BLACK VIKING

So   I have  made up  my   Royal Horse  Guard  from a  miss match  of parts   - he is  just  dry fitted  on his  steed  that  will  probably need  some  re  painting  as wel  as the  figure.
 
OC.

After   telling  you all  about our  sad  news  and  hearinh Kevins   Devasting news  about  his  Boi,  I thought  it  would   be  ok to  post  a  pic  of our  sad  loss  - 
 
Still  miss her.
 
OC

108 clove hitches  to go . I have done the foremast and main mast up to the mast top on each. Going to do the Mizzen mast soon.


 I have to go help the daughter paint her house this weekend, so not much will get done , but at least I will have a 108 clove hitches for me when I return. 

 
 I will make the sails next week, hopefully even get a few on, we will see.
 Thanks for looking and helping. 
Bob M
 
 

Great backstory and I'm sure the Jenny will live up to your past SIB builds and finally..............penguins!
 
"Okay guys, volunteers for the Jenny SIB project proceed to the check point on your right"

Well, I was gonna skip doing a build log for this project because I intended to just make a quick SIB for my niece as a gift.  But I got a little nudge from @Keith Black and @Knocklouder to start one, so we’re going to jump into this thing in progress.  I’m almost done building the ship but much work remains inside and outside the bottle.
 
The Backstory
Some time ago, my brother received a $200 bottle of scotch as a gift and just recently gave me the bottle.  Of course, the bottle was empty just like the Kraken rum bottle I got from a friend last year 😠.  I need to choose better friends and brothers I guess.  My brother has a daughter named Jenny, so I thought it would be cool to find a ship named Jenny and make a SIB as a gift.  I started looking around to see if there were any interesting ships named Jenny.  The only one I could find was one called the "Ghost Ship Jenny".  Of course that intrigued me right away.  
 
Ghost Ship Jenny
The Jenny was an early 1800’s 3-masted English schooner.  In 1822, she left her home port on the Isle of Wight in southern England for a journey to Callao, Peru on the western coast of South America.  Late in the year, unbeknownst to anyone, she got trapped in ice on the return trip while navigating the Drake Passage between the southern tip of Chile and Antarctica.  

Seventeen years later (1839), a whaling boat named Hope was navigating the Drake passage and spotted a large schooner drifting among broken ice floes.  The Hope’s captain and several crew members rowed over to the ship and boarded her.  They discovered it was the long-lost Jenny.  The entire crew was found dead with their bodies well preserved by the cold.  Many of the forgotten crew were still lying in their hammocks.  The Jenny’s captain was frozen at his desk hunched over his last log entry, “May 4, 1823. No food for 71 days. I am the only one left alive.”
 
Real story or Fake News?
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that there's a lot of uncertainty about whether the story is true or a just a chilling legend.  Jenny’s tragic plight was written about in several periodicals during the 1840’s, but none of the publications cited specific sources that referenced either the Jenny or the Hope.  There is also speculation that Jenny’s story was, perhaps, a retelling of another event that happened to a ship named Octavius that was found near Greenland 50 years earlier, both sharing remarkably similar circumstances, albeit in a different century and opposite end of the globe.
 
Ghost Ship Jenny the SIB
So I thought that was compelling enough for the subject of a SIB.  There aren't any pictures of the Jenny to build from (since no one is certain she was even real) so I've got a lot of artistic license.  There also don't appear to be a lot of 3-masted schooners from that time, but I did find a painting of what looks like an 1800s era 3-masted schooner as well as an early 1900s Dutch one called the Oosterschelde, both of which I am using as a guide for my Jenny. 

 
My idea is to show the Jenny inside the bottle trapped by small icebergs.  I want her to looked like she's been stranded there for many years, so I’m shredding and smudging her sails to give them a tattered look as well as trying to figure out other ways to make her look ravaged by the cold and weather.  Here’s a couple of pics I’m using as a rough idea for a ship trapped in ice and tattered sails.

 
The penguins are feeling right at home and clamoring loudly to horn their way into this build.  I've held them off for now, but not sure if I can for much longer...
 
 
 
 

So the concept is to have 2 soldiers collecting trophy’s oblivious of the refugees 

Well that’s the base coat done. This goes together beautifully and tomorrow I’ll get a clear coat on before I start weathering 

As expected, my local hobby store did not have Mr. Surfacer 500 in stock. Order placed with my go-to online supplier. It will arrive next week. In the meantime, I've masked the lapel off expecting that the procedure will not match the existing texture and will probably have to do the whole lapel.

 
Thanks for looking.
 
Cheers,
Mark

Seems I have had the chance to do a lot of rethinking.  As I just finished the plates  but still have 9 shrouds  to make up today I hope  I am looking at my Mayflower   and saying to Captain Marvin, I am really happy  how she looks. We have done a fine job MSN/NRG, and all of you modelers.  I sea the improvement  in how I  I build, and I see that I have a long way to go. For sure lol. Thanks so much.
CMSI  (Captain Marvin Ship Inspector ) lol    has got other things on his mine.  Seem I need to go for a couple  of  surgery but everyone keeps saying I will be OK  90% chance if serving  and living  a long  life lol I think their just trying  to cheer me up  lol. 
 Wouldn't you know it  lol just get back to building  change of course  😉. 
   Tomorrow surgery will tell us more  but every one says I will be fine lol. 
But for me I have been thinking  so much about modeling and finding MSW and the last 3 years it's been so much fun for me and so much hell on the moderators  lol.
 I am so lucky to have met some of you and got to know others. 
  Hey I am going to ask the surgeon  if he uses  clove hitch  knots LOL 😆  
So  now we will see, not exactly sure what holds for me but I will be OK lol 
Sorry for the ramble lol
 Bob M 
CMSI

Prayers that your surgery is safe and successful, Bob.  Hope to see you back at the modeling bench very quickly.

I'm committed to the Petie 2 scheme now as I masked and painted the blue nose.

Using Pledge, applied with a soft, wide brush to protect the Alclad chrome finish. Keeping brush strokes gentle and minimal to avoid marring the bright finish of the Alclad. Being careful not to allow droplets to appear along edges from over applying the Pledge. Less is more. The self-leveling qualities of the clear acrylic will take care of itself, so don't "over-brush" it.
I'll lay down two coats before it's finished then allow a couple of days for it to cure before masking or decals.

Morning all,  think I found out the secret  to getting a  nice flat finish  with my  Lucky Ultra Matt   varnish,  after a   thorough  shake  (my arms are still  shaking now  lol)   I  put a  small  amount  in a  dish  then  after  loading the  brush  I  removed most  of it  against the  dish  wall,  then  I  removed even more  on some  tissue,   then when I ran the  brush  over the figure  it was  like  just adding a  slight  wet  finish  in a  really thin  layer   -  yep  it  seemed to have worked.
 
And  long last  a  few  pics  -  sorry for  the poor  quaility   quick  shots  in the  kitchen.
 
OC.

Sheesh, I remember so many of the earlier kits with the gaps and dihedral issues. Very nice save with the thin strips and Mr Surfacer products. 👍

The worst gaps were found at the wing roots. There I used some styrene to fill them in. After that used Mr Surfacer 500 to go over all the join areas on the fuselage. Once dry sanded it all down with a fine sanding sponge.
 
 
 
Next I used Mr Surfacer 1500 along the joints then sanded that down with an extra fine sanding sponge to see what I might have missed. Once I touch up a few small areas and add some parts, will be ready to lay down my gloss black primer.
 

To those who have bought a Sherbourne kit, I have just noticed an issue with one in every eight laser etched decks.
 
If you have the deck on the left of the picture, with the bitt square hole not aligned like it is on the right of the picture, please contact me so that I can arrange a replacement deck.
 
 

Well that’s the build pretty much done, now I need to learn about seascapes 

That's not me, that's Liteflight. I accept no responsibility for him . . . 
 
The wide stance is well on the way . . .
 


Here's close-ups on their faces.


Steven

Start of the Lantern brackets. I thought the 0.7 wire was a bit flimsy but the choice of bigger wire was forced on me anyway by breaking off the 0.7 drill bit right in the centre of the lantern base. I had to use the 1.5 wire as the 1mm has gone walking. Trying to get the trophy of arms looking reasonable. One of the Lance heads broke off but the sheet under my work bench caught it. 

The NRG is an educational organization, dedicated to providing our members with the knowledge to improve the quality of their model ship building.  One of the most common problems model builders have is rigging their model.  Kit instructions are poor.  Often, the materials provided in the kit are improperly sized or the cheapest that the manufacturer could obtain.  We all know that blocks are not square!  I wanted to develop a project whose purpose would be to teach ship modelers how to mast and rig a ship without having to build a complete hull.  This model is a 1:48 scale cross-section at the level of the main mast of a late 18th century British sloop of war, Swallow 1779.  To keep the size of the model manageable and eliminate the need for a building board, the hull is cut off just above the waterline.  For the same reason, only the center portion of the lower yard and the lower part of the topmast are constructed.  Also, because this is a cross-section, certain lines, such as the stays and backstays, are not included.  My emphasis will be on demonstrating techniques to improve your rigging skills.  Skills that can be used on your next project.
 
As this was developed as a teaching aid, certain shortcuts and compromises to historical accuracy were taken.  Wherever possible, I have used measurements provided by the plans and such authorities as Steel and Lees.  I apologize in advance to the master modelers who might criticize my shortcuts.  I have kept the use of power tools to a minimum.  The only thing that is outside the normal collection of hand tools is a serving machine.  The Guild hopes to begin selling this kit in the next few months.
 
The kit contains all the materials required to complete the model.  But I always keep my scrap box nearby for those times when a piece of a contrasting color wood is desirable.  I will mention those times as the build log progresses.  Also, the build log is made up from the best photographs taken from three builds of this model.  A sharp eye will notice some differences in the wood color because of that.
 
The hull is constructed in typical plank on bulkhead style.  There is a notched spine and notched bulkheads.  The laser cut sheet of one-eighth inch basswood ply also contains a template for the top and four types of spacers, A through D. 

The spine and the frames are assembled as seen below.  Frame 1 is installed with the printing facing aft.  This gave me the option of painting the exposed bulkhead after construction was completed.


 
The mast fits in the slanted slot between Frames 3 and 4.  To keep the mast vertical, support spacers are glued on both sides of the spine.  They will be sanded flush to the spine when the hull is faired. 


To prevent the hull from twisting and to strengthen it, spacers are placed between each frame.  The three aft spacers are “B”, the next one is “C” and the two foremost ones are “D”.  They are placed close to the edge of the frame for maximum stability.  The laser char only needs to be removed from the fore and aft sides so that their surfaces are flat.  If too much wood is sanded off, I glue strips of paper onto the edge as a filler to prevent distorting the hull.
 
The hull and deck were faired so there are smooth curves fore to aft.  I used a sanding block for this.  I did not fair the bulwark extensions (the thin strips of wood above the deck) to prevent them from breaking off.  This model has a significant camber to the deck.  Sanding sticks help getting into the corners.  You can see that the mast supports have been sanded down to match the height of the deck.

Next up is planking the hull.
 
 

Hi all,
 
Thank you all for the Likes and advice.
 
Now, an update on my 'fencing' construction etc.
 
Below, fence posts, hinge/latch posts and the field gate.

Above - I bought some matchstick blanks to use as fence posts, and gave them a grey undercoat. During the WWII era I suspect many fence posts were made using tree branches, but I think some probably used sawn timber.  On the left are wooden strips wood-glued together to form the end supports for the gate. And finally the gate, based on images from the period.
 
Below - Fixing the fencing wire to the posts caused a bit of head scratching....normally staples would be used but at 1/32" (0.75mm) across I couldn't see how I could make them that small yet strong enough to press in to the wood.  So 0.35 mm wire (...same as the fencing wire) was used to form a 'hook' that had the long leg glued in to a drilled hole in the post.  That worked as well as I could hoped.

 
Laying out the posts on the raised banks to check I had the right number to look right. I also added braces to the two support posts. The posts were slightly tapered to give the impression of being made from actual tree trunks or large branches. The semi-circular groove on the right is caused by the sweep of the gate dragging on the ground.  I also added some farm tractor tyre ruts. Finally I added two shades of AK grass. I don't have a Static Grass Applicator, but grass in farm fields, that hold livestock, tends to be flattened and bumpy anyway.

 
Trying to catch a 'staple' in focus....the paint bottle was positioned to assist the camera find focus.

 
Gate mounted in position. I suppose I could have made miniature metal hinges for the gate, but made do with tiny blocks of wood to simulate the hinges.

 
Another view of the gate.

 
And finally, Marguerite still patiently waits for the hay to be thrown over.

 
Next is probably painting the Archer crew, finding the makings of a suitable tree for the left side of the scenario, and adding the hedge rows, There's also dirt to be added on the road, small rocks in the ditches and more weathering of the vehicle and landscape.
 
That's it for this week, all the best,
 
Richard

Olympias has very little in the way of amenities for its crew...However they did fit some stowage racks for gear underneath the canopy. The extent is roughly shown in the midship section drawing (John Coates Plan no.8) but no details or scantlings are given. My interpretation is taken from scaled measurements from images on line and stills from videos (the stick men shown in the sketch are traced from John Coates drawing and are rather taller than my Athenian marines - I guess he was checking clearances for the taller 1980's oarsmen...):

 
And a view of the first canopy section fitted with a stowage rack removed from the model:

 

Nicely done.  I agree that these are a really nice (and visible) touch and are often overlooked. 

Post One Hundred and Fifty- four
This post follows on from Post 152 having a close relationship to anchors.
 
One of the reasons I made up the anchors is that I have also been thinking about anchor linings and billboards.
These do not feature with the kit and do not tend to appear on contemporary plans.

Many contemporary models show them, as on Amazon above. 
They were an important feature on ships of the period to protect the hull from the anchor flukes.

Chuck’s Winnie
My go to reference, here you can see the lining running over the wale.

7396
I added billboards to my Sphinx build as above.

3906
Having an anchor made up is useful in that the arc made by the anchor as it is swung horizontal from the cathead for securing, determines the position of the lining and billboards.
 
In considering Bolsters and Billboards for Indy I am hamstrung by the absence of specific sizes of timber to use. With Sphinx it was relatively easy having the TFFM book to refer to.
I know where these fittings were placed so it is basically down to what looks good to my eye.
 
I firstly made the Bolsters using some Boxwood square stock of 2.75mm. This was topped by some 3.5 x 0.7mm  boxwood strip.

3910
The length of the bolster worked out at 26mm. 
Notches were cut out of the back side to fit over the first two preventer plates of the Fore channels and a slight curve was induced to match the curve of the bow.
The bolster was fixed to the Black strake only with pins.
 

3913
With the bolsters  in place the Billboards can be made. For this I use some 1mm Boxwood scrap inscribed with 3mm wide boards which reflect the topsides planking.
 
The Linings

3914
These cover the main wale in the case of Indy and scribe an arc at the fore end that follows that of the anchor swing.
I settled on using some 0.6mm Pearwood scrap which suits my eye.
 

3917
3919

3929
In fixing the linings  I have used double sided tape. This gives me the option of easy removal if I decide I don’t like them, and the jury is still out on that.
 
Altho’ I’m not fitting the anchors I don’t think it will be an easy fit to get the bowers to look right.

3923

3924
If the bill is to rest on the Fore channel there is little room between the deadeyes.

3930
A possible fixing with the arm atop the fore end of the channel secured with shank painters around the timberheads.
 
I will be interested to see how others tackle the anchor rigging.🤔
 
 
B.E.
07/03/2024