Jump to content

MrBlueJacket

Members
  • Posts

    1,278
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by MrBlueJacket

  1. The kit had 1/16 balsa for the undersides, I substituted 1/16 plywood. I could have used 1/32, it would have been a little easier to bend around the bow.
  2. And more plates attached. Tedious work, but looks nice when done. Still following the rule of bottom to top, back to front for the plate overlaps.
  3. For gluing plates that have to be bent, like what you see so far, I like CA glue (thin). When I get to running plates that are flat rows, I prefer Silicone gel.
  4. Installed the bulkheads and deck. This old kit has no provisions for planking the deck, but I can be creative ;-)
  5. So after yet more sanding and primer, I was able to finally put a coat of flat black on the hull. The white stripe is vinyl tape to mark the waterline for coppering. And now to start coppering. Rudder first.The rule is bottom to top, back to front.
  6. Hi Dan, I started a build of the BlueJacket Mary Taylor on June 6th, it's still not in the index. Also, I just started another one this past Wednesday of the Laughing Whale "Tourist" Can you please add these? Thanks, Nic
  7. You can also try Auto body putty. It is lacquer based and sands easily.
  8. First order of business is to assemble the keel. The brass tubes for rudder and propeller are roughed up with sandpaper, and CA'd to the lite ply pre-cut pieces.
  9. Let me start by saying the scale listed is just a guess - nowhere on the plans, box, or instructions is a scale given. The pilot house is 4" from the deck to the roof, so at 5/8" scale it would be 6"5". I'm calling it a reasonable guess! This kit is from the 1980's, and the owner wants to see it finished. This should be a fun build. I can see some extra detailing, especially the interior. Although designed to be R/C, it will be a static model. The balsa wood hull side will be replaced with basswood for starters. Here's the kit contents:
  10. Here's what the hull looks like after some aggressive sanding with 60 grit paper. No need to go any finer, the primer will fill the small sanding marks. Then another coat of primer, and more putty. much less needed this time. If I'm lucky, maybe I won't need to do this a third time?
  11. And after a quick shot of primer, comes time to get out the automotive putty and fill the cracks, dings, and unevenness. I'm probably going to have to do this a couple of times, at least!
  12. So now the hull comes off the work-board so the exterior can be finished. First problem is how do I mask off the scuppers so the spray paint doesn't get into them? The answer is to use 1/16" square balsa wood. It is soft and can be forced into the opening. The next step is to mask off the interior deck and bulwarks.
  13. The next step is to add the waterways (1/32 x 3/32") I decided to pre-paint them, that way the deck to waterway edge is really crisp and perfect, without having to mask it off!
  14. Here are the bulwarks trimmed down to their final height. I used a Dremel saw attachment (carefully!) to trim it close, then sanded to the final lines I drew with a compass so it would follow the deck properly.
  15. Writing instructions can be a delicate balance between what you think someone buying a certain skill level kit should know, yet trying to help sidestep difficult construction details. Also, what we think we said in the instructions is not always what they are interpreted as.
×
×
  • Create New...