Thunder

Chris, does this mean I need to sell my Mordaunt kit to make way for your next model?

Do you really think that would work? Has Chris got an army of pickers for packing all the items? It sounds great but surely that is a scratch build parts service. A lot of people buy a kit because they don't want to do all that. The inventory of parts would have to be massive as they weren't that standardised, so you will end up using nearest fit. Isn't that what we complain about with the poorer kits. Sounds idyllic, and I would love it, not sure if would work other than offering all the parts from a current kit and then this list growing as the kit list grows. But this already happens.

She is looking great. You are making a great job of her.

Hi, Great build. I have built many of these small Pyro Kits and you do have to take them for what they are. However, have always been on the look out for this one. Only seen it once and they really did want stupid money for it. I have built: Bon Homme Richard Dutch Staten Jacht Venetian Carrack Roman Merchant Half Moon La Reale But gave up on their larger scale Gouda. If you have enjoyed the Bomb Ketch then keep your eye out for the others.

Heller kits vary a lot between kits. They have the nasty habit of producing a good kit then modifying it for the second. The second tends to be rubbish. Also, the first tends to have a basis in an actual vessel. I have built a few and by far the best was Le Superbe, the worst was the Spanish Gallion. Kits that are from the same mould are: Gallion, Elizabethan, stella Le Phenix ( from Colbert plans) and Sirene Superbe and Glorieux Gladiator and Indomitable Possibly more.

Second planking working down. One full strake and then another drop strake Started working up from garboard and down as well. One strake left on each side and stealers to do.

As second planking completed down to the lower position of the wales I am expecting things to get more difficult from here. It is obvious that too plank the next section down the planks would have to be tapered more than half its width. Consequently drop strakes will be needed at the bow. I decided to drop one in straight away. First strake tapered to 2mm. Next strake down ready to fit. 2mm wide at end and then 2mm where the first strake ended. Take a look at the stem. This design has it flush with the termination of the second planks above the wale position. I can find no evidence for this being correct. Also, it would look a lot better if I added a section of timber here.

Hi Chris, was expecting more answers to your last post. However, these are my thoughts: You have two markets and this type of vessel could be seen as a good beginners kit. Therefore I would suggest the standard wood and threads as no beginner is going to want to spend a fortune. They might not even understand how beneficial it is to buy a well designed kit. On the other hand the kit is designed to meet a very high standard which would appeal to the market on here. A lot of the persons on here, including myself, might not have the facilities to scratch build but want a kit something better than the average mass produced kit. We are fed up with the usual wood and threads and the cost of replacement. Also, the difficulties in obtaining them replacements. Consequently the options are: Try to provide for both markets - more stock for you and boxing issues. Do the standard version by wholesale and the deluxe version mail order direct. Reach a happy medium - at risk of not selling to either. Stick to the normal market and standard - lots of competition. Also, for timber and threads I think you should be looking to source from places other than those directed to on here. You need to buy at cost so can you look direct to manufacturers? Understand this might not be possible with first kit as they may want you to buy in bulk.

probably to allow for the fact that if you want to plank in the way of how it was really done there would still be some sideways twisting and as such some 'clinker effect'. If too thin you would sand through. If the planks were wider they could be shaped tapered better to prevent this but that would be more costly than the timber being slightly thicker.

Simon, where do you get boxwood from in the uk?

Would it be possible, as a smaller and more high range model producer, to provide upgrade wood choices to those requesting it. I would except that you could not stock all woods and so it would incur an extended delivery time and handling fee. The standard kits could be sold through the normal outlets as the method of providing your regular sales. It would prevent these piles of Walnut and Tanganika that I don't know what to do with other than throw away. Cherry, pear, box or beach for hull planking and maple, lime or box for the deck. You would have to limit choices to stop it getting silly. Incidentally I have just brought an old kit which strangely has Tanganika for the hull planking but Walnut for the deck! Not sure that is going to look right.

Completely agree regarding walnut being too dark, it also is not that nice a material to plank with. I would change it every time but it is getting replacement stock for the keel sections in other materials that has proved the problem. At least if you have to buy from a hobby stockist. I have never liked Tanganika for the decks and have kept some to plank the hull on one of my future models as the colour looks far more suited to that.

Hi, I am currently doing Cruiser which is essentially the same kit. Yours looks to be going together better so far. I have done a few logs which might show some of the problems I have had but you are already catching me up. The worst failing I am finding is that there is not enough bulkheads to properly hold the planking to the right shape. I am doing the second layer now and there is nothing to pin though to other than the first layer. This is just where the planks need pushing up together to prevent the small gaps between. Telling you this as you still have the chance to pack between the bulkheads.

I always find the battle of Flamborough head an interesting story. Serapis, an outdated 44 gun two decked ship which due to its poor design struggled to open its lower deck ports in anything but calm water, and the armed vessel Countess Scarborough 20 placed themselves between the fleet they were protecting and the American / French fleet. Bon Homme Richard 42, Alliance 30, Pallas 30. Serapis and the BHR fought each other two a standstill with the CoS fighting the French vessels. Once the countess surrendered the Alliance joined in the fight against the Serapis and she was forced to surrender. Up to this point it was one of the most heroic single ship actions of all time for both sides. Depending on who writes the story depends on whether the French ships are disregarded, Serapis guns climb to 50, Bon Homme Richards reduce to 20 etc. Also the fact that the English merchant fleet got safely away is nearly always forgotten. John Paul Jones is also an interesting subject. How did he get to France and if it was as captain of USS Ranger why was she not involved? John Paul was a Scotsman, some accounts have him as a sailor on slave ships but found it unhuman. Either way accused of murder of a sailor and fled to America. Again accounts vary from self defence against a mutineer (so why flee) to an act of rage against a sailor whilst he was a Midshipman on an English Royal Navy ship. All this time on and still difficult to get an unbiased account. After the Ranger and Bon Homme Richard his service is unknown to me but eventually he joined Russia as could not get further service in the USA and became an Admiral. He retuned to Paris when no longer able to get service in Russia. His remains did not return to America till 1909. As for the Bon Homme Richard wreck. That coast is strewn with wrecks and due to the strength of tidal currents few survive unless they get covered in silt. Often, as with history, people see what they want to see and change the facts to suit. Perhaps timber analysis or the ships bell could prove either way. I didn't realise that the BHR had caught on fire, actually thought the Serapis did from grenade thrown from the BHR.

One thing of note is that the figurehead is often shown as wearing a red coat but in Bligh's log he is stating as describing it as a pretty women dressed in Green riding habit. I believe this was after he painted it to amuse the Tahitians. It may of just been plain yellow before. I have read so many works on him that I am unsure where I got this from it might of been 'Captain Bligh and Mister Christian' by Richard Hough. I have just read Bligh's biography by Rob Mundle, also a very good book but nothing much about the ship. For what it is worth below is my lowly Airfix kit. not so pretty is she with the Airfix mould!

Hi, Kit shown I built over 20 years ago, it is the Airfix Golden Hind. Used the vacform sails with bolt rope super glued around the edge. Sails painted base colour, followed by a wash of brown which settles in the creases and grain. Apply Second wash of brown paint but buff off raised areas, and where material would be strained, with a tissue just before it dries.

excellent job and all good practice for that second layer.

Looks exciting to me. The only issue I have is cutters are my favourite vessels and having built two and with Lady Nelson in stock I know I will want this as well. Alert is quite different to the other cutters available so perhaps the lady wife won't notice another.

Hi, just catching up with this build and got so far to page 4. Never have I read such an exceptional build from both the builder point of view and for all the support and discussions. This is an example of how this website works at its best. I had this kit brought me for Christmas and this topic could not be better, even it was a practicum, due to the discussion and research involved.

Thanks Paul, I do not have facilities to cut my own planks from stock but may be able to use originalmarquetry. What timbers have you used and what is the quality like.

The other two to remember are: Using the bulwark capping rails to check shape at bow and stern. When coming to positioning your wale make a check to ensure the position is correct so that the shroud chain plates will reach it. - I usually forget this one.

Phil, Does this come with ply sections to form the stern. If so just check them for size as I am a little concerned that your planks at the stern are touching down on the parts numbered 17. It is a while since I built this so you may be right but worth checking now whilst there is only one to modify. I love the first planking because it is now you really see the ship taking shape.

Hello Bruce, at least with a scratch build you will not be looking out for and correcting the kit mistakes. The only problem you may encounter is getting good quality materials in the uk, unless you have the equipment to produce your own strip material.

You think you would learn but if you look at my present build you will see that I have spotted that I have the same problem again.

Hi, enjoying your build and wished I had spotted it earlier. Reason being that could of warned you about problems planking at the stern due a fault in the bulkheads. If you look at most builds you will see an inward curve / depression between bulkheads 9 and 10 before the hull shape swells out again. This is due to one of the bulkheads being incorrect. I had to pack out 11 to get the planks to run correctly. This really helps take away some of that angle that is making your planks splinter. I have attached a couple of photographs of how mine turned out. Unfortunately not found any of the first planking yet.