popeye the sailor

prose are dancing in my head although I didn't write any I couldn't decide just what to write there were so gosh-darn many! welcome back Mobbsie!

nice progress on your build John......the bulwark layout is shaping up very well. I wouldn't think you'd want to end up rigging in the middle of your trek......the most vulnerable time in a young ship's life

if you bought one of the newer kits, you'd probably see quite a few changes I've modeled everything.....planes, cars, boats, and even figures. I settled on the bigger kits cuz it took longer than a week to do them. when I get back to the Cutty {Revell}, I'll probably start another log on her. here again......there was such a variety of paint schemes out there, I decided to go with the popular colors and add a few touches of my own. the biggest problem I had was with the decals......I even got a sheet from Revell themselves, but they were old and microcracked as well. I now make my own. I've heard of the Muntz metal.......good answer!

always room for one more! great progress Nenad!

I agree with Mark..........looks like fireworks shooting out for the deck! looks great

mine ain't no walk in the park either...........most of my builds are painted. the only one that is a wood grain hull is the Gothenborg, and I second planked that one. there's still a couple of flaws........if you look in the right places to be able to single plank the Half Moon...I hope I can get it right I still use the putty........one of these days, I hope to attain the level that I see some of them done in. work in progress thanks Adam !

gee Nenad.......looking at the picture above, along the edge of the copper, you'd swear it was of a model......tell-tale glue and paint. I wonder if it's because the coppering was polished, to attain that color........to use gold for plating would be quite an expensive proposition, hence.....you would have Alice Cooper singing of the "Bullion Dollar Ship" LOL!!! Nice coppering Bob........you got a really nice beginning there. doing it on an untreated surface is a good idea......the cement will be able to bond to the wood better. I've done the revell Connie too.......didn't do a lot of painting, as young as I was when I did it. I have the Cutty, in an almost finished state {I should get back to her someday}....and I have the United States, which I'm going to bash using wood. I have built both of these ships a long time ago......it's my second time for both. I always liked the revell series.....I think they are about the best plastic kits out there {I wish they'd begin making them again}. the first two was done with sails and the studding sails included, makes for a really large model....... your a very lucky person to have gotten those extra plans.....very lucky as well to find it at such a good price I'm glad you took my meaning.......I think your doing some really nice work there, impressed that your getting back into the hobby is such a big way I got that same reply when I spoke to Tom Richardson @ Billing USA {sadly, they're no longer around}......the Nordkap was my first wood build. I wish you the best with your build.......by the looks of your progress, your well on your way. I look forward in seeing more

NOW.....the cannons look great on the deck Sjors.......I can say that now without feeling like a fool to tell the truth Sjors......I thought the same thing about the hand rails.......then think of what they are, and it all becomes clear have you been doing some gun practice already?..........I see a few cannon balls missing {I see what looks like a BB hole in the first picture}........momma's not gonna like this

When I'm done sewing sails, I like to paint them with a diluted white glue. it helps to keep fraying from occurring. I felt that's would happen if CA was used....so I've never used it. the idea of the eyelets looks great.........something I never thought of. you have a tool to install them, I take it. looks very nice! I have different thickness needles......thinner needles work better. the other day, the admiral was looking for one.........I just laughed.

thanks Frank........good to see your around I appreciate the thought........but I'm still being careful. one slip of the knife, and it could become a scow are you working on your build my friend?

nice work on your build Bob........that is a very old kit, somewhere around 25 years old. I built the Nordkap.....an old kit that had been stored in an attic.......with all that you WOULD have had to do, if you used the parts from the kit. cutting all the parts out wasn't easy, and I did have to make some of the parts from scratch, due to the age of the wood. billing is famous for sheet bulwark panels.....they do sometimes use a plywood that is hard to work with....I have resorted to planking them, getting a much more desired effect. I do wonder how you can call the kit inaccurate, since your doing most of the build scratch, and using another person's practicum. it is a proven fact that most kits have some inaccuracies in them, either in fit or design. another aspect not really taken into consideration, is that if a kit is done to a certain timeline, and the builder decides to do it in another timeline, this will make the inaccuracies that much more obvious. I think that if we got kits that had all the bells and whistles, there probably wouldn't be such a great hobby.........folks would have given up due to bordom Billings back in the day, had a weird reason for not including the fittings kit..........if the builder decided that the hobby wasn't for them and gave up on it {condensed version.....what it all boiled down to}...........I think it's printed on the back of the box. I guess it's not too bad of an idea, given the cost of the kits today.......but I haven't seen where other manufacturers have done this. I've built a few Billing kits......the instructions are so vague, that I've taken to use them as a guide, more or less. sites like this one, are very good places to learn and read about techniques that some use in their builds. you got what you paid for......an old kit......and by the looks of her, your doing a fantastic job! I look forward in seeing more progress on this fine build

the bow shot looks great............it's really beginning to come together now!!!!

wonderful work on the ropes..........love the texture do you have to coat it with anything........like with diluted white glue?

OK...........now I had a look at Gerty's build...........you folks are tempting me something wicked! I'll have to add this to my 'future build' pile though.........the thought of being thrown so far back in the doghouse, I'd need an anchor chain and a gaff to get me out.....really sticks in my mind!

yea.......you will find that in kits every once in a while. it would depend on the height of the bulwark.......if you can get it to work out, you can use them, but as long as you match the width of the plank for the entire strake. if not.......then you did right in removing them. the alcohol will evaporate.......hopefully you got the excess glue off. the plank can still be reused, but only if you plan to paint it.......I don't think it would look too good if you tried to stain it

I just had a look at Richard's build.........he's much further along it is a shame some of the added detail will get covered over. is your decking the same as his? that's going to look sweet! there will be more than enough detail on the deck, so don't feel bad about not adding in more...........and yea.......you guys whet my appetite!

wonderful work Richard! love the metal work and you've added in lots of detail! I can see why Adam suggested this kit to me

correct! she will get some stain. I have quite a bit of the Billing's Mahogany stain that I'm going to try out. once the hull is fully planked, this can be done, but there are areas on the stern and bow that will need to get masked off for paint. I want to do something with the decal maker, but I have a feeling that some of it will need to be done in paint {red / white striping}. I'm taking my time on the hull planking as you can see........I want the planks fitting good, in order to get away from double planking her. I've done a bit more....hope to have the planking completed soon

I can understand where your coming from......I'm beginning to set up the Gothenborg, so I dont have to do any tedious work down the road. I know that's a joke... some folks have added cleats to their shroud rigging, but this is not an option, since these sails use the standing rigging as their anchor. the 'haul line' termination points would locate in the center of the ship. adding in a termination point now would be quite dangerous......so perhaps tying them off at the belaying pin rail and adding an extra rope coil might be the only option at this point. I hope someone a bit more experienced can tell you better. your Bounty is a real beauty!

it covers some of the really kool vowels though {I'll take an 'o' for fifty, Bob} man......I love that deck framing.......it looks really cool! now, that would be cool.........a boat hull done like the ' visible V-8 '..........hate to be the one to taper those planks though nice work on the cap rails.......looking forward in seeing the deck planking!

at least yours is completely planked..........I'm still working on the Half Moon! LOL! {just kidding} gaps........hard to see my friend but, that's why they invented molding..........1 mm wide thin stripping really does the trick. then there are the mating joints, especially if it's that really thin plywood........you do a batten along the edge, and watch it magically disappear. you have a fine surface for a second planking, to be sure your doing a great job.....keep it up!

thanks Augie........Murphy don't scare me......all usually comes clean in the end. thanks for the thought I know what you mean Paul......sometimes I get in here and read so much.......I don't get much done at my end. I need to get through the tinkering I'm doing at the moment.......then I can get something done. it is nice to be working on her again though

all jokes accepted Paul......LOL! I've done a little more planking on her of late, but I've taken these days to just tinkering with the Goth, hoping to be able to make some huge progress on her. I've got some more planks on the bend though.......I hope I can get back to her and finish it off. then I can sand and stain. I'm looking at the paint as well......and perhaps some decal work. thanks for the good word!

I find it hard to see as well........guess I'm too 'tuned' into looking at the big picture place a finger over your lips and repeat after me: "if I do not speak......they will not hear.........if they cannont hear.......they will not look.........if they will not look.......they will not see" or........if you like the old addage: " seek, and ye shall find........if you don't, then never mind." I still say you did a splendid job

I use the testor's red tube.......it can also be purchased in the black decanters {which is more liquid}. I haven't used the Ambroid glues for quite a while now..........it is a good glue. it's one of the few glues out there that can be used for wood, as well as plastic. I used to work in injection molding....worked with neoprene and the harder plastics. in the early days, model kits were created with white, or a creme colored plastic. through suggestions from modelers that found it hard in painting their models, companies began to add color to the plastics, to aide in the problems brought to their attention. this sometimes created problems with the plastic formulas......soft plastic, and plastic composition problems being the biggest ones. it can also cause the cements to react differently as well. I've run into things like the cement not welding properly....poor bonding, to having to wait till the next day, due to distortion problems if a continued on with what I was doing. I used to revel when this happened though.........I could mix pieces of sprues in with some cement and make my own putty...LOL!