popeye the sailor

thanks Mobbsie.....yes, I am a lucky guy. it's been a fun ride, even though the Zodiac deems us not compatible for one another {if anyone believes that nonsense anymore}. really appreciate the well wish, my friend! I do have some progress to report on Titanic........but first I must take Gibbs out for his morning jaunt........be right back

I agree Mark.......especially the first row! wonderful work Daniel! you are definitely the king of the diorama! so very well detailed!

I do the same thing with my belt sander......stay safe my friend

congratz on the new arrival Ben!

the way your accenting the interior is really nice. the wood finish really brings out the inner beauty

catheads and whisker booms look great Nenad........just a slight paint adjustment

have you given though to get mahogany in thicker strips? I've known some kits to use it as the supplied planking. not that I would use it.......I've always thought of it as a finish wood. I've done the method you've described, doing the double planking.......I've liked the way it comes out I don't think you really need be concerned with the thickness issue though........I think faring the hull frame will help you with that

I'm sorry to say that my plans for George Clooney.......is a bust. apparently, the 'ole boy is too busy for the likes of me. Sorry Frank......I tried on another note...........not that I go there a lot, but I posted some of my past builds on my Face Book. I had a few of them on there already, so I figured that I would add them in. I also posted the Andrea Gail pictures, which got some nice reviews...........pleased and proud I was my friend Tom sent me an e-mail, letting me know that he had posted the pictures on his Face Book as well. I was surprised to see that one of the likes was Kent Billing.......I guess I should be glad that he didn't raise a saber citing copyright issues........after all, she does look quite similar to the billing's finished model. my only answer to the charge would have pointed out whose practicum I followed.......what did anyone expect the outcome would be? if anything at all, it shows how well I can read the instruction sheet.........to discern the big picture from a vague description. I'm still very pleased to have fed my inner monster

thank you Nigel.....same here we're still making future plans that include each other.........so I guess she's not planning to stick me in a box or have me committed thanks for the kind word on the Titanic.....I've started my vacation, but haven't touched it these past couple of days. this is a very nice kit, in spite of my changing a couple things. I'm getting to the point where the model is going to make me do the rigging for the funnels and masting. they show this at the beginning of the build......I thought that was a bit early, not wanting to wrestle with hanging string while building the main parts of the assemblies. in looking at this, I looked at the ratlines for the masts, in relation to the supplied rigging thread. somehow, it doesn't make sense to supply only one size thread, when the ratlines are thicker........I would imagine that the fore stays and what back stays need to be done, would be the same size rigging as the ratlines {the main parts of them}. I'm not a big fan of plastic ratlines either......not sure if I want to go through the trouble of making them. I do have a though running through my mind at the moment, to look into the preformed ratlines that are in the United States kit, that I have. I'm planning to do the ratlines on that build, so the supplied ones will not be used.......I could cut them down to get the pieces I need. this revelation, coupled with the change in the order of assembly, is proving to be quite a conundrum {there is also the slight warpage in the aft section of the hull to deal with as well}. I have a chore or two to do today........but I promise some sort of progress........by this evening...I hope

well......at least you had a contingency plan......... oh well......all's fair in love and modeling say........how are those coffee stirrers coming along?

looking really sweet Rod! very nice progress indeed!

SJORS!!! where have you been!?! missed you good buddy! yepper.....already told the admiral that another shelf will be needed it's the one thing this crazy mixed up world can't take away from us! thanks Patrick glad to see your back Augie........I can go klompen in the car :D would it be a better smell than the last freshener the admiral bought? perhaps.....Carl I still have to put the mat back in the car.......we had a few days of rain. it must be all washed off by now thanks Greg for the well wish..........and who commented or liked.......nice to have friends like you folks

thank you Bob

well......that's good to hear! nice when things go your way there's a few bleeds.......but no matter, your going to paint there anyway well done

holy cow!!! thank you all for the good wishes........really don't know what to say! the admiral and I are very close...we do for each other all year 'round, so when a day like this come up, we never know what to get for one another. we did spend the day together........later in the day, we went for ice cream {of all things}. she wanted a hot fudge sundae. I'm not a big ice cream fan.......I like it, but it's no match for buffalo wings and beer we got to the place...she wants to take it home......I say.....fine she puts in her order, I order a banana split......freak out the admiral {predictable huh.....I'll show you!}. I'm asked if I want the regular banana split.........not knowing that there was a sub-recipe for one, I say ....yes! the girl hauls out this 12 inch plastic boat, splits a banana in half lengthwise, and put it in the boat. then, three huge scoops of ice cream........vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. then the pineapple and strawberry garnish, topped with whipped cream, nuts and cherries. she put the lid on it and locked it down. we no sooner get out of the place, when this thing starts to leak.......the mad rush to get home begins! I get her in the car with them, and we start the drive home........while this is going on, the thing is leaking on and down her legs, and onto the floor mat {glory be the floor mat!} we get home.......Get her and the 'thing' out of the car......I grab the floor mat and hang it off the porch railing and park the car. I come in to find her standing in the shower, washing off her legs. I told her to leave me a spot.....I won't go into detail as to what her reply was she told me it was on a paper plate in the freezer....the mess was contained! we ate them a short time later...........it was all I could do to eat 3/4 of the darn thing! but, it was very good ! our life together so far has been a fun one.......I do my best to keep it interesting . I calls her Olive in me popeye voice.........and to this day, she'll still tell me that she ain't Olive! she also likes to let me know what's going on {this just today}........"they're putting up a new telephone pole up the street." I answer: "oh, really.............why?" she gets all flustered and says......shudup! now.........I did mention putting up a shelf in the living room. like I said, it's nothing fancy......the admiral didn't want a book case style unit. I was tired of having the other boats in the hallway closet.........the Nordkap has been in a box, ever since I built it.......the Mary Ann and the Gundalow followed suit....they were in boxes as well. time for all these boats to come out, I think.........so this is what I put up. just the metal frame....the shelves I had painted while I was reorganizing the living room. the admiral was watching keenly as this was going on........she keeps telling me that it was crazy to have the boats in boxes........but my reasons were purely duly aimed at dust collection. I never thought I'd see it.....but when I took the Nordkap out of the box, there were cobwebs in the rigging! amazing!!! it been in that box since late 2010....I believe {might even be 2011}, only taken out for short periods of time. when all the boats were on the shelf........I had a hearty laugh for myself. you know, you build 'em, not really thinking about the size of these models, until you have them in a group. the admiral is happy......her two favorites are up on the wall........I was surprised to hear that one of them was the Nordkap......the first vessel I ever built. sadly, the America and the Gundalow will have to reside in the black book case. this is all the hobby oriented stuff I've done this week.......get through this next work week........and I'll be on vacation again......I'll try and make up for lost time for the Titanic, I did dry fit the rest of the boat deck. now to figure how the two decks will work together, paint and set up the funnel rigging. well, the admiral wants to go for an errand.......I'm to come along {maybe I'll suggest ice cream again}.........this time we'll be across town..... thanks again for the good wishes..I told the admiral.........she says thanks as well!

BRAVO!!!! looks good KP!

making some really nice progress with the planking Mark.

much can be said about lighting......a handy aide to be sure. tell this to a sailor who's been doing scrimshaw in his quarters by candle light, and he'd probably look at us funny this week has not been too productive.......the past couple of days has been eaten up with chores around the house. I have a couple of things to do today, but it's our 28th anniversary, so I might not get flogged if I sluff off. I did manage to put up a huge shelf in the living room. it's nothing fancy....metal shelving with wood shelves that I painted to match the walls. the living room is a low dust area.......only the dog and I go in there. it will be neat to see them all in one place. hope to have some progress soon

sad to hear my friend....perhaps one can be found cheaply on E-bay, or a local craft site. you can also consider trying your hand at making them from scratch. they can be made of wood or even plastic {there are resources where materials can be found}. please don't trash it....you have done some really good work........hate to see it all for naught

super progress David

whew........glad I made it here in time! count me in to watch as well Bob!

nice work on the interior so far.........the engine looks great, by the way! the louvers look alright........just need to be evened out a little I was looking at some of the railing parts to my Titanic build.......cripes, even that would have worked well {based on your idea Ben}. your doing a super job! if your interested in some of those parts, let me know.......there is a list of the unused parts on the back page of the instructions

planking looks really nice on there Nils. the admiral one days asked me why I don't try to make my own planking.......I'm always getting basswood flat stock sheets. I told her that it's because I don't have that kind of saw {is that subtle enough of a hint} too late for father's day though I'm trying to get her over to the local hardware store {Home Depot}, so I can show her. going to be interesting how you'll do around the screw tunnels. you could use flat stock fillers, bent to shape. I have no doubt that you will do well with them.

good luck on the move Bob!

before 2009 Lawrence, plastic was my medium.........see what a wooden kit can do to a person?!?! this is the first plastic ship I've done since then. amazing how foreign something can be if you leave it awhile but I'm having fun these bulbs are energy savers {getting the package...........} the early halogen bulbs that were out there were of bad design........they had mercury in them, making them harder to get rid of. they had to be treated as hazardous waste........but as human nature goes, they just chucked them in the regular trash. I just bring them to work......we have a bin for disposal of these mercury bulbs the bulb I had in the light gave off 560 lumens. these bulbs I have here give off 750 lumens....quite a big difference. that's what it says on the box.......the bulb itself says 785 lumens. they have a 60 watt equivalent, but only use 43 watts........saves $5 a year. not a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but I guess it's something. I just changed the bulb in the main table light.....I'll see if it makes any difference there too