Glenn-UK

My righthand side of the Sphinx is the one I'll use for display purposes. I will also buy the bigger ship when it becomes available to add to my Vanguard Model collection.

You could always take my approach and buy a second kit🤣, yours look much better than mine however so I am sure you can fix the issues. I am currently working on the quarterdeck and forecastle on my V1 kit, as soon as that is complete I will start work on the v2 kit

Ron I do need to learn how to measure. I have learnt such alot from the first build so I am hoping the 2nd build will be much better, planning to start work on the v2 kit in the next couple of weeks, once I have finished with the forecastle and quarterdeck.

There is a slight gap on mine also, but I made a right mess when I installed the left hand side. I had to rip it off and reglue due to a misalignment on my part.

The first task today was to install the anchor cable into position. This has to be fed through the hawse hole to the inner pair of bulkhead holes. I used a brass rod which I shaped so it would go through the two holes. I put a touch of ca gel on the end of the anchor rope and then pushed the brass rod into the end. It was then a very easy task to feed the rope through the two holes. Once both cables were installed I added a knot to ensure the cable would remain in place. This picture shows the first anchor rope in position with the brass rod still in place. The next picture shows both anchor cables in position with the knots in place. A view of the cable in hawse holes. The anchor cable was fed through the holes nearest the bowsprit The next task was to check if the 8mm bowsprit dowel would fit. I started this task by rotating (by hand) a 7mm, then a 7.5mm and finally an 8mm drill bit. I then used my large round file to gently file the opening a tad bit more. This picture shows the dowel in place through the two angled holes This picture shows the Sphinx fitted with the Mizzen, Main, and Fore mast dowels on place along with the bowsprit dowel. I have also sanded the laser char from all the forecastle beams which have now been glued in place. The forecastle deck pattern was then dry fitted. The edges did not require too much sanding to get a good fit. To ensure the forecastle deck properly positioned during the sanding process you will note that the bitts, mast and stove chimney were positioned as the deck was added to the deck. The deck is only dry fitted at the moment. I repeat the process with the quarterdeck pattern, using the mizzen mast and capstan dowel to aid the correct alignment of the quarterdeck deck Finally a picture of the Sphinx with the decks in place along with all the masts and bowsprit.

Today I have been working in fitting the quarterdeck beams, which was a fairly easy task to complete. Once the beams were in place the pattern for the leading quarterdeck beam was added. The leading beam pattern has been glued and clamped in place All the quarterdeck beams are glued in place. I did add the thread around the coaming openings as can be seen in this photo I have also started work on the forecastle beams. The laser char has been removed from the beams, I will also remove the char from the longitudinal locking beams. Before the beams are glued in place I will feed the anchor rope through the their respective holes, hopefully this will be a fairly straightforward task. I will also need to sand the bowsprit opening, as necessary so the 8mm dowel can be located.

I have had a couple of quite days in the shipyard so not too much to report (as if🤣). Here are a few pictures of the current state of play. As you can see all the deck items have been added, I just need to run some 0.5mm natural thread through stanchions surrounding two coamings. I have also started to add the quarterdeck beams. The stern area. Midships Bow area. The stove chimney is only dry fitted, as it is fitted once the upper deck has been installed. I also need to work on the grey wash on the stove base method. I painted the pattern brick red, coated it with an acyclic varnish and then used a light grey wash which flowed nicely in the lines. However when I used a cotton bud to remove the excess wash, the excess wash remained on the base.

Due to my poor attempt at building the v1 so far (the kit is excellent but I need to improve my build skills) I have bought a v2 kit, which is currently waiting in the shipyard while I press on with completing the v1 kit.

Many thanks Yves, it does not look too bad when viewed at certain angles but I know I can do so much better so I'm keen to have another go at this magnificent design.

I have been working on fitting the deck items today and it is starting to bring the deck to life. I started with the coaming which were glued in place. Next I added the two ladders. The capstan was painted red and placed on the deck. Next I moved on to the chain pump arrangement. The first task was to bend the 4 off chain pump handle stanchion cappings (2 aft and 2 fore) and to drill a hole for the locating pin in each stanchion. The cross beam and eyebolts were added to the two main jeer bitts, ensuring the laser char was removed from the visible edges. I had already fully assembled the two Chain Pump's so I then checked that the main mast would fit, including the main mast base. The two hand pumps were also added, which had been pre built. Working my way toward the bow the main topsail sheet bitts and gallows assembly was completed with the addition of the cross beam, panelling and eyebolts. With all the chain pumps items in place the chain pump handle bars were fitted. They need to be painted black as do the cappings and eyebolts. The chain pump assembly is only dry fitted at the moment but as everything seems to fit together as designed I can go ahead and glue everything in place. I have also added the PE parts to the previously built stove assembly. The instruction manual requires 1mm brass rod to be used for the chain pully. I started with this but found chain pulley holes were to small. Initially I did use a microdrill to try to open the holes but this created a new set of problems with distorting the PE chain pully as the drill was rotated. In the end I used a brass rod from my collection which seemed a perfect fit. I am now in the process of painting the assembled stove black. I have ordered some brick red paint and light grey wash so I can try to get the stove base painted as per the build instructions. Photos to follow in due course.

Before moving on to fit the deck furniture I thought a bit of forward planning would be a good idea. Therefore I decided to dry fit the quarter deck beams. Before each beam was fitted I removed the majority of the laser char from the top edge, using a flory sanding stick. It was very useful to have the various quarter deck beams laser etched with a letter to correspond with the lettering on the Quarterdeck Beam Spacing Patterns. The beams required a very minor bit of sanding at the edges (basically removing the laser char and adding a slightly angle to follow the hull shape to ensure a good fit. The 2 x Quarterdeck Beam Carlings, 2 x Quarterdeck Carling Beams (Mizzen Mast) and the 4 x Quarterdeck Carling Beams – Coaming were also dry fitted. I can now go ahead start fitting the various items, that I have pre built, to the deck. I am showing extreme patience and not starting work on the V2 sphinx kit just yet. I will need to remove the laser char from the visible ends as well as a final clean up sand on the tops of the quarter deck support beams.

I received a very nice delivery from UPS this morning. Yes the V2 kit has arrived. My plan with the V2 Sphinx kit build is to: a) take my time, making sure I am totally happy with everything before parts are finally assembled b) try to be much more careful with this build, my aim is to significantly reduce the number of silly mistakes I normally make c) try out some different ideas to improve my building skills, using the additional spare parts I've ordered. d) take note of the lessons learnt so far with my current build, which has become a practice build e) to have fun and to enjoy the V2 Sphinx kit build and to start and keep a build log charting my progress. f) to continue with the V1 kit build for the time being which is now being used as a practice build.

Just a quick update, the bulkhead screen which was curled has now been straightened with an "invisible mend" I used a thin plank glued to the deck keep the bulkhead screen straight along its length. Looks much better now. I have started to fit the side infill parts. On the next build I think I might change the sequence and fit the infills to the aft bulkhead before fitting the forward bulkhead so there is a bit more room to play with. I need to get my brush out to dust away the unwanted particles, which can be seen in the photo below. I received a very nice delivery from UPS this morning. Yes the V2 kit has arrived. My plan with the V2 Sphinx kit build is to: a) take my time, making sure I am totally happy with everything before parts are finally assembled b) try to be much more careful with this build, my aim is to significantly reduce the number of silly mistakes I normally make c) try out some different ideas to improve my building skills, using the additional spare parts I've ordered d) take note of the lessons learnt so far with my current build, which has become a practice build e) to have fun and to enjoy the V2 Sphinx kit build and to start and keep a build log charting my progress.

I have completed the task of fitting the cabin bulkhead assemblies. I need to rethink this task when I redo this on the V2 kit build The instructions state "Glue the corresponding parts together using wood glue and clamp all the way around so the parts can’t curl. It’s important to make sure that everything is aligned properly" As soon as I applied the titebond the bulkheads started to curl. I clamped the assemblies as shown in the build manual, however once I removed the clamps all three bulkhead assemblies were curled. I dampened the bulkheads and clamped them against a flat surface overnight. The bulkheads were still curled once the clamps were removed. I tried clamping the bulkheads again once the window panes and frames were fitted. The window panes and frames were secured in place using acrylic varnish, as per the build instruction recommendation. Next time around I need to get the window panes better positioned so there is room for the frames to be located within the openings both back and front. The two deck beams to which the bulkheads are glued to were added. I had to modify the aft screen deck beam (beam m) slightly to make it fit. The fore and aft bulkheads were straightened when fitted as the two bottom tabs and clamping to the upper deck beam sorted the curling issue. The screen bulkhead is still curled however, and probably needs a couple of thin planks fixed to each end to cure the curl. The Cabin Bulkhead Infill Patterns are still be to be fitted. I added a 6mm dowel to check the mizzen mast could be fitted. I also checked the Mizzen Mast Base fitting noting the elongated hole needs to run from bow to stern as can be seen in the next photo. The curling of the screen bulkhead can be seen clearly in the photo below. I could probably fettle it with some support strips, but I'm not sure if it is worth the effort given this is a prototype build and most of this area is covered by the upper deck. One of the forward window frames seems to have come loose (2nd one on right hand side) so will need to be moved back.

I decided to build the two hand pumps today. The process described below applies to both hand pump assemblies. I cut a 89mm length of 4mm dowel and checked it would pass through the locating holes on the two decks. Two small holes were then drilled in the dowel for the hand pump handle, one in the top of the dowel and one on the side. I found it necessary to run a micro drill through the locating holes on the hand pump handle and side brackets so the brass pins would pass through. A touch of ca gel was applied to one side of the hand pump handle and the first side bracket was positioned and press in place, using the brass pins to ensure it was correctly aligned. A touch of ca gel was then applied to the other side of the hand pump handle and the other side bracket could be added. A small amount of ca gel was added to the shaft of the two brass pins and they were then fully inserted. The excess brass pin material was removed using my straight edge (cuticle) side cutters. The hand pump assembly was then painted black along with the hand pump end cap. A small amount of ca gel was added to the top of the dowel and the hand pump end cap was then attached. A small amount of ga gel was applied to the edge of the hand pump assembly (the edge which makes contact with the dowel) and it was then fitted in place. Photo of the two completed hand pumps dry fitted to the hull assembly I removed the various eyebolts and rings for the gun ports and deck. The parts were thoroughly cleaned in acetone and soapy water before being blackened. This photo shows the iron work ready to be cleaned. The two Forward Gun Deck Cabin Bulkhead parts were glued together using titebond and clamped. The process was repeated for the two Forward Gun Deck Screen Bulkhead and the two Aft Gun Deck Cabin bulkheads. The side edges of the Forward and Aft Gun Deck Cabin Bulkheads both required a little bit of trimming before they would fit. The photo below shows the bulkheads loosely dry fitted. They need to be removed so the hinges, door knobs, window panes and frames can be added. I also need to add the check the fit with the deck beams. The window frames have been been cleaned and had primer added. I have not yet decided on the final colour but may opt for white as per the other window frames. I also started to fit the eyebolts and rings Hopefully I can complete the work on the cabin bulkheads and ironwork over the next day or two. Given I have already prebuilt the majority of the deck items I think I can make some good progress over the next few days which is good news as I have just received notification that the V2 Sphinx kit is expected to be delivered on Tuesday by UPS.

@Jasseji I really like rigging the ratlines😁as I find tying hundreds of glove hitch knots quite therapeutic. Thankfully I have already pre built quite a lot of the deck furniture so hopefully it will not be too time consuming. Also the V2 sphinx kit is due to be shipped in the next few days.

Please remember this is a prototype build and I will be building another Sphinx kit to a much higher standard🤞 Moving on from the "laserchargate" debacle I have now completed adding the deadeye & chainplate assembly to the left-hand side (port). Yes the knees still have laser char and yes I have not painted the brass pins black. IT DOES NOT MATTER to me as this model is a prototype build. Before fitting the deadeyes to the strops I did run a micro drill through the deadeyes to slightly enlarge the holes to aid the rigging process. Next the strops were opened using my round nose pliers and once the deadeye was aligned in the strop (with two holes at the top) they were tighten around the deadeye. As each strop and deadeye assembly was completed I inserted into a channel slot, in accordance with the plan sheet. Once all the strops/ deadeye were in the channels the upper and middle chainplate links were added. Using a suitably sized micro drill bit holes were drilled for the brass pins for the middle chainplate links. !!!!!Laser Char Alert!!!!!! The chainplate preventer links for 5mm deadeyes /strop assembly were added at this stage as the brass pins were inserted into the hull to secure the links in place. I chose not to use any glue but I will use CA gel on the brass pins when I repeat this process on the next build to keep the brass pins in place. Please note I did shorten the brass pins by cutting the ends off before they were inserted. Yes I know the right hand middle link in the photo below is the wrong way round (Or it is the right way round and the other three are the wrong way round). All done I can now start work on adding the various parts to the inner hull, which is something I am looking forward to, although the first task of adding the various eyebolts and rings to the cabin floor and bulwarks will be a tad tedious.

They look great, maybe I'll get one after I complete the Sphinx😀

I used Liquid gold mixed with isopropyl which was the same as recommended and used by James

@DelF I am a ukA qualified coach. I have run marathons, half marathons, 10 miles, 10k and 5k races. I did track and field for the first time this summer. These days I'm more focused on parkruns and 10k's. I picked up too many injuries for the longer distances which is why I've stopped doing them for now.

I know I am not the best builder but I'm always striving to improve and I'm always trying to build better models. I generally remove laser char from visible edges as I have detailed in plenty of my build log posts. With the next Sphinx build I will be removing the char from the channel knees despite them being partly hidden by the rigging. I would dread to think what would have happened for example if I tried to remove the char from the top edges of the very fragile Sphinx rails with my ham-fisted hands, but it something I can reconsidered. I know I need to take more time and care, but for some reason this is something I find hard to do. I can refer back to several work appraisals over my 36 year working life which all said "needs to take more care to eliminate silly mistakes". I can only conclude that despite my best efforts and intentions making silly mistake is simply part of who I am. I also have a very competitive nature, as a runner these days and as a squash player in my younger days playing in the biggest league in Europe. This may explain my need to race on at times with the build when I know I need to slow down and take more time. I have the basic modelling skills and I am slowly getting better and learning more skills with each new build. As an avid supporter of Vanguard Models (I have bought 5 kits so far) I fully accept that this build log should also be used as a showcase for Vanguard Models as these are the best kits on the market in my opinion so it is not a good idea to show or highlight or show build errors. Rant Over

We all build for different reasons, yes I can build better models if I was so inclined to do so, but it is not in my DNA. My skills are improving with each build which does please me. It is a hobby I enjoy and is just that for me a hobby that helps fill in the day and keeps my mind active. I am not building models for display purposes and they not normally seen by visitors to our home as they are not displayed in prominent positions around the house. I did not find @Chuck comment supportive as it appeared to me to belittle the efforts of the different Sphinx builds and not something I would expect from the Admin team. Yes point out if something is not fitted correctly by all means, but please not imply that I'm a bad model builder.

Well said, I could not agree more. I build for my own enjoyment and keeps my mind active in my twilight years😃

Better to take your time to get it right. My new Sphinx kit is due to arrive sometime next week and I have also ordered some Sphinx spares so I can try out a few different ideas with the build process without worrying about damaging the main kit. I will continue on with the first build as I want to get to the stage where all the decks and associated fittings have been added. I plan to go ultra slow and cautious with the new build.

Work progressing slowing on adding the deadeye and chain assemblies to the hull as my time is limited in the shipyard due to grandparent duties. The actual fitting task is not too bad and has been very well designed. Right-hand mizzen channel assembly Additional deadeye assembly aft of right-hand mizzen channel has now been added Right-hand side main mast - the 2 x 3mm channel assembly 2 x 3mm deadeye assemblies for right-hand foremast channel. There is also second channel comprising 5mm and 3mm deadeye assemblies. Work started on right-hand main mast channel adding the first 4 x 5mm deadeye assemblies. This channel also has 2 x 3mm deadeye assemblies which have been fitted and are ready to be pinned in place.