Charter33

Those decals are fiddly little devils with minds of their own! I resorted to clamping each bucket in my Proxxon mini vice There's a strip of double sided tape across the fixed jaw to help set the front surface of the bucket on top, and yes, that tiny gold spot just about the handle is just one of the decals that got away 😒. I needed 21 decals, ordered 30 and have 4 left......... at 2.8 mm high and about 2 mm wide juggling the monogram into the correct position with a wet paint brush kept me gainfully employed for a long evening. I no longer have access to the CAD and CAM software and hardware I taught with unfortunately, so producing my own art work and using a good quality printer myself were no longer an option. (Never thought I'd miss the smell of freshly laser cut MDF, but I do....) Can't fault the product I received and the customer service was brilliant. A couple of pictures of that simple jig for making the bucket handles. A 4 mm hole for the bucket body, and a 0.5 mm hole, 5 mm from the bucket's centre, for a needle. Tying reef knots with two pairs of tweezers gets easier with practise, a skill that will no doubt become useful sometime in the future.😏 Cheers, Graham

Thanks Andrew - and 2005 was the year that I embarked on this build too Mort. 😁 A slight delay in progress. Before tackling the stern facia I decided that it was time to re-organise the work area as it was getting a bit too cluttered. Space is a little tight, in fact I managed to knock off the starboard cathead when turning the model to access the other side one evening. Heard something snap, couldn't see any obvious damage so ignored it. Next day, with that awful sinking feeling, I spotted the problem. Couldn't see the assembly anywhere. The carpet has consumed many tiny components in the past, but a whole cathead? Eventually found it. It had pinged down the back of the workbench and then bounced under a set of draws - panic over...... and easily re-fitted. Then the pandemic finally caught up with me, fairly mild fortunately, but it still knocked me for six. All good now. When I trial fitted the fire buckets a couple of posts ago it was clear that there was an issue with the copper wire handles I had given them. They were too short and it was difficult to get the buckets to hang correctly. Only solution was to remove these handles and replace them with the recommended black .25 mm thread. Not easy.... First attempts with the thread tied to each eyelet was disappointing with the knots looking a bit 'tufty'. Solution was to tie the thread in a complete loop, a simple jig to ensure consistent size, and the knot in the loop being pushed down into the bucket to hide it. Buckets were then pinned to a piece of foam to pre-shape the handles which were given a light coat of matt lacquer to set them. Next job was to source the GR and crown monogram decals to enhance the buckets. With international postage rates so high I wanted to find a UK based supplier. On the advice of a good friend, a dedicated and highly accomplished model railway enthusiast, I contacted John Peck who operates the on-line company www.precisionlabels.com His usual range of products is railway based but he also does 'custom' work. Working from an image I found and sent him he produced the artwork and came up with these little beauties in just under a week, and at a great price too..... First bucket... Brilliant! A light coat of Decalfix made the clear carrier layer less obvious. All buckets now in place. Time to start the stern facia. After an initial painting of the black and yellow areas the window frames were fitted. To create the black panels between the windows I used Tamiya masking tape. At the same time I masked the P E baluster pieces, after painting them yellow, in preparation for the black lines. Preparing these with the VMS metal prep certainly improved the adhesion of the paint to the brass - thanks Robert! P E panels laid in place but not yet glued.... Once the facia was fitted it was time to add the capping. The instructions say to use 3 x 1 walnut strip, but this seemed too narrow. Instead I went for 4 x 1, and glued two lengths of this together to get a piece wide enough for the top piece which curved more than I could get the strip to bend sideways to match. This double width piece was cut to the required shape with a scalpel and sanded to final shape after gluing in place. To bend the curved sections on the top corners strip was soaked for 5 minutes in boiling water and then clamped to a suitable former, in this instance an acrylic cosmetic jar donated by the admiral as a storage container for small ship components..... Left to dry overnight the resulting shaped wood was cut to length and glued in place. Last picture shows the capping after it's first coat of paint. Added some more detail to the flag locker - signal flags made from the backing sheet from self adhesive labels, coloured with alcohol based permanent marker pens and folded to fit. Time to start preparing the stern decorations..... Cheers, Graham.

Looking good - I found these one of the more challenging stages of the build, just didn't seem to have enough hands....🤔

Just a thought - how about using layers of micro ply? Available in thicknesses from less than 1 mm, up to a couple of mm, strips could be cut, glued to achieve the required final thickness and clamped to the bulkheads to form a laminated curve, and no need to make those shallow cuts...

I'm hoping that this is the right place for this comment, and I have no idea who is responsible, but to whoever came up with the idea of including thumb nail pictures as part of the display that shows new site content - brilliant idea! Thank you......

More progress...... Mort - good to know it wasn't just me! I couldn't work out if maybe I'd done something wrong. Possibly it was an issue with earlier kits that has been subsequently resolved (my build has been underway for quite some time!) Going back to the flag locker, I found that there were some different versions of how many sections were blanked off adjacent to the outer transom knees. I changed these from the photographic evidence of a contemporary version, four sections, that I originally included, to that shown in Longbridge's book - just two on the bottom row. Moving on to the Poop ladder assembly I decided to try to improve the handrail. Rather than fabricating it from 1.5 mm sq. walnut I hoped to be able to achieve the elegant curves in a different way. Option one was to try and steam bend the stock material. It seemed unlikely that this would work so I went for an alternative method that involved laminating the profile using three lengths of 3 x 0.5 mm walnut strip. The press forming tool was made from a piece of acrylic - the forming surfaces lined with double sided Sellotape with one side retaining the protective (PTFE coated?) cover to reduce the chance of the component sticking to them. This is probably one of the most 'Heath Robinson' forming solutions on this site!......... but it worked...... After a light sanding and trimming they were attached to the rest of the assembly which went as described in the instructions. These pictures also show the fitted poop deck termination rail. As commented on by other builders this part seems very plain compared to the the original. Using some of the copper profiles left over from additional enhancements I made to the quarterdeck plus some pieces of soft solder I tried to remedy this - Additional bullnose mouldings made from the 1.5 mm sq. walnut were also added to the top step. With the barricade assembly attached I did a trial fitting of the fire buckets.... There will need to be a bit of fine tuning to the handles to get them to hang properly before gluing in place, but I also want to add the GR emblem to each one first, just need to work out how........ The stern facia is next, but first I need to buy some more Dull Black paint as I'm almost out of it, and I have taken Robert's advice concerning VMS metal prep fluid, solvents and flexy ca for all that PE brass. CMB and Scale Model Shop deliveries expected shortly...... Happy days... Graham

Happy to help out - mistakes are there to be learned from, and it's even better when it's someone else's error! I'm in Bracknell, about 12 miles from Reading. Lived here for 60 years. My eldest son and his wife now live in the west of Reading in the Tilehurst area. Cheers, Graham

Hi Martin, Yes - definitely trim off the excess! I made the mistake of not doing so, assuming that because the lateral alignment was fine all was okay. Wrong! Overcame the problem but it wasn't easy, as you will see in my build log, posts #15 and #16. Good luck... Graham

Thank you Robert for your kind comments, and for all the other positive reactions my last post received. Constructing the flag lockers and the skylight proved a bit more challenging than I expected, although those with the latter were, admittedly, self inflicted....... Assembling the shelving for the flag lockers went alright but I had problems with the carcases which seemed too big with gaps on both sides and top and bottom when the shelf assembly was dry fitted. Grooves are provided on the inner surfaces of the side pieces for the shelves to fit into and my initial plan was to cut down the shoulders of the carcase joints to reduce these gaps. It was clear, however, that by doing this sufficiently to get the shelves to fit in the grooves would result the size of the left and righthand vertical shelf spaces being noticeably smaller than the rest. My solution was to re-make the ends from scrap ply without the grooves. Once finally assembled and painted the overall length of these units still matched the size shown on the plan. Additional tapering plinths fitted under the outer half of the base to improve the fit on the deck. Installed with the inner and outer transom knees, ensign staff support and Horse. Comparing the design for the model's skylight and pictures of that on the full size version there was several differences, the biggest being the curved roof of the original. To achieve this the roof part in the kit was soaked briefly in hot water, bound with a strip of polythene and masking tape around a suitable mould - in this case a drinking glass, with parallel sides, zapped in a microwave oven for 30 seconds, and then left for a couple of days in the airing cupboard. It worked..... There is more of a decorative moulding to the edges of the roof as well and this was achieved by cutting away the lower layer of ply on the underside..... the tops of the end pieces were shaped to match the curve and the top edge of the side pieces was bevelled prior to assembly. The Pre-painted brass window frames were glazed and fitted before this assembly stage. Finally additional twin mouldings were fitted to the lower edges of the sides and ends (the upper one curved here} and the whole unit given a coat of matt varnish before gluing onto the deck. At this point the other poop deck fitting such as the various cleats, snatch blocks, Kevels and the Mizzen Topsail Sheet Bitts were added. Cheers, Graham.

Looking forward to seeing how this challenging project progresses. Looks like it should be a real cracker! Good luck.. .

Beautiful model .... congratulations on a true work of art!

This was just posted on the BBC News website (sorry, my I.T skills are not good enough to add those clever 'links' 🤪!), and thought it worth sharing https://www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-61637171.amp?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16540675428704&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com Hope this works..... Cheers, Graham

With the fitting of the Poop deck ply it was time for the last section of deck planking for this model, using the same technique as on all the other decks, black thread calking etc. Planking did not go according to plan, however, and it quickly became obvious, half way through laying the starboard side that there was a distinct kink in the plank line developing. With this particular section of decking being very open to view there was no other choice but to rip it off and start again! Planks were fitted to the same pattern as before......... with the position of the treenails impressed where required. The only difference with this deck was the choice of material for the treenails. Where I had previously used slivers of teak veneer this time I used certified oak sourced from wood recovered from restoration of the original. Way back in post #9 I described how I replaced the walnut rudder that came with the kit with this alternative. Loathe to throw off-cuts away I have saved as much as I could .... The larger piece at the bottom of the picture is destined to be incorporated into the display cabinet for this model as will a piece of original copper hull cladding. After reducing some pieces of oak to fine 'splinters' these were individually carved to shape with a scalpel and glued into place in the pre-marked holes that were by now drilled to 0.5 mm diameter. The failure rate was noticeably higher than the previous material, with the oak being far more brittle and difficult to work, but if they survived the scalpel they were usually strong enough to be glued in place. Once trimmed down the whole deck was cleaned up with a cabinet scraper and the given a couple of coats of matt varnish. The bulwarks have now been lined and attention moves on the the Poop deck fittings including the flag locker and the skylight, the latter of which looks like it provides an opportunity for a bit more 'bashing'...... Cheers, Graham.

Hi David, Your plan to plank the round houses that way will work, but just a 'heads up' with regard to your last sentence - I found that the top edge of the wales needed trimming lower (only under them) to get a good fit as the round house extends through them and overhangs a little. Your build is progressing impressively! Good luck, Graham

I know I've used this phrase before, but:- Superb!

Just gorgeous......

Had a good session in the shipyard today...... Started by modifying the slot in the stem to improve the fit of the main figurehead casting This went well and closed the gap between the lower 'rose and thistle' section and the bow curved rails, as this picture shows....... just dry fitted ..... I then went on to fit all the figurehead castings with rapid drying epoxy adhesive, Construction of the Cat Heads was fairly straight forward with the only problem being my inability to locate the 5 x 0.5 walnut strip for the two middle longer pieces that form the lamination. The parts list says there should be one strip, but repeated searching through the timber supplied failed to locate it. In the end I resorted to sanding a short length of the 5 x 1 strip that is used for the rest of this assembly down to the required thickness using a sanding block and a pair of old hacksaw blades either side of it as thickness guides. Here both are made together with the cleats, and here they are painted up and ready to fit While they were drying I skipped ahead and added the poop deck using my stock of weights to hold it down until the PVA had dried, and then went on to paint and fit the Marines Walk The Cat Heads were by now ready to be glued in place Just the curved brass decoration left to add to the bow now, but it's a little late this evening to start metal bashing.......... Cheers, Graham.

A quick update - the figurehead castings together with the Cat-Head decorations have now been painted. With my phone contantly set to Google images, many touch ups and endless alterations, I'm now calling these ready for eventual fitting. At one stage I was reduced to using the proverbial one-hair paint brush..... Right - on with the Cat-Heads..... Cheers, Graham

Yes Shipman, with hand built cars like the Morgan every car is pretty much a prototype and idiosyncrasies are in-built. As for bought in components, our car was BMW powered, but can't fault power or handling. Wet weather is not the best environment for a Moggy, love to own one but a lottery win would be required first. A biker too, 850 Norton Commando, so very familiar with the joys of riding in wet trousers or with a frozen 'tash' 🥶😄

Oh, they are still making them, in fact they re-launched a ground up re-design last year - fabulous! Hand on heart the Morgan factory tour in Malvern is by far the best that I have ever been privileged to experience, with the Biggin Hill Spitfire factory and the MacCallum Distillery tours close second. I have not (yet!) had the pleasure of driving the three wheeler, but when Covid scuppered plans to celebrate 40 years of marriage in Asia the Admiral and I decided to tour the Lake District in this beast, the new plus 4, hired directly from the factory.... Totally impractical for a torrential late October week in Cumbria, but so much fun!!! We never had the chance to drop the hood, yet alone hit the 'sport mode' button, but on the journey back to the factory I floored the accelerator to overtake a lorry and went from 65mph to just under a ton in the blink of an eye..... I'm normally a very cautious driver - honest! There was a 'one take' drone flight through the Morgan factory site on their website recently that's well worth watching...... Cheers, Graham

Shaping the knights was very straight forward, as was adding the brass dowels that strengthen them when fitted to the deck. For the boomkins it was time to get on the old Hobbymat lathe. Two over length pieces of 4 mm dowel were first turned down to 3 mm dia. for a short distance at one end to fit snuggly into a short length of 4 mm brass tube. This was to prevent the wood being crushed in the chuck. A 2.5 mm brass ring, clipped off some eyebolts, was glued to the 'narrow' end to help stop the wood splitting when supported by a revolving centre in the tailstock and to give a reference to how much the dowel needed to be reduced. Mounted in the lathe, with the cross slide removed....... the taper was achieved using abrasive paper over a piece of scrap acrylic......... ...carefully using a thumb as a travelling steady. With the Knightheads temporarily located it was a straight forward job to line up the boomkins to mark the angle that they needed to be trimmed to. Once cut. re-enforced with a brass dowel and sanded they were glued to the outer knighthead surfaces. When the glue had set the assemblies were removed and painted. One final fitting, together with the blacked handrails, and then all these components will be put into safe storage until later. Catsheads next - but looking at that last picture I think it's time for a bit of 'housekeeping' on the work bench first ...... Cheers, Graham.

Stunning attention to detail, as ever, Robert! Brilliant....

Hi, Thank you for your generous comments. Whenever brass needs blacking I always use 'Birchwood Casey Brass Black'. Once you crack the way to prep the brass first it's pretty straight forward. It works best on brass, however although I've also managed to get good results in copper too.(the copper content is what the chemicals reacted with I believe). The carrinades supplied with the kit differ from the other guns. While the latter are brass and the solution will do the trick, the two Carronades are white metal castings. They were therefore painted. I used Jotika's acrylic 'Matt (metal) Black' They produce the Caldercraft kit. Hope this answers your question. Cheers, Graham.

Thanks Robert - much appreciated.... It's been quite a journey but the main bow structure is now complete. Rather than paint the ply sides of the timber heads yellow and then glue a 2 mm strip painted blue on top, I elected to make these decorative strips 3 mm wide, paint them blue and then use 2 mm masking tape up the centre. The unmasked edge areas were then painted yellow. Once a bit of stock strip had been prepared it was cut to size, the ends were painted, and the frame effect was complete. This flatter decoration method seems to match the real thing a little better. Temporarily fitting the two gratings was a great help in working out how the timber heads needed bevelling. The instructions say to line the aft edge of the gratings with 2 mm sq. flexible beech. There was no mention of the need to taper these to match the curve of the deck so I made the decision to go ahead and do this.... Next stage is to produce the stanchions and hand rails from 0.7 mm brass wire. No drawings provided in the plans so it was necessary to glean the shape from on-line photographs. Once dry fitted and then 'blacked' these will be stored safely until later to prevent damage while other tasks are carried out. Knightheads and Boomkins await...... Cheers, Graham.

Thanks for the 'likes'! Hope you find the find the planking cradle works for you, Gray - it was my solution to trying to make driving in the pins when first planking a bit less awkward. A quick up-date - comparing the main bow rails supplied in the kit with the full size example on the original currently undergoing renovation in Portsmouth there appears to be, once again, some finer details omitted. The scale versions have a rebate machined along the lower edge which actually have a moulding in real life. To replicate this I decides to try and add some decorative lines. After playing around with a variety of copper wires stripped out of electrical cables I finally went for some soft solder - easy to shape and fix in place with C A glue. Bare solder in place with masking tape over the black painted sections............ All painted and ready for installation......... Getting there.....slowly..... Cheers, Graham.