Glenn-UK

I will continue with this build log as my prototype build. I am currently waiting for some blue paint as my current supply had dried out.

Great job, always good to complete the 1st planking

Nice planking, I am a bit unsure what you mean. With the preformed plank is pinned / clamped in place are you then applying a blast of hot air to reinforce the bend?

No reason at all and is more realistic, especially when looking at HMS Victory's cannons. I removed the char on my previous DOK build but thought some wheels become a bit less round after sanding. I noted James had left the char on his prototype build and thought it looked Ok.

It is looking very good, great progress. I have built one cannon, click on the link to see my cannon assembly. I have also started work on the 28 foot pinnace.

DECK ITEMS CANNON ASSEMBLY BUILD MANUAL STEPS 479 - 491 LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX Tools Used Craft knife Titebond original Red Paint Varnish Tape Gathering the materials required 366-372, PE-107, F-5 (Cannon), PE-81 (x7) Assembly Process There are 20 cannons to make. I have built one to make sure I can follow the build instructions correctly. The wooden parts were removed from the sheet. I sanded a very slight chamfer to the wheel axles to make the fitting of the wheels a tad easier. The wooden parts were then placed on tape to ensure they did not move when I applied a thin coat of varnish to seal the wood prior to painting. Once all the parts had been varnished the following items were paint red, with three very light coats: a) Carriage sides left and right b) Carriage front and rear axles c) Carriage quoin The PE parts were cleaned in acetone and soapy water and then chemically blackened. The carriage sides incorporate the cap squares, which is an innovative design idea and much very appreciated by me. The cap square section of the carriage sides have to be painted black. I taped the carriage sides prior to brushing on the black paint to get a clean finish. The front and rear axle was then glued to the left-hand carriage side and the cannon was inserted in the into the locating hole. Once I was happy with the alignment the right-hand carriage side was added. Next up was fitting the PE parts, starting with the cross bar and then the 7 x eyebolts. And this was followed by adding the quoin. The final assembly task was to add the 4 wheels. The wheels were rotated as they were pushed on the axles, so that the connecting tabs were at the bottom. I then applied a thin coat of varnish to the completed assembly, one down nineteen to go The varnish has just been applied in the photo below, hence the wet shiny look

Looks good

I am not disheartened, veey happy to continue the first kit to iron out my building bugs, and then to build better one.

Hi Glenn (USA) I wish it was that simple, the two quarter gallery berthing patterns are misaligned with the upper counter pattern, the outer bulwarks are misaligned with the lower counter pattern. To fix the problem I would need to remove and reposition the lower and upper counter patterns and the stern fascia pattern. This then affects the planking which would need to be extended once the lower counter pattern is repositioned.

After much debate, soul searching and reviewing the alternatives I have realised I have made really made a mess of my current Sphinx build, and have been left with no alterative but to buy another kit as I do not think I can realistically recover the situation and build this wonderful model to the standard it merits or I desire. This came to light as work progressed on the quarter galleries. I have seriously considered seeing if I remove all the parts incorrectly fitted, ordering some replacement parts where necessary and then fix the problem. This, in my opinion, is a none starter as I think there is too many parts to remove to fix the problems. I must stress the problems with my Sphinx are purely down to my building skills and not with the quality of design of the kit which is outstanding. I think the Vanguard Models are the best kits on the market and I have enjoyed all my previous builds. My plan on moving forward is to continue with this current build (and build log) and to treat it as a prototype build and to learn from the mistakes I have made, and I will probably make many more mistakes as my prototype build progresses. Once the new Sphinx kit arrives I will start the build in parallel, taking greater care and more time with the build to avoid the mistakes made with my current build. My mantra will be "check, check again and to then check again"

Coming along nicely

I'm glad to be the builder making all the mistakes, it is my trademark.🤣

Thanks James The top roof pattern leading edge was shaped before I glued in place. I made the mistake of shaping the leading edge before the outer window pattern which meant the window pattern was sitting proud. of the top pattern. This picture shows the marking I made before I sanded the bevel.

HULL ASSEMBLY QUARTER GALLERIES BUILD MANUAL STEP 211 - 228 LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX Tools Used Craft knife Titebond original Clamps Black paint Gathering the materials required 29 (x2) 45b (x2), 45c (x2), 46 (x4), 59 (x2), 89 (x2), 158 (x2) 481 & 482 Assembly Process Continuing on with the quarter galleries the two inner window patterns were glued and clamped in place. Next I looked at shaping the top patterns (29). I started with the stern patter edge before shaping the front edge. I made a bit of a boo boo when shaping the front edge as I did not account for the outer window pattern, which should have been fitted prior to the top pattern. Thankfully (once again) I have been able to fudge it so no real harm done. After I had fitted the top pattern the outer window pattern was shaped, glued and clamped in place. Moving forward the next gallery pattern (43c) was shaped and glued in position. I used a small packing piece to ensure it stayed in the right position as the glue cured. Once the glue had cured the berthing patterns were glued and clamped in place. The final task was to make and fit the lower finishing patterns. I started the process by drying parts 29 and 45b and once I was happy with there relative positions they were glued together. I also glued the two parts 46 together. Once all the parts had been glued together the lower finishing pattern was shaped. This took some time before I was happy with the shaped assembly. It was then glued in place. I also painted this assembly black. Next task will be to complete the sanding and filling of the hull and then to paint it white. Photo of the inner window pattern clamped after fitting Marking the top pattern before shaping Stern edge after shaping Top pattern fitted. I should have fitted the outer window pattern and shaped the top pattern accordingly Outer window pattern clamped in place after gluing Stern pattern 45c is glued in place, with space to keep in position s the glue cures Berthing pattern clamped Quarter gallery, just needs lower finishing pattern Lower finishing pattern has now been added and painted black A view from the rear

Fingers crossed, work is progressing well on the quarter galleries at the moment.

HULL ASSEMBLY QUARTER GALLERY AND PAINTING THE WALES BUILD MANUAL STEP 194 - 210 LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX Tools Used Craft knife Titebond original Clamps Varnish Black paint Gathering the materials required 45 (x4), 45a (x2), 51 (x2), 75, 88, 156, 157, 196, Assembly Process Due to the problem highlighted in my last post I changed tact a little bit. I started by positioning the stern fascia – inner (part 88), ensuring the top sat proud of the transom by approx. 2mm, reference step 202. Once I worked out the correct position I applied some titebond to the stern area and added the fascia to the stern. Once I was happy the glue had cured enough to hold to the pattern in place I moved on and added the upper counter pattern (75), again using titebond. The gapping between the patterns was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting and I am confident the rails, when fitted will hide the gaps (as stated in step 208). The gapping is more noticeable on the left hand side, so when complete the model will be displayed from the right side. I then moved on to starting work on the quarter galleries. Parts 45 and 45a were shaped as per the instructions and then glued in position, using part 51 to set the angle between the middle and upper gallery patterns. Overall everything was a good fit. Tape was applied above and below the wales. I ensured the tape edges were firmly pressed in position. The pin holes on the wales were filled. The wales were then coated with a thin coat of polyurethane varnish. Once the varnish had dried I hand painted the wales, using a water based black paint. Three thin coats were applied. Once the final coat had dried the paint was sealed using another thin coat of polyurethane varnish. The upper stern counter pattern and outer stern fascia patterns were glued in place, clamps were used to hold them in place while the glue cured. This picture shows how I positioned the fascia pattern, sitting proud of the transom. There is a slight gap on the left had side with the upper counter pattern Quarter gallery patterns fitted I used a clamp to hold the upper pattern in position as the glue cured The hull is taped ready for painting the wales, the varnish has been added Painting of the wales in progress The quarter gallery required some black paint (as this area could be seen through the windows) This picture shows the gapping between the stern patterns A blurry photo showing the outer fascia pattern clamped The upper stern counter pattern is clamped The painted wales and stern area, nowhere bad looking as I first feared but it is not great work on my part. The painted wales Quarter galleries This shows the stern area, not very good building on my part, but the rails (when fitted) should cover up the gaps. When looking forward I was confused with build step 220 with regard to the position of part 45c. Thankfully @James H was able to send me a modified picture, which I have added to this post.

Following some off line discussions with James who provided me with much needed very sound advice I have a plan to move forward. I have totally agreed with his assessment and suggestions however I have decided, for this build, there is too much risk involved with ripping off some parts already fitted so I will push on as is, accepting all imperfections and not to be to be self-critical of my building skills. At some stage, probably much later in the build process I will probably buy another Sphinx kit and build it in slow time, taking greater care which I hope will be built to a higher standard.

HULL ASSEMBLY ADDING THE WALES BUILD MANUAL STEP 187 - 193 LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX Tools Used Craft knife Titebond original Pins Gathering the materials required 71, 72, 73, 74,137, 139, Assembly Process The two main wale patterns were soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and then pinned to the hull. The wales were then left overnight to dry out. Once the parts had dried out it was a simple task to apply some titebond to the wales and fix to the hull Major Problem Alert The next stage is to fit the Inner upper counter (156) and the Stern facia pattern – inner (88). With reference to build step 149 the lower stern counter pattern was positioned so it’s top edge is aligned with the bottom edge of the stern timber slots. In build step 202 it notes Stern facia pattern will be approx. 2mm higher than the bulwarks. With the inner upper counter positioned on of the lower stern counter pattern the stern facia pattern seems to lower than the bulwarks. If I position the stern facia pattern so it fits as instructed (sitting 2mm proud of the bulwarks) there is a gap between the lower and upper counter patterns. I have been checking to see where I have gone wrong. I can only conclude the lower stern pattern should have been positioned higher, maybe so it’s top edge should have been aligned with the top edge of the stern timber slots rather than the bottom edge. It looks like I will need to make a filler piece to sit between the lower and upper stern counter patterns. The other option is fit and to then trim the top of the bulwarks as necessary.

You are moving along very quickly and nice work so far.

Thanks Malcolm.

HULL ASSEMBLY SANDING AND FILLING 2ND PLANKING BUILD MANUAL STEP 186 & 230 LINK TO MY BUILD LOG INDEX Tools Used Craft knife 120 & 400-grit sandpaper Wood filler White (water based) paint Titebond original Gathering the materials required No parts required Assembly Process I started the process by brushing on a thin coat of white paint to the hull. This really shows up the areas which needs to be sanded and filled. After the initial sanding I was reasonably happy that the hull was smooth. I then decided to continue with the sanding and filling phase (step 230 of build manual) to get the hull ready for the painting phase. I made up a solution which was approximately 50% wood filler, 40% water and 10% Titebond original and coated it over the hull. Using an old paint the diluted solution was applied to the hull. The diluted solution fills any gaps between the adjacent planks very nicely. The hull was then left overnight to allow the solution to dry and harden. The hull was then sanded, to remove the excess filler and paint before a new coat of white paint was applied. A few areas dips were once again highlighted so another diluted wood filler solution was used and left overnight to dry. After sanding the hull look much better, but still required another application of the diluted wood filler solution. This does take time, but hopefully I will reap the benefits when the hull is ready for painting. I plan to move on to adding the wales and starting work on the gallery assembly once the hull has been sanded, after the current wood filler solution has fully dried.

The taping is only for the sanding and filling phase. I will be marking the waterline again and taping later on in the build when it is time to paint the hull. The stem and stern posts will be painted white below the waterline, the tape is only added at this stage to protect the laser etching when sanding.

Cotton buds and acetone should do the trick, that's is going to be my plan where needed.

It sure does, I may look at that after I have built the Sphinx

Thankfully I had plenty of acetone to clean my fingers after each session