JesseLee

Request new plywood from them and new plans. Ridiculous! That kit is not cheap either. 
Steve

My Syren plywood was heavily charred and very difficult to sand off. In some places I never removed all of the char. Good luck with your build.

Hi
I also got the used plywod😧 and I got New plywood from MS 
I told them I did not want this bulkheads, get me New ones ore I have to returnere the kit!
and this is the New ones (photo)

I will start with the plywood provided in the Kit.   There are a few burn through marks on one of the laser cut pieces.   Everything appears to be there. No broken castings like I had in the HMS Snake Kit.  I don't like working or  dealing with plastic bags. I tried plastic containers, but I really prefer glass jars for small parts. With glass, I can see what is in them from a distance.

I am not happy with this.    The frame and bulkheads are made from some very cheap looking 3 ply plywood. I can chip pieces off the ply's with my finger nail!  I have higher quality 3/16 4 Ply Plywood out in my junk pile. Before I jump to too many conclusions,  I'll give it a chance, and start out using it. See what happens. Has anyone ever seen this material before in a Kit?

I will be happy to follow along with this build I like the look of the instruction manual nice colour pictures I've built a mantua kit in the past not to bad instructions but they did add what must have been revised instruction on very poor photo  copy and I thought there was no excuse for that .
i recently built an artesania latina kit and it provided a cd that was very good however it's not as good as a book right in front of you . All the best with your build I will follow with interest 
 
steve

The Brig Syren has arrived.  Very well packaged. I love the color manual.  At first glance, the planking material in this kit, is of much better quality than the broken and cracked planking material I received in my Caldercraft HMS Snake Kit.  So far so good. 

David, you've got a work area!  Anywho, I'll follow your build closely and good luck. 
Tom
 

David
Your snake looking pretty good.  Haven't build this one but viewed online many a time (li like  many of the various Caldercraft models).   Just  started the Syren a few weeks ago and enjoying the build.  Excellent instructions and want to use this build to help me in many areas I need to improve on.     I like the work area you have.    Private and comfortable.
Will follow your build.
 
Blaine

Hardy Well David
                             Beautiful collection LOLlllllllllllllllllllllllllllll when I was a young boy I to worked in a double closet it was my first man cave, Obe evening my dad called me down for supper had no idea I had a man cave in the closet.  Came upstairs to fetch me and found to his surprise I was in a closet building models the only reply was that's a great idea.  Thank you for sharing your collectgions they are beautiful
                        Frankie Day

My work area is in a bedroom closet.  The closet has double doors which open very wide and allow me to pin sheets of plans, and other items to the inside and outside of the doors. I installed a table, one chair, lights, ventilation fan, and shelves.  The big advantage is that when I am done working, I just close the doors. No clean-up required. Also, by working in the closet, I am able to keep my projects hidden from grand children, and inquisitive cats.

I have made a decision to purchase and build the US Brig Syren.  My goal is to become a better Wood Model Ship Builder. Learn the craft, and improve my work. I started building wood ship models 4 years ago. I started by building from scratch. With any wood and materials I could scrounge up. I completed 2 Commercial Fishing Boats. However, It was a very difficult experience for me. I became disabled, and have problems with spatial interpretations, reading, writing, and hand coordination. Four of my previous attempts to build a model ended up in the wood stove. The finished Fishing Boats are rough, and somewhat resemble folk art.  My next project was a scratch built replica of the Armed 14 Gun 1801 Russian Merchant Neva.  It took me 6 months working all most full time to build the Neva (over 600 hours). The Neva is a little rough, and I made many mistakes. Many of the  parts I built for the Neva were built out of scale. The rigging was my own invention! To my astonishment the Sitka Historical Society took the Neva and will display it in the new Russian America Museum which opens this summer. I have many pictures of building the Neva. But, I did not set up a Build Log. I was afraid that the quality of my work was poor, and worse yet, I was afraid I would abandon my attempt.  After working on the Neva, I felt ready to try a official kit. For the past six months I have been working on the Caldercraft HMS Snake. I must have gotten a older kit that had been bumped around a lot. Some of the wood was in very poor condition. Cracked and chipped. Some of the metal parts had broken pieces. So I tweaked the model a little.  I have been struggling with the HMS Snake. Being disabled, I am finding it hard to read the provided directions. My spatial interpretation problems makes viewing plans very difficult. I still can't rig a canon. That is why I have chosen to build the US Brig Syren.  I am impressed with the directions I downloaded,  and the Build Logs I have read.  I am hoping to become a better builder. The Syren is scheduled to arrive in 10-14 days.  Which really means 14-21 days to Sitka Alaska.   I'll start this log officially, when I start unpacking. At which time, the HMS Snake will be taken out of Dry Dock and put in storage.  Photo's of my past mistakes attached.

thanks for the good word and the likes.....I'm glad your all enjoying the build    I wanted to take a few more pictures,  but the camera got hungry,  so I had to feed it  {sorry Pat}.  
    that's what the hoses are for Patrick     catch fish.......rinse.......repeat  

Hi Denis 
 
Very, very nice!  I can just picture Syborn chugging across the ocean, trawling backwards and forwards, forever chasing those elusive fish.  The seagulls would also be hanging out for a free feed...so watch out in case they leave their calling cards on the decks🤔  You wouldn't want to clean the decks unnecessarily😧  
 
All the best. 
 
Cheers
 
Patrick
 
 
 
 
 

today I devoted a bit of time on the trawler.   the port side net is on finally........you may have seen a trace of the net on my desk,  in viewing the progress on the Thermopylae.   as mentioned,  I did start cutting the parts for the vents.  I was going to use the horn type vents,  but they didn't look right on her.   these are the bits I have to piece together.

the net and the buoy beads were on my desk,  cluttering things up.   taking the trawl rig down from my crane lamp,  I began to put it together.

gluing the beads on the line is time consuming........do a few......wait for them to dry........do a few.   either that,  or they move around on me,  and I have to keep fixing them.   it was assembled onto the boom and rigged.  the process is finished.


next will be the vents,  and then onto the stern     

That is a very acute observation, Dick. And the sail and bonnets are very nicely executed.

It is actually number 100 thread glued to the paper. If you look at some illustrations e.g.
 the cross hatching is only on the front and not visible on the back. This suggests to me some form of small calibre rope has been sown to the front of the sail. Are there any other possibilities?
I may put a simple cross on the mainsail but will not do more
Cheers
Dick

Glad to see you say "tricky" Tom.
Thought it might just be me.
Thankfully, the port side is going much smoother.  As usual, things like this have a definite learning curve.
Ain't gonna re-do this starboard side!

QUARTER GALLERIES PROGRESS....
 
Port side installed......
 

Still looks very good Dave. I wish I had your carving skills.
 
Jesse

Still looks very good Dave. I wish I had your carving skills.
 
Jesse

Here be the mainsail and two bonnets ready to be connected. Many illustrations show the cross stitching

Still looks very good Dave. I wish I had your carving skills.
 
Jesse

Thanks Jon:  The vinyl used here is taken from vinyl lattice strips used for fencing.  I've used it for years and never experienced any yellowing.
 
Dave
 

Quarter Galleries....
Still focusing on the stern development, I set aside the transom work for now because I realize the blending of the Quarter Galleries is crucial, and I have been struggling with how I will approach the slanted windows.
 
Third (or fourth) attempt, here's where I landed....

Used transparency film for the glass, and very fine cut strips of white vinyl to represent the window framing....... I just finished one window and snapped this quick shot in order to examine this method closely before continuing further.