BLACK VIKING

nerly there...  some more parts to go 
then its time to prime...
 
 
svein.erik
 

thanks Gary........but I still feel guilty.  me.....a fellow whose up to his neck in projects    so I did a little last night.   it's not much,  but it added so much to the model.  the fitting issue with the wings has been rendered quite minor by this time........I did adjustments along the way.  with the wings almost fully painted,  I saw no reason why I shouldn't add them to the model.

the version I want to do has a yellow band around the tail section,  so I painted it on as well.   it came out pretty good,  but I almost messed it up.  I had decanted some yellow paint from an old spray can.......didn't want to toss it out,  since the sprayer was clogged........I got three small bottles out of it.  the one I chose to do the band was almost empty,  but not using it since the Wulfe Hound had a detrimental effect on what was left.  I stirred it and proceeded to lay it on with a brush..........YECH!  I thought I was going to have to strip it.......icky clumps and looked like diluted spackle   I wasn't too worried about the Green becoming active again......it had long since cured.  the other two bottles were dead.......so I opened a fresh bottle of flat yellow.
   it did a good job of smoothing out the old paint......I kept doing light strokes until it did......then I painted the rest.

I still had a few touch ups to do anyway,  so I did some of them as I went along.

you can see how fresh the paint is.......good shot of the windows.  that window maker is great!  I was going to cut some cello for them,  but didn't care for how 'sunk in' they'd look.  another point I made earlier was the main wheels.  the nose gear is closed......two doors provided......but the tooling of the main gear doors,  doesn't do the model any justice.   as mentioned,  it would look silly with the gears down and the doors closed.  the Revell B 24D kit proved to me that the doors are part of the landing gear,  and are not attached to the wing anywhere {much like P 51's and Spitfires...etc}.  since the model will be on a stand,  it made sense to assemble the wheels in the up position.  to look more aesthetic,  I was going to sand the wheels so they would look deeper in the wells........I didn't.  I just squirted on some glue and popped 'em in place...........EWWWWWWW.  you'd swear I gave the plane breasts!  they stuck out like the sorest of thumbs!  of course,  I spent time deciding what to do......bad move where glue is concerned.  luckily,  I was able to pop them back out without much damage to the wells.  after cutting off the glue part of the wheels,  they got a bit of a rubbie on a fresh sheet of sandpaper....brought them down to half their thickness.   then it was time to scrape out the glue goo from inside the wells,  and re-touch them up.

after all was touched up and back on track,  the wheels were glued into place.

 

now they don't protrude so much.........

I painted the props too,  so they are drying,  awaiting the next paint step.  the tail section is next on the roster to get added paint.  the yellow band just screams Luftwaffe.....doesn't it?!?!?!?

 

this is on the table next

Tire Technology:
 
I grew up in Akron, Ohio, “The Rubber City.”  Almost everyone that I knew had fathers who either worked for one of the four Rubber Companies headquartered there (Goodyear, Firestone, BF Goodrich, and General) or one of the companies that manufactured tire moulds.  My father worked for BF Goodrich.
 
The original pneumatic tires that succeeded the solid variety were bias ply and used inner tubes.  These were susceptible to catastrophic failure called blowouts.  A perk from our fathers’ employment was the availability of inner tubes for swimming, resulting in a certain amount of  “My tube is bigger than yours.”  Some kids had truck and even heavy equipment tires.  A friend of mine even had a wire frame with rudder and a sail that fitted over his.
 
The tubeless tire, a tire without inner tube, was developed by BF Goodrich.  The development was lead by a man named William Perdreau who lived on the next street over.  The tire was marketed in the 1950’s as a safer alternative to the tires with tubes as they were designed to deflate instead of blowout.  These tubeless tires were still bias ply.
 
The radial ply tire came from overseas, I believe Michelin, and was originally marketed as a high performance premium tire. In the early 1970’s I was still buying bias ply tires every 10,000 miles for my Ford Maverick.  By the late 1970’s the tubeless radial ply tire with an expected life of 40,000 miles had disrupted the industry.  Goodyear is the The only Akron based American Independent Major Rubber Company left today.  Firestone is part of Japanese owned Bridgestone, and BF Goodrich is just a brand name on a tire manufactured and sold by someone else.
 
Roger

well i finished it
 
an enjoyable build
kit quality 10/10
my effort 3/10
paints rattle can
glue was pva and medium C/A
sort furnishings by the wife, thank you
 
thank you for following, i have another ready to go on the build table

Thank you very much OC.
 
 
 
Thank you Mark and Ken for the nice comments.  A dog eh?  That would be a nice addition.  I've got a growing list of possible details - I bet Preiser has a dog or two.  Thanks for the suggestion.  
 
 
Hello Druxey - I'm glad you found this log and thanks for the nice comments.  "King of grunge" ? - you are a sweet talker.
 
 
I know the kind of pits you refer to and yes they were far more common than the fancy one I've built.  And I can clearly see the wood leg bench vice with the pipe handle - my grandfather had one in his cellar shop.  I can still remember the dirt floor and that dank humid smell.  Thanks for the comment Lou.
 
 
Thank you Popeye
 
 
Welcome Grant and thanks.  I'm glad you found this log and I hope you find something useful here.
 
 
Thank you so much for your continuing support Keith.  It's good to hear you're enjoying the log.  
 
And thanks to all for stopping by and for the "likes"
 
 
A vehicle for the pit frame
 
Jordan Highway Miniatures was a company that manufactured styrene model kits in HO scale for the model railroad hobby.  Primarily, they produced vehicles of the early 20th century including autos, trucks, fire engines and farm tractors, but they also had a line of horse drawn carriages, carts and the like.  These kits made up into detailed and delicate little models and it's unfortunate they are no longer in business.  The kits can still be found on ebay, but one must be willing to pay two or three times what they originally cost.  $6.95 no longer.
 
I have a few of these kits in my stash which I bought years ago and I narrowed down the choice to a couple of models – a 1922 Packard truck (cab only) or a 1929 Ford Model AA truck.  I built them both and I think I'm going with the Ford.
 
First, here's how the Packard turned out.

 
The Packard has a rather detailed drive train especially considering the 1:87 scale.


 
Here is a brief description of how the Model AA went together.  The kit comes configured as an oil tanker, but I choose not to use the tank as it would block much of the diorama behind it from view.  Instead I modified it and scratched a simple flatbed.
 

 
 
Below is the complete kit and as you can see, it is not a complicated construction.  But it is a test of patience.
 

 
 
I applied Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (oxide red) to the body panels followed by Testor's flat Hunter Green enamel.  Then a couple of thin acrylic washes of black and silver.
 

 
 
The cowl section is put together first, followed by the cab.
 

 

 
Because the material is so thin there are no pins or shoulders to assist in locating one part to another.  You simply glue edge to edge and adjust the angle between the parts as best you can.
 
Here's the cab from the underside.
 

 
 
The floor pan with the seat, gearshift and brake are inserted up from below and glued in.  I find the point of a dress maker's pin makes a good CA applicator in small tight situations like this.
 

 
 
The hood/radiator assembly is not a single molding, but rather a five piece construction.  The fenders, running boards and body pan are mercifully a single molding.  It was primed with the oxide red and then “painted” black with straight India ink.  I allowed some of the primer to show through on the fender tops.
 

 
 
The cab is glued on.
 

 
 
Underside items are glued on – front spring, radius rods, frame extensions w/springs, differential, drive shaft and finally the brake drums.
 

 

 
 
The headlight lenses are glued on and the trumpet is fixed to the horn motor.  The license plates are 3mm wide and above the number it reads “Michigan 1929”.  The dots on the right are gas/radiator caps.
 

 
 
Tamiya “Rubber” is used on the tires and washed with gray/yellow acrylic to pull out the detail.  The wheel rims were painted with the hunter green enamel followed by a rust colored pigment/water wash.
 

 
 
The flatbed is a simple affair of basswood 2x4s and 2x8s.
 

 
I placed a short rail around the forward half of the flatbed and all the wood is colored with India ink/alcohol.
 

 

 

 
 
The barrels are just something I temporally placed on the truck and may be removed or repainted.
 

 
 
And a little natural light.
 

 
 
Thanks for talking a look.  Be safe and stay well.
 
Gary

Short break - something different - before beginning the HMB Endeavour.  Am also going to build the Fokker  Triplanes by the same manufacturer. 

Post Forty-eight
 
Completion
I decided I would keep the display simple using the keel support stands supplied in the kit.

2972(2)
These were glued to a strip of ⅛” Castello Boxwood 3” x 24” left over from my Cheerful Build.

2973(2)
This was dyed Jacobean Dark Oak. I normally baulk at dyeing Boxwood but the piece was handy and in its natural colour was too pale for the scheme.

3009(2)
For space saving I have gone with the oar racks arrangement and the whole model fits in a space of 5½” wide by 24” long by 10” high.
Not sure whether I will get an acrylic cover to fit over the model at this stage as it is relatively easy to dust.

3007

2975

2983(2)
 
I have re-visited the Oarsman and adjusted his dress.

3012
I recall that Jason (Beef Wellington) suggested:-
 Think if you can get a little more 'flounce' to the bottom of the jacket to differentiate from the breeches they'll look great.
I took his advice and I think the figure does indeed look better.
It was also necessary to tweak the arm/hands position to accommodate the loom of the oar.

3014(2)

3030(2)

3020
 

3021
Not sure I can face the making of another nine oarsmen, but I think I will keep the one with the display.

3003(2)

2995(2)

2998(2)
 
As always there are areas I feel I could have done better but overall I am pleased with the result and have something very nice to add to my collection.
 
Thoughts about the kit
This Royal Barge offering from Syren is a very fine thing indeed. An interesting and rather unique subject at a scale that allows for clear detail.
This is a kit with many pre spiled laser cut parts, but it doesn’t feel like a kit, and any thoughts of a simple assembly job should be dismissed.
Chuck has produced a design that allows the modeller to experience a futtock and frame assembly and offers an introduction to carving decoration.
Great care and thought is required throughout and the end result is a model that clearly echoes the splendid admiralty style models displayed partly in-frame.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this build and the challenges presented, and have no hesitation in commending this kit to the membership.
Thank you, Chuck, for five months of concentration, joy, and a little frustration.
 
 
B.E
26/07/21
 

This fiddly wheel design slowed me down - 

 

 

 

Thanks all for the encouragement.
Realised I'd forgotten to put the bead cap on the railing newels - Doh!
Checked out the instruction manual and it shows them just glued on.  As this is going to be with brass railings, (no paint except where needed are the orders!), I decided to embellish them with a brass top. Holes drilled into the top where reachable, and brass nails cut to size slotted into place and glued.
Also added the three remaining upper staircases, thinning the sides down - something I should have done to the others before installing - as they're quite thick.  Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but always too late!

 
I've also rounded off the edges on the paddles as they just seemed "wrong" with the sharp corners.

 
Cheers for now.
Bob
 

Weatherdecks planking
 
As I wrote previously, deck planking tapering and curving toward both ends is what I want to represent. It was very tedious work to decrease widths of each plank at various stations, but patience and time solve it.
 
Planking material is 0.5 x 3 mm maple strips I bought from Cornwall Model Boats long ago. Although maple strips aren’t necessary supreme materials for deck planking, they are easily available, and their bright colours are quite acceptable to my eyes. Their widths are varying one by one, but I can select widest one as king’s plank, although its width isn't so obvious to eyes. Also their edges are sometimes coarse but it can be resolved by careful sanding. Anyhow I prefer maple than tanganica for deck planking.
 
I planked according to method of 3 butt system basically. Peter Goodwin wrote 4 butt method was used for quarterdeck, but deck planking drawing on pp 46 to 47 of AOTS Bellona shows 3 butt basically and are some of butt positions are shifted against regular rule of butt system at various points. Perhaps regular 3 butt or 4 butt system is aesthetically appropriate as model, I tried representing butt system which is out of regular rule.
 

 

 

 
When planking is closing outer edge of deck, I cut margin plank from maple sheet. My maple sheet show sign of times comparing maple strips, but I accept it as contrast between normal planks and margin plank. Another set of deck planking plan are printed, then temporary stack to maple sheet and cut alongside of lines of planking plan. Then I engraved dummy scarf at some point. Scarf joint positions are determined to not hidden by guns.
 

 

 

 

 
After glued margin planks onto deck edge, I filled rest of area with representation of hooked planking. They were shaped little by little repeating dry fitting on their positions.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Fo'c'sle deck is also planked in same way.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 
Method of gangway planking is also source of trouble of determination. Victory today shows continuous gangway planking from fo’c’sle deck to quarterdeck, but I believe this is later method. Finally I decided to represent gangway as separate structure between fo’c’sle deck and quarterdeck. I positioned forward end of “Fixed part of the gangway” at slightly forward than Elephant plan to adjust it on aftermost skid beam I previously fitted.
 

 
This was also questionable point, but NMM model of 74 gun ship which is related to Turkey around 1800 shows fairly long fixed part of the gangway.
 
https://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/66611.html
 

 
 
I was encouraged by this model and adjusted forward end of fixed part slightly longer forward than Elephant plan. Also I slightly enlarged inner edge of gangway according to depiction of Goodwin. Maybe widened gangway is matching to permanent skid beams.
 
 

 

 

 
 
I also planked poop deck at this point while I’m remembering experience of quarterdeck and fo’c’sle deck. Major difference is that poop deck baseboard is temporary dry fitted, not glued to its position because I wanted to plank poop deck at the situation baseboard is cambered.
 

 

 

 
 
When planking is closing to deck edge, I removed poop deck and glues last of hooked planks and margin plank. This time margin plank is glued at last stage. Inner edge of poop deck margin plank is cut according to planking plan, but outer edge is roughly cut, and cut to correct shape after glued deck edge.
 

 

 

 
 
Although treenailing is not yet started, weatherdeck planking is completed at last. Widths of caulking between planks are varied because of my imperfect work, but I’m satisfied to see representation of tapering and curving of planks are fairly well done.
 

 

 

 

 

Evening all,   I spent a pleasant afternoon  at the table,   it was detail painting time -  I started by painting the mortar, then the  tile slabs, then I blended it all together with a few coats of flat clear coat.
 
OC.

The longship is officially finished, just over a year from when I began it. It's spanned a rather intense period of my life, including the decline and death of my father-in-law, a lifelong scholar of Old English language and Anglo-Saxon history who was very important to me. In his final days, I stayed at his bedside night and day, at times reading Beowulf to him, including these lines:
 
You have fared in life so that far and near
Forever and ever, you will be honored…
Thus it is duly just
That one praise his prince in poem and story
And hold him in heart when he must head away
Forth from flesh elsewhere. 
 
This build is dedicated to him, as well as to my proudly Norwegian grandfather who was a mentor and role model to me, and who would have loved to see this model.
 
I can't express how much the support, advice, and discussion from all of you following this has meant in the past year. Life has been rough in many other ways beyond the above, that I don't need to go into here, but this model will always be tied to this period of life and I thank you all so much for helping me carry forward. With that being said, here are the twelve images I officially submitted to the NRG 2021 photo contest this morning (there's still time to enter your own models, the more the merrier). The first eight are required angles:
 







 
After this are four optional shots highlighting whatever details are desired. So I included this close view down the central hull:
 

 
This view of the chests, shields, and rope coils at the stern:

 
This overhead view that captures more of the cargo and deck detail:
 

 
And this shot of the crew ready for their next adventure:
 

 
 
I also took these additional shots that weren't submitted but that I also like. First, another of the crew, this time at the stern:
 

 
Then these two vertical views:
 

 
And finally, this one of the model's temporary home. I'm working on getting a full-size display cabinet for my models that will protect the large ones like this and my Arabia more efficiently than individual cases, but for now  this works pretty well:
 

 
To address the inevitable question, my next two projects won't be nearly as interesting to others. I purchased two NRG learning projects to work on my planking and scratchbuilding skills.
 
First, the half-hull planking kit, which I want to do in part or whole with wood I've cut and milled on my property:
 

 
Second, the capstan project, with the same goal for wood sourcing:
 

 
I'll do build logs for these, and am looking forward to working on something smaller for a change after this Viking behemoth!
 
Thanks, again, with all my heart for sticking with me on this voyage.

Sails.
 
The idea was to have a model with masts and standing rigging by September this year (after 5 years of building). We're going faster than planned 👍.
 
Before starting with the sails I need to make some templates first (Me, first drawing something before making it, an exceptional event...)
Drawings of the masts with the yards.

The drawings that wil serve to cut the templates for the sails. These are also useful to see if there is enough room for the runnin rigging.

And I have a large cotton sheet and a sewing machine older than m
Next to do.
Testing the sewing machine (has not been used for over 20 years)
 
Thanks for following, likes and comments
 

Background - 
One day earlier this year I found what I thought was an old penny at the entrance gate to the field where our horses are kept.
When I got it home and cleaned it up it looked like a token with the letters CD with a crown between on it.  After some research it turns out it is the cover of a button from the uniform of a Civil Defence Force member.
I asked the farmer if it could have belonged to a member of his family so I could return it, as he regularly uses rubble from a dumping ground to fill in holes in the tracks.
It wasn't, and he explained that he has an area of land that, during 1941 - 43, Bootle council used as a dumping ground for clearances from the bombing, mainly from the May blitz in 1941. Over the years lots of bits and pieces have turned up, including, gruesomely, some body parts. Over the years other local councils have used Crosby beach front to dump their wartime rubble, and to help create a sea defence.
After 1943 these buttons became plastic / bakelite, and where it came from definately dates it to the Blitz. The members of the Civil Defence Force were initially Air Raid Wardens, but widend into the CDF and became responsible for many other roles during and after the air raids. Liverpool Civil Defence Force
I've found bottles and cutlery but probably this is the most poignant and personal item I've found, belonging to an unknown person who, for whatever reason was unable to join up, took on this thankless and often dangerous job.
My grandfather was a member of the Home Guard during WW2, and one of his friends drove a fire engine His Story which he told me himself but here is told by one of his daughters. And more Civil Defense Liverpool stories Liverpool CDF Awards 1941
These stories and the brave actions were repeated all over the UK.
 
So this turned into my own little homage to these brave people.
This is the first time I've touched a plastic model airplane in about 45 years, but the button desreved a display, not just to be put away.
 

 
Thanks for reading,
Bob

I went a bit further with this model.......unfortunately,  real life called and I had to obey   as mentioned,  the fuselage was cemented together allowed to
dry.
  
the seams were touched up and the nose bubble was added.  I then realized that I had forgotten to add the stand button,  but was at ease,  seeing that it could be added after the fact    the wheels were painted....terrible to paint because the rims aren't raised enough to make the distinction.  this was where I ran into the fit issues with the glass and the nose turret.   even the clear plastic is soft.......trying to be very careful with trimming the parts.

here it is in place on the fuselage...

this was when I got the idea to compare the Revell kit.  hopefully,  in these pictures you can see the difference.

 

the clear parts even look clearer in the Revell kit.   the flat black detail was done on the wings....the starboard wing was done first.

the port wing was done this morning.......still need to touch it up

I still need to do the stabilizer and rudders,  but I needed to deal with the fit issues first.   one half of the fuselage was thinner that the other half,  and it caused the assembly to sit on there lop-sided.  the port side half was sanded to remove the extra material.....I think I got it looking half way decent.

errands are looming.........I'm gonna try to do more on her before we go.   I've done a bit of painting to the B 24D kit......it's a lot easier working with that model,  the parts are so much nicer,  without having to do all the extra clean up.  I haven't done anything to the Pacific Raiders kit.  it has the same problems as the Atlantis kit.......the landing gear vs the closed gear doors being the biggest issue.  I'm sure the fit will be better,  but I noticed that there is no slot for a stand.......makes me curious if the original Buffalo Bill model had one.  I was thinking of taking the stand from the B 25 kit I have {another Atlantis kit},  bit I'd still likely end up making one for it,  so I'll just make one for the Pacific Raiders kit and leave the other to it's own  
more to come!

I work on the sides of the head deck..
 

 

 

 
The ship gained a new image..🎨
 

 

 

 
 

Doing a test piece to see if I can make deadeyes small enough for the foretopmast shrouds. I found card just wasn't structurally capable of dealing with this size, even when impregnated with glue, so I've moved to plastic - the lid of a container of "Nature's Cuppa" - a coffee replacement drink with no caffeine (don't get me wrong; I still drink coffee, but only now and then as a treat.)
 
Here's one of the deadeyes:
 

 
Or in metric:
 

 
and the two deadeyes with lanyards:
 

 
and if you speak metric . . .
 

 
and in my fingers (note Landström's The Ship as the background):
 

 
 
I think I've pretty much hit the limit for small deadeyes, at least with the technology available to me. Fairly labour-intensive, too 
 
Steven 
 

Planking the inner front of the bow turned out as difficult as the stern planking and the result is not my best job. I don‘t know if it is my lack of skill or misshaped pre-cut planks. I spend some time carefully sanding all of them to shape so they fit into each other. I watered them only for minutes and used head to bend them to shape. But when time to install had come I had to force all of them into position knowing something went wrong. Sanding didn’t help very much. Not a good sign for further progress and motivation .. Stay safe.
 

 
 
 

good evening everyone
 
warm here in the UK at present, and we aint used to it, so not much done to the build, the carriage has had a top coat, i will fine sand again and do again
 
the wheels are made up but nothing is glued, so i will strip them down again and do a much better clean up job on them, they can then be filed to shape to get realistic looking spokes
 
 

It has been about two and a half weeks of very focused and intensive paint work.  The starboard, forward bulwark is fully painted, and I have the base colors down for the port side.  Here is an illustration of the effect that the walnut ink has in muting the intensity of the base colors:


 
These pictures give a sense of the difference, but the effect is more clearly apparent, in person.  The brown of the walnut ink lends just enough of a green cast to the lighter, cerulean blue to better approximate a period French blue.  It also has the effect of transforming the darker cobalt to more of an ultra-marine shade.
 
The following closeup gives a good sense for the interplay between the darker old gold and the brighter gold used to highlight all of the larger ornaments:

 
It is also more apparent in that picture, the way the ink gets into the moulded depressions of the yellow ocher trim; they dinge-down just enough to have credible depth.
 
While it may or may not have been a feature of actual practice, in the 1680s, I have made an artistic decision to incorporate silver leaf into areas of the ornamental program where it adds emphasis and clarity to the carved works.  Here, I’ve decided to highlight the under reliefs of the acanthus branches:

 
I am pleased with the dolphins, and even used silver to pick-out the eye relief.  One thing to note, this is the one dolphin hancing piece where the hancing moulding is located properly beneath it; on the aft bulwarks, owing to the layout of the sheer steps and the timberhead railings, that is not the case.  I included the mouldings there, anyway, because they added more than they detracted from the overall design.
 
Well, after very much retouching, this is the highest quality brushwork I can produce.  I will methodically continue along this path, right up to the show in October.  At the least, I am hoping to have one full broadside installed.  We’ll see.  It is a very busy summer, and the days and weeks are just ripping by!
 
Today, I am giving myself a little break from painting, and am making the hanging knees that are just visible beneath the break of the quarter deck.
 
Thank you all for looking in!

To say that my self-imposed deadline has lit a fire under me would be an understatement!  It has been a week, now, and I’ve been painting in the day AND in the evenings.
 
At this stage, all of the primary colors are down and I am ready to spray the ink wash before the gilding of the ornaments.  It is all extremely vivid, right now, but these pics will give a sense of how the frieze will come to life on the aft bulwark pieces:
 

 
Yellow ocher, I think, is a good unifier of these three colors as they all seem to play nicely with the yellow.
 
Figuring out exactly how I wanted to highlight the timberheads took a minute, and execution of the painting took many more minutes!
 

 
I wanted to draw attention to the fore and sprit sheet block entry, so I painted it black.  It seemed unlikely that the sheaves, at this time, would be cast bronze, so I painted them a dark wood brown.
 
Merely by padding the thickness of the sheer railing by 1/32”, I have created a much more realistic sense of scale for this detail:
 

 

 
So, I will finish up the wash and ornamental paint for this piece at home.  Incidentally, the dolphin hances will get the same aqua treatment as the figurehead, and this will be a consistent theme that runs through the ship, all the way to the dolphin on the rudderhead.
 
Tonight, I’ll airbrush the red base-coat for the port side bulwark piece, and the whole process will begin again!  Despite my urgency, this is the standard that I will doggedly maintain.
 
Thank you for the likes, comments and for looking in.

Was able to get several hours of work in on the Hood but still didn’t finish the bridge. A couple of the quad .5 inch guns mounted on top.
 

I see this style very frequently here, and I’m curious about the origin of the style.