Javelin

Actually nowadays they are painted matt black by colreg regulation. The reason is that it shouldn't reflect the colour of the light at all, simply because the light would then be visible from unwanted angles (in case of sidelight that would be from angles too much astern). That said, I believe that only came into use in 1970 or later, so for Lula I guess it's really up to you. In any case this thread is great to follow, so much detail on such a small model. She really looks the part!

After my little foray in the SIB theme, it's time to get back to this one. I had a few options, I guess I want for the most logical one and that is going forward from where I left off. So this is the area I'll be concentrating on for now. A cardboard template of the catwalk in that area is fitted to check out for size and fitting. Slight adjustments are required to let each part fit. However first I'll need to do that details on the lower levels inside the catwalk area. I'll probably destroy that catwalk if I'd put it on first. So you can see that white, unpainted structure with stair, that's one of the pieces that still needed to be made. That set me off on a whole series of small stairs. Basically each tank dome has a small 4-step stair to the main deck, so I started making all those first. This jig is about as old as the model itself, not perfect, but still good enough. It also allows to adjust angles for the different stairs etc. And the first ones are there. The one connected to the platform is a bit too flat, the angle isn't correct, so I'll change it by a steeper one. And the additional details required on the tank dome are the instrumentation box, cabling between the two pumps (similar to the aft tank dome) and the handrail. For the instrumentation box I needed to make the legs. To get it firmly on that deck, the legs are drilled into the deck before gluing. First I made a template based on the box bottom itself. I drilled 4 holes to fit the corners of the box. I then used that template to drill the holes in the deck. I then cut the legs to length, glued them to the box and used the template again to get them straight, so they'll fit in the holes in the deck later on. So here you see the glued legs to the box in the template. Hopefully it'll fit nicely in the deck now.

That's not a very true assumption, rope rarely, depending on the lay of it, has a tendency to coil up round. It generally depends on the lay, direction of coiling and simply the motion that is made during coiling that would define the shape of it. I must admit this is looking more like a coil that was made vertically, hanging and then laid down afterwards rather than a coil that was made straight on deck. But honestly... if that's the only question we can pose, he's doing a great job. And that's what this is! Great work all around, astonishing work and VERY Tiny blocks indeed!

Not sure if this will work, but plenty of plans of that ship on the Dutch national archives. Jacob Van Heemskerck

I think I'll make a half-hearted attempt at 4 frames of a ship and then go to Glen in despair and ask him to finish it for me 😁. I know, the starting point here was by no means half hearted, but if Glen can do it better, why make the effort...😆. Joking aside, regardsless of some historical accuracy issues (perhaps), you're doing a marvellous job here!

I kind of regret you're finished. She was a pleasure to follow and came out beautiful! Love the way you did the sails, brings an extra dimension to the build. I'm sure you learned a lot of things and will use those lessons in the next build.

Seems indeed the shop in Bruges (not Brussels, very insulting for Bruges 😋), is called Hobby Neverland, while the manufacturer is Neverland Hobby....

You are talking about a shop near Bruges. I've been there in the past. It's a shop, as far as I know they don't produce anything and are therefore different from the manufacturer Bruce is enquiring about.

I saw most of your updates by the posting on the main page, but seem to have missed quite something now. Finally following this topic, better late than never I guess. Great job on Lula, she looks very realistic. Having some gaps left and right is good in this case. She was pre industrial mass-production and therefore likely to be less sharp and crisp as anything built later on. Hope you didn't get hurt too bad from that fall...

That's a brilliant stand! Never seen this before, so quite original and beautifully executed. (the ship as well)

Although I don't have stands for my models, I'd look for supports for curtain rails of the rod type? Old brass versions of those. Perhaps modify them a bit.

YES PLEASE! A dredger would be fantastic! However, first Lula. A gorgeous piece of work and a great example of combining materials to reach an overall complicated appearance! True scratchbuilding. I can't imagine, but do hope, to be building such sharp and intricate details at your age.

Paint for the upper hull and coppering for the bottom.

Forgot to mention, thanks for asking. Plank on Bulkhead, I won't be trying my luck too much.

As the title says, I'm preparing for a first wooden ship and decided to go for a scratch build. The odd reason perhaps, is that I'm used to build from scratch and want to see where it goes. I find it easier to toss one of my builds in the bin rather than a 30% finished (expensive) kit. Now while preparing I've been gathering a lot of info here on thicknesses and types of wood, but I do have to take in account what I have available to me. The basic question is: Do I use ply or MDF for the frames and keel? I've seen some opting for MDF because it holds pushpins better, but that's just one argument. And second question, my main store has poplar and birch ply, so if I'm to use ply, which one would be better suitable? I'm preparing a document with sequence of construction and needed materials, so I can make an order list for the first phase. As mentioned before, if the hull fails, there's no need to purchase equipment for masts, fittings and rigging, which is not an option if you bought a kit... (considering my past experience and wealth of information here, I'm rather confident I can make it work, or I wouldn't start it in the first place 😄)