rvchima

A (Hopefully) Short Delay

At the moment there is a Fokker Eindecker (Dumas kit) that needs covering sitting on my workbench. Give me a week to get that done before I start on the Ferrari.

Time for some color
 

I couldn't wait to paint something red so I made this footboard assembly. The photo-etched aluminum pieces actually have raised tread marks on them. Nice touch.

Hull Sheeting in Progress
 

The hull is sheeted with several pieces of 1 mm plywood.
 

It's impressive how closely the pieces fit together without trimming. The upper surface will eventually be planked with mahogany strips held in place with headless brass nails.
 

The bottom sheeting isn't quite done yet. Much of it will eventually be covered with photo-etched aluminum sheets held in place with standard brass nails.

Time for some color
 

I couldn't wait to paint something red so I made this footboard assembly. The photo-etched aluminum pieces actually have raised tread marks on them. Nice touch.

Hull Sheeting in Progress
 

The hull is sheeted with several pieces of 1 mm plywood.
 

It's impressive how closely the pieces fit together without trimming. The upper surface will eventually be planked with mahogany strips held in place with headless brass nails.
 

The bottom sheeting isn't quite done yet. Much of it will eventually be covered with photo-etched aluminum sheets held in place with standard brass nails.

Ferrari Hydroplane, day 1, 5 hours
 

The laser cutting on this kit is beautiful! The frame is 1/4 birch ply. There are no burn marks and the cut line is hairline thin. I still needed a razor-sharp carving chisel to separate the tiny tabs that hold the parts to the sheet.
 

The hull is framed in two sections, fore,
 

and aft.
 

The assembled frame weighs a hefty 1lb, 5 oz. The next step will be a lot of sanding to fair the square edges of all those bulkheads.

Eindeckker Complete

The extremely cold temperatures caused several unexpected delays, so my model airplane took longer than I expected. But I'm done and the Fokker Eindeckker is cute as can be. Some day six months from now I'll take it outside, wind it up, and give it a toss. But for now, back to the Ferrari hydroplane!

Details from Above
 

Fore top. Weren't they from Motown?
 

Main top.
 

Gull's eye view of the Syren.
 

 
 

Details from Below
 

Dolphin's eye view of the Syren.
 

Reconstructed hanging anchors.
 
Dirk - I did not redo the knots on the anchor cable. None of my other knots are historically accurate. Why start now? I did use your salt and vinegar patina on the hull, and I love it!
 

Don't you want to climb up there?
 

Fore to Aft
 

You just gotta love the jib with all those lines!
 

 

The longboat was one of my finer pieces of work.
 

I copied Augie's mount for the bell.
 
 

Another Syren Hits the Seas
 
I'm finished. 526 hours. 217 days.
 
I actually finished Wednesday after a marathon 10 hour anchor reconstruction, but yesterday was my wife's birthday and I didn't have time to take photos. Happy Birthday Cinda! I'm back.
 
I just read in Wikipedia that the real Syren was launched on August 6, 1803. I completed my model on Aug. 7, 2013. Dang - I missed her 210th anniversary by one day!
 

I had my doubts about the paper flags, but I love the splash of color aloft. I had to add a tiny wire to the gaff to hold the flag.
 

 
526 hours. You probably can't build this model much quicker than that. I wasn't trying to rush but I do have other projects in the queue. I could have knocked 30 days off by skipping my vacation and my son's wedding.

Anchors Aweigh
 
While waiting for extra parts I jumped ahead and built my anchors.
 

I installed them as shown in the photos in the manual - right up against the catheads. Then I read ahead and realized that there was no room to add the double block and line that the anchors are supposed to hang from.
 

So as Dirk always says, "deconstruction!" A line drawing in the plans shows the anchors hanging from the cathead. I plan to redo them that way.

Ferrari Hydroplane, day 1, 5 hours
 

The laser cutting on this kit is beautiful! The frame is 1/4 birch ply. There are no burn marks and the cut line is hairline thin. I still needed a razor-sharp carving chisel to separate the tiny tabs that hold the parts to the sheet.
 

The hull is framed in two sections, fore,
 

and aft.
 

The assembled frame weighs a hefty 1lb, 5 oz. The next step will be a lot of sanding to fair the square edges of all those bulkheads.

Eindeckker Complete

The extremely cold temperatures caused several unexpected delays, so my model airplane took longer than I expected. But I'm done and the Fokker Eindeckker is cute as can be. Some day six months from now I'll take it outside, wind it up, and give it a toss. But for now, back to the Ferrari hydroplane!

The catheads are finished. I used walnut and pear (first 2 images) instead of bass wood as it is easier to do the necessary detail work. 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

With the 300 hour mark just passed, thought I'd update with her new look:
 

 

 
Work on the upper hull is completed (for the moment) with the painting up to the rails.  Same process as the wales.
 
Now, there are some moldings that will be attached later on.  Toward that end, some scrapers are provided with the kit to put a bead in the 1/16" square basswood moldings:
 

 
I was a little pessimistic about this process at first.  But here's a sample of four strips treated with the scrapers then stained:
 

 
Looks like these will actually work !!  I'll hold off installing them for now so as not to damage them during the next step.....
 
............. planking the lower hull.
 
Need to do a little reading and planning before I begin.  This is NOT my strong suit  --- but then little falls into that category.  For this hull, Chuck has included a 'spiling jig' to do some edge bending so I need to work with that for a bit.  So it'll be a while.........
 
But I shall be watching everyone's progress
 
So STAY THE COURSE !
 
 
 
 

Time for a small update.
 
The treenailing of the upper hull is completed.  I used the 'drill and fill' method using a #74 bit and wood filler that I dyed with acrylic paint to the color I liked.  It's not as aggressive a pattern as specified on the plans but it suits me.  Once that was done, another coat of diluted Minwax Golden Oak stain was applied and everything given 2 coats of WOP followed by an application of brush on Testor's Flat Acrylic.
 

 

 
Now it's time to finish the painting on the upper hull.  Everything from approx. 2 strakes above the gun ports up to the rail will be black.  Wish I had a scale roller  .  Probably take about 8 coats.
 
Be back soon.
 
 

A (Hopefully) Short Delay

At the moment there is a Fokker Eindecker (Dumas kit) that needs covering sitting on my workbench. Give me a week to get that done before I start on the Ferrari.

What's in the Box
 

The kit is packaged beautifully. Fit for a Ferrari.
 

Heavy molded plastic fin, seat, and cowling.
 

Laser-etched aluminum parts and cardboard instrument cluster.
 

Laser-cut keels and bulkheads.
 

Tiny brass pins for the planking, beautiful diecast wheel, rudder, and exhaust manifolds.
 

Plastic and brass flashing, mahogany planking.
 

Instruction pictures (24 pages), and text in Italian and English (8 pages.) Separate book with text in French.
 

Full-size drawings of exterior, frame, and RC installation. I will just build for static display.

And Now for Something Completely Different -
 

 
Arno XI Ferrari Hydroplane, 1:8 scale, by Amati
 
I now have three tall ship models in my house, a Spanish Galleon built by my grandfather in 1933, a MS Flying Fish that I built in 1969, and my recently-completed US Brig Syren. One can only have so many big plexiglass cases in one's house before one's wife starts to object, so for my next build I decided on something easier to dust, an Arno Ferrari hydroplane. Besides, with a glossy red cowling, polished mahogany planking, and chrome exhaust, wheel, and rudder, who can complain?
 
I bought the kit from Cornwall Model Boats in the UK. Even with shipping to the US their price was significantly cheaper than anyone else. I ordered the kit on a Sunday and had it in my hands the following Friday.  I knew that I wouldn't be able to start on it until after the holidays, so I gave it to my wife to give to me for Christmas. She didn't object.
 
There's not much information about this kit on line, so I'll start my build log with
 
What's in the Box

A (Hopefully) Short Delay

At the moment there is a Fokker Eindecker (Dumas kit) that needs covering sitting on my workbench. Give me a week to get that done before I start on the Ferrari.

Hi Augie,
I still pop in ocasionally to check on your progress, and the Confederacy is coming along beautifully! I hope you have a Merry Christmas and great new year. I should be back on line soon with a new build log. Stay tuned.
 
Rod

Standing Rigging
 
In the last week I've added a lot of the standing rigging and started the rat lines. I discovered that I am short several 2.5 and 3.5 mm deadeyes, so I pestered Model Expo and they promised to send more. I the meantime my Syren is a little lopsided, with some shrouds missing on the port side.
 
I experimented with the ratlines and found that clove hitches were a lot of work to tie. But Ship Modeling Simplified by Frank Mastini says that at small scale a simple overhand knot is simpler and neater than a clove hitch, so that's what I used. Here are step-by-step instructions for tying the ratlines.
 

1. Clip some 1/4" graph paper to the shrouds. Micro clips for igniting model rocket engines are great for holding graph paper, loose threads, and rigging deadeyes.
Start with a clove hitch on the left-most shroud, since a clove hitch is self-tightening. Pull the line across the next shroud with your right hand.
Then use your left hand to put some angled tweezers in the "hole" between the next 2 shrouds and the ratline you're working on. Grab the end of the line with the tweezers.
 

2. Use the tweezers to pull the line through the hole, then push it through the loop in the line in your right hand. Here I've already grabbed the end and dropped the tweezers. I wish this picture was a little clearer.
 

3. Ta-da! You have an overhand knot around the next shroud.
 

4. Tighten up the knot, then move on to the next shroud.
When the line is done align everything with the graph paper, then put a drop of medium CA on each knot. Blot quickly with a paper towel, and make sure the graph paper is not stuck in back.
In 15 seconds you can trim the ends of the lines.
When all the lines are done, touch each knot with a black Sharpie marker to cover up shininess from the glue.
 
After my deadeyes arrive I'll try to get some photos of my Syren with some standing rigging in place.
 
 
 

Another Syren Hits the Seas
 
I'm finished. 526 hours. 217 days.
 
I actually finished Wednesday after a marathon 10 hour anchor reconstruction, but yesterday was my wife's birthday and I didn't have time to take photos. Happy Birthday Cinda! I'm back.
 
I just read in Wikipedia that the real Syren was launched on August 6, 1803. I completed my model on Aug. 7, 2013. Dang - I missed her 210th anniversary by one day!
 

I had my doubts about the paper flags, but I love the splash of color aloft. I had to add a tiny wire to the gaff to hold the flag.
 

 
526 hours. You probably can't build this model much quicker than that. I wasn't trying to rush but I do have other projects in the queue. I could have knocked 30 days off by skipping my vacation and my son's wedding.

Syren Update - Case Completed
 

I just completed a case for my Syren. It is my own design made from quarter-sawn white oak and plexiglass. The inner dimensions are fit to the Syren at 34" x 13" x 27" and the outer dimensions are 36" x 15" x 28".  Plexiglass is 1/6 the weight of glass so the case only weighs a few pounds and I can move it myself. The case is finished with a coat of Watco walnut stain, two coats of orange shellac to seal the grain, and several coats of a 1:1:1 mix of polyurethane varnish, boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits.