popeye the sailor

looking good Dragzz..........your off and running now!

thanks Wayne.........I can't wait to get them there. hull planking has begun.......slow, but it has begun.

nicely done on the skylight. I made one to look just like that on in my AmericA build {but I used the plastic supplied parts} P.E. is some very fine stuff to work with

how would you get rid of the shadow? do you think tung oil on a Q-tip would help?

I have a vise just like the one you have.........very nice!

interesting name choices for gold, frankincense, and Mir.......but no I just used Moe, Larry, and the Curly names, just so everyone can tell the hulls apart, with little confusion. if you have looked at the M&M build I did.......in the beginning, it met with a lot of jocularity that I didn't expect.......I was serious in what I was doing. this time I'm ready for it, giving them comical names for the time being......the build will start making sense further into the build. while this an arena that is not really ventured into, for a person who is just getting into scratch building, this is perfect. it would give the person practice on the freehand principles, and familiarize themselves for more exact modeling as they move on. scratch building is an old art......done long before the day of the kit. back then, scale classification wasn't even a concern......just an ideal to the individual. model train was perhaps the last to convert over to scale classification...... strange, because it was the most important aspect for the hobby. one person build his train to a certain spec.......another person liked a particular piece, and bought it........later finding that he could not use it on his layout, because the scale didn't jive. but I digress....... there are many well known ships that are modeled today.........I'm sure that there are many others that deserve to be examined and explored. this would be the first step in going off the beaten path......so, why not go a little further. plastic modeling has gone a long way in producing model kits that cover a fictitious subject.....I've done Rommel's Rod......the beer wagon....the Tijuana taxi, and a bunch of others......I used to be a major plastic builder if I had the money I spent......I sit and wonder sometimes. I think the same can apply to wooden ship. the last three to four years has been an eye opener for me........I used to look at these kits and think they were way over my head.....not to mention the prices of these kits. car models are about the only aspect in modeling {in general} that dared to go out of the box to any degree.....trains are the second, with their holiday sets and TV series issues. there are a few plastic ship kits out there.......the S.S. Minnow, the Miami Vice speedboat, the Bat Boat......I'm sure there are others........but the wooden ship, however, has remained within the guidelines of the replica and other well known subject kits. this isn't a bad thing, but I find that this hobby is such an open book, that I want to explore everything about it, and see just how far I can go with it.

it reminds me of a sign I once saw Michael Indian rain dance - Weds nite........{weather permitting} :D

all you need are plans, desire, patience, and wood. the rest come as you go along.

those are interesting ideas Keith........the first one has already been decided. it was the easiest one to come up with, since it will be based on my initial concept.......the others came about when the ideas began to multiply. since it is the most obvious, I will reveal it...no sense keeping everyone in the dark about it. it will be known as: the 'Holiday Harbor tree farm' the hull paint concept will be done in red and green.......it will have the pilot house fore, and an office aft........there will be trees on the deck, and a tree wrapping table {netting}. the bulwarks on both sides will have sections removed, to allow the trees to be brought on and off the boat.......removable railings {cable} will fill in the spans when not in use. there will be other stuff as well......props will be decided as I go along. the history for this one, is a ship that sells trees to nearby town and island ports. the second one is a bit of a toss up........I like the idea of a skating rink.........heck, the dance floor of the M&M boat came out good, why not a rink think of a rectangular area with railings and seats.......maybe a light pole or two. it does kinda butt heads with the third one, which I wanted to do a 'caroler's boat'........it could end up being one of these ideas. the third one keeps getting thrown back over to R&D. I remember a drawing I saw a long time ago......Santa in a dune buggy. it is an interesting thought........what does Santa do about the places where they don't get snow? I'm waiting to see what R&D comes up with.

I'm sure you'll keep her 'segmented' during her trips to the paint booth. do you have a place to be able to set up a booth of your own?

in my process, I'm having to paint them.......let them dry, and so on. it creates such a long process, that I don't want to wait, so I'm just doing them by eye. it seems that my eyes are not as good as they used to be........but I like the way they're coming out....they seem to be more natural. I would in no way, knock a person who prefers to have all they're dead eyes and lanyards the same height.....there is great beauty in seeing them all in a row....there is also a lot of time and attention put into them as well. it does make me wonder though

ahhhhhh, the master at work you keep us 'shrouded' in mystery..........is there an update for us meager folks

basically, what your seeing is the 'extra' that they add to the ribs. later, when the hull frame is fared for planking, you will be sanding this off....at this time. remember that as the hull tapers to shape, certain areas of the ribs are going to be beveled to create this. I wasn't concerned with the keel part.........just don't go any further with the rib sanding.......you could possibly send the shape of the frame into ill proportions

yepper! nothing worse than a bald headed lady :D I should talk.......I seem to be dragging my feet on the Goth, but it's a new week end for me.......I gotta get mu butt in gear. that's one reason why I like working on other builds.......they require wood work, and I can take a break when I need it I will wait

the x-actor guts the wood.........the sanding shapes the wood to what the eye sees...........and the careful fingers cement the freshly created part into place........but I know you are much further than that rigging begins with the fore stays.......I look forward in seeing your progress.

with what you've done on your Victory Gil........I am so jealous.........I could never do one, as you have here. chalk it up to water temp, or something, but I see no reason for concern. did you happen to find a copy of my 'modeler's creedo'......I might have had one lying about. perhaps, one of these days, I'll put them on paper and post them. I believe that everyone who comes through these doors, has an artistic touch about them........and it's a joy to see them develop and expand their knowledge of this wonderful hobby, that we enjoy.

sorry to hear of the mishap........look forward to seeing the continuance

is the model 1:1 with the plans? I'd check that out before I did any sanding. when you had the ribs on the keel, they looked fine how are you going to square up the ribs as you cement them in place?

shhhhhhh Bob.....you'll make me break out in verse! :D

thanks Marc this part of the build will go slow........I'll be working on other builds while this is going on. yepper.......it's going to be fun, especially the scavenger hunt

nice looking kit Dragzz.......I'm sure someone will be looking over your shoulder

of course I'll stick around......nothing short of total coolness can come of this one

yea.......you know.......'the stockings were hung by the chimney with care.............' ....but I won't get into the kerchief and cap thing.............TMI

nicely done steve.......I really like the 'construction photo'

very nice, the coup looks sweet!