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overdale

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Everything posted by overdale

  1. overdale
    Perhaps I can offer my own two cents worth. Based on my experience, if you want to build an action diorama, stay away from cutaway features. It tends to confuse the viewer. Many think they are looking at battle damage and not an interior cut away. Some of the most effective dioramas like good oil paintings, concentrate on just suggesting what is there rather than struggling to pack everything in. Use the sea to set the scene, and the rest of the story will follow naturally. 'Less is more' in a diorama.
  2. overdale
    Thanks Talos, glad you like her. I am thinking about building her again to keep for myself this time. It would be much quicker to build the second time but I suspect I won't get the chance, too many other jobs in the queue.
  3. overdale
    Masts finished. About to start the ratlines.
  4. overdale
    Well done Frank. A pleasure to look at. Dan.
  5. overdale
    All out of coal, I'm running on Dilithium crystals now, but they're almost drained, and we're spiraling down to the planet's surface.. Ye cannae bend the laws o' physics captain..
  6. overdale
    I have seen the kit and it's not great. The small scale really works against it. They suggest using anchor rope stiffened with glue for the decorative head rails Aeropiccola made a very nice kit of the Lexington in I think around 1/50 scale. There are often kits on Ebay but usually from Europe. Sometimes plans can be bought. I saw a set on ebay just now in the UK for $18.00. From what I remember of the plans, scratch building it would be relatively straightforward as there are no complex fittings you couldn't get from a decent supplier. Dan.
  7. overdale
    I think Jaager's statement sums it up nicely. When you build at 1/100 and smaller, you have to be prepared for a lot of 'artistic' interpretation. Some things begin to look clumsy if properly modeled at that scale so a 'representation' is required to fool the eye into thinking the detail is there. It's similar to a painter suggesting a figure in the distance in a painting with just a few spots of judiciously placed paint. It usually requires a very different way of approaching the subject to regular model building at larger scales where the details can speak for themselves. Unless you are prepared for it, the results can be more than a little frustrating. Dan.
  8. overdale
    In response to the overwhelming demand for 'close ups' I have pushed my steam powered computer to the very edge and reposted these pics in higher quality. Hopefully they will open when clicked on at about three times the actual size and show more detail.. Dan.
  9. overdale
    I'll do my best Erik. At least these are bigger than the last photos so I'm going in the right direction! Dan.
  10. overdale
    If the filler is to be painted or planked over, then I have found spackle compound the best for the job. It sands very easily and has such a fine grain it is undetectable under paint. A good tip is to wipe some super/crazy glue over the entire filled area after you have sanded it smooth. The filler soaks up the glue and it hardens and toughens to an amazing degree.
  11. overdale
    Great work on the winch Nils, it is a tiny triumph..! Dan.
  12. overdale
    The masts are rising and the rigging is underway.! Dan.
  13. overdale
    I use the same technique on my ship models of 1/70 and smaller. A tied ratline knot is hugely over scale on those models. I use a dab of white wood glue on the joints and paint them matt black afterwards. To trim the ends I use a nail clipper which leaves a tiny stub of line which then holds the blob of wood glue perfectly. Dan.
  14. overdale
    I think these should be a bit bigger if you click on them. My old computer doesn't handle large files all that well so I try not to overburden it.! Dan.
  15. overdale
    Glad you like it Elijah. I don't usually get attached to my models but I shall be sorry to see her go when she's finished..
  16. overdale
    I've now built the masts and am moving on to the yards. Have fitted the lower masts and some assorted blocks. About to start the shrouds.
  17. overdale
    I hadn't actually Mark. Thanks for the heads up, what remarkable collection of information..! I have been looking at this place lately. http://deadconfederates.com/2013/03/18/aye-candy-c-s-s-manassas/ There are some amazing steam vessels of the Confederacy here. Some extremely tempting model subjects! Dan.
  18. overdale
    Lovely work Nils. It really does have the feel of a metal ship. Dan.
  19. overdale
    For me, it's nail clippers every time. They cut closest to the knot and the possibility of 'unintended consequences' with adjacent rigging are much less than with scissors.
  20. overdale
    Good progress Sean. I always use contact adhesive for veneer. It's solvent based and sticks immediately. The solvent means there's no water in the glue (unlike PVA wood glue) and the wood doesn't distort or wrinkle as the water is absorbed into the wood fibers from the PVA glue. And there's no need to clamp it for hours until it's dry. The down side is that you only get one shot at sticking it down so it had better be right.. I also quite like the look of those laser engraved planks. if you use one of those propelling pencils with the very thin leads you can draw in plank joints and nails on the surface then a quick shot of poly varnish and they look very realistic.
  21. overdale
    Bill, If you sit the can in a saucepan of warm (IMPORTANT..warm not boiling) water for five minutes the internal temperature and pressure is increased and the spray is a lot finer. Practice on some scrap first but you will notice quite a difference. The paint dries much faster too with the elevated temperature the solvent evaporates quicker. I rarely use an airbrush now. A spray can works fine for me. Dan.
  22. overdale
    Brian, I remember seeing a completed 'Couronne' in a local model shop window in London when I was a schoolboy back in the 70's. It was my first wooden ship model encounter and I remember being astonished that anyone could produce something so complicated that wasn't a plastic kit! I can't remember if it was built very well or not but it made a huge impression on me at the time. Dan
  23. overdale
    Charlie, Aeropiccola kits often surface on ebay. Especially in Italy. The company has been gone for a while but there are still quite a few of their kits about. From what I've seen, they are a bit basic in some areas. I can however recommend the Mamoli 'Halifax' plans as I used them scaled down to get bulkheads and keel to scratch build 'The Sturdy Beggar' privateer a few years ago. They would probably be a more accurate reference than Aeropiccola. It's a nice straightforward ship to build and judging by how well you are getting on with Sultana, I'm sure you'd have no trouble with a scratch build from the plans. The Mamoli Halifax kit also surfaces on ebay fairly regularly. Dan.
  24. overdale
    Nice idea Jack, and that's a lovely part of the country too .. I may be heading up that way when I finish the frigate Boston if there is a delivery involved so it might work. Dan.
  25. overdale
    I bought the book today too..

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