Danny_CZ

Hello Coyle, it could, but in my case just country code of CZech Republic, just "Danny" is always taken 😅. Anyways, I actually had CZ27 before moving to the UK. Quite enjoyed it as it fitted my small hands. Thanks to John as well, one day I will visit there for sure!

This will be my build log for the HM Cutter Sherbourne by Vanguard Models. This is the first model I have ever purchased for myself and the first time the entire project is truly mine from start to finish. Until now, I only helped with small tasks while my dad built his models. He sadly passed away in April 2021. Things were very difficult for the first few years after he passed, until I met my now-wife. Finding her and eventually moving to the UK to live together helped me rebuild my life, and only now do I feel ready to return to modelling again. I kept some of my dad’s plastic models, but I haven’t touched any modelling project since 2021. As I currently lack the tools for plastic modelling—and have yet to bring everything from Prague to my home in Southampton—I decided to finally start a wooden ship, something I always wanted to try. Choosing the right kit was surprisingly hard. I’m not a fan of galleons like Santa Maria, nor of ships that aren’t wooden. So I started researching here on the forum. I realised I like smaller vessels and frigates, which helped narrow things down. Another thing that mattered to me, coming from a family of aircraft modellers, was scale consistency. Some brands had ships in all sorts of unrelated scales, while others didn’t offer the ships I liked. Then I discovered Vanguard Models. Most of their range is in 1:64 scale, and I instantly liked several of their kits. That made the decision much easier—so I ordered the Sherbourne, which arrived on the 12th of November. Opening the box, I was really impressed by the packaging and the overall quality. I inspected everything and found no issues. I went through the instructions, tried to understand the overall process, and made a shopping list for tools—since all I had was a knife and tweezers! I’ve now stocked up on the basics, with a few things still on the way (pin vice, table clamp, calipers, etc.). I cut and shaped the hull frame and pre-sanded the visible stern pieces before gluing them in place. Everything went smoothly. The deck also fit well, and I was able to do the major hull-frame sanding. I was a bit surprised to find some of the MDF parts slightly off, even though I followed the laser guidelines very closely. I noticed the same slight mismatch in the manual photos, so I just sanded things down to fit. Next came the bulwarks and my first attempt at bending timber. I tested the bending iron on a scrap piece, and it worked well. Both bulwarks went on without trouble—though I was careful not to glue the section that gets snapped off later. During test-fitting of the next stages, I realised I had bent the bulwark curve a little too tightly at the prow because I mistakenly thought the outer bulwark slotted into the same prow slot. So my Sherbourne will end up with a slightly different bow shape. I added a small pearwood filler piece to fix the gap in the inner bulwark, and I’ll fill the outer layer gap later. Another concern was the rudder: I thinned the keel deliberately so I wouldn’t have to sand the first planking layer down to almost nothing. And then—of course—my cats knocked the hull off the table, breaking off a bulwark and part of the stern. I’ll fix all that once I get to adding the outer stern structure! Right now, I’m researching planking while sanding and preparing other parts. My main sticking point at the moment is how to mark the plank lines on the bulwark. I’ve seen Chuck’s videos, but I’m still unsure how to approach it. Do I simply measure the bulwark length and divide it by the number of planks, or is the spacing supposed to be nonlinear? I want to do things the right way and honour my dad by building something I can truly be proud of. As saying this, I am very open to constructive criticism and will be happy if stuff I can improve is pointed out!

Hello MSW, I have been browsing for some time and used some of the comments and advice to get my first kit! I have been interested in wooden kits for quite some time and this is actually my first time I have bough a kit myself. Previously I have had access to what my father bought for himself until I moved countries and it was diffcult to find time to make a big trip and bring some of the boxes over. So I have decided to start my own project from scratch! I got a kit and tools and began my journey. I will be starting my build log shortly and hopefully will be able to contribute to this community. I have sadly missed the exhibition few days ago, but count me in next year in Telford, hopefully with a finished model worth of showing. See you all around. Danny