Kelp

Peter, Fantastic work on the sail! Your model is looking great. Don

Hi Dan, You got yourself a great deal on the kit! I'll be watching with interest, as I also have this kit in my closet for a future project. As for the keel, I'd probably buy a piece of plywood and cut a new piece, that way it would be good and flat. It might be quite difficult to straighten out the piece you have now. Be careful when cutting the slots on the new piece for the bulkheads because you don't want them to have too much play. The bulkheads should fit snug. Best of luck with the build, Don

Hi Tom, Do you know when the restoration on the Constitution is scheduled to be completed? I remember in 1997 there was a major restoration. Is this the same type of work being done? Your model is looking fantastic! Thanks, Don

Hi EJ, This should be a fun model to build! Im looking forward to watching your progress on this site. Don

Excellent commentary on your progress. I like how you are describing every step as it will make life easier for future Constitution builders. Best of luck on the build! If you have questions along the way, quite a few modelers here have built the same kit and will be glad to help out. Great start! Don

Hi Ulises, Thanks for your reply. I looked more carefully at Heller's instructions and found that the carriages were to be painted the barn red color as you suggested. I look forward to seeing photo updates of your Royal Louis model. It's coming along nicely! Don

An A+ on the cockpit! Very nice work. Don

Stick with the rigging! You're doing a fine job and it would be a shame to give up now. Just do a little rigging at a time and before you know it, you'll have it completed. Nice work. I love the deck paint job-looks like real wood. Don

Thanks B.E., Don

Hello, I'm building the Heller Royal Louis and can't make out what color is supposed to be used for the gun carriages. What would be a typical color for gun carriages for French ships of this time period (1700's)? I've seen some photos with the carriages red, the same as the interior bulwarks. Thank you, Don

Very nice coppering job Hamilton. I also left the copper natural on my Cutty Sark model and it has aged nicely, looking like an older penny. Don

Hello Ulises, I am building the Heller Royal Louis. The color code for the gun carriages isn, t very clear. Can you tell me whar colors for the carriage and wheels are listed on the instructions for your kit? Great job on you model! Thanks, Don

Hamilton, The tung oil really looks great on the deck planking! Nice job. Don

Hobbie, Here are some very helpful comments from Tom, who built the San Felipe: Members 346 posts LocationAuckland New Zealand Hi Don-- I hope you are enjoying the SF build! You are correct, each of the sections should be cut out of the sheet with tin snips. Cut along the outside edge only as close as you can and then file off any excess. You don't have to paint over the blue areas--that is just a dye to help you see the raised sections and that dye rubs off with solvent. There is a debate on how to handle the window panes. Most people I believe paint them with blue or gray paint to simulate the reflection of water or sky. That's what I did and you can see in this picture, which also shows a couple of cut out pieces in place: On another model I once tried to cut out the inside of each window thinking I could put glass or plastic behind and make it look like a real window, but it is impossible to cut the little bits of window out without destroying the entire piece. If you decide to paint your windows, it's not a big challenge. You don't have to be too careful because you are just painting the recessed sections. You can rub off any excess paint with turpentine. One way to do it neatly is to stretch a cloth soaked in turpentine over the top of a cylinder, like a paint bottle, which makes a flat surface and rub it over your piece--it will just take any excess paint off and leave your painted window looking good. For the non window parts of the metal, I used the bright blue that I used on all other parts of the ship's trim. Hope this makes sense. Let me know if you have questions and good luck! Cheers, Tom

You must mean this piece of brass. I'm also at a loss on what to do with it. There are a couple of people on this site who have built the San Felipe. I'll see if I can contact one of them to help out. Don

grsjax, Thanks for your response. The San Felipe had approximately 80-100 cannons aboard. I can see where polishing 100 cannon would leave no time to do anything else on the ship. Don

Were ship's cannons in the Spanish navy of the late 1600's/early 1700's made of brass? The San Felipe kit comes with brass cannons and I'm not sure if they should be blackened or left as a brass finish. Also, are there any references for Spanish warships of this period you recommend? Thanks, Don

Hello Ulises, I have started looking at your build of the Royal Louis. Very nice work! I'm just beginning to work on the Heller plastic Royal Louis and your build photos will be a great help. A general question.. What did you use to glue the metal gunport frames to the hull, superglue or some kind of epoxy? Thanks, Don

Just wondering if anyone has read the Caxton (or Chatham) Pictorial History set of books published by Chatham and Caxton Publishing in the late '90s and early 00's. The set of books covers the British Navy from 1793 to 1816. Any thoughts/reviews regarding these books? Thanks, Don

Hamilton, Copper tape cut to tiles or pre- cut tiles will look much better than the wood tiles and definitely worth doing. Don

Jan, Congratulations on your completion of the Nina and Pinta. The models look fantastic! Don

Mike, Fantastic job on the planking! I have also worked on this kit (currently shelved while I'm finishing a different kit) and found it to be one of the best kits to build. If I remember correctly, the instructions didn't mention when to drill the mast holes. Just an alert to drill them before you lay your decks. I look forward to watching the progress of your build. Don

Hi John, Can you describe your process for printing out the letters on the stern, such as type of paper & font, etc. How did you get white letters? Thanks, Don

Bob, I'm glad you're going to poly this model. It would be a shame to cover the nice wood grain with paint. It's looking great! Don B.

Antony, Justsayrow, and Druxey, Thanks for the advice on keeping the paint thin and usable. I'm trying the vaseline on the bottle threads and will see how that works out. Sometimes paint gets on the threads and then hardens. Vaseline should take care of that problem too.. Don