Thunder

Your on a winner straight away if your wife likes it. I think my wife liked the first one. Now at 20+ she is not so keen.

Hi AJohnson, Looking at your builds and on the shelf i think you may be the go to person for these questions. My experience of Caldercraft is that the wood quality can vary but usually provide a lot of spare and have replaced mine before with no argument. Regarding their Endeavour, i have theirs on my shelf and would not pick another current version. Worth checking though as a new version coming out by another manufacturer. I wouldn't choose Endeavour myself for a first to third build as the lines are horrible for planking. Would probably go for Cruiser, Orestes or Snake first.

However, main thing is that you choose a subject that you are most interested in.

Hi,

You are correct that the lower yard on the Mizzen mast is the Cross Jack. I would also rig the cross jack braces exactly as you have described and did do on my Bounty. There was no sail on this yard but braces would be used to brace the lower edge of the sail set on the topsail.

Airfix:

Wasa

Great western

Victory

Golden hind

St Louis

Discovery

Revenge

Bounty

Cutty Sark

Heller:

Superbe

La Sirene

Phenix

Spanish Gallion

Thonier Armor

La Tartane

Revell:

Mayflower

Constitution

Thermopylea

Golden Hind

Flying Dutchman

Hans Kogge

Batavia

Santa Maria

Pyro:

Dutch Staten Jacht

Half Moon

Bon homme Richard

Venetian Carrack

Roman Merchant

Imia:

Roman Warship

Greek Warship

Plus a Russian 60 gun ship kit 'Priedisjinctua'

To Build or part built, Airfix sovereign, Prince, Cutty Sark and mayflower, Pyro's La Reale and Alliance, Revell's Great Eastern

This is an excellent and inspiring build. Hawse holes in a very unusual place, not in a location i have seen before. usually much closer in to the stem.

Does look good. Wasn't sure they were still producing kits.

Why do modelling companies always have a ship sailing one way but the flags flowing another. Do they think the ship will be moving so fast that the flags will fly out behind?!!

That is a very impressive rig B.E. I love to see the extra effort to include all the sale rig as well even when depicted without sails bent. Even has the bowlines I believe. Looks like more the rig expected in a museum.

I am a bit confused with you saying 'options'. The left looks like stage one of rigging and the right includes stage two, both would be needed to show a cannon as rigged for use. If there is an option it is how much detail you want to include. Also i would not be too worried about eyebolts as easy to make but how many rigging blocks are included.

 I think it is asking a lot of you to use a book like Anderson's especially as of a later date and allowing for locating the information you need and noticing not to use dater that is specific to ships of the line or with a sprit sail top mast. That is why i chose the mayflower book as it is the same period and same mast / sail configuration. Another book useful to you is the 'Susan Constant 1605'

You may find that these are discussed in the mayflower book. If so take the size he suggests multiply by the mayflower kits scale and divide by the Golden Hinds scale. This will give you your size.

Regarding rigging, it is a lot easier if you know what each item's purpose is as then  you can see if it would work.

You wont go wrong using that book, I learnt my rigging from these books and now only use the expensive books such as James Lees, for more detail due to changes made for specific dates. Read the whole book but going straight to chapter 8 he tells you when to make the modifications and to apply those awkward to reach blocks. Shame you didn't do the mayflower first as the only thing you will find is the the reference to part numbers is incorrect. However, i used this book for my Golden hind without issue.

Hi,

Decided to look in to see how your build is going. See you managed to get the book on the Mayflower. Everything you need to rig this ship is in that book, you don't really have to buy any others to get it accurate.

Bit confused about your rigging and interested, without any form of malice, to know what you are trying to achieve. Did you want your rigging to be accurate or a great visual display? Only ask as cannot see how the ship would be able to sail with your configuration.

Only asking out of interest. Please do not take the wrong way. 

Imagine the scene, Shipwright from one yard gets to the stage of stepping the masts and has a whatsapp group with the other shipwrights. "**** old Henslow has made this tight to fit in next to the mast bits and skylight" " I should get on to the navy board if i was you and get permission to shift it forward a few inches, be a real pig to have to move the deck beams"

Sorry, missed your reference to the notation for Diamond and Jason, perhaps something spotted during building. You will never really know the minds at the time. 

Hi Jason, I took from the inboard profile plan for Diana J5531. Interestingly you can see similar movements on the deck plan J5527.

Seems a lot of work to move an existing ship for 61/4 inches as it shows moving the bits, wheel and skylight for each change as well. Most probably for slight modifications for each successive order. Most were ordered at the same time including Artois, Diana, Diamond, Apollo, Jason and Seahorse. The fir ships Clyde and Tamar and then Ethalion were ordered later. So unless the plans were used for another class we can assume the alterations were for these last three ships. (four if take into account Clyde was rebuilt). Of course only conjecture. All the original batch seemed to have been launched within a close period of time so was not after the first to improve sea quality.

Hi,

Investigating that Mizzen mast position have come across the details below

Sorry for poor drawing but hopefully can show the two locations for the Mizzen mast. One drawn in red which looks to compare with measurements of the kit. Second in green that seems to be as AOS book. Therefore difficult to say when these were moved. There is two lines plans in the NMM. looks like as originally built with open bulwarks the mast was as kit, with built up barricades as AOS. This would imply kit incorrect but still conjecture unless someone has the dates.

I have not purchased the drawings so cannot read the text, can someone help with this?  

out of the 9 kits i have built only one has not had some issue like you are experiencing. to be right the forward bulkheads should overlap the bearding at their front side and the rear bulkheads at their rear edge. then once you have faired them they will be reduced back. The bulkhead you are showing with the gap looks to be far to small, I have one such as this on my present build, Diana. I am going to fair them all then pad out the gaps and do them afterwards. It really is down to experience and i still struggle with it now. However, don't worry, wood is forgiving and more can be glued back on to let you sand it again.

Hi Mark,

That link will be a great help, thank you. I think i will buy some cheap wood to practice on first.

Blades and set up are limited with my proxxon so may need to invest in a saw.

Adrian 

I have it all over my front garden but after 20 years it is still not substantial enough to get any planks from it. Don't think it will be usable in my life time.

I have purchased two sheets of 3mm and 5mm thick . Was wondering what was the best tool to use to one planks off at about 1mm thick. Have run a couple off on my small proxxon circular saw but too many teeth marks where i hesitate. Was thinking of setting into a longer bed to make it better for supporting what is a metre length plank.

Hi Dunnock, I will be watching with interest as just started her myself. Interestingly I had no issues with, and no cleaning up to do of the bulkhead slots, as all fitted together perfectly. My kit has been stored under the spare bed for 10 years which may be why, or has their quality dropped? I am having the same decisions as you regarding bow and stern post and am undecided what wood to use as second planking. I have purchased some box to make my own planks and some pear in case I do not make a good job of the box planks with my small Proxxon circular saw. The only other addition made to the keel is an extra false keel that makes it the correct depth and additionally hides the plywood. I have done this as not decided whether to apply the copper plates yet.

Wish you all the best with your build, It does look like you won't need it, doing a great job so far.

Don't believe from the above comments that if a kit is double planked it will be good quality. Many are not. Some stretch the limits on gaps between the bulkheads to a level that make it very difficult to plank well without huge hollows in between. If possible i would check this prior to making a purchase.

Considering the shape of Bounty's bow that planking is excellent. I hope I do that well when I get to build her.

I thought it was John Bowen that did the model shipwright books.

Below is a 1:300 scale brig of the cruiser class by Langton Miniatures. This is not a wooden kit though, it is a resin hull.

There is also the Pyro range of kits but these are plastic. I have built some of these but cannot find any photographs. I do have them still, will have to take some.

Excellent, have the first three volumes and was looking into getting the plans as seemed little point having the books without them.

The most important thing is that you enjoy what you are doing, that is after all what having a hobby is all about. I like to think I am producing something of accuracy but that does not mean that is right for everyone. You build your model the way you want it and enjoy what you have produced.