Beef Wellington

Hello,
 
Have enjoyed looking through this log several times.  Thank you!
 
The design and construction reminds me of fine furniture.  That is the core is a less expensive wood, popular in furniture, MDF in this case; with a veneer of expensive wood.  It’s a smart technique that’s been used for centuries.
 
Another advantage of this kit is less time is spent on the tedious shipbuilding tasks, like say cutting and fitting of small bits of wood associated with hull and bulwark construction.
 
More time can be spent on say the rigging, and adding additional detail - if that’s necessary, because as others have said what the kit offers out of the box is exceptional.
 
Another thought is the design goes easy on the builder - for example the breakaway bulkhead on the stern that protects the bulkhead ears.  This means the builder is setup for success. 
 
Time is priceless.  What normally takes many months for the skilled builder or even years for a newcomer, can be accomplished in weeks.  
 
This design solves the biggest problem with model shipbuilding - most people give up before finishing the ship.
 
This fine, unique kit may seem expensive, but in my opinion the time savings, quality, and ultimately the satisfaction, make the kit well worth the price.  Tremendous value.
 
Congratulations on your ingenious design Mr. Watton.  You certainly have made a significant and remarkable contribution to the craft.

And as a special extra, some months early, I checked the display stand fits. I what to install it permanently at the point when inverting the gull becomes too risky.  And as it happens I manage to spring one of the cathead by inverting it to install the bow cheeks.  Fixed that with a little thin CA, and can protect them easily enough, so will revert to the cradle until the gunwales are on.  But this looks pretty sweet I think:
 


 
The slots in the columns were just under 5 mm wide, and the copper-coated keel just on 6 mm, so I had to file 1 mm of brass out of the columns.  Filing parallel slots with a small file is beyond my skills, but turned out fine, and with a spirit level the pitch of the deck is exactly horizontal at the main mast, and the mast itself (or the place-holder dowel) dead plumb athwart-ships.  Those following closely will recall I left two captive nuts under the copper and keel.  Two 50 mm bolts come up through the stand and the columns to engage the nuts.  Just as sweet as can be.

And the third instalment: bow cheeks

Not much to it really.  Bit of care with the angles to get a good fit.

And here are the catheads.  For the first time I embellished the kit design: rather than just drilling four holes where the catfall would run through the sheaves, I drilled-out and then-chiselled out slots into which I could fit some sheaves.
 
Holes drilled at an appropriate angle to be vertical when installed.  Reverse side shows that the dremel is only a fair drill press

 
Best description is probably gouge-, not chisel-out the slots.

 
 
Here they are with 1 mm discs cut from 3 mm dowel.  Centering the holes in the discs proved beyond me.  A trial fit using two pins (nails) seems to look ok

 
And the finished product now pinned in place with 1 mm brass rod


 
Quite a lot of fun!
 
 

The straps on the gudgeon and pintles (you can never use those words too ofter) are done, and with it everything to do with copper is completed. I'm happy with the outcome, but I must say I found it more frustrating than expected.  I attempted to followed Jason's, @Beef Wellington, workflow of: bend strap around a dowel, glue at the bend onto the gudgeon/pintle, drill for a trimmed nail and attach the strap square to the stern-post.  In fact I did this on the rudder and I rather messed it up as the glue was remarkably reluctant to bond.  This arose because I had pre-painted the straps with undercoat and two coats of copper, and between them adhesion was not strong enough.
 
On the hull I marked a pencil line square to the sternpost held the strap in place and then marked for drilling at the extreme hole.  I trimmed a nail to about 3 mm long, and then inserted.  The nail were leftover from my Artesania Latina build as they had round, un-countersunk heads.  A 0.7 mm hole gave a slight interference fit with the nail, so no glue was needed.  I then did the extreme hole on the reverse side.  Drilling and nailing the other holes then completed the strap.  The concave nature of the hull naturally pulled the strap tight around the pintle.
 
Getting the nail heads to sit flat was a struggle and I wasn't willing to brute force them (given my experience with fitting the false deck all those months ago).  I also don't much like the paint finish.  In retrospect I certainly wouldn't add the the copper paint before attaching.  So as in everything to do with this project, I reckon I know a lot more at the end of task than at the beginning.
 
And here are the results of that journey:




 
What next?  Bow rails I think.

Just spent a very happy day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - torrential rain, but that just meant staying below deck, and in clear spells going “upstairs” or into the museum.  Spent my time looking at details with a view to informing modelling.  Some of relevance to Snake, others for the future.  These are from Warrior and Victory, with one from the museum.
 


 
When I rigged the breechings, I followed the books on how to secure them to ring bolts.  Didn’t really believe that a single knot with a little seizing would be strong enough, but seems that is what is used:
 

 
Here’s some more carronade rigging - though the breechings seem a little loose

 
Petrejus says that the bits had copper caps and ends…


 

 
I rigged a galley flue just like this:

 
I want a binnacle, just like this, but can’t fit it in

But I can have an elm tree pump like this

 
The new ( to me, anyway) access to the dry dock means you can see things up close.  I had wondered what the horseshoe is for, now I know:

 
But gudgeons and pintles - entirely familiar

 
Have occasionala thought of rigging some boats for Snake.  Beautiful set of models in the museum.  Here’s one

 
 
 

One of the nicer little point on this kit is that the bearding line is etched on the keel parts.    The etching is only on one side but once that is cleared it's easy to replicate on the other side.      The keel is made from 6 mm walnut and is made up of 9 different parts which fit together very well.

This weekend I was able to get the basic hull structure completed with the gun deck subfloor placed.     So far the construction is pretty straightforward.   But I definitely see some issues cropping up in the future.   Not too hard to solve but it will take some ingenuity.    As I look ahead the instructions leave quite a bit to be desired.   In the past, kit instructions would generally tell you what types of wood stock to use and usually give you dimensions.   In these instructions it continually refers you to the plan sheets which are to  scale.   So you have to measure off the plans and then choose a corresponding wood stock to manufacture any pieces.   There are lots of computer generated pictures but little in the way of descriptions.
 
With this kit you really have to think and plan the construction phases.   For instance, if you follow the instructions it talks about planking the inner bulkheads and to remember that the inner planking is to butt up against the transom.   But the pictures and instructions don't talk about installing the transom.   So unless you install the transom first you can't accurately butt the planking.  
 
In someone's previous build of this model they mention there is really no way shown to install the transom.   You are left to create your own method.  And the instructions say as much.   Plus there is almost no connection point for the transom.   For the most part it is just going to hang out there at the stern until the outer planking can be installed.    It's going to be very fragile.
 
Construction order as listed is probably not the best.    The hull filler blocks are not to be fitted until the upper inner planking is done.     It will be vastly better to install these before any planking commences. 
 
As you can see in the 3rd picture.   The position of the mainmast has a bulkhead running right through it.   No mention is made of modifying the bulkhead.  Why was that not accounted for in the design????
 
All in all, I still love the model.   But this will be by far the most difficult model that I have ever built primarily due to the lack of directions.

Good Morning,
You are not alone in finding this kit to be a real challenge. I'm sure by now you've seen my abortive build log and how I ended up abandoning this project.  While I look forward to some challenge in every project, I found the tsunami of problems this one presented to be both perplexing and overwhelming. You've identified a few already. I don't mean to be too discouraging, but there are many more to come.
 
It sounds as though you have some experience, so with any luck you'll be able to overcome the inherent problems. I sincerely wish you every success and I will be following with interest to see how you solve the various issues!
 
All the best,
David

Love the way all the details are coming together in such a detailed, authentic and harmonious way!

When I saw this kit released I was intrigued and thought I would give it try.   Love the subject/size. etc.       Just a bit of background.    Some of you may remember this user name from years ago on other forums.   I've been building kits for at least 20 years and have completed many.    I've got about 10 completed kits in cases distributed around the house  (large house) with the largest being the Caldercraft Victory.    I would rate my skills as moderate.        Love building models of all types but ships hold a special place.    Also pretty much stick with the kit and almost no modifying/bashing.
 
  
 

Copper always looks nice. Left stern unfinished as I will put in the rudder after doing the lower hull painting. Rudder easier to do now with nothing to damage  on upper decks.
 

Wish you all the best in your endeavor's Chris, I think you are truly re-invigorating the PoB kit market with some outstanding high quality kits, and also providing a source for quality scale mini-kits for many fittings that seem to have been missing in the market place.

Ron, some good ideas for ensuring flatness. I've been fortunate to have a friend who repaired copiers/printers once upon a time. He gave me some of the glass plates from the tops of these machines. They're flat plate glass and the edges are protected. I keep one for gluing various sand paper grits to and use the other as a build board, if I don't need to pin parts.

Wish you all the best in your endeavor's Chris, I think you are truly re-invigorating the PoB kit market with some outstanding high quality kits, and also providing a source for quality scale mini-kits for many fittings that seem to have been missing in the market place.

Wish you all the best in your endeavor's Chris, I think you are truly re-invigorating the PoB kit market with some outstanding high quality kits, and also providing a source for quality scale mini-kits for many fittings that seem to have been missing in the market place.

Wish you all the best in your endeavor's Chris, I think you are truly re-invigorating the PoB kit market with some outstanding high quality kits, and also providing a source for quality scale mini-kits for many fittings that seem to have been missing in the market place.

Just another very small update, but a big one for me...
 
I have now left my day job to concentrate fully on Vanguard Models. It got to the point where something had to give, and Vanguard Models won out.
 
So, hopefully, I have made the right decision, and in the meantime and from this day forward, all of my time energy will be focused on new developments.
 
I still feel very apprehensive, as this is a new sensation for me, but felt I had to do this.
 
Also need to say a big thank you to Jim Hatch, who has helped with prototype models, photography and manual text immensely, meaning the kits have been finished a lot quicker than I could have hoped. When a development is complete, I make sure they are brought into the market as quickly as possible, and Jim has been a very big part of this, so credit where it is due.
 
So, because I do not have to worry about getting ready for a 12 hour shift, I think I will get all Sphinx CAD plans complete by the end of next week, which I will then send to Jim for the rigging (he already has all plans except rigging).
 
I am also most grateful to all of those who have bought my products, and making the decision to move full time developing new products easier.
 
ETA - My wife's leg/knee is healing well, and she can now get around without any aids!

Looks like a fascinating project and a fantastic kit!  You seem to have a very good idea on how to approach this and its welcome that you looking for a solution that considers different skill levels.

Looks like a fascinating project and a fantastic kit!  You seem to have a very good idea on how to approach this and its welcome that you looking for a solution that considers different skill levels.

Hi JJ,
Now I'm not sure about the exact release time, but I can make a general plan public. As my area is now in the rainy season for more than two months, and then from July to December is relatively dry season, so from July to September I will process the first batch of 20-30 sets of basic version, using pear wood. I'm testing the parts of pear wood, and I'll release the photos of the parts in the next few days.Then I will process some pre assembled parts properly. But the official sale, or booking, needs to wait until the prototype is completed.
 
For the English version, I prefer the chapters mode of bow / mid / mid / stern section, so that even if you are not willing to continue to make the remaining chapters, the previous chapter can also become a separate model. If you can finish four chapters, you can also assemble a complete hull.I think the bow section will be released more quickly, but if you stick to the traditional Chapter mode, I think it may need to wait until next year.
 
If I have completed at least 10 sets of basic parts from September to December, we allow 1-2 experienced and skilled members to participate in beta kit (testing kit).
 
It needs to be emphasized that in MSW forum, non-sponsors can not publish commercial information, but I am a "de facto sponsor". Because we (true image models) have not been able to prepare the website, and for some other reasons, we have not officially published the links of sponsors.
 
Jack
 
 
 

Now I'm not sure about the length of the bowsection, but at least she will contain a lower deck and an upper deck's gun ports,
 
By the way, I'd like to show the "3D structure diagram". These black and white line diagrams can enhance the understanding of the structure. There will be such a structure diagram in the assembly instructions in the future.
 

 

 
 

 
 

To be hones, I never understood the concept of 'first model'. If I knew about a problem and about the possible solutions, I would have the ambition to correct it. Otherwise, I would see this every time I look at the model later and would regret ...

Looking at the picture of the barrel and the carriage, think your problem simply comes down to the supplied parts.  The carriage looks a little big for the cannons provided which may be contributing to the problem you're seeing.  The common consensus seems to be that the metal Amati carriages are not the most authentic.  If you're set on keeping these items, my suggestion would be to add some additional wood quoins (on top of the simulated molded one) to raise the level of the rear of the barrel.

Looking at the picture of the barrel and the carriage, think your problem simply comes down to the supplied parts.  The carriage looks a little big for the cannons provided which may be contributing to the problem you're seeing.  The common consensus seems to be that the metal Amati carriages are not the most authentic.  If you're set on keeping these items, my suggestion would be to add some additional wood quoins (on top of the simulated molded one) to raise the level of the rear of the barrel.