popeye the sailor

looking really good Jerry.......there is no hard rule for this. usually the fore stays are done first.......the shrouds and back stays. the shrouds actually have two purposes.....side to side support for the masts, and as back stays to counter the pull of the fore stays. in doing the fore stays first though, one must be careful not to have too much tension on the lines, or it will distort the mast rake. with the way you've done it, you'll have the shrouds to help you from having that happen it's a win / win for you......nice work!

thanks Augie and Michael.........you folks wanted it........who am I to deny the M&M build was the best cabin detail I've done so far. I wish I had more bling I could add {I'll look in my inventory again}.........but between Patrick {omega} and Kees........I do feel compelled to do more as far as the vista problem goes.......I'm kinda glad. I've got two other towers that have XP, and it good to give at least one of them a purpose. I'll probably use the E-machine......it has the fastest processor speed of either of them, so it should work quite well. I'll just have to break it down when I'm not using it. thanks for the good word! thanks George........I'm VERY pleased myself!

I ran into a huge problem.......and the realization why I was getting these little quirks with it. I found that this program is not supported for Vista. one of the big problems I found, was that it would not print Black, of all things.......all I would get is a Dark Gray. I've decided to take one of the other towers that we have {that still has XP} and turn it into a decal maker. I have an extra monitor, keyboard and mouse, so I'm all set for this. I still need to get the update for it, and when I get it, I'll install it as a whole when I do it. I will use whatever I get at this time......I'm pretty sure the numbers will look OK.......but it's the name one the bow and stern that's worrying me.......I need to be creative, and I'm not sure how it's going to react. the numbers are simple......I can use the clear decal paper for them. using the text selection, they were made up and resized four times, to be sure I would get ones that will fit the field they are to go on. for the names though, I need to change the color of the foreground......not the background, as you might think. for this, I used white decal paper, since the letters are in White.....the foreground will be changed to a Dark Green, which is the closest to Emerald Green, the color palette would come to it. one of the initial drawbacks to this program {the update should give me this feature}, is the transparency issue I've been dealing with. I've had to pick and choose what decal I can make. I'm hoping I can use this in my favor with these decals......when they are applied, I'm hoping the green blends in and disappears in the Emerald background. they were sprayed with decal bonder, and allowed to dry overnight. as you can see, the program would not allow me to change the foreground over the entire paper......I'll just have to be exact in cutting them out. I'm hoping the numbers work out as well. I heard the voices for the idea I had......a map on the back wall would look super so, I made one up. printed on regular paper, it was sprayed with decal bonder to lock the ink on the paper. I was going to use 1/8 X 3 mm strip, but I thought of the thin strip mahogany, and the rest is history. there is another vent that I need to make. it will be located in back of the pilot house. it has a strange design.....a 'T' with two smaller pieces on the ends. to ad a bit of detail to it, I hollowed out the end pieces using three different drills and finished them off with a round file. as you can see, I also began to remake the stanchion. the round circles are to be some pulleys that are yet to be made. here you can see how I hollowed the end piece out. Once the map was trimmed.......I did get a little too close to one corner, but I don't think it will show. I didn't clear coat it or anything........it was then cemented in place. the bonder deters the white glue from seeping through. without the roof on, it can be seen through the window {s} lastly.........the other side of the vent was hollowed out and cemented in place on the assembly all 'n all.......not too bad, considering we were out running errands for most of the day. but with every update.......brings me closer to another 'cement fest' thanks for looking in

I started this session by looking over the paint work. there are some areas that didn't get any paint....... the can I've been using is almost gone. for the white.....it's just primer from spray can....it's the best dead pan color there is. absolutely no sheen......but I have accented here and there with gloss white, especially areas that are going to see decals {which I really need to get off my duff and make}. I tied the 'wings' back on Andrea for the time being, until I get to do something with them. that will be coming up soon the can of primer white I've been using is almost gone.....when we went to register the Camry and run our errands, I will make it a point to get another can. I had decanted some and started to do the touch ups, beginning with the ladder. I wanted to show you this.........we had gone on a past errand.....I, of course, try to use every one as a scavenger hunt......and we ended up at the Mall. A.C. Moore's is there and we stopped in. I found these 5mm rings....but the admiral found the chain. there is no size listed....but there is 72 inches of it, kind of an antique copper. a funny thing........at the beginning of this session.....I instructed the admiral to nag me about the pilot house, knowing full well my track record for straying off course. I am happy to say that she outdone herself!......and I laughed the whole time she was doing it, which probably made it worse! yes, it was time to get the rest of the windows installed. I collect the clear cello from packaged products we buy in the stores. it comes in different thicknesses, so it meets all of my application needs. while this was going on, I decided to get going on the decals. I am about to deal with the same problem that Piet did with the 019......this should be interesting

thanks Lawrence......I really appreciate the well wish and good word feeling better has given me the urge to get a couple of the other builds on the table......the one you've seen draped in cloth is the Boulogne......the other is the trawler Syborn. Andrea had taken residence though, and will remain on the main table until it is finished......it's become a vendetta for me I appreciate your following along.....your positive comments.....and those of others, keep me going thank you very much

oh....oh! a model has many mortal enemies............this is one of them

very nice work Augie....paint looks real good

all the better! squinting at half speed..........AYE sir!

that's a very nice stand your making.......if you can get the rest of the concaves to mimic the left one shown in the picture above, you'll be in good shape. you've done a superb job Piet.....and it surely deserves to be shown in all her splendor! believe me......there isn't anything that could distract from your build. it's simply too awesome!

thanks again for your kind comments and likes I yam feel'in better.....I appreciate all your concerns not that it matters, but I did make a mistake about the part I cemented up along the gangway.......there is NO visible use for it in the plans. as mentioned, I will make some use for it. the paint is dry.......we'll see what I can get done today thanks again for looking in!

I use the clear stuff to make windows and such........there are different thicknesses and that's a good thing

I have 3.5's..........I just make the holes a bit bigger.........it's a good thing there are different sized thread!

she looks awesome John........adding the mechanics to a ship is always the most satisfying part

I was ahead of myself when I did this........I had to disassemble it to get the first picture. not to worry, I didn't go all the way with it......if you look close, you'll see I cheated. I thought you may get a charge out of this......it all started when I cemented the boom brackets in place. after .....I put the boom back in place I was glad to see that I didn't goof on the yokes......they fit in there snug enough, so I won't have to worry about them falling out before I get the chance to rig them. I also did a bit of work to the aft section.....drilling the holes for the eye shackles. two center supports were also cemented in. these will be for the support cables to the first section assembly. flipping it over, two more were added for cables that will attach to the bulwarks {or the deck}. the plans don't show it, since the aft section is cocked in such a silly way......and they don't even show you how to assemble it. I saw this in the pictures, and so I found a use for that second ladder I made. before these parts went down to be painted, I added this bar to the gangway. in the plans, there is use for this part.......I'll see if I can dress it up somehow I brought two of the parts up from the cellar already.......guess I better go get the other two, before the cellar monster gets hold of them

thanks to all of you fine folks for the kind comments and the likes. I am feeling better.......just a dry cough....something new in the evolution of the common cold. I have been busy today........I have something really neat for you to see. of course it's just a dry fit, but when everything's ready....it will be the next barrage of parts to be cemented in place. where would this hobby be without those pesky little problems? thanks again to you all......now off to go paint........and get that darn pilot house in order!

super job Nenad! WOW!

nice progress since I last looked in Jerry.......looking really good!

it's been a couple of weeks since my last update........been down with a cold. it's not the cold so much, but the meds to fight it make me so drowsy. another thing that brought me to a crawl, is when I did some dry fits, I found a few things that are off with the build.....I'm trying to figure out how to work around them without having to alter what I've done so far. the one solace I can take from this, is that in looking at the Andrea Gail, what I'm actually seeing is the Lady Grace. my thought is, that while these two ships bore a resemblance, the Andrea Gail may have been configured differently. looking at the Hanna Borden, you can see the difference the Andrea Gail was built at the same yard......the A.G. in 1978......the H.B. in 1983....eastern ship builders in Panama City, Fla. the problems I've run into are small really......it's a real fudge figuring out how to do it, and keep with the configuration. I've already solved one of them. I did get those eye shackles in place. I used two long pins and stuck the shackle in place, through the channels on both sides. first a small drill, and then a drill the same diameter as the shackles. I have a few others to do......I'll be using the same method. the first problem I saw pertains to the tall ladder the will go up the side of the first and second section. I wrapped the railings all the way around the face of the gangway......I originally thought it looked better that way. now that I have the front uprights and supports assembled, to put the ladder where it's supposed to go, will be blocked by the railing. what makes this worse, is that I made it too wide, and the ladder will also interfere with the boom bracket. I will most likely put the ladder on the back part of the assembly...you'll see more about this in a moment. another problem is the stanchion I made.......don't know why I didn't see this one sooner. with the stanchion in place, the tilt of the aft section is going to interfere with it. the reason why.....is that it's way out of scale! the instructions had measurements of the parts, and that's what I went by to make it. too bad too.........I dressed it up a bit more with some supports at the base. so.....it will be back to the drawing board with this piece of the puzzle, and scale it down so it's at least the same height as the podium / rack {should have been a dead give - a - way } to be able to put the boom brackets where they needed to go, I had to trim the bulwark fenders back even with the fore deck railings. then they will fit in the proper place. the alteration was touched up after the changes were made. still need to finish the pilot house roof........got a bunch of stuff to make that go on top too. I've done a bit more this morning.......should have it up later. thanks for looking in

looking super Patrick.........welcome back to the table!

good to see your making progress again Henry. on the cannons, I think you have an interesting idea. perhaps not a good idea in an actual battle situation......but as a model, it would be real neat to show how the cannon look in both positions. I've been toying with an idea as well. would it be practical to show the cannons in 'batteries'? the side of the ship divided into three batteries....the bow, the mid ship, and the stern. in a small skirmish, have the bow and stern batteries in the closed position, and have the mid ship battery open and ready to fire. would this be a practical practice for a ship's gun crew? glad to see your back at the table......and I like how you modeled the cannon. there is some great detail it it

awesome planking Sjors really making some headway with the deck layout.......really nice!

looking super Mark......can't wait to see her fully planked!

super additions Patrick.........looking better and better!

quite a bit of detail in there Kees........the assembly looks just super! it's amazing what your gleaning from mere pictures very awesome job indeed! I was looking at your railings again.........made me think of my last visit to the craft store. I saw some 'parts'.......resembled the stanchions you made. I really like the way you put on the cap rail. definitely food for thought

very nicely done Patrick.......I like where your going with her