BLACK VIKING

Well, I am back! I have been busy working on the ship and doing other things which is the reason I have not been keeping up with the blog.
I have completed the hull work and I just finished doing the shrouds and getting ready to start doing the rag lines. As I stated before, I am not using the shrouds that came with the kit, I am doing my own, attached here are photos that shows the completed shrouds, I have started making the rag lines an have dome general clean up and adding additional details to make the ship look more ancient and distressed.
I also plan to use fabric sails, that is when I discovered that the crossbeams (I am not sure that is the proper name, I am referring to the wood bean that holds the sail) are also molded to the kit sails, they are not a separated part. I went to Hobby Lobby and found a dowel of the same size which I will be using to fabricate the crossbeams. Here are the photos as the ship stands today:
Well, until next time
Joe

I  have  had a look at another way I could place the farm  on my board when it comes with the case - instead of placing it  flat against the back with the roadway along the front, I could place it at a slight angle - that way I could place some of the figures around the farm not just the front and left  sort of like this   - what do you think  - 
 
OC.

Today I mounted the last piece on the hull, the strip that will become the oarlocks. It is only roughly shaped before installed. The final shaping will continue when I have plugged it firmly with tree nails. They should be made in individual pieces, one for each oarlock. But I will skip this, and only indicate the joints between them.
 

The shape to aim for is this:

 
I have also finished the last footlings, and have added decks in the fore and aft. Here are some pictures before I put stain on the new parts.
 
The footling under the fore deck.

The fore deck. It is separated in two levels, otherwise the incline would have been to steep. There are no remains left of the decks in the archeological find, so the reconstruction work came up with a plausible construction. This is what I have included in my model.

The mid section and aft deck (with rudder).

And a last picture with the oars, mast and yard onboard.
 

 
 
 
 

I finished assembling frames 6
 

 
7
 

 
and most of frame 8
 

 
in the meantime I assembled the jig,
 

 
I then tried to assemble the keel parts, but found a production error, the parts are milled from both sides, and the two sides weren't correctly aligned.
 

 
It is possible to sand this down flat, but then the height of resulting keel part is too small. So I told Tom, and he right away sent a new part (Now this I call great customer service!)
 
With the new keel I now started dry fitting the frames in jig.
 

Painting continues.  Although the following pics don’t reflect it, all the yellow ocher is done and the walnut ink distress wash has been applied.  I’ve begun the gilt work, and am making my way around the gallery.
 
The purpose of these photos is to illustrate the middle balcony tier, supporting corbels. The middle three are stock kit parts.  The outer two were scratch-made because even the secondary kit corbels that are more shallow, in depth, still extended beyond my balcony edge; I had made a conscious decision to reduce the depth of my middle balcony because I knew there were limits to how far I could stretch the Four Seasons figures - more on them, in a moment.
 


Among the myriad tiny considerations is the fact that the corbels must align with the tilting angle towards the centerline, as delineated by the pilasters, but they must also account for the secondary angle introduced by the round-up.  These were very fiddly to fit.
 
As is my practice, I had masked-off strips on the underside of the balcony to ensure a welded styrene bond.  Naturally, this necessitated a certain amount of re-touching to the yellow.  The Vallejo paint I’m using is not model-specific, but from their artist’s line, instead.  It thins beautifully, but requires numerous passes to achieve good color saturation with a brush.  The paint also remains rather soft for a number of weeks after application.  For my tastes, these are worthwhile trade-offs for the ease of application and a smooth painted surface.
 
The middle gallery side bulwarks are rounding into form.  I made and fit the pilaster pieces, and carved the port side lattice:

Not surprisingly these pieces became significantly more stiff when I CA-glued the resin name badges.  I will have to heat-form these, before painting and installation, with a hairdryer so that they take the curve of the gallery without introducing stress.
 
As I did for the upper bulwark frieze, I cut hard shoulders and shallow reliefs to suggest an intertwining of the frieze banding:

This may seem hard, but it really is not and can be accomplished with nothing more than a #11 blade to cut the shoulders, and a narrow, curved blade to sneak in and cut the reliefs.
 
I was going to add resin scrolls around the name plate, but the flexibility issue, together with the fact that I’d have to relieve these resin scrolls too far into the nameplates, changed my course; I decided, instead, to simply model and define the scroll shapes surrounding the nameplates.  I still have yet to add the diamond flower ornaments to the Xs on either side of the nameplates.
 
By far, the most enjoyable phases of this project are those times when I discover an opportunity to re-incorporate stock parts of the kit to my new architecture.  Adding the bow extension pieces was the first formidable challenge of this kind.  The Four Seasons figures present a similarly challenging attempt at plastic surgery.
 
Tanneron most likely drew inspiration from this later drawing of what I believe is SR1693:

As such, there is a projecting lower stern balcony, and the Four Seasons figures have a more upright posture, in supporting the balcony above.  The Heller kit reflects this same architecture.
 
In closing-in this lower stern balcony, I have also brought it in, closer to the stern.  Consequently, if I want to use the stock figures, I realized I would have to alter their posture and lengthen them.  Starting with the outer two male figures of Winter and Autumn, where the overhang is less extreme, this is what I have done:

The magic entry for cutting these figures is through the back, just above the elbow, and stopping the cut before breaking through just above the hand.  This weird gold plastic is more brittle than the black stuff, and I snapped the first figure, Winter, just above the hand.  This was not a problem, though.
 
I then took a piece of 1/16” styrene strip, double-stuck it to the edge of a piece of scrapwood, and then filed a taper ranging from the thickness of the kerf (about a 1/32”) to the full 1/16”, at back.
 
I am always emboldened, in these surgeries, when I have a fall-back set of parts.  The difference in posture is slight, but it is just enough to help these side figures conform:

I then added a piece of 1/16” styrene to the bottom, so that I can simultaneously increase the height of the figures, as necessary, to meet the underside of the balcony, while simultaneously adjusting the outboard angle.  Here is how these two outboard figures took shape:


It may seem difficult, but modeling the new plastic to appear like a seamless continuation of the clothed figures really isn’t that hard:

The road map of where you need to cut in and continue lines is already there for you.  Also, draping clothing is fairly forgiving:

Autumn (right) really made out well, in the deal, with some additional bicep definition!  It makes me wonder how well my own living body might respond to a little styrene enhancement.  I haven’t been to the gym much, lately.
 
That is all well and good for the outer figures.  I will still need to add another 1/32” at bottom, and fettle the top joint to the balcony, but I should be able to fit these without much trouble.
 
The middle figures required a little more extreme hunching of their posture, because the balcony above steps out, away from the stern, by about an additional 1/16”.  It seemed reasonable to laminate two different thicknesses of styrene strip (1/16”&1/32”), for my torso wedge.  Here is how that is taking shape:

As can be seen next to the Autumn figure, now the arching of the female backs is notably more pronounced.  I will probably need to add some extra plastic to the top edge of the bouquet and model it so that it appears to cope neatly around the bottom moulded edge of the balcony above.  All of this may seem like a lot of fiddling about with these figures, but I can assure you that the investment in time is far less than making them from scratch.  Besides, Heller did too nice a job of modeling them to believe I could do any better on my own.
 
So, that’s where things stand as of today.  In the coming weeks, I will likely have to take a break from Soleil Royal, as my wife and I have made the difficult decision to move, yet again.  We barely got to know Brooklyn, and certainly the Pandemic robbed our neighborhood of much of its charm.  Nevertheless, an “affordable” 3-bedroom apartment is a unicorn worth chasing.  I will periodically still post updates as small work progresses.
 
As always, stay well, and thank you for stopping by.  

There are a couple of discussions regarding using plans in the shop that you can check out by doing a search. 
Many hang the plans using various means.  My shop cat just sheds on the plans - and everything else in the shop.  My worst problem with him is moving him if I need to view the plans that are laid out on a large drafting table - he is able to channel super power forces to suddenly be able to apply hundreds of pounds of force downward to resist being moved.  I usually clamp my plans to a sheet of foam core board and set this on a large easel adjacent to my work table.  Large plans get laid out on the drafting board.
 
One problem with putting plans under plexi or regular glass is that you can no longer take measurements off the plans - in the case of non-dimensioned plans.

I love Cornwall Model Boats too.   I think the Canadian shipping thing is a product of warehousing.   They probably don't stock EVERYTHING in one place and rely on other vendors for stuff they do list.   I ordered a tool the other day from a mom&pop shop in Missouri, and the system they sold was shipped from San Diego.   
 
My local Hobby Shop is an RC emporium, with a few static model options but nothing like what we need in terms of materials or tools.   5000 options for batteries, and exactly one option for x-acto knife - that sort of thing.    The best place to buy hobby lumber is actually my local hardware store, not the hobby shop.  Incidentally, they also tend to carry more useful tools too.  The closest good shop for me would be 4-500 miles away.     So I shop online, and even then I have found that I have increasingly sought out even more niche companies like Syren as opposed to ModelExpo for upgrade parts.   Which is to say, even if my local shop had the very basic of "mainstream" model ship stuff like Model Shipways, I still wouldn't be likely to buy from there.   
 
 
Im sorry to hear.   Id like to check out your website, is there a link?   I tried googling it, but a few options came up and which one might be yours wasn't immediately obvious to me. 
 
There is wisdom here.   Ive definitely found that the more equipped I have become both in tools and in experience the more I am drawn to scratch building.    I enjoy a good kit, but the expense + time in looking for replacements parts + additional expense in buying/making those parts makes kits sometimes a bit more tedious feeling.    I dislike shelling out a few hundred dollars knowing full well that almost half of the wood, fittings, rope etc is more or less useless.    I agree that it is a natural evolution one makes in time, and can see myself headed in that direction.   Though I have kits on the shelf, I don't anticipate pulling one down after my Syren is completed.   My capabilities have grown thanks to the kits I have built, and the experience Ive gained and of course my involvement with MSW.   I feel compelled to take that next step and scratch is it for me.  
 
That said, one of the greatest benefits of having developed an "equipped" shop for scratch building is that now my kids come into my shop and look around and I can literally see their creative inspiration sparking.   Maybe not with models, but when they ask if we can make something, my model projects get swept aside and we make something.  I never thought my little corner of the house would become a place of fun for them, but ship modeling and my tool obsession has left us with this place where literally anything we can think of (within reason of course) can be made.   They may never take up ship modeling as a hobby, but being around the tools and wide variety of techniques and materials is I think giving them something potentially more beneficial.
 
Whats most distressing to me is the state of hobby mills and wood availability.   There are a few options, but I do miss having someone who catered specifically to ship modeling.   
 
Couldn't have said it better myself.   

I have finished laying the shrouds of the low masts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been all over that 103 site........indeed there is a lot of good info there.  since the model is of the PT 109,  I though I'd take a browse into John F. Kennedy while I was at it.  originally,  he was assigned to PT 101,  squadron 14 {RON 14},  to patrol along the Panama Canal.  while he languished here,  PT 109 was in the process of being shipped to the Pacific theatre,  aboard the U.S.S. Joseph Stanton,  along with three other boats.  these transport ships could only carry four at a time.

Kennedy put in for a transfer against his parents wishes,  and with the Help of a Mass. congressman,  found himself heading for Tulagi Island,  where Squadron 2 was based.  he took command of PT 109 on April 23, 1943.  
   two other things I found out in my browsings,  was that the torpedoes weren't that great,  and neither was the radar systems in these boats......half the time they were unreliable or didn't work at all.  now that the hull can sit on her new stand,  I can start to flesh out the deck layout.  the deck platform has a punch out on each half,  to enable access to the R/C works.......the entire structure can be removed.  matching the punch outs to the correct side that they came from.......makes for a better fit.

that's the new table.......a bit lower than what I had before.  I'll see if the creases in the top gives me any trouble.  if they do,  I'll have to get something to cover it over.....Formica or the like.   I wasn't sure if I wanted to trim the helm structure or the turret rook to fit.......easiest was to just trim the helm structure.  

basically,  this is how it will sit......to be removed along with the rest of the center structures.   the structure isn't finished yet........and there's something I'm not too crazy about.  the companionway entry to me seems too small.......that,  and I'm still puzzled how the back wall {that little piece I made earlier} fits.   so I cut it all out except for the control panel.

thinking it should be wider,  I cut about 1/8 off of the control panel.   the opening was walled off again with cast off basswood,  and added a door,  which was an extra from the Progress's fittings kit.   those two choppy looking pieces in front are additional shields.....gotta figure how they come into play with this part of the structures.  the wood is Spruce plywood.......terrible stuff to work with.  as mentioned,  being die cut,  the parts need to be scored before they are punched out of the parts panels.  as for that small section of back wall,  it too was shortened by about an 1/8,  and trimmed to fit the relief toward the end of the port side wall.  now it has the proper configuration.

 

...and with the turret rook in place.....

 

I started with the starboard side shield.   here where the wood grain can help you.......cutting a piece of 1/32 basswood the height needed,  I got it wet,  and let it set for a few moments.  patting it down damp,  it was cemented {with CA} around the edge of the shield 'floor'.  with a pair of scissors,  it was trimmed with a curve,  ending straight down where it opens to the deck.  the grain when wet will be a lot more forgiving,  for bending it to this degree.          it  was then glued to the flat surface of the starboard side 'end' box.  the wood still damp,  it still remembers that it was once straight,  so it need to be taught that it now has the bend.  the structure was clamped to the table,  keeping everything flat until it dries.

 

using the grain as a tool can add interest and natural curvature and contour.  it beats having to round off corners.  there are a few chiggers in the shield floor......there will be in the other one too.  I could have simply scratch cut another pair,  but I have something else in mind.  I could have gone further,  but I started to clean off table white....then ended up painting the pin rail parts for the Agillis while the work I did on the PT boat dries.  I should have more tomorrow  

Greetings Dear Community! Returning to post number 183 - authentic pictures of galleons with flags on the deck ...
deck flags - for the images on the flags, I used some parts of the royal coat of arms of Philip II, the fastening of the flags was shown very conditionally ...

Slow and Steady wins the Race.
 
Among other things in the past month I have steadily made progress on the Triton.  I started adding some inner planking, thick stuff and keel components.   I suppose this is the rather boring part of the build as far as build logs go but anticipate much more to discuss when we get to deck framing and other more interested (challenging steps).  Though I do rather enjoy the process of shaping and fitting each of these planks.   Its slow, rather straightforward and gives a pleasing result.



 
 
 
 
 
 

Quint’s fighting chair. Fishing rod to do. 😊

Thanks for visiting and for the the "likes".
 
 
Space heater
 
I wanted to show some method of heating the shop and there is a spot in the upper left corner of the diorama where I could place a hydronic space heater. Many old photos of repair garages show radiators hung on the walls as in this cropped 1929 image from the National Photo Co. Collection – Library of Congress.
 

 
These radiators would be difficult to scratch in this scale and I didn't want to use up too much wall space, so I made up the unit below. It is entirely styrene except for the steam/water pipes coming out the side, which is blackened brass. It was brush painted in enamels and roughed up a bit.
 

 
I glued it to the wall and ran conduit down to a switch for the fan. The roundish blob on the back of the unit is the fan motor and it connects to a junction box via a piece of solder.
 

 
 

 
This post brings the log up to date with the model in real time.
 
Thanks for stopping by.  Stay well.
 
Gary

If I'm not modelling I like to get photos of my fave predator  Buteo Buteo  Common Buzzard, this scene  really caught me  - Two having a fight or an aggressive mating  - not sure.
 
OC.

I have not had a lot of time for ship building lately but I have not closed down the shipyard. I have managed to assemble the canons for the upper gun deck that will need to be rigged in place before the ladders to the forecastle and quarter deck can be installed. I had to order more blocks for the gun tackle which should be here early this week. 
 
I did find time to finally try my hand at making my own rope. Made up 20 foot lengths of .018 and .035 inch ropes today and am fairly happy with how they turned out. Took some time getting used to the setup on the first go but by the second, I was moving much faster and the whole process is surprisingly easy and not that time consuming. 

After this short side walk, I continued on the middle deck....
 

 
Now with all parts, so also etching supports for the fall protection.
 

 
Then with paper strips determining center and left and right edges ...
 

 
... aging parts and glueing the coaming in place.
 

 
Note that the staircase will not fit through the top because of the rabbet, so it must be pulled up from below with thread ...
 

 
... flaps inserted ...
 

 
... and the thread pulled with surgical precision and ready the open version 🙂
 

 
Then closed the flaps, removed the supports and inserted the capstan.
 

 
Here is the whole thing then finally with my small scaling companion.
 

 
And in the overview 🙂
 

 
All the best, Daniel
 

I did a couple of photos last night just showing the various completed deck fittings sat in position on the deck. There are a couple of assemblies I've incorrectly positioned, but everything will be ok when she's done.
 
About one month since work began.

Thank you all for the wonderful comments and support - I really appreciate it.  And thanks for the likes.
 
 
 
Hello Ron - thanks for stopping by.  Yes, as @Egilman has correctly stated they are 45 degree cuts.  The short door wall is actually slid back a tiny bit at the joint so it won't be visible from the front.  The drawing below is exaggerated but shows what I mean.  Also, there is now a conduit hiding the joint.
 

 
 
Mezzanine  
 
The back wall was pieced together from two chunks of brick material because I ran out of full slabs. But I was able to place the horizontal seam high enough up the wall to where I could place a mezzanine/loft there to cover it. I drew a tick mark strip to locate the platform joists and ledger board bolt heads. The basswood that makes up the frame is scale 2” x 10”.  It was stained brown with a chalk/alcohol mix then over painted with white acrylic. After drying for about a half hour, I pulled some of the paint off with regular cellophane tape – stick the tape down, then pull it off like an old bandage.
 

 
 
The ledger board was then glued to the wall with CA. The washer/nuts are injection molded from Grandt Line Products.
 

 
 
This little chopper gadget makes quick work of producing 17 uniform joists.
 

 
 
Using the tick mark strip as a guide, I glued all the joists into place along the rim joist and then glued everything to the ledger board and side walls.
 

 

 
 
The platform surface grate is a blackened brass mesh from Clover House. The mesh size is scale 1.45” made from .0065” wire.
 

 
 
The railing is plastic from Tichy Train Group. It's painted black enamel and dry brushed with Testors “steel” and then some pigment powders.
 

 
 
Electrical conduit and boxes were added. The “conduit” is .014" brass rod and the boxes are bits of styrene. Holes were drilled into the boxes to land the rod. Boxes with a conduit out each side were drilled through and slipped onto the rod like beads.
 

 

 
 
The next post will bring the project to its present state.
 
Thanks for your interest in this model.  Be well.
 
Gary 

I have been talking to a man who supplies specialist woods. This is not a large and well known source.
Here is the situation: he has buxus offcuts that are too small to satisfy his existing customers and are of unpredictable sizes. Personnaly, I would like a handful of these 'scraps' but I think that the opportunity is here to claim a larger amount.
If anyone in the UK or EU wants some, for figureheads or whatever, just express an interest so I will know. I have no idea at all what costs are likely to be or for that matter whether there may be some larger pieces available. We can figure out logistics later.
I hope this isn't a wild goose chase. 🙄
 
Bruce

Hi ☺️
another pictures, double capstan (part 2°)
 
 

Anchors.
 
 
Making the rings for the anbchor cables.
 
    
 
The stock and ring made, and the anchor ready to assemble .
 

 
First anchor assembled, second ready to go
 

 
Anchors painted and complete
 

 
On the first anchor, before I cut and carved the shank I should have drilled the hole in the top of  it  (for the ring) , as the shank split when I drilled the hole. Fortunately I was able to glue it back together. Apart from that, the first was relatively plain sailing.
 
But the second was a real trial - this time I drilled the hole for the shank before I'd completed carving the flukes - big mistake - while finishing the carving I pressed too hard and broke the arms. Then once I'd fixed that (using CA as it's not as flexible as PVA) the tenon at the end of the shank broke off as I was putting it in the hole in the arms. Had to re-carve the tenon - fortunately I'd made the shank slightly longer than it was supposed to be, so I had a bit of wriggle room to do so.
 
But they're done!
 
I might put black paper "reinforcements" around the stock as shown in the reconstruction picture in Landström's book - I haven't decided yet.
 
Steven

Most of the rigging now done. Super pleased. Winch and lager. ☺️😃😃😃

Hi ,yes I can confirm that was the Warrior under the tarps as she was going through a refit and restoration at the time.  They have added a cafeteria on the gun deck.  I  visited Warrior  Victory and the Mary Rose in 2019 
Martyn 

Hi ,yes I can confirm that was the Warrior under the tarps as she was going through a refit and restoration at the time.  They have added a cafeteria on the gun deck.  I  visited Warrior  Victory and the Mary Rose in 2019 
Martyn 

New stuff.
 
There were another 6 "bronze" and 4 "iron" guns to be put in place, but really not much to secure them to, as I hadn't put decks in for them to sit on. The best I could do was to shorten them and glue them to the hull planking, and hope the glue would hold. First I tried gluing a wooden backpiece to the barrel, to go hard up against the inside of the gunport. Didn't really work, so I took it off and just relied on the strength of the CA to hold the barrel in place. 
 
    
 
Forecastle guns in place
 

 
And here's the stand with the nameplate half painted. I found that gold didn't show up properly agains the wood of the background, so I filled in with black letters, using the gold as a border around them.
 

 
I had to re-do the stand three times - the two supports weren't really in the right position and I had to move them and also raise the forward one so the keel was approximately horizontal when the ship was in place.
 

 

 
 
I've put the railing on the foretop and fitted the pavises (big square-ish shields).
 
      
 
 
Making the anchors. I'm useless at soldering, so I'm making them out of pear wood, which I feel much more comfortable with.
 

 
     
 
 

 
    
 
This is the first of the two anchors. I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out so far. Next to make is the stock and somehow figure out how to make and fit the ring.
 
 
Steven