popeye the sailor

they do have cutter for photo etch........but you could also try finger nail clippers. I get the large ones with the concave curving outward, but I also have a couple that have it curved inward as well. as long as your cutting brass, or light metal, they retain their sharpness for quite a while. of course......it kinda stinks when kits supply that brass plated metal stuff......it tends to dull them out quicker. nice work......BTW I'm not a big fan of the supplied copper wire either......little wonder why I have so much of it in my inventory

great looking hull Larry.......almost ready to start fitting out the deck hope your Uncle is doing better.

you should have all three shrouds done before you do your ratlines is the third one a back stay? three shrouds for the fore mast, and four shrouds for the main mast. back stays are interesting depending on the vessel your working on. some are tensioned with dead eyes, but for most vessels, they are usually done with a pulley assembly. the stern decorations look very nice.......your 1 up on me with the carving your putting some very nice character in this build. I also notice how you did the futtock shrouds..........in conjunction with the second step dead eyes? did you cement them into the tops? if you didn't, I would suggest that you do. when you rig your second step shrouds, they will in turn pull on the futtock ropes and contort the first step shrouds. I'm not sure if your diagram show this......this of course, depends on the detail that they show........where the futtocks lash to the first step shrouds, there is a stave there {it can be of wood or thin brass rod...of course painted black}. this holds the shrouds together at that point, and provides a lash point for the futtocks. joining these two stave points together, in there between the shrouds, are ropes called carthpins {I hope I spelt and said this right}. these control how much tension that the futtocks put on the shrouds and stop them from pulling the shrouds out of shape.......they will to a very minor degree, due to rope stretch I figured I'd give you this bit of information......if you cemented in the second step dead eyes, you won't need to add it, if you don't want to. sounds like your doing a bit of bash work on you own......and that's a good thing these smaller kits do omit some cool detail, and information that you acquire, will allow you to add them in. this is also the best way to learn terms and names of different parts. I'm not an expert either..........I remember the first ship I did.......{I don't want to talk about it} keep going.....your doing some nice work here

recover well...Sherry

think of it as a 'labor of love' ........it won't sting so bad your almost there Mark......laminating wood....hmmmm. sounds like a neat idea

looks good Nenad........nice spacing and the pins are just a bit forward! that's all you'd really need to do once all the ropes are tied and rigged.........it will never bee seen! great work my friend ....and BTW.........your no dummy!

sorry if I join the party late Patrick.........I've not had my 'browse time' like I used to sweet looking hull shell......the way you made it was pretty interesting. card build frame? good to have gotten those bulkheads in there...... humidity and dryness can play nasty tricks. I look forward in seeing more progress

sure George.......I got 'em timed to fly over, once I get'em installed! I'm really not that much of a detailer......I try to do some, but later on, I think it looks messy, so I clean it up guess I'm the Felix Unger of boats {doesn't say much about my table though} sounds like you know a bit about them Augie........yes......"birds" is the nickname given to them. when deployed....it's kinda like a tightrope walker....except it on water. keeps the vessel steady, so she don't rock it's one of the reasons why I chose to do this one Nils.......the structure is so cool thanks Patrick, John, and Lawrence........hard to imagine that this is another vessel's hull. to think......just a bit of modification. at the moment, I'm putting that bit of detail, that the Billing's kit doesn't show. thanks to all of you and who hit the like button.......hope to have more soon

put more work into the stabilizers booms.....the ends are tapered. once I made heads or tails out of 'em, a block was cemented on the end that will fasten to the deck. this block will be rounded, and later a hole will be drilled I mentioned that I would show what the 'anchor' look like did most of the boom work on Tuesday..........did a bit more on Wednesday. there are two pairs of brackets that the stabilizers are attached to........I tried to make them using brass.......even bought some thicker stuff for the occasion. these are two diagrams that show the booms and the aft section of the rig. now .......for these 'anchors'.......I got an idea. let's see if someone else thinks of the same thing I did to make these brackets I speak of......I took apart one of the spare gallows I have hanging around. I will use one of the uprights as a template. I found that doing this in the house is going to be an impossible feat! first off....I have a son that works at night and sleeps during the day. I attached the vise to the main table......big mistake...the hammering sets everything to vibrating......and falling off of high places........not to mention the displeasure the admiral has expressed. in the kit, these parts are made of wood.......that's not going to happen here. I have a remedy......went to HobbyTown yesterday afternoon. I picked up a new pin vise and found something suitable.....show you next time I picked these up a while ago, thinking they might come in handy here.

it's because you love a challenge! the comparison looks great Dave.......they look so sweet together!

I was a bit rushed when I posted last. the Revell kit confuses some.........on the bulwark cap rails, there are tabs that suggest where the dead eye racks {that's what I'll call them} are to go.......but this is wrong. I was going to look at the instructions again {I keep all my past build instructions}......but if I remember, there are tab holes on the pin rails them selves. this is where they actually go. I mention this, because it is in line with your dilemma. it would be a small sacrifice......but you could make the pin rails a little wider, and locate the dead eyes close to the bulwark, and set the belaying pins toward the front of the dead eye arrangement. this would free up the pins and make rigging a bit easier. the toggle of 1 - 2 mm would make a big difference, and wouldn't upset the applecart. in the modeling medium, we all strive to build the perfect build. what we see is measured in inches and feet.........what we build is measured in fraction and mm.......sometimes the tolerance is so tight, that we must alter the structure a little to make it work. I hear so many lament that they are off a mm.........that silly mm.........it's time to make that silly mm work in your favor....and not in the favor of mistake. sorry if it sounds like a rant........it's not.......it's logic

thanks Sjors.........I really need to get the update out of the camera.....again they are stuck I'll try to get them up appreciate the good word and the likes!

looking pretty good to me John has a nice look to them.....

I think it's nice......there are a couple variations there.....in the picture, the first two show an inner bulwark wall. look at the third and fourth, and there are no Inner bulwark walls........you can see the ribbing. your last picture show that you've made openings in the inner walls.......what are they for?

so much to think about........I ran into somewhat of a dilemma with this on the Revell Cutty Sark as well. it's really good to see all this being brought to light enjoying your log Nenad

WOW! so many cool options.......I really appreciate the suggestions! I think outside the box so much......I forget which side I'm on sometimes! I'll post a picture to show you what they look like thanks for the offer Tom.....I'll PM you should I get stuck! Nenad........ thanks for the hunting and fishing tips.......I got plenty of relatives that live in the stix........{where I'd rather be}. 00 buck....slugs......loved my 'ole 12 gauge, god 'ole 'point 'n shoot' ! motto: "you don't miss, with this!"

nice cabin interior......when I saw your last picture of her, I was going to ask if you were putting in deck supports. I didn't bother though...I knew you would didn't want to ask a pointless question super job so far!

thanks George and Bob..........thanks as well to all who hit the like button I'm going to look around for something that will work. the way these 'anchors' are made, I would need flat pieces........which would mean melting down weights to make a flat sheet. if I find it as my only resort....then I guess it's what I'll need to do. the idea with this is to give them the weight they need.......the cables that they are attached to are run through pulleys........so this suggests that they can be manipulated...lowered. they could very well be used as anchors, if the need arose. I probably could even get away with using solder...I have a whole roll of it. we shall see......we shall see thanks all!

this is going to be interesting.....doing ratlines at this stage of the rigging. don't believe I've ever seen it before sails are looking great Nils.........such beauty!

amazing!!! super work there Michael!

oh.......I also laughed at Midwest's idea to use cotter pins as well have you found any other use for them, other than to hold a wheel on?

great progress Piet from when I last looked in again.....you amaze me with your brass work! love the way you assembled your blocks!

it was a pleasure J.........go ahead......rub it in ! yea.....I know...I gotta get off my flat spot and get moving. you've given me lots to think about......again.......good job, my friend!

very nice .........a very unique life boat! really neat to see them in a 'school'

nice work on the shrouds so far.......is there really a solid rule? the order I follow most of the time would be fore stays....then the shrouds. I also see that your doing the assembly per mast step........which is also a good approach {I'm the knucklehead that's still assembling the entire mast...and then rigging }. would doing the fore stay after the shroud...add too much tension to the shroud? I wouldn't think so, if your careful with how much tension you use. the foremast lower fore stay is a dead eye pulley assembly anyway, so it would be easy to adjust the tension, keeping as close to the + side of zero tension as possible. the shrouds should be taught, so the ratlines can be done. your making some good progress........I hope others chime in and give their views on this as well. from the diagrams I see in the background.......you have some unique rigging ahead of you