Snug Harbor Johnny

'Seems the thin plastic of the cathead whiskers and the martingale are easily subject to breakage. Maybe thats why they've been replaced by metal in other builds. Obviously, ship models are delicate by their nature and are easy to damage. But some parts are more easy to break than others. When done, a protective case makes sense - as dust accumulation is the long-term enemy of any model.

I mentioned that the ribs needed fairing, and thought how to proceed. Knife cutting is risky, as is Dremel sanding. A flat (wood) backer for sandpaper doesn't produce a curve (true for fairing any hull), so a flexible backer is desired. Then I thought to glue sandpaper onto a hacksaw blade. Out of a hacksaw, they are bendable to a fair degree and will 'hold' a curve - yet still have 'flex'. OK, one should grind the kerf off the cutting edge, but I was in a hurry to try the idea and figured the thickness of sandpaper on both sides of the blade would be thicker than the wavy teeth on the blade. I chose 100 grit 3M no-slip paper and spray construction adhesive that provides a good grip quickly and is fast setting. I traced the edge of the blade and cut strips of sand paper with scissors (a good way to dull them, so a utility knife over a cutting surface (cutting the back side of the sand paper) is better. Yeah, I know - do as I say, not as I do. The 100 grit paper turned out to be a little too aggressive - 120 grit would have been better, but too fine will take longer. Since there ribs are almost laser cut free of the frame (bulkhead), I almost broke one off - so the fix was to put temporary clamps to stabilize the ribs while working. You can see the nice curve the sandpapered hacksaw blade was bent to. And EASY pressure (very light) did the job for the bottom of the ribs. Of course, the semicircular cut outs for the stringers will need some fairing. Below, a tapered round file was used to work in the cut outs. Later, the clamps were repositioned and the sides of the ribs were faired (adjusting the bend of the hacksaw blade as needed). Note that the central 'keel' has been placed (no glue!) and it helps support the delicate ribs. The stock for the stringer (part #28) is listed as 1x2 (mm), and is very flexible dry ... no need to wet before bending on the gradual curves of the hull. Rounding it per the instructions made me think it would be hard to get it done evenly - and I considered looking for 3/32 round wood doweling to use instead, then trim down somewhat with a miniature plane before sanding flush. But I found that using a scraper (hook edge - and a piece of strip stock that was sheared had a natural burr that was suitable) and holding the stock worked well enough, as not much material had to be taken off ... just enough to test-fit. 2x2 stock may have been more suitable, but what is in the kit will serve - although delicate. I took a lot of time test-fitting formed stringer stock along the various routes it will take, adjusting the cut outs in the ribs a little at a time as needed. The whole affair could be slapped together without all this pre-fitting, but as mentioned before - doing these adjustments will build a beginner's skills without jumping into an HMS Victory right away. Shown is a step ahead of where I'm at - one that instructs the bow and stern end pieces (at this stage) to be shaped. I decided that it would be better to form them NOW, and test the fit with the bow and stern central keels - as well as check that their fairing works with a trial fit of bottom plank. Parts 20A and 20B are tricky rascals, as the exterior shaping is dynamically curved and not flat. 'Looked like carving was NOT the way to go ... too risky for both part and fingers, so I 'roughed' the perimeter against a fine grinding wheel (still having a sharp corner) taking care not to over grind or scorch the material. Then I used flat files to work them down and refine during trial fitting. 'Spent over an hour on each one! BTW while these parts are wood, the 'keels mentioned earlier as 'composite' are really a pressed paper product - perhaps something that might be for structural members in a large card stock model. No matter, they are used as temporary framing for the hull construction. A picture of the blocks getting ready to test fit. The hull is significantly curved, and the stern is more highly curved than the bow. When done, its all rather sexy - and there is a certain mystique about Egyptian artifacts. OK, I'm pressing things together (note the 'white thumb') then adjusting with a file between trials. Doing this right the first time will pay off with a better model as I go along. I'm considering making something to support the hull framing when upside down ... as opposed to putting it over a bowl as was suggested elsewhere. Also note: you really have to keep the bow and stern parts straight, as well as which surface of the bottom plank will be inboard. You can see some of my pencil markings here and there. The bottom plank will come up on a curve on both ends, so the slot where the end blocks will be glued at the ends of the bottom plank has to get a relief angle filed into it since the end blocks are vertical. As mentioned, there are all different angles to deal with. The block need to have a good fit (just snug but not tight) to the central keel of either end. The good fit is to assist in the assembly of the bottom plank ... but the keels have to be able to slide away later after all the planking is done. So I glued paper shims as needed (very little glue needed, and tension clamping between stock until the glue dries will keep the paper from wrinkling or expanding) to where the blocks fit the keels and made sure to test fit until the 'feel' was right. The picture below show the blocks on the keels and also the 'relief' cutout (nicks) along the keel bottoms to prevent any glue from bonding the removable keels to the hull planking. This configuration could have been programmed in the laser cutting, but that is a detail that got past the designers. So it seems also that even WITH a translation of the Japanese instructions, the information is relatively sparse - and may presume a certain amount of modeling sense and skill on the part of the builder. It is definitely NOT a 'snap together' project.

Ahoy mates ! Well, I've started this 'palate cleanser' kit based on some nudging from fellow modelers. I do not rush anything, yet the absence of masting, sails and rigging make this interesting kit one that can be done in far less time that many others. I reviewed the Woody Joe kit (unbuilt) in the Review section, and suggest that the log there be seen - since I don't want to repeat information contained there (with a few exceptions). I knew I'd be 'into' this model, since I like 'early stuff' - and will get around eventually to build the Billings Roar Ege (as a further prelude to doing the Billings Oseberg - and I want to do the best job on that one). I can't say enough about the quality of the laser cut parts on cedar stock in the Woody Joe kit. There are just a few breaks as 'attachment points', and an X-Acto knife breaks these easily. The parts then come out easily, cut to precise shapes with very little 'burning' on the edges. The frame (bulkhead) in the image below (detail from a pic in the review) shows how the rib (the only part to be left behind once the hull is planked) is almost completely free of the matrix to allow for ease of removal of the rest of the frame later. The width of the laser cut is about .006" - the thickness of a filing card (more on that soon). Care must be taken when handling these parts so they won't break. Now to step one, with my 'translations' written in. This step is meant for assembly with no glue, but there will be an exception. Once fitted, the framework is pretty good with little flexing, but the frames can be dislodged from full engagement - so the 'exception' to gluing (which even the kit instructions later mention) solves any slippage problem and renders the assemble pretty solid when dry (titebond glue). First, lets see the initial assembly. As you can see, I've inserted a strip of filing card stock in the tiny gap left by laser cutting the ribs from the frame. I will be putting a lit more of these spacers in before planking to prevent inward movement in these areas. The kit instructions expand on the clear pictures, but do not address the gap issue (easily solved). Oh yes, the little metal model (6" for and aft) of the USS Arizona was another 'palate cleanser' I did a build log on. It was a tricky thing to make, and I wanted to show that I DID complete a build earlier (last year) on the forum (check it out for yourself) as I was stuck on the problems with 'fixing' the old 1:100 Billings Wasa - now on hold but substantial progress was made last Winter. A closer look at the framing. Really, the design and execution of this nifty kit is ingenious - I love it already ! Now we come to the issue of fairing. Looking at a small portion of the full-size drawing of the model (needed for the build, as one must get a number of dimensions off it), you can see that the bottom board (the original has flat bottom planking) is faired to the ribs. No doubt about it. But to make the temporary building framework removable after planking to the ribs and 'stringers', the frames have to go in vertically. The laser cutting is in x and y dimensions, so the bottoms go in 'stair step ' fashion. This is typical of many model kit boat hulls and requires fairing (discussed in detail in other builds and as a separate issue elsewhere in the forum). BTW, I use the term 'stringers' from my old stick-built model airplane days, where 1/2 fuselage members are built right on the plan and joined by a series of thin balsa square stock running fore and aft ... known as stringers. Khufu's boat has a few, (representing internal battens on the original). The kit can be built by a 'beginner' without addressing the fairing issue with an acceptable result - so the kit says nothing about it. But I'll take a little care to do some fairing without breaking any of the ribs - it may be a tricky business. Once decked, one can hardly see the interior - but I'm picky on doing some things (loose as a goose on others) - and I'd like the rear access deck (hatch) pieces to be removable, as they were on the original so men could get under for maintenance. Khufu's boat shows signs of prior use, and must have been his personal yacht - the final trip was to bear his body to the great pyramid. Below shows the exact places to put a dab of pre-thickened wood glue with a dental tool. I have an old bottle of time bond kept on its side, and the glue has lost about half the water content - so is slow as the molasses in January. But this 'thickened' glue has its uses ... it is sticker than 'as bought' glue, 'grabs' quicker and dries faster. Glue dab are ONLY placed on the outside corners of the joins in the frame - as this will be easier to cut for later removal. Step 2 in the instructions appear next that even mention this option. Sorry for the 'bright spot' in the picture just where the instruction note shows the place to put glue dabs - but I have pictured this above clearly enough. Now I trial fitted one central 'keel' to see the 'steps' that need fairing. Note that the bow is not symmetrical to the stern, ergo there are holes in the side 'keel ' pieces to keep the ends oriented correctly. There is 'stepping', but is hard to see in the first picture. The second picture shows the stepping better, and (as in typical fairing done with kits) it is the edge toward either the bow (forward of amidships) or the stern (rearward of amidships) that get sanding/trimming. Right now, I'm not sure how I'll approach this. Note the tiny 'relief notch' at the end of the rib to prevent gluing planking to the frame BEYOND the rib. This is essential to permit easy removal of the framework later. The central 'keels' (bow and stern) to not have any relief cut, and as I want to glue planking to the ribs there might be a danger of 'squeeze out' glue sticking to the 'keel'. This is easy to sone by removing small amounts of material shown by pencil lines in the next picture. The kit directions mention nothing about this, but I can see ahead based on prior experience. First timers often learn by doing, and re-doing what went awry reinforces the experience gaining process. Just a few small cuts will do. I trial bent (partially, without wetting) the bottom plank to see how the amount of fairing will change going outward - and this is different between the bow and stern since they have different amounts of bending. I may wet, heat and pre-bend planking as I go to lessen the clamping force (done in many places on this build with rubber bands - not included in the kit). 'Sorry, but the focus is off, or I moved a little (holding the camera with one hand). That's all for now, mates. And further progress will require a little more thought before 'jumping in'. If you hand a chimp a banana, don't expect him to think about how he's going to peel it (much less read instructions).

Ahoy to any who might review this fine build from 2015-2016 . This Mamoli kit came to me from my Dad's estate intact, and the overall quality is decent ... the minor 'busts' in this build do it justice. I've pondered the GH for a long while, postponing any attempt to build it based on the Mamoli kit until I could find contemporary info on the original. Queen Elizabeth knighted Drake on the deck of the Hind, such that it was after limping home again with enough value in the hold to make an astounding profit. The ship had been towed a little ways up the Deptford while a mooring was prepared on the Thames (logical to do) - thus validating those who said it was moored on the Deptford. But the long-term home was on the Thames - eventually filled-in around the ship before it sank from rotting hull planking. Masting and ordinance were removed and a wood shed built over it ... eventually deteriorating, as did the ship. It appeared on two early 17th century maps in the same place on the Thames, and by 1630 it was described as having some ribs sticking up like a whale skeleton. Sometime about 1650 the remains were knocked down (some wood salvaged to make a few pieces of furniture (one chair is on exhibit in England), and the hold filled in for good. Later work in that area may have seriously disturbed more of the hull, but there may well be enough of it left so that future archeology may determine the hull length and beam at the waterline, and the lines there and below. There are no known paintings, BUT there is the famous Drake Cup (also on display). Drake gave Elizabeth a coconut, and she had it crafted with silver mountings to make a splendid ceremonial cup with a lid that she gave back to Drake some time later. There is an inconclusive line image engraved on part of the coconut, but the silver lid is adorned at the top by a silver miniature of the ship! THIS qualifies as a contemporary image of the GH, and the Queen was familiar enough with the actual ship that it most likely represents an approximation of the real thing ... realizing that there are some scaling/slight clumsiness involved with casting/soldering the silver miniature on the cup - given the techniques of the time. The miniature does not have a 'Captains walk' - like most French 'race galleons' (from razee - or razored - since the heights of the stern and forecastles were reduced). They differ substantially from period Spanish gallions. There are a gunport openings visible (on the miniature) on the weather deck (no guns) and the Mamoli kit guns are on the weather deck (opposed to the Thames reproduction - thus other kits - having guns below the weather deck - orlop?) There is a stern spar to rig a large lateen (no sails on the miniature) as seen in contemporary engravings. The main and fore masts have a sail and topsail each, and a yard on the bowsprit. There is a contemporary engraving (with ship distortions of its own) depicting the capture of the Cagafuego by the GH off the west coast of South America ... no captains walk on the GH, which has many similarities to the silver miniature. The detailed engraving of Drakes 'Caribbean Fleet' also agrees with the miniature. So what about the size of the original? An experienced Portuguese navigator surnamed DeSilva was captured in the Carribean, and accompanied Drake on the GH around the horn and up the coast until being let off in Mexico (presumably Drake did not want a navigator to witness any possible discovery of the Northwest passage, which Drake was to attempt). DeSilva was fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English - with some French, and was the personal guest of Drake on the GH and had the run of the ship. Later DeSilva was questioned by Spanish authorities and the dreaded Spanish inquisition - transcripts of both depositions were recorded and exist to this day (English translations can be found). DeSilva was likely suspected of collaboration, thus was closely questioned to get any scrap of information about Drake and the ship he sailed. DeSilva's life and his immortal soul depended upon the accuracy of his testimony - so I' be willing to 'go to the bank' on it. DeSilva said the GH was French built and not new - ergo purchased by Drake with funds raised for the venture. There were 7 guns on each side for a broadside (5 each side of the deck, and presumably 2 on each side of a quarterdeck as was typical of French race galleons depicted in surviving illustrations) plus 2 stern guns (typical) and 2 at the bow. It is unclear is they were light guns on the forecastle deck (a possibility), but I think it more likely that they were on the gun deck covered by the forecastle deck angled about 45 degrees toward the front. He declared the tonnage (in Old Portuguese Tons) to be 220 - which computes to 180 of today's Tons. This represented the cargo capacity and DeSilva was expert enough to assess this properly. The Thames reproduction was that of 150 tons (yet having the length on deck of a 180 ton vessel), and proved unseaworthy until side pieces were added at the waterline - then it went all over the world by sea ! The reproduction - as does the Mamoli kit - has a mere 19 feet beam on the weather deck and 23 feet at the waterline (as originally built). Ergo there indeed is not enough room for cannon carriage recoil, so the repo (and some kits) have the guns on the next lower deck of 23' beam. A 180 ton vessel will have 100 feet 'on deck' (fore and aft - much like the Thame replica) BUT will have about a 23' beam on the weather deck and will be 28' at the waterline. The GH of these dimensions would have had enough room for guns on the weather deck to recoil, and enough room below deck to house the large crew Drake had at the start of the venture. There also would have been room (as the crew size shrunk from losses of various causes) to eventually store tons of loot and a very large cargo of far-eastern spices. The side 'bulges' added to the Thames replica give it the needed breadth at the waterline that, if the ribs were revised to match this beam, would give 23' on the weather deck. BTW it has the 100' on deck mentioned earlier - and that does not include bowsprit. So by altering the framing Mamoli provides (widening the model), and taking into account some of the other features mentioned - a closer approximation of the Golden Hind can be had. Fair sailing ! Johnny

I've attached a photo of the aftermath of the aftermath of the collision of HMS Surprise (formerly Rose) with a seawall while being nudged by a small tug to a repair facility about 3/4 mile from her museum berth (presumably for hull planking repair). The photo speaks for itself, but I found a Youtube video showing the collision in real time with sound ... like a train wreck in slow motion (crunch). I'm not a tech, and the file may not work on the forum, but anyone can search under 'HMS Surprise crashes into a wall'. 'Not sure what they were trying to do, but the tug was on the 'blind side' of the Surprise ... and had no line of sight with the seawall. The backing speed was much too fast, and the lookout had communication difficulties with the tug. HMS Surprise crashes into a WALL at Marine Group!! - YouTubehttps-::www.youtube.com › watch.weblocHMS Surprise crashes into a WALL at Marine Group!! - YouTubehttps-::www.youtube.com › watch.weblocHMS Surprise crashes into a WALL at Marine Group!! - YouTubehttps-::www.youtube.com › watch.webloc

No way around building Kufu's boat now. It will also serve as an 'extension' to my review, e.g., the kit calls for rounding the provided square stock to support the canopy framework over the cabin. This seems a lot of work - so they could have provided round stock, since MANY of these verticals are needed and individually rounding them can result in irregularities unless one uses a draw-plate (presuming the square stock is straight grained). As mentioned, the original posts have lotus heads that I'd like to include - ergo the idea of turning bamboo skewers. Obviously the kit can be simply built 'as is' and get a nice looking result, but I'd like to do better. Per forum rules for the Review Section, the kit reviewed must be unbuilt - so the build will have to cover additional oddities or work-arounds that can only be discovered by doing a build. On the topic of having too many unbuilt kits stashed away, that is how old kits find their way onto Ebay when these things end up in estates or are otherwise passed down. My Dad left me two Steingraeber kits - the Agilis and the Fair American. I quite forgot that he had the hull of the Agilis (Baltimore clipper) planked and decked - so I neglected to search for it in the jumble left in his house (the executor allowed a limited time for basement scrounging, and most things upstairs had already been pre-labeled for various recipients). Later I harvested what was left in the box as raw materials. The other kit was unbuilt but was missing components, and like the Agilis there were things I didn't care for in those 1970's kits: screw eyes were to be twisted into the hull to tie 'chainplate' made of rigging rope; plastic deadeyes and blocks, both out of scale; masting appearing too tall for the hulls; simplified rigging; dubious fittings and rigging rope ... yet there was decent planking wood and mast/yard stock of various diameters. More recent kits do a better job of the lines and everything else on the Fair American, so the materials are being used on other projects as convenient, e.g. I'm using the gun carriages for the 1:100 Wasa (fitted with the optional Billing gun barrels). Old kits can have die-cut or pre-cut bulkheads (versus the laser-cut pieces common today), or they may be simply printed onto whatever stock was included ... meaning that many parts will have to be individually cut out (preferably with a scroll saw), then cleaned and hand fit into place. 'Guess its all a matter of how much fiddling one will do on any given project, and what short cuts or simplifications are acceptable to the builder. Every project is its own voyage of discovery, and the journey along the way is what makes it worthwhile.

Thanks, Clare. I have 5 kits in stock aside from the build (summer suspended) of the Billings old Wasa kit. Rather than accumulate any more, I need to start a 'buy one - build one' policy. Your 'nudge' prompt me to squeeze-in a build of the Khufu boat, as I've been thinking about ways to do it justice as I roam the hospital halls in my per-diem job as a pharmacy Tech ... lots of picking and delivery and endless running around with meds. It's what I call a 'working retirement' ... well, with inflation and meager savings wee still need the income. Johnny

Ahoy from Sung Harbor Johnny ! After seeing a summarized build of the funerary yacht of Pharo Kufu (also known as Cheops, builder of the Great Pyramid of Egypt) offered by the Woody Joe company of Japan, I was intrigued enough to order one to examine for myself. The subject is the oldest complete ship in existence (about 145' overall length), and was discovered in 1954 in a sealed chamber next to the Great Pyramid. It was apparently entombed intact, but in 4,500 years the internal reed fastenings deteriorated enough that the tenoned planked hull 'disassembled' itself. The experts took their time to take everything out of the chamber and eventually reconstructed the craft for display in its own museum. You can find out all the details on line, as I'm focusing on the kit. Per info found in the forum, one can order from a dealer in Japan (Zootoys ?) and pay through PayPal. I didn't want to setup an account for a single purchase, so ordered through an Ebay vendor - with Ebay securely handling my credit card info. as a 'guest' (no need to join Ebay). The price in yen listed by Woody Joe works out to around $176 - not including tax (Japan has a 10% value added tax) or shipping, so my guess if ordered through the dealer in Japan might come to $220 altogether. I paid $248 (plus $11 to 'expedite') through Ebay, but wasn't pinching pennies (the middleman has to make something) and preferred the security offered by Ebay. I was pleasantly surprised that the well-packed box arrived in 12 days via FedEx - and the carrier water for someone to answer the door and receive the package (the Admiral, who knew that I place the order). The first photo shows most of the contents, all well organized and in plastic sleeve sub-units (not in the photo is the instruction pamphlet - more on that later) and the two-piece drawings of the model (needed to produce parts of the kit) have been left folded, since I did not want to depict an image of it. Note: what looks like a singe sheet of laser cut wood in some of the packages is really a stack of SEVERAL sheets contains multiple parts. You are just seeing the top sheet in those stacks. The design of this kit is rather sophisticated as the model to be constructed has many curves - including the deck. So the cabin on the deck has curved bottoms, vertical end pieces (so they are not 90 degrees at the base) and a horizontal roof. It would be difficult to work out all the odd angles, or even the method of assembly in a scratch-build. This may be a great project for someone new to wooden ship modeling to begin with, since the focus is on learning to handle, bend, do some trimming/shaping and gluing of wood (and some fairing) - and later tint as desired. There is no mast or sail, since the original was towed and the oars were mainly for steering and positioning, although in a pinch rowing was possible. Thus there is no rigging (other than to secure the oars) ... no guns, gun ports complicated carving either. The vessel has interesting lines, and there is a clever way the planking is done upside-down on an internal framework that is ultimately removed. The only 'catch' (which I knew about in advance) is that all the instructions are in Japanese. This might be a real disadvantage for a beginner, were it not for the Google translate app. I happen to have the most basic Trafone Blu phone (Android) that I use for emergencies only, or to keep the Admiral posted as to my whereabouts should I have to be away. If an old, non-tech guy can figure out how to download an app I suppose just about anyone can do it. I used the phone's camera (after selecting Japanese to English) held above the Japanese text (just a bunch of characters to my eyes). What appeared in the picture was then an 'overlay' of English text ... but the verbiage kept changing into alternate 'translations' ... ways of saying things, I guess. Part of the challenge was the small size of some of the text in Japanese - so I took pictures of those areas with my digital camera (not the low-res cell phone), pulled the images onto the desktop of my computer, then printed the photos to hold the translator over. That solved many problems, but the smallest text required me to crop the photos of that text in photoshop in order to print an further enlarged version that the translator app could reliable make sense of. In short, translating the instructions into English is an absolute MUST for this to be a beginner's kit. The process of doing this familiarized me with the well-illustrated instruction pamphlet, and queued me into some of the finesse needed in a few places of the future build - as well as a few places for improvements. The wood is all of Japanese Cedar (the original ship was made of Middle Eastern Cedar) and there is no plywood. In an ideal situation, all the wood stock should be heartwood, yet there is a transition form heartwood to sapwood in some of the kit stocks. (Note: the 'keels' used temporarily during construction are composite material - but are not part of the model as these parts are removed.) The wood looks great, with no warpage - and the quality of the laser cutting is the finest I've see ... they must have a micro-fine beam that is perfectly tuned so not to have excessive burning seen on some other kits. The pre-cut display stand is some other wood comparable to heartwood poplar. Some really fine brass brads are packaged for use in some places - but I'd rather find an alternative construction technique and use the brads for something else. There are two laser cut scale Egyptians (flat), which is a neat idea (so why not supply a few of them to put on disc bases for placement on the model?) Just to contrast to a couple other beginner (or slightly above) kits at a comparable price... Billing's Roar Edge (a re-design of the challenging Vikingsskibbe) might be considered a beginners kit, but all the laser cut parts are a type of plywood, and many note that the instructions could be better - it does make an attractive coastal trader at 1:25, the same as their Oseberg. Occre's Endurance (perhaps an intermediate kit) has a lot packed into the box - and good instructions as well (augmented by an excellent on-line video), yet some note that simplifications of the original ship were made to ease the build - so adding aftermarket upgrades (e.g. 3-D brass railings) will raise the cost. Back to Khufu's Ship: Below is a closer shot of the laser cutting. Cabin pieces have roughly parallel lines, as planks were used to make the original cabin. What looks like 'gaps' in these lines is by design, as surface battens (also on the original) go in these places - so once assembled one does not see any gaps from the outside - as if the cabin were laboriously planked from the inside. The left board is seen from the bottom of the laser cut - showing a minimum of 'burn'. The right board is seen from the top of the laser cut - and it is clean and precise. What looks like (and is) a rib on the left is still attached to a 'bulkhead' - the slots of which key into aforementioned 'keels' used to make a building form that is later taken away in a specific way. As I said, a lot of engineering went into this deceptively simple kit - it is surprisingly sophisticated once one envisions the actual build process and the competed results. The components of the hull planking sections have a lot of irregular lines, which is because the original boat was made of irregularly shaped planks that were expertly joined together, stabilized by internal tenons and fastened on the inside with reed twine and papyrus caulk ... no need for nails, rivets or tree nails. The photo below is interesting. I've hand written my translations (gleaned from the app, but not always clear or identical) for what seems to be optional items to 'pimp' the model somewhat. 'Don't know why someone would paint the hull green - or apply gold to the bow and stern. It likely had a shade cover, but the museum ship doesn't have the extended framework going past the cabin astern. The next pic is the parts list, that took a little figuring out. The translation of the cautionary text is below the picture: 1. Assembled model is shown. Please read all instructions before assembly. 2. The plastic bags in the kit must not be handled by children, place over head or swallowed. There is a danger of suffocation. Please safely discard plastic bags. 3. Smooth all parts and discard waster or scraps in the trash. The material is easily broken especially by children. Take car around other people. 4. Parts are still sharp - use only for intended purpose. Be careful if small children are present. 5. There are small parts. Do not let children ingest or swallow, especially small children. Swallowing presents a suffocation risk. 6. A need for nippers, knives or files when assembling. Those under 12 need parent or guardian supervision. 7. When using adhesives please note the following: - Don't use in a closed room. Don't overuse. Danger of addiction. - Don't use near fire - danger of ignition. - Don't get paint or glue in eyes. In case of accident, rinse with plenty of water and see a doctor. 8. Parts subject to change without notice. The last 3 images are enlargements of areas of the parts list above. 'Turns out that a part number often refers to a laser cut board containing a number of parts - some numbered and some lettered (e.g. 15 -A, 15 -B versus 5 -9, 5 -10). Again, the cross referencing of parts and the steps they are used in gave me a much better understanding of how the boat will go together when I get to building it (future build log). 'Looks like a fun build. 'Guess whenever a build gets underway, I'll have to include the images of steps with translation (plus other tips). Fair sailing! Snug Harbor Johnny

Very nice work. I'm still absorbing everything from the several fine builds on MSW - as well as figuring out a few 'sleight of hand' tricks to try before tackling a clipper project ... and there is a lot to digest from Hackney's book that is applicable to the 1:150 Academy Cutty. The difficulties involved at the reduced scale may be compensated by details tiny enough to be omitted on smaller versions. My 'guess' for the smallest size to fiddle with on a model (for my fingers at least) is around .010. At 1:96 (about 1:100 for easier math) that would represent about 1" on the actual ship - so the 'dots' on deck planking are shown in 1:96 (at my skill level). At 1:150 the dots may be omitted, as .010 represents 1.5" at that scale. On a model at about 1:50, one needs to think about showing stuff that measure 1/2" on the ship - and at 1:25 one might show things as small as 1/4" ... per my arbitrary limit of working with .010 sized materials. Yet a 6"block at 1:150 is .040 (1mm) ... I can't imagine me trying to strop something so tiny, so I'd have to just tie a thread to a seed bead instead. 'Guess everyone has to work within their own limits ... and some of the tiny work seen on some MSW posting astounds me.

I wouldn't bother untwisting the cords, but just make rope of the opposite twist (running the drill in reverse on the Syren's Rope Rocket). It will still look OK on a model.

The Surprise (guess that name will be permanent, with the popularity of the film ... too bad they did not make the sequel) was originally the HMS Rose - famous in Colonial Rhode Island history. It was independently build (by contract) by a good friend of mine, John Fitzhugh Millar (now of Williamsburg, Virginia) back in the early 70's. This was around the time the repro. of the sloop Providence was built in preparation for the Bicentennial. John explained how expensive maintaining and sailing a ship the size of the Rose (now Surprise) can be, and although leased for a couple films (one of which was Man Without a Country), sold and repossessed twice - he was lucky to about break even when a sale finally went through. John did come away with a real treasure - for he met his future wife Cathy while conducting sea shanty sessions aboard the Rose, and the couple run a B&B in Williamsburg to this day, where the inestimable JF Millar has written a number of books on colonial history, architecture and art (13 Colonies Press).

'Looks sharp with Syren rope ... true 'miniature' rope spun much like full-size rope (although full-sized ropewalks produce rope from the far end to the spinning head, the result from the Syren 'Rope Rocket' where the rope comes together from the middle outwards is essentially the same thing). I've seen numerous builds on MSW, and perhaps the single best upgrade one can do on a ship with rigging is to use properly made miniature rope. It look better, feels better, behaves better and has very little (if any) of the 'fuzz' you see on close-ups of builds using average commercial rigging (I wouldn't call it rope) ... cord. Whether bought or self-made (with a little practice - and it's not that difficult) miniature rope won't detract from all the hours spent on the hull and other fittings - proper rope will ADD to the effect. BTW - I love your Drakkar model. Do you plan to add sea chests that the rowers would have sat on?

'There is a build log on the Woody Joe 'Khufu's Solar Boat' - a model described by the builder as 'easy, but not too easy'. It is a copy of the actual funeral boat recovered from the base of the Great Pyramid, and the original was re-built and now on display in a museum. A few simple tools , sandpaper and glue are all that appear to be needed. There is no mast (or sail), thus no rigging. But the laser cut parts appear to make a remarkable model of the oldest compete ship in existence. The planking is done in an innovative fashion, where the ribs are part of the forms and the hull is planked from laser cut sections upside down. Then the ribs are detached from the forms and the hull comes away. You have to see the build to appreciate this. I plan on getting this kit for my stash ... NOTE: the instructions are in Japanese, so a translator app for your phone will be very helpful. The kit comes from Japan, and the selling company accepts PayPal and is legit.

I'd recommend thinned model airplane 'dope' ... a familiar name was Aerogloss, which sold thinner separately as straight dope is too thick for this application. Old-fashioned hobby shops used to sell this, but there are far fewer such shops around - so one may have to go on-line. Otherwise, clear nail polish (preferably thinned) can work. BTW use with plenty of ventilation in small amounts because of the odor/outgassing. Another product one used to find was Duco cement, which also sold a thinner. Once again, kids got into the habit of 'sniffing' any of these so they are far less available to prevent abuse. Try buying more than one can of spray paint at most hardware stores ... there is some kind of program to prevent 'youths' from getting spray paint for graffiti. Best to experiment on test pieces first to assure suitability for the effect you want with rigging elements.

There's scale, and then there is practicality. From what I've seen thus far, very many models have at least a 'tad' of leeway when it comes to the deadeye sizes. One must pick which things to 'battle' and how much to fret over any detail. I seen postings of models large enough not to be able to get out of the space in which they were built. Larger size may mean deadeyes and belaying pins will be easier to be 'in scale', but then smaller stuff has to be represented that does not have to be included in smaller scale versions. There is a 'rule' or 'formula' I somewhere in this forum to calculate the minimum real-life size of anything one the original ship that should be represented at any particular scale. If anyone recalls that, they might just post in this thread.

I note the long boiler cylinders in the images, and this brings to mind that the CSS Hunley (submarine) hull was converted from a long boiler body - and can be seen in a couple period photos. Fascinating stuff, now that the Hunley was found and raised ... a subject for a scratch build?

Ahoy, Shipman ! I bought a copy of the book dealing with the CS Airfix 1:168 kit ... and it has a trove of information on rigging two different ways (as well as many modifications that can be made to the subject kit). The 1:168 kit doesn't seem to be in production, but I have the 1:150 Academy Cutty kit (one that has extended studding sail booms) - which is 'close enough' to 1:168 to use the book's dimensions (plus a smidge). OMG this is a challenging scale to try and do everything in the book 'to scale'. BTW, the book is masterfully "compressed" ( a little like a compressed computer file?) so that depending on what presentation one wishes to depict in a model, one must jump around from place to place and keep one's head on straight. Yet the information is there nevertheless, and applicable to larger scales. 'Saw another 1:150 build where the builder cut the extended stud sail booms and re-glued them under the yards. Another build was the (currently available) 1:130 Airfix - a nice size compromise between 1:150 and 1:96. Assembly order is important, yet there may be couple ways to assist in the later stages - like pre-attaching blocks to the optional deck eyes and eyes placed on the pin rail ... and pre-rigging lines between those blocks and the blocks they are paired with. The author mentions pre-mounting deadeyes to the pin rails, and pre-lacing them to their mating deadeye (already with shroud attached) might work out as well. Rob's way of furling sails on top of the yards presents a third method of presentation. A fourth might be with sails in a 'becalmed' state ... or merely 'ghosting' along with a very faint breeze. Ships were periodically becalmed at sea, and the sails would hang limp with the yards braced evenly while waiting for any sort of wind to break the monotony. Johnny

'Thought about it some, and here's my 'take' on the instructions, which appear to be done by computer translation. Rad admits that he does not know English, so uses a translator. Step 1, Degrease carefully (on both sides) with a 'Q-Tip' (cotton swab) on a PAPER shaft using one of several known liquid degreasers. Don't use the swabs where the cotton ends are on a thin plastic tube, since the tube could be attacked (and/or dissolved) by a solvent. Possible solvents: CRC circuit board cleaner, Automotive 'Gunk' (trade name), acetone, toluene ... one can't get tricholoethylene anymore ... or MEK. Lay the entire sheet on a felt backing and use a light touch. Do with plenty of ventilation, and allow to air dry. Step 2, Paint the outer surface as appropriate with enamel - do not use water base paint. You can use 'micro' brushes. Allow to dry. Step 3, Cut the part with a NEW (sharp) X-Acto blade - or surgical scalpel. The decorative sheet needs to be on something with more substance than an 'ordinary' cutting mat - they make polyethylene mats that have the 'right' firmness, but a piece of vinyl floor tile will do as well. Use a deft touch. Step 4, You can peel the backing off the transfer tape, but then what do you do with the tape in the interim? Rather, just lay the decoration painted side down on a trimmed piece of waxed paper somewhat larger than the piece of decoration. THEN, carefully apply gel CA with a micro brush to the back (unpainted) side of the decoration ... sparingly. If any should get through the decoration to the waxed paper, it won't stick to the wax ... but try to be neat without wasting time in the process. Step 5, Un-peel the transfer taper (if you have not done so already) and lay it on a smooth working surface 'tacky side up' ... that's the side that was protected by what was peeled off. Pick up the piece of waxed paper (slightly 'curling' opposing edges) so the decoration will only slide off the far end. Position the waxed paper where you want over the transfer tape, and let the decoration 'slide' off the waxed paper and onto the transfer tape. It will tend to stick where it lands. The painted side will be against the transfer tape, with the CA gelled side facing up. Step 6, Pick up the transfer tape and move it so the decoration is where it needs to be on the model. In the case of the 'wrap around' stern art, press the center first. If right handed, you will position the artwork centered on the stern (with the right hand) and press the center down with the left thumb - and the left forefinger will reach around to the inside of the bulwark so to help 'pinch' the center point of the decoration in place. Then smooth the right side (as you're looking at it) around with gentler but firm pressure with the right thumb. The sticky side of the transfer tape that overlaps the decoration will stick somewhat to the hull as you go. Once the right side is wrapped around, use the right forefinger to get hold inside the bulwark to help 'pinch' to hold that side of the decoration in place. Then (while holding the right side of the decoration in place), relax the 'pinch' of the left thumb and forefinger so the left thumb can smooth the left side of the decoration around before re-pinching. (This is what is known as using 'finger clamps'.) Then I'd hold on to everything for a while to allow the CA to set. Step 7, When you dare, try letting go and see if the decoration stays in place. IF not, then you let go too soon - and can hold everything down a while longer ... that is, until it stays. 'Don't know how long a good CA cure is, but I'd give it a rest for at least a couple hours. Then the transfer tape can be carefully removed. Don't just pull up on either end, but rather lift one end slowly while tugging out as much as up - and the tape should 'lift off' leaving the decoration in place. For smaller flat (or relatively flat) decorations, they go on much easier that something that has to 'wrap around'. 'Hope this helps someone ... Johnny

Rob, I read an account of a builder who had some of the 'as molded' belaying pins on the 1:96 Cutty break off ... 'don't know if age can make them more prone to this - but UV exposure can do it to plastic parts. His advice was to cut them off, then drill holes in the pin rail to accept scale brass belaying pins that are turned long enough to belay lines well. I'm absorbing everything I can from ALL the fine builds of this kit before doing anything on the Thermie (which needs additional work to make it closer to the original than Revell managed). I'm at the beginning off retirement - so am not worried too much at taking plenty of time to mull everything over before starting. 'Course the reaper could come for me at any time (as with those of any age) - but if the object is to satisfy myself with whatever is done, there's no point in fretting over what 'might happen'.

'Thinking about scale, and 1:96 is 'close enough' to 1:100 to make math easier. The builder's specs fro the Cutty note (I believe) 9 1/4" deadeyes (the larger ones), so if one uses 10" (again to make the math easier), that would be about 254mm at full size ... so at 1:100 scale one would use 2 1/2mm deadeyes - and presumably 2mm for the backstays? Did I figure right? So many suppliers use mm, so I'll work many accessories in metric. 'Guess using 3 1/2 mm (large deadeyes) and 2 1/2mm for the back stays is not going too far off strict scale - and easier to work with. Scale gets to be more of a problem going to 1:120 (Woody Joe Susquehanna) or 1:125 (Sergal Thermopylae), as scale deadeyes would be a mere 2mm. A 6" (150mm) block would be only 1.25mm ... kinda hard to strop. So the Sergal kit provides larger stuff to make it manageable to rig - their photo is kind-of cute with the larger blocks and deadeyes, but any other aspects of building in the smaller scale are challenging as Popeye attests.

Let's see ... at 1:100 scale (close enough to 1:96 - a scale I've done in the past and also at present), a .100" square hole (my example) represents 10 inches, where a beam would fit in. Your stated scale is 1:50, so that would represent a hole for a 5" square - still perhaps a bit large, but a .050" square hole (1.3mm) represents about a 2 1/2" square socket. That may be about right for wooden levers (going from square to round - tapering slightly towards the far end) - or wrought iron bars (square to round) used to work the drum. If I needed that size, the .070 (1.8mm) right angle veiner would be carefully reduced (ground) along the back edge (unsharp side) of each leg to .050 - or a little less using a rotary tool (like a Dremel, but I prefer the foot controlled variable speed unit I bought at a Harbor Freight ... don't knock it, as working vintage dental drills are priced out of sight). The mini carving set I found at a one-off (independent) wood working store years ago, but they might have something like that at Woodcraft (a chain) or on line somewhere. After all, there are decoy and bird art carvers who need fine tools, and some of them might go that small. Plan B would be to work a piece of harden-able steel to shape, and torch harden it ... hardly as difficult as forging an Aussie knife on Forged in Fire. Tiny files can also be found as clock makers need them, horological speaking. Snug

Hi Trond, I'm no photographer but I've attempted to show a test-of-concept. First, don't worry about the mortising tool mentioned - the smallest i think they come is 1/2" square and they are used in furniture making. It was the idea of slicing out a chip from the 'corners' that can make a round hole square. I took a pencil so one can get the idea of relative scale, and drilled three holes with whatever small drill I chanced to come upon (later measured as .085). I did not drill very deep since I soon hit pencil 'lead' (graphite). Obviously, once would not have this problem drilling into a solid wood dowel. The right-hand hole in the pencil was drilled with the drill (shown next to the round hole). The middle hole has just one corner 'nicked' with the mini 'duck carving' tool to square it. The tool does not show the right angle tool as well as I'd like - but the hand-me-down camera is limited in close-ups (as is my skill -or lack of it - in photography). The hole on the left had a chip taken out of all four corners with the 'veiner' (right angle cutter), then I picked at the chips in the hole a little and was able to blow then out with my breath (a blast of 'dust-off' compressed air through the provided extension tube would work just fine for chip removal). There is a tapered square file that I used to 'dress' the corners a little. Now there was a slight enlargement so that verniers showed the square hole to be .100 on each side. Now I've shown proof of concept. If I wanted a smaller square hole, I could always grind down the sides of the veining tool to make it smaller, and there are really TINY files available in sets having a variety of profiles (round, square, triangular) - but one only need used a square file to dress the hole. 'Hope this helps, and as they say 'Once picture is worth a thousand words. Johnny

Rob has me sold on furled sails for a couple of reasons, apart from portraying a ship moored for a relatively short while so the crew would not take the sails down. The compactness of furled sails atop the yards requires only a little material folded just-so and dangling 'mouse ears' (aka dog ears). A.) One does not have to worry about all those dangling reefing lines, sail seams and the rope around the perimeter (except for the ears). B.) The furled sails conceal the jackstays, so I won't go to the trouble of making jackstays in scale at 1:96. C.) I can also have them cover-up the buntline blocks (and so omit them, as well as reduce their number .. a sleight of hand to have fewer buntlines to deal with). Any buntlines I use can be glued to the top of the yard before laying the furled sail over with a gammoning line, and rout the buntlines through blocks at the mast then down through fairleads to belaying pins. One can get great ideas from the many fine builds seen on MSW.

What a treasure to start with! ... and so much tedious work already done for you. With care the repairs can be done and there are several ways to go; stub masts as an 'Admiralty model', first sections of masts with tops and shrouds/ratlines only, fully masted with standing rigging or completely outfitted with sails. A lucky break would be to find an incomplete kit somewhere to use as a trove of masting parts and fittings (and perhaps plans?). You'll find plenty of builds and helpful information on MSW to guide you.

I've shore at Burrabogie and I've shore at Toganmain I've shore at Big Willandra and out on the Coleraine But before the shearing was over I longed to get back again Shearing for old Tom Patterson on the One Tree Plain Chorus All among the wool boys all among the wool Keep your wide blades full boys keep your wide blades full I can do a respectable tally myself whenever I like to try And they know me round the backblocks as Flash Jack from Gundagai I've shore at Big Willandra and I've shore at Tilberoo And once I drew my blades boys upon the famed Barcoo At Cowan Downs and Trida as far as Moulamein But I was always glad to get back again to the One Tree Plain I've pinked them with the Wolseleys and I've rushed with B-bows too And shaved them in the grease boys with the grass seeds showing through But I never slummed a pen my lads whatever it might contain When shearing for Old Tom Patterson on the One Tree Plain I've been whaling up the Lachlan and I've dossed on Cooper's Creek And once I rung Cudjingie shed and blued it in a week But when Gabriel blows his trumpet lads I'll catch the morning train And push for Old Tom Patterson's on the One Tree Plain