popeye the sailor

I sent him pictures and an invite, but there was no reply. nope.........no George

so the plants are bits of sponge.......pretty cool! ....and the admiral will never know you defiled her sponge 'cuz.........sponges are full of holes anywaay!!! she's look'in as awesome as ever....your work in miniature is really inspiring. quick! pat me on the head.........I need some 'o that!

fabulous! she's look'in great! really like the molding around the bridge.......nice touch

hello Greg.......glad to have you aboard! I was beginning to wonder. enjoy! thanks Rob......thanks again for clearing up my befuddlement. I think there might be a ship in this box yet! I still feel that the arrangement isn't completely correct.........if I knew I was going to scratch them out like I did, I would have added more. it is what it is thanks again for the good word! thanks to all for the likes!

the boats look good Greg........really doesn't matter what plastic the plane is molded from......it'll be painted anyway. could be a Japanese secret weapon.......the invisible plane

well......I had all intentions of getting the rudder installed on the ship......first thing I needed to do, was keep track of it after assembling the gungeons and pintles together, I notched the rudder. the rudder was touched up, ready to fasten on the assemblies. I told myself.......remember, ship side down............I still managed to get one upside down. after I fixed it, it was ready for more touch ups. by this time, with all the handling, the copper looked really dull. when dry, it was given a coat of lacquer to seal the copper {I had mentioned how Testor's metallic paints couldn't take too much handling......very soft paint}. in the mean time, I made a few aspects and pondered over others. the protective plate for the anchor was not included in the kit, so I made a pair. I also looked over the trail boards and the decoration for the stern. they are made of a gold plated metal....kinda thick and hard. I'd likely have to heat the decoration in order to bend it to the contour of the stern. as for the trail boards......they look terrible.......metal flash and I had to do some serious filing to them. I'll see what I can scratch instead I had forgotten that I needed railings for the aft cabin. there are also to be a pair of railings at the bow, and one around the transom. the bow railing bases I have soaked and bending on the pine board. for the cabin railings, I sanded the thickness down on a piece of strip stock and cut two pieces from it. holes are drilled down the length of them....an idea have I. the boom for the bow spirit was also cut.........getting ready to assemble. the rudder is ready for the booth. ok....this is gonna seem funny.......'cuz I didn't plan this. I didn't measure a darn thing. I've shown these before.......I got them from the jewelry dept from Hobby lobby. these are eye bolts with a stem that's about 4 inches long. I cut off the eye bolt with enough to be able to use them, and used the rest on the railings. I have others.......these are polished black. the stem part was chopped up into short pieces......I used the first one cut as a gauge. when I had enough, I began cementing them into one of the boards. after a few were in place, it became hard for the thing to stand up....kept falling over. so, I took the other board and lined the holes up to match {I had drilled both pieces at the same time}. oh........fancy that! a ladder! now, it just so happens that the 'ladder' is 8 mm wide........so I took a piece of 4 mm wide strip stock, and used it as a cutting guide. I still have some of that wire I stripped from a light cord.....tiny stuff. winding it was a trial at first, but the second one went much better.....and faster. I'm in the process of tweaking the rungs, so they are straight, the bow spirit and boom is assembled......still needs to be sanded and get some brass on it as mentioned, the second railing went much better........the picture is a little blurry. I blame it on poor lighting........ then the panic attack.......where's the rudder? I looked on both tables.....behind the desk.......through the garbage can by my desk.......and was getting ready to go get the bag I thew out earlier, to look though that! even the admiral started looking. it wasn't until she mentioned that the DVD I was burning in the other room was done, that I realized where I had left it. I'm doing the old burn the VHS cassettes to DVD......bought a handy program to do it. went in there.......and there it was!.......all dry and waiting for the next step. here is a better picture of the railings........they have a coat of flat white. they should get another coat, because I had to revive the paint.......now it's nothing more that white wash. the color of the wood shows through. perhaps tomorrow, I can begin populating the deck. still a few more aspects to make....

she's look'in great Gil........that's a wood I've not heard around the planking table. is it a flexible wood? is that plain water in that super soaker? hope your feeling better

looking forward in seeing your progress

that's quite a jungle you've got there there are many ways to make Flemish coils......some are very easy. one was a home made tool.........two small round plastic disc, pinned together with a push pin. the thread was wet down with diluted white glue and wound between the disc. looked like a winner to me I'm sure the fellow whose process I described, will chime in and give you more info. I've done close to the same thing......I used clear cello, so I can see how big I made them.

very good progress Sjors.........don't you dare go in the closet! I don't blame you for your thoughts on doing part work.........I find that with a kit, some steps can be combined, or would work better if the step before it was complete {most of the time I wing it anyway }. the paint work looks really good so far......can't wait to see her when the painting is done

I see you made some great progress since I last looked in Danny the frame is look'in really nice.........nice work on the sides too. working door latches sound like a cool idea.

gives a good anchor point for the planking at the bow........very nice work

thanks for the kind comments.....and to those who hit the like button. you might have seen that small imperfection on the starboard stern.....two small holes.....I took care of them. they were filled in and painted over. as I'm sure others do.......imperfections are fixed as we see them. we have our cameras as our worst critics......we have no need to do it ourselves I have four days off...... plenty of time to sit here and play my car inspection is due.......and I have a few things to do to it. one day I will have to get my butt in gear and get it done. I still have time. there's an odd point made Bob........I haven't done too many small scale projects. the AmericA was the smallest I've done, besides the Gundalow......the Nordkap was the largest. the odd thing about this one is...I seem gravitated towards it.......so much so, that the trawler seems to have taken a back seat again. fear not trawler fans.......I haven't forgotten it. the Syborn, as well as the other two have been on my mind.......anyone's guess what will erupt from there but I guess that's the beauty in having so many projects.......I can gravitate anywhere, and never leave my seat thanks for look'in in and following along....I appreciate your comments and suggestions

Ain't I da devil? we'll see.......it's supposed to be here tomorrow. I didn't think I'd get much done......it doesn't seem like much. the stern is where I began...cutting out the transom railing.....both of 'em. I figure I'd work on both of 'em......if one bites the dust, I still got the other one. the way the grain ran was the biggest problem....they did break in a couple places. but I'd glue them back together and continue on. while I was sanding them into shape, the chain plate assemblies were cemented in place. sanding.......another break and fix......more sanding. cut 'em to size, and I had a winner............ then came the bars to hold the dead eyes in place......as mentioned, I installed them above the rub rail, instead of cutting the slots through it. fasten them down with brads after painting them, and touched them up. I had painted the gun port lids {there's another term for them....I forget}.....now that the assemblies are in place, I have a better idea of their placement {the instructions and diagrams have them in awful places. the lavatories are cemented in place........ but the fun stopped with the aft cabin. the mizzen mast runs through the cabin and through a hole inside. the aft cabin is just dry fitted at the moment, but the holes are off, and this gives the mizzen mast more rake than the others. I have a couple of ideas.....tomorrow I'll see which one is better. I should hold off on the rest of the deck stuff anyway......I should do the rudder next.

now......that's cool! must have been fun putting it together really looks nice!

thanks Rich........our posts crossed in the great void

thanks Nils.........I finished this one around the same time last year........hard to believe that she's a year old already. {they grow so quickly}. she's the result of a spin off hull from the Holiday Harbor project. there is another one that has left the fold.........I'll be getting to her very soon. still not sure how she will evolve .....perhaps Forest Gump's shrimp boat? I take that back........the build was finished in May of 2015! time really did get away from me!

really beginning to take shape now.........the added detail is super!

thanks Pete.......this was a fun model to build thanks for all the likes.......I hope you enjoyed the article.....what there was of it.

amazing work Patrick.......the cabinetry is superb! so what are we look'in at.......his 'n her lavatories with a walk in closet for hers? very well done

glad to see your back as well !

I'm thinking that you haven't painted them........just the color of the wood that's throwing you off. John has a cool head.....if it looks good Mark, leave it

you'll work it out.....I'm sure. just follow the bow......angled, and bevel the mating surface of the edge. you'll get a good fit.

Exactly! there are a few kits out there, that are slotted and have backings for the dummy guns. one of these days, perhaps I will have a chance to enjoy such demented pleasure

done with my work week.......and damn glad of it!!! it's all good Patrick........I've become clairvoyant.......I see a man in a red union suit and a pitchfork, roasting my landlord's butt over an open fire! what comes around, goes around! tried to visit here last night, but the focus just wasn't there. kept falling asleep at the computer..............but I'm MUCH better now!!! we'll see what I get into today.