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Nipper

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Everything posted by Nipper

  1. Nipper
    BE - It certainly has created issues for me too! After a lot of experimenting with the different components of the chains, I've concluded that the best way out of this is to use some 0.5mm wire to make my own upper links on the main chains - a potential solution that you had identified until you found that your old Pegasus chain sets would do the job. I've looked at the other Sphinx build logs and only Hollowneck seems to have had the same problem, but some of the other Sphinx models have the lower bolt of the preventer plates on the wale itself, not on the upper strake of the wale, which does not look right at all. So thanks once again BE for your detailed build log, which has helped me find a way through this problem. Nipper
  2. Nipper
    BE: You didn't warn us that you were going to go full dolls' house! It's magnificent and the colours you have achieved on the furniture is outstanding, That subtle mix of varied "mahogany" colour on the table top looks so realistic. Is that a wash basin or a commode you have built? And who is the portrait of? Nipper
  3. Nipper
    I see that you've been referring to Blue Ensign's build log in which he goes into a great deal of care to create an authentic rig for Alert. Like you, I wanted to make my Alert as realistic as I could, and I used all the usual reference books to check what is correct. After a great deal of (very enjoyable) time researching, I concluded that I could do no better than follow Blue Ensign's lead.
  4. Nipper
    BE - I love the idea of your "inner dolls' house maker" coming to the fore! Chris' furniture is fantastic for this, but you are right about the figures. I'm in the process of furnishing and fitting the cabin of my Sphinx - maps, books, quill, inkpot, potrait of the wife etc. - but figures?! It is the pose that is so important, which is why I fully support your nudge to Chris. My Sphinx captain is a bashed version of your Captain Grim, hatless to fit in the cabin but still clutching his telescope unfortunately. I'm looking forward to seeing how your cabin develops - and many thanks for your detailed commentary which is so helpful. Nipper
  5. Nipper
    Tom I've looked in Lavery's "Arming and Fitting" and he says that at the end of the 18th century "large sloops of 300+ tons would have three boats, and smaller vessels 2". Speedy was 207 tons, so I think it is right to assume 2 boats for Sophie. But sometimes captains or masters and commanders might decide differently. Is there anything in Patrick O'Brian to indicate that Jack Aubrey had more than 2 boats? Nipper
  6. Nipper
    I agree - it's more fun to have a try at building something first. There's a lot of useful learning in tasks like this. That said, I spent a lot of enjoyable time last year trying to make a set of furniture to go in the captain's cabin of my Sphinx, and then Chris Watton brought out his super resin furniture, which I couldn't resist! So I spent some time making miniature books, including a logbook, to go on the captain's table, and a framed portrait of his wife. The results are so-so, but the enjoyment was immense. Nipper
  7. Nipper
    It's a lovely build and a lovely commentary. I assumed that the penny was the lucky penny - the actual one in your pocket at the fateful moment - and surely you would not hide this for ever in the bowels of the boat! Nipper
  8. Nipper
    "The stage of a build I enjoy best" - could this be headworks and sternworks? I've nearly completed these on my Sphinx and aren't they tricky?! Like most difficult tasks, it's very satisfying to have achieved them, but apart from painting, shading and highlighting the stern decorations, I didn't enjoy it as much as, say, planking. The latter was repetitive but I found my skill improving after each plank. Nipper
  9. Nipper
    Excellent photos Andrew, especially the inclusion of the modelling tools etc that you have used. Nipper
  10. Nipper
    B.E: I really like the Syren stove you did, with the presumably later addition of Chris' cook - a lovely job. I'm not able to devote as much time to the shipyard as you, but even so I too love to find little digressions. I'm always on the look-out for potential "bells and whistles" to divert me and add to the fun. Thanks for the detailed log as always - there's always something there for me to learn from. Nipper
  11. Nipper
    I will be following your log with great interest, especially as you plan to fit sails. I fitted furled sails to Alert, which was my first build, not having the confidence or skills to create accurate and convincing full sails. Since then, I've read some very helpful build logs such as Hollowneck's Sphinx (Camilla), and I'm pondering whether to add sails to my Sphinx. Nipper
  12. Nipper
    I agree with you on the colour of the capstan. Although we don't know for sure what colours the ships were painted, I just don't like the look of deck fittings all in red ochre. Red for the inner bulwarks does loook right, however.
  13. Nipper
    Sounds very sensible to me Chris. You have to have a strategic plan for your business to succeed long term. As long as Surprise still goes ahead at the appropriate time, because it will be a winner, I'm certain! Many of us on MSW will have our own personal wishes and wants from you, so I will confess mine - that you will produce some crew figures for Surprise, not just the main characters. But above all, I believe we all would be happy to put our personal wishes to one side and support you to the full in ensuring that VM goes from strength to strength. Nipper
  14. Nipper
    Thanks B.E. for your detailed explanation. I've marked this ready for my next planking job - it will make my next model better, more realistic and more satisfying. As ever, your meticulous thinking, planning and execution provides a guide for the rest of us. Nipper
  15. Nipper
    Lovely work B.E. If there's one thing I've learned from you, Chuck, and the other master builders on MSW, it's that if something will look better, then the time taken does not matter! Nipper
  16. Nipper
    Could their purpose be to help secure the gun carriage when not in use - either lashed up to the bulwark or lashed alongside? Nipper
  17. Nipper
    Kevin There are some very constructive suggestions above for how to proceed. All is not lost! In addition, a thought that has occurred to me sometimes, after I have blundered, is that in reality, ships would have been subject to storm and/or battle damage, and fresh repair work on a hull would not be out of place at all. It may even add to the realism. Nipper
  18. Nipper
    Congrats on your successful fitting of the side patterns - I know from my own experience how challenging this is! Thanks also for your detailed description and analysis of your methods - this is so helpful to us all in a similar way to B.E.'s outstanding build logs.
  19. Nipper
    Thank you B.E. for giving us all the opportunity to have this insight into your thinking as you plan your way forward in this build. As a relative newcomer - I'm only on my second build - I find your explanations and reasoning behind your decisions as helpful as the building techniques themselves. It must be very time-consuming to write a build log lke yours, but thank you for doing so because you are helping many of us to become better, and more satisfied, ship modellers as a result. Nipper
  20. Nipper
    Looking good! I too used Chuck's method when planking my Sphinx. As you say, it's very time-consuming. Sometimes I only managed to fit one or two planks a day. But the time taken and careful measuring and checking meant that it was so satisfying when the plank fitted smoothly into place. So well that I soon realised that my sanding of the bulkheads left a bit to be desired. i should have spent the time and care that you did on fairing the bulkheads! Nipper
  21. Nipper
    Yes. I was being facetious . . . I had in mind a sort of reverse razee! The fully framed hull is scratch-built up to the gundeck and then the upper decks and fittings come out of the box. Someone is bound to have done this! I wish you joy of the awaited arrival today. I noted your comment earlier about the shortage of space at home for displaying your models. This surely is an issue for all of us. I'm put off building something the size of Indy because of this, and I don't want to go to a smaller scale. On the contrary. I'm keen to put as much detail as possible into the model, like you do. I'm pondering on the thought of a larger scale model of say, a section of a ship to include all the internal fittings and furniture usually covered by the decks - a sort of nautical dolls' house! Nipper
  22. Nipper
    B.E. I'm looking forward to enjoying your build log and learning as well. I understand your fondness of the Navy board style models - they do look evocative. I'm sure you must have thought about creating the full frame view below the wales, which is so characteristic of the style, rather than fully planking the hull. But I guess that would need to be a scratch build, although it could be a hybrid scratch built hull with one of Chris's kits on top. Nipper
  23. Nipper
    Thanks Chris In fact, I did just that when fitting the bow section without realising the cunning plan that you had come up with! I'll think about filling them, possibly with a bit of sanding dust and dilute glue.
  24. Nipper
    Chris Please would you help with this question about Sphinx: I've just got to where I fix the sheer and waist rails (slow going I know but I'm relishing every minute!) and I cannot find any reference to, or use for, the pre-drilled holes on the rails either side of the gunports. I've looked through the Sphinx build logs here, but in the finished models it appears that these holes are not used for anything. Nipper
  25. Nipper
    Clever! Like the sort of Chinese wood puzzle that intrigued me as a child at Christmas! Nipper

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