BLACK VIKING

Hi all I need some help for a friend of mine. He is building ALs HMS Surprise and the figure head is not very good. Due to health problems he is unable to carve one for himself so just wondering if anyone knows of a replacement in 1-48 scale. Thanks for any help.
 
BV

Hi Mates,
 
A little more work on the mizzen lower platform. Self-explanatory so keeping text to a minimum.  As always thanks for the likes.
 
Michael
 

 
 

End of build day 40.
2 hours today.
122 hours into build in total.  
By the way, as a side note, this is how a freshly varnished Riva should be handled  .
 
Thanks for watching.
 

Trying my luck with the faux leather sheets which I had mentioned earlier that I had a tailor run stitches through to simulate the seat covers.
 
This is the leather sheet as it sits:
 

 
And here is the "driver's seat":  I have glued the leather and painted the rest with turquoise (the true color is lighter than in the photo). But I am not sure. On the one hand, it looks quite retro, just like the way they should be on a 70's Aquarama, on the other hand, they are not perfect. The other seat is the way they come in the kit. I have the possibility to wash the paint, rip the leather and do it from the start, though. The foldable trays will be installed on the back. What do you guys think?
 

 

And then it is time for an update and pictures
 
The snebbe got his blanket   
The gratings are also on the snebbe.
Have make the gap on the middle deck.
Filled and painted
Make two walls against the middle deck, filled and painted.
There is at the moment a lot of blue but don't forget....it's gonna be full with decorations !
 
Sjors
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

Der Frau (almost) never complains... Just gives you that look full of pity... 

Very nice photos Jack. I live near Hafrsfjord where Harald Harfagre fought a major battle to secure his dominance over the area where I live.  According to the legend, row upon row of viking ships were lashed together and they fought from ship to ship. My daughter-in-law's uncle, Jostein Nylund, was one of the prime instigators of the monument. Here is a couple of photos I took of the sword monument in memory of that battle. The 2nd photo is just to show the scale.
 

 

For those who are not on the Vasa forum, the museum is now tendering the issuance of the book Vasa II as public (European/Swedish) tender.
 
Fred Hocker expect publisher to start the final preparations for the book before the end of this year, so let us have a goal for the book on spring 2017

Added the rudder boards and started undercoat paint.
 

A lot of contemporary images show a tiled roof, in fact,  more than a wooden one, so I went with the flow, but of course, it's anyone's guess. I'lll see how it looks when it's painted. I can always change it.
 
Dan.

After two weeks, work on the head is now done. As I previously indicated, the kit parts were discarded (other than the figurehead casting) and everything was done scratch using boxwood strip and sheet. The intent was to recreate what is shown in AOTS. Although my version is not a precise duplication, I think that it captures the essentials of that shown in the book. While the attached photos show the construction sequence that I followed, they fail to show the large number of discards and redos that were involved, nor the amount of ugly language that accompanied the work.
 
I began by cutting down and reshaping the stem. This also entailed recutting the gammoning slot and filling the old hole.
 
Next, I did the cheeks and trailboards. The cheeks, including the upward extension of the upper cheek, were done using the same lamination technique I used for the hull moldings. The trailboards were cut from sheet and painted blue as shown on the AOTS cover.
 
The hawse lining was cut from sheet, drilled for the hawse holes and bent to fit the hull. The hawse bolsters were shaped to fit from strip.
 
The cat head supports and the upper rail were shaped using strip assembled using the same lamination method.
 
The middle rails are single pieces of strip. The head timbers are strip pieces shaped to fit between the cheeks and upper rails and laminated to fit around the middle rails. Among all of the fiddly work on the head, this was certainly the worst and most frustrating.
 
The catheads were made using laminated strip that allowed for easy work making real sheaves, rather than simulations. Cleats were made from strip and the kit's cat face casting was added. The catheads were painted black and the casting painted to match the natural wood.
 
Lastly, the figurehead casting was painted to match the wood, using the same paints and method as was done with the stern castings.
 
I'm really happy to be done with this work. It's always been one of my least favorite tasks on any build.
 
Bob

Hi again folks,
 
Another update  I have now completed the ironwork for the lower studding boom  which is shown temporarily fitted.  I still have some cleanup to do on the woodwork (and on the ship hull where I notice I have left some evidence of a misadventure).
 
The first photo is the promised shot of the cable bonnets shown fitted in place - the cable has yet to be tensioned and secured in place.
 
cheers
 
Pat
 

 
  
 
  

One little pet peeve I fixed was the deck ladders. The suggested pictures of the model all show the ladders being natural unfinished balsa wood color. I never did like that even though I went with it. I took them off and stained them, and like it much better for this vintage galleon. 
 

 
this is how they were before
 

I am posting my attempt at carving. The kit came with a laser cut sun, but I butchered it badly. This is my third attempt.
 
I copied the image and glued it onto a piece on boxwood.
 

 
Here a picture to show its size.
 

 
I first drilled holes at the base of the sun rays. It seemed to make it easier to stop at the correct spot when band sawing. I used three sizes of bits.
 

 
I then took out a little wood with a bandsaw.
 

 
Then I shaped the sun rays with a small bench belt sander.
 

 

 
I rounded the face.
 

 
I tried to carve the face by using the paper as a pattern, but it didn't work. I ended up needing to draw the face. I cannot draw.
 

 
The is about three hours in.
 

 
And this is the final result.
 

Stunning work as always Michael. I agree with Frank the second one looks better
 
Martyn

Stunning work as always Michael. I agree with Frank the second one looks better
 
Martyn

Very nicely done Sjors the blue looks stunning in the last picture I wish I had done mine in that colour
 
BV

I like that mast deck framing, looks better than the first one......
 
Frank

The ratlines for the fore and main topmast shrouds are now finished. Those for the mizzen are still to be done.   At this stage I think I will put on the top gallant masts for the fore and the main. All the related rigging for them has been prepared, and doing the mizzen ratlines doesn't bear thinking about at the moment. I will be going away for a while in a couple of weeks, and may wait to do them until after I return - though it does provide an incentive not to come back.   Here is progress such as it is.
 
The fore.

 
The main. A dab of paint is needed on the ends of the brass wire, and I just noticed the the fifth ratline from the top needs adjusting.

 

 
This is how it all looks at the moment.
 

So, after several days off this topic, I get some free time to come back to you all my friends, dear ladies and gentleman...
 
After finishing some generally introduction of Brazzera and Trabaccolo, I have to get back to Brazzera...
 
...It took almost two years of research business, very pleasent job, to determine the shape and equipment of the Brazzera we built... We get so close to the traditional shape, so I just can not beleive we made any mistake about any detail... The drawing was made in one year, the first model in nine months... And bingo !! It won the bronzed medal in a very tough competition ... This drawing below is what MarisStella Brazzera is looking like, and the photos show the first model made after this drawings... The model is 72 cm over all ... she has completed interior ... so she looks like this :
 
 
 
 

 
 

After the addition of a little spackle here and there the water was sanded smooth and covered in glass fiber.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

spent a few more hours working on things today.  Worked on more eyebolts and cleats.  wired up a few blocks as well.  I also got the ladders assembled and mounted, and the pump put together and working.
 

 

Peter,
 
This is the book. I was not too clear in my post.  
PS: I went through your Lotus build log - brilliant work indeed. Thanks for sharing. 
 

Stunning looking pictures the Viking ship builders were masters of their art . Hopefully it will come to the UK near me so I can go and have a look
 
BV