Greg Davis

Got that tough one that passes the skylight fabricated and a few more deck planks in place. I can do one more plank on this side and then I should probably switch to the other side and even the work out. After that it may be best to work art of the cockpit area until it is filled out to match the work forward. The the first plank that goes unimpeded along the deck (on each side) can be fashioned. Those will be pretty challenging to make so that they smoothly pass along the sides of the cockpit margin board - I expect a few tries each side!

Put a few deck planks on today - some of the easier ones. The next plank to the starboard is one that is not as easy for me; getting the correct notch for the skylight will be tedious as it will need to drop in about half the planks width at the aft end.

Thank you - this one was particularly hard since we had him since he was a puppy and he needed a good deal of care and attention throughout his life. We've also had many pets, most often rescue dogs with many being midlife to senior. It somehow made it a bit different this time. We've never been fortunate to have a dog (or cat) pass peacefully in their sleep, but have always hoped that would be the way they left us.

Sad day for me today - had to have our 14 year old dog Phantom euthanized today as his health had rapidly deteriorated and there was no more that could be done to help him. So RIP good friend!

Jarod – First, thank you for taking the time to look at the progress I have made on the 1:48 scale Phantom model. I also appreciate the comment on the quality of my work. However, I have been taken aback by your post. I hope that individuals following this build log will have noticed that there are multiple lines of thought running through it. Besides the actual construction of the model, I have attempted to be clear as to the pros and cons of the kit as presented by Model Shipways independent of the modifications that I have chosen to make on my version of the model. The only fault that I can find in what I had written is that twice (posts #75 and #99) I said the model was marketed toward ‘beginner’s’. The reason that I had used the word ‘beginner’s’ was due to the caption of a picture in the instruction manual, on p15, where it is written: “Nibbing” of deck planks at the bow is very difficult to do in a beginner’s model. Also, the 1:48 model seems to be a replacement for the 1:96 model that had been clearly labeled as a beginner’s model (whatever that really means). If one goes to the Model Expo website, opens the PDF version of the instructions for the 1:48 scale Phantom kit and searches for ‘beginner’ just two instances of the word will appear. One is in the nibbing comment noted above, the other is in the bibliography associated with Campbell’s 1962 publication. There is no mention of skill level on the ME website description either. In fact, one could easily infer that the new kit was going to be quite a step up, as in the kit description (and instruction manual) it is written: The kit was originally offered as a 1:96 scale solid-hull model and was redesigned as a 1:48 scale plank-on-bulkhead model in 2024 by noted modeler Jarod Matwiy of Winnipeg, Canada. The larger, redesigned kit offers more detail and more advanced construction techniques yet remains true to the research upon which original design was based. When I saw the model launched and decided to purchase the kit, I had interpreted the phrase ‘more detail and advanced construction techniques’ as that the new kit could / would be more than what had been offered before. So, it was your post above, that confirms that the kit is designed as a beginner’s kit. (A good kit to start with that isn't overly complicated and doesn't take too long to finish?) I believe that I’ve been fair with my specific comments on the kit – they have been a mix of pros and cons, and I certainly have not condemned it. Kit bashing / modifications are being made to my model; something that is abundantly common and seeming encouraged on this site. I don’t like the inference that I shouldn’t have presented such work here. I haven’t said buy or don’t buy the kit – that is up to whomever is interested in the kit. It isn’t my responsibility as consumer / kit builder to be concerned about the sales of a product. I will continue this Phantom build and express my views on the kit – what I feel is good /bad / what could have been. I won’t stop making modifications that I want on my version, and I don’t expect others to make the same modifications. I don't have any illusions that my version model will be the perfect representation of Phantom. It is also possible that I will present a summary of my views on the kit when I reach the end. If you would like an ‘out-of-the-box’ build presented on this (or another) forum you / ME could consider hiring someone to do so. Greg

Juhu - Great question! I've used the false keel, bulkheads, keel / stem / stern assembly, stern deck, and transom from the kit so far. I plan on using the rudder and copper tape, as well as some of the PE parts. Chances are good that I'll sub out the rigging - I'm not a big fan of Model-Shipways nylon rigging line. Probably will not use the provided blocks either. I'll need to see later if the belaying pins are a good size for the model. The use of pear, box, and holly was partially driven because I had access to the material and the tools to mill it. If I was making this 15 years ago, I would more than likely used the kit supplied planking material even if it was not as close to scale as replacing the material achieves. I don't see that I would have used the PE formed deckhouses / skylight even at that time. It is possible that I would have tried to drop the cockpit floor. I also would have used dowels as a basis for the masts then and possibly the nylon rigging. I'm sure I would have been proud of the result! Given this kit is being marketed as a beginner kit, what bothers me most is how Model Expo did not update the presentation, from the old 1:96 kit, to bring it more inline with other more recent kits they produce - Syren, Confederacy, the Shipright Series, ... . It is really inexcusable that new plans were not drafted (with bulkheads drawn to the inside of planking, and cockpit dropped down, as well as masts and spars drawn to scale separately). They could have made laser cut, notched, margin planks like is done for the Emma C. Berry kit (that lists for less). A much better instruction manual should have been crafted as well. I don't agree with the choice of so much PE - seems like a gimmick here. If they wanted to make an 'upgrade', suppling their 'beautiful blocks' would have been better. For ME it would be good advertisement for the blocks and not too costly given the low number needed for this ship. I know some will say the faults are included in the price / you get what you pay for; but here, for example, compared with offerings from Vanguard Models for around the same list price-point the Phantom kit falls short in most all aspects. The big selling point for me was that I was / am interested in a 1:48 scale model of Phantom; but in retrospect, for my purposes a nice set of plans would have been a better choice! Either way, I think the finished model will be nice and that there will be others that produce very nice models from this kit. Greg

Here is what the cockpit floor looks like planked in holly: The pear, C box, and holly do look nice together! Received a new piece of holly today with no visible blueness - I hope its the same when I cut into it!

I milled some L-shaped pear to serve as hatch and skylight combings. They will be attached to the deck before I plank it. The material is 5/32" high, so once the deck is planked there will be a 1/8" high exterior border to the structures that is 1/32" thick. Scale-wise this would represent a 2" x 6" surround. I just went with a simple miter at the corners. Before attaching these pieces to the subdeck, there is a section of the cockpit margin board that needs to be cut away for the hatch combing to fit properly. I'll build the skylight and hatch off the model and drop them into the combing depressions. This should be an upgrade from the kit supplied materials and construction method. In fact, the construction method in the model baffles me - the sides of the structures are PE brass and use scribed plank sheets for the roofs. I'm confident that anyone that can plank this ship, copper the hull, mast and rig it, can build deck structures out of wood! So strange 🤔 The BR86 got some track to sit on. It is needed so that when the couplers can be added, they will not hit the ground as they drop down below the top of the rails. Ordered some paint for this machine - it will now sit for a few days as I await delivery.

Juhu Yes I hope the next batch is much better for being able to move along in the Phantom build (and also due to the price of holly). It is my plan to paint and copper the hull. But I don't want to use much paint at all other than that. I plan on the deck, inner bulwarks, deck furniture, and most of the masting to be natural wood color. I'll be doing what I can with different wood species to have some color changes on the model. For example, the deck houses and skylight will have C boxwood sides and pear edging - not sure yet on the roofs! I've gotten, or requested, replacement parts for wooden kits in the past. I only make a request when it is a part that I cannot remake on my own - typically a casting that is missing and/or partially formed. Typically, I haven't needed to pay shipping when the parts were sent to me. Sometimes it has been free, fast, and easy; sometimes free slow and hard; but the worst was a company that implied the parts would not have been missing and I was just trying to get extras for free. I looked at some videos and read some books to get some ideas on how to paint plastic model. Last time I built a plastic model was is in the early 70's and the high tech I used was painting parts still on the spur with a can of spray paint - a few steps past assemble the model and paint everything with a brush! But then I was barely a teenager. I think I've learned that making model kits is more of an adult thing even though the models where always placed in the kids area of the department stores. Yes, the painting skills of plastic modelers can be most impressive - besides the surface effects you mention, the ability to weather a model is incredible. When I paint the BR86, I'm going to be going for a closer to factory new look, than a well-used look!

In this situation, I am not interested in the 'bluish realism' - I want a white deck! So I am really hoping the piece of wood in the mail is a good one.

I'm hoping to work more on Phantom this evening, but wanted to post a picture of the BR86 after 7 days of work. There is very little I can now add prior to painting. Currently, the model disassembles into 7 subassemblies and all the drive wheels come off (which is good since the second from front needs to be in the third position when the model is completed).

I have ordered another piece of holly from a different company. Hopefully it will generate cleaner strips of wood for the decking. I would like the deck to be the nice white color. Interestingly, I have read posts that the authors claim leaving some of the blue hue in the planks increases the realism of a model.

Today I milled some of the holly. You may have noticed some discoloration of the holly in the picture posted previously. Unfortunately, this blueness became more prominent when I made some 1mm thick sheets of the wood: I'm not quite sure what to do now. I read that there may be a chance that the color can be bleached out with a wood bleach. I could try to work with the whiter parts of the wood and hope that the blue does not spread - or I could rethink the planking opportunities. So I cut a few strips of the holly, as well as some from the maple and C boxwood that I had milled earlier. The strips where set on Phantom with hopes of picking the wood spieces to continue on with. Holly: Maple - the two types from before separated Maple - two types mixed Maple / Holly comparison Maple / Holly / C Box comparison I think the holly has the nicest contrast with the pear, and has a similar grain like the C boxwood and pear; the C Box seems to be blending in with the pear, and the maple has a nice color but the grain seems out of place. Supposing the holly is picked does anyone have any idea if what is presently white will remain white if I remove / don't use the blueish portions of the wood?

Fore mast is round - needs to be shortened 1" from the top to bring it to the final needed dimensions: The board below the model is the holly I ordered. It is 7/8" thick so it can be sliced a few times and will yield more than enough decking material. I'm looking forward to work with a wood species that is new to me. Presently, I am trying to decide if I should place combings for the deck structures in place before or after planking the deck - going to need to finalize the working plan soon! A bit more progress on the BR86 as well - it now has a coal bunker. Not much more can be done before starting the painting process.

Dave - To my knowledge the 1/8 scale plans (which are the same as the 1/4 plans) represent a reconstruction of the Phantom by George Campbell. According to the instruction booklet, the deck details and rigging are based on photo information from the Peabody Museum - but there is no indication if this information is actual pictures of Phantom or if it is based on ships from the same period. While I would really like to, I have never seen a photograph of the actual ship. Since the ship is often modeled and photos are not shown, my guess is they do not exist. The instructions indicate the hull lines are based on the work of Howard Chapelle and are taken from a builder's half-model (no clue if there was any specific deck info). How the lines came about is noted in Chapelle's 'History of American Sailing Ships' and the lines are published there - but no planking details are discussed. Chapelle writes about pilot boats in a number of his books - e.g., American Sailing Craft, The Baltimore Clipper, Fishing Schooners - however in none of these books do I find deck planking details related to cockpits. It seems to me that in many of his writings, the emphasis is on hull design and rig. Interestingly, there is a clue that such margins could have been used is found in Chapelle's book 'Boatbuilding'. Within the book is an illustration of a margin plank along a combing, the mast bed, and a king plank on a ship where the deck planks follow the exterior curvature; i.e., in the manner the aft deck is to be planked on the Phantom model. In fact he writes " The hatches may require nibbing pieces, or 'margins', which will avoid feather, or shim, ends in the planking, when cut to form the hatch opening, in a deck laid with the side of the hull. Or, if the deck is laid straight, and there is a slight sweep to the sides of the cabin truck and cockpit, it may be desirable to fit a wide plank to serve the same purpose as a margin." To me, this does give justification to place a margin board around the cockpit on Phantom - but of course it is conjectural. Personally, I liked what Victory78 / Davies had done in adding the margin plank about the cockpit and I have then done the same. Greg P.S. Good to hear from a fellow Wisconsinite!

Ian - That is good to know. Thank you Greg

The order I made for Holly to plank the deck is set to arrive tomorrow evening - I'm looking forward to seeing what the piece of wood looks like! I've now tapered square and then planed to an octagonal cross-section the fore-mast. The work is going smoothly as it did on the main mast. This one is just a bit longer. I'm hoping that I will have time to sand the mast round and to its final dimensions tomorrow. Work also continues on the BR86 - here is what it looks like on Day 4: Assembling this kit is quite different for me - every step of the way, I'm concerned about breaking one of the fragile parts and not having a good way to fabricate a replacement. I no longer have this issue with the wooden ship models; here I've got the perspective that if something breaks I can rebuild it to the same or higher standard. Is this possible in plastic kit construction / is the builder always in a 'don't break that' mode?

Took a day off from Phantom and for a change of pace started my first plastic model since middle school. The is how far I got on the HobbyBoss 1/72 BR86 kit. Trying real hard to get use to Tamiya cement - absolutely no experience with brushed on cement. Overall, it is enjoyable, but so different than working on the wooden ship models. Here I feel that I am in an assembly mode with little / no fabrication. Such a different skill set - and I'm am just starting to think about the paint application that will probably be a much bigger effort for me in order to just get a 'presentable' outcome. I am simply amazed with what some individuals can do in terms of realism.

Yep - could have put them on, to be perfectly truthful I forgot!

The sanding process did not take too long either. So the close to 17" main mast tapering from 5/16" to 3/16" in a parabolic fashion is now round (and straight!): I still have excess material on both ends that needs to be removed. Also, the very top needs to be squared for the cap - but material has been left for that operation as well. Some good news also: I received an e-mail notifying me that the holly I ordered has shipped on should get to me by the middle of next week. So maybe some deck work coming soon?!

In the past, I've always 'turned' my masts - either using a lathe or the drill method. When I first started building, I would use dowels for masts. I number of builds ago, I started to work from squared stock that I would often taper before spinning the wood inside of sandpaper. That is not to say I haven't been aware of the method where you start with squared material, taper, then change to an octagonal cross section (or even a 16 sided regular polygon in cross section) before sanding to final shape. This method has looked hard - but I decided to give it a go with this model, partially due to the long / relatively slim nature of the masts. While having quite a few references to the method, this time I pulled out a copy of David Antscherl's 'The Fully Framed Model, Volume IV' that is dedicated to masting and rigging. Here I mimicked his jig for holding the mast in place as it is worked. I also made use of the 7-10-7 template PDF that Chuck Passaro shared on MSW. So with the squared C boxwood in hand, I drew the mast shape on one side of the blank and used my oscillating sanded to sand two sides of the blank. The same profile was drawn on one of the now shaped sides so the remaining two sides could be sanded. Then I used the 7-10-7 template to mark what needed to be planed in order to change the cross-section to an octagon. I put the blank in the jig and first tried to reduce the material with a chisel as described by Antscherl, but found that I was a bit more handy with a razor plane. It took hardly anytime to plane off the edges and now I am ready to sand the mast round. This was fast, efficient, made much less of a mess and was dramatically faster. I don't think I'll go back to using the drill / lathe as a starting point again! I might also note that Antscherl teaches this method in the Model Shipways Shipwright series of models - probably a much better place for a beginner than this 'beginner' model of Phantom.

Among other things is that eventually a couple of masts will be needed! Today I formed two 3/8" square C boxwood trips to serve as blanks for the lower portions of the main and fore masts. Here is a place where the kit, specifically the plans and instructions, needs to be expanded in terms of information that should be included - especially since this model is being marketed as one for 'beginners'. I don't have any problem at all with dowels being supplied for the masts - and the supplied ones are not terrible. I just wanted something a little nicer for my model. However, it would have been a good thing if there were seperate drawings of the masts. Instead one needs to look at the profile drawing where the mast disappears at the top rail. This leaves the modeler with determining the additional distance to the deck - but maybe more importantly, the instructions do not tell the modeler to make allowance for the distance the mast steps into the false-keel. I have a feeling that there are goi9ng to be a number of these Phantom models made with shorter than expected masts! Anyway, here's the blanks, currently they are a few inches longer than what will be needed.

Yesterday / today spent time making and fitting a margin plank around the exterior of the cockpit bulwark. It was made from 4 pieces of swiss pear - not quite as fancy as the one on the Volk, Davies model, but a nice addition. I did order some holly as possible decking material. Not sure how long it will be before it shows up. While I wait there certainly are other things that can be done on the model!

Thank you so much for the positive comments! I also have lots of projects that I should finish - but I still had to have this one. Greg

The cockpit bulwark is out of the mold and fits nicely! The top will need to be trimmed down to the final height later. Space will also need to be made on the fore side where the cabin fits in.