catopower

Here's another pic of the hull that I didn't post last time. My plan is to paint this portion of the hull black using Liquitex acrylics. Because the balsa sheet of the main hull is grainy and porous, I'm using a bit of wood conditioner on it first and giving it a light sanding. Deck planking will sit directly on top of this assembly, so you can see that there is no need for a carved out hull. Had this been a model of a smaller boat, I would have had to carve it out. The next step will be to add the trapezoidal-shaped platforms that will fit on top of the end sections of the hull at the bow and stern. These platforms look pretty straight forward and will have to be pieced together from planks, though it took some study of the stern platform (right side of drawing) to understand what's going on there. Below is a breakdown of some of the elements of that stern platform. Sorry the image is a little fuzzy as I had to blow it up to fit the text in there. And finally, here's an image of a museum model that was on display at the tool museum in Kobe while Douglas Brooks was building a boat there. The image is courtesy of Douglas Brooks. You can see a lot of details in this model that are hard to see in the 3-view drawing. More on the end platforms next time. Edit: In the background of this last photo, you can see two other models. In the far background is an Atakebune (ah-ta-kay-boo-nay), which was a warship from the Warring States period, roughly from the mid-15th century through the end of the 17th century. These were the largest of the Japanese warships. Something akin to their battleships. They were big, lumbering ships with a small castle-like structure mounted atop. The other vessel in the mid background on the left is a Kawagozabune (kah-wa-go-za-boo-nay), something of a highly ornate riverboat/yacht used by nobility as a symbol of their prowess. This would have been seen primarily on the rivers connecting Osaka and Kyoto. I'm not sure how far back these yachts date back. I'm guessing that this one in particular is probably from the Tokugawa period (1603-1868) as the period was peaceful enough that this type of boat could be safely used, and the hull is of a built-up, structured hull. But, there were similar types of river transports, not so well decorated, that had hulls similar to my Umibune.

Here's a bit of an update. I've been working on the torpedo boat now and again and tonight I took a break from another project to get some things done on the hull. I finished adding the main hull skins. Because my model curves up just slightly at the ends, it took a little extra work to get this part of the hull done. Overall, things went just fine. I used contact cement at this stage. The main issue I had was that even though I centered the stern piece as perfectly as I could, it came forward slightly on one side of the ship. As a result, the starboard side looks fine at the bow, but the port side comes up a little short. I'll work on cleaning up the bow next, but it's not all that noticeable except under close scrutiny. While I was at it, I also shortened the brass rods that hold the ship up on its stand. I think it looks much more natural now. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but the yellow tape is Tamiya masking tape. It peels off quite cleanly and doesn't mar the printed paper at all. The final thing I did was to add the connecting pieces to the forecastle. I think Chris mentioned that there is a minor flaw in the kit in that this toothed connecting strip has to be cut in order to fit on both sides of the forecastle's internal bulkhead. You'll also note that I added the aft bulkhead of the forecastle. That worked out quite nicely, though, like the toothed connecting pieces for the forecastle deck, the bottom connecting tabs on the bulkhead needed to be cut to allow the bulkhead to bend in the center and fit around the centerline bulkhead of the forecastle. I have also bent the forecastle deck edges down and I'll be looking over Chris's tutorial to see that I don't miss anything at this stage of construction.

There’s a lot of history and background to discuss for the this model, but what’s a build log without the construction of the model itself? If you look at the line drawing I posted at the start, you’ll see that the hull has a semi-circular base to the hull. That’s because these boats were essentially dugouts. It is what Japanese scholars call a semi-structured type, or a junkozosen. It features a dugout log hull with reinforcing beams and the addition of hull planking to increase the ship’s seaworthiness and carrying capacity. You'll notice that the scale is labeled with and 尺 character, which is the symbol for shaku, the Japanese carpenter’s unit of measure, which is almost exactly equal to one foot. This shows our Umibune has a hull cross-section of about 9 feet. The log hull was probably made from the Japanese camphor tree, which is a type of evergreen that’s not particularly tall, but with a trunk that has been known to reach over 20 feet in diameter. A boat this large was built in sections, and the drawing suggests four sections, a shaped bow and stern section that is attached to two dugout log sections fastened end-to-end. I don’t have any information about how the logs were securely fastened end-to-end, but I did find an illustration in one of Professor Ishii's later books that suggests it’s not just a simple joint. Before I could start, I needed to choose the scale for this model. I’d love to have some consistency of scale between my Japanese boat models. But, my models are all over the place here. I have 1/10-scale for my Tosa wasen, 1/24 for the Woody Joe kits of the Hacchoro and Yakatabune, 1/72 for the Higaki Kaisen, 1/20 for the rice field boat, and so on. For small boats, I’m trying to try to stick to a common scale of 1/10, for medium-sized boats, 1/20-scale is okay, and maybe for the largest boats, I’ll shoot for 1/50-scale. For the Kamakura period Umibune, this makes the model just about 2 feet long, which should be a reasonable size for a model on the shelf. I set about scanning and resizing the drawings accordingly. Hull Construction The first issue I came across then, was whether or not I needed to carve out a hull to build this model. For the modeling of a smaller boat, it would certainly have been necessary. But, a boat this size would probably have had a planked deck. Looking at other, later Japanese boats, these planked decks were commonly flush with the transverse beams that you see in the cross section images. In the case of this hull, the planked deck would sit upon the edge of the dugout section of the hull. The same would be true at the bow and stern. This meant that it wasn’t necessary to carve out the hull, I just needed to built a round hull. Also, the main hull has the same cross section all the way down its length, making construction very simple. Since I didn’t have to actual carve out log-shaped pieces, I decided to cheat a bit, and build the model “Western-style.” That is, I made a series of semi-circular bulkheads, shaped to templates I made from the drawing. The bulkheads would be connected together by a single basswood strong-back that would run the length of the main hull. The illustration below shows the section of the strong-back as a broken-outline rectangle. The arrow show the placement of the beams and planks directly on top of the strong-back. I cut five bulkheads out of basswood. The bulkheads are all identical, so the spacing isn’t particularly relevant. I just spaced them out evenly. Now, with a bit more foresight, I would have added some kind of internal keel down the center, even in separate pieces, just so I could drill it for mounting posts. As it was, the bulkheads themselves were fine, but locating them after the hull is constructed adds some complexity to the task. Between the bulkheads, I put in a series of basswood strips that would help support the bulkheads, and would later give me something to drill into for mounting pins, though I probably should have used thicker strips for this reason. In any case, rather than planks, I covered the hull bottom with a single sheet of balsa, which I figured would be flexible enough to wrap around the curve of the bulkheads. This turned out fine, but did require a lot of care during construction, as the balsa crushes or mars easily. But, little dents are also fairly easy to repair as I later found. The ends of the hull were simply shaped basswood blocks. I traced the profiles onto the block, carved away the bulk of the excess wood, and then used the belt sander for the bulk of the shaping. Note that the shape of the ends differs very slightly between bow and stern, as the bow rises a bit more sharply.

Ken, Tim, I'm happy to have your company here. As I proceed, let me state for the record that I'm no expert on Japanese traditional boats, nor do I know much about Japanese history. I really just know bits and pieces, and spend a lot of time learning and relearning things. I'm interested in Japanese culture, being half Japanese myself, and spend a fair amount of time and energy making Japanese and Japanese related connections, like with Woody Joe, Douglas Brooks, Thermal Studio (the Tosa wasen kit), The Rope, etc. But, any Japanese ship modeler who has an interest in the subject of Japanese traditional boats, could surpass my knowledge in a heartbeat, just from their ready access to written information, museums, etc. Still, very few Japanese people have much of an interest in the details of things of this nature. I have managed to foster a friendship with a couple Japanese ship modelers. One of them has some knowledge of Japanese boats because he was helping someone outside the country with information on them, and has been helping me out over the past year or so. Only recently did he build what I believe is his first model of a Japanese traditional boat, the Tosa wasen kit from Thermal Studio. So, all of this is really to say that getting information can be very difficult, but if you're interested and have any questions, I'm happy to help in what ways I can.

Hi John, you'd think my Japanese would be improving with all this stuff. But, in actuality, it seems to be making me a more confused person... I HAVE, however, gotten quite proficient at scanning and clipping text and using Google Translate, and then sorting through the odd translations. It's a lot like tying ratlines. Don't think about it, it's a long process, you just do it one step at a time...

Hi Carl, Douglas Brooks focusses on preserving the information of this last generation of traditional wooden boatbuilders, so it's not the kind of thing he has much information about. He did, however, provide me with a couple nice photos of a museum model that appears to be the same model as on the Nippon Foundation website that I mentioned. The model was part of a display that was set up at the carpentry tools museum in Kobe, Japan, in the Spring last year, where he had a boatbuilding project that people could watch live. I recommend visiting his blog, if you haven't already: http://blog.douglasbrooksboatbuilding.com/2016/03/takenaka-carpentry-tools-museum.html It doesn't have anything to do with my model, but his work is fascinating and very important. Hi Dave, I'll try to keep it interesting – Good to see you around!

I thought I'd start a new blog here to show what I have been working on in between my paper model "distraction" projects. This too is something of a distraction project, but it's also part of my on-going study of Japanese traditional watercraft. To date, the Japanese boat models I've done are mostly kits, mostly Edo period (1603-1860), and mostly small boats. This model differs in a lot of ways from the others in that it is from the Kamakura period (1185-1333), is a scratch build, and is a larger boat, nearly 100 feet long. The boat type is old enough, or perhaps obscure enough, that there is no specific term to identify it other than as a Kamakura period large sea boat, or in Japanese, Kamakura jidai no dai umi-bune. Something of a long name, so I'll just refer to it as an Umibune, since the term doesn't really seem to used in other contexts. I got interested in the Umibune (that's oo-me-boo-nay) partly because there are few build plans of Japanese watercraft to be found anywhere. The Japanese don't have a history of recording measurements or detailed drawings of their work. Instead these boats were built by craftsmen who kept their techniques secret and passed their work on to their apprentices. So, the only details we really have are from those who have studied relics, paintings, and other boat designs. In this case, my primary source of information is from the late Professor Kenji Ishii who wrote a few books on the subject, and is pretty well considered the "Father of Japanese Boats". Last year, I located the "bible" of traditional Japanese boat research, Professor Ishii's book, published in 1983. The book has been out of print, though it seems to have been supplanted by a two volume set of smaller books that essentially contain the same information, and is called the Illustrated History of Japanese Traditional Boats. It is written entirely in Japanese, which makes research very challenging – I can't really read much Japanese. But, there is the technology and the determination to overcome such obstacles. In addition, there is a website of the Nippon Foundation Library, which hosts online articles on many subjects. This is actually where I first learned about the Umibune. The site showed a small image of a museum model of an Umibune as part of a small chapter on these boats and their construction. It's in Japanese, but here's a link to the site: https://nippon.zaidan.info/seikabutsu/2000/00200/contents/057.htm While this was an interesting find, at the time I ran across it, it was just one of many subjects I ran across in my research. The fact that it was a boat of the Kamakura period kind of put it out of my view, as I was focussing so much on the Edo period, which took place 300 to 600 years later. It was hard enough to study Edo period boats, and I knew even less about the Kamakura period, so I pretty well set the subject aside. It wasn't until I got a copy of Professor Ishii's work that I started taking a more serious interest. You see, Japanese boats are so different from their Western counterparts, that the simple drawings that I could find were mostly inadequate (or perhaps I was more inadequate) for creating a reasonably accurate model. But, Professor Ishii's book included a 3-view diagram of this particular boat, which was more detail available than for most subjects. Now, if the subject were of a more complex design, this diagram might prove next to worthless for model building purposes. But, I realized that the characteristics of this particular boat design allow me to use the 3-view drawing as a build plan. Now I've actually gotten pretty far along on this model, but I thought I'd take the opportunity to document the work here as best I can, so anyone interested can get an idea of what's been going on. If it inspires or connects me with others interested in Japanese traditional watercraft, so much the better.

Thanks David, Nantucket Lightship, nice choice! Now, this doesn't mean I won't mix you guys up. Just that I have less to complain about when I DO mix you two up!

Yes, and they make some nice aftermarket products for various paper kits too.

Hi Alex and Antony, I'm sorry, I only just now ran across this build that you did, so I haven't been around to offer any support during the project. Such a wonderful job you two did together. Very inspiring, and I love some of the techniques I learned here.

Don and David, you two seriously need your own avatars. It's really hard following this thread because your screennames are so similar AND your avatars are the same – I keep having to look and see which one of you is David and which one is Don

I'm saddened that joske disappeared shortly after this post. I would really like to have seen a model built from these plans and the frame sets from GPM. I actually have the plans, frame set and super-detail set from GPM for the Santa Leocadia, but have too many other things to do first. I understand the comment earlier about the lack of "side extensions," or quarter galleries. These plan and frame sets only provide a minimal structure for the construction of the models. They are really for scratch builders. I've been of a mind to get the whole set for, say, HMS Enterprize and then get the HMS Enterprize paper model kit, because the structures are identical and you could simply scale-up the paper model kit, which is 1/96-scale, to work out the parts needed to build out those quarter galleries and any other features as well. Anyone know if he moved to another site? I'd still like to see the build.

Beautiful looking model David. I know it's a nice kit, I've been eyeing the kit ever since it came out, but your model is looking truly superb!

Thanks Danny. Considering the incredible work I'm seeing you do on the Amatsukaze, that's quite a complement! I did start the V108 Torpedo Boat to see what it's like to build a steel hulled, "traditional" paper model kit, but also have been tinkering with another Shipyard kit, this time the 1/96-scale HMS Mercury. You can find it here: Pav, thanks for the nice comments. I did in fact make a case for it, edged with brass. Cases make everything look like museum pieces! I didn't consider the expanding foam, though I've heard people mention it before. I just looked at the hull of my new HMS Mercury build, linked above, and it's actually pretty solid. I suppose it has to do with the high density of bulkheads and the small scale of 1/96. Recalling how the Alert build went, the biggest issue I had in shape of the hull was that you are using wide, flat sheets to cover the compound curve of the hull. But, I'll deal with that later in my HMS Mercury build log. The problem I have with paper models is that they're so inexpensive, relatively speaking, that I have a hard time keeping myself from buying more kits! Well, as long as I don't start them all...

Hi JCT, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. The Pinta is a nice looking model. I saw some photos of a really gorgeous build of the paper kit not that long ago. There are a lot of things you can do to take the kit to the next level, but I found my first kit (the Alert) to be a great learning experience. The one thing I have to say about the Alert, which also applies to Le Coureur I think, is that because the kit uses a layer of lapstrake planking, you end up with three layers of coverings on the hull. Most shipyard kits only use two. Each successive layer gets you closer to a smoothly curving hull, and by the time I added the lapstrake planking, the hull looked nice and fair. For the 1/96-scale HMS Mercury kit that I've been working on, I'm trying to think of ways to improve the planking look. I'm considering lightly scoring the printed planking lines of the hull and painting it, so that it will essentially look like a planked hull. Also, for a future build, I would consider adding some kind of thin strips directly across the frames before adding any layers, just to provide more support for the first hull layer. Anyway, these kits are inexpensive enough to experiment with a little. My one piece of advice is to scan all the parts sheets onto your computer first, so you can print any replacement items you may need. Looking forward to seeing your build log!

Well, the Dutch Swedish yacht is a pretty cool substitute. I have the 1/96 Berbice and quay port. The quay port part is really just a simple little addition. The other actual quay port kits are more interesting, but they're designed to fit specific models. In the future, I recommend checking out Ages of Sail. They are the U.S. distributor for Shipyard products and a site sponsor. They have a ton of Shipyard stuff, and Shipyard really wants them to buy more, but the shop has to move some more product first. Paper models aren't that well known here in the U.S., but I think a lot of people would really like them if they tried them. There are times in wooden ship modeling where I'm really tired of dust and splinters and having to go out into the baking hot garage to use the power tools. Don't have any of that with the paper kits!

Hi Bob, Interesting. Looks legit. The fact that they show the Bellona and La Belle Poule on the back cover suggest it's is an old, out of print kit. Nice find! To clarify. The current Berbice kit comes in two forms: 1/96 Paper Model kit with Quayport. Paper Model kits are like what you just bought – you cut out all the parts yourself and you supply dowels and rigging line, sails and whatever other fittings you choose to use instead of the paper parts. The current kit include laser-cut skeleton, which speeds up build time a lot. The current version has a Quay port. Looks like they replaced the old Dutch Swedish Yacht with the Quay port in the current kits. 1/72 Laser Cardboard kit (now called Laser Cutted kits). Nothing is printed, except for flags and some decorative details, like friezes if they were on the ship. All parts are laser cut, includes brass cannon barrels, any necessary resin scroll work and figurehead, laser-cut blocks and deadeyes that you assemble yourself (like Chuck's laser-cut stuff), rigging line, dowels, copper tape for the hull, paints, brushes, razor blade, no glue. Old versions had wooden blocks and deadeyes and included glue. This kit does NOT include a quay port, but you can buy one separately if you want. Anyway, I'll be looking forward to seeing your build!

Hi Bob, Slog, Shipyard kits list the laminating thickness on the main instruction diagram. Next to the parts that need laminating, there is a white disc with a number and three dark lines under it. The three dark lines alert you that the part needs to be laminated, the number shown is the final thickness of the part. Bob, I'm confused about the bonus kit. Is it a completely separate kit? Also, the only Berbice kit in this scale that Shipyard makes comes with the Quayport. Also, there is no French language in their kits, only English, German and Polish. Where did you buy your kit? I'm in contact with the owner of Shipyard and he would have mentioned if he had developed a new (yacht) kit.

I've been playing around with making slide show videos on Youtube and the Tosa wasen kit is officially my second video. If you want to see about 5 or 6 weeks of work compressed into a 3-1/2 minute video, with music, please check it out: https://youtu.be/1M1qmJFEMOo

Hi CDW, Yeah, the metal handles hurt my fingers after a short time. Mine is a Swann Morton handle packaged and distributed by Modelcraft Tools - "PKN5002/11 Plastic Scalpel Handle and Swann Morton No.11 blades" I know they have them, as I've seen them in the shop (It an Ages of Sail and Modelcraft Tools showroom) They're only $7 or $7.50 with some blades. http://www.modelcrafttoolsusa.com/knives-blades-cutters/1055-3-scalpel-w-11-blades-5-pkn5002-11.html You can get it from Ages of Sail too, and shipping will probably be a little cheaper too, but it's not on their web page, so you'll have to call them to order - 510-889-6000. You can also email them, but I don't like posting email addresses on the Internet for fear of generating junk mail. But, you can get it off their contact page: http://www.agesofsail.com/contactus.html Now that you mention it, I've never even thought about how uncomfortable it is to use a scalpel since I've had this one. Yes, definitely get one – you'll love it.

Okay, here's a very brief update again. I don't know why it's so easy to get sucked into a paper project, but it is... About a week or so ago, I made this chest of drawers for the Captain's day cabin. The kit photos showed a couple items sitting atop, and I'm contemplating a rolled up map, maybe a book. Yeah, it gets addictive. Just today, I set it into place to see how it would look and above it, on the partition wall, was an empty space, and I thought "That would be a great place to hang a painting". Next thing I know, I'm on the Internet looking for paintings appropriate to a British ship of 1778 or later. I hunted down a Willem Van de Velde the Younger, Royal visit to the fleet in the Thames Estuary, 6 June 1672. I also found a nice portrait of King George III, but settled on the former. I found a site that sold framed artwork that allowed you to see what the painting would look like with a choice of frames. I figured that tastes were more toward what we would consider gaudy. So, I did a screen grab. I probably should have photoshopped out the matte, but didn't think of it. I don't know if I really care, though I might if people could really see the painting clearly. The pic in the screen grab had a watermark, so I used photoshop to overlay another image I found that didn't have one, then proceeded to size it appropriately. A put a few different sizes on a small piece of photo paper, which I printed on my inkjet. Now, if I had been more ambitious, I might have also built up the frame a bit, so it didn't look so two dimensional. But, I did laminate the print to card stock to make it thicker. I also edged this with a gold paint pen. If I'm not happy with this when I go to install it, I do have a somewhat larger image I printed earlier without a frame. I could always build up a frame and use that instead. Anyway, it was yet another fun distraction.

Thank you Pav. This is the easy part, I think. But, I'll gladly accept any compliments I can get!

It didn't take long to finish the hull below the waterline. I didn't add the shafts, props or rudder. I thought I should at least wait until I have the rest of the hull done before I go back to do that. Since I had already finished the four sections aft, I figured it might be best to start at the bow and work my way back. That way, the bow was sure to come out correct and I think it looks good. I used little pieces of Tamiya tape to hold pieces into place while the glue dried – I used Aleene's Tacky Glue for everything here. When it was dry enough, I pulled the tape, revealing the finished hull. Certainly, my work is not perfect, but I'm having fun, and, so far, it doesn't look terrible... By the way, I took this model to three local ship model meetings, and people were VERY interested in the model. I love the fact that because these part are printed on my own printer, if I screw something up, I can just print another parts sheet. There are an awful lot of teeny parts, though. I did a rough count and I think I got to around 250 pieces. So... 31 down, 219 to go!

Hi Carl, it also ties me to the build too. I can't write something like that and then just leave it at that. Just a little progress, but it's something. Plus, it was a pretty neat assembly – the Brodie stove in the forecastle. The instructions were a little messed up in one spot, showing the top of the stove mounted backwards. Another drawing showed it correctly after I'd done the work. Since I wanted to make a slight detail modification anyway, I cut the top free and reattached it in the proper orientation. I also decided to insert a small block of basswood inside to make the stove body more solid before cutting the top off and I'm glad I did. Here's an early pic showing the basic structure. Note how I have it in backwards at this point. It's actually the top that was backwards. Below is the rebuilt stove. There was a very 2-D looking chain assembly printed in the kit. I replaced this with wire and the end of a small dowel that I filed down. After I saw what the real thing looked like, I added the shaft onto the arms. You'll note the white cover handle. This is again a modification of the kit, and the one I originally made popped off during "surgery", and the new one hasn't been painted yet. The completed stove is shown here, temporarily in place. I want to figure out what I need to do for the carriage guns before I install it permanently. Below is another view of the stove temporarily in place. While not part of this model, working in paper led me to making a small detail that will go into the cabins at the stern of an HMS Victory model that I've been working on. These clearly are rough and not accurate, nor are they meant to be. I just want an observer to see a representation of interior space, should they manage to look inside the gallery lights. Again, this is really a direct result of working with these paper kits, since they actually include these kinds of details. Also, the pattern came from an HMS Victory paper model kit. I enlarged a scan of these partitions to the scale of my model and used those as templates for making them out of swiss pear. At this stage, there are really different aspects of the ship model I can choose to work on. I have some furniture to make for the great cabin. That's actually in progress now and I'll probably be posting some pics of those items next time. At least some of them. I'm also thinking about finishing the deck by completing the deck hatches/gratings. I also have to make some cannon carriages and possibly I'll try making the barrels from paper. But, on my HMS Alert, I just used brass cannon barrels. The matter of which color scheme to use is also a decision I'll need to make very soon. The kit includes parts printed for an 1778 color scheme, as well as parts for an early 1800s color scheme. If I go with the 1800s scheme, I'll probably copper the lower hull. If the 1778 scheme, I may want to come up with some form of planking patterned after the nicely printed planks of the sheets that will cover the existing hull.

Hello Pucko, very nice looking build. I've been eyeing a couple xebec kits including this one. Hollowneck did a nice job on his and is in the gallery. Looks like you're doing a great job!