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flyer

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Everything posted by flyer

  1. flyer
    Congratulations B.E. Also the presentation with that group of blackened figures - showing quality but not drawing away attention from the main object - is another stroke of genius. Cheers Peter
  2. flyer
    Well, judging by my own experience, you will not have to search for those lost kg - unfortunately they'll usually find you again. 😉 Although I feel a certain unwillingness to repeat the exercise at least it provided you with a very interesting project... Cheers Peter
  3. flyer
    Hi Nils Great to hear from you. Again you showed your creativity already in choosing your new project. I'm looking forward to a very interesting build. BTW what is fast hiking - perhaps something similar to Nordic walking? Cheers Peter
  4. flyer
    Again compliments for a superb build. Regarding you two last kits: After building Granado a few years ago I'm now fiddling with Bellerophon/Vanguard. If you compare the prices 300 EUR versus 620 and the amount of material and plans included I think they are in the same price range. However either you were unlucky with the wood in your Granado kit or the quality has a bit deteriorated over the last few years. But the fact that Caldercraft practically has stopped to work on new kits and concentrates on selling what they have worries me a bit. This could well be a sign of making all the money you can while not investing in new projects and therefore of a downward trend. But I still hope for a future for Caldercraft, for prosperity with high quality and eventually perhaps even the launch of the Surprise kit.
  5. flyer
    Hi B.E. A truly wonderful little gem. (Completed with rigging and even sails in the same outstanding quality - I wonder how that would look... Room to place it? Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!) Cheers Peter
  6. flyer
    Well I do - I'm using my slide gauge all the time. On the other hand the eyesight fortunately develops such that it compensates more and more for inaccuracies.
  7. flyer
    Thank you very much. It seems that the sheave block should run parallel to the planks and only the sheave itself is angled. That mistake I will have to live with. While trying to work out the correct size of the fore sheet and its sheave block I stumbled about a point in Lees. He writes (page 185) that the lower stays are half the diameter of the appropriate lower mast!? However, if I take half the mast diameter as the circumference of the stay I get a stay with a diameter of a bit more than 1,6mm. Do you think it's meant this way? The kit uses 2mm rope for the fore stay and according Lees this would mean a 0,8mm rope for the sheet and 0,9mm sheave thickness according your figures. So by sheer luck my try for a sheave block seems to have about the right dimensions with a 1mm slit for the sheave and length of 5mm for the sheave hole. By the way - don't you use metric in Canada as well? Cheers Peter
  8. flyer
    Most kind, thank you. But what really could drive me nuts is how to belay the main sheet (through the second from aft of all these sheaves, I know, but how, oh how?) Anyway, I will tackle that problem after more important issues, such as installing the skippers flushing toilet! By the way, there is a part in the kit which resembles that 5th sheave block (minus the sheave) and which I believe is used for the main bowline.
  9. flyer
    Hi Alan Thanks very much for the help. I'll have to do 3 more pairs then. Sometimes I wonder if it makes sense to concentrate on such details on a moderately built build witch many imperfections, some from the kit manufacturer and most from myself. But if you are aware of something you could at least try to improve I guess you have to do it or else you would always just look at that specific detail, sticking out like a sore thumb. Cheers Peter
  10. flyer
    back to the upper deck... While working on the quarterdeck gun ports I realized that several details on the upper deck were missing. I forgot not only the cleats but also the sheave blocks for the sheets. The problem is that the respective information is not found in the manual, which is just covering most basic building steps, but hides scattered over all the plan sheets. Fortunately the missing cleats were all in the waist area and could be added rather easily. Then I tried to fabricate the quite prominent sheave blocks for the fore sheets. First version was a simple hole in the hull - naah, too simple. The second version was to cut a slit into the hull and insert a small disk cut from a 3mm dowel - still looked wrong. Finally I worked a slit into a piece of leftover boxwood, inserted a disk, stained it walnut, cut and filed a rectangular 3x5mm slit into the ships side and inserted the fake sheave block - acceptable. I think it's a pity that there is no step by step instruction booklet as in Caldercraft kits but on the other hand I'm supposed to be a moderately experienced kit builder by now and should have learned to check the depth of the water before plunging in head first... On the other hand again successfully correcting needless stupid mistakes gives a strange satisfaction, perhaps greater than what you feel doing it right from the beginning and not knowing how tricky the whole thing could be... So I will get on with the build and continue to make stupid mistakes. botched sheave block try tinkering a sheave block final solution
  11. flyer
    Hi B.E. Great precision and great details! The more it must be annoying if something as important as a whole gun doesn't fit properly. Couldn't you close the chase ports with something like 'plug in lids'? I'm pretty sure that such things were used to keep the sea on the right side of the bulwark when no permanent port lids were installed. Then you could place those two guns behind their regular ports and reserve the use of the chase ports for times when desperate measures are required. Perhaps Chuck or somebody else has an idea how those plug-in-lids were looking. Cheers Peter
  12. flyer
    Quarterdeck and forecastle This deck was fixed in place with the waist beams glued in after fixing the deck to avoid conflicts with the exact latitudinal placing. Another of the very few mistakes in the kit construction became now obvious. Beam 12a lies across an opening in the quarter deck where a stairway down to the upper deck must be placed. Beam 13a already had to be left off as it conflicts with the mizzen mast. Checking RMC's marvellous Vanguard it seems that he had the same problem and hat to cut out the centre part of the beam 12a - which I will do as well. The cabin bulkhead details were painted and fixed and the bulkhead put in place. Again nail heads served as door knobs. I don't know if door handles would be the proper prototype solution but the shiny knobs look tidy. The deck within the cabin got its planks, the side walls were planked as well and the gun ports framed. The inside of the cabin was again white- or better light grey-washed and 4 of the 9 pounder guns were prepared (I just filed the front sides of the carriages flat and painted them, similar to the hidden guns on the gun deck) and put provisionally in place. In between I started the detail work on the side galleries and put the windows in. To glaze them I used some left over 0,2 mm cellophane which is easier to handle than the stiffer one in the kit. After painting the frames - here I used acrylic paint - they were cut out and the sides cleaned. Then a piece of cellophane was cut out along the edges of the window frame. Now the 'glass' was glued onto the frame with a little white glue. After putting on a small amount of CA glue with a toothpick into the window openings of the side galleries, I installed the glazed windows flush with the gallery surface. No haze occurred on the windows by this use of CA and I like its holding powers when I accidentally touch them. Planking of the quarter deck was started by installing a waterway using 0,6 x 4mm Tanganyika wood strips. The 1mm inner bulkhead planks will reduce its with to 3mm. The ends of the planks cutting into the waterway are gradually reduced to about 30% of their width, the exact form then pencilled onto the waterway and the excess waterway material carefully cut out with a knife. With a reasonable steady hand it works fine. cabin with provisionally placed guns the captain inspects the finished cabin bulkhead - the debated beam 12a is clearly visible cutting out the 'glass' removing excess white glue with a toothpick finished glazed windows glued in with CA
  13. flyer
    The balcony has been planked upper deck All the guns and furniture are now installed on the upper deck. After some browsing through MSW, web and several books about how to install the galley stove I finally decided to set it directly onto the deck because the most important thing would have been strengthening the beams below it, it seems unclear if those 'modern' stoves really were still installed on a brick base and it will hardly be visible after closing the forecastle and quarter deck anyhow. To check the openings for the bowsprit I had to provisionally fabricate itself. A small plane and the use of sandpaper and an electric drill as lathe reduced the 12mm dowel to 11mm and some work with nail files formed the seat for the cap and the bees. Installing the beams for the quarterdeck presented some problems because during careless handling of the build several stubs on the MDF bulkheads which should serve as seats for the beams were broken off. Fortunately fixing them with some splints and epoxy glue went well and the scars will be invisible below the quarter or forecastle deck. details of beakhead bulkhead added, provisional bowsprit in place deck details the stove sits directly on the planks and Bellerophon has got some teeth
  14. flyer
    Hi Martin So called heroes are reason for scepticism. Look at this one. Besides enslaving a perfectly innocent flying horse there were quite some rumours about his conduct among the ladies and in later life he was punished for his hubris. Nevertheless I kind of like that rogue - and yes, he definitely has more glamour than an elephant. Meanwhile, the skipper still has some work to do for a not only simple but also precise solution of the decoration problem. Hi Björn I bid you a 40% welcome to the ranks of the retired gentlemen! Thanks for the comment My quarter galleries just fit together more or less by themselves - or perhaps I was just lucky. But still the windows and the decoration have to be put in/on. I hope this will work as straightforward as the basic structure. Cheers Peter
  15. flyer
    Hi Chris A Bellona kit in Chris Watton quality would be great - however... Space for the finished model would be a big problem for many of us. My Bellerophon will be use a lot of it and she is 10% smaller (1/72) and I still don't know yet where to berth her. I think the price will not be the biggest problem. If you want spend 3 to 6 years to build a big, great model you could save a year longer for the kit. But how about a smaller frigate for your next kit? The only frigate kit available is Diana and nobody knows if Surprise will ever be launched. For example the graceful Lowestoffe (32) of 1761 had an interesting career, is well documented - including a contemporary model -, was a Slade design and would be rather unique in the range of available kits. Cheers Peter
  16. flyer
    Freely quoting Jack Aubrey: There are two ways to do it - the right way (or sensible one) and the navy way . On the other hand the sensible one could explain why the bomb vessel had 2 guns less. You found an elegant and ingenious solution to provide a perfect quarterdeck barricade. Me, I just nailed and glued it on, forcing it into the bend - the navy way. Cheers peter
  17. flyer
    Under the shower I was thinking about that space problem with Granado's guns and perhaps had an idea: She was used as a bomb vessel with 8 guns and a sloop with 10 guns. Now if you place the 8 guns on ports 1,3,5,9 and 2,4,6,10 and leave of those abeam the aft mortar you could serve them with only guns 3 and 4 being constricted on the forward side. For better working conditions for the guns 1 and 2 you would also have to shift the deck fixes for the fish davit but this should be possible. Serving the guns while leaning over the rail would be very cumbersome and expose you to enemy fire - it should be avoided. What do you think?
  18. flyer
    Hi Bob For a long time I was silently admiring your clean, precise work on your beautiful Granado. Sometimes I did recheck some details on mine and had to nod in agreement. There is something strange with gun proportions and/or placement. In the book in the AOTS series the same confined space for the guns is depicted. I wonder if a too big calibre is installed or else if they did serve the guns leaning over the rails as especially those pieces abeam the mortars couldn't be run in sufficiently. Another doubtful thing I noticed only when I saw your provisional pump placement is that the outlet of one of them directs its water onto the cabin door. Again it's the same on my boat. But perhaps you find a way not to wet the skippers feet every time you pump... For the bulkhead I did use the decals (I'm lazy) but think the result is acceptable. Keep up the great work Peter
  19. flyer
    Hi Snowy Snowy? in Darwin?🤔 Seriously - I start coppering aft and at the keel and work forward, finishing line for line. The plates are overlapping and the lines brick-like shifted. Gradually the line near the stern gets a bend. Then, after about 6 lines or so, I insert a stealer. The work is tedious but bringing on the plates overlapping - as the prototype was done - leaves room for corrections and basically you only have to trim the plates at the waterline. If you are looking for more detailed information about the construction of the ship I would recommend a copy of: The 74-gun Ship BELLONA by Bryan Lavery from the Anatomy of the ship series. Vanguard is a ship of the Arrogant class which has similar design dimensions as the Bellona class. Cheers Peter
  20. flyer
    The rigging of the guns continues. I will have to put tackles to the 12 of them, which could be visible from above. On this sides you find a lot of great looking, meticulously made rope coils. However, as I'm a bit afraid of hard work I was looking for a simpler solution. Now, if the guns are run out but not ready to fire but fixed in this position, wouldn't you lash the tackles instead of just coiling the ropes on the deck, leaving the guns free to move? Well, this skipper does. Most probably you would fix the gun with the side tackles, leaving you free to take off the train tackles to stow them out of the way. This skipper doesn't. The train tackles will stay in place but lashed with the free end of the rope. This is easier to do, looks tidy and perhaps isn't completely wrong. the skipper checks a finished gun stern Between placing the guns I worked a bit on the stern for a change. The bulkhead was assembled and put in place. Two nail heads serve as door knobs. Also the two ports on the lower counter got their portlids, the toping lifts still missing. glazing of the windows was done with some leftover cellophane sheet - thinner and easier to work with than the kit's part ports on the lower counter The cast stern decoration for Bellerophon is a problem. It doesn't fit well and I can't bend it to follow the curve of the transom. But Elephant has an identical decoration with the exception of the middle part. This, an elephant, was scratched away. Then I made a casting mold from the white metal original kit part and first tried a plaster casting. This came out nicely but was much too brittle to work with. A second try with dual component glue came out quite well and even stayed a bit flexible - probably I made a little mistake in the mixture. I need a few more tries, but this will be the way to go. Elephant decoration with elephant scratched away original cast part, plaster casting and mold white painted cast of Bellerophon made with dual component glue Bellerophon replacing the Elephant
  21. flyer
    the spectacle plate in detail - a strip of cartridge paper and 2 eyebolts upper deck guns and equipment The next task - and test of my endurance - will be installing the 28 guns on the upper deck. 10 of them will be partly rigged and following RMC's very sensible lead I will install just the train tackles and breech ropes as this will be the only - at least partly - visible parts of the gun rigging. I'm a bit worried about guns breaking loose within the already closed decks (a fear shared by quite some of captain Aubrey's contemporaries) and will put a small nail through the carriage into the deck in addition to gluing them down. Those guns are now provisionally placed and will be attached permanently one by one. The blurred paint dividing lines on the hull are clearly visible. I keep telling myself that the prototype was really hand-painted and done by visual judgement only. Therefore a little lack of perfection could perhaps add authenticity... gun carriages will be hold in place by brute force
  22. flyer
    Hi Martin All that merlot I would need to soften all those flaws would take a toll on my liver. Perhaps I could just take my glasses off?🍷🍷 Despite my reservations about her perfection, I admit I do like that big girl as well. Hi Mort Certainly. I will add a picture in the build log. I see you are building Caldercraft's Victory but I cannot find the build log.😉 Cheers all peter
  23. flyer
    After installing gudgeons and pintles the rudder got also a spectacle plate (made from cartridge paper) and eyebolts for emergency steering and securing the rudder. The following painting of the outer hull was even more cumbersome than expected - mainly because I used a much too stiff masking tape for the first side. With a better tape the second one was a bit easier. I used tree paint covers and countless corrections and I still see flaws every time I look at the build. However I keep telling myself that all those imperfections add to the 'handmade' quality of the model. The paints are Admiralty water based paints, with 15% white in the yellow ochre and about 5% white in the dull black. The black looked rather grey on the brush but I like the finished paint. The upper part of the rudder was painted as well and all the lower hinges touched up with copper paint. The inner part of the side galleries and the cabins were 'grey washed'. I used white with just a little bit of black in order to get as close as possible to the impression on the pictures of Victory. After touching up the gun port frames with red and provisionally hanging the rudder it was time for a photo session. seen from a distance, the paint looks ok the captain, inspecting the newly hanged rudder, is dwarfed by the ship
  24. flyer
    Hi Martin Thanks. Those flushing toilets are an interesting subject. I didn't know they go back a few thousand years and were quite common in better houses in England 200 years ago. And on a man of war I expected chamber pots or buckets for the officers - but no, they went to war in style! Hi Harlequin Your Bellona is an extremely fine build and with your connection to the original myth Bellerophon would be a logical successor (you seem to react very well to challenges...)😉. Cheers Peter
  25. flyer
    Hi Paul Thanks, this is a great help. A flush toilet for the captain - very ingenious, I had no Idea. However, I think, the water in that rather shallow, open cistern would constantly swap over the edge. Was this possibly used as a collector for a closed cistern below, in the roof of the side gallery? Anyway I will change the design of the side gallery top as sketched below. Cheers Peter

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