popeye the sailor

same here in the northeast..........a bit weird, but we have snow already! we've had two events already .......yea, I'm not a big fan of snow. we decorate like crazy too........but ever sine we started to rent apartments, I've been a tad offish about it. I totally agree.......the over commercialization of the holidays has really been terrible. black Friday has just about become synonymous with the Purge........luckily, no one has brandished a gun! on the work front, it's become just the opposite........most companies have taken away holidays and days off. Wal-Mart only has 1 day that the shop closes down........and that's Christmas. they are open for Thanksgiving and the New Year....and we have to pay our own days off per our PTO. the holidays as we knew them are long gone...........Tradition has become a corporate scam

hello Sjors.........yes....it's another old Billing's kit. coming along great so far hello Piet.........my, it has been a while! I hope you and Gwen are well, and a new project draws you to the table! we miss you thanks for all the likes........more on the Progress soon

thanks Sam hoping to finally give 'er the finishing touches soon.

too bad the kit is terrible Sjors.........I'm sure you can make her into a wonderful model though in every person, there is a scratch builder just waiting to come out! she's looking great so far!

hi Sjors! glad to see you 👀 thanks for the kind comment thanks Sam........I'm trying to get the stairs to work. thanks for all the likes!

looks really interesting...the hull looks very good

very nice

at the moment......the camera is 'feeding'. I got the pictures out beforehand, so I can show you the new additions. the aft railings got the cap rail added to it. in a way, this worked out, because of the slight curvature of the deck. if the cap rails were on, it may have been harder to get the railings to bend as much as I needed them to. the windows were added at this point........the port side railings were also added at this point the cap rails for this side.........and the windows I used the tinted cello that I have on hand......with the upper deck open, you can see into the cabins pretty good. once closed off though, the view might be a lot less. it will be a bit harder to add the windows to the fore and aft ends, due to the curves. the smoke stacks are dry now.....I'm letting them set a bit longer. I done some work to the stairs..... hand rails are on. I'm still plugg'in away that piece comes from the one on the left.........I cut it off trying to fit it in place. more updates soon

progress is progress...no matter how you slice it look'in good Sam

looks great OC

that's why I didn't put the tongue in there that would have clinched it........I'd have Mick thump'in on my head! thanks CDW! thanks Pat.......I figured I'd better get busy on her, or the admiral would have killed me she never left the table anyway, so it wasn't hard to pick up where I left off. I have a few more pictures of what I did later last night. I'll have them up soon thanks OC.........I thought I'd show one of the folks on there.......does look kinda neat Chris is correct.........the 1:87 scale figures work well on this model. thanks to all who hit the like button

well deserved too...I might add

I need to hurry.........errand time, but the admiral is taking Gibbs out. anyway........I almost have the 5 mm strakes added to the hull. the other side got the reinforcements for the deck platform tabs. just two 5 mm planks more to go, and then I can continue with the 7 mm. the stern begins to get filled in....this makes it better terminating at this point. as I work on the planking and the Tumbl'in Dice {as a fill in}, I'm allotting time to do a few things to this build off to the side. the helm room need to be modified......the Progress doesn't have some of the finesse that the Nordkap has. so I need to do away with the sloping curves bulwark, that border along the sides of the helm room. I will straighten them out and level the height. but I need to trace the new parts first. taking the best side to trace, the windows were cut out for reference. .....and then traced on a piece of 1/8 flat stock. the bulwark part won't be as long.....but it's good to have extra. they were then cut out...........still needing to cut out the windows. on the helm deck platform, the walls were measured 1/8 th from the edge, as they are on the original platforms, and traced out. the arc of the front is not totally exact, but it's close enough. not sure if I will need the back line, but I added it anyway. well folks......she back inside.........errand time is at hand. I will be back

hey there! I have some progress to report........not much though. kinda boring during the planking process. I did a few more things on her, on the 9th of this month........first was to get that light in place so I can see! so, after filling in the bulwarks with the two strakes of 7 mm, I ran two more strakes of 10 mm, about 1/3 down the length of the hull and staggered. from these, I will run 5 mm to fill them in....all this just so the bow will be totally filled in. after running the first 5 mm strake, the tabs for the deck platform aftward, were reinforced with 1/8 short pieces. when I do the other side, it will get the same treatment.....no more running the risk of breaking those tabs. especially during deck planking.

I've been tinkering with her here and there.........ideas are spread all over the table. I hardly have room to do anything with the Progress.......it's like I need another table {like a hole in the head}. I started to assemble the benches.......there are only three in the kit. as can be seen, I've also been working on the smoke stacks. the holes are drilled for the decoration that separates them. ....which leads to the railings in question. I think they are too high.........shouldn't be a huge deal, since other aspects of this model are out of scale, but it is. fitting them to the model........this is quite evident. this is only part of the whole idea. there is more to them......idea in progress the decoration that separates the smoke stacks needed a real good cleaning up.......quite a bit of flash. after all the mold lines were filed off, it got a coat of gold paint. the smoke stacks were taken to the booth and given a coat of flat black. I used a spray can.....the paint was really thin. with the stacks set up this way, a few runs developed, so I trimmed the runs off with a razor blade, sanded them, and gave them another coat. I drilled holes in the base and fitted small diameter dowels in them, setting them up in a different way to dry. not liking how the railings were going, excess wood was cut off the posts, making them look a bit better. a cap will be added to the railings before they are cemented in place....but before I reveal how I didn't listen to myself........here is the progress report on the stairs. I know your all anxious to find out. not that great, I'm afraid........the first one still fits odd, and the other side is looking to follow the same trend. the outer banister broke in just about the same amount of places, forcing me to cobble it together...........still the same bunching near the top of the staircase. sad but true........I like Brian's outcome a lot better..........................I will still try, but don't be surprised if I do an about face now I was told that it was the worker's day off..........but I caught one of them hang'in around. very kind of 'em to let me take his picture .....and now to show you that I don't even follow my own directions .........I cemented the starboard side railing in place without doing the cap rail first! looks a lot better though, than my first vision of them. I need to make a pair for the fore end of the boat. more on her soon

you got that right Carl.........I get the shakes whenever the site is down ! appreciate the kind comment and the due diligence Brian....cripes......yours is even coming out better 'n mine! I do feel good about 'er though, since she's privately owned, and not from a major shipping line company. it gives me a bigger window....come to think of it, I don't even recall if there really is a "king of the Mississippi". anyway.......I have to show the admiral what you've done on yours............she'll probably run out and get me another kit I do have the remains of the Robert E Lee in the closet, given to me by a patron of the site. I was going to make a ferry out of it, but I may change my mind. I have the paddle wheel frames, but I saw how Cathead made his, so if I need to alter them, I can try. but that's another story OK..........it's update time

I didn't even know it had a name.......we're set to get a taste of it too into Friday happy to report that me 'n the snow blower are ready

sweet looking models!

look'in good Channell.........your making some great progress on her the PE looks fantastic!

thanks for the kind comments gents I've been tinkering with her a little today.......beginning to get the feeling that the railings might be a bit too high. you might have had that feeling from time to time........start something that looks cool in the start, but reality sets in, and you begin to think better of it. I don't think it would be too hard to make an alteration should have some pictures up soon. that's good to hear Chris! yours looks much better than mine, but thanks for say'in so thanks Marc........and I have many projects to prove it! I'm glad you like the build......still more to go. hope you follow along! I'm in the same boat Kevin........if I'm look'in in here, I'm not gett'in anything done..........if I'm at the table, then all the logs I watch build up and it tough to catch up to 'em all. compound that with not look'in in the scratch builds, because I'm look'in through the kit builds. as was said in the Monty Python sketch "Dennis Moore": "my, this redistribution of wealth is trickier than I thought?!?!?" honestly....I can't think of a better predicament to be in

coming along great Michael got some really nice detail going on in the gundeck

nice bit of progress.....the decks look especially nice

great looking model CDW! the cat walks really dress up the sides of the hull

finally done with my work week I can get back to what I was doing I'll get back at the table tomorrow and see how my ideas for the first level railings have dried.......I've only done one section so far....will have pictures on this tomorrow. hi there CDW! I'm trying to do something a bit different. if you come across those pictures....I'd love to see'um thanks for the good word.....hope you follow along.......I'm probably at the half way point. yes OC.......wouldn't wish that on anyone! I hope your better Chris........really love to see more of your project. superb looking model thanks Kmart! I wasn't too keen on the materials use to make it...but it did turn out well. now to try and replace all that other metal junk. Cathead did a great job on his paddle wheels.......the frames are made of wood too! I would have liked to have done it too, but I chickened out

thank you EJ