popeye the sailor

you've made some great progress on her looking super!

mast rigging looks awesome Rob! sails look great too

just so you don't get the impression that I was bogged down with honey do's all week, I have this update on some work I did on Friday. I got the 10 mm planking the day before, but it kind of bummed me out that I couldn't use it right away. first I had to mark off all of the printed lines that were out of sync. it would be tough to lay deck planking if I didn't. as for the holds, I can do them later if I run into trouble with them. I test fitted one of the planks and found that I needed to fare a bit more on the starboard side. just as I got it where the post was flush with the deck platform, one of them broke. some CA took care of it........I'll be very happy when I don't have to worry about them any more. the wood is brittle.........but I am patient after the fiasco.......I was doing some figuring in my head........I still can't do the bulwark planking. not at least, until I have the lower section of the cabin structure assembled. there is a bottom frame that is to be built. the structure can be lifted off of it in the R/C version. the open space for the structure would be cut out to allow for it, but I'm choosing to leave it closed. I made up the lower frame using 1/8 x 1/8th basswood strip. here are a few diagrams for you to see........they are pretty much the bulk of the instructions. the text part doesn't even come close, to giving you a blow by blow about the assembly. this is all I had to work with when I built the Nordkap.. the lower structure will need to be modified......this is how it looks for the Nordkap. there was a clue here......did you see it? the square at the stern in picture #2......why is it there. it definitely has no function in the diagram above. to me, it a small sign of proof that the Progress was cloned from the Nordkap.......or the other way around. for the Progress, these parts will not be needed......I showed them to you earlier. the upper deck will need to be modified as well. there is another vessel that I would like to do in the future..........I will need another Nordkap kit to do it. I'd love to try a more recent production though, and see how nice it would be, if all the parts were laser cut the stern is the same as the Nordkap......I will be able to use all of these parts, but the bow is different......it has a fore castle deck. most of these parts would be forfeit. on the progress, the opening is centered more and there are two ladders......more on this later. I'm far from playing with this at the moment. I was back on the scroll saw a bit later, cutting out the second level deck platform halves, and the rest of the lower cabin structure parts. hard to believe that I cut out most of these parts for the Nordkap........with a box cutter. pictures of the Progress were printed off the printer to use as a reference. ohhhhhh.........where to cut.......where to cut?!?! I didn't make a second copy of these two part......so if I mess them up.......it's the walk of shame for ME! {fully clothed of course } {you game of throners.....get your minds out of the gutter}! my only guide was the starboard side door way..........there ya go! there's no going back now! taking the frame and marking which end is the front, the sides were cemented to it. I had soaked and bent the frame wood to mimic the curve of the deck.....note that these parts do the same. when dry, I added the aft wall and the end cap for the aft deck section. I cut up the rest of the 1/8th strips to use as reinforcements behind them. there was some pieces left of the pine wood that makes up the keel spine......I used it to make the beams to support this small aft deck. reinforcements were added..........when dry, the excess bits were trimmed off and the surface sanded. 1/16" basswood flat stock was used to make the deck platform. I added a reinforcement where the new deck platform meets the aft wall. I made sure that it was tall enough for a door. this has been sanded.....I got as far, as to add the bottom support part for the front wall, at the forward end of this structure. I need to cement the top support in place, and then sand the edges at an angle. happy to say that I can plank the bulwarks now......all that I needed to do, is now done I did make one observation.......I may not be able to use the second level deck platform. with the helm, there are the curved casements on both sides of the structure.......in the case of the progress however, these areas are straight. I've cut the platform halves with the curvature.....I might have to scratch build a deck platform. another update soon

the deconstruction would have been worse, if you found out much later. PE looks pretty darn good

looks fine to me very nice work!

I'm glad your back I was just wondering.........I know....I take a picture, then I end up from another angle, because the first one looks wonky for one reason or another. I should have known........your just getting warmed back up

she's look'in really good OC........I agree, the coamings came out super

the mizzen isn't glued in is it? seems like quite a bit of rake there. usually, the fore stays and main stays are installed first to help set the rake. the shrouds are done next.....not to the same tension of the stays. they will help keep the masts perpendicular until the back stays are added.....they will take over and render the shrouds with hardly any tension at all {a tiny bit of slack is allowed}. the mizzen looks good with the boom and gaff...got it painted and detailed quite nicely. your jig idea is pretty cool too

looking really good Glenn

thanks Carl.......my 'signature' only shows half of them waiting for the planking to come in........I had a 'pull' when I got home, to play around with the cabin structure. I didn't get around to doing it though......tomorrow is a new day thanks for all the likes folks.......glad to have you following along

there were no planes on her at the time of the attack. .

very interesting project ! looks really cool

thanks OC....my only distraction of late has been work...........so many changes, that I'm not sure if I'll still have a job down the road. but I'm trying to change the way I look at it.......sometimes it makes me pretty angry. actually, I felt so good that I spent some decent time at the table ...tooth wise. I'm looking forward towards getting the rest of 'em removed.......it's going to help me overall. high time I dealt with it hopefully, I'll be able to get a lot more done! thanks again............and thanks to all for the likes!

look'in really nice Oc

did you order Kingfishers? looks very nice

thanks Michael

the rudders were trimmed so they would fit closer to the hull. I still need to give them a coat or two of clear lacquer.........I failed to snap a picture of them in place. the signage is up........the Tumblin' Dice has it's name! the paddle wheel is in place too.........the connecting rods aren't in place yet though. I wanted to give the gold plenty of time to dry.......it's one of the worst colors in relation to drying time. any metallic is, in fact....in some cases, I'll give it a coat of lacquer, so it will attain a hard finish. I made sure that the other connecting arm was opposite of the other...... for most of the time being, the model remained in the dry fit condition.........stacked up as you last saw it. I was surprised to find that the admiral hadn't seen it........I said "really!?!?!?!" so, to remedy the situation, I set the model back up for her to see. as mentioned, she never even noticed that I used different decals for the signage. I do believe it looks like I made some progress I am pleased! I'll see what I can come up with in the next update.

I'm feel'in much better today.......the admiral thinks so too..........I'm eat'in everything in the house! .......and I've been busy! even with all the distractions, I've managed to amass quite an update for ya folks! it all started with having to recut the shaft for the paddle wheel......darned if I knew where it went. ....and then I thought........is that the piece of dowel that the wheel frames are drying on?!?! no matter......I have plenty of dowel one of the connector arms was cemented on the freshly cut shaft still thinking of what to use the connect the two arms together........while I was pondering the matter, all of the paddle blades were painted. the smaller holes were all drilled out to 5/64 ths.........I used a brass rod to fit them......then cut and filed to length. the longer arms were in the paint booth being painted flat black. they were brought to the table and drilled out as well. off to the paint booth went the shaft and the other connecting arm. the signage was another aspect that was in the works. these were painted white and later sanded around the edges. I had some darker wood, a 1/16 x 1/16 strip.......I think it's walnut........I started to build the frame around them. the outer sides of the longer arms is indented...........I painted inside the indention with flat red, and detailed them with gold yea.......nice imperfection.....huh?!?!?! oh well.....it's metal and I can't do anything about it. turning back to the signage, the frame was trimmed and sanded .......then I went over it with a clear lacquer. Murphy had to get his dig in......there was some residual red paint still in the brush.......I'm sure you can guess the rest even though the damage was minor, they had to be repainted. with a CLEAN brush they were repainted.........and when they were dry, the decal was applied. sorry to say.......it wasn't the decal that everyone chose......ohhhh no........Murphy I guess got miffed because I thwarted his plans, and decided to ruin one of the chosen decals........stain or some spatter of paint....not sure. they still look good......I used the decals that didn't have the border around the dice. the admiral saw them later.......she didn't even notice the difference the bow fender had been sanded........I cemented it in place on the bow. I think I'll better be able to gauge the fairlead holes with it in place. with everything pretty much dry, the paddle wheel was assembled. the paddle boards cemented in place with CA {just the outside frames}, and then touched up. I still need to touch up the black.......forgot to do that before assembly.

nice........looks like the hull was well done hopefully you got all the parts to finish her. I haven't ordered this one yet........but I have been tempted to. being a Billing Boats nut.........I'd love to follow along. if you can, try to break the rub rail free at the bow and drop it down equally along the bulwarks........only thing I would change

I'm almost to the point of restarting it. a few more deck fittings to go, and I can begin on the masts. it's a bugger finding the ship's boats for it, I have some that will suffice. the anchors are another problem........darn things are at least three scales larger so I'll likely need to scratch build a pair.

I've never tried a gravity feed before. I hardly used an airbrush in my early days...relied on the good 'ole rattle can. when I did my first wooden ship, I stumbled on the 'amazing air' kit in the local Hobby Lobby. I adapted it to run on my 25 gal compressor.....the only thing I had where the air could be regulated. they were designed to run of the cans of compressed air, but I couldn't see sticking the can in a bowl of warm water, every time I wanted to use it {the can would freeze if you didn't}. the last thing you'd want is something that can create it's own moisture problem. I also like to use lacquers, so that was another strike against it. I've been using the airbrush in the house with the Spraycraft compressor.......darn thing can fit in the palm of your hand. I might as well go out and buy an aquarium aerator one of these days, I'll have to try out the brush that came with it. the Testor's airbrush kit goes for around $25.00 bucks or so, and comes with caps that screw on the 1/4 oz Testor's bottles .......they even sell the empty bottles to use for mixing. I just buy the little bottles of thinner and dump them into the 3/4 oz bottles, or the larger size cans........so I save that way

an update on the small stuff.........the admiral got me the can of flat black paint. fist thing was to spray the frames for the paddle wheel. here are the parts for the paddle wheel.......the rods.....and the wood I had cut for the paddles. the rudders were assembled and set aside to dry. the only thing I couldn't find were the pins to connect the rod parts. I'll have to improvise. the bow fender has been trimmed and sanded to shape.....I still need to drill the holes {fairleads}. I also began the assembly for the signage.........two rectangular pieces of 1/32 basswood, painted white. I'll sand them later and give them another coat. the rudders were stained in mahogany and test fitted in place. I'll be trimming them so they sit closer to the transom. errands are done.........I've been doing more on her. another update soon

I just got done developing the pictures.........tough job they show what I did for the two stern posts. you can see on the port side, the tab that broke off........I haven't reinforced them yet. I saw that I forgot some crucial planking......the stern transom part is about 30 mm wide........I should have ordered 1.5 x 10 mm planking to cover this span. if I were to use the 1.5 x 7 mm......it isn't hard to figure out that I'd be 2 mm's short. so, I had to order them. BB USA {Ages of Sail} is pretty quick in filling orders....I should see it relatively quickly I'still can do some stuff while waiting for the delivery. I was going to use the mahogany planking, but I see that I used some for the T.D. ..........I only have three of them left. more on her soon

Hobby Lobby carries hose....I think. the one here does. I've been using a cheap Testor's 'amazing air' airbrush........works fairly well with easy clean up. I have two others that I haven't tried yet.....a Spraycraft gravity feed, and an Aztek 320 siphon feed. the Aztek is a complete system too...I have two of each nozzles, extra bottles and stuff. she's look'in good.......the waterline is fine

hello Robert thanks......I'm feeling better. I'd better be.......I have to work the week end!