yvesvidal

Thank you Allan. Yes, Bellona was coppered later on during its active life on the oceans and I intend to do that on the model as well. You are also correct about the armament that was modified later on and to be totally correct, the guns on the quarter decks would have to be replaced by carronades, which are not included in the kit. There are risks that this model will never be exact, in one form or another. I think I can live with that :-) Yves

This is getting really impressive and exciting. Yves

Beautiful Model Bruce. Absolutely outstanding. Happy New Year and many more models. Yves

Brian, What a fantastic model. I love the attention to details and the creativity with materials and parts. Your bench is looking great with all these organizing boxes. Yves

I love the sand and plants. Very nice touch. Yves

Your pictures are not showing up... Yves

I am not a supporter of tree nailing but I admire your patience and skill. Yves

Excellent Summary of this great kit. I agree completely with your review of the kit and share your enthusiasm about it, even if I did not complete my ECB yet. Yves

You will love the Calypso. I built mine 35 years ago and had it navigating on the mediterranean sea, and various lakes in France and America. I still have it and will refurbish it one day. Yves

Greg, If someone can weather anything, it has to be you !!! Superb blimp. Yves

Beautiful work Derek. Happy and Merry Christmas to you as well. Yves

Tamiya acrylic paints have to be diluted with their thinner. I use 50% paint, 50% thinner in the summer time. In the winter, you may want to go more 70% paint and 30% thinner. Otherwise, it will run way too much. But you probably know all the above, already. Yves

Argh...what a web.... !!! Yves

What a beautiful l ship... and that bow is amazing of perfection. Yves

well, after the capstan and the wheel, you now need to build the ship that goes around them, also at the 1/16 scale. Yves

Giampiero, Will you be keeping the top of the hull black or will you paint it Royal Blue for the background of the friezes, as many models have suggested? Yves

Beautiful hull and very nice planking. Yves

The acrylic resin has been brushed on the inside of the port side: This seals the wood from external agents (humidity mostly) and increases the bonding strength of the wood glue. The resin is permeating the wood fibers and contributing to their resiliency against aging, hygroscopic and temperature changes. It is suggested by CAF and has been used with success by many modelers before. Yves

One side done: Now, I have to brush the resin on the inside and do some sanding to make it silky smooth: Yves

Glad that you caught this mistake in time.... Yves

Incredible and beautiful work. I am speechless.... Yves

Beautiful woodwork. Yves

Thank you Mike. Yes, coppering and a second planking in visible parts, are in order. After all, I am also entitled to a second planking.... 🙂 like so many other kits. Yves

The third quadrant has been completed: I know that a lot of experts will see my construction as blasphemy and heresy to what should be done. It is okay and I understand their point of view. I did the best I could, knowing that this hull will be copper tiled and that most of the planking will be hidden. The most important for me was to embrace the shapes and curves of the hull and to make progress in a relatively decent amount of time. The original planks are 8 mm x 3 mm of poplar/limewood strips. To accommodate the sharp curve of the bow in two dimensions/directions, I decided to slice each plank into two 4 mm x 3 mm strakes. It is a lot easier to handle and I built the planking from the whales up to the mid hull, like a stair with enough steps overlap. Once sanded, the hull is very round and still offers a decent level of sturdiness and solidity. A tiny amount of wood paste is necessary in some places to fill up some of the steps, so created. From the keel down, the planking is placed directly against the bulkeads, until the strakes meet as pictured below: The overall results is rather nice (at least in my humble opinion) and replicates quite accurately the external curves of the ship. It is a lot of work as close to 40 small strakes had to be glued one after the other to create the bow: This is where I stand at this moment: I think I will be finishing the port side of the hull, before moving to the other side: Yves