BLACK VIKING

I have been working on this build for two-and-a-half years. I have followed harlequin's build all along. His work is excellent and solved several problems I've had. This is my second build; HMS Surprise-Mamoli was the first. After decades of plastic models, I switched to wood because I wanted a change of material and history topics. The pictures show the current state of things. The spars are also done. I'm waiting for a set of pre-built sails to arrive from Europe. I want to attach them in furled position to the spars and then mount the spars. 

Yes - excellent idea - this has crossed mind mind as well per "one of my ideas" that I alluded to above. Though I have made a contact re: an old "new in box" earlier edition of SOS with all solid brass bits - The leafing is still a brilliant idea however. The images that I have seen of the earlier brass Sergal kits - DO - IMO make a big diff. with small details that really stand out - adding to the scaling correctness. 
 
TBD.  images of the  brass bits taken with a mobile phone from the connection that I made with a MSW member. These have been in a box for many years - need cleaning polishing and spray brass protection spray - that said - the details look to quite good indeed comparatively speaking....Lastly an example of a superb Sergal SOS from their all brass release bits. Don't know whom to credit for this amazing build.
 

Contined..

Ok, First three steps... Engine & Frame, Running Gear then Suspension & Exhaust....
 
Engine and Frame...

Running Gear...


Suspension and Exhaust...


Next up, we start on the Body.....
 
Onward....

Hi all,   right here is the  first  camo coat on the spit  - out of the box and  de gased.
 
OC.

Glengree (480tons).one of THE ALLIANCE & DUBLIN CONSUMERS GAS CO. coal boats. Supplied Coal from the UK to Dublin for conversation to Gas 
W/C 11” X 8”
Jim

Annnnnd slow progress guys. Heres some pics if your interested. 😁

Yes that all made sense and thank you for the input as it is always appreciated. I have made headway in this stormy sea. I am going to do a double plank. My first layer is on.....a little rough..but Im pleased for this being my first. My second layer is about half as thin....more like deck planks but twice as wide so about the same width as the hull planks provided by Billings so very workable. Ive discovered a love/ hate relationship with the old girl......learning as I go. I discovered mistakes as I went with the first planking..but its a strong base for the second layer. I do understand the advice of not making this a first build but I am patient and meticulous and trudging headlong into this stormy sea!!!🚣‍♂️

I made a jig to help with installing the spars to keep them properly spaced and parallel.
 
Regards,
David

Hello all,
We added newly kits from Russian Manufacturer Master Korabel into our offer. You can find them here:
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We have in stock also some new kits from Model Shipways and Model Airways. You can see them here:
http://www.dusekshipkits.com/products?l=&velikost=---&vyrobce=5&poradi=
http://www.dusekshipkits.com/products?l=&velikost=---&vyrobce=6&poradi=

Evening, 
Thanks for all the kind words fellas! Much appreciated! 
 
Denis, you saw thru me...….had that color in my head the entire time !!!.…..I wish!!!!!
I've been thinking about my painting and the thinner/paint ratio. 
It dawned on me, isn't that sort of how "oil canning" is done for ships? A lot of that technique is in the paint/thinner ratio....right?
Or am I way off?
 
The build continues. 
With the exterior mostly done, it's time to start to button up the interior so I can eventually bring the two halves together. 
The bombs have been glued in. 
 
I test fit these things once and they slid in perfectly. 
I just don't remember kits of my childhood doing that.  Was always a struggle. One would fit, one would look like it goes to entirely different model.
Nice to see the plastic kits have improved nicely. 

Once glued in, I test fit the two halves and the bombs folded in amongst each other perfectly.

All of the landing gear are done. 
Nothing glued together yet. 

The cockpit has been glued in.

It just slid right in.
Some shaping done for a final fit, but not much. 

She's really starting to come together.
There's a lot of interior detail. More could be done than I did. 
But this is a "learning" model......lessoned learned!

The rear machine gun is glued in.
The rear gunner seat, and other detail, are actually attached to the other half of the model.
When I test fit this area with the two halves, fit perfectly.
Although, I think I did break off a tiny piece of PE, which went right back where it was, and no problems since. 

Stay safe
 
Tom E 
 
 
 

OK, so tonight I got all the worksurface pieces cut to size, fitted, and installed. Then, did a complete coat of polyurethane. Will sand tomorrow, and repeat. Also, installed one 36" receptacle strip below the side window and bought a 4' LED under counter fixture at Lowe's but that's going back - no installed wiring (110v AC w/plug) - not that I can't, but I would rather purchase a unit that's all there (plug & play, if you will!).
Looked into the vinyl floor tiles - 12x12 would be extremely busy - I laid out a pattern of black/white diamonds 12x12 and that's just too extreme. But, 16x16 might work better and even 24x24 might work, as well. I know I can get the 16x16, but haven't researched the larger ones yet.
So, here's where I'm at:

With all the rain we've gotten in the last 2 days, I now have a leak somewhere up front and that will be tomorrow's Job #1 - finding and sealing it up. I think I know where there may be a problem, but day light will tell. Rain expected again tomorrow, but if I get a chance to explore, I need to correct this ASAP.

Second step done.....

The end box trail, spade and lunett... (lunett = hitch)
 
This is 12 tiny fiddly parts , and also measures about 1.75 inches long....
 
Next up, the carriage...

Another 'side project' I did while the hold planking was being done was to make the 'easy' orlop deck beams.  'Easy' as they're flat without camber.
Dry fitted  >


Only the outside faces of the two end beams were beech; the other 4 beams I made from softwood as I'm trying to stretch out my dwindling supply of beech as the lockdown continues and no timber merchants are open yet.   In the photos above only the closest beam had had the mortices cut for the carlings.  I cut these with a 3mm chisel but cutting the softwood beams left the edges a little less sharp than I hoped for, so I completed these on the bandsaw.  I used a stop block clamped around and behind the blade in order to control the depth of cut.

As the bandsaw cuts the full height, I had to glue in fillers at the bottom of each mortice.  

Cutting off the excess and then some sanding, and the mortices looked acceptable. 

and back in for a second dry fit before going in 'the box'   


The positions and configuration of the beams, carlings and ledges, as well as knees will be a little bit of guesswork, as, to my knowledge, there exist no 100% accurate drawings and plans for these in any 50 gun ship.  In particular, there is virtually no information about the hold area and very little about the orlop deck.  I am basing a lot of what I am building on what I see on other build logs of English ships of a similar era.
My aim is to finish with something that isn't a 100% accurate model (I don't think that is possible), but to end up with something that is reasonably representative of these 4th rate ships.

Thank you Cog, I also hope to see soon how the finished work will be ...
 
the flagpole of the sail of civada, has for  thegooseneck a piece of cable that must be struck on the mast of the bowsprit, so in the assembly on the flagpole I only did a part to finish it when it will be fixed with the sail,

under the detail of the blocks for topping lift and guy.

Before working on the sails I want to finish the laying of the blocks on the tops of the flagpoles, necessary to put pull and place flagpoles by pulling the sails, a process that I had not done previously and that will take time, to see the Santa Maria before preparation of the blocks I made a silhoutte, reusing the old camera (instead of the cell phone, certainly more comfortable for speed, but less "known")

The first step was on the boom with the cleat (in front of the "long") and the block to tension the Latin sail at the bottom of the boom

after at the opposite end the bowsprit, on which I have placed three blocks, the single inside the violin, in which the runner of the block will pass on the flagpole, while the other two couples will put tension on the loops


the part of the cable used to tie the blocks to the flagpole is bandaged to prevent rubbing on the wood quickly consuming the cable (method also used for cables of fixed maneuvers)

the bandage is made by hand with the use of this tablet in which the nails are used to tension the thread of the spool to bandage the cable "coiled" by hand, or rather, with your fingers ...

see you next time
black Wolf
 
 
 
 
 
 

I started with the realization of the hooks for the blocks made with brass wire and with tin welding, they will be put under some blocks


for the realization of the shrouds of the other two trees, the foresail and the after mast, I used the usual system, I reported on the 2mm plywood the drawing of the shrouds and ropes


always align the bigots to the "tarozzo" which is the first wooden step, in the shrouds made on the foresail in which there is a shroud formed by a row of simple ratlines
I also finished the stay of the major mast, creating the horizontal support in which the maneuvers of the bowsprit will be tied

I continued with the work for a few days, finishing the maneuvers, you know the shrouds and backstays, I am attaching a series of images that show the construction phases in progression




after finishing the rigging with the ratlines I removed the support

fixing them with bigots to put them under tension

details


to hear from you soon
black Wolf
 
 

Update related to the wales and so :
 
Added a belt made of extra 0,5 x 4mm walnut strips + sanding with grit 400 sanding paper.
As highlighted you may notice some space between the belt and the piece that covers the bow section + first gunport (see previous posts).
It allowed me a nice transition between the yellow gunport area and the black belt as I used 0,5x2mm pre-painted strips to cover this.
The black paint was purchased in a DIY-store ( Hobbyrama for the curious, but meanwhile the local shop went out of business for reasons not related to Covid-19  ). So no AV-paints involved here.
Although totally (from historical point of view) erroneous I personally find the approach with the white paint below the wales quite appealing.
I know most of the French ships had everything painted in black instead of white (see last pic) in this area.
I'll have to make my mind up about the matter.

With the added tools, road wheel, track links, decals, and machine gun, I am going to call this one done and move on to something else. This kit was a fun departure from what I usually build. Too bad it's long out of production as it's a kit that gives a good bang for the low parts count, but occasionally it can be found at bargain prices on Ebay and at swap meets.
 

Post 4

Bulwark Preparation and fitting


 
Fitting bulwarks is often a tricky part of a build. The Fifie ones are simpler than many and I like the way Chris has etched the fitting line on the inside to assist the process.


 
The parts are marked as left and right, or port and starboard looking from stern to stem, and contain etched markings for the locations of the inboard timberheads.



5178
I soaked the pieces in hot water as suggested, but once temporarily fitted to impart the curve, I also gave a blast of hot air from the hairdryer.



5181
Holding the bulwarks in position against the bulkhead tabs is easy. Holding the bottom edge against the bulkheads less so.

 

5184
I used the converted Fold back clip method. I think Amati have brought out an enhanced version, as shown in James’s log.



5187
The deck has been marked with beam positions and a centre line against which the planking will ultimately be laid.



5226(2)
With the required curve achieved, fitting is relatively straightforward, just ensure that the fitting line and joint are properly aligned.

 

5229(2)
I did find that the fold back clips weren’t quite strong enough to hold the bottom edges firm against all the bulkheads when it came to gluing, particularly where the two pieces joined. Use of the provided brass pins resolved the situation, but a pin pusher is advisable.



5231(2)
The cutter-like sheer is clearly apparent in this photo.


 
With the bulwarks now in place, the first planking can commence.
 
 
B.E.

23/05/20



 
 
 

Built and installed the cabin bulkhead at Frame 12. 
 
The three pillars are made of molded resin.  There are a lot of these parts, and this is the first time I've run across this material.  It's a joy to work with -- easy to separate the pieces, and they clean up easily with a file.
 
Regards,
David

March 12th...........was when I finally got back to her {the Agillis}.   the hull frame has fully set and cured by now.   the deck platform was repaired....the bits that broke off were trimmed and fitted back in place.   at this time,  the bow bulkhead {or is this the Knighthead}.......I'm not sure,  but as it will work for the Clotilda,  the sill produced from the addition of this part,  will provide the seating for the bow spirit.

the sill I speak of isn't shown here yet........the plank strakes that will run along the decklines,  will define the sill.  I will be adding the chock at the tip of the bow stem to give the angled lift to the bow spirit.  I may need to drill a hole through the bow part,  to allow the spirit to run through it.  I do plan a fore deck,  so perhaps I can get away without having to do it     

the original part #10 was cemented to the ends of the deck platform,  leaving the overhang in the center {which is curved}........the new part #10A was cemented to it,  taking up the overage.  this bulkhead was also slanted slightly to give a slant to the transom.  between all this,  some fairing was being done........a head's up from dealing with the Clotilda hull.   some of the bulkheads are not exact to contour....if you catch my meaning   
   after these parts had dried,  it was time for the real fairing process.....a lot of it!   my arms were like spaghetti after!   down towards the keel,  there was more to be done,  but I wanted to get the deckline and bularks defined.......something about those posts dangling in the breeze worried me.   getting the upper end of the hull faired,  the hull planking started at the deckline.  I want to use as much of the original wood as I can...some of it was useless anyway....it was warped and twisted.  this stuff looks like mahogany,  but is hard as nails.  I'm sure that after adding a few strakes of this,  the hull will be solid  
  
at the bow stem,  the sill I spoke of has now been formed {more on this later}.   I didn't get a picture of it,  but looking at the stern in the pictures above,  it can be seen that I added the parts #9A to interrupt the large gap between #9 and part #10 {more on that later too}.  to help support the deck platform,  I added bits of wood underneath.
  
the idea here is to insure that these two strakes are flush with the platform.......I kept some of the camber    some testing was in order to see where to put the gun ports....something I've never done before!  I shouldn't mention it,  but I will have quite a few cannons from the Connie kit I have.  they do look a little out of scale,  but look close enough for the model......I used the bow chaser from the United States kit to check the height of the gun port.
I got the bow chaser from the Connie kit as well....unassembled,  but after all......I'm playing   
with the deckline set,  now to set the bottom lip of the gun ports.

to figure this out,  I needed a stand in........Cloey will do the honors.  positioning the cannons up to the bulwark,  it appears to be around 4 mm to 5 mm would be good,  to allow the cannon to have sufficient drop.  now,  I plan to size the gun port 10 mm X 10 mm.....seems to be a good size to me
  
the bulwark strakes for Cloey are 1.8 mm X 5 mm...good food for thought.   for what I need.....there is an abundance.   I'm sure you're wondering.......what's with Connie?   still in the planning stage,  but I assure you,  it will be interesting     nutz........off to take Gibbs for a walk,  and I'm sure the admiral will want to run the errands.  bee back in a bit with more .......still much more  

 

Recent progress pics.  Port side standing rigging done, now working to finish up the starboard side.  
Thanks,
Mark

Hi everyone, Kenna here- thanks again for all the help and support so far! I now know a bit of history and understand what it means for a ship to turn turtle means or to "vasa" per the shipwreck. (by the way, here in MN we honor kings who commission failed ships by naming universities after them: https://gustavus.edu/_ ) 
 
My Golden Hind arrived yesterday and it appears we have all the tools recommended for this model. We have a set of exacto knives in a cool old wooden box that my grandpa had (he would be 101) - does the group recommend a specific type of knife/blade set for modeling or would a standard exacto knife set work? Also, for glue- do I use a variety of different glues for different purposes or would something like this work for this model?  Also, I very sensitive to VOCs so if anyone knows a low or no VOC glue I could use, I sure would appreciate it, 
 
Glue Master's Cyanoacrylate .
https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Grade-Cyanoacrylate-Glue-Masters/dp/B00WHEM0UA/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2X5Z39H049LE2&dchild=1&keywords=modeling+glue+for+wood&qid=1590152990&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sprefix=modeling+glue+%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNlI2UzczUk1LMUpEJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjA1MDIyMjRVOUFEWkUwQkw1TiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTM5MDQ1M1cwQjVBWFQzS0gwSyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
 

Hi all . I have cut out a few more bulkheads and the false keel . I must admit they take a lot longer than I thought but I'm not going anywhere so they will take as long as they take. As you can see from the pictures I have cut them way side the line so I can sand them down to the right level. Hopefully it's going to be a nice day tomorrow so I can cut some more. 
Cheers for following 
Martyn

Hi all 
I have now completed cutting out all the bulkheads and kell and have dry fitted to see how they fit and all seems fine.
Next job cutting out the decks from some 2mm ply .
Thanks for following.
Martyn