Beef Wellington

AND BANG, finished.
 
Thanks for the likes and support, to the followers who suffered the 8 month build. 20K views on a plastic model is flattering to say the least.
 
The next build will not be so complex, there is so much detail it just gets lost. You can see from my previous builds, it is a magnitude more involved, but I have learnt to use an airbrush (thanks Banyan) and that Dutch people have a very similar sense of humor to Aussies (Cog).
 
Off to the digital graveyard.
 
 

As I mentioned in an earlier post,  I have used some of my post build time to create a Photo Album of my build utilising some of the many photo's taken over the course of the build.
The album is large format (28 x 21cm) and runs to 120 pages.
The book has now arrived and I thought you may like to see how it worked out.
The book was designed and created from software downloaded from Vistaprint.  who then produced the Album.
Here's are a few pages to give you a glimpse of how it looks.







In reality the photo's are far better than may appear on this post, and it's nice to have a record outside of a computer to look back on a build.
 
Regards,
 
B.E.
 
 

The casing of Pegasus took place yesterday, one of the most stressful operations since constructing the Headworks.
Slipping the cover over Pegasus with only a few mm clearance each side of the Main Studding Booms ends and Jib boom was scary to say the least.
 
Still all done now, and here she is in her designated place.





 
Moving on now, to what not quite decided.
 
B.E.
 

For those who may be vaguely curious about the face behind the model, here's yours truly posing with Pegasus before she is cased.

 
B.E.
 

Lots achieved today, she even has props fitted, but apart from small weapons to be painted and fitted,and some radar sets I will now concentrate on weathering her for the next day or so and then finish her off with the rigging, have enjoyed this build, and have other projects lined up like the 1/200 USS Hornet and 1/200 Sovremenny, but it looks like i am now back in the mood to push on with the Victory 

Good evening, Im still adding loads to the build, but can see the end in sight and actually have a completed builds portfolio to my name LOL most of the armament is made and in paint, then wethering and rigging, hope to complete her within a couple of weeks
 

Good afternoon 
Apologies for my absence, i have been contemplating walking away from the hobby, but decided against it, I dont know why i have lost interest in so many things and ............
anyway im here and the Bismarck has been progressing she has some teeth now with the big guns in place, the ships  boats will hopefully be in place in the next week or so 

Hi All,  I am now 565 hours into the journey of Naiad over the last 16-months.  Feeling good about where I am thus far.  Since my last post, I have completed the gun ports on the p/s and have completed the sills on the s/b side.
 
In this first photo, is my small cutting board clamped to the build board.  Note the half cup in the far corner.  This is screwed to the board and I insert the larger cup of water in it.  I use the water to wash off excess glue.  I was tired of spilling it all the time.  Also, I mounted a pencil holder and caliper holder to each side of the build board.  I am trying to train myself to put these items back after each use.  I figure this will save me thousands of hours of having to looking for pencils and calipers. (I don't know why this text got underlined, oh well...)
 
 
I built these measuring calipers at the start of the build as recommended by Ed. They are lap jointed and pinned and have proved to be invaluable.  I used scrap babinga wood.  Recently, I added a brass strip for the screw to clamp down on.  This has limited the movement of the caliper once tightened.
As I placed each sill, I would use strips of bass wood as a "winding stick" to check for level from sill to sill.  I am very happy with the results and have recreated the slope of the sills as outlined in the plans.  There is a gentle rise at the ends of the ship with a low-level valley at midship.   There is probably a nautical term for this sweep. I still need to fair the inside of the top timbers.
 

While this picture is upside down, it shows the squareness of the gun ports.  I cannot emphasize enough that each piece you place is of great importance to the overall symmetry in a build like this.  Mistakes, no matter how random or remote will likely be magnified somewhere else in the build.
 
This is just an exterior portside view of the gun ports and illustrates the gentle sweep of the ports. Yes, that's a dead rat hanging from the light... fake of course...
I used pinstripe tape to establish the fair sweep of the sills.  The sills remain horizontal throughout the ship,  the sweep is very subtle.
 

You will note the use of a spacer block for the ports.  I found this essential I getting the correct length and height of each port.  I colored the block so I could easily find it among all my scraps.  Yes, I uploaded these photos backwards...
 

Next on the to do list is to finish the upper sills on the s/b side, rework all the spacers within the hull so they have a uniform sweep, cut the top timbers on the s/b to length.  I then plan to sit down with the hull during our family vacation this summer in the mountains and go over it frame by frame.  I will spend my early mornings for those 10 days with scrapers, files, and steel wool.   I am looking forward to those quiet moments on the deck, sipping coffee and filing away - long before the kids get up!
 
Thanks for following along. 
 
Gary

Hi Chaps, we'll I am back after a little hiatus.   Ron, Mark, Pat, Bob and the likes - thanks for the kind words as always. 
 
Sjors - Its nice to have the option to use the kit part rather than nothing, its insurance 
 
I've landed a new job, which is some relief - even though I had time on my hands I couldn't enjoy building but did what I could when the mood took me.  I'm not sure how the scratch builders feel, but these cheeks and rails had me thinking I'd never get them done and asking myself if I'd bitten off more than I could chew.
 
First off, I had to decide how I wanted to terminate the rails.  This period seems to be a bit of a mix in styles, mixing more elaborate decoration with a hint of future frugality.  I decided to err on the side of ornamentation after studying some NMM models, which basically just meant a larger scroll on the hair bracket and lower cheek I tried to follow guidance in TFFM as much as I could, and I've shown the progress pics below.  This wasn't as hard as I thought and for a first effort I was pretty happy, but I'll leave final judgement to others.  I knew I'd be painting these, so I found myself occasionally putting a think coat of paint on to get a better sense for the contours which is difficult with the pale castello.  
 

Once the scrolls were done, I made a scraper for the contour and tried to add the profile.  I found this very tricky and found myself battling the curve, the changes in width and the slight grain, especially in the thinner sections.  First approach was to shape the cheek piece and the rail and then glue together (I did these off the model painting would be next to impossible once mounted).  This didn't work as well as hoped, the profiles didn't match and the edges had rounded, but some filler and rework did the job.  For the others, I glued the cheek piece and the bracket before profiling which seemed to work fine.  I used a touch of sepia wash to highlight the profile.  Near the scroll, there is barely a profile so paint is needed to give the effect.
 
Overall, I give myself a "C" on the profiling:  hopefully could do better next time but needed to move on or forever be stuck in hairbracket purgatory.  Next time () I think I'd try using pear rather than castello but didn't have any of the right dimension to hand to try.

Lastly, couldn't resist adding a little more detail than the kit offers and wanted to add both a Filling piece and Trailboard.  Looking at contemporary Artois models, the filling piece is quite substantial and adds a distinctive look.  First off, I tried making a 1mm thick version bent to the hull shape - too thin.  I next tried a 2mm think version, but again felt it was too thin.  Tried 3mm, but it was impossible to bend, so went with a 5mm castello sheet and shaped as needed.  This was quite a bit of work as none of the sides are at 90deg, and the hull curvature needs to be accounted for, luckily this doesn't need to be perfect as the interior faces will be hidden by the  cheeks.  The trailboard was relatively simple but again took a while to get the appropriate shape.  Once complete these should go together like a jigsaw puzzle.....

And the finished result.  These will not be glued until I have the port side pieces finalized, but they fit together just fine.  Overall, I found this tricky and time consuming, but educational.  Without detailed plans there was a lot to consider to get the alignment looking right to my eye, for example, the lower cheek scroll terminating at the foot of the figurehead, the hair bracket scroll aligning with the rounded top of the lacing piece.

Finally, recognition for all those failures forever consigned to the wastebasket of progress....

Looking very good Sjors!
 
I also want to thank you for a very fine sunday. I really enjoyed it
Sjors, Anja and I went to a museum in Rotterdam where many builders from an other building club showed there models.
 
Some pictures....
 
Outside the museum the build of the "Delft" and a real anchor....
 
Hennie
 
 

Thanks Denis and Ulises.
Also that for the likes.
 
@ Ulises,
When the popcorn bag is empty ....just re-fill it 
 
I have plank the decks.
The lower gun deck has also a layer of tung oil.
And I see the other ones also .....Morning Sjors.
I also post a few pictures with the beginning of the planking and the end result.
The bow section looks if it needed some modifications but don't forget...there is a lot that comes at the wall.
So maybe a little sanding paper?
 
Sjors
 

 

Time for a update.
 
As I told you before, I receive my false keel.
I place all the frames on it and I'm happy 
Also the first deck is ready .
The picture you see the deck without any varnish.
Tomorrow I will place a picture with tung oil on it.
I will do that tonight so it can dry.
The second picture will show you "little" clamps 
Just for sure that everything stick together......
 
Sjors
 
 

The first planks are on it.
I go a little bit different as what the manual is saying.
Normally you have to do the planking till the hull is closed.
Then you will place the rubbing strakes.
I will do it the different way.
I have all ready sanding the planks and will put now the rubber strakes.
Also glue in the frames for the gun ports for the upper deck.
Then I know that I have a straight rubbing strakes.....
 
Sjors
 

 

BE, Pat, Joe, Michael, Nils, Wayne, JPAM  and the likes - thanks so much.
 
Ron - I'm hoping to make it, would love to see your fantastic Diana in person, my challenge is always football/soccer as I coach my sons team and that takes a big bite out of weekends at this time of year.  If I could just arrange a game in New London then I'd be set!
 
Small update, I've been missing making posts but I have a little to share and hope pictures make up for it.  Continuing to work on the more foundational aspects as I can.  Paint has been applied to the upper hull - I used Tamiya matt XF-18 medium blue.  I applied many layers of watered down paint and corrected larger imperfections, but left the slight imperfections from planking visible.  I'm no painter and have limited experience with modern acrylics!  Watering down the paint gives a nice smooth finish, but at the expense of surface uniformity - this should disappear completely once a clear sealer is applied so not concerned.  I found that using a brush the undiluted paint dries so quickly that brush mark are inevitable.  Lots of touchup to do which should be pretty easy, but I want to get a protective coat of poly onto the boxwood to reduce the risk of mishaps.
 
The waist rail has been applied on one side and the side steps added.  I left gaps for the fenders, after having already cut these roughly to shape - using boxwood of course adds the number of pieces that need to be fabricated to keep consistent.  I wont attach these until later.  Steps were made using 2x2mm boxwood strip and a different profile scraper to the side molding and then cut length and shaping the ends.  These hopefully give more of an impression of the fine molding as keeping that to scale was just too much for me.  The upper and lower 2 steps are not glued yet.  I think they pass the scale test with the assistance of Able Seaman Lewis.


I've also made up the anchor lining bolsters, not identified in the kit plans but approximated from AOTS and TFFM.


And the usual 'all over' shot of where things stand..

 
 
 

paint job done....
I think building time 10000 hours and paint time 100000 hours 
The false canons are in place so she got her teeth.
All the other canons still has to go on the decks.
Also paint and attach the decorations for the bow part.
 
Sjors
 

I put my ear back to my head and can hear to much 
 
I'm waiting for my new false keel for the Santíssima Trinidad.
In the mean while I'll be preparing things for painting.
For the SotS of course.
So.....see picture.
 
Sjors
 

 

Here we are again with another paint update....
I'm still not at the end of the decorations....
There are coming a lot more.
But here are the next few.....
 
Sjors
 

Another little update - all the lower shrouds are now done. Also added all the staves to the shrouds - each one is tied to each shroud rope. Glad to get that fiddly stuff done.Still deciding whether to add catharpins - they are not shown on the plans,but they were in use at that time period.
 

 

 

 

 
Mark

A small update - the necessary blocks & wooldings have been added to the masts. More blocks & eyebolts need to be added to various parts of the decks yet before stepping the masts.
 

 

 
Mark

Another small update - I decided to re-do the rudder chains. I removed the ropes attached to the rudder & used chains with rope pendants instead. It`s a simplified version,but I think it will do.
 

 
Mark

Hi Rob, really nice progress on the planking, love the tapered sternpost - think your solution is a little more elegant   Hopefully I'll have an update soon as the bug has bitten me again, you look to be really having some fun with this kit.  All the best.

Hi all,
 
First of all, thx for all the kind words!
 
After six years my Aggy finally found her way home....
I want to thank you all for all the commends and advices and of course all the likes! I am still waiting for my next project, the Sovereign of the Seas (Sergal). When all goes well, it should arrive this week, but I am afraid it will take some more time. Looks if they send my order to the planet Saturnus.....
 
As promised some pictures. As you can see, I did some repairs. I fixed that nasty angle in the top stay.
 

Nice!
 
Sjors

@B.E and @Piet
Thank you both :)
 
A small update....
The first yard (and the biggest one) is in his place. Just like Sjors I used a brass pin to put it on the mast in the first place. When using the ropes to put the yard against the main mast, I will damage the whole thing. I only have two hands, so thats almost impossible. I will use ropes later.
 
Some pictures....
 
 

Hi Chaps, we'll I am back after a little hiatus.   Ron, Mark, Pat, Bob and the likes - thanks for the kind words as always. 
 
Sjors - Its nice to have the option to use the kit part rather than nothing, its insurance 
 
I've landed a new job, which is some relief - even though I had time on my hands I couldn't enjoy building but did what I could when the mood took me.  I'm not sure how the scratch builders feel, but these cheeks and rails had me thinking I'd never get them done and asking myself if I'd bitten off more than I could chew.
 
First off, I had to decide how I wanted to terminate the rails.  This period seems to be a bit of a mix in styles, mixing more elaborate decoration with a hint of future frugality.  I decided to err on the side of ornamentation after studying some NMM models, which basically just meant a larger scroll on the hair bracket and lower cheek I tried to follow guidance in TFFM as much as I could, and I've shown the progress pics below.  This wasn't as hard as I thought and for a first effort I was pretty happy, but I'll leave final judgement to others.  I knew I'd be painting these, so I found myself occasionally putting a think coat of paint on to get a better sense for the contours which is difficult with the pale castello.  
 

Once the scrolls were done, I made a scraper for the contour and tried to add the profile.  I found this very tricky and found myself battling the curve, the changes in width and the slight grain, especially in the thinner sections.  First approach was to shape the cheek piece and the rail and then glue together (I did these off the model painting would be next to impossible once mounted).  This didn't work as well as hoped, the profiles didn't match and the edges had rounded, but some filler and rework did the job.  For the others, I glued the cheek piece and the bracket before profiling which seemed to work fine.  I used a touch of sepia wash to highlight the profile.  Near the scroll, there is barely a profile so paint is needed to give the effect.
 
Overall, I give myself a "C" on the profiling:  hopefully could do better next time but needed to move on or forever be stuck in hairbracket purgatory.  Next time () I think I'd try using pear rather than castello but didn't have any of the right dimension to hand to try.

Lastly, couldn't resist adding a little more detail than the kit offers and wanted to add both a Filling piece and Trailboard.  Looking at contemporary Artois models, the filling piece is quite substantial and adds a distinctive look.  First off, I tried making a 1mm thick version bent to the hull shape - too thin.  I next tried a 2mm think version, but again felt it was too thin.  Tried 3mm, but it was impossible to bend, so went with a 5mm castello sheet and shaped as needed.  This was quite a bit of work as none of the sides are at 90deg, and the hull curvature needs to be accounted for, luckily this doesn't need to be perfect as the interior faces will be hidden by the  cheeks.  The trailboard was relatively simple but again took a while to get the appropriate shape.  Once complete these should go together like a jigsaw puzzle.....

And the finished result.  These will not be glued until I have the port side pieces finalized, but they fit together just fine.  Overall, I found this tricky and time consuming, but educational.  Without detailed plans there was a lot to consider to get the alignment looking right to my eye, for example, the lower cheek scroll terminating at the foot of the figurehead, the hair bracket scroll aligning with the rounded top of the lacing piece.

Finally, recognition for all those failures forever consigned to the wastebasket of progress....