popeye the sailor

I've been know to build anything to pass my table

be glad to know that this hobby doesn't race along.........it suits one just fine, at their own pace. the only thing that tugs at you, is given the model, you can't wait to see it finished just take your time and enjoy !

thanks Marc....your here.....and I'm glad you came your still fairly early though........no paint yet and plenty of deck work to do. I'm went to Hobby Lobby the other day to see if they had any brass strip stock........only 1/8 x 1/8 so I bought a couple of 1/4 x 1/4 basswood strips thinking that I'd make them in wood. then I thought dowel.........that might b interesting........I just picked up a bunch of different sizes {I've become a hoarder of wood}. looking at the original one, I find that the uprights could be 3/16......I didn't measure them.....I went on blind assumption. so I will be experimenting with that along with every thing else. on top of that........I've been staring at the wood parts for the winch. I can get an all metal one from Cornwall for like $27.00........but I will assemble it to see how bad it will look. as I said.......your still early........glad to have you aboard

I shouldn't like this....but it looks very good sorry to hear you can't use it

amazing to think that a tiny bit of plastic is the starting point........next thing you know, you'll be doing calligraphy on rice! really looks good!

wow!......I can't believe I've forgotten about them......the parts in the brake fluid! they have been sitting on my desk all this time. I'd say they had a good couple day soak. time to get'em out of there! oh my........they are like prunes! a small bowl bath of hot water and Dawn dish soap was drawn. they got a good scrubbing with a small metal bristled brush......the kind you'd get at a part store. once rinsed off and dried, they look none the worse for wear. the Chrome is gone to reveal black plastic. these two parts will later be cemented together and painted the same color........combined, they make up the air induction port of the supercharger. I'm sure there are other parts that will need to be de-chromed. I've used this method for years........best of all, it won't damage the part. one worry to keep in mind............parts can go down the drain {don't ask me how I know this}.

thanks J........I can cut the scuppers next another step I need to do. I still need to sand the hull some more.....then I can do the rub rails. never a dull moment........hoping I can get some paint on her soon. thanks for the good word

these are neat cars to build Carl........the only problem with these kits, is you build one, you've built them all. same with the rail dragsters......they are basically the same. there are some variants though.....different classes of cars. if I were solely building these models, I'd have to mix it up to keep sane thanks for the good word! the base plastic is a metal flake blue.......sad that I'm going to paint over it. the body however, is white plastic. the English Leather model had a purplish colored plastic. I remember the Jungle Jim.......I believe there's a model produced of it......Don Prudomme's Snake was another. I use Testor's decal bonder for decals......I learned way back when, when I built the second Cutty Sark. I got it from E-Bay.......the decals were bad, as well as the sail sheets. I did a missing parts request to Revell.......got a new decal sheet and two of the three sail sheets. thinking my troubles were over, I went to use the decals, and found that they were just as old and had developed micro cracks......they too were no good. I searched around trying to find some place that could recreate the decals.......no from here........no from there..........then I hit onto this one guy, by the name of Parkes {I think his first name was Jim, but don't quote me}. he said he could do it......send him a picture of the decals. a while later, and a lot of excuses, he said he couldn't do it, because he couldn't print gold. DUH>>>>>>>>>>>no one can print gold.....ink jets can't even do white! by this time, I had stumbled onto the Testor's decal maker, and the rest is history. I first bought the basic program.......problem is, that you can't import images. so I bought the standard edition......I can now import images, but the program is flawed.....it does seem to have a transparency issue. the max DPI on an ink jet printer is 600 DPI, I think it needs to be higher. but I've been living with it, and so far, it's been working out. I went through some hassle to make the decals for the Cutty, they are on her none the less the decal bonder comes with the basic kit, or it can be purchased separately. so anyway.......I haven't laid any paint yet.........it's just the color plastic they used. these larger model kit are done in multi color plastics.......odd they do that, if only to make it easier for someone to build the model without much painting. usually when they add a color to plastic, it makes the plastic weaker and softer,.....not the case with this model though........this plastic is tough as nails! makes it harder to trim too.....not that there's a lot of flash. I've heard about the microsol stuff.....I've been a Testor's man for too long, me thinks. I'll have a look see.........thanks for the tip and thanks for look'in in!

decided to install the margins today on the Progress. fitting them took a while.......a vast amount of adjustments. measure and cut all the notches, sand and trim until they are butted up to the bulwarks. the fun started with the port side. trimming was in a number of places....even a couple posts. the margins aren't that wide......I didn't want them to take the brunt of the trimming. any gaps left over will be filled with filler. when it was satisfactory enough, it was cemented in place. it laid down rather well.......it didn't try to lift usually, when wet from the white glue, the wood will try to curl. the starboard side was then fitted and cemented down. this one has the odd shape and did attempt to lift, mainly at the ends where the thicker areas are. top hat push pins helped to hold them down. there was also some lifting along the bulwarks, which was easy to remedy. the top of the bow cabin.....the roof or bow sheer { for lack of better terminology}, is seen lying on the deck. it was cut out from what was left of the sheet that it was printed on and dry fitted on the bow. sanding had to be done to the bow beams, for it to sit correctly. I also saw that the angles for the side parts need to be addressed too.......not enough of an angle. you might be able to see the marks I made. the real problem lies at the bow stem.......those top rabbit pieces will need to be notched. I first thought that by sanding the beam closest to the stem, it might alleviate the problem. it lessened it.......but not entirely cured it. you can see what I mean here by angle adjustment. I can make up for the stem problem with the sides........it's all in the fit I removed the portholes from the cabin assembly.......I was going to give it a primer coat. but them I remembered that there are a couple other thing I need to do before that can happen. with an errand to run, I left the cabin in place on deck.......I had also tried to sand in the deck camber at the bottom.........got most of it once the margins are painted, and the hold boxes are in place, I can then plank the deck.

I see you got her back in shape........I knew you could looks none the worse for wear my friend! hope you had a great holiday!

looks 100% better the anchor looks great too.......pretty neat that it folds up.

looks great Marc! I saw the detail and though how nice it would look....and then I read further really nice job! hope you had a great holiday

nice work with the death star! gonna look super when assembled....glad to see your back too. hope you two are well and a happy new year to you both!

looking good Nenad.........good to see your finding time at the table hope you had a great holiday

boiler looks great! agreed on the rivet detail........it adds quite a bit glad your feeling better.

she's look'in better and better totally agree with Russ....flat is the only way to go. it add realism and in some cases, age. I totally missed the deck........very nice work there as well

your at a level all your own.........from the cannons, to the frieze decorations.......to the furniture........truly an artist! your self portrait figure looks like you! I'd be honored to be one of your crew members! I'll PM you as soon as I can get a picture love seeing your work.......your weapons are jaw droppingly gorgeous!

I've gotten a couple of orders from Cornwall.....ordered a pair from Billings to see if I'd get lucky, but that was a lost cause I looked in Ages, but I didn't see anything.........I'll peak in again, maybe I missed something. thanks!

at least you have clinker hulled life boats.........some folks with that thought in mind can't find them, let alone easily make them. look at how many there are!....... you said the magic word.......paint. a flat paint will cover over plastic nicely and give realistic results. try doing that with metal......especially that Britannia metal. the boats can be stained too, with the use of washes and clear coat.....flat. how larger are they? so far, I'm on my third order to find clinker boats for my 1:124 Thermopylae......none have suited my fancy so far. if I keep this up, I won't need life boats for quite a long time very nice work BTW!

thanks Tollyman........you'll find that there are quite a few fishing boats outfitted in this manner.........all geared towards their particular needs. sailing vessels too. the biggest draw for me with this model, was that winch......how does it work?!?! images on line and you tube videos were a big help with it. the best find I had was the hair net....I found it in a trailer where I work........all beaten up with dirt and stuff ground into it. haven't been able to find that same type of mesh........still on the hunt always here to help.......

interesting rigging for the poles.........look'in really nice

holy micro goggles Carl.........whatever you do...........don't sneeze!

the examples shown are really cool.....especially that one you showed earlier Rick. in the other example, the bit for the bow spirit could be incorporated into the windlass assembly {and still add the fife rails}. depending which side the anchor ropes lead out, the ratchets in the center must face opposite, so the tension from the anchor ropes will pull back and lock in place. add a lever to release the ratchets, would give it a bit of detail. I go to craft stores.....I found an assortment of {fake} clock gears, small enough to be used as the cogs. there are a number of things you can do. I would also suggest looking around on the site......lots of folks don't buy them......they just get more of the same. so, they create their own......some from thin air, and others from info they found in books.

the hull is look'in great Greg.........there's gotta be something more.... I go and try something like that, and the next day, I can't stand it and have to fix it. even seeing all this amazing work......still can't get it in my head that it's OK. crazy!?! really enjoy seeing your work

look'in good Dave