popeye the sailor

thanks Mark........I hope so. so far, it's look'in OK..........it's not fitting together too badly. I'm concerned about the corners.....but on most older cars, they have a natural seam in these areas, so as long as I can get rid of any tiny gaps, they'll look OK. more progress soon. thanks for the likes

yup most supplied windlasses aren't adequate for the model..........most folks either purchase one, or make it the way they want to.

good that your getting to the table........it can be therapeutic, you know. ......keeps the head clear hope you had a great holiday and that a better 2019 comes your way

hope your holidays were good.........nice bit of progress

hey Tasmanian.........are we not in Kansas any more? whoops.......wrong shoes enjoy

I'd say that the home made alignment rack was a big success! the frame dried as straight as I'm going to get it! I think once the weight of the engine and later the body gets added, all four wheels will be on mother Earth! yesterday,,,,,,I seemed to have forgotten the dilemma........there are tabs on the inside of the body. these panels must sit on the correct side of the tabs, or the body won't sit on the frame correctly. the rear tabs are already decided........with the cockpit panel in place, the large tab on the rear panel must connect to it. it needs to sit on the forward side of the tabs, closest to the rear wheels. as I found with this dry fit, the front inner body panel must sit forward of the tabs, closest to the front wheels. taping the panels in place, the frame was added to the dry fit. I'll confirm this once the fuel cell is in place on the frame. though the frame looks a tiny bit off here, both sides of the body panel are sitting on the frame. those two rods are braces for the front part of the body, to keep it from flexing. if you've ever seen one......you'll never forget it. they are loud.......... and if your there watching them heat up the tires.........the smell of the chloride rubber smoke will burn your nostrils and eyes, and make it really hard to breathe. they had a jet engine funny cay at New England drag way.........such an awesome sight! well......gotta go see about obtaining some brass strip speaking of strip.........how are my two little strip teasers doing? they don't look quite done yet.........I'll shake 'em around a bit and try for a better view...... hey! this bottle isn't sealed very good ! it's OK...just a little bled out through the cap! glad I had a double thick paper towel handy! oh well.....can't seem to get a better look than this I have stiff brushes to clean them.....I'll do it when I get back. here's one more shot of the body........thanks for look'in and hope ya like what ya see

so yea.........I started to tinker with it at first light.........start the year off with a bang! the kit is in really good shape.......a little concerned about the decals, but I'll try one of the smaller decals first {one I can copy}, to see if they will be OK. the kit was produced in 1988.......mold stamped on the lower body pan. kinda ticks me off though, that they would stamp the part numbers on most of the parts themselves......and the sprues too. now I have to scrape them off the areas that can be seen and sand them 'gone'. at this time, I will assemble all the components that can be painted as a whole, and then detail from there. starting with the body, the grille and rear deck was cemented in place. both of these models sport the Plymouth Duster body. it's based on the 1970 Plymouth Duster 340 coupe {two door} model. setting the body aside, the basic parts for the engine block were pulled out. the block halves, the oil pan, the heads, and the timing cover, were assembled and sanded, readied for paint. the intake manifold and supercharger are to be different colors.....with the intake being one color, the supercharger was assembled separately. here it is shown on the intake. the chassis / roll cage was next to be assembled....just the frame for now. there was a bit of disappointment in seeing the two main frame parts being warped. gotta come up with a plan to straighten it. while thoughts were forming, I was looking for two other parts for the supercharger.......I had my suspicions yup! there they were.........on the chrome sprue......bother! I don't know 'bout chu.......but there are some parts that ya wish they wouldn't include to be chromed! I was never a huge fan concerning chrome anyway........in a lot of instances, it kind of takes away from the model. in these more modern times, paints have been developed that look better than being chromed. it looks terrible after the sprue connections are cleaned, along with any flash and mold lines, and looks even worse touched up with silver {before they came out with chrome silver}. this is a plate that sits on top of the supercharger and the induction plate {w/ no butterfly detail}. a molded fuel rail will envelope the induction plate once assembled on the supercharger. there is no color designation for the plate, but there is for the induction plate......and it's a different color. so the chrome must be removed from the parts.......I refuse to paint over it. I use brake fluid to remove the chrome.......depending on the age of the model, will decide on how fast it will work.........takes longer for the newer models. so let's see..........8:30 AM..........and counting. the frame was assembled to reveal just how warped it was. adding the rest of the roll cage and the fuel cell shelf, it cured it a little, but it was still badly warped. while it was still susceptible {the glue still setting}, an alignment rack was devised to arrest the frame to correct the warpage. simple really......... using the base for the Arizona project {it's still alive, BTW}......the frame, as can be seen, is held down with rubber bands, while the front suspension bar is held down with clothes pins. this will sit for the night.......I'll check it in the AM. setting this aside, the tape was removed from the body, and was sanded to remove mold lines and other malformations. attention was given to the front grille and rear deck as well. you might be able to see a gap.....more like a slot, towards the center of the hood........don't know what that's all about....it was molded that way. I filled it with glue and will let it dry......I'll fix it later. I also added glue to the four corners.......dab on a thin line of glue and wipe, to fill in the cracks. I tried to sand here, at this corner..........not quite to the safe point yet. as I was doing this, I got a sense that I was doing more than I did for the English Leather.........maybe I learned something.......who knows >shrug< it was at this point, when I began noticing all the part numbers on the parts....why in the blue blazes did they do that!?!?! as with the English Leather, the inner body panels was a huge question mark. there is a front panel and a rear panel, where the chassis hooks to {frame / roll cage}. in the close position, the frame nestles in slots carved out on the front inner panel. there is another huge panel that encloses the cockpit and roll cage. these need to line up, so the body will sit properly on the chassis. these parts were cleaned up and dry fitted in place. I can't find out any more until tomorrow, so I guess this would be a good place to stop. I have other car models I built over this past year......those are 1:25 scale. if interested, you can see the logs at: http://wenzelsautobody.wordpress.com/ you'll find the Batmobiles there too.........as a matter of fact, I gotta get moving and finish the Adam West Batmobile!

I woke up yesterday with an insatiable urge to dig into this kit of the 'Ed McCulloch' Revellution funny car. my longing to build another one of these beauties has come to fruition back in the 70's I lived in Florida. at the time, I was into balsa flying aircraft and car models. I can't tell you how many car models I had...all I know is that they filled a two sided base partition cabinet, that the company I worked for built {if only I had a picture}........{I used to have a few}. I had built one that I call the 'English Leather' funny car.........can't make out the actual name of it. I've not been able to find another one...........I was likely in my late twenties when I built it. I happened onto the website old model kits . com one day, and have been a steady follower ever since. I've bought a few models from them so far, and have been satisfied with the quality. they are old kits and they are up front on their condition and quality control. I saw this one model that peaked my interest......but it was not the same, so I held off pull'in the trigger. Christmas was around the corner, me and the admiral were throwing ideas at one another.......we do for each other throughout the year, so it's hard to come up with that "Christmas wish list". I jotted this model and two 1:24 scale British Spads on a piece of paper, and left it on her desk. Christmas morning........I opened my presents to find this! the Revellution funny car is 1:16 scale..........the finished model is 12 inches long. it has a real rubber accessory drive belt, real rubber tires, hoses and wiring for the ignition system. according to the preface on the instructions, Revell teamed up with Ed McCulloch to produce as replica a model as possible. the AA/FC nitro burning monster was one of the top machines back in 1973. though their looks really haven't changed much, technology and safety features have, in an effort to make the sport safer, as they strive to go faster. the beginning of the log is kinda disheveled....I don't have an open box for ya to see all the goodies that are packed inside. I'll have to show you as I go along. I was hesitant to post it, but that what this forum is all about........that, and I figured you gear heads would get a kick out of it so.........I'll go git the tool box an' meet cha out in the driveway ohhhhhh...........the General!?!?!?! that's another beauty.............if you enjoy this log, I'll post it too........no......I mean next. gotta watch me grammer.........don't want cha ta think I'm totally looney!!!

thank you Kevin and Sampson......and Happy 2019 to you! as with the Nordkap, the funnel for the Progress with be in the same location. it will sit attached to the aft cabin, and rest on the lower cabin. I'm going to position it a bit more forward to give the lower cabin more deck space. not that it really matters, since I gave the lower cabin more length.........either I didn't go back far enough with the forward deck cabin, or there was some difference in the original Progress kit. this model was built from an original kit. the give away to the age of this model {kit} is the portholes......they are plastic, as they are also in the Nordkap kit around the same production period. I'd be surprised if this model was built the same way as I am, using a Nordkap kit.........but the obvious conclusion I've come to, lies with the measurements of the cabin structure, as a whole.........even the helm room is different {side walls are shorter}. also shown here is one of the gallows.........earlier, I showed you one of them {or what's left of it}, that I need to recreate. I've almost resided myself to the fact, that I'm not going to find this style of gallows. I'm still looking, but I have an idea to make them rounded at the top, bending the metal, rather than cut and shape the parts to make the others. dunno.........I may try anyways. if I do, I will post how they come out. I won't need to adapt the funnel.......once shaped, it simply sits on top. the only thing I need to be concerned with, will be the separation lines along the bottom, where it will mate to the decks. shaping was fun when I did the Nordkap. I took my belt sander and laid it in a milk crate with the trigger locked on. after marking the shape on the block of Balsa, supplied in the kit, it was sanded and sculpted to the oval shape. that's the block I have to work with....should be fun when I finally get to it. welcome to the log.....enjoy Hello Sampson welcome to the log, glad you enjoyed what there is so far. should get more interesting when the paint starts flowing........she'll be prettier, as any rate I like trawlers.........my knowledge of them may be still shady though.....I'm constantly learning. reminds me when I was building the Mary Ann.........I outfitted her to be a self sufficient boat, able to repair her own nets, even during a days work, fishing. I posted the log here and on my Word Press site. after I had finished the model and posted the gallery on both sites, I received a comment on the Word press site, by a person from Norway {I think that's where he was from}. he told me I did a great job on the model, but just for future reference, those types of boats aren't outfitted like that I knew he was being funny and sincere, so I didn't take offense........later on down the road, he sent me pictures of his three boats........very nice looking bevy be welcome........follow along.......I'll try and make it as interesting as I can. if you have an idea or suggestion.....feel free to let me know. that's what we're all about here. I didn't get to do much on her yesterday...........my extra spoonful of insanity will be apparent in the shore leave forum

awesome video channell......the work you've done so far is phenomenal! the slight clouding around the portholes might not be so bad, if you think about it.........a hull isn't a consistent color....various hues come into play, as she's been out to sea as long as she has. so your suggestion that it could be called a form of weathering, isn't too far off she's a big beautiful girl...........I hope I can achieve a fraction of what you've accomplished, with the U.S.S. New Jersey, I recently acquired. very nice work!

super job there Carl....she's look'in great! very nice indeed!

it looks like you cut more than what the metal piece was sitting in..........the addition makes it look better. nicely done! I've seen keel parts like this sold individually........the Billing's Dragen is one of the vessels that has these accessory parts listed for. I would imagine that they would be for R/C....... ballast and for center of gravity is their main purpose.

wow! look'in sweet!

thanks Piet.......and hope your holiday {s} were just as good though I was NOT to have a 'model' Christmas, I got three. one of them was my funny car...1/16 scale. the body is 12 inches long, and has wiring and hose routings. it's not the one I built in Florida back in the '70's, but it will fill the void. the admiral got me an old MPC kit........a 4-4-0 steam locomotive and tender called the General.......very nice and quite large for a 1/25 model kit. my son Kevin and Chrystal got me a 1/150 scale kit of the Gorch Fock.....a Revell kit that looks quite intimidating at skill level 5 my movie collection got a huge boost too......included is a collection on D - Day. I must have been a very good boy the work week is over........too cold to go runn'in 'round in a speedo...........so I guess I'll sit here and model more fun awaits!

yup......that's gonna be an animal to plank........Billing does a lot with flat panel. I suppose it does look like it'll make her easier to do. you've made some great progress if you do use a clear coat on the deck, be sure to use a flat, and it will look better. I use flat lacquer mostly........gives a very nice finish. very nice!

hi there Kevin........I finally found you! lost track after the Fife build. such a superb job on the rigging........so many lines! your not finished yet.....what about the braces? the St Nectan is a fine looking project........there is some information on her at Hull Motor Boat Group if your looking for reference pictures. once again.......so good to see all the amazing progress on the Victory........hope you had a great holiday and a happy New Years to you!

really nice progress........the sails look great for first try

chiming in to wish you all a very happy new year! i have to work.........the last vestage of snuffing out holidays has hit........not enough voices to null the assault I could go into a full tyrad.......but I don't want to muddy the waters here. I'd love to see them try and take Christmas away from us........I'd take out a full page ad! Wally really wouldn't like the publicity thanks John........and a happy new years to you and Pam! I hope 2019 holds many positive things for you...good health and all! oh boy......I'll take a stab that you had either an Ibanez or a G&L Tribute....... they don't look like Fender pick ups. try bar chords CDW......there are also some different tuning that can help too. triads are another form of power chords. nice looking acoustic Robert........looks short.....I'm not familiar with guitars, but it looks like a student guitar. still very cute I have stories...........here isn't the place though. if you'd like to continue, let's start a thread in shore leave. I'll bet other would join in as well now you guys are making me feel guilty.......I haven't touched a bass for almost a couple of years now. the No name bass has been in a stand, in the corner for all this time.......the admiral has been complaining about how dusty it is. I need to address it......... again....happy new year to you all.......I hope 2019 holds good things for you!

glad to see your back at the table too.........very nice bit of progress lower deck insert looks super!

that's my Fender Squire bass........the amp is called a 'boxer 30'......I forget off hand who the manufacturer is. love that bass since I started to use flat wounds on her I also own an Epiphone 'Les Paul' knock off......has a good sound, and also a bass that I have no idea who makes it.......the admiral bought it for me when I was taking lessons. haven't sat down with them for a while now.......I really should. thanks OC rock on! for it's age, it's still a great kit CDW. I'm a confirmed Billing's nut though I'm basing this kit {and this model} as a spin off of the Nordkap kit, it's apparent how close they look in resemblance. they only really differ in the cabin structure configuration. basically, the fact that there was an actual kit of this model, is the only reason why I have it here in the kit forum. most of the 'kit assembly' is done............scratch building will take over. I'm glad that you like how it is beginning to take shape...........it will get even better once I start painting her, and start adding to the deck. the Nordkap is in the Gallery....the kit it came from was a bit newer than the kit I'm working with now. to date them, I'd need to find out when Billing's stopped using mahogany for their parts panels, and changed over to other woods, like basswood. the same could also be said for their diversion from pine strip to basswood {and other woods}. can't help it........I love showing her..... she holds the distinction, for starting me off in this hobby.....but wasn't the first model I finished. thsi one was!

thanks OC............it will look even better, when I can get some paint on her I went on a scavenger hunt last night........I was either looking for any place that had the gallows, or an old billings fitting kit. I found neither this is what I got when I punched the uprights from the laser cut piece of plywood sheeting. they all came apart........I even broke one these are total garbage....the pieces above are the top parts. all is not lost though going further, I'm still confused as to what these parts are for......... dunno.......I'll figure it out.......the square part at the upper left is for a small crane that sits on the aft deck.........the two small rectangles are probably the basis for the vents that are arranges on the aft deck as well. I had also been working on the kit and fittings kit supplied larger crane......this is to be a manual crane {while I'm at it........I'll take you on a walk through memory lane } for the Nordkap, I motorized it, giving it a motor {nach} and a control panel there are the two vents I was talking about........the decals are interesting.........they are from an Cessna airplane kit decal sheet, the image I saved on line. the decals were made by Moody .......seemed like a good brand name for the crane. if you want to see how I made the crane, I'll post it in the other Nordkap thread. the framework for the winch is wood.......done here in thinner plyboard I probably won't use the pulley parts.........I have some that I ordered from Cornwall, that are brass....I just need to assemble them. the assembly for the crane looks like this....... I did manage to find it at Cornwall for about $30.00. I still debating whether or not to pull the trigger.........the one supplied in the kit will enable me to put a railing around it.....an aspect I saw in the Progress pictures. now........I did have two of the gallows from the older Nordkap fitting kit.....one of them I must have destroyed experimenting with it......the diagram looks like this.........with the footings. but I have one to go by........I also have the other parts so I can make a pair. I can make them like this........or I can bend the 1/4 square brass strip into an elongated 'U', and make them to look like this: I've seen many that look like this........I may go with it and save me some work

dunno.......I only know swiss cheese with holes in it even saw a video on how they make it.

thank you Sjors!

she'd see through that like Swiss cheese

looks like a model that needs a little love. besides fresh sails, are you going to do more to spruce 'er up? good bones for a restoration project are you finished with the Cutty, or taking a break? good to hear from you .....your in time for the new year! all the best!