BLACK VIKING

Hi Impulsius glad to have another Soleil builder l am also building this model so am looking forward to your build if you need any help there are lots of brilliant builders on this site to help 
 
Martyn 

Thanks for the comments Sjors and the likes 
A bit more done on the SR the knightsheads and bitts have been carved and fitted.
I have also completed the the rails on the forecastle and put in the round gunports 
Next job gluing the strakes to the topmost portion of the hull . Hopefully the next update will show some of the gold carvings in place on the hull 
 
Thanks for following 
Martyn

Thanks for the comments Sjors and the likes 
A bit more done on the SR the knightsheads and bitts have been carved and fitted.
I have also completed the the rails on the forecastle and put in the round gunports 
Next job gluing the strakes to the topmost portion of the hull . Hopefully the next update will show some of the gold carvings in place on the hull 
 
Thanks for following 
Martyn

Thanks for the comments Sjors and the likes 
A bit more done on the SR the knightsheads and bitts have been carved and fitted.
I have also completed the the rails on the forecastle and put in the round gunports 
Next job gluing the strakes to the topmost portion of the hull . Hopefully the next update will show some of the gold carvings in place on the hull 
 
Thanks for following 
Martyn

Well, I may be finally out of the woods so to speak health wise. Doctors said I had a type of pneumonia but as of this morning things are looking up and hopefully I am on my way to recovery. With some luck I may even get in some shipyard time later this week. 
 
So so thanks for all the well wishes! I am looking forward to having some actual ship updates again! 

Hi Mates,
 
Installed the mizzen yards and the last furled sail.
 Well, I do believe that all rigging has mostly been attached, except for a few upper mizzen sail lines, and other bits.
 =================
 An observation: I had initially a lot of doubts about adding sails. In retrospect happy that I took the leap. That said, the sails added (I’m estimating) probably 60% more required rigging than if I had just hung the yardarms without any sails at all.
 
Though as I had mentioned earlier – much appreciated the learning experience this provided.
 Now will start at the bowsprit attach, and pin locate all of the 100s of ropes leading through to the stern.
 
Steven Thanks so much for your kind compliment, remarks, AND for your link. Excellent indeed.
 
 Here are a few updated pics.
 
Cheers,

 
 

Micheal,
 
Have been on MSW since 2013 I have never seen (builds I have scanned) such a complete informative and educational build log. The narratives and pictures were like I was sitting beside you as you built. From this point on I think I will try to mimic the effort in my logs in the future, it tells the complete story.
Cannot add any praises you have not all ready received beautiful man just beautiful it really is awe inspiring, and falls under a museum quality build KUDOS.

Looking forward to seeing these huge ships come together and the differences between the two 
 
Martyn

Hello Everyone,
 
I'm working away at the upper ratlines at the moment so it will be a short while until I've got anything of interest to show.
 
I'm taking  a coffee break at the moment to rest my shoulders, so in the meantime I'll show you some more pictures of my home town. In the last set I showed you Hilbre Island about half a mile away in the estuary, here are some closer pictures. At the tip of the island you will see an old disused lifeboat station, this hasn't been used for about a hundred years, in its day it was fully manned as it was a busy shipping area, the lifeboat was man powered, oars, very brave men. I've included a picture of the old lifeboat.
 
As I've already said, it's hard but someone has to live here.
 
Ken
 
 


 

Looking forward to seeing these huge ships come together and the differences between the two 
 
Martyn

Thanks for the likes everyone 
 
I have now completed the stern galleries and have painted them . They were a real fiddle to do with lots of bending to get the right shape but really happy with them . 
Next job knightsheads and bitts 
 
Cheers for looking 
Martyn

Thanks Zappto Michael and EJ for the brilliant comments and also the likes.
 I made a mistake by saying that the stern was boring as I should have read through the instructions as there are carved columns that go between the windows. So have painted them gold with a wash of brown to bring out the carvings and glued them in place.
Still working on the galleries but slowly getting there. 
 
Thanks for looking , Martyn 

Looking forward to seeing these huge ships come together and the differences between the two 
 
Martyn

Absolutely outstanding work I could certainly live with one of those on my wall , beautiful truly beautiful 
 
Martyn

Looking forward to seeing these huge ships come together and the differences between the two 
 
Martyn

Looking forward to seeing these huge ships come together and the differences between the two 
 
Martyn

Scharnhorst Issue 15

 
Added a few additional layers to the middle deck structure. Not very exciting.
 
What is exciting though (to me, at least) is that two weeks ago I got my hands on an unbuilt partwork kit of HMS Hood (the original UK edition, not the botched German one) at half price. This gives me the unique opportunity to build both cruisers with aspirations of being battleships in sync side by side and have a look at the differences between them and the way they are built up.
 

 
So I quickly went on a building rampage and got the Hood built up to issue 15 too (here in the foreground with Scharnhorst in the back). One can readily see the size difference between both ships. The Hood has the option of being made RC capable, so she features an open design with detachable deck structures, making the build so far more complex (165 parts vs Scharnhorsts 118 at this point).
 
Comparison shots between ships will be made every month. 

Well, it's been a while since I've been here.... 
 
Things have been rather "interesting" the last few months, and not so much in a good way....  I'm no longer working on board any ships, as I my medical fitness certificate was revoked on account of my eyesight, more specifically, my uncorrected visual acuity (how well I see without my glasses). I did investigate treatment options, but the only one available to me is more drastic than I am willing to undergo at this point in time (no, not laser surgery, I almost had my head wrapped around that procedure....). I'm sure there are some of you who know what it feels like to have a career pulled out from under your feet rather unexpectedly, especially after having dedicated nearly 20 years of time and effort. Trying to figure out what to do now, and where in the world I am supposed to fit, is proving to be difficult. In August, I relocated out of my apartment to a piece of family property north of the City. So there was another bit of an upheaval to contend with, but the move was one I was considering for some time before the rug got pulled. 
 
Anyway, I'm trying to stay positive, and busy (80 forested acres does help with the latter). After getting settled, I decided that a change of pace was in order and I've been picking away at this build again for a couple of weeks now.
 
I've painted and assembled the large components of the forward house, as well as assembled, painted and installed some of the bridge equipment. The wooden deck is simply scribed basswood sheet cut to fit. Using individual planks did not seem like a good way to maintain my sanity. There are a couple more things I may add including the window glazing, as well as some further detail to the chart table. Good thing I built it so the interior can be accessed.
 
I've also started working on some of the other resin bits and pieces that came with the kit, such as the mooring winches and windlass, the auxiliary wheel and so on. The reels on the winches are just blank, but I've wrapped some light fishing line to simulate the runs of cable. And yes, those are scale pallets (there's no real secret to making them, they're from Osborn Model Kits).
 
I've also been picking away at more of the unloading boom structure.... lots of bits of angle bar needed to be added. on the whole, it has become quite a solid structure (after you take in to account the natural flexibility of the styrene!). I've also added the drive motor platform, and scratch built a couple of reasonable facsimiles of the electric motors. I had ordered some cast detail parts, but it seems that the company who made them had long gone out of that particular business, drat. Still not sure what purpose the small A-frame structure served, I have some suspicions, but seeing is it is something that has completely disappeared from self unloaders built barely a decade after my prototype, it is just not seen today.
 
I did manage to get some high resolution images of the ship from a friend of mine, that revealed a whole wealth of detail, and unfortunately revealed a few areas in which I have erred. But rather than tear the whole thing down and start over, I've decided to forge on with what I have. I'm not after making a 100%, down-to-the-last-rivet accurate model of the ship, I'm looking to build something that embraces the character of the vessel, and is recognizable for what it is. I other words, I'm keeping things as I have built them, and nuts to the rest! 
 
So... thats about it for now. 

Looking good Sjors very nicely done 
 
Martyn

Two small ones  7" X 5"
Portsmouth Dockyard, a bit before my time.
jim 

Thanks for the likes and comments 
 
There you go Bill some pics of the stern of the Sovereign of the Seas . Sorry there not very good but it was a bit gloomy here at the moment. I will try and get some more tomorrow as its going to be better weather 

Thanks for the likes and comments 
 
There you go Bill some pics of the stern of the Sovereign of the Seas . Sorry there not very good but it was a bit gloomy here at the moment. I will try and get some more tomorrow as its going to be better weather 

Thanks for the likes and comments 
 
There you go Bill some pics of the stern of the Sovereign of the Seas . Sorry there not very good but it was a bit gloomy here at the moment. I will try and get some more tomorrow as its going to be better weather 

Thanks for the likes and comments 
 
There you go Bill some pics of the stern of the Sovereign of the Seas . Sorry there not very good but it was a bit gloomy here at the moment. I will try and get some more tomorrow as its going to be better weather 

Thanks for the likes everyone 
 
I have now completed the stern galleries and have painted them . They were a real fiddle to do with lots of bending to get the right shape but really happy with them . 
Next job knightsheads and bitts 
 
Cheers for looking 
Martyn