yvesvidal

Craig, just buy a cheap digital camera with a USB-C interface that you can connect to your computer. That will do it. Yves

I completely agree with Rob. So close to the pier, only small speeds and almost no wake can be acceptable. But again, this is your diorama and you can do what you like. 🙂 Yves

I think you have the UP/DOWN reversed. Pulling the stick will decrease the tension on the red wires, leading to the plane diving.... Yves

I started some planking on the hull, on one side only. This is what the instructions are suggesting: This vessel is not really equipped with Wales as found on more traditional builds. It has some kind of belt on the low side of the hull and a thinner planking above. I tried to look at different implementations of the Chebec in various museums and galleries and they all seem to show a very thin belt, painted in black. The rest of the planking is the famous "Yellow Ocre" found on a lot of ships towards the end of the XVIII century (according to the Monograph). The shape of that hull is throwing me off, as I am more used to the British vessels of that period. The belt may be a tad too low on my model. We will see how it goes.... Besides section cuts, the plans are not very clear about where exactly that belt plank is supposed to be. Yves

Congratulations on finishing this difficult kit. Now, if you are in Love with the Arizona ship, you can try doing the Trumpeter 1/200 model. That will be quite different from the Revell kit. Yves

I am glad that you decided to convert the kit to 8 carriages, instead of keeping the simplified version of the kit. In the long run, it will be worth it. Yves

Yes, it is such a beautiful ship. Pilot boats had to be quick and very maneuverable. Yves

Oh yes, it will keep its shape for years. I have used that technique on a couple of models and they look like on the first day. Yves

Kevin, Please, make sure that you present the kit with pictures of the parts and sub-assemblies. Not many of use will be in a position to assemble that monstrous kit and we will be following your Build Log with a lot of interest. Here in the USA, Squadron published a short video about the kit, showing some of the elements of that massive kit: Thank you Kevin. Yves

I finally completed the installation of the bulwarks supports: The next step is a little bit fuzzy for me as I cannot find where it must be installed exactly. The plan is not showing anything and it needs to be addressed very carefully. So, I am going to start fairing the hull and the bulwarks and try to install the wales and some planking. Then I will be back with the gun decks and that will help me. Yves

Finally, a decent size model. Kevin, you have to start planning for a larger garage or display room..... Don't forget to use real PECO Gauge 1 rails for realism and to procure two Marklin BR 86 engines in Gauge 1 to pull it. That should be an exciting Build Log. Yves

That's it, full transition to 3D printing with just a few wood parts..... We now talk about Wood Etched (WE) parts as an addendum to the resin core. Good job on this little vessel. Yves

Those cap rails bring a feeling of completion. Yves

Thank you Javelin and gsdpic. I have been able to find something on Da-Bay that may fit the bill. Yves

I need to ask a question: where do you find the brass stands used to display a model such as this one? The thickness of the keel is 8 mm, so these stands would have to be fairly large to accommodate the keel, on their receiving ends. I am not planning to install any screws or bolts into the keel but just provide two longitudinal stands for the keel and two side stands for stability, under the hull. I welcome your thoughts and suggestions. Yves

Now that the cat is out of the bag, I have been able to place the small frames around the gun ports. A picture from the instructions, for reminder: I only did one side first. And also started finalizing the fairing of the outside of the hull. Most of the heavy work was done when preparing the frames, so it is relatively easy, although very delicate because of the dryness of the wood cooked by the laser cutter. All these small frames will be partially covered by the gun decks. Et voila where we stand today. Now to work on the other side. I strongly recommend to not install the lids in the middle of the deck as this opening is very valuable to hold the model. So, don't follow the instructions.... Yves

If you know the weight of the real ship, just divide it by the cube of the scale (3375000 in your case). That will give you what the model should weight to be in its flotation lines. The result can be alarming.....for your lower back!!! Yves

I like your hand-painted version ten times more than the decals. Yves

Fantastic subject than the Wapama. I have to be honest, I love ships of that era. I like the idea of building a waterline model as it simplifies so much the building process and allows to present the model on a nice diorama made of water and small waves (in resin of course). The scale of 1/71th is interesting but will allow you to use small Airfix figures (1/72th) or some other suppliers and that will provide some life to your model, especially if you show it on a sea diorama. The models presented from the Museums are incredible and should allow you to source some inspirations and challenges at the same time. Yves

That detail will look good, once painted. Yves

Beautiful work. I admire your skills with cards. I wish such models would be available in plastic injected kits, at the same scale. Yves

Next step is to install the bulwarks supports on top of the deck. According to the documentation, here is what must be done: I thought I could use the slots in the cradle to guide me....Besides the first three or four supports that are working well, the cradle horizontal plates are conflicting with the supports. It is then mandatory to now extract the hull from its cradle. Rather delicate operation... Last picture in the cradle (at least for a while or most likely for ever....): Rolling drums......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It came out nicely, without too many unpleasant noises and bad surprises. Nothing was broken and no parts were found at the bottom of the cradle: Big relief overall. That cradle was great and turned out to be very well designed and sturdy. The hull assembly is so light, it is incredible. What a contrast with the Bellona hull which was weighing 10 pounds with nothing built inside. The Chebec is clearly showing how light and sturdy it was designed and how quick it must have been on the Mediterranean sea. The weight is unbelievable. It is like holding these ultra-lights that people operate in large warehouses: It is still a big hull and will make a nice model: Yves

The final planks have been added to each side: The original planks have some very complex cuts to go around the frames in the bow. However, these do not match and thus, I cut them completely. Because the deck is almost completely covered by the gun deck (slanted horizontally), the kit did not provide a perfect match between the deck and the side of the frames. Even though it will not be visible, I have decided to add some boxwood strips I had left from the Bellona to fill that gap. Before: And after: At this point, the deck is flush with the side of the frames. Finally, for some more fun, I am starting to populate the bow, which has a very elaborate and intricate arrangement, due to the front mast: That's all Folks! Yves

I like the stand: it brings a nice contrast with the perfection of the model :-) Yves

Finally, I ended up cutting the central support (the deck is now solid enough...) and you can see the monkey ladder leading you to the keel and dirty bilge. Yves