BLACK VIKING

Thanks for the comments EJ and the likes.
It,s nice to start the second planking on the SR . I have finished planking the stern and bow forecastle and have started planking the hull sides. 
I have not followed the instructions and have placed the planks following the line of the gunports as hopefully I will not end up with to many droppers and steelers but we shall see.
Martyn 

Thanks for the likes everyone 
A little bit more done on the SR . She has been given a good sand and a little bit of filler and am really pleased how the first planking has turned out 
I have now started the second planking on the stern and have covered the transom and stern chasers. As you can see I have trimmed one side just waiting for the other to dry 
 
Thanks for following rgd Martyn 

Your planking looks superb and I love the different colours of the two woods brilliant job .
Martyn
 
 

May have to put that color up for consideration as well! I can easily get a lot of grabber blue from my dad's Mustang shop. I'm hoping to have some test strips painted in the next few weeks, (admiral is now out of school and so my build times will be a little tighter again till her new job starts). That may not always be a bad thing though.....
 
I am hoping to make it to the hobby store today or tomorrow and look to see what I can readily find. May have to order in some colors if they do not carry what I need. Then I have to find where I put the airbrush when I moved. I know where my compressor is at but I guess I have not yet unpacked the box the actual nozzle is in. How that happened I will never know... I hate moving...
 
The planking has gotten a little further since the last picture. I might have that row done this weekend. You can be sure that I will upload a picture when it is done!

Second planking is looking nice and smooth. You should not have too many problems till you get below the last wale. Until then the spacing remains even and straight across the hull. Below that lowest wale though is where you really have to start carefully measuring and tapering each plank to that they will all fit properly. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the comments EJ and the likes.
It,s nice to start the second planking on the SR . I have finished planking the stern and bow forecastle and have started planking the hull sides. 
I have not followed the instructions and have placed the planks following the line of the gunports as hopefully I will not end up with to many droppers and steelers but we shall see.
Martyn 

Thanks for the likes everyone 
A little bit more done on the SR . She has been given a good sand and a little bit of filler and am really pleased how the first planking has turned out 
I have now started the second planking on the stern and have covered the transom and stern chasers. As you can see I have trimmed one side just waiting for the other to dry 
 
Thanks for following rgd Martyn 

Thanks for the likes and comments 
Hi Antony the kit is very well made and the carvings are brilliant and well cast .
As promised a few pictures of what I have been up to. The first planking is going on and to break it up I have built the ships boats. The largest launch I have included some carvings on the stern , not quite sure if they had them but I like them .
More to come so thanks for looking 
 
Rgd Martyn 
 

Hi all thanks for the likes and following my build 
A small update I have finished planking one side and started on the other, it's going to be a slow process as I have torn the tendon in my elbow so planking is a little painful but onwards and upwards. Can't wait to get it all closed up and give it a good sanding 
 
Martyn

Thanks for the comments EJ and the likes.
It,s nice to start the second planking on the SR . I have finished planking the stern and bow forecastle and have started planking the hull sides. 
I have not followed the instructions and have placed the planks following the line of the gunports as hopefully I will not end up with to many droppers and steelers but we shall see.
Martyn 

Hello Everyone,
 
Here's the pictures of my efforts on the foredeck. The front rails were assembled and painted, the bitts were made as per plan and the catheads were made, TWICE.
 
Due to an earlier mistake by me I hadn't made the sides high enough by about 4mm along the foredeck and waist area, you may remember from the fitting of the side decorations that they ended up too low, I was now facing the knock on effect of that.
 
On the plan the catheads go through the sides under the cast strip and about 5mm below the sides capping strip. As my sides were too low the catheads when in place came in just above the capping strip height. To get some sort of ok fitting  I cut a groove in the cathead so that the capping strip would pass over it. It didn't look great but I thought that as there would be rails above it and with a strategically placed coil of rope it wouldn't be readily noticed.
 
I then got hold of that plan and to my relief I saw that on it the capping strip would finish butted up and flush with the side of the cathead. This design would fit well into my lower sides so I stripped out my first effort and did just that and the result made that area much better. Again I'm happy with the way things are going, I only hope that there are no more surprises.
 
From time to time I been making up the canons so that I didn't end up with a load to do at once, they are now ready for rigging. Don't expect too much here as I'm only gong to rig them simply and quite basic.
 
 
Ken
 
 
 

Hi mates,
 
Martyn - so kind thanks so much.
 
Minor update but big one for me.
 
Decided to “bite the bullet” and challenge myself to improve areas that were new and very uncomfortable (working with sail details) – so most of the day yesterday was trying to get these two particular sails acceptably ‘ok’ – feeling comfortable with the results;
 
The other nine are waiting in the wings, but I now have a direction.
 
PS: these two sprit sails are reduced by 30+% - they will be furled.
Would have been too bulky (scale wise )in full size --- Frank (fmodjr) thanks for that sage advice from your superb Vasa build log - I followed your build, and will furl all lower sails, but partially raising the lower main as you did- love that look that you created.
 
Cheers,
 

 

Wow what can I say every time I see your build I am just blown away ,brilliant work Michael plus I can smell those Cubans from here lovely 
Martyn

Edwin, Frank, thanks so much mates for your posts -- appreciated 
 
Peter nice of you to post Thank you!– much appreciated.
PS: Not So fast. Cubans are somewhat available in this small box. I was in Cartagena a couple of months ago and brought some back (not the Cartagena close to you, but the one across the Atlantic closer to me) And whenever I travel to any other country on this planet Cuban's are available (:-)
 
They are still illegal to possess in USA – so ridiculous after more than half a century. I have not been caught by customs - so far........
 
As always thanks for the likes and just dropping by.
 
Cheers,
 

Wow what can I say every time I see your build I am just blown away ,brilliant work Michael plus I can smell those Cubans from here lovely 
Martyn

Wow what can I say every time I see your build I am just blown away ,brilliant work Michael plus I can smell those Cubans from here lovely 
Martyn

Thanks for the response EJ I must admit I love the colour of the wood so I won't be painting mine with white stuff and as for the gold on the carvings that is a brilliant idea with the yellow ochre and gold. Trouble is we will never know what colour she was as she is under a car park in Cherbourg so probably not a lot left 
 
Martyn

I was thinking the same EJ . I was not to convinced on what blue to use? And also was her hull painted with white stuff or just left natural wood 
Martyn 

Mike, I think that is a problem we all face. There are so many great ships out there and unfortunately only so much time to build them in. I am glad I got started in this hobby early so that while I know I can't build them all, I hope I can at least get to the ones on the top of my list!
 
Marc, thanks for all of that information. I agree that the brighter light blue with the yellow ochre certainly has an appeal and, in my opinion, would be more in keeping with the flashy, extravagant wealth boasting of the time. The versailles grey reminds me too much of the haze grey that I saw plenty of during my time in the Navy and while it does great today, trying to hide the ship was not really what they were going for back then. I may be way off base but I would think that the brighter blue if not the full ultra marine would have been used just to show off how much money the crown could afford to spend.
 
I will probably play around with a few colors and see what I like best. I also really like the idea of using the yellow ochre on the majority of the carvings and gilding just the specific sun king ones. Looks like a trip to the hobby store is on the to do list this weekend!

Thanks for the likes everyone 
A little bit more done on the SR . She has been given a good sand and a little bit of filler and am really pleased how the first planking has turned out 
I have now started the second planking on the stern and have covered the transom and stern chasers. As you can see I have trimmed one side just waiting for the other to dry 
 
Thanks for following rgd Martyn 

Hi, Something of interest. An old set of line drawings has unexpectedly just come into my possession, how is for another time. I'm sorry for the poor quality photo but the lines are lightly drawn and although they are good clean lines my camera isn't showing them well.  They have come from an old attic and their origin isn't known. So the detectives out there get your Sherlock Holmes hat on and maybe come up with an answer.  The copy is about 6 feet in length and I can see that it was authorised by a curator from The Admiralty, Whitehall, so it is official probably a copy of one from The National Maritime Museum at Greenwich.
 
I have already found it useful in positioning the catheads as they seem to differ from these plans.
 
Ken
 

 
 

And just to let everyone know I am still working on models.....not just a hippie activist.
 
Today the step was built.  It has a laser etched slot to aid in its assembly.  Then at the bow there is what I would call a "standard" of sorts.   It has a hole in it to help secure the pole for the flag.   Another will be drilled through the platform below it but I figured it would be damn near impossible to laser cut the hole on the platform and then line them up so the pole is straight.  So I will be drilling with the bit running through the hole in the standard making sure that afterwards the pole will sit upward and straight.  
 
Except for a very few details inboard,  the inboard part of the project is complete.  NNow I will move outboard and begin to finish up the carvings.   Then after that its the home stretch.    Happy modeling everyone!!!!  
 

 

 

 

 

 

Great start to the second planking. It is good to see some color going on the hull.

Thanks for the likes everyone 
A little bit more done on the SR . She has been given a good sand and a little bit of filler and am really pleased how the first planking has turned out 
I have now started the second planking on the stern and have covered the transom and stern chasers. As you can see I have trimmed one side just waiting for the other to dry 
 
Thanks for following rgd Martyn 

Hi Mates,
 
Minor update. Working with some sections of the sails has proven to be – well not so much fun (for me)– venting here Hmmm---
 
I got through the boltropes – pleasant enough. Then came the need to add various cringles. Now those are really hard for me. So far the least enjoyable part of this build.
 
I am also not satisfied with the results. And  knowing that a reinforcement canvas wrap should also be included around each cringle has annoyed me.
 
Tried several glues on sailcloth bits and could not find a glue that “disappeared”. Also these cloth rectangles are to be sewed as well – just not happening.
 
I  re-did the martnets after buying some triangular deadeyes from WoodenModelShipKit (one of the vendors that advertises here). After fiddling around several times finally discovered how to lace without lines crossing over each other. Happy with the results.
 
So this area (sail details) is slowing me some.
 
Several of the other sails will not need so much extra work – and it will all be fun again (;-)