catopower

Paul, I don't know why nobody else has commented since you started this build. But, it is looking very nice. I agree that this is a very nice looking ship. Although you are an experienced modeler, I think it would make an ideal first model for a beginner. It has a nice easy hull shape for planking, and a square-tuck stern, which also makes for ease of planking. There are some metal parts, so they simply need to be painted, and glued into place. Again, this is easy for a beginner to do. Plus, the lateen rig is simpler than a square rig, and it's interesting. You've done a nice job making your own replacement parts and showing us what an experienced ship modeler can do with this kit!

Hi All, I just thought I'd post a pic of my Schwarzer Rabe kit from Shipyard. The last photo I posted here was over 3 weeks ago. So, here's what it looks like now.

Congrats, Tim! I've been thinking about ordering that kit, or the Duyfken, or the Meerman... I keep playing around with the shopping cart, adding something different, but haven't gotten around to submitting the order yet. Just can't make up my mind!

Daniel Filipe, you are doing a wonderful job with this build. your model is looking great!

Tomek, that was very helpful. Thank you for posting!

Hi Tim, Well, I have to say I'm a bit lost on where to go on this project at this point. I want to add the outer planking "skins", as they will make the hull sturdier. But, I think for rigging the guns, the easiest thing is going to be to make all the eyebolts/ringbolts long and drill through the hull. That's probably best to do at this stage. I did just make an investment in this project. Since I'm not really happy rolling my own cannons yet, I went ahead and I ordered a set of cannon barrels from GPM. I'm also trying out some barrels that I might use with the Schwarzer Rabe, but they don't have an actual set for that one. The HMS Mercury cannon barrel set should include both sizes of carriage guns, swivels, and carronades. But we'll see. The barrel set says it contains 46 pieces and I count 48 on the model, so we'll see. If anything comes up short, I just hope it's the swivels, as I won't really care about them. There are plenty of sub-assemblies I can work on too, I just don't know where to get re-started.

Chris, these kits look great. Thanks for bringing them to our attention, because I REALLY NEED more projects! Especially these relatively inexpensive card model projects, because I can load up on so many of them for so little money. Plus, they take up so little room in my stash that I can fit half a dozen with all the available accessories in the space of one wooden ship model kit! 🤪

Jan, those are all really wonderful models. Very realistic. I'm not sure how my cat would react to them... (!)

Card models of animals confuse the heck out of my brain. How is it they can look so realistic? That's absolutely incredible, Leo! Thanks for sharing (and confusing the heck out of my brain!)

Having completed my laser-cut Hanse Kogge from Shipyard and put in a little time on Shipyard's 1/96-scale fluit Schwarzer Rabe kit, I can't help but think about this HMS Mercury project. I basically put it on hold as it's a complex project that I felt a bit ill-prepared for. However, now that I'm well into the planking of the Schwarzer Rabe's hull, it's making HMS Mercury seem a little less daunting. So, don't it out even though I have posted any real progress here in... over 3 years! 😮 This week, I think I'm actually going to get all the parts, instructions, and assemblies together to take stock of where I'm at on this model.

I don't know how this one slipped past me! Shipyard's 1/72-scale HMS Mercury is already a great kit. But Pitr, that is one gorgeous model! I started working on a 1/96-scale version long ago, but never finished. This model is very inspiring. Thank you for sharing all the great photos of it! Are you planning to eventually rig this model? There's so much great detail on your gun deck and cabins that it almost seems a shame to cover it up with the spar deck. Looking forward to seeing more from you.

By the way, this discussion of paper models got me to looking at a couple projects I've had in the works. One is a bit too complicated for me to continue with just yet, that's Shipyard's 1/96-scale paper model of the frigate HMS Mercury. The other, however, is much simpler. It is Shipyard's 1/96-scale paper model of the fluit Schwarzer Rabe. I started this one early last Fall when I had to temporarily relocate to take care of my elderly mother after she had a mini-stroke. The model kit kept my mind busy and required few tools, so it was easy to work in my bedroom's desktop workshop. I didn't really plan on making it a regular project – it was mostly just to fill in the spare time I had. However, this past week, I decided to pull it out of storage and do a little work on it. I started a build log on my own blog site as well as on Papermodelers.com, but I may go ahead and post it on MSW. I'm not sure, as I have other build logs I need to wrap up here before I add yet another! It's just the way I like to work 🙂 I work on this kind of thing in spurts. So, maybe now I'll wait until my next burst of progress before I start the build log here. But, hey, at least I finished the Bremen Cog build (and build log) this year!

No, the Hermione is definitely a new Disar kit. Ages of Sail just got the shipment in. Disar also came out with a new stern paddlewheel river boat kit called the Marieville. So far, I'm only getting early reports on the new Hermione kit. It is a 1/72 scale kit, as opposed to AL's weird 1/89-scale kit. The result is a model that's just over 36" long. It looks very comparable to the AL kit, but the rigging appears to be more complete in regards to the sail handling lines, mostly bowlines and buntlines. Cannon barrels actually look like cannon barrels. Probably for many modelers, they will also appreciate the printed instructions, as opposed to AL's instructions on CD only. Looking forward to seeing the kit in person. Sadly though, that means no Navio Glorioso or Principe de Asturias yet. Maybe this kit held up their development of those?

Hi Rooster, Welcome to MSW! They're showing contact cement there, but I think it's better to use medium-cure, gap filling CA glue. I built this model and that's what I did, at least in part. I used masking tape to hold the strip into place while adjusting the strip to get it aligned just right on both sides. Then, using a pin, apply tiny drops at various points along the strip. The tape can then be removed. Then you can hit it with a little thin CA at a few places. The thin CA will run all along the seam, completing the bond. Hope that helps!