yvesvidal

Impressive show. Motorcycles seem a rarity in these shows, as usual.... Yves

Kevin, you are so lucky !!! Yves

I found that the cannon black acrylic paint sold by Model Shipways is very close to the black obtained by the chemical reaction. It is almost impossible to distinguish them from one another. I have used the acrylic paint, in some places where the chemical reaction with the brass did not take place and I am very happy with the result. Yves

Excellent book to have. Absolutely indispensable for building the Bellona. On my CAF Model (1/48), the planks were 3 mm thick x 8 mm wide. It took about 25 planks to cover one side of the hull (below the wales). Yves

That looks like a great kit. It is very tempting.... Yves

What a collection. I am sure you are going to grab quite a few prizes. Yves

Good choice. This way, you can show all the intricate details of the engine. Yves

I remember bending these planks on the stern of my Bellona model. It is not easy and the angle is very sharp. You are doing a great job on that kit. Yves

Yes, these Protar kits are amazing. I would say this kit was probably manufactured in the early 70's if not before. Yves

Incredible and precise work. Nice microscope that you got yourself. Yves

What a project !!! First the kit is massive and complex. It is a great idea to have multiple people build the kit and to distribute the workload of assembling such a beast. However, I think it is going to make things more complicated overall (in the long run) and will require regular meetings and close management of the various subtasks. This is a very exciting project and combined with the restoration of the real thing, it will provide plenty of motivation and energy for the various participants. Yves

Glad to see another BENSWORX virtual kit being built. And another type of Corvette on top of that..... Yves

I concur completely... especially, when you have to rig 70 cannons. 😉 Yves

Very clean and precise. Yves

You are doing great. This hull is not easy to plank with its voluptuous shapes. It is like a period ship in many regards. Yves

This diagonal planking is interesting and intriguing. I will have to do one hull with this technique, one day. Yves

Valeriy, I think you described perfectly what can be done at 1/45th scale or 1/48th scale. Is this model also commissioned by a collector? Yves

Ted, You are turning this crude Nichimo model into a masterpiece. Congratulations. Yves

I am amazed how fast you are moving forward with this kit. The creativity and engineering that has been developed for this kit is absolutely incredible. It seems almost easier to put together, than a LEGO kit ... 😁 Yves

The poop of the ship is almost completed: Lots of small details went into it. The assembly is done bottom to top, starting with the rear balcony: First, the foot space rail is glued all around the platform (above). The curve is obtained after soaking it in the alcohol and bending carefully with some heat. To prevent the decorative railing from going in all directions, I have placed five tiny strips of wood, to retain it. These helps immensely the positioning and gluing of that delicate and wild resin part: Gluing is done carefully, one side at a time, using slow curing CA glue, to keep a hand in the position of that delicate and reluctant part. The breast rail is then placed and that strengthen considerably the railing, overall. The breat rail is treated with some oil, to give it that nice dark and deep color. Next is the complex assembly of the taffrail going on top of the stern. This part is a royal pain in the **** as we need to bend cherry wood (which is never easy). The taffrail is made of three layers of strips to be glued with two curved planes. Not an easy thing to do. Again, CA glue is your best friend. A little bit of paint: We can move on with the decorative gold leafed parts on the stern. All parts are fist painted matte black (Tamiya) and then airbrushed with Gold Leaf (Tamiya). All the parts are made of resin. The first part to be positioned is the "necking of the taffrail" if I am not mistaken. Then we assemble the pilasters on each side of the rear windows. And we can then place all the decorative sculptures, munnions and carvings. Overall view of the PORT side: Of course, I still have to do the starboard side: It looks quite bare in comparison..... That's all for today, folks. Yves

Great find RGL. I used RCSubs (CZ Subs) for my Trumpeter Type VII-C in 1/48 and I could not have been happier with their products. It looks like there will be plenty of add-ons and money to spend..... https://www.rcsubs.cz/index.php/photo-etched-sets/75-sets-for-viic-1-35-border-bs-001 Yves

Incredible project for a lovely liner. I will be following your progress. Yves

I announced that new kit a few months ago. It is now becoming available and I just received the Box ordered from Sprues Brothers. The final result is targeted to people who wish to build a diorama in the 1/35th scale and combine the conning tower and deck of the U-Boot with some other numerous 1/35th accessories and details. The box allows you to build the following: Note that no crew members are included in the kit. The box is quite large (two feet long) and packed with a lot of parts: Multiple decorations and themes are offered and BORDER offers some decals, to cover most suggestions: Inside the box, multiple sprues are included: All the railings are protected by a paper box: The main deck section is molded in a single impressive part of two feet long (60 cm). All the holes, vents and openings are already drilled and molded perfectly. A small plate of Photo-etched parts is also included, with some decals. Instructions are well presented in a booklet in full colors: The kit is relatively expensive for what it is ($80-100) and the time of affordable kits is long gone. It seems to be of high quality and the molding is very well done with no ejection marks. A kit for submarine enthusiasts mostly.... Yves

That is a very Happy Man..... 🙂 Yves

These Protar kits are so expensive, nowadays. I wish Italeri would re-issue all of them, as they did with the most famous motorcycles (e.g. Norton Manx). Yves