glbarlow

12 hours ago, Blue Ensign said:

build her as a Navy Board Style model without masting and rigging,

I will enjoy watching your build. Like you I just had to press the button. I may go also go without masts and rigging, I’ll wait till i get to that point and then decide. Either way, darn that Chris with his innovative design and that James with his photography. 
 

I’m thrilled Chris has sold 50 through pre-sales alone. 

22 minutes ago, Jasseji said:

Pear but somewhere i read it is not good for planking

Not sure where you heard that, Pear is excellent for planking, I’ve not heard of using beach wood.  You can see pear used on any Vanguard build log  as that’s what Chris supplies with his kits. 

I use both Morton Swan scalpel and Excel #11 blades depending on what I’m doing. I buy both blades in bulk and change as often as I need to. That and a set of sharp Veritas mini chisels are All I need.  

5 minutes ago, Louie da fly said:

terminology - "Sharp end" and "blunt end" 

Which one is which🤣

A good guide to keep from sanding too much is to leave a light strip of char on the back of the bow bulkheads and front of the stern bulkheads. You’re sure to keep the designed shape that way. 
 

Of course running a batten to check your work is the best bet. 

This is such a great idea. Well done!

Nikon all the time all day every day 😁🧐😀😎😂🤣

There are as many opinions on which is best as there are camera owners, really at this point of the digital age there isn’t much difference between one or the other among the top 3: Nikon, Canon, and Sony (other than structure and layout of the menus).

Have you looked at the other Lady Nelson build logs?  They are a great source to see what others have done and benefit from what they learned.  Are you tapering your planks? No more than the first two van be full width. May I suggest your fairing needs work.  You should be able to smoothly lay a batten (a very thin strip of wood or even paper card) from front to back and make smooth contact with every bulkhead. The front bulkheads seem to have an angle to them verse a curve. 
 

Those gun ports often buckle a bit at that spot, you’ll be able to sand it down quite a bit after the first planking.

LN is a good model to learn with, I hope you have fun building it and supporting your son’s hobby store trips. 

4 hours ago, Razorbill said:

hobby backwards,

 I know a ship has a bow and a stern, it gets dicey after that 🤣😂 I love working with the wood and the lines and grace of a sailing ship. Build what seems interesting, the rest will come

You want to light two things separately.  The brighter light is pointed at the background (behind the ship) to make it white, even or less light results   In gray. This also eliminates shadows. The second light is pointed at the ship, adjust the brightness here until you get the right balance, orient it based on what your shooting. Go with as high as an f/stop (larger number) as you can for depth of field, but at some point that’s more than the lights can manage (every step up takes a step up in light brightness). It takes some experimenting especially when your new at it. 
 

Highlight aspects of the ship by going close in, whole ship photos aren’t interesting other than establishing a baseline for the closer shots. 
 

Hope that helps   

Really beautiful work, just amazing.  You’ll be the hit of the show!

I see mini-you is taking a nap there on the base, fitting I’m sure. 🤣

I'd have to agree - the best first model is one from Vanguard Models.  You may find cheaper ones with the result you become discouraged with models and simply never finish it. I have to disagree about Midwest Models, I found two on eBay to build with my grandkids and found them much more frustrating and irritating than any other model I've built - cheap is what they are in both prices and build-ability. You truly get what you pay for and a cheap model is not the place to start.

Chris provides detailed and expert instructions with well thought out plans to go with a model that is designed with modern concepts and supplied with high quality material - all pear wood verses brittle walnut as example.  You will make mistakes, we all do, your chances of recovering from those and still  being inspired to finish with one of the Zulu models than any other kit out there for a first timer.  A beginner, or even advanced, builder just can't go wrong with a Vanguard model.

I don’t have those lines on my masters Shipwright version, nor does bulkhead 10 have front engraved on it (though obviously that’s easy to figure out). Sorting out the beveling is no big deal either, just as FYI to Chris.   I i

do have the first kit out the door though.  Just now starting it.  

I've always mounted my models with brass pedestals on a walnut base. I'll give the acetate a try for Flirt, it is nice looking.  However I'll have to glue it in so my grandson doesn't think this is the model, "when can I play with one that has guns?" he gets to play with. 😄

Good to know about the waterline, I hadn't thought about that.

Not many, if any kit providers include one stand let alone two.  Thanks Chris!

On 4/26/2021 at 5:06 PM, Chuck said:

complete the base for the case

Will some form of base be an option for purchase later (sorry if this has been answered)?

5 hours ago, Gregory said:

support the theft of intellectual property..

What is your source for that statement? I haven’t been in contact with Bob in years but it doesn’t sound like him. 

While Bob is/was a bit cantankerous on his forum I too got my start in this hobby with his AVS practicum which are still available Here   I would never have built my first model without it. My POF Fair American is from another of his practicums and is one of my best models. Unfortunately I heard he sold the rights to his several nice models to a plastic models company that never did anything with them. 
 

I recommend his practicums. 

52 minutes ago, Chuck said:

Old masters fruitwood gel stain works great for this. 

This is good to know, thanks.  I just ordered some for the Winnie resin casts.

The pear is looking very nice, I like the black wood for the wales, well done. 

Excellent work!

Good for you making the tough decision to start over. At least you didn’t have the frame destroyed like I did. I went through a lot of planking. I don’t regret it at all, I got better each time as I’m sure you are. 
 

3 weeks of vacation…nice!

Wow, the completed model and display is vivid and simply outstanding! Well done, definitely a model to be justly proud. 
 

So what’s next?

Don’t go cheap on brushes, but you don’t need high end artist level either. Buy good ones, take care of them with proper cleaning and they will last a long time.  Hobby Lobby has Princeton Velvet Touch and Master’s Touch brands both of which I like. I prefer shaders and spotters, I rarely, (never really) use a round brush. I also prefer a range of sizes in both types,  20/0, 18/0, 10/0, 5/0, 3/0, 2, 4, 6, 8, even ¾ for hull paint jobs. I don’t care for spray painting, I like the look of a well applied brush and use the size/type brush I want for the job.

Brushes are important, so is, and maybe more so, the quality of the acrylic (no oils on wood for me) paint.  There are lots of good brands and most have their favorite.  Buy small tubes/bottles of several to test and see what you like.

This is my preliminary test of colors and four different brands for my upcoming Winchelsea build as example. I may be a little over the top on this topic I admit. 

I rigged Pegasus with every line it would have including sail handling, without including sails.  It's a lot of work but worth doing at least once, it does make a compelling model to see how much rigging the real ships carried. It isn't necessary to include the sails if you want to include the sail tackle. Really your aesthetic choice on how you want to see it completed with or without.

To complete my project I've added an album to the Gallery section here 

Once again I thank you all for the gracious comments on my completed Cheerful.