yvesvidal

Thank you Chris. This picture is interesting for many reasons: - It shows the evolution of hull shapes and funnels as an effort to take away all smoke and fumes from the decks. - Respective sizes of the liners. - Simplification of the rigging with modern vessels. Yves

Fantastic choice for your upcoming projects, CDW. All three are incredible models. I only drove the M635i .... The other twos....? Forget it, it is impossible. Yves

Fuji, If I may say this, I think the axles are exhibiting too sharp an angle. You may have an issue installing the electric motors and their universal joints. If it is not too late, I would relocate slightly the shaft supports on the outside of the hull, soften the epoxy with warm water and try to re-orient the shafts to be more parallel. If you do not intend to navigate the model, then no need to change anything. Yves

Beautiful model Chris. Absolutely stunning. Any hope we can see all your 1/600 fleet all together for a group picture? Yves

I am going through your Build log again and realized what you did: Oh my Gosh.... you are so brave !!!! It must have been a delicate decision to take..... Yves

Could you post the URL of that Build Log, when you get a chance? I thank you in advance. Yves

This is fantastic. I was tempted to get that kit (being a BMW enthusiast), having ridden an R75 and owning an R1100S, but the price gave me a cold shower. I will follow your build log with a lot of interest. I never rode the R90S but had a taste of the R100S and these machines are marvelous once you tame the gearbox. Do you have a Build Log for the Porsche engine? Yves

Your work at removing the laser char is amazing. The wood looks so perfect and so clean. Yves

How about pouring some clear acrylic resin in these pools? Your models are absolutely stunning, especially at this scale. Yves

Fantastic amount of details Blue Ensign. And what a pleasure to see both vessels next to each other. I am sure you are now Chris Watton's favorite builder. After the bathroom, what will be the next project? Yves

Ras, your model is beautiful. Please start a Build Log or post pictures of the finished model, in the gallery section. You are very brave to attempt the sails on such large model. I suspect you have access to a sewing machine or someone who is skilled at that trade. Yves

Thank you for the compliments. The lettering.... I used Dry Transfers as the kit does not provide any decals or templates. I went with the Roman font Gold characters from Woodland Scenic MG703. The characters come is various sizes which makes it handy. Note that you will need two sets because of the scarcity of the letter "M" on one sheet. The stern marking was done on a piece of white paper painted black with gesso (like the rest of the hull). That piece of paper is carefully cut following the edges of the large oval shape provided in the kit. Basically, the paper edges will be hidden underneath the wood frame, around the name. It is difficult to dry-transfer/rub characters on the hull directly and it is much easier on a piece of paper on an horizontal table. The "bubble" of paper is then glued on the stern and the wood framing is placed on top with four tiny dots of CA glue to hold it. For the bow markings, I used a small piece of wood, painted black; then I dry-transfered the characters and finally glued the small piece of wood to the hull. It is not entirely prototypical but I could not find a way to place the transfers on the finished hull. Yves

Finally, the Dry Transfers were received and the hull has been completed. The bowsprit can be fully disassembled for future maintenance or transportation. I will try to do the same with the main mast and rigging. A few pictures: I have also procured a nice board made of bamboo plywood (no risk of warping with that stuff), which is very light and extremely sturdy. With a dimension of 30 x 8 inches, it will give me a nice area to build a diorama representing the ship undergoing some restoration. Happy Holidays to all the members of the Model Ship World forum. Yves

Superbe !! Yves

Stern mooring bitts are now completed. The mooring bitts have evolved on the Emma C. Berry and have been changed a few times. The original bitts were located on each side of the wheel house, enclosing the rudder mechanism. Later on, that little housing was removed, the wheel discarded and replaced by a tiller. The bitts were later on removed from the deck, during the latest renovation and installed on each side of the bulwarks. I have decided to represent the vessel, with the tiller and still the old mooring bitts, on each side of the rudder mechanism. Looking at the Restoration Book, the mooring bitts are depicted in the following way: Inside the hull, a very strong base is provided. Unfortunately for me, with a fully planked deck, it is not possible to depict the base. It would not be visible anyway. So, armed with a 2.5 mm bit and a square file, we reluctantly drill through the deck: The openings are done with a small square file and the bitts fabricated with square wood. They insert with a good amount of resistance and are long enough to touch the bottom of the hull: The top is covered with our fake lead, a coat of smoke and a coat of matte clear coat to finish the bitts: Even though the picture cannot reveal the details, the bitts are actually resting against the hull: Et voila. That pretty much concludes what I can do on the hull, while waiting for these @#$%^& Dry Transfers. Yves

That is a nice pair of horns 🙂 Yves

The windlass is now finished. The aluminum foil was darkened with Tamiya Smoke and covered with a generous amount of flat clear. I have also added two wooden levers to actuate the windlass: Since the Dry Transfers are still stuck with USPS, somewhere in the USA, I am going to work on the stern mooring bitts, on each side of the tiller. Yves

That is great. I noticed on the forum, a regain of interest for the Emma C Berry recently and it is nice to see multiple Build Logs, running at the same time. Yves

Great project. I was thinking about getting this model, so it be very interesting to follow your progress. Yves

The windlass is now finished. To simulate the lead sheet on top of the vertical mortices, I have used aluminum foil: It is a little bit bright, but with some dirty clear coat, it should be better. Still waiting for these Dry Transfers, and this is preventing me from assembling the bowsprit and finishing the hull. Yves

Next on our construction bench, is the windlass. This equipment is small and mostly used to lift the anchor or secure the boat on a mooring. The Windlass was manually activated as the vessel does not have any source of energy (besides the Wind). The drum is supported by two bitts morticed into the king plank: These bitts are made of yellow pine 2.25 inch thick. They stand above 25" above the deck and are made up of three parts bolted together. In the kit, only two parts are used, which is a good idea and make it sturdier. The top of the bitts are capped with a lead sheet, to prevent the water and rain from entering the end grain. Below are a few more drawings from the Restoration book: The final drawing gives an idea of how the windlass mechanism was actuated: Two levers made of wood, were inserted on each side of that central piece, resting on the bowsprit mortice. The drum is provided in cast pewter metal and is not too bad for a Model Shipways molding (they have a bad reputation). The 12 tiny pieces of wood used to grab the ropes and lines, were totally unusable as they disintegrated when I removed them from their sprue (see wood pile below). I fabricated 12 new teeth and sanded them in a realistic way. Some staining was then performed: Yves

Superbly realistic. When do we get to see an aerial view of the village? Yves

I have been slowed down by a couple of things I am waiting for, in the mail: Dry transfers and Blackening solution for metal parts. In the meantime, the bowsprit is ready and will be mounted when parts have been blackened. It is removable, as this is a big and fragile piece of the model: I am using two real screws of 1.6 mm to simulate the main bracing of the bowsprit. These parts will be blackened and blend with the rest of the bow. I have also been working on the main superstructure (cabin is a big word for what is nothing more than a door and a roof protecting the ladder and the landing): The main "cabin" is not yet glued to the deck: View of the tiller: Once I can complete the stern (Dry transfer), I will assemble the bowsprit and its guys and chain and the hull will be pretty much completed. I will need to put together the winch and a few minor details and we can then move to the next phases: rigging and construction of the diorama. Thank you for the encouragements and accolades. They are much welcome. Yves

What a beautiful bench. I see that a Spitfire is about to be started.... Those Guillows kit can be very tricky. Yves

Superb. I am doing also a functional rudder of a fishing boat at the scale of 1/32nd and it can be a challenge at times. I admire this one at a much smaller scale. Yves