Ddgandalf

By this stage I am starting to add some of the small details on the various decks which is very fiddly but actually very enjoyable. Up until this point most of the work has been doing the big things like decking and planking or cutting out the gun port holes. The little details on deck suddenly transform the ship creating lots of interest. Note the empty port glass which is a absolute must when working in the evenings.

Drilling out the gun ports took an absolute age as well! I made a clever little wooden jig which had the exact dimensions of each gun port which meant I could be consistent. At this stage it was really starting to look like a ship which is quite motivating.

I took a break of about 18 months at this stage in the build as the planking just seemed to be going on forever. The project set part finished on top of the wardrobe and looked like it was doomed to failure.

Wow, I had no idea quite how long the planking was going to take. For me this was definitely the hardest bit of the build. You could spend hours fixing just one plank and it became disheartening at times to see very little progress despite a lot of effort going in. I definitely became better as I went along and I’m really happy with the overall finish. My biggest mistake was not filing/shaping the plywood frame prior to starting planking, I think that would’ve saved me a huge amount of hassle had I done that.

First plank!

I didn’t spend as much time on the decking as maybe I ought to have done. Having watched several YouTube videos after the event I can see the most people stack of the joints and use pencils or special pens to mark out nail holes et cetera. I didn’t do this so my decks look pretty plain but I’m not overly concerned as I’m not weathering the remainder of the build.

I didn’t know at this stage how important it was for the frame to be completely straight as any slight deviation would have an impact later on. Having looked at other builds on this site it seems as though it’s quite common for the plywood to be warped. I think I was pretty lucky as mine was fine. I also made a jig frame to hold the model whilst I’m working on it. I liked this part of the build as even an hour made quite a big difference to a model.

I have only recently joined this forum and I’m already quite a long way through this build (approximately halfway I think). It’s my first ever build and people have suggested that I should begin a build log. I have been taking photographs of the build in the early stages so I will post a couple of early stage pictures and will then try to be a bit more regular in my postings with updates for this kit.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I’ll start a build log for those who are interested. I probably have a string of pictures from over the years anyway. I plan to keep the ship unpainted. I like the look of the natural wood and the kit included different woods of different colours to mimic the paint scheme. Any advice around varnishing would be appreciated as I think I’m getting to that point

Hi everyone, I just wanted to say a quick hello after having had my application to become a member approved! Whilst I’m a new member on this forum, I’m not quite a newbie when it comes to model boat building. I’m a keen modeller and hobbiest, albeit primarily plastic kits and tabletop gaming. That was until about five years ago when I rashly purchased a constructo HMS victory wooden kit from eBay which looked like it was particularly good value. Fast forward five years and I am about halfway through the build having picked it up and put it down several times, but I’m currently back to really enjoying the process. Work and four children make time Precious hence it’s taking me longer than anticipated. The process of rigging is looming large and I’m pretty sure I’m going to need some support with that hence was looking around for Online advice and found this forum which hopefully will be useful. I visited the real HMS victory last year and a couple of weeks ago went to Chatham historic dockyard where the ship was originally built but which also boasts a huge collection of wooden replica ships of various scales. This was massively inspiring for me and I would absolutely recommend it. It was funny seeing the same techniques being used on an industrial scale (steaming wood to fit the hull for example)! I’ve had a look at some of the Previous posts which do warn against first timers starting a very advanced kit, there is definitely some truth to that. I was pretty sure I was only going to ever build one wooden ship and wanted to ‘go big or go home!’ Overall for me, I’m pleased that I started with this kit as my first attempt. I’ve definitely made a few mistakes along the way, but my skills have improved massively through the build and I’m now significantly faster as a result of making those mistakes, practising my skills and investing in a small number of high-quality tools. If I were to go back to the beginning, I would give my Previous self (and other potential beginners) three bits of advice: 1. It doesn’t have to be perfect! You can make mistakes (in my experience most of these get covered up with subsequent bits of the build). Some bits of your build are going to be really really tricky, just do the best you can and if it’s good enough for you then that’s all that matters. 2. If you’re getting frustrated or bored, stop. No one‘s forcing you to do it. Have a bit of a rest, do something else for a bit and you can come back to it when you are feeling in the mood. 3. Look ahead. It’s easy to focus on one particular instruction or part of the process. Skip forward a few pages, look to see how one particular part of the building is going to impact on other parts. That will tell you how important accuracy is going to be and how you may make life easier for yourself in the future. Thanks again for letting me join your club and I look forward to hopefully becoming an active member.