popeye the sailor

continuing on in February.........the 28th, once most of the frame was assembled and the deck platform was cut out, it was fitted in place. through the process, there was some pieces that broke off.....the wedges can be seen on the build board {the same board that the Clotilda was built on}. to help in keeping the bulkheads aligned, a strip of planking was affixed to the sides. the odd parts I made and the stern bulkhead was left off for the time being, until the frame had enough time to adequately dry. the bow part served well in forming the bulwarks for the Clotilda....I think it will do just as well for this vessel as well. the stern, as built from the instructions, looked kind of lost without the bulwark posts to end the bulwarks and form the transom. the bulkheads are very rough......the mahogany damage and such.......some I simply scabbed in basswood to complete them. others I completely removed all of the mahogany and cemented another layer to them, trimming them later. by the time I was done with this step, mahogany bits were all over the place! from this point, I turned to work on the Clotilda, who by now was nestled in her new birth.....a hull that had been already planked. I made the separate birth, awaiting her arrival.

welcome Ed and Kevin I hope you find this enjoyable. it's a kit, but it will have a lot of scratch building from here forward. the build will follow the instructions, but I want to add in a few aspects that the model doesn't have. it has been a process getting the hull to this point........I'm very glad that it worked out. what I've done here isn't new to me Kevin.........I've been replicating hulls for quite some time now. when I remove the parts from the laser cut sheets, I try my best to save them. my only interest at this point are the hull parts, since I have hardly any CAD skills.......I couldn't draw a hull blueprint if my life depended on it. from here I trace the hull parts onto sheets of plywood and cut the parts out. I also try not to use exact measurements from the kit.......I build the hull and scratch build from there....fitting them out as I want to. for example........from the Mary Anne kit, the M&M Fun Ship and the Trawler Syborn were cloned. from the Boulogne Etaples kit, the Andrea Gail and the Holiday Harbor fleet were cloned {although the harbor fleet has shrunk due to defections with the building of the Andrea Gail and the other fishing boat I'm building}. the Midwest Lobster boat was also used to fill in the gap left by these defections, cloning a better model of the Christmas Tree Boat. in all of this, I found that the idea of using the Boulogne Etaples hull for this subject was a bad idea, but when I was assembling the hull frame, I immediately thought of the Andrea Gail.......that idea was a very good one! the Bluenose project isn't off the ground yet, but from the Bluenose that I got from a friend, two other hulls were cloned. this will consist of three schooners....the Bluenose, the Bluenose II, and the America. all three have basically the same hull construction, but are outfitted differently. they will all be at 1:65 scale and will sport sails.....that will be a heck of a lot of sewing, btu I already have the Bluenose sails cut out and ready to sew. I'd like to go larger, like a fifth rate ship...or one of those large sailing ship that I can never afford, but obtaining the parts panels from them is impossible {unless someone is willing to indulge my madness}. I can buy and make the fittings, but some of these kits are too rich for my blood. there are a few other hulls that I'm working on, but so far, not enough to report or start a log about. I'm constantly doing something........ as you read above Ed, all this started out as an experiment, to see if it could be done. most folks will throw the instructions away after their model is built......I don't........not even the plastic models I've run into instances where a person puts out a shout, because they've lost their instructions. the Revell Cutty Sark is still the #1 model in which this is the case. it's so popular, that I posted the instruction sheets on one of the blog sites that I use.........the U.S.S. United States was the second one posted. I mean....really, once you buy the kit, what becomes of the instructions after the fun is done? JCT and I are based our models on the Topsail Schooner {of course his is finished}.....I'm still building the Clotilda. I want to build the Brigg that the box art shows, but I want to build it as an armed capable vessel, perhaps a vessel that participated in the deterrence of the slave trade. I think it's kind of nice to throw a little light on the Steingraber kits. they are a lesser known manufacturer, but they are old. caution should be observed in attempting to build one. I still think it's kinda funny how all this came about.......I'm glad that J had fun with what he did with his kit.....he built a very nice model from his kit enjoy.....I will try and keep the ball rolling as steady as I can........gonna try and do sails, so with no real diagrams to work with, it should be entertaining a thanks as well to those who hit the like button!

I use Ca to glue the weights in........either that or two sided tape { test first}.

I said that I would start a log on this vessel if it looked like the hull is a keeper. it was touch and go for a while there........but I must admit, it came out quite well. this is the Steingraber kit that JCT and I have been collaborating on. he is finished with his model..........but of course, me with my propensity for making a mountain out of a molehill, have other ideas for this kit. the kit is old.......I would say onwards of 50 years or so, and this played a very large roll in how we came up with our hulls......the most important part of the model. J did replicate some of his hull parts, while I replicated most {if not all} of the hull parts for mine. I even added a couple of parts to mine to complete areas that seemed to be missing something. during this time, I ran into a National Geographic article about the slave ship Clotilda, which caused me to change the name of the ship I was modeling. in our research, we found that there was no slave ship called the Agillis........odd that this would be fictitious. though fitting to do a model of a known slave vessel......the last of the slave vessels, I was still drawn to the box art......I like the way it looked. there were a few Briggs that were used as slave vessels, but my thinking takes me away from that subject. it's just a Brigg...the odd partis that I adopted the name.......seems as good as any, since what I would name her would like be fictitious as well the parts were terrible to cut out of the sheets.......this kit was not laser cut. J seemed to have a better time of it than I was.......mine being mahogany sided plywood, and his being blonde plywood. I was fixing them like crazy, cementing layers of basswood sheet to take the place of the delaminated mahogany. my scroll saw was literally tearing them apart. you can see the missing chunks of mahogany the part 1A for the bow, the modified part #10 with bulwark posts after cutting out the keel part, I removed these strips of mahogany from the cast off with my fingers! the repaired parts of the hull frame.....the two parts 9A are also added parts in the end, we both came up with viable hulls, and we continued from there. I was cleaning up the mess, just about ready to toss these parts in the trash, when my inner pack rat kicked in. so much was done to preserve these parts.......it would be a shame not to give it the 'ole college try, and create a second hull. what the heck.........if it doesn't work....I get to see it burn and so starts the assembly of the second hull I'm doing the Clotilda as a topsail schooner, which will be void of the mast tops. built as a Brigg, the mast tops can be used. I don't like the way these mast tops are shaped, so their refabrication is in the future. it must have been in the cards, because I had traced the deck platform on a basswood sheet, as well as a few of the other parts that required that thickness of wood. the same method was used to create this hull frame, as I did for the Clotilda, running a straight strip of wood fore and aft, and marking the centers on all of the bulkheads. the deck platform was cut out and notched.. I started this the end of February....I have a lot more to cover. so not for anyone to think I'm Speedy Gonzales, I'll give the dates as I go along, until I get caught up. I'll have more on her tomorrow

nice job on the deck Jo.......really looks super

superb progress Greg.........quite an array of goodies you got for her

ROFL

there is another remedy........like I did for my F 15 Eagle. I made an asphalt base {wood base painted flat black}, and I super glued the tires to it. I also made a stand for another of my builds, but it's hard with a bomber, because the center of balance is at the bomb bay doors. how I calculate how much weight is as follows: taking two chairs back to back, spaced far enough away to rest the wing tips on them. for this you will need to tape the fuselage together and the wings firmly in place. take weight and place it on the nose until the plane looks level. you may need to set up something to catch the plane in an emergency.......not that it might happen, but it's good to be prepared I do the same for my balsa plane too.

never learned the language...........just like in Game of thrones.........I never learned Dothraki. besides, there was subtitles so the top part must be Vulcan

is that Klingon?

she's looking good Tom one thing to consider........this is a tail dragger.........you will need to add weight to the nose of the fuselage for it to sit on it's wheels. having the same kit, I see that there is a space under the cockpit where the weight can be added, and not be seen. is that space viewable from the nose glass? I recently found a 2 1/4 oz wheel weight in the road , which will be perfect for the job. although this really wasn't a problem, since I had bought two boxes of different size wheel weights a while ago from the part store {Advanced Auto}..............{made me laugh....I had to tell them what each type was for}......then again, the folks at Auto Pro didn't even know about vulcanizing cement used for tire repair. if you have a garage that you frequent, ask to see if they have any used wheel weights........or check out your local part store to see if they have any stick on weights {for alloy rims}. I hope I caught you in time.

again I'm late to the party........thankfully no parts have seen any cement yet I do agree that the aftermarket contributions injected new life into the hobby. there are still way too many kits out there that are screaming for more detail..........besides the molded on aspects that are the main crux of many inaccuracies as well. I've found it to be a crap shoot though, as some of these replacement parts don't really enhance the model. what I've also seen, are the instances where major modifications need to be made to fit the replacements. at this scale, you'll need to weigh out whether the mod is worth it.........any smaller scale, and visual aides will be needed, even for the person viewing the finished model you got your chops........your no school kid.........you'll know what to do I'd have been here sooner.........but I had to watch that Star Trek episode love that show as well!

what I usually go by, is that most military aircraft aren't very shiny........with the exception of bare aluminum aircraft. a satin would be the best bet...........in sunlight, there is at least some sheen. Olive Drab was the go to paint for our military because no matter how you looked at it........it was flat it was the same with the Navy......gray was the chosen color....but I'm sure your aware of that. glad you did the stripes.......that would probably be something that I'd do.......why I mentioned it. you did a great job.

so I guess the Chitty is out.........that's what I get for being late to the party I've never seen a Boat tail model before, so this will be interesting.

I think Micro Mark carries it....I'll have to check

thanks for the explanation........you are the grounds keeper

yea OC........I saw you recent dilemma.. glad you found the way to make it work for you that Murphy is a pretty sneaky fellow....constantly watching and waiting for the moment you let your guard down..........................then BAMMMMM! Lt. Friedrich Kempf........but I should have done the drab over the light green......I would have gotten a better outcome. I've yet to remedy the scheme issue......doing a couple other things first. I should wait till I have an update, but what the heck....you all could probably do for a good laugh. I painted the stabilizer and rudder the other day ......the bottom of the stabilizer in flat black. I noticed some bleed through, so I painted the top of the stabilizer with primer......sounds good ........right?!?! well I brushed on some flat white over the top, and it looked terrible........so I waited a while and gave them a second coat. ....just as bad. OK......I'll put them in a tub of thinner and remove the color....bad move. it not only did well in taking off the paint, but it started to dissolve the parts! I got the rudder out of there and wiped it down......some sanding later on saved it.......but as for the stabilizer.........it was too pitted to be of any use. sanding removed most of the detail anyway. I have the other stabilizer.........I sanded the leading edges flat, taking the rounded curve off of it. the bottom is already painted flat black...........there is some bleed through, but I'll give the stabilizer a coat of light gray and then the white........un&#@%*believable! thanks to those who looked in........you are some brave folks!

I'm of the same mind........never used anything but enamels

sorry I missed all the action............sad to see that happen OC. I've had decals do that.......that's why I hardly ever coat them afterwards. something about the decal film........perhaps not enough adhesive properties. when the decals are movable on the paper, I like to move them around a bit, to insure they have sufficient adhesion. the use of micro sol and micro set can take some away, if too much is used. one might never know the cause, but it's a learning curve nonetheless. hard to say if the use of paint pens might have helped you, but I've done that in the past with reasonable results. you did the right course of action. glad to see you can move on from here.....and get this bird finished........hopefully Murphy free

Wow! your making fast progress with this project!.............looks great! the color looks super too...........the only tanks I've ever built had the rubber tracks.

I've never seen them before.........really cool! gone to the circus in my younger days, but never got to see anything like that.......lucky guy Ken! I've seen older wagon kits though, but haven't bought any. I did purchase the Budweiser Clydesdale wagon recently.......gotta be around forty years or so when the kit was released.

that's where scratch building comes in.........lots of time, the supplied parts aren't quite up to snuff, especially ship fittings. the use of paint is more of a requirement with plastic than wood.........with wood you see more lacquers and stains. Seafire is com'in along nicely OC

look'in good so far OC

......yea, like some of the decals @ 1:72 scale.........they can be a pain too she's look'in good Andy........the exterior is really sweet!

bikes are looking great Yves