Lost and Confused

23 hours ago, David Chapman said:

Back on topic.

Struggling with what to do about the sails.

As you know, despite encouragement, I have been true to the stock Revell to date. My gut says to stick with that approach to the end.

But others have suggested to reconsider that. My bride (of 49 years) is a bonified craftsman. She thought using the plastic sails as a form and cover them in in starch soaked cloth and trim them to fit might work.

We plan to try a sample of that... but I'm still reluctant.

The provided plastic sails can look just fine if carefully cut and installed

I would go for the older version as the plastic is likely of a higher quality, and hasnt been "nerfed" by Revell. Also the older shrouds made of black line are far superior to the molded plastic ones in todays kit. (In my humble opinion). Also Im sure that the rigging instructions are FAR more comprehensive than the ones in the '17 kit. These are barely useable. I am working on the 2017 Revell CS and I am using a lot of aftermarket parts , and so far she's lookinj pretty good. Good luck whatever you decide

54 minutes ago, David Chapman said:

Noted.

I finally measured the space I want to put this and it's literally one inch to long... Will have to figure out what to do.

Call in the carpenters to lengthen the room!

Well mates, ill never see 60 again either but I find it to be an advantage. When i built models in my youth, I would go along for awhile and then run out of something :ie. paint, glue etc. Or need a tool that I could not improvise. Alas, i would have to wait for Friday to get my allowance. 5 bucks went a long way back then. Now if I want it, Im off to Hobby Lobby or on the web to Amazon or whoever has what i need. I also have muuuuuuch more patience which is  (not too arguably) the most important ingredient to the hobby. Keep at it man, your CS is lookin good. My Cutty is kinda on the back burner now as its getting time to do my outdoor gardening and lawn work. Cant be having the neighbors complaining. keep those pics coming. ill post a few of mine when  I take a few more.

Hello fellow modelers. I'm whittling away on my revell 1/96 Cutty Sark and have run into a problem. I have rigged the lower and topmast shrouds and am at a loss on how to install the upper deadeyes on them in a satisfactory way. I have made makeshift jigs from cardboard with some success but am not getting the uniformity I want. I saw a jig made from twisted wire and made one but it didnt work for me. I have come too far on a very (my very best) build to settle for low quality in this area. To me, a nice presentation of the shrouds, deadeyes and ratlines are very, very important to the overall quality of the build. Any photos of jigs or tips for this are greatly appreciated. The masts are not yet installed. Am doing the topmast and topgallant ones off-ship. Still having a time. Have cut them away twice now because they didnt meet my standard. Thanks again.

Nice looking job, David. My Cutty Sark kit came with 2 different sizes of chain, although I ended up not using either one. There are multitudes of markets for chain out there, easily learned about, just by reading these forums. Same with rigging line. Even going "stock" with this kit, as you intend to, it might be wise to download some more comprehensive rigging plans, as the ones provided by Revell are extremely vague at best. I downloaded the Campbell plans which are used by the majority of CS builders. If nothing else, with these you can figure out the grey areas in the Revell plans. You can find them hereabouts for free. I have found that I spend more time looking stuff up, than actual modeling. Check out other folkses build logs and many of your questions will be answered before you even ask them. These guys are here to help. Keep up the good work.

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I have decided to wax my rigging lines. I have a block of beeswax that I've used on several models...I don't know about my model lasting 100 years, but the wax can't hurt. Thanks again. Onward

Im using Amati rigging line from HIS model. Is that cotton, polyester, or what?

Im gettin ready to commence the standing rigging on my Cutty. I have waxed my rigging lines on all of my other builds. See here and there that many dont use wax. Which way is best??

mucho goosto matey. Thanks for the input

2 hours ago, Keith Black said:

 Looseness isn't necessarily a bad thing as you can shim front to back and side to side to get the desired alignment and angle. And as far as shim material you can use almost anything thin that won't break in half. I like using card stock. 

You don't think the angle on the mizzen is excessive?

I am well along on my plastic Cutty and am presently assembling and pre-rigging the masts. I see that the mast bases are molded angled, apparently so that the mast is set at the correct angle, I read somewhere, about 85 degrees. The fore and mainmasts are ok, but it seems that the angle is excessive on the mizzenmast Like about 10 degrees from vertical to the aft. Are all these kits like this or just mine?. they also want to cant to port when dry fitted....I've been filing material off of base to make a correct fit, but have created a lot of looseness. I read that alot of you dont glue your masts but I dont see any way around it when the time comes. I plan to use a level and plumb bob and mount them 1 at a time and rig, then proceed to the next. Perhaps if I used wood glue, it would fill the gaps, yet allow for removal, if required. I am determined to get a s perfect alignment as possible as this has been a weak point for me on past builds. What do you guys think? Im open to all suggestions. Heres a very poor photo, but you may get the point. Thsnks

DSCF0027 - Shortcut (2).lnk

By the way....Welcome aboard......There are some master modelers here.....You might check out the build logs....Check out Bruma's Cutty Sark, build log if you want to see something just wonderful.....very inspiring

I am presently building the revell 1:96 Cutty Sark. I did not glue the stands on until I was almost done with the hull assembly, as this allows you to maneuver the model around as needed. When all is about assembled on the hull, go ahead and glue the stands on. A good time to add a wooden plaque stand if you like.

John, It shows that you put many, many hours into your beautiful Conny. I hope it's not too late to cover mine. A local library is possibly interested in displaying it. That would solve my problem and maybe some kids would be interested enough to take up the hobby. We could have been surgeons

I was certainly not doing my homework on the deckhouse rails. Most of the work on the hull was done last winter, before I discovered these resources. That is why I'm trying to plan ahead. There will most certainly be more mistakes to come, partially to lack of research, lack of timely parts delivery, and lack of skill and patience. There are lots of resources that conflict. I am going to try to adhere to the Campbell plans on the rigging, but again, no two Cuttys are the same.

How did you come up with the idea of the drydock?? It is marvelous

 beautiful job on "old ironsides". Did you get the sails from Radimir?  My Connie is collecting dust. Was your glass case very pricey? The ones that I checked out costed waaaay more than the model expenses. I didnt "go overboard on the stateroom detail or actual operating rudder/helm as I didnt want anyone sticking their hand in there between the rigging to get to the helm. and viewing the cabin detail was difficult. You didnt build that one overnight did you.:)

I wish I'd have found His parts for my USS  Constitution. The deck coming in 3 pieces killed me. My solution was "caulking" the gaps with rigging cord. It made it even MORE noticeable. At least to me. There was a huge gap at the stern end of deck which I trimmed a scrap piece of their plastic sail material to size and painted. That fix worked pretty well. Maaaayyybeee on the next one??

I will likely never be "on the same page" as Bruma. Truly a master of the craft. I sometimes think that he has a crew of 1 inch tall elves that work on his ship for him

Thank you kind sir. I have used "aftermarket parts" such as His model's wooden deck facade, blocks, stauntions. I have built models in the past, but never knew of websites like this. Huge help on Cutty. Other folks having the exact same problems as me, as to kit defects, shortcomings  etc. i figure another year or so on my Cutty. When warmer weather arrives its gardening time. I have noticed that no two are the same. I try to keep things historical and to scale but often fail to do so. As an example, 2mm blocks are too small for me to work with. 3mm i can deal with. i appreciate your interest. I wish that I had found this place years ago.

Your Cutty Sark is magnificent!! I am well along on my own. I have studied your work for months. Keep the posts coming.

Thanks a lot rob. Your Cutty is wonderful and very inspiring.  I"m thinking of starting a build log....Got to get some photos together. This is the first kit I'm "bashing"?(Is that the right term?).It looks like the CS could use another log as Bruma is about dome with his (What a beauty) Here's a shot of the davit area

Thank you all for your prompt responses. Question answered. rwiederrich, I have viewed your beautiful Cutty many times. One of the magnificent ones i was referring to. John Ruy, thanks for your input also. I think I will do a build log. Just have to get down to some photography. I see some tutorials on this, and allenyed, thanks for your input also. Here is a recent one.