druxey

The safe choice would be natural wood. However, light grey or pale gray-green might be other choices to consider. Usually the 'red' was actually red ochre; a brownish red.

Quite the collection you have there! Well done.

An excellent primer for learning rigging techniques, Toni! 

The piece shrank???

Looking much better. And I agree: G1 needs to be rotated more.

Those look terrific, Chuck.

I'm sorry to read that Troll City over at SOS is still alive and bitching.... I suppose that trolls have to live somewhere.

Yes; Christian is absolutely correct: Whenever possible, run the grain along a piece, not across it. Avoid cross-grain! As you had it is weak and prone to snap.

I agree with Pitan's observations; Nelson was not a weight-lifter! The revised figure is more convincing, but perhaps still tall for the size of his head.

Nice to see a more unusual subject, Colin. Your 'good enough' certainly is!

Yes, do try to avoid cross-grain wherever you can. G1, for instance, has one arm completely cross-grain. Rotate it until the grain runs at about 45 degrees to each arm.  You can minimise waste by placing parts on a 'V A V' principle.

Well, if you are a fool (and I don't think that you are), you are a consistent one at least! That hull does look very sleek now.

That looks really nice, Mark. Those small brass nails were called panel pins in England, I believe. I have a stash of them that used to be my father's. 

A pleasure to be-hold, is it not? (Sorry, couldn't resist that.)

Well, Chris, you are mastering a number of basic techniques that you can apply to more complex models later. As for the thwarts, it's much easier to trim them down to fit than to stretch them! You did a particularly nice job at the bow transitioning from clinker to flush at the stem. Well done.

Interesting collection of accessories. The wiring looks a but dodgy, though! Caveat emptor.

I also noticed the disparity mentioned by Craig. However, a closer look revealed a structure beyond the bow of about the same tone. Perhaps the vessel behind her? Certainly an interesting subject, Jond!

Lovely neat joinery as usual!

Just catching up with you, Alan. You'll be glad you corrected the orlop, as it would otherwise affect the line and clearance of the deck above and....

Drilling hawse holes is a very iffy thing, as you've discovered. Years ago I figured out a new strategy: I filed half-round grooves in the hawse pieces before assembling them on the model. The diameter was just slightly undersize and just required touch-up filing to final size. No chance of tear out or breaking off a hawse piece, plus the upward angle and parallelism to the keel of the hole was established and controlled.

Impressive photo!

You will have as many opinions as there are model-makers! If longevity is not a concern, then.... anything goes. For stability, hollow wood is a better choice. either hollow lifts, or plank on bulkhead. Other than the species already mentioned, another possibility is yellow cedar, if you can get it in your area. It is a nice stable wood easy to work with a pleasant odour when cut.

Likewise. A little late to the party, but... A lovely model of an unusual subject. Well done, Geert!

And... the magic begins to show! Lovely work, as ever, Gary.

Off topic, the eclipse: If one believes that it is all a coincidence in size and distance.... BTW, in Niagara we were almost totally cloud covered that day. Sigh.

That is such a pity. I do understand why you would want to re-make the spar. At least a topgallant has fewer parts attached than a lower yard!

Use just one elastic band per frame, over the frame. Use a small piece of scrap under it as necessary. If the plank is wet bent, it really shouldn't need a lot of force to hold it in place.

The diagonal joint is great when there will be a lot of stress on the finished item. In your case I suspect the load will be minimal!