Beef Wellington

The bow area is now done. This involved a variety of items:
 
Planking of the forward part of the interior hull, including deck clamps. This was done with various sizes of boxwood strips, as with the earlier similar work. I must admit that it was difficult work to fit the curves  and i'm not very happy with some of it. Fortunately, it will be barely visible.
 
Two breasthooks. There is no detail of these in the drawings and dimensions were estimated from book photos and limited info in the drawings.They were made from boxwood sheet, using card templates. I also had to drill the hawse holes in the hull to establish the position of the upper breasthook.
 
Upper deck framing was done in the same manner as previously, using laser cut beams and a couple of miscellaneous laser cut pieces.
 
The fore bitts. These extend down through the upper deck to the lower deck. They also provide the rear support point for the bowsprit, between the decks, so I had to fit a dummy bowsprit at this point, since it will be impossible to do this at any later time. The bitts are boxwood strip.The above deck cross piece will be added later.
 
The stove and a ladder. For the stove, the drawings show only a generic looking box without much detail. The book photos give no further help. Since the stove is very small, and will be virtually invisible, I decided to go with the generic box. It was made from styrene sheet and painted black. The ladder down to the hold from the lower deck was made from boxwood strip.
 
I will now complete framing of the main deck in the mid-ship area.
 
Bob
 
 

Everything looking really good Mark, nice work!

Time for a fresh update;
 
This is the second time that there is a dry fit assembly of the frames and  the keel.
The first time, showed in earlier photos, was to make sure that each frame fits on the keel. This time, is to make sure that completed frames  fit on the keel, in relation to each other to form  a regular curve. Still, the height of few frame needs to be adjusted.
 
A lot of sanding  of the frames will be done before gluing.
 
This time, to help to hold all the frames together; elastics are used massively. Each frame have at least 2, 1 on each side. On the first photo, there is a 1meter ruler.
 
Just before the last photo, the previous build of the 74 guns show the first method used: Hahn style but not upside down.  
 
On the last photo we can see other tools to help to make the work easier. One of the first tool, a ship modeler should buy is a height adjusting table. It is of course possible to do the work always at the same height but it is much easier to do the wotk at the good height.
 
One last item, on that same picture; all the ’’small ’’ tools are regrouped  in the same tool chest. Before the were in many different smaller tool chest.

A little update - taking a break from doing ratlines,I installed the topgallant shrouds. Still more ratlines to do.............
 

 

 

 
Mark

...Back to the barge.
 
I completed the sculpting for the two bow pieces.   Then I made a mold and some resin castings.  Resin castings will come with the kit.  In the photo below you can see two rows of resin castings.  The bottom row is the raw resin casting.  Rather than paint them as I typically do, trying to make them look like wood,  I thought I would try something new.
 
Rather than paint,  I used weathering powders.  I applied them directly to the resin castings with a brush.  The three colors are shown.  I continuously used differnt layers of the three colors and eventually it came out really well.  The color matches wonderfully  Its better than paint in my opinion as the powders dont build up and the detail remains crisp.   You cant really chip or scratch the paint ruining your piece.   Once done I sprayed with matte fixative.

 
Below are the pictures showing the castings test fit on the model.  I notched out the molding to accept them.  You can also see the laser cut iron strap that runs on the forward face of the stem.  It goes all the way under to the keel stopping just ahead of the scarf joint.  There are holes pre-drilled along the top of the strip which were later filled with 22 gauge black wire.  I pre-drilled the holes using the laser cut holes as a guide with a #71 bit.  Then I stuck the wire into each hole with no glue.  After snipping off the excess,  they were filed down but allowed to stand proud.  This creates the nice decorative detail you see on these barges.  The strip was put on the stem in three sections.  The top and aft side of the stem first as they were short pieces, then the long strip down the front.  The seams are almost noticeable.  You can get a tight fit between pieces and the laser board sands well.  I think it simulates a piece of metal quite nicely.
 

 

 

Very nice progress Sjors with the planking, and very brave to not do double planking!  So no stripes?  At the stern I wonder if you will need to do a little spiling or thinning to get the planks to sit properly around the sharp angle at the stern.  Otherwise the planks may become harder and harder to bend until its impossible, but of course it is difficult to judge with only seeing pictures.

Very nice progress Sjors with the planking, and very brave to not do double planking!  So no stripes?  At the stern I wonder if you will need to do a little spiling or thinning to get the planks to sit properly around the sharp angle at the stern.  Otherwise the planks may become harder and harder to bend until its impossible, but of course it is difficult to judge with only seeing pictures.

Very nice progress Sjors with the planking, and very brave to not do double planking!  So no stripes?  At the stern I wonder if you will need to do a little spiling or thinning to get the planks to sit properly around the sharp angle at the stern.  Otherwise the planks may become harder and harder to bend until its impossible, but of course it is difficult to judge with only seeing pictures.

Count me in as well, great start!
I think you are referring to HMS Belfast, a Town class light cruiser which has a very storied history being also involved in the sinking of the Tirpitz.  Her largest guns are only 6in , so maybe 'big gun warship' is a little bit of a stretch 
 

The top planking ( ramin ) on the starboard side is done.
Under that there will be sapelli wood.
And nope, not a second planking .
Just single in two colors.
The frames for the gun ports looks if I was drunk when I cutting them.
But there is a frame coming inside and ( i hope ) you don't see a thing anymore ( in a few months ! )
Bending the planks for the bow was not that difficult but I can not say that for the stern.
The plank has to be twisted !
When everything is on it I will see what I will do with the planks on the stern to get a straight line.
There also are little slits between the planks.
I can cover a few with the rubbing strakes but not all.
Filler is out of the question because you will see that when I put Tung oil on it.
Comes time, comes advise ( or something like that )
Enjoy the pictures.
 
Sjors
 
 

I've completed the outer hull first planking to the edge of the wale.  Nothing too difficult, but I did use a little filler here and there to address any low spots.  The one thing to note is that the plans, as well as the actual ship, show the area between the plankshear and wale as seven rows of planks.  This comes out around 14mm of space to plank, or 2mm per plank.  The planks given in the kit don't seem to match that width, so what I did was end up using five wider planks and one narrower plank for that section.  Once I get to the second planking, I'll cut the ebony planks in the widths I need to get seven rows of fairly equal widths.
 
 

 
This ship is different than a lot of ship kits you see out there as there is no independent row or rows of planking for the wales - instead, the wale line is demarked by a thicker line of planks that extend at the wale line and lower.
 

I've been taking my time in trying to get the stern right, as I think the stern tends to make or break a lot of models.  You can see from these pictures how curvy the stern is, and how the planks tuck around the transom and up into the counter.
 


The European kits I've worked on tend to use stern extensions and a counter piece to frame this area.  This kit (and it looks like other kits in the Model Shipways line), require you to create a framing block with a number of curves into it.  The plans are good in this regard, but it still is a little complicated if you're a relative beginner like myself and are working through it the first time.  To help others that are building the kit, here are top and bottom pictures of my block:
 

Here is how my stern looks at the moment.  I think I've managed to capture the curves pretty nicely, and the wale will run into the middle of the name board as you can see on the plans and on the pictures of the actual ship.  I used filler to help get the lines right, but being able to sand down the first planking should help as well.  Thanks for looking in!
 

Glad to have you, guys. It's a shame Hachette doesn't do partworks in the US. I guess it has to do with how subscription models run in the US where one has to actively extend a subscription after one year as opposed to the rest of the world where subscriptions run until you actively cancel them.


 
Issue 3
 

 
Side beams and lateral supports are added to the hull structure. The rear turret is fitted with barrels. Those are are cast not lathed, which made some people unhappy, but after a quick rub with 400 grit sandpaper and a polish with steel wool, they look totally fine for me.
 
This is the last of the teaser issues. The build will now concentrate on the hull structure.

Proof of life...  At least I hope it is....
 
After testing my memory and eye-hand coordination (along with many and sundry "honey-do's"... I'm finally back.   Bear with me if my terminology isn't correct and feel free to correct it.  I'm still have some memory issues with words, names, and phrases.  
 
First up... I've started planking the bulwarks. One strake done so far but it's a start.  And ran a production run on the Death Star and cut out probably 30 cannon carriages.  A lot more than I'll need of this size (gundeck only) but I want to have spares in case I tank a few.  Hmm... photo work needs more practice but damn if it doesn't feel great to make some sawdust.
 

Actually it's both sawdust and smoke.  I still use the saw quite a bit along with a lot of sandpaper. 

I would have to make one request.  Of course like everyone I'm biased by nationality and interest, but I think there are a couple of ships from the age of sail that are not represented in any kit form which seems a real hole in the market, I'm talking about HMS Trincomalee and the frigate Unicorn, both Leda class frigates and a very successful design - HMS Shannon of Chesapeake fame was also a Leda.  Given the ships are still in existance I suspect that these would have a lot of interest similar to the other ships (or even replicas) that seem to generate so much interest.  The class also crossed over the changes from the flat to rounded stern so could make for some very interesting modeling.
 
Another interesting ship is the RRS Discovery (famous for Scott's ill-fated voyage to the South Pole) berthed in Dundee (within sight of Unicorn in fact) which again I think generates interest for its historic value and the fact that she is also still in existence.
 
Preferred Scale - 1:64.  I'm not retired so have a bit more flexibility with finances but believe in getting value for money and not just the cost side - current Caldercraft/Amati price point seem reasonable, however I prefer to pay extra for option of better wood, I'm tired of dealing with the ubiquitous walnut....

Sorry - thought I would add this photo as I have just taken it with a mobile phone instead of my usual camera to see if there is any difference....
 

Hello - couple of photos showing the bell tower and the quarterdeck rail and quarter gangways with step.
 
Having built the bell tower as instructed in the kit I realised I had better try harder and do it as shown by the master - Blue Ensign - so had to cut the bell support to place it lower. In doing so realised that it need to be rebuilt plus the canopy. 
 

 
On the quarterdeck rail lower section used round dowel instead of square section as asked for in instructions. 
 
 

 
 
Regards
 
Doug

Everyone has already said it, but beautiful work Alexander.

What a great build Pat, she has lovely lines and the research is very interesting.  Great to see you overcoming all the challenges.

Awesome work Jesse, everything has already been said!

Awesome work Jesse, everything has already been said!

So will be off on the family holiday for a few weeks this weekend so needing to step away.  Here's where things stand, not wanting to jump into anything else as I know I'll be rushing, so "down tools" it is.  The quarter gallery berthings are both now glued and the edge with the upper counter tidied up, everything else is dry fitted.  The lower finishing proved to be quite the interesting pieces to make.  The profile is very clear from the stern and side elevation, so combining that with the curve of the quarter gallery berthing and the straddle over the wale edge meant plenty of shaping, and checking to see things looked OK from all angles which was more of a challenge than I would have expected.  Decided to dispense with the kit supplied metal molding for the drop as this didn't seem to match, and anyway seemed easier to take my own approach than fight with that.  Drops still to be made.
 
The provides a PE "X" for each side, which I think is an approximation for some decoration looking at some of the Diana models.   I'm leaning toward painting my own decorations here but will think a bit.
 
Hopefully pictures speak for themselves from the various angles...the macro gods are surely against me as the finish looks more acceptable in person 
 

I love seeing models that really give a feel for what it would be like to be on the real article, really nice progress.  I hadn't really thought about the access to the rear cabin area, will there be a companionway from the upper deck to help access or is access only from the hold?

Looks wonderful Bob, really nice joinery, there must be quite a few complicated angles to deal with.

So will be off on the family holiday for a few weeks this weekend so needing to step away.  Here's where things stand, not wanting to jump into anything else as I know I'll be rushing, so "down tools" it is.  The quarter gallery berthings are both now glued and the edge with the upper counter tidied up, everything else is dry fitted.  The lower finishing proved to be quite the interesting pieces to make.  The profile is very clear from the stern and side elevation, so combining that with the curve of the quarter gallery berthing and the straddle over the wale edge meant plenty of shaping, and checking to see things looked OK from all angles which was more of a challenge than I would have expected.  Decided to dispense with the kit supplied metal molding for the drop as this didn't seem to match, and anyway seemed easier to take my own approach than fight with that.  Drops still to be made.
 
The provides a PE "X" for each side, which I think is an approximation for some decoration looking at some of the Diana models.   I'm leaning toward painting my own decorations here but will think a bit.
 
Hopefully pictures speak for themselves from the various angles...the macro gods are surely against me as the finish looks more acceptable in person