Craigie65

You are not hanging around, are you!  
I reckon the practice on Nisha will stand you in good stead for the Indy.  
Looking at the first two or three planks on the starboard side they seem to be encroaching at the stem (pic number 8).  Will that give you an issue for the second planking?

I find the ratlines pretty straight forward.  The clove hitch will be your new friend.  The tricky devils are the shrouds. I always have a fight getting the deadeye spacing right.  I have used various jigs to get the spacing right but it is still a trial. 
Once my ratlines are on I check the spacing before using diluted PVA to lock them in place and trimming the ends.

Really coming to life now. Can’t wait to see the sails set.

Wow Andrew, this is brilliant You have taken the kit to a whole new level!
 

I find the ratlines pretty straight forward.  The clove hitch will be your new friend.  The tricky devils are the shrouds. I always have a fight getting the deadeye spacing right.  I have used various jigs to get the spacing right but it is still a trial. 
Once my ratlines are on I check the spacing before using diluted PVA to lock them in place and trimming the ends.

Amazing Andrew. Love the net and the catch in salted boxes. I believe they salted the catch. I am in awe of your work.
 

I find the ratlines pretty straight forward.  The clove hitch will be your new friend.  The tricky devils are the shrouds. I always have a fight getting the deadeye spacing right.  I have used various jigs to get the spacing right but it is still a trial. 
Once my ratlines are on I check the spacing before using diluted PVA to lock them in place and trimming the ends.

I find the ratlines pretty straight forward.  The clove hitch will be your new friend.  The tricky devils are the shrouds. I always have a fight getting the deadeye spacing right.  I have used various jigs to get the spacing right but it is still a trial. 
Once my ratlines are on I check the spacing before using diluted PVA to lock them in place and trimming the ends.

Hi Richard,
 
Many thanks for your kind words, I've spotted your "Flirt" build and will follow to see how your rigging gets on, lovely build so far.  Think rigging is one of those daunting areas, that you just have push yourself into and it gets better with repetition.  I think half our collective problems are that we can often have years between builds needing rigging and we forget how to do it! (Well I do anyway! 🤣)
 
Yes Chris's figures are marvels of modern 3D printing, so much better than white metal casting, hopefully Chris will add more figures as and when his development schedule allows, is is already a fine selection.

Hey Brian, that might not be the best way of learning from me!  😆 The number you have to do on your fine Granado means you will be a pro by the end.! 😉
 
I have trawled through and these are good discussions below, there is some discussion about pre-soaking in PVA and use of C-A, but I have not tried that.  Also some use little timber clamps on the shrouds to keep things in shape, (see last link for that).
 
If you look closely at my pictures (please don't for too long the naff rigging becomes glaring! 😁) but the one area I had issues with was keeping just enough tension in the ratline to avoid pulling together the shrouds, but not too much so as the ratline could kink up or sideways, a droop down a bit is fine, but as you will see if you look closely I have some 'gravity defying' ratlines! 🙄)
 
The only glimmer of hope I can give is that you do get into a kind of "flow" doing the hitches if you can set aside a reasonable spell to do a few at once.  (Guess it's a muscle memory kind of thing.) 
 
Looking forward to seeing the day you become a Ratline Ninja Brian! 😎
 
 

Really coming to life now. Can’t wait to see the sails set.

@Craigie65 & @HardeeHarHar thank you very much for your kind words and encouragement! 😁
 
Update tonight, the standing rigging is done!  Didn't take as long as I expected, though I always find rigging daunting and a bit fiddly with my fingers and thumbs!  I can see the attraction of "Admiralty Models" with no mast and rigging 😂  but don't think I could personally be happy with stump masts on a model, just me, I know others like them and the larger models/scales mean it is the only option unless you live in a Mansion.
 
Things to finish next are the sails, some of the tissue panels need some attention before I attached the threads/blocks and try to add to the model and bend into shape.
 
Final additions to the model I will make are navigation light boards on the shrouds and the bow roller already mentioned, think these will be the final parts of the build before running rigging.
 
Thanks gain all for following along and the likes/comments, much appreciated. 
 
 

good evening
a lot of sanding 
primed with Halfords grey primer
gaps filled with Bartoline ready mixed fine filler, sand and repeated until happy
red primer below waterline , white primer 9stripe) are Halfords rattle cans
black is hycote satin black rattle can
tamiya tape used to mask lines
not sure about what finish to use if any
 
Paint Primer | Halfords UK
 
Hycote Satin Black 400ml : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Wow Andrew, this is brilliant You have taken the kit to a whole new level!
 

Making steady progress on the fishing net now, though only in short sessions, as Covid is still giving me a kicking on and off.
 
Using Edgar J March as a reference for dimensions and detail, I'm using some camo netting as a base, this was originally black, so I sprayed it a rusty brown, to tone it down. 
 
For those of you who know how to sew, or enjoy seeing that fine craft in practice, may I advise to to skip along to the next "unread thread" in your feed! 🤣  My efforts at making a net leave much to be desired and I think whole catches of my notorious "Cocktail stick" fish would have no trouble in eluding this trap.  My only consolation is that it is going to be rolled up on deck, so most of it will be hidden.  🎣
 
I've to sew up one side still and then decide if I'm to add all the external details like rubbing pieces or the inner bag and flappers, what's on my mind is that the mesh is quite 'springy' and it might not compress properly and look anything like 'scale'.  Might just try the net as is and see how it looks.
 
Thanks all for looking in and the comments and likes. 😁

Excellent Glenn.  
You will enjoy building Nisha

Excellent Glenn.  
You will enjoy building Nisha

Excellent Glenn.  
You will enjoy building Nisha

Second pre-prototype. This has a lot of bulkheads!

023 - Adding the Inner and Outer Jibsails
I started with the inner jibsail which was installed without too much fuss. I used the same method for the installation of the inner jibsail as detailed for the outer jibsail, later on in this post.


As with the inner jibsail I started the installation process for the outer jibsail by making the various blocks, as can be seen in the three photos below.

The outer jibsail was then attached to the lower main mast end cap, via the eyebolt and double block arrangement, as can be seen in the next photo.

The lower fastenings were then added, but not belayed, so the position of the outer jibsail could be adjusted as necessary

The outer jibsail has now been positioned and is ready to be belayed.

I am using a couple of reverse action tweezers to hold the two of the three unbelayed lines in place in the photo below which shows the current the current state of the Saucy Jack build. Once the three outer jibsail lines have been belayed I will make the stand and the build process will then be complete.

 
 
 

I thought I would start a new thread, as the original was getting a little too big.
 
OK, for at least the next 5 years, I have my developments more or less already mapped out. The subjects cover a wide range of vessels from the 17th to early 19th Century.
 
For 2023, I have three confirmed. The first is Indy (of course). I may add as an optional extra cistern/chain pump housings. This has been my largest development to date, taking well over a year of full time work, and having Jim make the prototype and taking the manual photo pics and text. If I were to do this, then Indy would have been a 2 year development.
 
After Indy, I will have the American schooner Grecian (1812) almost ready, which I anticipate releasing in April/May. I have almost finished the mast and rig drawings, and profiles, so this may come together pretty quickly once Indy is released. 
From Wiki:
 
Thomas Kemp of Baltimore designed Grecian with several innovations. She was pierced for 20 guns, though she never carried that many, and her gunports were unique, designed perhaps to save weight. She had a long, curving stem, and a shallow, less convex bow. Grecian's first captain was James Phillips, and under him she had made one voyage to France. She received letter of marque No. 944 in December 1813, under Captain Knapp.
 
Not sure how much of that can be trusted, though, as she was not pierced for 20 guns, she has 18, with the fore-most being next to useless due to the distance between port and starboard (very sharp bow, so 7 per side being usable, in my opinion). It seems she had a mix of guns, being more standardised when in the British navy. What I have done is give enough guns for carronades, 6 and 4 pounders. I am sure the 4 pounders were used at the front, due to space issues, with the 6 pounders being nearer the middle and rear - so the modeller will have a choice of what to fit where.
 
After this, I will start on HMS Surprise, and this should be released this year, assuming all goes well.
 
And that's it for now....
 
ETA - My real love is frigates, as I have said before. If I had my way completely, the next five or six releases would be frigates from 32 guns upwards! But I cannot....

Ok, I have added a tool which will take you straight back to the top of the page which will help if you had to scroll a long way.
 
When you start to roll down a page, you will now see a black 'Up Arrow' in the bottom right of the screen. Press that and you'll be taken to the top again.
 

Ahem, well, apologies whilst I blow the dust and cobwebs off this build log! 😂
 
I have been successfully 'prevaricating about the bush' with this build for a good six months now, so high time I strapped back in and did some more before the calendar changes!
 
One of the things that has been bothering me since I decided to add a trawl beam is that I had already glued down a load of fish in creates and crew members, well I've bitten the bullet and decided to move them, to make way for the trawl beam and netting.  This has left some marks on the deck, but these will be covered by the stowed fishing net and beam - see the mock up of the positioning where I'm holding the beam in place.  I have also, whilst relocating the crew, realised I have been neglecting their "Elf" and Safety and so made amends with the addition of a life ring attached to the companionway.
 
Next up I think need to finish the net and just see how it behaves when I try and scrunch it up into the space available, my gut is telling me there might be too much material for it to look 'right' at scale, so I may need to modify it - we shall see! 🤔
 
Other tasks to do, finish the sails with addition of bolt ropes and the boom, then it is time for rigging I believe. 😬  I Think I need to do the standing rigging first in order to be able to lash the forward end of the trawl beam.  Still feeling my way back into this one, so other items may also crop up I have forgotten about...

The trick is to be methodical and not to block yourself off.
 
Definitely worth getting some rigging reference books.   Lennarth Petersson’s book on rigging is very helpful for square rigged ships. It has lots for great diagrams but no text. I have just bought Biddlecombe’s Art of Rigging which looks interesting but I think will only be of use if I am stumped on a particular part of the rigging.

022 - Main Sail and Top Sail Rigging
I have been able to spend a little bit more time in the shipyard and I have now completed the work related to adding the main and top sails. The photo below shows the current state of play. The top mast stay has been added but I have not belayed the free end which is why it looks wrong after passing through the bowsprit thimble.

The next few photos are a collection of various aspects of the main and top sail work, in no particular order. I have rigged a few model boats but I have found some of the belaying to the bitts very tricky due to the limited space.

It took me the best part of an hour to belay the line shown in the next photo as I found it almost impossible to hook the rigging line around the bottom of the belay pin.

Some of the belaying block arrangements are shown in the next photo.

The boom looks a bit long. I did double check the measurement and it is as per the plan sheet.