BLACK VIKING

Hi,
 
Minor update - having more or less completed the hull planking now focused on planking the other three needed upper decks pear wood (3 x 0.5mm)... Work in progress.....next will add "treenails" as was done for forecastle deck. along with other needed work. The kit provided pre-scored decks were a great aid for aligning the covering planks.
 
Thanks so much for your interest in following, likes, comments and/or just dropping by...
 

 
 

 

 

Post Nineteen
 
Lower Moulding Rails
 
The stern Frieze patterns that run from the Flying Transom to the break of the stern sheets govern the position of the lower rail which sits just below the carved decoration.

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I used separate colours on the plan to better identify the individual carving pieces.
 
Between the upper rail and the lower rail top there is a space of 4mm running from the bow to around Frame O where it starts to widen by degrees.
I used a 4mm wide Pearwood plank to mark the level of the lower moulding to this point, and applied Tamiya tape to secure the line.

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I cut out the frieze patterns from the plan and Blu tacked them in position to determine the level of the rail at the stern.

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The required space was thus established and marked with Tamiya tape placed to run with a natural curve to meet the previously placed tape.
The main objective is to get a smooth transition and avoid any hint of an awkward angle in the run of the moulding.
I have decided at this point to get some paint on the topsides before I apply the lower moulding.

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This will speed up the process and will provide a good line to fit the moulding to.
For the purpose I am using Vallejo Flat Red.
 
With five thinned down coats applied it is time to fit the lower moulding strip.
Further coats will be added post fitting.
 
The Boxwood strip used for the moulding is not long enough to cover the full hull length and requires a join.

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Fortunately, there is a sculptured ornamental decoration that runs downward at the break of the sternsheets and covers this point.
I am using ca to fix the rail, but careful as I was tiny amounts of excess ca squeezed above the moulding which will mar the paintwork.

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This is why I haven’t sought to complete the paintwork before fixing the rail.

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Testing the fit of the carved decoration blanks, I did have to tweak the aft rail sections to get a close fit to the carvings, but fortunately they popped off easily enough with the point of a scalpel blade.
 
Before I move on to the next phase there’s a fair amount of cleaning and further painting to do.
 
 
B.E.
11/04/21

 

Thank you very much Silverman. Thanks for the like! 😇
 
I have been thinking for a long time about finishing the connection of the front stem according to Witsen..
 

 
Replica of Barents' ship..
 

 
So I added it. The cuts were made with a 0.15 mm thick razor saw, and 0.09 mm black paper was placed..
 

 

 

 
Klinkbout will be added after grinding..
 

 

 
And now really a balcony..
 

Hello my friends!
 
I have seen so many nice pictures and progress by all of you, that I decided to make an update for myself.
 
In the meantime, I began with the mizzen mast. 
Of course, the same work as on the other two masts. But still the opportunity to post a few new photos.
I wish you all a great weekend!!!
 
Heinz
 
 

 
 

 
 
He

Hi all sorry I haven't posted for a while but life and stuff has got in the way.  I have been slowly working away on the FD . I have finished the hull and have now put some details on the stern galleries and the sides.  As I'm no good at carving I have used modelling clay to make the scary faces and strange fishy things and to make her look old and battered I have put some barnacles and clamy things on the sides. I need to find away of putting some smaller barnacles on the lower hull. 
Thanks for looking. 
Martyn 

Hi all sorry I haven't posted for a while but life and stuff has got in the way.  I have been slowly working away on the FD . I have finished the hull and have now put some details on the stern galleries and the sides.  As I'm no good at carving I have used modelling clay to make the scary faces and strange fishy things and to make her look old and battered I have put some barnacles and clamy things on the sides. I need to find away of putting some smaller barnacles on the lower hull. 
Thanks for looking. 
Martyn 

No need for any flattening. The slight bend is likely temporary due to being in the box. When the hull assembly is built up, all will be straight and true anyway.

Thank you  DCN - I appreciate your help very much - Jaws has a rich presence on the internet, with many very informed fans! 
Over the last few months I have collected several hundred images, many from the film, and also production shots, out-takes and pictures of the boat after the movie was filmed. 
There are a number of sites where people are converting real boats into a replica of Orca, and their research has been helpful.
I am currently looking for shots of the interior - especially anything of the trunk cabin, and also of the stem/pulpit construction.
Sometimes the shots showing the boat falling apart are helpful (if sad) as they reveal construction methods. for example...

 

Dear all,
a small update with other small pieces that went into place. I rebuilt the oleo jacks of the wheel bay doors using a small 1 mm dia. brass tube and a metal wire:
 

 
With the doors glued on and some black streaks added to the closed flaps:
 

 
Finally, the gun muzzles were inserted, here you see in the picture how I slided them in with my big clumsy fingers and the help of a thin copper wire:
 

 
Ready for firing (but still needing some dark color):
 

 

 
Now is the turn of the arrestor hook:
 

 
and, last but not least, some colorful decals which went on beautifully:
 

 
I added some pastel powder to depict some scorching of the steel plates close to the exhausts. I am getting into the home stretch now with the decal positioning.
That is all for now,
best regards,
Dan.
 
 

foremast shrouds:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Victory is still pending.  I’ve been incredibly busy in life and haven’t had time to finish the Hannah, which only needs sails and the running rigging to be finished.

Thank you all for the comments and the likes!
 
Making progress on the buckets:

They are very slow going.

Hi all,
thanks to few days off work and to the covid restrictions, I went on with my build and sprayed a light coat of Tamiya X-22 gloss clear on the entire model. Finally I reopened the wheel bays after long time. You can also see few oil streaks that I have added to add some 'real life' effects.
 

 

 
At the same time, I also finished the landing gear with its wheels:
 

 
The landing gear was then glued into its place. I must say that Airfix did a nice job in reproducing these items and the overall impression is quite convincing.
 

 
Finally, on its legs. One of the big milestones of a model build. (As a side note, you see that my cutting mat is discolored on its right hand side. This was the result of tipping over my glue bottle puoring the glue dangerously close to my model. Until when I find another suitable backdrop, we have to bear with a marred mat).
 

 

 
The tyres of the wheels were treated with white powder obtained by grinding a pastel pencil. The model is now getting all the small bits and decals will follow. I have used almost all the kit parts and the box is almost empty now. That means that the end is close and I need to pay a lot of attention now because for me it is quite easy to spoil a build at this stage (see the glue story above).
Best regards,
Dan.

Hi all,
 
Here are some updated images for the hull second planking.
and I was getting very lazy about putting on/off small dust mask as I sanded and adjusted each plank before installing – so thought about a solution
(Amazon) – works very well – see last image
Thanks for looking in -- as always much appreciated! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Allan,
 
I cut bulwarks a little more thick provisory, and adjust them by sanding after planking
 
At scale 1/72, the high bulwarks are three mm thick, and I cut them provisory around six mm
 
Of course, where the bulwarks are hidden, this finition can be omitted
 
Regards,
 
Christian

More bits and pieces 👍

Dear all,
today I finished the camouflage. The paint that I used, Gunze Mr. Color 333, was great in rendering the Extra Dark Sea Grey. Not knowing how transparent the decals would be, to be on the safe side, I left two white circles on the spots where the roundels will be placed.
 

 

 

 
I also glued in place the surfaces of the empennages slightly posed:
 

 
Now, everything is ready for a coat of clear.
Best regards,
Dan.

Evening all,   a bit more progress this evenening  -  I firstly found out I had foregotten to put on the hub caps on the wheels - it was a bit of a pain as some of then where partly obscured by the side skirt,  it wasn'y much of an ordeal though,  next was part of the rear cage  - this was painted  while still on part of the spru, it was then dry brushed  and fitted.
 
OC.

Finished up Oars today...
 

 
I tried something new and used Testors striping tape sealed with CA glue to paint stripes on the oars. 
 

 
Works quite nicely. 😎
 
Started building the tubs, casks and buckets. 
 

 
The laser cut materials provided in the kit was short 1/4 of the large line tub stays. Fortunately, my lumber yard had some raw materials. 😆
 

 
Soaked one side of the barrel stays with water to allow them to bend. 
 

 
Held in place with rubber bands until set. I’ll trim up for a better fit and glue tomorrow. After drying overnight. 
 

 
Progress, one day at a time. Tomorrow’s another day. 
 
Really like working with this scale vs 1/96th. 😎

Nice work Steven
 
Tell your wife what you are going to do.
Women are very good at remembering what their husbands have to do.
The only disadvantage : Do this, do that, do this, do that (all day long)  😂

Onto fiddly bits.
 
Here's the picture in Björn Landström's book The Ship I originally worked from, showing the dragon figurehead and the decorative crown and flagpole on the bowsprit:
 

 
I'd already carved the dragon-head - now I've painted it:
 

 
Very happy with the crazed look on his face.
 

 
And here is the flagpole/crown assembly
 

 
I made a mistake - the fore topmast had snapped off just above the top and I was intending to just glue it back onto the remaining stub. Then I forgot what I was doing and removed the stub. So I had to reconfigure the topmast by adding an extra bit of wood to replace the stub . . .
 

 
 
and carve it to shape.
 
 

 
 
I wouldn't have needed to do any of this, if I'd remembered what I'd originally planned 
 
Steven
 
 
 

Yes, indeed, Steven. Following along the nordic theme. Here is the central part of the varmint framed loosely based on Skuldelev 1. The framing is providing some much needed stiffening to the hull but I suspect that the hull would have "worked' a fair bit in a heavy sea. Note that three of the beams are through beams. These through beams are seen on many of the hulc seals.


 

 

 

 
Cheers
Dick
 
 
 

VASA's Sterncastle Doors & Deckhouses

As planking the main deck progressed, I worked on the five doors leading into the sterncastle's after cabins, along with their deckhouses. Each door is individually planked, as are several of the rounded deckhouses behind them. This was my first chance to work on more detailed parts of the model, which was very enjoyable. Behind the lowermost doors are two solid pieces of wood sanded into a conical shape, a first for me. I found it tricky to sand two initially unshaped pieces to the exact same dimensions, but after a good deal of trial and error, I got them fairly close in appearance to one another. 
 

 

 

Okay, so it was a week into the build, and I hit the first major challenge, the deck. On my Albatros I did not attempt to simulate caulking and somewhat regretted that, so I decided to give it a go on this ship. I cut individual planks because I like it that way, even if it takes more time. I will be using a matte varnish on this build as I think it looks better and more realistic.
Caulking was achieved by shading the edge of the planks with a 6B pencil and I was able to lay the planks mostly without drama. Although, a few notes, I laid the planks building from the aft to the fore, which meant that it became increasingly difficult to fit the planks in as I reached the end. Maybe next time I would lay a line of planks down the middle and build outwards.
The Beagle had a three butt planking pattern according to the anatomy of the ship. Also, I did initially go with the pencilled in nails as recommended by the OcCre instructions. I have since significantly changed my stance, I think the pencil nails are out of scale and don’t look realistic. If I were to do it, I would also simulate the nails on the mid planks. I have since stripped the deck and removed the pencil nails, but we’ll get to that.
 
 

In this photo, the deck doesn’t look so bad, it is probably a little too dirty though.
 
Unfortunately, as I continued to sand the deck and redo some of the caulking, the pencil marks made the deck dirtier and dirtier
 
I varnished the deck, while still hoping it wouldn’t look too bad and also not realising how dirty the deck had become
 
After some back and forth, I decided I was not happy with deck and decided to strip the varnish and clean it
 
The varnish could then be easily scraped off, giving a clean deck after a few planks were glued back down. Cleaning was done by scraping a sharp piece of glass over the deck several times. This is the best was I could find and works really well, giving a very tidy deck without destroying the grain.
 
The nails were re-drawn (grr) and the deck was varnished again
 
(still wet here)
 
 
 
 

Well here is the finished 1930 Mahogany Run about, also known as Aces High.