AJohnson

Hi David, I'll be following along and pinching any good ideas as I'm making the same kit! Great start, I was thinking about planking the lower deck, but decided against as I will have only one open companion way and may well add crew members to my build; can visualise a little "Powder-Monkey" running up from below, so unlikely to see below decks.

Hi Mike, really good to see you on with your latest build. We are both doing a VM Cutter, so will be checking in to see how you are doing.

Welcome back Mike, hope you are all okay now, looking forward to your Dory. There are plenty of build logs on MSW to guide you.

Well another typical UK Bank-holiday weekend ☔! So it means I make a start on Trial! 😁 And in one sitting, on a rainy afternoon I have, without rushing, made my way through steps 1 - 24 of the instructions. First up, I think I am addicted to the smell of laser cut wood! 🤓 I don't want to go over the instruction line by line as Chris's Prototype build-log says it all, but there were a few things I found building it for myself I will comment on. I do a lot of modelling with a Swann-Morton Scalpel, but as mentioned in the instructions, you just sometimes can't beat a heavier knife with a new blade and this stage with the cutting out of the MDF frames is one of those times. It was amazing how much the box emptied in the first hour of so of this, good fun. The first job was making the keel base/supports, almost like having a keel clamp included in the kit! The only messy bit for this first session was the pre-sanding of some of the bulkheads, so I did that in the garage with the Dremel and mask on. One point to note if you are familiar with Vanguard's beginners kits like Nisha I built recently, there are no etched guild lines on the bulkheads to sand down to. No problem, no other kits have that, so I was cautious and did what I thought matched the instructions, I can always do more later. Stage #6 warns builders to make sure they don't get glue in the slot of bulkhead #13 (stern patterns) I got around that by using a metal file to keep the PVA glue out of the slot that goes onto the keel. One slight warning note for other builders is that parts#14 that go on either side of the central keel (they form the three slots for the Trial's sliding keels) are a bit delicate once cut out of the former and through my own roughness/clumsiness one of them started to break; it didn't actually come apart, but it was a close thing. Once held in place by parts "K1" all was solid and no fear of it breaking. The lower deck part #25 makes everything much more rigid. Parts 26 and then parts 15/16 at the bow followed by the pear parts B-1 to B-6 form the false deck supports and these really brings things together; they are helpfully etched with which direction you need to face them. The Stern platform supports #35 & #36 bring to a close this opening session. This part of the build really did go together very easily, the tolerance on the slots was just right, snug, but not so tight you were worrying about braking anything pushing the parts together. There will be a slight pause now for a short holiday and then a final session with the contractors to restore the house following the loft leak, so the garage will temporarily be full of "stuff" hope to back on this soon! Thanks for looking in! 👓

That is looking very nice Keith, those Ice-bumpers/channel guards are really chunky. Think you have the shape compared to the original plan/lines looking spot-on! 😎

Oh no another victim, sorry disciple!

She looks magnificent David, well done! Looking forward to seeing the case. I think from the the dimensions you give the minimum thickness might need to be 5mm to avoid flex of the main side panels. I used this company for my Nisha:- www.acrylicdisplaycases.co.uk but it wouldn't be cheap for a case that big. So if you have the skills, make your own might make more sense.

Thanks Dave, yes, I think I might be Trial-ing a Vanguard model!

And none of us will tell anyone if you do! 🤣 But like Allan, we says, have every confidence! That rigging is, really really good!

Well here we are folks, calling this one finished! Finishing touches were the Bridge framing, handrails, canopy and Navigation lights. Altogether a challenging but fun build (in places!) The limit of my paper skills at the moment. I have the "Brighton" in stock to do next time I feel the call of the "Card Side" 😵 Thank you all for following along and the encouragement. A final set of pictures for you.

Small update today, showing progress with the railings; made from using the kit template and glued Gutermann white thread - top rail painted brown. I have done the main runs for the promenade deck and have attached the forward section and a few life rings for good measure. The styrene rod stock has arrived, so I have finished the main awning. Just need to complete the bridge awning and tissue covering, handrails for the bridge and some more navigation lights. Getting close now, if I can get a good evening or two at this, we might be getting to the finish line! 😲

Welcome to MSW Ian!

Another great build Chris!

Recovering from the ignominy of rigging disasters (I have patched things up and fortunately no huge scars visible) I have completed the baseboard. The working baseboard was cleaned up a bit and a cardboard template of the Earnslaw pinned to the board. I then painted around this in thick Gesso to replicate the lake surface, nothing too rough as this is 1/250 scale and not the North Sea! This took a couple of applications to build-up the surface as the Gesso relaxed a little as it dried. It was then a case of many acrylic washes; some light, some dark to try and create a layered look. Once happy with the colouration I started with layers of Gloss medium and little strands of cotton wool to add a little interest and hide the waterline seams better. Overall fairly happy with the effect. My styrene road has arrived so I can finish the Bridge canopy and start on the thread handrailing. Hoping to do a better job of this than on my last build. Getting there, thanks for looking in!

That looks really neat Mike, the jig do they tell you how to build that? really tempted with this combo. Looking forward to seeing the catapult come together.

Welcome to MSW

Wow, your Admiral sounds lovely, compared to what I get called when I mention the next model project! 🤣

Hi Adrian, I would agree with Chris and Mark, have a look at Vanguard’s models. I have the “Snake” and keep putting off starting it, I would not call it a starter kit, more intermediate and to make it into something you would be happy with will need some extra effort over and above what the instructions say. Don’t get me wrong Caldercraft kits are good, but as a reintroduction into this great hobby, then perhaps save them for the next kit.

It was a bit, thank you. You have to laugh at these little tribulations! 🤣

Oh Good, that means the lovely people of MSW will get to see them done properly!!! And not have to see stuff like this:- The dialogue in my head went something like:- "Oh, I have forgotten to put the holes in the funnel for the support stays before I rolled and glued it in place. Never mind I'll try and thread a needle through it in-situ! Brilliant idea!" I know what you are all saying - "Won't that deform the funnel Andrew?" (Yes it did...) and "Isn't there a risk that the hole on the opposite side will be in the wrong place Andrew?" (Yep and it now looks like a disgruntled passenger has shot a hole in the top of it.) Sulking now and off to paint the base board instead, I am better at painting stuff I think than delicate card models... Oh and btw, there is now one side of the funnel you lot are never seeing again!

😱 Baby Steps Chris, Baby steps! 🤣 I was more thinking along the lines of this one I have in stock....

Amen to that! I'd never finish one if the Card Police were that strict! 👮‍♂️ Your Wildcat undercarriage is a work of art Chris!

Update for today. I may have not provided my intrepid passengers with much in the way of life preservation, but at least we have protected them from the Sun! 😎 With the added bonus the awnings now partially conceal a multitude of sins. 😆 Nearly completed the awning frames (well would have completed them today if I had not run out of styrene rod! But that didn't prevent me from fashioning the canvas awnings out of a single layer of painted tissue paper, the rest I can finish when my new stock arrives. Other little jobs completed were the main mast and boom; including fiddly little navigation lights. The wheel, engine telegraphs & compass, these really do look a Dog's breakfast up close, not my finest work! - I really don't comprehend how to cut out tiny details that are smaller than the thickness of the card... I also did make up the three missing benches from left over card as Chris suggested. Remaining tasks to do:-, rigging; of the mast and the funnel. Bridge awning frame and cover, bridge navigation lights and thread handrailing. So, with there being a real danger I might complete this one and it not end up in the bin, I will also get on with producing a base for Earnslaw to sail on. So also need to look up a few refence pictures of Lake Wakatipu for possible colours. Thanks for looking in!

Outstanding Robert, a model to be really proud of, think it's one of the finest Victory model I have seen.

Hi John, Nice to see another Paper Shipwright card model on the go, I'm a few weeks into one as well. Yours is looking very nice. Chris is our resident Card Ninja ⚔️ loads of good tips to be stolen and miserably implemented on my part at least! For instance look at the steering wheel on the thread he has linked 😱 I have just tried that this evening and my wheel looks like a Daisy some kid has been plucking the petals from! Looking forward to seeing your "Voyager" progress. 😁