egkb

Richard,
 
Very nice build, appreciate the photos detailing how you planked the dories. Planning to do the same...one day. Just to share with you my last project, took me a while to complete; stopped a few times to research material and to regroup. The fishing schooners have always been a favorite of mine; scratch built the Columbia in the 1980's and a couple of years ago the Gertrude L. Theabaud. 
 
Keep up the good work.

Well, today, we made a huge step (for us) forward.
 
We have been so busy, and right now, I can only run one laser machine at a time, as we have no space for another extractor, which we need to run both simultaneously - so have been drowning under work load, and running out of space for the business. We have totally outgrown the repurposed garage for the workshop.
 
With that in mind, we went to look at some proper business units, and I have just put a deposit down for a nice little unit, over 4 times the space I currently have, which we move into in January. I will be able to run both lasers at full pelt, and have much more space to put stuff!
 
I have added some pics of our modest little new unit – we have an option of having something larger as we grow more.
Realistically, we had little choice, as with Surprise imminent, that’s 18 kits we need to find space for, and a 3-bed house and converted garage can no longer cut it….

That's so kind of you both, thank you so much.
Have you ever heard of this?!
Nothing is as constant as change.
I was thinking about the 32-foot cutter and its color scheme again this week and simply changed it.
 

 
It didn’t seem right to me that the tidy Japanese would soil the white floorboards with their feet. I believe it’s generally accepted that the inside of the hull was painted white.
 

 
But the floor would get dirty very quickly. So I redid it and painted the floor in wood tones. I think it looks much better now.
 

 
And placed on the deck. Yes, better.
 

Hello everyone and happy first Advent.
I've finally finished installing the tarpaulins on the bridge, completing another delicate task.
And here's how it looks now.
 

 
After consulting with users, the supports on the railing for the sunshade were removed and will be folded up and stored on the deck later. This was likely related to the work being done on the tarpaulin.
 

 
Since the bridge is roughly finished, I wanted to continue working amidships before attaching it to the Mikasa.
So I turned my attention to the three missing lifeboats.
 

 
And subject them to the usual procedure of painting details and weathering. The first cutter is finished.
 

 
Micro Master makes truly first-class 3D prints.
 

 
Painting the rope neatly on the side of the cutter was truly a test of patience.
 

 
But the middle deck is also slowly filling up. Starboard deck complete.
 

And now, for the sake of completeness, here’s the finished version.
I did a little more work on the shadows and highlights in the drapery folds.
 

 
This was especially necessary for the second figure from the right, as the tarpaulin shouldn’t be floating in the air. So, for the crouching sailor, I shaped it to fit over his knee.
 

 
I’m trying to get the sailors to interact with each other on stage. I think I hear the two on the right quietly saying, “Hey, how do you tie that tarp again?”
 

 
It was also important to me to create reasonable points of contact between the boys and the tarpaulin.
 
  It should look as if they are pulling on the tarp to get it into the right position.     So that people will believe they are in the process of attaching the tarpaulin to the railing.     And last but not least, it was played on the Mikasa.  

So, let’s create a scene facing the bow.First, cut the paper to size again and attach it to the railing with glue.
 

 
I then attach it up to just before the point where I want to drive it in.
 

 
Cut the corners and fold the top edge over lengthwise, then glue it down. This makes the whole thing quite stable and durable, even though I’m still struggling with the wrinkles.
 

 
After weathering, I set up a few figures and the rapid-fire guns to see how it looked.
 

 
I still think it would have worked better on the rear bridge. There was simply more space there.
 

 
Nevertheless, I am quite satisfied with this small performance.
 

 
And laid down again on the ship.
 

 
I think it can stay like this.
 

And I’ve finished the next test.
For this scene, I chose the roof of the wheelhouse. Space is very limited, but I think it worked nonetheless.
 

 
Only two sailors are now pulling up the tarpaulin due to the limited space. The compass and speaking tubes also need to go there. The sailor on the right should also move a little to the right.
 

 
I’ve placed it on the wheelhouse.
I don’t think it looks bad at all. I could expand the scene in front of the cabin. The sailor who folded the tarpaulin during the first test could go there, and an officer yelling at the guys would also look great.
 

Thank you so much, Jeff, that's so kind.
But let's see if I can improve the poses even further.
 
But first i am making a long strip of colored tissue paper is placed around the remaining railing of the bridge and cut at the corners.
 

 
Once the strip has dried, I can fold over the top edge between the cuts and glue it down.
 

 
A small model-making spatula with a ball head helps to neatly shape the tarpaulin against the railing.
 
  Then age again and you’re done.     Once that was done, I looked at my work and thought, hmm, how could I make it a little more interesting? Maybe create a little scene where the crew is attaching the tarpaulin to the railing?
Let’s see, Jeff. 😉
 

 
So I started this test run…
 

 
…with styrene, an old railing and a few sailors.
 

 
So far so good.
 

 
Only one thing bothers me.
Unfortunately, I only thought of it after I’d finished the railing on the rear bridge. And that would have been the perfect spot for this little section of groyne. It has the most space to properly detail it.
Now I have to figure out where else I could fit it.
 

 
   
 
 

Just a little update from me today.  Ive been working on the moulded rail around top of the bow and I did cheat a little.  Instead of making it out of two separate planks I made it from one piece which simply wrapped around the bow.  I couldn't think of a better way of doing it so this is what I did.

I have also shaped the final 4 timber heads - I'm really glad that I left the timber heads on the frames instead of adding them on later.  They are so solid being an integral part of the frame and because of this they are simple to file into shape.  I've not yet finished the rail where is curves down towards the main deck cap rail as it needs some more detail.  I'm unsure how to achieve this extra detail at the moment but hopefully a solution will come to me nearer the time.

For some reason I really like this view of the bow - it still amazes me that parts I made nearly 5 years ago when I was just starting out are pretty much spot on.  The bow should however be a sharp point and not rounded as it is now.  The nice thing is I can correct this with the cap rail.

My next jobs are the two final planks around the bow and the cap rail.
 
Mark  
 

OK, we're back from Blackpool, our first real show, and we have learnt a lot! Here are some pics.
 
Jim was brilliant, building up a Sphinx hull whilst there, which created much interest. We were the only exhibitors with period ship kits, the rest were mainly tug boats, fishing vessels, lifeboats and warships - but I guess we are only one of two companies in the UK that produce this type of model, so not too surprising.
 
We plan to do Telford next year.



 

 

Eamonn's last name is Bermingham not Bermington.
Congrats Eamonn!!
 
It has since been corrected

I've made a few alterations this weekend as I was unhappy with the triangular ringbolts.  I was also unhappy with the way the ship looked with the main hatches in place in the hull.  They just looked out of keeping compared to the open format that I've been following.........so I cut the hatches in half.  It was one of those no turning back moments.


I remade the ringbolts having made mandrel for the shape and I also made separate eyebolts this time too.  I'm much happier with the result this time and they do look more realistic.

They are now fully fitted into the hull and I now like the way they look as it's more in keeping with the rest of the ship.




I was going to make the pumps next but that's on hold until my Xmas present arrives.  My fantastic wife has bought me a 17" Sherline lathe which will pretty much finish off my tool collection.  I can't wait to set it up and give it a go!
 
So instead I think I'll focus on finishing the bow planking first
 
Mark

Thank you Michael  
 
I have made a start on the main hatches which are a little more tricky than they look.  Firstly I made a mistake cutting the notches on the wrong side of the sides of the hatches.  I'm sure we've all done something similar; I know that I have.  So they were consigned to the scrap bin and I started again.

Below is a hatch base with the notches now on the correct side!  I found cutting the rebate on the curved ends challenging but I got there in the end.

Next I made and fitted the metal corner braces - It was only after I fitted them I looked at the drawings again and they were supposed to be recessed into the base.  I have decided to leave them where they are!  I also need to get some lightweight wood filler to fill the holes that I drilled all of the way through.


Now the fun started - trying to get the hatch tops to match the same curve as the base and also to get an all round  tight fit.


Then the strengtheners were made and fitted.  I like making parts like this as it makes the effort of cutting notches etc worth it when it all fits so nicely together.


Further reinforcement is added towards the side of the cover which I managed to glue in the wrong place as I misread the drawings yet again!  It's not the end of the world but removing them would cause too mush damage so I will alter the nailing to suit.

The lifting handles were next - This is the first time I've tried triangular handles as I've never successfully made them before.  I usually make them round as I find this a lot easier but at least I've had a go.  They're not great and I would love to know how other builders make these parts?  I used a triangular file to bend the brass around but it was so fiddly and I found it difficult to get tight bends with straight sides.  I've looked at other builders efforts and they look like a perfect triangle so any help for the future would be greatly appreciated  

I still need to get the nailing done which always takes me a while and then get them fitted onto the main deck.
 
Thanks for all of the comments  - Mark
 

Some more done on Le Rochefort.
 
Taking the advice given I made some pads for the gudgeons on the un-planked side and also recessed them further into the stern post.  Great advice as they definitely look and fit better.  I did make a real mess of the recesses though - Now I know what I know I would mill these when making the stern post in the future.  It would make the process much easier and tidier.  I don't think these pieces are my best work and the rudder does sit slightly high but I've learnt a lot during the process.
 




A picture of the ship with the rudder fitted

The next part to make was the tiller arm which is quite a prominent part so it needed to be as accurate as possible.  I made the arm and the knob on the end separately and used a treenail to help get a good bond between the two parts. 
 


I also straightened up the metal banding around the rudder to make it all look a bit better.





Another little milestone in my build is now complete.  I am so tempted to now finish off the stern and fit the railings and taff rail but I know that they will get broken at some point.  So instead I will resist this and make the main hatches and the pumps.
 
Thanks for the help
 
Mark

Thanks a lot, Mike.
Believe me, that really annoyed me too. Especially since you spend a lot of money on these aftermarket kits, which makes it even more frustrating.
I would be very happy to see a little twin of my ship in one of your build reports.
 
Preparing the interior of the wheelhouses proved to be a real challenge. After a few setbacks and starting over, it finally worked.
And the many helpful tips from users in all the forums where I post my build logs contributed greatly to the success.
But now, on to the forward wheelhouse.
There was much more space here than at the stern, and I could really let my creativity flow.
You probably know how it is. Making and preparing repetitive parts is often a tedious and boring task. But when it comes to arranging them on the model, it’s like Christmas and Easter all rolled into one. That’s when I really enjoy it.
That’s exactly what happened in the Mikasa’s wheelhouse. I arranged the individual parts as shown in the pictures of the museum ship. Again, I positioned them a little further away from the base of the compass mast to save space.
 

 
Officer and sailor on deck and full speed ahead.
 

 
In room two, a sailor I had modified sits in front of the desk. The officer is shouting instructions.
 

 
Let’s put the lid on and see what else is visible of the whole scene.
 

 
It’s very difficult to get a proper exposure with the camera. Because I have to get the lens very close to the wheelhouse, I’m blocking the light from the work lamp.
 

 
However, I think you can see enough to guess what is going on in the room.
 

Hello Joelle,
 
On magnetic compasses there are many adjustments required to off set various effects of the steel/iron around them.  The deviation spheres on the sides, and other magnets below the compass bowl help to correct for the ship’s inherent magnetism (believe it or not, the direction the ship was pointing when it was built affects the magnetic compass, as the ship’s inherent magnetism aligns with the local magnetic field at the shipyard). The vertical tube you’re pointing also contains a magnet to correct the compass due to changes in the earth’s magnetic field brought on by changes in latitude. The closer you are to the magnetic poles, the more pronounced the vertical component of the earth’s magnetic field becomes (actually to the point where above a certain latitude, a magnetic compass cannot be corrected, and thus becomes useless, and a device called a “dip needle” is required). To neutralize (to a point) the effects of that vertical component, the magnet is adjusted up (closer) or down (away) from the compass bowl.
 
Andy

Hello my friends, thank you for your kind words. I wish the best for all of you :)

I'm attaching a couple of pics for the case
Thank you

Congratulations to all of the winners! Kurt, are there plans to show the other entries as well?

Winners of the NRG's 2025 Photographic Ship Model Contest are listed below.  The winning models will be featured in the Winter issue of the Nautical Research Journal due out in December.  Look for photos here in January.
2025 Photo Contest Medal Winners 
Master’s Class
GOLD
Steve Anderson “Victory”          Oceano, CA
SILVER (Tied)
Walter Zimmerman “Essex”      State College, PA
Ron Neilson “Camilla”              Warrington, PA
BRONZE
William “Mike” McFadden “German Patrol Boat”
                                                                           Scottsdale, AZ
 
Journeyman’s Class
GOLD
T. R. Mayer “Fort Valley”           Brunswick, ME
SILVER
Richard Fernandez “L’Unite”    Freehold, NJ
BRONZE
Dan Pacholski “Katy of Norfolk” South Elgin, IL
 
Apprentice’s Class
GOLD
Matthew Bergman “Norwegian Sailing Pram”
                                                                        Alton, ON Canada
SILVER
Eamonn Bermingham “Ballahoo”
                                                                        Arklow, CO Wicklow, Ireland 
 BRONZE
Vaidas Guogis “Kurenkahn”
                                                                          Vilnius, Lithuania
Best in Show
Steve Anderson “Victory”          Oceano, CA

Just a quick snack at my shipyard today.
Before I start on the bridge wing and the wheelhouse, I wanted to make a few neat handrails to simplify and make things safer.
For this, I made small, custom-made handrails out of a multiplex board.
 

 
Then cover the surface with BluTack.
 

 
And the two components were placed on top.
 

 
Now I can work on them properly without having to worry about tearing off the outer support struts again.
 

 
I always play it safe whenever possible.
That’s how my workstands, which I like to call dry docks, came about.
By the way, if anyone is interested, I’ve created a short construction guide on the IPMS website.
 
Dry dock

My big towers took a little longer, but they’re finished.
So here’s another little update today.
 

 
Into the barbettes. With their wedge shape, they could still win a design award today, I think.
 

 
And towards the rear. Its unusual shape is truly impressive.
 

 
This completes the main armament and I can now focus on the bridge.
 

 
The Mikasa looks so cool from the front.
 

 
   

Update:
 
I've been quite ill for the past two weeks, flu, fever, etc., but I'm feeling a bit better now. I haven't had much motivation to work on the Sphinx, but I've already done some small things. So, just a quick update. I actually wanted to update when the whole bow thing was finished, but that's taking too long.  
So I just do small pieces and update them.
 
First, let's move on to the "bow cheeks." After I had cleared them of char, I wanted to paint a nice blue stripe on them, like those seen in other build logs from members like Blue Ensign and Brunnels.
Just painting a straight line wasn't going to work for me; I can't paint that neatly, so I wanted to create a groove in them, just like the laser-etched "bow hair brackets." This would ensure a reasonably clean line.
Now, I do have some nice "scribe plates" from Artesania Latina. I'm not sure if that's the correct name, but I had to make some adjustments. The cheeks are made of 2mm thick material, and when I look at the pattern for the 2mm thick scribing plate, I found the groove in the center looked too narrow (compared to the line in the hair brackets).
 

 
But the 3mm pattern one seemed to have the perfect width. But that one is obviously too wide.
 

 
So I made a very basic jig to put the cheeks in (this one only lasted 2 tries and then I had to replace the wood because I didn't have any good quality wood available)
 


 
But otherwise, it worked fine, and I was happy with the final result. The grooves weren't as clean as the laser-etched ones from the kit, of course, but they were much better than I could paint. I approached the painting the same way as the bow hair brackets, which I showed in the previous update.
 

 
Before gluing the cheeks, I first glued a test piece of wood to a thick piece of painted wood. This was to test whether I could glue PVA to painted wood without sanding the paint away for adhesion. I was very satisfied with the adhesive strength, so I glued the cheeks without sanding.
 

 
After they were glued, the blue line didn't quite match up with the "bow hair brackets" so they still had to be connected
 


 
I still had to drill the "hawse holes" from 2mm to 4mm. I did this by first drilling 2.5mm, then 3mm, then 3.5mm, etc.
 

 
Next up were the "hawse bolsters." The order of work was... first, adjust the height to the hawse holes, then glue them to two pieces of scrap wood for a better grip, then file the rough shape with a file, and finally, smooth it out with sandpaper. Finally, sand in the curve at the rear to make it flat against the hull.
The photos below show this order.
 





 
 
The last thing I worked on were the two wash cants. I saw in some build logs that other forum members had omitted them. Perhaps for aesthetic reasons? I thought it would be a shame not to use them, so I started working on them. Initially, I thought they had to be black so they wouldn't distract too much from the lines of the bow cheeks. But once I had sanded them into shape, I was quite impressed with their beautiful rounded shape and thought it would be a shame to hide them in black. So I decided to leave them natural, and I think they really add something to the bow. Their rounded shape and color make them work well with the hawse bolsters.
 
First, I filed/sanded the correct curves in them to make them sit flat against the wales
 

 
Then I sanded in the nice round shape and finished it with 2 layers of WOP (also covered the hawse bolsters and holes at the same time)
I removed the hair  

 
This is what everything looks like now:
 

 
 
 
The next and final step is the "lower bow rails" that will go between the hawse holes and the gammoning knee...that seems like a really fiddly job and I'll have to see how I can manage that...to get it looking a bit nice.
 
 
 

Mark, what I do on the unplanked side is insert a small filets of boxwood (or holly in this case) under the gudgeons that are the same width so that the gap is filled.

 

Thanks Keith 
 
Work continues on the gudgeons - I thought that would be easier than the pintles - I was wrong 🤣
 
 I started in the same way as the pintles by bending them to shape and then silver soldering the parts together.  I could show you all of the ones that didn't make the cut that I threw away but it would take too many photos.  The tube is 3/32 to accept the 1/16th pin - silver soldering tube needs to be done carefully as if the tube gets too hot it will simply collapse.

The 3 gudgeons in their rough state which are pretty much at their final shape but they will need a little fettling to get them tighter to the hull.


The monograph explains that the gudgeons require recessing into the stern post to reduce the gap between the rudder.  I did this but somehow slightly split the wood each side of the recess.  I'm hoping that when I glue them in place I will be able to improve the look a little.

How the gudgeons look on the stern post - On the side that is not planked I think I will just leave that side of the gudgeon sitting away from the hull.  I will leave the fixing holes without nails too but I would like to know what others think about this.  I could bend it over and nail it to the frames but from the stern it would look uneven.  Please let me know you opinions  

So now for a massive moment for me in this build - I put the rudder on with the gudgeons just holding on my friction!  AND IT FITTED!!!!!  Ok the top gudgeon is very slightly low but I'll take that as a win!!!


A couple of photo's from the stern


One photo from the poop deck

So it's still an ongoing part but sometimes I make a part that just surprises me that I pulled it off - it's just one of those things.  So still loads to do before it's finished;  I need to recess the gudgeons a little more to get the rudder slightly closer and make the tiller arm.  I also need to clean up the gudgeons; drill the fixing holes and chemically blacken them.
 
The next time the rudder is fitted its not coming off again (I hope) 
 
Thanks to you all for your support
 
Cheers Mark