So, I am assuming a couple of spears floating in the bottle's neck water and one or two sticking out of the Kraken? Sorry, couldn't help myself. cheers Pat

Great diorama Greg; very realistic. cheers Pat