Stevinne

I look at it as a continuum of model building skills. Some folks like to do everything on their own, others just want to concentrate on building. I imagine there are some scratchbuilders who can't see the point of laser-cut bulkheads and parts.  

The galleries were already some years ago made by me, but they were not yet fully complete. I had earlier replaced the supplied metal parts by simple wooden strips, that I had painted yellow. And between them, I had left empty space.
Now, I have added some small wooden pillars, which I had painted white. The size was 2 by 1.5 mm. I have placed them in line with some of the decorative figures on the roofs.
Picture before and after (at almost the same camera angle..)

 

The last item of the model that I wanted to do was to make the name badge. I used the kit supplied shield and printed (at work) a sticker with the (translated from Dutch) text "Vasa Swedish ship of war, built and sunk in Stockholm 1628. Model in scale 1:75, built 2012-2021, by <me>". The sticker was cut to fit into the shield.
 

 
I have added some photos of my now completed VASA:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The next big thing for me is building a display case. I have seen a very nice one here on MSW and will use it as guideline:
The display case made by Shipshaper for his Emma C Berry
 
 

I look at it as a continuum of model building skills. Some folks like to do everything on their own, others just want to concentrate on building. I imagine there are some scratchbuilders who can't see the point of laser-cut bulkheads and parts.  

Gunwales have been added. Massive thank you to @Stevinne for the help, allowed numerous repairs in the stern and filling the large chunk taken out. Also inspired me to turn the ship from something I was dissatisfied with to something I can be kinda proud of.
 
Thus far the gunwales have been the most tedious and annoying bit of the build, and I’m happy to have them behind me. I purchased a plank bending jig which I struggled to use when needing to bend the strips in the direction required for the gunwales. For the rear portion some pretty sharp curves were required, so I just wetted the strip in a water and alcohol solution and used my finger nail to make small notches in them, allowing them to bend sharply. I had considered not even going through this process, but I am far more satisfied with the result.
 
I am also learning the power of sanding. The bulwarks were still slightly off after installed, but I was able to sand them in a shape I was pleased with. Almost every screw up has been correctable just by sanding the wood to shape. It’s also been interesting seeing the ship turn from multiple little hunks of wood into a uniform shape. It has been an incredibly satisfying experience.
 
However I do find myself at times wanting to cut corners to get to the rigging (Such as just realizing I forgot 2 small strips that go on either side of the hull for the deadeyes to attach to and really not wanting to apply them after just thinking the hull was finally completed), but I must push and see it through. I don’t want to leave dissatisfied because I didn’t complete a part of the ship due to laziness.

She's looking great. For the gunwales, I'd recommend the soak/heat method. For the hole in the stern, I'd find a piece of wood of a similar size to the existing bulwark, cut it to fill the gap and once glued into place, dab either end of the break with diluted wood glue and lightly sand the area. If all works out well, it should help blend the patch into place and be virtually unnoticeable once you add paint.

Thanks fore the likes...
 
some more progress has been dunn, i started the rigging of the masts and also gluing pats on as i go,
more rigging is needed , so am not finished yet😰 but am getting close
hop you like the result so far.
 
svein.erik

Quite a bit of progress has been made to the America. Does anyone have any tips for filling in the hole in the stern?
 

More progress on the deck planking. Have to start on the little deck near the beakhead. The planks look a little overscale to me.

More progress on the deck planking. Have to start on the little deck near the beakhead. The planks look a little overscale to me.

Thank you very much Gary!
 
I created the wheelhouse..



I started making ropes from thin Sajou threads. On the old ropewalk with a low-quality ride, the rope made mistakes for me. So I modified the entire ropewalk..


And now it's about something else!!

The hoists of the main mast have been completed with new ropes, they will now go below deck..
 

Now I can close the wall of the rear superstructure..
 



 
 

For the rigging, this has been the most helpful thing I've found. Pretty well has taught me how to rigging works, alongside Ship Modeling Simplified.
 
https://modelexpo-online.com/assets/images/MS2029_AMERICA_INSTRUCTIONS_NEW_PHOTOS.pdf

These are a few of the deck fittings. The Ellis anchors were difficult as I did not have a drawing of them. Then I found a drawing of them which I used to make version 5. These anchors were known as beach gear, used in pulling ships off a beach. I had some good photos of the H bitt and anchor winch so they came out first time around. The towing winch was a whole lot tougher to build as I did not have much info. I think my version 3 came out ok. The derrick winch pictured was version 1 it has gone back to the shipyard for some changes. And than there was the capstan which came out the first try.

Coming soon to a build log near you. 
USS Takelma ATF 113 was constructed by United Engineering and Drydock Co. LTD at Alameda, CA. Her keel was laid on 18 sept 1943 and was commissioned on 3 aug 1944. She was a Abnaki class fleet ocean tug. Specs; Length 205' Beam 36'.6" Draft 17' Displacement 1640 tons, complement, 6 officers & 70+ enlisted.
During my time onboard we had a 3inch 50 open mount gun. propulsion after yard overhaul was 4 V-16 caterpillar diesel electric motors turning a electric motor on the propeller shaft.
I spent 3+ years onboard and was homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Made one westpac trip, Pretty good duty for a 18 year old fresh out of school. I keep in contact with some of my ship mates to this day. I was an engineman rating but took care of our boiler and evaps.
My model is based on a fiberglass hull from Scale Shipyard of a ATF and is 1/96 scale. I am using styrene, some P.E. some 3d printed parts. This is the first project that I have used styrene I might have the hang of it by time I am done, More to follow as I have been working on her for some time.

Started the deck planking. First step was running to the store for a permanent marker to add "tar" to the plank edges. There were no black Sharpies available, so I had to settle for some brand named "Jot." They smell pretty strong, so there's no chance I'm going to forget to cap the pen.
I'm already concerned the kit hasn't come with enough deck planking, so I'm trying my best to stretch it. That's why the planking ends at the focsle door, since the closed door will hide what is inside. I do have to plank some of the deck under the sterncastle, since that entrance is open. But I'm saving that to see if my odd-sized left-over pieces can be used. 

Started the deck planking. First step was running to the store for a permanent marker to add "tar" to the plank edges. There were no black Sharpies available, so I had to settle for some brand named "Jot." They smell pretty strong, so there's no chance I'm going to forget to cap the pen.
I'm already concerned the kit hasn't come with enough deck planking, so I'm trying my best to stretch it. That's why the planking ends at the focsle door, since the closed door will hide what is inside. I do have to plank some of the deck under the sterncastle, since that entrance is open. But I'm saving that to see if my odd-sized left-over pieces can be used. 

Thought I would post again to let you know I haven't given up on this build.  I may be in over my head with the CW Morgan, but I've wanted to build her for a long time.  Regarding the issues with the planksheer in my earlier posts, I basically started over and have posted photos.  Don't judge me too harshly, I know there are some incredibly skilled modelers on this forum, and their build logs have been very helpful for me!  BTW, the parts people at Model Shipways were very gracious in sending me several replacement parts.  I appreciate their customer service.  Anyway, here's where I'm at now. 

Like you said, this is a tough build to learn on but you're spot on by sticking with it and doing your best. My bet is you'll be surprised by how well it comes together. Not only are we often our own worst critics, but a completed model has a way of hiding faults that seem apparent during the build process. And most people who see the completed model are more likely to say "wow, you actually built that?" rather than "hey, your planking's suboptimal".

Completed  The Mississippi paddle wheeler.  This build was mainly about learning how to wire and use lighting. The build itself was straight forward and fun to do. The real challenge was the lighting, which was new for me. Much trial and error. Hiding & running the wiring required a different kind of planning following the written instructions for a step-by-step build was not possible all the time. The wiring termination points Aft starboard was a real test getting all 14 sets to connect into two 3-volt battery packs. All and all I believe the build came out all right. It was fun and I learned much.

Thanks Steven
I have the AoTS book and did consider the chainwork option but the chain supplied in the kit is so soft that I think I would have struggled soldering the ring from the dead eye to it and I didn't fancy making up my own chain so I elected to go with the plans as below where "B" is thread
 

 
Also, it's not the first time I've had issues with Caldercraft models and the shrouds.  I got caught out on the Endeavour and this was a problem with the kit and is discussed by others in a thread in the "masts and rigging section".  I think it's something similar in that the main mast should be slightly longer than what is given in the plans and the channels should be slightly wider.  But all good, hopefully others who are planning on building this ship can learn from my mistakes.
 
Mark

Hi All
Must be time for another update.....
Had a small issue with the shrouds fouling on the sides as shown below
 
Not sure how this happened as I haven't deviated from the plans and having checked the photo (below) that came on the instruction manual it's not clear if there is an issue with the model itself or not and particularly the shrouds further away from the Main mast and around the Mizzen mast.
 

 
Regardless, I needed to fix it, the channels are epoxied and pinned so I couldn't remove them, the mast was also epoxied and not moving, the height increase in the mast to clear the sides would have been significant in any case.  Only real option I had was to add material to widen the channels, luckily there was sufficient spare wood from where the channels had been cut from.

 
Next was on to fixing the shroud dead eyes and this was accomplished using a jig with a horizontal line drawn on to fix a constant level...I know some people prefer spacers but I find this works for me.  
 
 

 
The dead eyes for the channels are only held by rope and these had to be stitched prior to seizing as no amount of glue, shellac, varnish would take the strain once the shrouds were pulled tight....following photos show where I'm up to
 
 

 

 

 
 

 
 

 

 
 

 
Thanks for looking in
 
Mark

My next project will be the USS Cairo kit from BlueJacket. This vessel was an ironclad gunboat designed and built during the American Civil War for service on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, as part of the Union's push to control the West's inland waterways and cut off Confederate supply lines, communications, and commerce. Her actual service was unremarkable, and she sank less than a year after her commissioning upon hitting several mines near Vicksburg, Mississippi. However, she became immortal when her wreck was discovered mostly intact in the mid-1960s and eventually salvaged, restored, and placed on display at Vicksburg National Military Park. I've visited the display and associated museum, where it's absolutely fascinating to be able to actually walk around the vessel and peer into her depths. 

 
When completed, this will join my scratchbuilt Western River steamboats Arabia and Bertrand, two other examples of mid-19th century Western River steamboats salvaged from old river channels in the American interior. This kit is a much smaller scale than those two models (1:64 and 1:87, respectively), so will nestle comfortably alongside the Bertrand. 

For inspiration, I'll have on hand this simple paperweight acquired at the Cairo museum!

Announcing the start of this build feels unusually good, as I've had a forced ~7 month hiatus from modeling building due to a complicated situation involving a serious hatched-derived wrist injury (with subsequent surgery and long recovery) that, for a while, had me unsure if I'd regain the dexterity and strength necessary to keep building scale models (much less the larger-scale timber management and building work I do in real life). The Cairo kit is a 43rd birthday present but also a celebration of a return to reasonable normality.
 
Thanks for looking in! Next post, I'll cover why I chose this model and what I hope to achieve with it.
 
 
 

Construction started 12/19/2021. My first 1/200 scale project. Kit was purchased from private party and included the Mk1 upgrade. She is shown as I see her in December 1941. 
Paint is Vallejo AV, AK, and Scale Colors. My first time using Scale Colors, I like them. Rigging is Ezline and stainless steel wire.
The kit decal sheet is quite complete but appears too large so I used 1/350 decals. The "ARIZONA" on the port quarter is bare brass which is just a bit of artistic license. Starboard is correct. 
The kit is quite complete and detailed. It could easily produce a nice model right out of the box.
I used the usual vast amount of references covering the Arizona. The Kagero Super Drawings in 3D is a fine reference and helped to clarify a number of points in the kit instructions.
The case is by AcrylicJob. I have enjoyed using them previously.
The attached pics are some quickies. I intend to do a finish set when I add her crew.

Sorry for the picture problem.
Cheers, Harley
 

Getting ready to plank the deck. The first step is removing the supports from the frames and then making sure the stubs are flush with the false deck. I found my sprue cutter did a good job clipping the wood nearly flush and then I used some chisels of various head shapes to remove whatever wood was left. I was happy that I took extra pains when installing the hull planking to ensure no glue was anywhere near the supports, since when snipping them they easily came away from the planks.

Getting ready to plank the deck. The first step is removing the supports from the frames and then making sure the stubs are flush with the false deck. I found my sprue cutter did a good job clipping the wood nearly flush and then I used some chisels of various head shapes to remove whatever wood was left. I was happy that I took extra pains when installing the hull planking to ensure no glue was anywhere near the supports, since when snipping them they easily came away from the planks.