dvm27

Yes, Danny, I did say that. And I really mean it after this model is completed!
 
Your stagecoach is awesome. Glad you're back.
 
Speedwell has a beautiful quarterdeck bulkhead (see NMM photo above) which I'm working on now. The arched door and molded frame has taken me almost two weeks to reach this point.
Thanks for those who have commented. David and I are hoping to get the first volume of our Speedwell book into print this year (late, very late). It will give three options for building - plank on frame, plank on bulkhead and lift method. Volume two will cover masting and rigging.
 

 
 
 

Yes, Danny, I did say that. And I really mean it after this model is completed!
 
Your stagecoach is awesome. Glad you're back.
 
Speedwell has a beautiful quarterdeck bulkhead (see NMM photo above) which I'm working on now. The arched door and molded frame has taken me almost two weeks to reach this point.
Thanks for those who have commented. David and I are hoping to get the first volume of our Speedwell book into print this year (late, very late). It will give three options for building - plank on frame, plank on bulkhead and lift method. Volume two will cover masting and rigging.
 

 
 
 

Yes, Danny, I did say that. And I really mean it after this model is completed!
 
Your stagecoach is awesome. Glad you're back.
 
Speedwell has a beautiful quarterdeck bulkhead (see NMM photo above) which I'm working on now. The arched door and molded frame has taken me almost two weeks to reach this point.
Thanks for those who have commented. David and I are hoping to get the first volume of our Speedwell book into print this year (late, very late). It will give three options for building - plank on frame, plank on bulkhead and lift method. Volume two will cover masting and rigging.
 

 
 
 

Yes, Danny, I did say that. And I really mean it after this model is completed!
 
Your stagecoach is awesome. Glad you're back.
 
Speedwell has a beautiful quarterdeck bulkhead (see NMM photo above) which I'm working on now. The arched door and molded frame has taken me almost two weeks to reach this point.
Thanks for those who have commented. David and I are hoping to get the first volume of our Speedwell book into print this year (late, very late). It will give three options for building - plank on frame, plank on bulkhead and lift method. Volume two will cover masting and rigging.
 

 
 
 

Yes, Danny, I did say that. And I really mean it after this model is completed!
 
Your stagecoach is awesome. Glad you're back.
 
Speedwell has a beautiful quarterdeck bulkhead (see NMM photo above) which I'm working on now. The arched door and molded frame has taken me almost two weeks to reach this point.
Thanks for those who have commented. David and I are hoping to get the first volume of our Speedwell book into print this year (late, very late). It will give three options for building - plank on frame, plank on bulkhead and lift method. Volume two will cover masting and rigging.
 

 
 
 

Yes, Danny, I did say that. And I really mean it after this model is completed!
 
Your stagecoach is awesome. Glad you're back.
 
Speedwell has a beautiful quarterdeck bulkhead (see NMM photo above) which I'm working on now. The arched door and molded frame has taken me almost two weeks to reach this point.
Thanks for those who have commented. David and I are hoping to get the first volume of our Speedwell book into print this year (late, very late). It will give three options for building - plank on frame, plank on bulkhead and lift method. Volume two will cover masting and rigging.
 

 
 
 

Yes, Danny, I did say that. And I really mean it after this model is completed!
 
Your stagecoach is awesome. Glad you're back.
 
Speedwell has a beautiful quarterdeck bulkhead (see NMM photo above) which I'm working on now. The arched door and molded frame has taken me almost two weeks to reach this point.
Thanks for those who have commented. David and I are hoping to get the first volume of our Speedwell book into print this year (late, very late). It will give three options for building - plank on frame, plank on bulkhead and lift method. Volume two will cover masting and rigging.
 

 
 
 

Toni, I am looking forward to rigging her. The only other ship I've rigged is Hannah. As a ketch rigged sloop, she's a relatively simple model to rig. I'm attaching a photo of the Speedwell model David and I have based our model on.  I find her to be a simple, yet elegant ship. Photo courtesy of the National Maritime Museum.
 

 
 

It was pointed out to me by the ever-observant Druxey that the lower chocks of my capstan were incorrectly shaped. The should indeed be concave. I was misled by some contemporary sources. After a short alcohol soak and they were removed and replaced with the proper shaped chocks. Also, a photo of my now pristine workshop (after an entire evening of cleaning). My new mantra - replace tools right after using them....(at least for a day or so). 
 
Thanks for all the like. David Antscherl is doing his part for the publication of the Speedwell book. I just need to catch up

Yes, Danny, I did say that. And I really mean it after this model is completed!
 
Your stagecoach is awesome. Glad you're back.
 
Speedwell has a beautiful quarterdeck bulkhead (see NMM photo above) which I'm working on now. The arched door and molded frame has taken me almost two weeks to reach this point.
Thanks for those who have commented. David and I are hoping to get the first volume of our Speedwell book into print this year (late, very late). It will give three options for building - plank on frame, plank on bulkhead and lift method. Volume two will cover masting and rigging.
 

 
 
 

Yes, Danny, I did say that. And I really mean it after this model is completed!
 
Your stagecoach is awesome. Glad you're back.
 
Speedwell has a beautiful quarterdeck bulkhead (see NMM photo above) which I'm working on now. The arched door and molded frame has taken me almost two weeks to reach this point.
Thanks for those who have commented. David and I are hoping to get the first volume of our Speedwell book into print this year (late, very late). It will give three options for building - plank on frame, plank on bulkhead and lift method. Volume two will cover masting and rigging.
 

 
 
 

Yes, Danny, I did say that. And I really mean it after this model is completed!
 
Your stagecoach is awesome. Glad you're back.
 
Speedwell has a beautiful quarterdeck bulkhead (see NMM photo above) which I'm working on now. The arched door and molded frame has taken me almost two weeks to reach this point.
Thanks for those who have commented. David and I are hoping to get the first volume of our Speedwell book into print this year (late, very late). It will give three options for building - plank on frame, plank on bulkhead and lift method. Volume two will cover masting and rigging.
 

 
 
 

Very nice.
Steve

Greg, your Speedwell is looking fantastic! Can't wait to see it finished.
Guy

Toni, I am looking forward to rigging her. The only other ship I've rigged is Hannah. As a ketch rigged sloop, she's a relatively simple model to rig. I'm attaching a photo of the Speedwell model David and I have based our model on.  I find her to be a simple, yet elegant ship. Photo courtesy of the National Maritime Museum.
 

 
 

Tom, a rigged Speedwell is the perfect size for the last remaining space in my study. The shifted and cast toptimbers were definitely a challenge, even at 1:48 scale. She would be a very manageable model at a larger scale though. I prefer to build my armada to the same 1:48 scale in case a war breaks out in my study when I'm not home. That way the larger scale ship will not have a tactical advantage.

AND BANG, finished.
 
Thanks for the likes and support, to the followers who suffered the 8 month build. 20K views on a plastic model is flattering to say the least.
 
The next build will not be so complex, there is so much detail it just gets lost. You can see from my previous builds, it is a magnitude more involved, but I have learnt to use an airbrush (thanks Banyan) and that Dutch people have a very similar sense of humor to Aussies (Cog).
 
Off to the digital graveyard.
 
 

Thank you everyone for the likes and comments.  Time to move on to the head.
 
This is an absolute birds nest of inter-related structures which appears daunting but (so far) is not horribly difficult if one fabricates and installs one piece at a time.  Sorry that there are no construction pictures but taking photos of 3-D objects while keeping everything in focus is beyond my simple camera.  The key to each structure is one word...template.  The lower cheek is constructed first.  Make a template in the horizontal plane.  On the plan, determine the total thickness of the cheek, remembering that there is a gentle curve upwards as the cheek follows the knee of the head.  Also remember that the hull drops away inferiorly so make the aft arm wider than per the plan.  Draw out the templated cheek on the wood, keeping the arms along the grain as much as possible.  Cut out the rough blank and offer it up to the hull until a good fit is achieved; It is still oversized in thickness at this point.  Next, draw the curve onto the side of the blank and shape it  with sanding discs.  The edge of the cheek has a molding cut into it.  Make another scraper (since none of the other shapes made so far are correct) and carefully scrape the shape onto the cheek.  Simple, right?  Actually, very tedious although not technically difficult.  The first one took four hours to complete.  On my model the starboard side is unplanked so there  is a gap between the frames and the knee corresponding to the thickness of the planking.
 
The upper cheek is made in similar fashion except that it must fay into the hair bracket with a scarf.  On Atalanta it is slightly thinner than the lower cheek at the aft end and tapers in width going forward.  That simply makes adding the molding even more fun because the fore arm molding must be cut free hand.  The hair bracket is simple to make after the cheeks are installed.  Again, make a template.  The molding is cut in free hand because the width continues to diminish on the ascending arm.  I used a dull #11 scalpel to gently impress the design.  Then a 2 mm V-chisel was used to cut the groove, changing direction as necessary to always cut with the grain.  Finally, it was finished with jeweler's files.  The scarf was cut into the hair bracket first.  This was then drawn onto and then cut into the already installed upper cheek.  The hair brackets were installed and the joint cleaned up so that the molding flows between the cheek and the hair bracket.  This can be seen when one compares the second and third photos below.  The total time invested so far on the headwork is two weekends.
 



 

 

Fascinating casting and the small boats look beautiful, Alex. It looks like you cast far more parts then you can use on your two models. Do you sell the rest or just keep them in case you mess one up?

Hi,
 
I thought I would jump on the non-ship model build log bandwagon (or stage coach / bus if you prefer!) to try and bring more awareness to card models on the site.
 
The artillery tractor is in the popular card vehicle scale of 1:25 which provides quite sizable models depending on the subject (rail guns are absolutely massive!)  Detail wise I would say this model falls somewhere in the middle as probably more detailed than others but not as detailed as say a Halinski Sherman.
 

 
 
I was working on this prior to the Borodino until the build stalled doing the road wheels as these are pretty complex and a real head scratcher to work out the assembly.  Once I understood the orientation of the individual wheel spokes it became a struggle to fit them hence it being placed on the back burner.  Saying that, I haven’t forgotten about it and as my card modelling experience increases I am feeling more and more confident in revisiting it and finishing them off.  The main problem with tracked vehicles is the repetitive tasks such as multiple wheels and numerous track links which can be soul destroying.
 
The following series of photos show my total progress to date and covers 293hrs spread over 2 years and I last worked on it in June 2016 (as you can see I am not a quick builder LOL)  But will start chipping away at it again besides working on Borodino.

 
The main chassis with all the running gear attached.  The box structure consists of laser cut forms skinned as usual and multiple components cut, formed and attached using all the same techniques as covered in my Borodino log.  Thankfully I haven’t had to resort to painting except for the normal edge colouring (and the tracks which I will discuss below) and hope to finish it without painting.
 

 

 
 
Underside showing inspection hatches with 0.8mm laser cut card hexagonal nuts.  I actually find the repetitive nature of gluing and placing nuts very relaxing/soothing LOL. The 0.8mm nuts are the limit I can work with.  I also have 0.6mm laser cut nuts but try as I may I just can’t work with them.
 

 
 
Here is a selection of the various wheels showing the drive sprockets, rear idlers and track return wheels.  There are a surprising amount of parts used to make up just these wheels alone.
 

 
 
For the road wheels I had gotten as far as making up the 20 rims, the hubs and a trial of the wheel spokes before the build stalled.  The 20 completed wheels in 10 pairs will consist of 250 individual parts.
 

 
 
The tracks of these vehicles can be soul destroying depending on how you tackle them (some kits have laser cut track links available).  In this case the kit book provided 2 options. The 1st and easiest option is to make the tracks from continuous strips of printed paper, doubled up for thickness or option 2 which is to build each individual track link. Of course being a masochist I choose this option as I think they look better and have a more realistic shape and weight to them.  It goes without saying the time and effort required is far greater. 
 
The tracks consist of approximately 162 individual links (81 per side) and are held together with brass wire as link pins.  Very happy how these are turning out as the track is fully flexible and it contours over your fingers etc.  Due to the tedious nature of doing 160+ links I would tackle each step over a period of time coming back now and again to finish one step before moving on to the next.  I still have to add the grousers (treads – x4 per link) and the guide horns (1 per link) which are shown in the photos.  (Parts count on the finished tracks will be 1,620 give or take!)
 
I haven’t edge coloured these as I always planned on painting and weathering the tracks and as mentioned, hopefully the only thing to be painted.
 

 
 
Some photos showing it all loosely together.  I will probably start adding the track grousers and guide horns next as a precursor to getting the road wheels done.  The base of the crew cab also utilises laser cut card formers, although not necessary as the kit (as usual for all card models) supplies the templates for making your own.  But the convenience, fit and accuracy of laser cut forms far out way the minimal extra cost.
 

 

 
 
There is a vast array of card vehicles available for all interests and I suspect cover more obscure or less known prototypes than what’s available in plastic.  The usual suspects are also available.  The comparatively low cost and larger scale are also appealing and if painted are indistinguishable from similarly painted plastic kits.  Due to the sheer number of parts to do one of these kits you certainly get your money’s worth in build time for relatively little outlay.
 
Cheers
Slog

I've put the topcoat on the rest of the body - pics will come tomorrow.
 
While waiting for the paint to harden I've made up all the Brasswork - two pieces for the sides of the roof and two for the sides of the driver's seat. These pics were taken straight after silver soldering, a fair bit of cleaning up will follow, as I intend to polish the brass instead of blackening :

To make this joint I filed halfway through both pieces - this brought them out level with each other instead of merely placing the vertical in front or behind the horizontal piece. It also made it easier to solder :
 

I had a lot of trouble with my gas torch - what should have taken me an hour or so to silver solder took me most of the day. Maybe I should replace that 8-year-old refill can?
 
To make the fancy bends at each end of the pieces the kit supplied a Jig. Here's how it works, the pics are self-explanitory :
 





 
  Danny

A bit of an update on a not very productive week.
 
I started work on the main boom. I have a bit of nice detail from photographs:-

The rubbing strips are quite a nice feature which it would be good to reproduce (right on the above photo and left on the photo below).
The track runs for about 90% of the length of the boom and has 30 sliders on it. 

The plans approach to the attachment between the boom and sail is a bit of a joke! 

I think reference to "simulated runners" is a misuse of the word simulated!
 
The detailing of the boom is also somewhat lacking. On the plan below you can see I am starting to sketch on extra detail.
I started by turning down a .500" dowel to .400" and then tapering the last third down to .320". I left a section at the narrow end at the full .400" diameter to simplify location on the mill. I then spent a lot of time on the milling machine - drilling holes and machining slots at various places along its length.

The long thin slots are to take the rubbing strips. They are .040" wide by 4.5 inches long and .030" deep. They were machined carefully with a very fine end mill - I broke one which was better than I expected.
 
I gave making the track some thought and after a hunt in the shed came back with the "track" I had been looking for (Hornby OO).

I machined a slot along the length of the boom (bottom of the boom in the image below)- .084" wide x .030 deep to match the rail bottom flange.

I extracted one rail from the track and did a trial fit - I think its going to turn out well as long as I can find a sensible way of making the sliders. Across 3 sails I need about 60 sliders which feels like a bit of a challenge. Anyway thats for the future as the next few days are devoted to a new deck for my daughters garden.
 
 

Well it has been quite a while since the last update.  I had the pleasure of spending a two weeks abroad and then had to catch up on everything which was neglected during that time.
 
The next item to tackle was the fixed gangway.  It is comprised of a lightweight frame with planking.  This platform is situated a few inches lower than the quarter deck breast beam.  It is attached to the undersurface of that beam and the fore end is supported by a hanging knee.  There is a newel post at the aft end of the curve but this will be made later.  I found the description in TFFM a bit confusing, and hope I interpreted it correctly.  The text states that the outboard edge of the gangway is above the level of the planksheer (by about 2" in the sketch) and that it is canted at the same angle as the deck beams to facilitate drainage.  In looking at Atalanta's plan and comparing it to Fly's it looks like the outboard edge on Atalanta is at the planksheer, not above it.  So this is what I have constructed.  Please chime in if I am wrong in my interpretation as it is easy enough to correct at this stage.
 

 
The planksheer was installed next.  There is a decorative molding on the outboard edge.  The gangboards extend from the fore end of the fixed gangway to the forecastle breast beam.  The rest of hanging knees which were installed earlier.
 

 

 
There is a breast hook overlying the bowsprit opening.  A shim was placed under the starboard arm of the breast hook to simulate bulwark planking.
 

 

 

 

 

Hi all,
 
I've been gone getting my ticker re-plumbed. Had a bad ekg, then a heart catheterization for a stent, found out a stent wouldn't work. I had a triple bypass at the Gainesville/Shands V.A. Hospital within 4 days. Had a bleed, they stopped that. I went home for  3 weeks and passed out. Ambulance to Tallahassee this time as they could only get me back to the V.A. hospital by chopper for $40.000. I spent 5 more days with them trying to figure out where my blood went. Anyways, the V.A. was terrific [Tallahassee too] and I'm all patched up and am shortly to finish Lightning. Below are some pictures of me adding rigging that I forgot to put on earlier. It is a terrible job getting in behind what was there. Also Lightning has that recessed deck with the flying bridges making it very hard to get to the belaying pins.