BLACK VIKING

But some small bit I still managed to do yesterday:
 
First organised the parts on slightly adhesive tape for not messing up the running order of the different lengths.
 

 
Then fixed the iron supports ...
 

 
... and as usual started with the shorter irons of the smaller deadeyes.
 

 
That was the state of yesterday night, just to remember, there will still be a batten in front of the board hiding the slots.
 

 
XXXDAn

Not quite sure what that means - not even sure I want to know . . .
 
Well the hands will be able to recover now. Oh, and to clarify, it's not that I kept cutting myself as I carved (though that does happen occasionally), but the heel of the left thumb gets painful, almost as though it's been bruised (it hasn't). Probably just holding the hand in a position it's not meant to be in for long periods as I hold the figures to be carved.
 
Steven
 
PS: I'm onto sanding the figures now - a little more than half way through.

After making the lower part of the mizzen mast, I continued with the foremast. I made the cap from solid nut wood, of 15x15 mm. I had some metal parts that I could fit on them. I also made the cap already for the main mast, where the only difference is the diameter of the space for the mast part.
 
I had not glued the second mast part on the lower part, but the construction is very stable after adding the shrouds.
I had made the platform such that the space for the second mast part was just big enough to fit, including the somewhat extending axis for the sheave. The sheave of the second mast part was used for the line running from the cap, throught the sheave, again to the cap, and then to deck.
The fid that keep the second mast part supported on the platform was connected with a small line to a small holder.
I had seen these details in the build log of md1400cs, and it thought them to be a nice addition.
 
The futtock shrouds, from the platform to the lower shrouds, will follow later.





 

Next update: Frame extensions and the last planking strake that goes with them completed, along with the remaining interior framing at bow and stern. One issue to look out for, albeit a very minor one, is that the the last three interior frames at the stern had the left and right labels (L and P, in Polish) reversed. Not a big deal, since the parts are identical, but using them as labeled will result in the reverse side of the ply facing out, if that makes a difference to anyone.

The fit of the frames isn't as perfect as the next photo suggests; some of the frames extend slightly above the bulwark (how much above depends on how good a planking job one does) and must be cut and sanded flush with the top edge.


That takes us through p. 17 of the hull construction.

Good suggestion,but I`m not much into doing camo - don`t really know how to do it properly anyway.   The other track is now done - went a bit faster than the first one.   First picture is an unpainted section,the second is painted steel with a detail wash - looks pretty good in person.
 

 

 
Mark

Two last shots of Arabia in her display location in my model/nautical corner of the house. We might move her somewhere else once I get a full case figured out, but this is good for now. I like that the bookcase opens on both sides so it's easy to view the open and closed sides of the model. Out of shot on a lower shelf is my model of Bertrand, another open/closed sided steamboat, so the two go well together here. Note that the Arabia and the revenue cutter behind her are the same scale (1:64); I think it's a fun visual comparison.
 


 
Some of you asked about my next project. Having bought a Byrnes table saw over the winter, I had been planning to shift to scratch-building full-time using wood harvested on my farm. I have billets of maple, cherry, and various fruitwoods that have been drying for up to two years and will provide all the modelling wood I could possibly use. My goal was for the cost of the saw to replace the cost of kits and wood in our budget, which it should. There are a variety of interesting Missouri River craft on the agenda, including the boats used by the Lewis & Clark expedition and some smaller steamboats used on tributaries of the Missouri River.
 
However, the last few months have been extremely stressful for reasons from personal to global, and my brain is a bit fried with trying to keep track of this complicated build. Moreoever, the libraries and historical societies I might otherwise visit to do primary research in Missouri craft are closed or restricted. So I bought one last kit as a simpler relaxation project: the Dusek Viking longship in 1:35 scale (note that the scale of my builds keeps going up, from 1:87 Bertrand to 1:64 Arabia to 1:35 Viking ship; this could be a problem down the road). I am of Norse descent (my beloved grandfather was extremely proud of his heritage), my father-in-law was a scholar of Old English and the Saxon period, and I'm a huge fan of Bernard Cornwell's long "Saxon Tales" series of historical novels (better known as "The Last Kingdom" once a TV show based on it was launched). So this will have some meaning for me while at least letting me follow someone else's instructions. I do plan to make some modifications for authenticity/uniqueness and to replace some of the kit wood with my own home-cut-and-milled; I may also use the plans to build several versions using my own wood.
 
I'll launch a build log eventually, but will likely be dormant for a while. The next few weeks will involve helping my elderly in-laws move closer to us, which would be a massive enough undertaking if there wasn't an ongoing pandemic, so I don't think I'll have a lot of free time until sometime in July. I'll post a build log link here once I start it, for anyone who wants to follow along. Thanks once more for your support and interest.

Hello! 
I'm still working on rigging and sails

Coming. it´s coming 🙂
 
here some hints for the looks: Trafalgar companion (poop deck with boarding), a note from a Trafalgar midship man and a contemporary painting. A very elegant way ist to cover most of the hammocks and have one section with the cloth opened to show the details underneath.
 
XXXDAn

Good morning everyone
 
i have been working on the cockpit (not sure if thats the right word for the pit), i am using  lime strips, not the wood that came with the kit, also i am using red mahogany gloss/stain for the contrast, i will also use this for the centre plank and other deck accessories  

Yep, paint is the big thing with these monsters... I"m doing an overall metal finish on this cause that is the way most of them in US service was and the subject was....
 
First step is a base coat and prep is everything....
Engine, the engine has to be installed to fill the tailpipe which shows.....

And the afterburner peeks out from the tail...

Blackened burnt iron color looks good to me.....
Next is getting a complete fuselage together....

Canopy masked and in place engine and tail is in place. Man, that is one long model airplane....
 
The tail isn't glued yet as I still have some fitting to do.... once done, a shot of primer, to check for fixes needed, then a coat of flat black..... this should result in a lustrous finish that will be clear coated to make it shiny once the metal finish is fully applied... The Canopy is glued with canopy glue so it's removeable after painting. Besides I'm considering an open canopy to show off what you can see of the cockpit....
 
Anyway making progress to painting an NMF on this big bird...
 
EG

Great work on this little model 👍

I painted it with a brush.

In my case, paints with low hiding power, such as white and yellow, are painted with an airbrush, but since the range of painting is small, it is best to paint with a brush.
 

 
 
 

I make a reduced version of 1/150 size the  Golden Hind from  Aeropicola, which I bought 40 years ago.
 
I have reduced the size of the drawing to 1/3 size.

 
Since it is a small size, it will be a solid model base.
I made cross-sections at intervals of 13 mm from the drawing of the bulkhead.  ( I only have 13mm of material )
It was cut out with a saw and adhered according to the cross section.

The pattern was made from cardboard from the bulkhead drawing, and the sides of the hull were trimmed accordingly.

The keel was made of 2mm thick walnut and the upper side plate was made of 0.8mm thick plywood.
Make a 2mm keel groove on the bottom of the ship.

I glued 0.5x2mm Tanganyika wood to the deck.
0.8mm plywood deck glued to the bow and stern, and keel glued to the bottom.
 
The side plate was glued and the hull part was trimmed by 1 mm so that it was flush.
The gun gate was opened in the upper side plate, and the hull part was carved a little and painted black.
I glued a 0.5x3mm walnut to the cabin wallboard.

The size of the hull is 20 cm.

 

We have a flute player
 

 
The others may take some time . . . I feel like resting on my laurels for a while . . .
 
Steven

I had to see the doctor today...the referral to that vascular Dr.   basically there is a one way check valve in the vein to my leg that need to be closed off.  not to worry........there are two other veins that do the same job.  as a matter of fact....if they need to transplant a section of blood vessel anywhere in the body,  this is usually the vein they use    easy procedure.......done in-shop.  won't be until six weeks......until then,  I need to wear a compression sock.  more as it happens......
 
anyway.......I did another dry fit before I left.....thought you might like to see it.
  
  
yea......the fuselage got a case of the measles........haven't done the wings yet.   .......and yes,  I goofed again.  the panels should have been the raised panels rather that the flush mount windows.  I could change the starboard window since I have it out,  but the overall plane wouldn't look right.  so I'll put that one back on.  I'd rather get another kit and start from square one.   I did add one more decal to the mix.......below the port gun window,  there is a single swastika that was not on the kit decal sheet.  I have the letters and numbers sheet and it has bomb run markings and kill stats.......got it from there.  if I get another kit,  I'll re-decal this one to an unnamed bomber......but that's the future    
 
after some cleaning and trimming,  the window panel was cemented back in place......looks much better.
...and with the decals restored.....
   
the Norden bomb sight was put back in place...

the nose has also been cemented in place.   the repair work is done.......mov'in on  
 

Hi all .
I have been a bit busy on the FD . The planking has been finished and sanded down. I was going to second plank the hull but I like the look of it as she is meant to look all beaten up.
Next job planking the decks and capping the bulwarks. All the wood has been left over from all the other builds I have done so this has cost me next to nothing so far and quite pleased with the outcome. I'm not very good at carving so I plan to use modelling clay for the carvings so just wondering what the best one to use .
Thanks for following 
Martyn

Hi all 
I have now completed cutting out all the bulkheads and kell and have dry fitted to see how they fit and all seems fine.
Next job cutting out the decks from some 2mm ply .
Thanks for following.
Martyn

Hi all . I have cut out a few more bulkheads and the false keel . I must admit they take a lot longer than I thought but I'm not going anywhere so they will take as long as they take. As you can see from the pictures I have cut them way side the line so I can sand them down to the right level. Hopefully it's going to be a nice day tomorrow so I can cut some more. 
Cheers for following 
Martyn

Hi all .
I have been a bit busy on the FD . The planking has been finished and sanded down. I was going to second plank the hull but I like the look of it as she is meant to look all beaten up.
Next job planking the decks and capping the bulwarks. All the wood has been left over from all the other builds I have done so this has cost me next to nothing so far and quite pleased with the outcome. I'm not very good at carving so I plan to use modelling clay for the carvings so just wondering what the best one to use .
Thanks for following 
Martyn

Hi all .
I have been a bit busy on the FD . The planking has been finished and sanded down. I was going to second plank the hull but I like the look of it as she is meant to look all beaten up.
Next job planking the decks and capping the bulwarks. All the wood has been left over from all the other builds I have done so this has cost me next to nothing so far and quite pleased with the outcome. I'm not very good at carving so I plan to use modelling clay for the carvings so just wondering what the best one to use .
Thanks for following 
Martyn

I'll take a front row seat for this beautiful build. 

Looking good. I take it the interior framing makes the hull more solid....especially with the downward frame pushed into the keel?

it does take any flex out of the plastic, provides a platform for a lot of the RC gear, and a means of getting the deck level all around,

Hi again - one track assembled & installed.  They are quite fiddly - they were glued together in short sections,painted steel,& given a wash to tone them down.  I counted 99 separate pieces for this track.  It is not this bright looking in person - I have a very bright light I use for pictures.
 

 

 

 
Mark

Dear all,
I've tried to post smaller pictures than previously, in order to save space.
After having moved the upper and lower beams, it is time to begin the planking of the hull. The first planking is made by Lime Wood 2x4 mm, very good for bending forward and upward, too.
The first strip has been positioned underneath the lower crossbeams, in order to make easier the correct positioning of the upper planking strake, among the beams.
 

 
In front of the third frame, I've added a support of balsa wood, in order to obtain a better curvature of the strip (otherwise it wanted to be more linear)
 


 
It will be very important to maintain the maximum of symmetry on both the sides...
 




 
Continue...
 
Rodolfo